And so the Liberty, which was large, fast and had been stationed relatively close on the Ivory Coast, had been ordered in. Also, unlike aircraft, they could remain on station for weeks at a time, eavesdropping, locating transmitters, and analysing the intelligence. They could sail relatively close and pick up the most important signals. Ships were considered the best option for the job. Fearing involvement in a Middle East war, the US joint chiefs of staff needed rapid intelligence on the ground situation in Egypt. The six-day war, in which Israeli air and ground forces launched a massive attack on Egypt, Syria and Jordan, was raging. The Liberty was in dangerous waters at a dangerous time. "GTR" stood for "General Technical Research" - a cover designation for the National Security Agency (NSA)'s fleet of spy ships. The letters were "GTR-5" - the Liberty's identification. At 6.05am, the observer on the plane reported back to Israeli naval headquarters: "What we could see were the letters written on that ship and we gave these letters to ground control," he said. About 4,000ft above was an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft. But the calmness was like quicksand - deceptive, inviting and friendly - until it was too late.Īs the Liberty passed the desert town of El Arish, it was being closely watched.
A little more than a dozen miles north, in the choppy eastern Mediterranean, the USS Liberty headed eastward. Early in the morning of Thursday Jand the first rays of sun spilled softly over the Sinai's blond waves of sand.
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