The Liberty Incident: The 1967 Israeli Attack on the U.S. Navy Spy Ship

by A. Jay Cristol, Ernest C. Castle (Epilogue by)

"On June 9, 1967, at the height of the Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Israeli warplanes and torpedo boats attacked a naval vessel steaming in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula. After the fog of war had lifted, the Israelis realized, with horror, that they had nearly sunk a ship of their closest ally. Thirty-four Americans died and 171 were wounded. Despite multiple official American and Israeli inquiries that determined the attack resulted from faulty communications and tragic error, conspiracy theorists have, for thirty-five years, tirelessly maintained vocal charges of conspiracy and cover-up." Achieving unprecedented access to inside sources involved in the attack on the Liberty, federal judge and former naval aviator A. Jay Cristol draws on recently declassified documents, Israeli Air Force audiotapes of the attack, and interviews with such high-ranking officials as Robert McNamara and Yitzhak Rabin and a National Security Agency linguist who heard radio transmissions of the assault. What results is the most comprehensive analysis of a tragedy that has been shrouded in suspicion for so many years. Meticulously researched and documented, The Liberty Incident effectively resolves the controversy that has persistently surrounded the question of Israel's motive in executing the deadly attack.

Genres: History, Military Fiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2002