Note from LifeSiteNews co-founder Steve Jalsevac: Revealed in the Candace Owens program reported below is what that all Americans need to know, especially given the enormous developments in the Middle East over the past year. The horrific 1967 Israeli attack against the USS Liberty makes it clear that Israel was not then, still is not now, and never has been America’s “closest ally.” Still, it has been heavily dependent on unconditional, unlimited military and financial support from the US for its ongoing expansionist wars.
(LifeSiteNews) — The shocking attack on the USS Liberty by Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats during the 1967 Six-Day War left 34 U.S. sailors dead and 171 wounded – many with life-changing injuries.
Candace Owens conducted an interview with one of the last remaining survivors to ask why, after almost 60 years, there has been no congressional investigation into this deliberate attack by the supposed “greatest ally of the United States” – which Israel impossibly claims was a case of “mistaken identity.”
Why were these men allowed to die? Why did then-President Lyndon Johnson proceed to cover up the so-called “USS Liberty Incident” and silence the surviving sailors to never speak about their horrific ordeal that infamous day?
Owens begins with a letter written to her by survivor Phil Tourney detailing the attack. In it, an alleged quote from President Johnson explains his purported decision to order U.S. aircraft to turn back and deny assistance to the Liberty: “I don’t care about a few dead sailors. I will not embarrass my ally Israel.”
Tourney’s letter argues that this policy continues to this day, mentioning Rep. Thomas Massie’s observation that besides him, “all Republican Congress members have AIPAC handlers.”
AIPAC is the main organization of the Israel lobby in the U.S. government. As Tourney explains, “we can assume this is also true of nearly all Democrats.” As LifeSite has reported, Massie has also claimed that almost every single Republican, except himself, also has an AIPAC handler and is committed to supporting the Zionist state.
READ: GOP Congressman Thomas Massie exposes Zionist lobby’s power over Congress
Candace Owens is not merely revisiting a historical tragedy. The lesson her interview brings is that the enormous influence of the Israel lobby over the U.S. government means that Americans can die as a result of the actions of Israel, and even the president himself may do nothing to stop it.
Tourney’s letter concludes with a moving appeal:
“I believe God saved us that day to allow us to communicate the truth of this attack to leaders like you. We give all power to Jesus Christ. We were just his servants that horrible day and now the USS Liberty survivors are the biggest whistleblowers this country has ever seen.”
Tourney recounts how he and other survivors have been treated since the attack.
“We have been smeared as antisemitic Jew-haters and Nazis. Our only sin is that we survived,” he said.
“We didn’t kill anyone. Israel did all the murdering that day and the U.S. government did all the covering up.”
Tourney appealed for help.
“I’m asking you to help us save America by telling others the facts about the slaughter of my mates. We are begging you to support us. Respectfully, Phil Tourney, President of the U.S. Liberty Veterans’ Association.”
A pretext for world war
As he recounts the attack on the Liberty, Tourney bluntly states it was intended as a“false flag” to drag the United States into a world war on behalf of Israel – a remark which has startling parallels to Israeli actions today.
“They wanted us at the bottom of the ocean – so they could blame it on the Arabs and bring us [the U.S.] into World War Three,” he said.
Tourney recalls how the ship was strafed by Israeli jets for over 25 minutes, in an attack which also saw the Israelis drop napalm on the Liberty. Having destroyed all the fire hoses, the Israelis’ intention was to burn the sailors alive.
The air assault was followed up by attacks by Israeli torpedo boats. Nine torpedoes were launched at the Liberty, one striking the ship and holing the hull.
As Tourney recalls, “Napalm was burning us up and a 40x 40ft torpedo hole was in her side, causing the ship to list badly. We then waited 17 hours for help. I guess they hoped that we would sink.”
Tourney said that “help was only 40 minutes away from us” – concluding “but they left us out alone to die.”
Tourney then says that when help arrived the next day, “the cover-up immediately began.” Threats were issued, which the survivors took to mean death if they spoke of the attack.
“We were ordered to never speak of the attack to anyone – not even with one another. Penalties would be fines, imprisonment – or worse. And we all knew that worse meant: death.”
Since then, Tourney says, the treatment of the survivors of the Liberty attack has been appalling.
“We have been treated like garbage for the last 57 years.”
Why has Congress never investigated the “incident” – as it is now called?
