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1257Z 09 June 1967 transmitted message text from
Naval Communications Station, Greece to
Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe

P 091257Z JUN 67
FM NAVCOMMSTA GREECE
TO CINCUSNAVEUR
BT
C O N F I D E N T I A L
WIRENOTE TO CAPT RAISH
COMMUNICATIONS SITREP USS LIBERTY INCIDENT (U)
1. AT 1234Z/8 JUNE THISTA INTERCEPTED INITIAL LIBERTY ATTACK
REPORT FROM THE SARATOGA ON THE CINCUSNAVEUR HI-COMM NET. [T]HIS
WAS RELAYED VIA NCON CIRCUITRY AND XRA BCST AS A NO DTG MESSAGE.
SUBSEQUENT TO THE INITIAL REPORT, SARATOGA AND NAVCOMMSTA GREECE
PASSED ALL AMPLIFYING INFO OBTAINED VIA BCST, E4.4 HI-COMM NET
AND DEDICATED TTY CIRCUITRY.
2. DUE TO LIBERTY EMERGENCY DESTRUCTION OF CLASSIFIED MATERIAL,
ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO/FROM THE SHIP WERE LIMITED TO UNCLASSIFIED
VOICE TRANSMISSIONS. APPROXIMATELY 90 PER CENT OF THE TIME AFTER
INITIAL REPORT, TWO WAY VOICE CONTACT WAS MAINTAINED WITH THE
FOLLOWING STATIONS ON E04.04D: LIBERTY, SARATOGA, AMERICA,
COMSIXTHFLT, CINCUSNAVEUR, AND NCS MOROCCO. DEGRADATION OF
VOICE CIRCUITRY TO ALL STATIONS EXCEPT LIBERTY AND SARATOGA
OCCURED SHORTLY AFTER INITIAL REPORT DUE TO THISTA UTILIZING
BEAMED ANTENNAS BOTH WAYS TO THE LIBERTY. IN ADDITION, THISTA
COORDINATED DIRECT VOICE CIRCUIT BETWEEN CNO AND USS AMERICA ON
E04.04H.
3. AS YOU KNOW, OUR PHYSICAL ARRANGEMENT IS OPTIMIZED. YESTERDAY
I TOOK MY "BATTLE STATION" AT THE HI-COMM NET CONTROL SPOT AND
REALLY APPRECIATED THE CAPABILITIES OF REAL TIME COMMUNICATIONS.
I WAS ABLE TO KEEP RIGHT UP TO THE MINUTE WITH WHAT HAD BEEN
PASSED TO WHOM AND AT THE SAME TIME MAKE FREQUENT TELEPHONE
REPORTS TO CAPTAIN DAVIE, ALUSNA ATHENS. IN ADDITIONS, IT WAS
INTERESTING AND HELPFUL TO BE AWARE OF WHAT WAS BEING BROADCAST
ON XRAJ AND KR, AS WELL AS EXTENSIVE INFORMATION EXCHANGED ON OUR
MULTITUDINOUS DIRECT CIRCUITS.
4. CIRCUIT DISCIPLINE ON THE E04.04 NET LEFT SOMETHING TO BE
DESIRED. A DIRECTED NET WAS NOT ESTABLISHED AND MANY
INDISCRIMINATE TRANSMISSIONS ENSUED. NAVCOMMSTA GREECE ASSUMED
RELAY RESPONSI-BILITY FOR THE LIBERTY AND HAD TO FREQUENTLY TELL
OTHERS TO CEASE TRANSMISSION BECAUSE OF HANDLING FLASH EMERGENCY
TRAFFIC. EXAMPLE: NAVY 1021 PASSING PROTOCOL TRAFFIC TO
CINCUSNAVEUR DURING A PERIOD WHEN IDENTIFICATION OF FORCES
ATTACKING LIBERTY WAS BEING ATTEMPTED.
5. AT PRESENT HAVE ORESTES TERMINATION WITH COMDESRON 12. ESCORT
DESTROYERS MASSEY AND DAVIS RDVU'ED LIBERTY AT 0424Z/9 JUNE.
MAJORITY TRAFFIC TO/FROM NOW BEING PASSED VIA THIS MEANS BUT
MAINTAINING EXCELLENT VOICE COMM WITH DAMAGED SHIP.
6. THIS SITUATION WAS SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL IN THAT ONLY VOICE COMM
AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, IN FUTURE INSTANCES OF THIS TYPE, STRONGLY
RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIRECTED NET. NET CONTROL
WOULD NORMALLY BE CINCUSNAVEUR BUT IT COULD BE DELEGATED
IF CIRCUMSTANCES DICTATE.
7. NEW SUBJ. MANY THANKS FOR YOUR WELCOME ABOARD WIRENOTE.
BEST REGARDS, THORSON.
GP-4
BT

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