Secretary of Defense McNamara appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and told the Committee:

"In the case of the attack on the Liberty, it was the conclusion of the investigatory body headed by an admiral of the Navy in whom we have great confidence that the attack was not intentional. I read the record of the investigation, and I support that conclusion, and I think...It was not a conscious decision on the part of either the Government of Israel...[t]o attack a U.S. vessel."

This document contains relevant pages from the hearing.

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