Footnote re: the USS Liberty.
Here's the scathing comment I was alluding to:
[Rear Admiral] Geis told him that the first rescue flight had been cancelled on direct orders from Secretary McNamara, who ordered a 90 minute delay before further flights. When the second flight took off at 1630, Geis notified McNamara, who again ordered the recall of the flight. Any officer who doubts the wisdom of an order has the prerogative to go over the head of the officer giving the order, and in this case the only officer superior to McNamara was President Johnson. LBJ came on the phone, and told Geis "I don't care if the ship sinks and every man on board drowns; we are not going to fight against our allies (Israel)."
Geis made Lewis promise not to tell about this conversation as long as he, Geis, was alive. After Geis's death, Lewis revealed this.
This is an astounding and shocking statement by President Johnson. The accuracy of Tully's account and of Geis's account, as related by Lewis, are questions to be explored at greater length in the next section of this history.
[...]
Excerpted from:
logogo.net
Here's the updated version, Ron:
"I don't care if the hijacked planes crash and every passenger on board dies; we are not going to fight against our allies (Russia, Israel)." |
