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1815Z 16
June 1967 transmitted message text from
American Embassy, Valletta to
Secretary of State, Washington, D.C.
R 161815Z JUN 67
FM AMEMBASSY VALLETTA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 315
INFO AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 2
CINCUSNAVEUR
USDOCOSOUTH
USCINCEUR
USCINCEUR
OSD
STATE GRNC
BT
C O N F I D E N T I A L VALLETTA 556
USDOCOSOUTH FOR FRESHMAN
SUBJECT: USS LIBERTY
1. LIBERTY REACHED MALTA 0630 JUNE 14 UNDER OWN POWER. TO
MINIMIZE IMMEDIATE SCRUTINY IN VIEW PUBLIC INTEREST SHIP
INITIALLY BERTHED ROYAL NAVY BASE WHILE DIVERS EXAMINED UN-
DERWATER DAMAGE. SHIP MOVED TO DRYDOCK 1430 AND PUMPED DRY
BY 1915. SEARCH FOR AND RECOVERY OF MISSING BODIES BEGAN
IMMEDIATELY. MEDICAL TEAM REMOVED AND TENTATIVELY IDENTI-
FIED BODIES ON SPOT AND BAGGED THEM FOR IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT
NAPLES. WORK COMPLETE ABOUT 0300 JUNE 15 WITH TOTAL TWENTY
BODIES DISCOVERED. FIVE MISSING AND PRESUMED LOST AT SEA.
MISCELLANEOUS AS YET UNIDENTIFIABLE REMAINS MAY ELIMINATE
DOUBTS. MASSIVE CLEANUP AND REPAIR WORK NOW UNDERWAY. LOW-
ER RESEARCH COMPARTMENTS HAVE EQUIPMENT MIXED WITH MASS OF
TWISTED WRECKAGE MAKING RECOVERY CLASSIFIED MATTER SLOW PRO-
CESS. REMOTE POSSIBILITY FINAL CLEARANCE OF DEBRIS MAY UN-
COVER ADDITIONAL HUMAN REMAINS. MAJOR DAMAGE TO SHIP IS
(1) 24 BY 39 FOOT TEARDROP HOLE IN STARBOARD SIDE FROM TOR-
PEDO EXPLOSION (2) 821 SHELL AND FRAGMENT HOLES IN HULL OF
WHICH ABOUT 250 CAUSED BY AIRCRAFT CANNON. REPAIR TIME ESTI-
MATED THREE WEEKS.
2. COMMENT: GOM INITIAL REACTION LIBERTY RESTRAINED. GOM
GRANTED DIPLOMATIC CLEARANCE THROUGH NORMAL CHANNELS WHILE
DOCKYARD AND NAVY MADE OWN DIRECT ARRANGEMENTS. EMBASSY RE-
QUESTED GOM MINIMIZE PUBLICITY FOR SAKE FAMILIES OF DEAD AND
WOUNDED. NO MENTION SECURITY ASPECT. AT EMBASSY'S REQUEST
GOM ALLOWED WHOLE MATTER OF SEARCH, RECOVERY AND REMOVAL OF
BODIES AND EQUIPMENT TO BE HANDLED AS INTRA-NAVY AFFAIR.
3. TWO NAVY PAO'S HANDLED NEWSMEN. LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL
PRESS INTEREST STRONGGM [?] PRESS COOPERATIVE AND FACTUAL.
ONLY ATTEMPT DISTORTION WAS ON PART PAUL CARACHI (MLP) FORMER
EDITOR MALTA NEWS. CARACHI CALLED ME TO SUGGEST ONLY REASON
LIBERTY IN MALTA WAS NO OTHER COUNTRY WOULD HAVE HER. I
STRONGLY DENIED STATEMENT AND ASSERTED SHIP CAME AT US GOVERN-
MENT REQUEST ON ACCOUNT CAPABILITY DRYDOCKS AND FACT GOOD
BUSINESS FOR MALTA. PAPER CARRIED MY STATEMENT JUNE 15.
4. NBC, CBS AND AP REPORTERS AND CAMERAMEN HERE FOR ARRIVAL
INITIAL PHOTOGRAPHS ALLOWED ONLY FROM DISTANCE UNTIL VESSEL
DRYDOCKED AND CLEARED OF BODIES. TO PREVENT LEANDING CREDENCE
TO HORTON (AP) ‘SPY SHIP' STORY, NAVY PAO ARRANGED TOUR OF
SHIP JUNE 15. NEWSMEN ALLOWED SEE DAMAGED AREAS AND PHOTO-
GRAPH FREELY. RESTRICTION ON INTERVIEWS SINCE COURT OF IN-
QUIRY I SESSION. FORTUNATELY VISIT PERMITTED BEFORE
NEWS-
WEEK ‘PERISCOPE' STORY ON LIBERTY SPY-MISSION REACHED MALTA.
SO FAR ONLY MALTA NEWS HAS PICKED UP AND PUBLISHED UNDER
HEADLINE ‘ATTACK ON LIBERTY WAS NO MISTAKE'. HOWEVER, NO
INQUIRIES RECEIVED HERE ABOUT LIBERTY'S MISSION.
FELDMAN
BT
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