U.S. Vets Seek Probe of Israeli War Crimes

[Judi Lynn]

U.S. Vets Seek Probe of Israeli War Crimes

By WILLIAM C. MANN
Associated Press Writer

June 10, 2005, 3:36 AM EDT

WASHINGTON -- Survivors of a U.S. spy ship attacked by Israeli fighters and torpedo boats 40 years ago are pressing the Pentagon for a full investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes for a strike that caused 205 casualties, including 34 killed.

The attack on the USS Liberty occurred in international waters during the Six-Day War in 1967 between Israel, Egypt and other Arab nations. The survivors claim the attack itself was a violation of the Geneva Conventions regulating conduct of war and that further crimes occurred when Israeli sailors fired at rescuers and firefighters on the ship's bullet-riddled deck and into rubber life rafts thrown into the water to pick up survivors.

Gary Brummett, president of the USS Liberty Veterans Association, said the appeal to the Defense Department is nothing more than an appeal for justice for his shipmates. Brummett was a boiler tender aboard the Liberty.

"Politicians will not touch this issue," Brummett said. "All the presidents we have will not touch this issue. It's politically incorrect. All we are trying to do now is to follow the rule of law."
(snip/...)

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-spy-ship-israel,0,1528548.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

[cornermouse]

1. Umm.

How are we going to threaten someone else with war crimes?

[Coastie for Truth]

2. Cover up of Chief of Naval Intelligence

Gary Brummett and his colleague James Ennes are innocent dupes of the Chief Of Naval Intelligence's deadly spin machine.

The Chief of Naval Intelligence screwed up Liberty - didn't tell the operating forces or the Israelis that Liberty was there, even denied that it was there. Chief of Naval Intelligence put out a cover story that the ship was a "false flagged Russian ship" and then another cover story that the ship was a "false flagged Egyptian troop carrier."

Then, just eight short months later the Chief of Naval Intelligence screwed up Pueblo the same way - didn't tell the operating forces, or the South Koreans or the Japanese that Pueblo was there.

The "truth" about Liberty is in both:
1. CAPT A. Jay Cristol, "The Liberty Incident"
2. CDR Lloyd Bucher, "Bucher:My Story"
and also alluded to in the report on Pueblo.


Why am I so concerned -- BECAUSE IN 1945 MY DAD'S "NAVAL INTELLIGENCE" RECON PBY CATALINA WAS LOST AT SEA - AND THE INTELLIGENCE TYPES SAID THAT HE AND HIS CREW WERE IN AUSTRALIA. IT WAS PURE SERENDIPITY - AND A GREATER FORCE - THAT HE AND HIS CREW WERE SIGHTED AND SAVED BY ANOTHER US SHIP -- THE INTELLIGENCE ASSHOLES SAID HE WAS IN AUSTRALIA ---UNTIL HE AND HIS CREW MADE IT BACK TO THE TENDER.