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0950Z 12 June 1967 transmitted message text from
Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe to
Commander, Sixth Fleet and
U.S.S. Liberty and others

O 120950Z JUN 67
FM CINCUSNAVEUR
TO COMSERVLANT
COMSIXTHFLT
COMFAIRMED
COMSERVFORSIXTHFLT
DIRNAVSECGRUEUR
USS LIBERTY
AMEMB MALTA
COMNAVSTA ROTA
INFO USCINCEUR
CINCLANTFLT
CTG SIX ZERO PT FIVE
CTF SIX ZERO
CNO
DIRNAVSECGRU
DIRNSA
HQ NSAEUR
NAVCOMMSTA (CAMS) MOROCCO
JCS
SECDEF
BT
S E C R E T FINAL SECTION OF TWO
SECDEF FOR OSD (PA))
CO NAV STA ROTA NOT AN ADDEE. DELIVER TO RADM RENKEN AS HE PASSES
THROUGH ROTA.O
ADDRESSEES WHO REQUIRE IT. COMSIXTHFLT 101345Z IS QUOTED IN PART
AS FOLLOWS: QUOTE I WAS ASKED SPECIFICALLY BY THE PRESS, QUOTE
IS THE LIBERTY A SPY SHIP? WAS SHE IN THOSE WATERS COLLECTING
INTELLIGENCE? UNQUOTE. I REPLIED, QUOTE EMPHATICALLY NO. LIBERTY
WAS UNDER MY OPERATIONAL CONTROL, OPERATING IN INTERNATIONAL
WATERS OF THE EASTERN MED TO ENSURE RELIABLE COMMUNICATIONS RELAY
FROM THREATENED U.S. POSTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST FROM WHICH MASS
EVACUATION OF U.S. NATIONALS MIGHT BECOME URGENT. UNQUOTE. I
EXPLAINED ALSO THAT LIBERTY WAS WERE SHE WAS BECAUSE THAT WAS
JUST THE BEST POSSIBLE POSITION TO CARRY OUT THIS FUNCTION
BECAUSE QUOTE AFTER AN EMBASSY OR CONSULATE IS ATTACKED THEIR
ONLY MEANS OF REQUESTING EVACUATION WOULD BE VERY LOW POWERED
RADIO SETS. MANY SUCH SMALL TRANSMITTERS HAVE ONLY LINE OF SIGHT
CAPABILITY. UNQUOTE. I SAID LIBERTY POSSESSED EXCELLENT
COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITY AND PROVED IT BY BEING ABLE TO RIG A
VOICE TRANSMITTER TO CALL FOR HELP AFTER THE ATTACK HAD WIPED
OUT ALL HER ANTENNEAS. AS TO LIBERTY'S CAPABILITIES OUTSIDE OF
BEING VERY CAPABLE RADIO GUARD FOR EVACUATION OPERATIONS, I
TOLD THEM THE SHIP WORKS ON A NUMBER OF PROJECTS, SUCH AS
MAGNETIC WAVE PROGATIONS WHICH ARE OF A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
NATURE ABOUT WHICH I HAD NO INFORMATION IN GENERAL QUESTIONING,
I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I HAD ORDERED AIRCRAFT AIRBORNE QUOTE TO PRO-
TECT AND ONLY TO PROTECT USS LIBERTY AS SOON AS I WAS CONVINCED
THAT A U.S. SHIP WAS REALLY UNDER ATTACK, AND CALLED BACK THE
AIRCRAFT WHEN I BECAME AWARE THAT THEY WERE NOT REQUIRED. UNQUOTE.
THE PRESS WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT SENIOR COMMANDERS HAD BEEN KEPT
FULLY INFORMED OF MY ACTIONS AND RECEIVED COPIES OF ALL MY
MESSAGES. UNQUOTE.
3. (U) PRESS RELEASE OR ANSWER TO INQUIRIES ON COURT OF INQUIRY;
   A. ADMIRAL JOHN S. MCCAIN, JR., COMMANDER IN CHIEF, U.S. NAVAL
FORCES, EUROPE HAS CONVENED A COURT OF INQUIRY TO LOOK INTO
CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE ATTACK ON USS LIBERTY IN THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN JUNE 8. THE COURT OF WHICH REAR ADMIRAL ISAAC C.
KIDD, JR., IS PRESIDENT, MET BRIEFLY AT HEADQUARTERS, COMMANDER
IN CHIEF, U.S. NAVAL FORCES EUROPE SATURDAY NEXT AND DEPARTED
SUNDAY. IT IS EXPECTED TO BOARD LIBERTY AT SEA AND WILL CONTINUE
ITS INQUIRY AT MALTA LATER THIS WEEK. USS LIBERTY IS EXPECTED TO
