Reconnaissance pilots circled the ship 13 times in the hours before the attack. Seaman Bill Casper, a ship's lookout, says Israel is lying. The US flag flew throughout the attack except for a few seconds when it was shot down and immediately replaced. Israel's claim of mistaken identity does not hold water. Signalman Joe Meadors helped haul up an oversize 9x13' flag before the torpedo boats arrived.
Boatmen claim falsely that no flag was displayed.
The aircraft carriers were forbidden to help. Commander Dave Lewis, the officer in charge of Liberty's Research Department, was told by an admiral that President Lyndon Johnson ordered US forces not to defend the Liberty . Our government's refusal to send aid was a capital offense under U.S. military law. U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk says the decision to attack a known American ship was made at a high level in the Israeli government. The ship was deliberately attacked.