ATTACK ON THE LIBERTY Articles

From the Washington Post's "Short Stack":

"John Lancaster's review of my new book on the 1967 Israeli attack on the American spy ship U.S.S. Liberty has stirred a lot of online debate - much of it heated - among Washington Post readers in recent days. One reader argued that the United States should retaliate and sink an Israeli ship and call it an accident. Another urged Congress to investigate. Others have criticized Israeli and American Middle East policy.

Some readers are equally passionate in their defense of Israel for what it has always maintained was a tragic accident. Many point out that Israel was a close American ally, involved in a hectic and fast-paced war in the desert and had everything to lose by attacking a U.S. ship. Both sides point to many of the same documents - though with differing interpretations - to hammer home their points. ... "

To read the rest of Scott's response, a href="http://voices...

Misguided Missiles

By John Lancaster Sunday, July 12, 2009, Washuington Post

"...  A new book, "The Attack on the Liberty," by James Scott, stops short of a final verdict on that charge. Still, after reading this comprehensive and compelling account, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Israel's actions were, at a minimum, criminally negligent -- and harder still to understand why no one in Israel was punished. For this, the United States also bears some of the blame. Drawing on newly declassified documents and interviews with survivors and former officials, Scott argues that the Johnson administration deliberately soft-pedaled the incident to avoid straining relations with an important Cold War ally and its American backers.

Scott, a South Carolina journalist, is the son of a Liberty survivor and has a good feel for life on board the converted World War...

James Scott and his father John Scott discuss the attack on the Liberty and James' experiences interviewing John, a surviving Liberty officer.

To watch the Fox News interview, click  here.

Make sure to also check out Jame's guest posts on this blog about how family letters helped him write the book.

A guest post by author James Scott.

My recently completed book, The Attack on the Liberty: The Untold Story of Israel’s Deadly 1967 Assault on a U.S. Spy Ship, proved to be an interesting marriage of investigative reporting and family history. The Liberty was a spy ship sent into the Middle East in 1967 to monitor what we now know as the Six-Day War. On the fourth day of the war between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the Israelis strafed and torpedoed the Liberty as it steamed in international waters, killing 34 men and injuring 171 others in what is still a highly controversial affair.

I have a personal connection to the story: My father was an engineering officer on the Liberty. He was awarded the Silver Star for his efforts to prevent the ship from sinking, an impressive accomplishment for a young man who happened to celebrate his 24th birthday the day of the attack.

The book’s research involved gathering...

Deadly attack on USS Liberty gets new attention

By Hal Bernton

Seattle Times , June 9, 2009

"... Last week, on the eve of the anniversary, came a new offering: "The Attack on the Liberty" by South Carolina investigative reporter James Scott, whose father, John Scott, was also a survivor of the attack and a friend of Ennes'.

Scott's book is a densely documented, suspenseful narrative that uses declassified U.S. and Israeli documents to give fresh insights into the attack and the aftermath. U.S. government officials — and a Navy Court of Inquiry — publicly accepted Israel's account of mistaken identity.

But key government leaders privately rejected that explanation. Even President Lyndon Johnson believed it was a deliberate attack, according to Scott.

Citing...