Israel claimed that the whole affair had been a tragic accident based on mistaken identification of the ship.
The American government accepted the explanation.
For more than 30 years many people have disbelieved the official explanation but have been unable to rebut it convincingly.
Now, Dead in the Water uses startling new evidence to reveal the truth behind the seemingly inexplicable attack.
The film combines dramatic reconstruction of the events,
with new access to former officers in the US and Israeli armed forces and intelligence services
who have decided to give their own version of events.
Interviews include President Lyndon Johnson’s Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara,
former head of the Israeli navy Admiral Shlomo Errell
and members of the USS Liberty crew.
See also: Lyndon Johnson ordered cover-up:
A former navy lawyer who helped lead the military investigation of the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty that killed 34 American servicemen
says former president Johnson and McNamara told those heading the navy’s inquiry to
“conclude that the attack was a case of ‘mistaken identity’ despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.”
New charges vs. Israel in ’67 ship attack:
Coming now, the evidence becomes part of a controversy over Israelis influence in Washington
and whether it has tilted the Bush administration toward Jerusalem.