San Antonio Express-News
February 4, 1996

"Liberty" book deals more truth
By Maury Maverick

The USS Liberty:  With enthusiasm,
I urge you to make out a check for
$13.95 to the American Educational Trust,
PO Box 53062, Washington, DC 20077-3615,
and ask that you be sent the book, "The
USS Liberty," by John Borne, detailing
what happened on June 8, 1967, when an
American intelligence ship was attacked
by Israeli air and naval forces off the
coast of Gaza.  The result was 34
Americans killed and 171 wounded.

Just as important, the book tells of
the subsequent cover-up, for the most
part by the liberals and Democrats
fearful of the Israeli lobby and whose
fear continues to this date.

The mainstream press ran out on the
crew members of the Liberty, although
TV's Larry King was more generous
than most.

You will also find out about veterans
organizations that abandoned the
Liberty.

The book is a formal Ph.D. thesis
with footnotes.  It went approvingly
through the extensive graduate school
process of the Department of History
at New York University.  It is a
reliable and top-notch piece of
scholarship.

On the rear dust jacket, this
disturbing comment hits you:  "There
was no congressional investigation of
the matter -- the only time in American
history when an attack on a naval
vessel in peacetime was not followed by
a congressional inquiry.  Instead, a
Naval Court of Inquiry was convened,
which was denounced as a whitewash
coverup."

The dust jacket continues:  "Indeed,
not only do [the Liberty crew
members] claim tht the attack was
intentional, but  also that the
Johnson White House recalled rescue
flights from the Sixth Fleet in order
to avoid a clash between U.S. and
Israeli forces."

James Ennes, who was on the bridge of
the Liberty during the attack, told
me Borne's thesis is a collector's
item.

The men of the Liberty are pretty much
abandoned.  Buy the book, and wave
hello to them.  They deserve better.

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