Blood in the Water - Joan Mellen's book on the USS Liberty

[Joan Mellen]

LaRRY,

You are talking without sources. They're in my new book. Some are from diplomats, some from sailors who talked with Admiral William Inman Martin, and one of whom, Moe Shafer, I talked to at length, etc. My book has surprised people, perhaps, because no one has written about how the attack on the USS Liberty came to pass. 

[Larry Hancock]

Joan,  all I am asking for is for you to give me one specific citation that a nuclear bomb loaded Navy aircraft was dispatched to intentionally bomb Cairo with a atomic weapon..that's it.   Some specifics on the aircraft and its bomb load (fission vs. fusion; kiloton vs. megaton) as well as who ordered the atomic bombing would be helpful.  That is what I need to begin circulating queries to the military historians I have in mind.  For those not familiar with Navy atomic weapons this gives some good background.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1&ei=hh9GXLKuFsib_Qa77IO4Dg&q=navy+atomic+bomb+capable+aircraft&oq=navy+atomic+bomb+capable+aircraft&gs_l=psy-ab.12...6858.9987..11767...0.0..0.447.2647.2j9j3j0j1......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j33i10.AO7J81n1_es

As I mentioned I can very well imagine a ready alert nuclear aircraft might have been launched as one of the few standby aircraft available to try and bring some appearance of relief to the Liberty, that would have been a high risk decision but might well have been made (and have been talked about afterwards) - it would certainly have been a worry and a potential career buster for the  officer who ordered it.  However it would be far different from an actual order to knowingly atom bomb Cairo. 

I've tried to make it clear that I was not speaking to the overall attack on the Liberty, the Israeli complicity or Johnson's treasonous decisions in regard to recall of the aircraft or the cover up of the intentional attack. If you have a vetted Navy source that is willing to give evidence that an atomic attack on Cairo was ordered and by whom, that is something that can be further researched and I am eager to pursue it - simply because it is not present in any of the many military works on atomic weapons, their command and studies of atomic weapons accidents.  If not I'm also happy to refrain from further comment. 

 

 

[James DiEugenio]

Larry:

Her book is not the only one on the subject with that general thesis.

There was a book by Peter Hounam, former Times of London reporter which said just about the same thing, the idea was to nuke Cairo and therefore eliminate Nasser once and for all.

Its called Operation Cyanide.

http://themillenniumreport.com/2017/07/operation-cyanide-the-attack-on-uss-liberty-was-a-failed-provocateur-action-and-pretext-for-us-invasion-of-egypt-for-israel/

Edited January 22, 2019 by James DiEugenio

[Larry Hancock]

I understand Jim,  I ran across that in my own research on the Liberty incident.  I'm simply looking for a source related to the launch of an intentional nuclear strike on a foreign capital that is viable enough for me to take to the military history community for comment.  It would have to be about an actual atomic attack though, not just the decision to dispatch an armed ready alert aircraft as a show of force over the Liberty to scare off the attackers.  Big difference between those two things.

[Ray Mitcham]

On 1/19/2019 at 4:54 AM, Ron Bulman said:

Thanks for the link Ray.  I'd never seen it.  Finally found time.  Amazing that we in the USA, a Democracy, have to depend on the BBC for a Honest report.  All should watch for first hand reports, and deception.  

Glad to help. Ron.