U.S.S. Liberty

[Ralph Erskine]

An excellent TV program "Attack on the Liberty" went out on UK ITV on 27
January 1987, directed by Rex Bloomstein (for Thames TV). Unfortunately, I
do not have a tape of it.

The program interviewed many of the Israelis involved, including those in
an Israeli command centre. While no TV film can show more than a fraction
of the evidence (and as well as Liberty survivors, it did, I think, give
the views of Dean Rusk), the program was very convincing - in effect, the
attack was put down to the fog of war. I cannot remember if some of the
Israelis on the attacking ships and aircraft were also interviewed.

The Liberty was indeed flying a US flag (although there are issues as to
whether it was fully visible). But "flying a false flag" would have been a
perfectly legitimate ruse de guerre for an Egyptian ship. It was very
unwise, to put it no higher, to station and maintain a patently obvious spy
ship in a war zone - without any protection whatsoever. Yet the attack
occurred four days (from memory) into the war.

Why would Israel deliberately want to attack and antagonise her strongest
ally? Conspiracy theorists may have an answer. Others will believe that an
intentional attack would have been an act of folly. It would also probably
have required the endorsement of at least a senior part of the Israeli
Cabinet - which would have led to a leak by now.

Ralph Erskine



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