Calif. From the Deck I was USS Liberty's officer of the deck for several hours immediately preceding the attack and was in the process of being relieved when the attack started. The U.S. embassy reported that the story was untrue. Friendly fire might reasonably explain a few rounds fired in haste. The attack continued for 40 minutes after our ship, flag, and name in English were examined by the torpedo men from less than 50 feet away. Then, they methodically sank our life rafts waiting in the water for survivors before leaving us, presumably to sink with all hands.
Friendly fire does occur.
Friendly fire cannot explain circumstances like these. J. M. Ennes Jr., USN-Ret. I don't see what the controversy is all about and why your magazine said so. Dr. Alfred Lilienthal has written on the subject and said that Moshe Dayan gave the order to attack the Liberty in an Israeli operations room and that other officers turned to look at him in horror. They all knew that it was an American vessel.