USS Liberty incident

The USS Liberty incident was an attack on a U.S. Navy intelligence ship, USS Liberty (AGTR-5), in international waters near the Sinai Peninsula, north of El Arish, by Israeli fighter planes and torpedo boats on June 8, 1967, during the Six-Day War between Israel and the Arab States. The attack killed 34 U.S. servicemen and wounded 173.

Related Topics:
U.S. Navy - USS ''Liberty'' (AGTR-5) - International waters - Sinai Peninsula - El Arish - Israel - Torpedo boat - June 8 - 1967 - Six-Day War - Arab

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Israel maintains that the incident was entirely due to error, a finding supported by a number of United States government reports and officially accepted by the United States. Israel contends it was assured by the United States that no U.S. ships were in the area, and that its air and naval forces wrongly identified the Liberty at various stages as a Russian intelligence ship providing information to the Arabs or as the Egyptian vessel "El Quseir," which is a horse carrier one-fourth the size of the Liberty. The United States and Israel exchanged diplomatic notes after several inquiries. Though the United States never officially accepted the Israeli explanation, it accepted total indemnities of $13 million, for damage and casualties.

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Others assert that the attack was a premeditated and deliberate Israeli attack on the American intelligence ship. Among these are surviving crew members and some former U.S. government officials, including then-CIA director Richard Helms and then-Secretary of State Dean Rusk.

Related Topics:
CIA - Richard Helms - Secretary of State - Dean Rusk

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