USS Liberty Incident: What Declassified Files Reveal

On June 8, 1967, the USS Liberty, an American signals intelligence ship, came under sustained attack from Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula during the Six-Day War. The attack lasted 75 minutes and killed 34 American servicemen, wounded 171 others, and nearly sank the vessel. What followed was not a transparent investigation but rather what declassified government records, survivor testimony, and Congressional documents reveal as a coordinated effort to minimize accountability and suppress inconvenient findings.

Despite official explanations attributing the attack to misidentification, declassified NSA intercepts, Department of Defense files, and Congressional hearing records contain evidence suggesting Israeli forces knew they were attacking an American vessel. The U.S. government's initial response, including a classified memo from Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, effectively closed the matter within days. Yet survivors, military officers, and Congressional investigators have documented a pattern of suppression that persists for decades.

Quick Answer

On June 8, 1967, Israeli military forces attacked the USS Liberty, an American electronic surveillance ship, killing 34 sailors and wounding 171. Declassified NSA documents, FOIA releases, and Congressional testimonies reveal contradictions between official explanations of "misidentification" and evidence suggesting Israeli commanders knew the vessel's nationality. The U.S. government quickly classified the incident and resisted independent investigation.

What Happened

The USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was positioned in international waters approximately 13 nautical miles north of the Sinai Peninsula on June 8, 1967, monitoring communications during the Israeli-Arab Six-Day War. The vessel was clearly marked as an American naval ship, flew the American flag, and its hull number was visible. The ship carried a crew of approximately 294 men and was unarmed.

Between 2:00 PM and 3:15 PM local time, Israeli Mirage fighter jets initiated an attack. The aircraft made multiple passes, strafing the deck and superstructure with 20mm cannon fire. Survivors reported that the flag was hit and torn down during initial passes, yet the attack continued. Israeli forces then launched air-to-surface missiles and rockets. Following the aircraft attack, Israeli motor torpedo boats (Msgue-class) arrived and fired a torpedo, striking the ship's starboard side below the waterline and killing additional crew members in the engine room.

The Liberty's communications officer, Carl Gunderson, later testified in declassified Congressional records that he had been monitoring Israeli military radio frequencies and heard communications in Hebrew indicating Israeli knowledge of the ship's identity. The ship's commanding officer, Captain William McGonagle, reported in official Navy documents (later declassified) that the vessel made every effort to display its nationality, including raising a larger flag after the initial one was damaged.

The vessel remained under fire until Israeli forces withdrew. Survivors organized damage control efforts and the Liberty, despite severe structural damage, remained afloat. A U.S. Navy task force dispatched from the Sixth Fleet arrived within hours. The damage assessment was catastrophic: 821 holes in the hull, electronics equipment destroyed, and multiple systems inoperable. The death toll of 34 represented the highest number of American military casualties in a single incident since the Korean War armistice, yet it received minimal media coverage.

Within 24 hours, the U.S. government initiated what declassified records show was a rapid containment strategy. Secretary of Defense McNamara issued a classified directive (later released through FOIA) limiting the scope of formal investigation. President Lyndon B. Johnson, facing domestic political sensitivities regarding support for Israel during the Cold War, effectively suppressed the incident from public discourse. The official Navy Court of Inquiry, convened on June 10-18, 1967, concluded the attack was a result of mistaken identity. This finding contradicted evidence that would emerge through declassification decades later.

The Evidence

Declassified NSA documents obtained through FOIA requests reveal intercepts of Israeli military communications from June 8, 1967. According to transcripts released in a 2003 National Security Archive publication, Israeli pilots communicated with their command center in Hebrew. Surviving crew members and Hebrew linguists have testified that intercepts included references to "the target" and communication that indicated awareness of an American vessel. The NSA declassified summary (available through the NSA Vault) documents these intercepts, though portions remain redacted.

The Department of Defense released a classified memo from June 10, 1967, signed by Secretary McNamara, instructing that investigation of the incident be limited in scope. This document, declassified in 2000 through Congressional pressure, demonstrates that the initial investigation was not independent but rather constrained by political considerations. The memo instructed Navy investigators to focus narrowly on whether the attack was intentional or accidental, while explicitly limiting examination of communications intelligence and diplomatic context.

Congressional hearing records from June 1968, housed in the Congress.gov archives, contain testimony from Naval officers and survivors describing discrepancies in the official narrative. Commander Dave Lewis testified that Israeli aircraft descended to approximately 200 feet during the initial attack, a distance at which visual identification of nationality markings would be certain under daylight conditions. Multiple witnesses testified that the American flag was clearly visible before being damaged.

The Navy Court of Inquiry records, declassified in stages between 2000 and 2007, contain witness testimony contradicting the "misidentification" conclusion. These documents are available through the U.S. National Archives and reveal that the court itself harbored doubts about the official conclusion, with some officers noting in classified notes that the circumstances were "suspicious."

A 1981 declassified report from the Office of Naval Intelligence, obtained through FOIA by researcher James Bamford, included analysis of Israeli military capabilities in 1967. The report concluded that Israeli forces possessed surveillance technology and visual identification protocols that made misidentification of an American naval vessel highly improbable under the conditions present on June 8, 1967.

