Globe Pequot / Prometheus
Pages: 446
Trim: 6½ x 9¼
978-1-63388-464-9 • Hardback • December 2018 • $27.00 • (£19.99)
978-1-63388-465-6 • eBook • December 2018 • $25.50 • (£19.99)
""Finally, the definitive reconstruction of the greatest moral and political scandal in American history, which demonstrates beyond reasonable doubt that the US government at its highest level conspired with Israel in 1967 to destroy a surveillance naval vessel, USS Liberty, and murder its own sailors to gain a pretext for launching an aggressive attack on Egypt. With this exposé, based on exhaustive research and extensive interviews, Joan Mellen has done an immense patriotic service. An extraordinary book that should be not only read but acted upon.”—Richard Falk, Albert G. Milbank Professor of International Law, Emeritus, Princeton University “With predictable moral courage and impressive literary deftness, Mellen has now written a very important book that punctures the long-standing official explanations of what exactly happened when Israel attacked the intelligence ship USS Liberty during the frenzy of the Six-Day War. The truth about this incident has been deliberately buried for decades in misleading documents. Both aspects of its history come through in this inspired book.”—Burton Hersh, author of Edward Kennedy: An Intimate Biography, Bobby and J. Edgar, and The Old Boys: The American Elite and the Origins of the CIA “The USS Liberty, sailing in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula, is suddenly and deliberately attacked on June 8, 1967, in the midst of the Six-Day War. Thirty-four men are killed and 174 wounded. . . . Mellen unravels this sad saga in the nation's history. Hers is a riveting account that is essential reading for anyone who wants to fully understand this dark time in American history as a warning about the dangers of secret, unelected operatives who are still in positions to direct foreign and military policy.”—David R. Contosta, author of America's Needless Wars “This investigation has uncovered the depth of this horrendous attack on an unarmed US Navy ship by one of our allies. I have always believed that the Israelis would never have conducted such a cowardly, murderous act without a green light, or at least a blinking yellow light, from the Johnson administration.” —Lloyd Painter, lieutenant on the USS Liberty and former agent of the United States Secret Service “Mellen has crystal clear vision, especially when it comes to describing history in shades of gray. The author presents factual accounts without bias, and honors the valiant crew of the USS Liberty. This is a must-read for a true accounting of the administration of Lyndon Baines Johnson.”—Bob Wilson, Sleuth Journal
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