The not-so-subtle accusation of treason that Mr. Meadors levels against Mr. Mansky (“Unanswered questions about USS Liberty,” Dec. 11) is preposterous and stinks of McCarthyism.
Why not leave the interpretation of our U.S. Constitution to the well-educated judges and lawyers of this country, so that Mr. Meadors can brush up on his Navy protocols?
The Presidential Medal of Honor, together with the Navy Cross and the Silver Star, are awarded to U.S. Navy personnel based on any one, not necessarily the first, of the following circumstances:
1. While engaged in action against an enemy of the United States.
2. While engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force.
3. While serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.
The Liberty’s commanding officer, Capt. William McGonagle, received the Medal of Honor. Conspicuously absent from the text of his award presentation is any mention of the word “enemy,” a term commonly used in other PMH presentations of that era.
Therefore, in the case of the Liberty, one cannot infer from the receipt of these medals that there was engagement of any enemy. Mr. Meadors’s treason argument thus falls victim to faulty logic and omission of detail.
As for Mr. Meadors’s question of why the U.S. does not want to conduct an investigation into the attack, he points us to some document links on the Liberty Veterans Association website.
As can be seen from the few official documents there which have not yet been removed, the incident has already been investigated several times.
A look at the Hon. A.J. Cristol’s website (http://thelibertyincident.com/house-investigation-1991.html) reveals that in 1991, Mr. Meadors actually requested an investigation by the House Armed Services Committee and was present at the kick-off meeting.
After several months of reviewing all the facts available, Congress informed Mr. Meadors in 1992 that the investigation had concluded, and there would be no further action taken by Congress (i.e. no public hearings nor depositions).
The investigation was not a myth; it just didn’t lead to the result that Mr. Meadors desired.
Just as the Supreme Court is not compelled to hear every appeal it is presented; just as the President of the United States is not obligated to personally confer the eponymous Medal of Honor at the White House; so too is Congress not required to stage public hearings on every issue brought before it, even if hearings are held for incidents which Mr. Meadors believes are similar in nature.
I see no further point in continuing this discussion. Many resources about the Liberty incident have been provided in this Opinions column over the past few weeks for readers to consume.
Let’s get back to discussing more timely and relevant issues here.
Robert Bruckheimer
Roslyn
