I spent my career in the U.S. Navy in cryptology, which essentially involves collecting foreign intelligence through electronic means, primarily using the radio. A major event in the history of Naval Cryptology was the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty on June 8, 1967. If you're not familiar with the incident, I'll provide two links: this site, created and maintained by Jim Ennes and Joe Meadors, two survivors of the attack, and this well-footnoted article by Michael Oren, a Senior Fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. I provide both as background, because each side has its unshakeable beliefs, and no amount of facts or persuasion will get either to change their respective opinions.
Today, I received a link to an article in the Houston Chronicle by retired Admiral Thomas Moorer presenting his efforts to get to the bottom of the attack, and his opinions of why it happened. Adm. Moorer became the Chief of Naval Operations (the Navy's top dog) a few months after the attack, and later was appointed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Adm. Moorer is adamant in his belief that the attack was deliberate, but he can only speculate on the Israelis' motivation.
Personally, I don't know what to think. While I tend to side with my shipmates who firmly believe that the attack was deliberate, there are several significant holes in their arguments. The Israelis, on the other hand, merely state that everyone involved in the attack was too stupid to figure out that this was a US warship. Even with my contempt for governmental bureaucracies, especially military ones, I find this explanation too much to swallow.
If you're interested in this incident, Google it. You'll find thousands of references. Maybe one of them actually presents the truth of what happened on that day in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. I just wish someone could conclusively identify it.
