In his speech on the House floor Monday marking the 59th anniversary of the USS Liberty incident, Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie called for a new investigation into what happened during the attack, as well as a resolution honoring the men onboard.
Massie’s speech referred to a June 8, 1967 incident involving the Liberty, a U.S. Navy ship sent to collect intelligence off the coast of the Sinai peninsula where it was bombed and strafed by two Israeli fighter jets and struck by three torpedoes. The Israeli government claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, and a subsequent U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry confirmed Israel’s statement.
Massie, the survivors of the tragedy, and others continue to contest this narrative, claiming that the Court of Inquiry was invalid. Notably, a number of sailors aboard the Liberty insist the attack was deliberate.
“This was an effort to kill everybody on board. There was no intention of taking prisoners,” Massie claimed.
Speaking on the House floor, Massie relayed a conversation he had just prior to entering the chamber with some of the survivors of the Liberty and how their recollection of the event was very different from the court findings. While the Israelis claimed they did not know they were bombing a U.S. ship, the survivors recalled that the American colors were flying high on a day with unlimited visibility.
Israeli Mirage jets attacked the Liberty for around 20 minutes before the torpedoes started firing, destroying some of their communication equipment.
“According to eyewitness accounts, the Israelis machine-gunned the lifeboats that they put down,” Massie said. “They machine-gunned the firefighters who were on the deck.” (RELATED: Thomas Massie Pinpoints Moment When Swamp’s Knives Came Out Against Him)
The Commander of the US Sixth Fleet sent attack aircraft from two other carriers to aid the Liberty, but the crew reportedly did not receive aid for 18 hours after the attack. Massie claimed it was because the planes were recalled.
“If you listen to Dean Rusk, former Secretary of State Richard Helms, CIA Director Bobby Ray Inman, head of the NSA Captain Ward Boston, who was the chief counsel of the Court of Inquiry; if you listen to Admiral Moore, who served in Pearl Harbor, Midway, commanded both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet and was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, none of these distinguished men think this was an accident,” Massie said. “They think it was an intentional murder by the country of Israel, either as a false flag operation or because they simply didn’t want anybody observing what they were doing that day.”
Massie finished with a call to action.
“Honor these individuals. Quit ignoring that they exist. Go to their website, USSLiberty.org. Support them. And while they’re still alive, they need closure. Let’s give them closure. Let’s have an investigation. Let’s pass a resolution honoring them. It’s long overdue.”