ADC Update: Questions Still Surround the USS Liberty Incident

Despite a torrential downpour, hundreds braved the weather on Saturday, Feb. 22, to attend the sold-out screening of USS Liberty: Dead in the Water at Visions Cinema in Washington, DC. The film, sponsored by the American-Arab Anti-discrimination Committee (ADC) and the American Committee on Jerusalem (ACJ), examines in-depth the tragic story of the USS Liberty.

In 1967, the USS Liberty was attacked by its closest ally, Israel. Thirty-four American servicemen were killed and hundreds were injured in the two-hour assault, carried out by Israeli warplanes and torpedo boats.

Israel claimed that the whole affair had been a tragic accident based on mistaken identification of the ship. The American government, it seems, has officially accepted the explanation, but many questions remained unanswered and unresolved.

Survivors of the attack were on hand at the event. Following the screening, they held a discussion where they demanded to know, "why it happened."

They called for "a congressional investigation into the attack, like that afforded to the USS Cole." The attack on the USS Liberty is the only US maritime disaster that has never been investigated by Congress. The 68-minute film is an award-winning documentary recently produced by the BBC. This eye-opening documentary is regarded as the "best documentary ever done on the USS Liberty incident."