On June 8, 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israeli jet fighters and torpedo boats attacked the U.S. Navy non-combatant ship USS Liberty. Thirty-four of the ship's crew were killed, and 171 were injured. The ship was heavily damaged and was later scrapped. At the time, Israel was an ally of the United States.

The Liberty was a spy ship carrying out signals intelligence missions off the Atlantic coast of Africa. But on this day, it was assigned to the Mediterranean Sea to monitor the Arab–Israeli War. For many hours in the morning, Israeli aircraft had been observing the Liberty in international waters, near the Sinai Peninsula.

In the early afternoon, Israeli planes and torpedo boats were ordered to attack Liberty. A torpedo struck and killed 26 crew instantly. During these attacks, the ship's antennas were targeted so they couldn't radio for help. But one of the crew repaired an antenna and sent off a distress message. The Israelis heard the message and disengaged from their attack.

There were two U.S. aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean that received the message. They launched fighter aircraft to assist. The White House ordered the aircraft be recalled. The order came from Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, who said, “President Johnson is not going to go to war or embarrass an American ally over a few sailors.”

After the attack, Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd swore the crew to secrecy and threatened, “You are never, repeat never, to discuss this with anyone, not even your wives. If you do, you will be court-martialed and will end your lives in prison or worse.”

The crew honored that order for many years before they started to talk. They've been waiting for their government to acknowledge the incident but there has never been a Congressional investigation into the Liberty attack. Most Americans are not aware of the attack, its severity, and the details surrounding it.

You can read more of the details of the USS Liberty attack from the USS Liberty Incident story in The Gap newsletter.

The Liberty survivors meet at yearly reunions. A few survivors were interviewed at the 2023 reunion in Colorado Springs. You can read these interviews, which includes their concern that they not be perceived as anti-Semitic.

Click the button for a list of books that have been published about the Liberty.

There are many articles written about the incident. Click the button for a partial list.

There have been numerous videos produced, some that contain testimony from the crew. Click the button for links to a few of them.

Click the button for photos of the ship and crew before, during, and after the attack.