Adlai Stevenson supported USS Liberty

Senator Adlai Stevenson III in 1980, his last year as a United States
Senator from Illinois, invited Jim Ennes to his Senate office for a
private, two hour meeting to discuss the USS Liberty attack and
cover-up.  Following the private meeting, Ennes was invited back the
next day to discuss the attack with members of Stevenson's staff, along
with members of the staff of Senator Barry Goldwater and members of the
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

In that meeting, staff members told Ennes that they found his story
convincing, but that they would recommend to both senators that they not
pursue an investigation because an investigation would only antagonize
Israeli interests while "nothing good could come of it."

Goldwater accepted that staff recommendation.  Stevenson did not.
Instead, Stevenson called a news conference in which he announced that
he was convinced that the attack was deliberate and that the survivors
deserved an investigation.  He would, he said, spend the remaining few
weeks of his Senate term attempting to arrange for an inquiry.

Almost immediately, the government of Israel contacted the White House
and offered to settle the outstanding $40-million damage claims for
$6-million -- an amount equal to one dollar for each Jewish victim of
the Holocaust.

Vice President Walter Mondale quickly agreed to that offer just before
Christmas while Congress and President Carter were on vacation.  The
Department of State followed immediately with a press release, reported
on the front page of the New York Times, which announced, "The book is
now closed on the USS Liberty."  Indeed, from that point on, it was
impossible to generate any congressional interest in the Liberty at all.
Senator Stevenson's staff told me later that they felt the settlement
was directly related to Senator Stevenson's announced plan to hold an
inquiry, and was engineered to block forever any inquiry plans.

Israel did subsequently pay $6-million in three annual installments of
$2-million each.  Secretary of State Dean Rusk said later that he
considered the payments meaningless, as Congress merely increased the
annual Israeli allotment by that amount.

Adlai Stevenson later ran for Governor of Illinois.  He was strongly
opposed by Israeli and Jewish interests.  He lost.  Many feel it was his
support for the Liberty that cost him the election.  Many also feel it
was Stevenson's experience with the Liberty that has intimidated other
Members of Congress who might otherwise support the survivors.