US Naval Institute Press Praises USS Liberty Revisionist as He Condemns USS Liberty Survivors as Motivated by a “Hidden Agenda” and Wanting to “to Keep Conspiracy Theories Alive”
“The Liberty Incident Revealed is the complete and final story about the Israeli Air Force and Navy attack on the USS Liberty during the Six Day War in June 1967.”
“Cutting through all of the controversy and conspiracy theories about Israel’s deadly attack, Cristol revises his well-regarded book about the event”
“Cristol establishes definitively that the Israeli attack was a tragic mistake and presents a convincing argument that will be regarded as the final chapter in the long-simmering debate about this incident.”
by Joe Meadors
The US Naval Institute made a deal with the devil when they published the updated version of Jay Cristol’s screed, The Liberty Incident.
As a life member of the US Naval Institute I can only hope the Institute will come to its senses and disavow its endorsement of Capt. Cristol’s opinion that simply parrots the Israeli claim that the attack was a mistake. I also submit that the survivors of the attack are entitled to an apology from not only the Institute but from Capt. Cristol as well.
Cristol’s work reads more like a poorly written legal brief than a highly-touted, impeccably-researched work of historical accuracy.
Barely 38 words into the opening flyleaf he claims there were 171 wounded during the attack. I can only assume he is not including the 34 who were killed in that number. After decades of researching the attack on our ship you would think he would have learned there were 174 Purple Hearts awarded to the survivors. A small point? Obviously to him and to those who have heaped praises upon his work. Not to those of us who survived the attack and we hope not to those in the USNI community.