The USS Liberty, and the Question That Never Closed

In 1967, Israeli forces attacked an American Navy ship during the Six Day War. Both governments called it a case of mistaken identity. Many of the survivors never accepted that.

By Two Taps & Friends Newsroom October 22, 2026 2 min read

On June 8, 1967, during the Six Day War, Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats attacked the USS Liberty, an American Navy intelligence ship operating in international waters off the northern Sinai Peninsula. Jets strafed the ship and torpedo boats fired on it, and one torpedo struck its hull. Thirty four Americans were killed and 171 were wounded, according to a detailed history of the incident.

Israel apologized and said its forces had mistaken the ship for an Egyptian vessel. Official American and Israeli inquiries concluded it was a case of mistaken identity, though a review prepared for President Lyndon Johnson by Clark Clifford described the failures as gross negligence. Israel paid $3.32 million in 1968 for the families of the dead, $3.57 million in 1969 to the wounded, and $6 million in 1980 to settle the claim for damage to the ship. The commanding officer, Cmdr. William McGonagle, kept the Liberty afloat despite wounds to his leg and arm and received the Medal of Honor, presented at the Washington Navy Yard rather than the White House.

Why the debate never ended

Many survivors rejected the mistaken identity account. They pointed to the good visibility that day and the large American flag they say the ship was flying, while Israeli pilots and boat commanders reported seeing no flag. Critics also argue that the U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry was rushed, finishing in about ten days, and that no Israeli personnel testified. A private committee chaired by retired Adm. Thomas Moorer later found Israel culpable. Others who have studied the Israeli and American records have concluded the attack was a tragic error in the confusion of a fast moving war.

More than half a century later, the arguments have hardly moved. Declassified documents have been read to support both sides, and the story still comes up whenever Americans argue about the relationship between the United States and Israel.

Why it came up on the show

On Episode 65, during a debate over the war with Iran and Israel's influence on American policy, Daniel Rosenberg, Michael Dye and Lloyd Golburgh stop to ask the question directly. Accident, or something more? The segment is a good example of how the panel works, laying out the evidence and letting the disagreement stand rather than forcing a tidy answer.

For the rest of that conversation, read our story on the Iran debate. For more history from the show, see why the Middle East has been contested for 5,000 years and Rabbi Uriel Romano on how antisemitism mutates.