Notice_the_nose’s Reviews > Taking Sides: America's Secret Relations With Militant Israel > Status Update

Ball cited the example of the tattered UN Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967, which, inter alia, called for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories. Since 1967, he reminded the Senators, America had stood mute while Israel established its capital city in captured Jerusalem, annexed the Golan Heights, and settled 40 percent of the West Bank of the Jordan.

In addition to the large scale acquisition of published scientific papers and technical journals from all over the world through overt channels, the Israelis devote a considerable portion of their covert operations to obtaining scientific and technical intelligence. This had included attempts to penetrate certain classified defense projects in the United States and other Western nations.

From 1946 to 1983, we have provided over $27 billion in official economic and military aid to Israel. This amounts to over $7,700 for every man, woman, and child living in Israel at the present time—over $38,000 for each family of five. During the last three fiscal years (1981-1983), U.S. official assistance has averaged over $3,400 each year for each Israeli family of five.

By June of 1967, for a variety of reasons that prominently included "domestic political considerations," Lyndon Johnson and his team of foreign-policy advisers had completely revised U.S. -Israeli relations. To all intents and purposes, Israel had become the 51st state.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff knew about the planned attack by Israel on the U.S.S. Liberty before it occurred and presumably informed the White House. When the early reports of the attack arrived, those who had known of the plan had a choice: either take retaliatory action against Israel, or become an accessory after the fact to the attack by promoting the fiction that it was somehow an accident.

instructing Liberty crewmen to Refer all questions to the commanding officer or executive officer or to Admiral Kidd. Answer no questions. If some- how you are backed into a corner, then you may say that it was an accident and that Israel has apologized. You may say nothing else.

Mr. President, I must say that it is a great tribute to the valor of the troops of Israel that this morning I have heard Senator after Senator say that while they were terribly dismayed and saddened by this accident, they understood how it could take place under the terrible stress which the forces of Israel have been under in these last few weeks.

The message from the U.S. Defense Attache's Office in Tel Aviv stating that the government of Is- rael had reported an "erroneous" attack on a U.S. ship ("maybe Navy ship") was sent to Washington at 10:14 a.m. EDT.

If the Defense Department's actions to recall the rescue planes were fast and efficient, they were nothing compared to the speed with which officials in Washington, and particularly in Congress, began to "explain" the attack on the U.S.S. Liberty to the American people.

A mounted machine gun pointed from each of the cargo bays. Large blue Stars of David marked each helicopter. The Liberty's general announcing system blared, "Stand by to repel boarders." "They've come to finish us off," yelled one hysterical, but logical, sailor.