Statement of Richard L. "Larry" Weaver

In July or August of 1967, shortly after the Liberty attack, I was operated on by Dr. Dunn at Philadelphia Naval Hospital who was doing more internal repairs to my stomach. I was released from intensive care to my ward on the 6th floor. On the second day after leaving intensive care a petty officer came over to my bed and told me that an admiral wanted to see me downstairs. I wondered what I did wrong, was my first reaction. Why else would an Admiral want to see a Seaman. I had several tubes in me still. I was put in a wheelchair and taken down to the first floor. The corpsman pushed me into a very small room near the lobby. It had that ugly green tile on the floor, You know.

This 3 Star Admirial opened the door and came in. At first I wanted to snap to attention, seeing all that brass, but of course I could not. He told me he was Vice Admiral Isaac C. Kidd and he said, "Richard, I'm going to take my stars off. Now I am no longer a Admiral. I want you to tell me everything you saw June 8, 1967." Then he dead bolted the door. I got very uptight, to say the least.

I told Admirial Kidd (without his 3 stars) what I saw. Finally puts his stars back on and he said, "Very well Richard, now I'm an Admiral again." Then in a stern voice he said, "IF YOU EVER TELL ANYONE—family, friends or anyone else—what you have just told me, you will be put in Prison and we will lose the key."

He left in a flash. No goodbye, no nothing. He just turned and walked out. I was then taken back to the 6th Ward and never heard from him again.

Richard L. Weaver
May 17, 2005