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light on actually what happened and why. It is a great tragedy that 34 young American
sailors died while serving their country. It is an even greater tragedy that the general
public knows next to nothing about this event.
What position did you serve on the USS Liberty?
My position on the USS Liberty was in the Engineering Department. I was a boilerman. I
also worked for the chief engineer in the log room office.
One of the main questions regarding this attack is whether or not the Israeli attackers
knew that they were attacking an American ship. The Israelis have claimed that they
misidentified the Liberty for the Egyptian horse carrier El Quseir, but it has been
reported that the USS liberty flew an American flag and was distinctly marked with US
markings. It is also known that slow moving recon plans flew over the USS Liberty
numerous times. Is there any doubt in your mind that the Israeli military knew that they
were attacking an American ship?
There is no doubt in my mind that the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty was deliberate.
Israel has claimed that it was a mistake and that they were firing upon an Arab horse
freighter. The El Quesir was the name of the Arab ship. It was tied up and not sea worthy
during the Six Day War, and the Israelis knew this.
As for our Flag. All American ships fly the flag. Ours was flying until the Israelis shot it
down and within seconds another was put up. It was our holiday Ensign, sized 9 feet by
13 feet.
As for the slow moving aircraft. Planes started flying over us and checking us out at
5:30am and did so 9 to 13 times until the attack at 2:00PM. There is no doubt in my mind
that they knew who they were attacking.
It has been reported that the USS Saratago, responding to a SOS from the Liberty,
launched jets to help the Liberty approximately 15 minutes into the Israeli attack. Why
were the jets recalled? One could say that this act left American sailors to be murdered
by an enemy force?
A message from the USS Liberty got to the USS Saratoga 9 minutes into the attack. The
USS Saratoga launched a flight of fighters immediately and they were called back. This
happened three different times throughout the attack. Robert MacNamara called them
back twice, and President Johnson called them back once, saying his thoughts were not
for the USS Liberty. He did not want to embarrass his ally Israel. That act did leave us to
get murdered, and what it actually is called is abandonment.
Once your captain, William Loren McGonagle, realized that the Liberty was in danger of
sinking, he ordered the crew to abandon ship. At this point, there were only three life rafts
left that weren't damaged. Your crew placed as many wounded into the life rafts and
lowered them over the side of the Liberty. Please tell us what happened next.
The order was given by the captain to abandon ship, because he thought we were going to
sink. Three life rafts were in the water, but then Israeli Torpedo boats came up to them
and shot two of them up and grabbed one on the boats. That is against the Geneva
Convention.
What prompted the Israelis to terminate their assault?
I'm not sure what caused them to terminate the attack, but after 2 hours, they could not
sink us. I would think that their time had run out.
How long did it take for American help to arrive?
It took 16 hours for the American fleet to get to us. But that night, while we were sailing
to the sixth fleet, a Soviet ship offered help to us. They said that they would stay just at
the horizon and if our ship was going to go down, they would help us.
In a recent letter to President Bush, survivor Phillip F. Tourney claimed that the crew of
the USS Liberty were ordered to remain silent under threat of court martial,
imprisonment, or worse, and we all know what worst meant.?Did you yourself
experience such threats?
Admiral Kidd was the one who ordered us silent. That was a direct order to all of the
crew. I heard it myself that day.
If what has been reported is true, the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty can only be
described as deliberate. In your opinion, why did this attack take place?
As for why the Israelis attacked us, I'm not sure. I would not be able to give you a reason,
because it would only be a guess. There is a new film out by the BBC called Dead in the
Water. It was released in England on 6-10-02 and it gives some startling new evidence as
to why the attack happened.
Has the American government considered reinvestigating the attack?
There are a few Congressional personal interested in helping us. We're hoping that they
are really willing.
It would seem that this event has been covered up. Given all the information that has
come forth and the testimony of such people as Secretary of State Dean Rusk and former
JCS Chairman Admiral Thomas Moorer, the version that this attack was a mistake is very
hard believe, which means that it was covered up for some reason. Why, in your opinion,
was such a tragic event as an attack on US sailors covered up?
You ask if the USS Liberty attack was covered up. My answer is simple: yes, it was. The
question still remains today as to why. And with a Congressional Investigation, all the