Of course, ignoring the 10 or so US inquiries, which all concluded that the attack was not deliberate, is just par for the course, right? And if the Israelis planned in advance to deliberately attack the Liberty, why didn't they have any proper anti-ship munitions on the planes? I'm pretty sure IAF doctrine wasn't to try to sink a large warship with napalm, unless they thought the Liberty was made of wood?
So, to conclude: in the middle of winning one of the most brilliant military victories in history, the Israelis spontaneously became so mentally retarded that they deliberatey attacked a vital ally, with their premeditation including the deliberate use of munitions that suck at sinking ships?
The Israelis decided, for no apparent reason, to act completely against their self-interests, this being the exact opposite of their habit to act almost exclusively on the basis of their self-interests.
The Israelis, in making this decision, were completely premeditated, but in their premeditation were so stupid that they didn't know what kind of weapons to mount on their aircraft to sink a boat, even though the salient characteristic of their advanced planning for everything else about the war was its high degree of competence.
Huh?
Ok, so me and the Secretary of State at the time must have been tin foil'ers?
Either it was deliberate, so a showing of incompotence that is nearly insane. Considering how many times IDF fighters previous confirmed that the ship was American....
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The Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the Ambassador of Israel and has the honor to refer to the Ambassador's note of June 10, 1967, concerning the attack by Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats on the United States naval vessel U.S.S. Liberty, which was carried out at 1605 and 1625 hours local time [sic], respectively, on June 8, 1967, while the U.S.S. Liberty was engaged in peaceful activities in international waters.
At the time of the attack, the U.S.S. Liberty was flying the American flag and its identification was clearly indicated in large white letters and numerals on its hull. It was broad daylight and the weather conditions were excellent. Experience demonstrates that both the flag and the identification number of the vessel were readily visible from the air. At 1450 hours local time [sic] on June 8, 1967, two Israeli aircraft circled the U.S.S. Liberty three times, with the evident purpose of identifying the vessel. Accordingly, there is every reason to believe that the U.S.S. Liberty was identified, or at least her nationality determined, by Israeli aircraft approximately one hour before the attack. In these circumstances, the later military attack by Israeli aircraft on the U.S.S. Liberty is quite literally incomprehensible. [At] a minimum, the attack must be condemned as an act of military recklessness reflecting wanton disregard for human life.
The subsequent attack by Israeli torpedo boats, substantially after the vessel was or should have been identified by Israeli military forces, manifests the same reckless disregard for human life. The silhouette and conduct of U.S.S. Liberty readily distinguished it from any vessel that could have been considered hostile. The U.S.S. Liberty was peacefully engaged, posed no threat whatsoever to the torpedo boats, [and] obviously carried no armament affording it a combat capability. It could and should have been scrutinized visually at close range before torpedoes were fired.
While the Ambassador of Israel has informed the Secretary of State that 'the government of Israel is prepared to make amends for the tragic loss of life and material damage,' the Secretary of State wishes to make clear that the United States Government expects the Government of Israel also to take disciplinary measures which international law requires in the event of wrongful conduct by the military personnel of a State. He wishes also to make clear that the United States Government expects the government of Israel to issue instructions necessary to ensure that United States personnel and properly will not again be endangered by the wrongful actions of military personnel.
The United States Government expects that the Government of Israel will provide compensation in accordance with international law to the extent that it is possible to compensate for the losses sustained in this tragic event. The Department of State will, in the near future, present to the Government of Israel a full monetary statement of its claim.
Washington, D.C.
June 10, 1967
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Israel claims they mistook the Liberty for the out-of-service Egyptian horse carrier El Quseir and that we brought the attack upon ourselves by operating in a war zone without displaying a flag. (We were in international water, and flying a US flag the entire time.)
Incidently, the USS Liberty is 455 feet in length, displacing 10,680 tons. El Quseir was 275 feet in length, displacing 2,750 tons. Bit of a difference. They also don't look very similiar in my opinion.
The napalm incidently was used to take out the lifeboats first, plus the two .50 cal mounts and the radios. Napalm happens to be very effective against lifeboats, .50 cals and radio equipment. Afterwards, they used torpedos. Much more effective at actually sinking ships.
The US Navy had one, not "10 or so", Court of Inquiry, which was rather short. It didn't clear the Israelis either, it merely said the Israelis did not clearly establish hostile intent. The Navy never had a full Court of Inquiry investigation, nor did it review communications intercepts and various other evidence. The US has never officially accepted the explanation or excuses offered by Israel, and the only official position is the one I posted above.
Anything else? I was hoping you'd also call me a tin foil'er for my claims that the Israeli's are wiretapping US LEO's.
Edit : What the hey, here's the coverage anyways. From Fox News.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5133.htmAnyways, enough about Israel. Let's go back to discussing illogical uses of nuclear weapons.