Presents evidence suggesting collusion between US and Israeli intelligence in the attack on a US naval surveillance vessel during the Six-Day War and the more than fifty-year long cover-up.
The full title, ‘Blood in the Water: How the US and Israel Conspired to Ambush the USS Liberty’ amply describes the scope of this impressive book by Joan Mellen, professor emerita at Temple University. The unprovoked attack by Israel on the Liberty resulted in the deaths of 34 Americans and wounding of another 174 men. Mellen picks up from her earlier research on President Lyndon Baines Johnson, providing readers with previously unreleased details about the administration. Lies, deceit, and forgery by Navy officials as directed by the president provide but another example of policy undertaken for political expediency, then as now.
As a surveillance ship, the USS Liberty maintained virtually no defensive capabilities. Mysteriously called from assignment along Western Africa, the Liberty found itself perilously stationed off the shores of Israel and Egypt in the Mediterranean during the 1967 Six-Day War. The Navy neglected customary submarine security attachment, leaving the doomed ship defenseless – apparently by design.
The story initially follows John Hadden, CIA station chief in Tel Aviv as he anticipates the Six-Day War while navigating US-Israeli politics in the region, heavily tinged with Cold War concerns. Both the United States and Israel fomented military action, partly driven by Egypt’s reform-minded President Gamel Abdel Nasser, who consistently proved a thorn in the side of both the Eisenhower and Johnson administrations. The U.S. wanted a new regime, and Israel wanted land.
Mellen clearly establishes proof of collusion between Israel and the U.S. regarding the Liberty’s attack. The intrigue in the aftermath of World War II contains parallels to present day, where even now pro-Israel coalitions continue to influence U.S. policy.
Based on evidence accumulated by Mellen, readers learn that Lyndon Johnson sought to use the Liberty as an excuse to attack Arab countries, with the U.S. hoping to blame Egypt. Unfortunately, for Johnson, Liberty did not sink as intended. Despite physical evidence of the badly damaged vessel, a pervasive cover-up at the highest levels ensued.
Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd conducted the Naval Court of inquiry – a sham of an investigation that openly intimidated officers and enlisted personnel. Admiral William Martin, commander of the Sixth Fleet, actually knew in advance of the planned attack and its political intent. Perhaps most reprehensible, Captain William McGonagle, albeit under pressure from superior officers, blatantly lied about the events in subsequent testimony. McGonagle claimed, for example, that the attack last no more than eight minutes, when in reality the duration was closer to an hour-and-a-half. Further, his statement omitted the fact that Israel soldiers deliberately machine-gunned crews in life rafts attempting to flee the conflagration.
Few heroes emerge from Mellen’s narrative. Lieutenant Commander David Lewis, the intelligence officer in charge, constitutes one of the few bright lights. As a result of his candor, he was subsequently denied promotion and rank later. Other notables include George Golden, engineer, and Richard Kiepfer, ship’s doctor, both of whom unselfishly saved many men during the melee.Mellen reports multiple instances where government agencies suppress inconvenient truths by labeling them top secret. ‘Blood in the Water’ demonstrates that those same methods used decades ago still occur – validated, for example, by the unauthorized release of incriminating classified information by Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden.
Documents unearthed for the book include material obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests. Perhaps inevitably, as officials declassify archives, or where government censors fail to redact content, a clearer picture emerges somewhat inadvertently filling in additional pieces of a grand puzzle.
‘Blood in the Water’ offers a fine chronicle of events surrounding the USS Liberty in the context of the 1976 Six Day War. Details abound in this disturbing account of government deception and betrayal. Perhaps lessons learned from the Liberty incident will serve to increase public awareness of wantonly depraved action frequently undertaken by high-level officials for political gain, while simultaneously invoking some greater good.
Available now in bookstores
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