ARRIVE AT MALTA AT APPROXIMATELY NOON TUESDAY JUNE 13. A COURT OF
INQUIRY IS A FORMAL FACT-FINDING BODY WHICH TAKES TESTIMONY UNDER
OATH. THE COURT WILL PRESENT ITS FINDINGS OF FACT TO ADMIRAL
MCCAIN, THE CONVENING AUTHORITY. IT IS NOT A DISCIPLINARY BODY.
CONVENING OF SUCH AN INQUIRY IS A NORMAL PROCEDURE, COMMONLY
EMPLOYED AFTER SERIOUS ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT RESULTING IN SUBSTAN-
TIAL LOSS OF LIFE OR MAJOR DAMAGE TO A SHIP. ITS CONVENING DOES
NOT, OF ITSELF, INDICATE AN ASSUMPTION THAT ANY INDIVIDUAL IS AT
FAULT. ADMIRAL KIDD IS ASSISTANT CHIEF OF STAFF FOR LOGISTICS
ON THE STAFF OF THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF, ALLIED FORCES SOUTHERN
EUROPE, AT NAPLES. HE HAS BEEN RECEIVED OF THIS ASSIGNMENT
TEMPORARILY IN ORDER TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT OF THE COURT. OTHER
MEMBERS OF THE COURT ARE CAPTAIN BERNARD J. LAUFF, USN PROSPEC-
TIVE COMMANDING OFFICER FLEET OPERATIONAL CONTROL CENTER NAVAL
FORCES EUROPE, AND CAPTAIN BERT M. ATKINSON, JR., USN, STAFF
CINCUSNAVEUR. CAPTAIN WARD BOSTON, JR., LEGAL OFFICER ON THE STAFF
OF COMMANDER FLEET AIR, MEDITERRANEAN, AT NAPLES, IS COUNSEL FOR
THE COURT, AND LIEUTENANT COMMANDER ALLEN FEINGERSCH, USN, STAFF
CINCUSNAVEUR, IS ASSISTANT COUNSEL FOR TECHNICAL MATTERS.
   B. ANSWERS TO ADDITIONAL INQUIRIES:
      (1) WILL COURT SESSIONS BE OPEN TO PUBLIC? NO.
      (2) WHY NOT? USS LIBERTY WAS OPERATING IN THE EASTERN MED-
ITERRANEAN IN SUPPORT OF COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS. AS SUCH,
SHE WAS PART OF THE OVERALL UNITED STATES COMMAND AND CONTROL
SYSTEM, WHICH CANNOT BE DISCUSSED IN ANY DETAIL ON AN UNCLASS-
IFIED BASIS. SO MUCH EVEN OF PURELY ROUTINE NATURE WHICH THE COURT
WILL HAVE TO GO INTO WILL BE CLASSIFIED THAT IT WOULD BE IMPRACT-
ICABLE TO ATTEMPT TO HOLD AN OPEN HEARING.
      (3) WILL THE COURT'S FINDINGS BE MADE PUBLIC? AFTER NORMAL
REVIEW BY THE CONVENING AUTHORITY AND HIS NAVAL SUPERIORS, IT IS
LIKELY THAT ANY UNCLASSIFIED FINDINGS WILL BE RELEASED.
      (4) WILL THE CONVENING ORDER BE MADE PUBLIC? IT IS RELEASABLE.
      (5) IS THE COMMANDING OFFICER GOING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR
INTERVIEW AT MALTA? ARE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CREW? NOT AT THIS
TIME.
      (6) WHY NOT? ALL MEMBERS OF THE CREW ARE POTENTIAL WITNESSES
BEFORE THE COURT. IT IS THE DESIRE OF THE CONVENING AUTHORITY AND
THE PRESIDENT OF THE COURT THAT THEIR RECOLLECTIONS REMAIN AS
FRESH AS POSSIBLE AND NOT BE INFLUENCED IN ANY WAY BY QUESTIONS
PUT TO THEM OUTSIDE THE COURT OR BY ANSWERS OF OTHER MEN BEING
INTERVIEWED.
      (7) CAN THEY BE INTERVIEWED ON UNCLASSIFIED MATTERS, AFTER
THE COURT HAS COMPLETED ITS WORK? YES, IF THEY WISH TO BE.
      (8) WHAT ARE THE ASSIGNMENTS OF THE COURT MEMBERS? CAPTAIN
ATKINSON IS THE SURFACE OPERATIONS OFFICER, AND LCDR FEINGERSCH
IS A COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER ON THE STAFF OF CINCUSNAVEUR.
GP-1
BT

Message subject lineage:

121701Z JUN 67 CINCUSNAVEUR
171307Z JUN 67 CHINFO
171547Z JUN 67 COMFAIRMED

Note: Section One of message not in the file.

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