The title is coined by the editor. The original text was published in Russian by Israel Shamir.
Editor’s Preface (with an Afterword below): The bombing of the American warship Liberty by the Israeli armed forces on June 8, 1967 (during the Six-Day War), with the cooperation of President Lyndon Johnson, is one of the little-known, often unspoken historical events. The ship narrowly escaped sinking thanks to the heroic resistance of its crew, and managed to return to Malta under the watchful eye and protection of a Soviet warship. Many of those who know about the event misunderstand it, believing the ship (like the battleship Kocatepe) was hit by mistake. Another misleading narrative is as follows: Israel’s rapid advance in the war, its swift takeover of the Sinai Peninsula, and its potential entry into Egypt, even worried the US. Not wanting to have problems with Egypt, a Soviet ally, and consequently with the Soviet Union, the US sent the Liberty intelligence ship to the waters off Gaza to leak information to Egypt against Israel, thus aiming to restrain Israel. Realizing this, Israel bombed the ship to teach the US a lesson. The implication of this narrative is simply this: although everyone thinks Israel is a puppet state of the US, it is not; Israel is an independent state that prioritizes its national interests and can even stand up to the US when necessary.. .however, Israel Shamir’s article below suggests that the goose’s foot is scalloped (a technical term in Turkish social sciences meaning that the phenomenon is quite different and complex than it is seen).
Continue reading “Did Arthur Krim offer his wife to Lyndon Johnson “in the high interests of Israel”? — Israel Shamir”
