If any other country had done this,
the US would have declared war...

Blazing Reader,

I'd never heard about the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty until I read (just finished!) Ken McCarthy's JFK & RFK's Secret Battle Against Zionist Extremism. In this new book, McCarthy principally deals with John F. Kennedy's and, to a lesser extent, Robert F. Kennedy's efforts to prevent the Middle East from erupting into nuclear war. But the chapter on the attack on the USS Liberty was the most shocking and unexpected.

The attack occurred on June 8, 1967, during the Six-Day War between Israel and neighbouring Arab states. The American naval ship, the USS Liberty, was stationed in international waters on a peaceful, intelligence-gathering mission. Around midday, Israeli fighter jets and torpedo boats attacked, killing 34 members of its crew and injuring 171 others.

Israel claimed they mistook the USS Liberty for an Egyptian vessel — despite riddling its high-flying American flag with machine gun fire.

If any other country had done this, the US would have declared war. They've certainly invaded other countries with far less justification.

The bulk of the book isn't so action-packed, consisting of letters and telegrams exchanged between John F. Kennedy and the prime ministers of Israel. Nonetheless, it makes for an interesting study in watching the Israeli government dodge and evade accountability.

The concluding chapter about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy reads like a great murder mystery. Much as with John F. Kennedy's assassination, McCarthy makes a thorough (though loosely cited) presentation as to why Sirhan Sirhan, the man blamed for Robert F. Kennedy's murder, was no more responsible than Oswald for John F. Kennedy's. He also offers his theory as to why another man — who most people never even heard of, much less suspect — was responsible for the murder of both Kennedys.

JFK and RFK's Secret Battle Against Zionist Extremism: The Documentary Evidence offers a much-needed perspective on the current Israel-Arab hostilities. You can purchase copies here: https://blazingpinecone.com/shop/secret-battle/

Stay sane & read great books,
John C.A. Manley

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story, the forthcoming All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of speculative fiction. Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber at: https://blazingpinecone.com/subscribe/