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From: Democracy Now!
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8:00-8:01 Billboard:
The Loss of Liberty Why Did the U.S. Allow Israel To
Attack Its Largest Spyship Killing 34 Americans and Wounding
Over 170 Others?
8:02-8:06 Headlines:
Up to 40 Killed, 200 Injured in Series of Baghdad Bombings
INTRO: Up to 40 people were killed in a series of near simultaneous
bombings in Baghdad including a suicide car bombing outside
the Red Cross and four Iraqi police stations. We go to Baghdad
to hear from Pacifica Radio's Jerry Quickley.
The Associated Press is reporting that up to 40 people have
died today in a series of near simultaneous bombings in Baghdad.
A suicide car bombing outside the Red Cross killed 12 marking
the biggest bombing against an international organization
since mid-August when the UN headquarters was bombed killing
22. Four Iraqi police stations were also bombed today. A fifth
station was targeted but police stopped the attack. Police
reported the would-be bomber was screaming at the time of
his arrest `Death to the Iraqi police! You're collaborators!'"
The bombing at the Red Cross came one day after the Baghdad
hotel where Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was staying
came under rocket attack.
A U.S. colonel was killed and 18 people were injured in the
attack on the al Rasheed. Wolfowitz was forced to evacuate
the hotel. He was uninjured. The hotel, which also came under
fire four weeks ago, has been described as the nerve center
of the U.S. occupation. It houses hundreds of top officials
with the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, the military
and defense contractors. The Pentagon said Wolfowitz was not
likely the target of the attack but hours before the blast
Wolfowitz's motorcade had to be rerouted through Baghdad after
a bomb was found along the planned route. Wolfowitz was one
of the chief architects of the invasion of Iraq. He was on
a three-day visit of Iraq to highlight some of the successes
over the past six months.
Meanwhile on Saturday, Iraqi opposition forces downed a U.S.
Army Black Hawk helicopter near Tikrit. And three employees
of the British firm European Landmine Solutions died when
their convoy came under attack 50 miles west of Baghdad. Two
survivors of the attack told the Associated Press they had
been fired upon by U.S. forces. U.S officials denied the charges.
The Pentagon also reported that three more U.S. soldiers were
killed on Sunday.
Today's attacks coincided with the start of Ramadan. U.S.
officials had warned the start of the Muslim Holy Month may
lead to an increased number of attacks against occupation
forces.
- Jerry Quickley, producer and correspondent for Pacifica
Radio speaking to us from Baghdad.
8:06- 8:07 One Music Break
8:08-8:20 The Loss of Liberty Why Did the
U.S. Allow Israel To Attack Its Largest Spyship Killing 34
Americans and Wounding Over 170 Others?
The USS Liberty was an electronic intelligence-gathering
ship that was cruising international waters off the Egyptian
coast on June 8, 1967. Israeli planes and torpedo boats opened
fire on the Liberty in the midst of what became known as the
Israeli-Arab Six-Day War. 34 Americans were killed and more
than 170 were wounded in the attack.
Israel and its supporters have long maintained that the
attack was a "tragic case of misidentification,"
an explanation that Lyndon Johnson's administration did
not formally challenge. Israel claimed its forces thought
the ship was an Egyptian vessel and apologized to the United
States.
After the attack, a Navy court of inquiry concluded there
was insufficient information to make a judgment about why
Israel attacked the ship, stopping short of assigning blame
or determining whether it was an accident.
On Wednesday, a former top Navy attorney publicly said for
the first time that President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary
Robert McNamara ordered the U.S. military investigation to
conclude that the Israeli attack was an accident.
The attorney, retired Captain Ward Boston, said the White
House ordered investigators to "conclude that the attack
was a case of 'mistaken identity' despite overwhelming evidence
to the contrary."
Boston was the senior legal counsel to the Navy's 1967
review of the attack. He said he was prompted to come forward
following the publication of the recent book "The Liberty
Incident" which concluded the attack was an accident.
- "The Loss of Liberty", excerpts from the independent
documentary about the Liberty attack produced by Howard
Films, written and directed by Tito Howard.
- James Bamford, investigative journalist and author of
the books The Puzzle Palace: A Report on America's Most
Secret Agency and Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret
National Security Agency.
- Admiral Thomas Moorer, retired four-star admiral who
served as chief of Naval Operations and as a chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is the only American admiral
to command both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and chief
of naval operations for two terms and chairman of the joint
chiefs for two terms. He led a year-long independent commission
investigating the bombing of the USS Liberty and is now
calling for a full Congressional investigation.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu
(RAY MA MU), Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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