Episode summary
Tucker Carlson interviews Bryce Lockwood, a Marine Corps intelligence specialist and Russian linguist who survived the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty that killed 34 Americans and wounded 174. Lockwood provides detailed firsthand testimony of the June 8, 1967 incident in which Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats attacked the clearly marked American intelligence ship in international waters during the Six-Day War. He describes being trapped below decks as a torpedo struck, pulling wounded sailors through flooding compartments, and witnessing Israeli forces machine-gun life rafts and jam distress frequencies in what he characterizes as deliberate violations of international law. Most significantly, Lockwood recounts testimony from Admiral Lawrence Geis stating that President Lyndon Johnson personally ordered rescue aircraft recalled, saying he would not embarrass his allies, despite the attackers using unmarked planes. Lockwood argues this proves Johnson had foreknowledge and the attack was a false flag operation intended to sink the ship with no survivors and blame Egypt to draw America into war. He describes Israeli helicopters loaded with armed troops approaching the crippled vessel, which he believes were preparing to board and eliminate witnesses. Lockwood criticizes Congress's 59-year failure to investigate, cites a 2005 claim by an AIPAC official that he could secure 70 Senate signatures in 24 hours, and notes that Congressman Thomas Massie faced political retaliation after calling for an investigation. The interview provides extensive detail on the attack sequence, rescue operations, and Lockwood's decades of silence before reconnecting with fellow survivors in the 1980s.
