USS Liberty veterans push for full declassification after Massie resolution

The USS Liberty Veterans Association is launching a renewed transparency campaign after Rep. Thomas Massie introduced H.Res. 1406 on June 30. The group is pressing for full release of attack records and an independent review of the 1967 incident that killed 34 Americans and wounded 174.

Why it matters: - The USS Liberty Veterans Association is using new congressional attention to push for full disclosure of the 1967 attack on the USS Liberty. - The group says complete declassification is needed to settle long-running questions about accountability and preserve the historical record. - The issue remains emotionally and politically sensitive because the attack killed 34 Americans and wounded 174 others.

What happened: - The USS Liberty Veterans Association announced a renewed national advocacy campaign after Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced H.Res. 1406 on June 30. - The resolution honors the USS Liberty crew, calls for full declassification of remaining government records and renews scrutiny of the June 8, 1967 attack. - The attack occurred during the Six-Day War while the USS Liberty was operating in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean. - The association said the campaign will expand educational outreach and public advocacy.

The details: - H.Res. 1406 honors the 34 Americans killed and 174 wounded in the attack. - The resolution urges the president to declassify all remaining records related to the incident. - The measure references statements from former Secretary of State Dean Rusk, former CIA Director Richard Helms, former NSA Director Bobby Ray Inman and former Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Thomas Moorer questioning Israel's mistaken-identity explanation. - The resolution also cites a sworn affidavit from Capt. Ward Boston Jr., senior legal counsel to the Navy's 1967 Court of Inquiry. - Boston said he and Adm. Isaac Kidd believed the attack was deliberate but were directed to reach a different public conclusion. - According to the resolution and eyewitness testimony cited in the release, Israeli Mirage fighter aircraft attacked with rockets, cannon fire and napalm. - Israeli torpedo boats fired multiple torpedoes, and one tore a large hole into the ship's starboard side, killing 25 Americans instantly. - Crew members reported that lifeboats launched to rescue the wounded were machine-gunned. - Rescue aircraft launched from the USS Saratoga and USS America were recalled before reaching the Liberty. - Under the leadership of severely wounded Capt. William L. McGonagle, the crew fought for about 17 hours to save the ship and surviving sailors. - The USS Liberty remains one of the highest-casualty U.S. Navy vessels that stayed afloat.

Between the lines: - The association is framing the resolution as a chance to move the debate from memory and advocacy into official records review. - The push for declassification suggests survivors and supporters believe unanswered questions still shape how the incident is understood. - The citations from former top U.S. officials are intended to strengthen the case that the attack's circumstances deserve renewed examination.

What's next: - The USS Liberty Veterans Association says it will keep expanding public education and advocacy efforts. - The group wants all remaining U.S. government records declassified and calls for an independent review of available evidence. - The association says that process is necessary for a full historical accounting of the June 8, 1967 attack. - The group also plans to keep highlighting the service of the 34 Americans who were killed and the survivors who were wounded.