“Congress has been bought and paid for,” says Tourney, in remarks which recall those of others such as Col. Douglas Macgregor and Max Blumenthal.
Macgregor, a former Trump adviser, has said “your political class is bought and paid for by the Israel lobby,” whilst Blumenthal – son of former Clinton-era diplomat Sidney Blumenthal – has said that the United States is effectively under “Zionist occupation.”
Thomas Friedman, referring to a standing ovation Netanyahu received in Congress in 2011, said in the New York Times 13 years ago that the U.S. Congress had been “bought and paid for by the Israel lobby.”
"your political class is bought and paid for by the Israel lobby" Col. Macgregor combat veteran who served as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense under President Trump reveals what he knows about Hamas and what Americans don't understand.
— If Americans Knew (@ifamericansknew) April 14, 2024
Source: https://t.co/lDUGBG3O6N pic.twitter.com/W0UNxr8sgI
READ: Genocide ‘only reasonable conclusion’ to Israel’s crimes in Gaza: Amnesty International
Tourney stresses that “all presidents and all Congress, including Donald Trump, has not done anything for us. They’re beholden to the Zionist state.”
Owens does mention a few congressmen who have spoken for the veterans of the USS Liberty, such as Pete McCloskey, Paul Findley, and James Trafficant – all of whom are now deceased. Many of the veterans of the Liberty are now dead, too. A photograph from the 2024 Liberty Veterans reunion pictured only a handful of living survivors.
As Tourney explained, “There’s not many survivors left. We are dying out and it’s our duty as Americans and patriots to take care of them and make sure they didn’t die in vain.”
What hope for justice do the dead and living of the Liberty have in the new Trump administration?
Recent reports are not encouraging. The man who will likely be in charge of foreign affairs such as the attack on the Liberty is Brian Mast, a man who wore an Israeli army uniform in Congress in 2023. A former volunteer in Israel’s army, the U.S. military veteran has been selected by Republicans to lead the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Mast’s recommendation has attracted criticism from the Council on American-Islamic Relations Director Robert McCaw, who said, “Brian Mast might be the perfect person to serve as a spokesperson for the war criminals of the Israeli government, but he has no business running congressional hearings on sensitive international issues that impact our nation’s security.”
Noting that Mast had “justified murdering Palestinian children” and “equated Palestinian civilians to Nazis,” McCaw reminded readers in a December 10 press releasethat Mast had “marched through Congress wearing an Israeli army uniform, representing a foreign military, while elected to serve the interests of American constituents.”
Yet Tourney has made a renewed appeal for the cause of the Liberty Veterans to be heard by the incoming president.
“I call on Donald Trump to help us. We gave our lives and our blood for this country at the hands of the Zionist Israel. Does he stand with Israel, or does he stand with the United States?”
Tourney appeals for the recognition of the “fighting men that were slaughtered that day by the Zionist state,” which was “covered up with saying it was ‘mistaken identity.’”
Tourney says this official line pursued by Israel – and with the complicity of the U.S. government – has been disproven. Yet it is upheld because “Israel did it.”
“I call on you, President Trump, to give the USS Liberty the same courtesy we deserve or any fighting man that was killed that day but we don’t get it because Israel did it.”
Tourney protests the apparent immunity of Israel from facing consequences for its actions.
“It’s fine as long as Israel did it. ‘It was a mistaken identity’ – it wasn’t.”
Citing the report of U.S. Admiral Moore, Tourney quotes, “the longest serving admiral in the United States Navy … and two times as chairman of Joint Chiefs” who personally rejected the “mistaken identity” cover story
This of course was also contradicted by the radio message of one of the Israeli pilots, who alerted his commander to the fact the Liberty was an American ship – and who was ordered to attack anyway.
According to Tourney, Admiral Moore said “I’ll never believe it was mistaken identity.”
Tourney said Moore “called on Congress over and over to have an investigation. Congress says there already has been an investigation.”
“There never has been,” Tourney concludes.
Whilst he lives, he says, Tourney has vowed to fight to “bring the true story of the USS Liberty and her heroic crew to the awareness of the American People” – as stated on the Liberty Veterans’ website.
His impassioned plea to Donald Trump is a cry for help which has gone almost 60 years without reply.
“I am asking President Trump – don’t abandon us. Please help us. Don’t abandon the crew of the USS Liberty.”