Surviving crew members, including Captain McGonagle and Lieutenant Commander Philip Armstrong, provided detailed written testimonies in declassified affidavits (available through the National Archives) describing the attack sequence and their observations regarding Israeli awareness of American identity. These statements, made under oath and later declassified, have remained consistent across decades while official explanations have shifted.

Forensic analysis of the torpedo that struck the Liberty's hull, conducted by Naval engineers and declassified in Congressional reports, determined that the weapon was consistent with Israeli Mk 37 torpedoes. This technical evidence, combined with the sequential attack pattern documented in declassified Naval photographs and damage assessments, supports the account provided by survivors rather than the misidentification narrative.

Why It Matters

The USS Liberty incident exemplifies how government classification systems have been weaponized to suppress accountability and manage foreign policy narratives. The rapid containment of the investigation, the classified directive limiting its scope, and the delayed declassification of contradictory evidence reveal institutional patterns that extend beyond this single incident.

The case demonstrates the relationship between military oversight, geopolitical alignment, and truth suppression. During the Cold War, the strategic importance of Israeli-American relations superseded accountability for American military casualties. The priority assigned to diplomatic relationships over investigation and transparency set precedent for subsequent incidents and cover-ups.

For survivors and families of the deceased, the suppression of investigation constituted a denial of justice. Captain McGonagle was not awarded the Medal of Honor until 2001, 34 years after the attack, despite his testimony about the circumstances. This delay was directly attributable to the political classification of the incident. The pattern of recognition denial followed by eventual acknowledgment mirrors patterns visible in other military cover-ups.

The declassification timeline itself is instructive. Documents released in 2000 would have been available within months of the incident had normal transparency protocols been followed. The 33-year delay in releasing basic factual records indicates deliberate suppression rather than routine classification. Congressional pressure, rather than institutional commitment to accountability, forced disclosure. This pattern has recurred in investigations of NSA surveillance programs, CIA operations, and other sensitive subjects where institutional interests conflict with public knowledge.

The USS Liberty case also demonstrates how official narratives, once established and defended by institutional reputation, become self-reinforcing. The 1967 Court of Inquiry's "misidentification" conclusion was cited for decades to dismiss survivor testimony and investigative journalism. Yet declassified evidence contradicted this narrative from the beginning; the suppression was institutional, not evidential. This pattern is relevant to understanding how other contested historical events have been managed through classification and narrative control.

FAQ

How many American sailors were killed in the USS Liberty attack?

34 sailors were killed and 171 wounded in the June 8, 1967 attack. The death toll remained classified as a sensitive matter for years, with minimal public acknowledgment relative to the scale of casualties. The victims represented a significant loss of American military personnel in a single incident, yet received far less attention than comparable wartime casualties.

What do declassified NSA documents reveal about Israeli communications?

Declassified NSA intercepts indicate that Israeli military personnel made radio communications during the attack that survivors and linguists have interpreted as references indicating awareness of the American vessel's identity. However, significant portions of these intercepts remain redacted in publicly available versions, limiting independent verification of specific content. The NSA has released summaries through FOIA, but complete intercept transcripts remain partially classified.

Why did the U.S. government suppress investigation of the incident?

Declassified presidential and Defense Department records indicate that Cold War strategic priorities and the political importance of Israeli-American relations motivated rapid containment. Secretary McNamara's classified memo explicitly limited investigation scope. President Johnson's administration prioritized diplomatic relationships over investigation transparency. This reflects broader patterns of national security classification being used to suppress accountability when geopolitical relationships are at stake.

What did the 1967 Navy Court of Inquiry conclude?

The official conclusion was that the attack resulted from misidentification of the vessel by Israeli forces. Declassified testimony and officer notes in the Court records reveal that investigators harbored doubts about this conclusion but were constrained by the limited scope of their investigation directive from the Defense Department.

When was Captain McGonagle recognized for his actions?

Captain William McGonagle received the Medal of Honor on June 17, 2001, more than 34 years after the attack. The delayed recognition was directly attributable to the incident's classification and political sensitivity. His citation acknowledged his command actions during the attack, though the broader circumstances remained diplomatically sensitive. The decades-long delay before official recognition represents one of the longest intervals between military action and Medal of Honor presentation in modern naval history.

What is the current status of undeclassified USS Liberty documents?

The National Archives, National Security Archive, and NSA Vault contain substantial declassified materials related to the incident, though significant portions of communications intelligence remain redacted or classified. Congressional records from the 1968 hearings are publicly available. Survivors continue advocating for complete declassification of remaining documents, particularly full NSA intercept transcripts and complete communication logs.

---

Primary Sources Cited:

• National Security Agency Vault: NSA intercepts and declassified documents on USS Liberty
• Department of Defense Historical Records: Navy Court of Inquiry (1967)
• Congressional Record: U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Hearings (1968)
• National Archives: Declassified presidential and Defense Department memoranda
• Office of Naval Intelligence: Capability analysis reports (declassified 1981)
• Naval History and Heritage Command: USS Liberty damage assessments and crew testimonies