The following is an update by Michelle J. Kinnucan regarding the USS Liberty FOIA request.
As you may recall, the USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was attacked by Israeli forces in international waters on June 8, 1967, killing 34 Americans and wounding nearly 200 more. According to Stephen Green, “Sometime in the late afternoon or early evening of June 7 … the NSA learned, from an intelligence report emanating from the Office of the U.S. Defense Attaché in Tel Aviv, that Israel was planning to attack the Liberty if her course was not changed.” (Taking Sides:America’s Secret Relations with a Militant Israel (Wm. Morrow & Co., 1984)) p. 215; cf. pp. 226, 239.)
On June 16, 2020, I filed a FOIA request with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) requesting:
“1. All communications and message traffic to or from the Office of Defense Attaché in Israel from June 5, 1967 to June 10, 1967.
“2. All communications and message traffic to of from the Office of Defense Attaché in Israel from June 5, 1967 to June 10, 1967, including, but not limited to, messages received from or sent to the Army Communications Station/Center at the Pentagon.
“3. All communications and message traffic to or from the Office of Defense Attaché in Israel from June 5, 1967 to June 10, 1967, including, but not limited to, messages relayed via the Army Communications Station/Center at the Pentagon.”
The DIA did not respond until a lawsuit was filed against them at which time they claimed all potentially responsive records had been transferred to the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA). I was then told I would have to initiate a new request to NARA for the records which I did on November 20, 2020.
On November 1, 2021, NARA replied: “We reviewed the boxes for Record Group 319 – Records of Army Staff, ‘Top Secret Telecommunications Center Messages, 1965-1974’ (Entry UD-UP 230) … we can narrow down the information from 1967 to 6 FRC boxes of microfilm. Unfortunately, these records are Classified and we have no means of identifying information relevant to your request within that series at this time. We reached out to the National Declassification Center and that staff indicated they already identified this series as potentially relevant to your research, but also explained that they cannot review the microfilm within the two-hour search limit … This concludes the processing of your request.”
On December 21, 2021, I appealed NARA’s response on multiple grounds and reached out to the office of that NARA FOIA Public Liaison. On January 11, 2022, I was informed by the Public Liaison that “Staff of the National Declassification Center searched the six boxes of microfilm for the year 1967 from Record Group 319: Records of the Army Staff, ‘Top Secret Telecommunications Center Messages, 1965-1974’ (Entry UD-UP 230) to determine if specific reels of microfilm can be identified as containing message traffic for June 5-10, 1967. They identified 102 responsive documents. 100 of the documents can be declassified. The remaining 2 documents require declassification review.”
I am now awaiting for further information on how to get copies of the responsive documents. I will keep you apprised of what they reveal when I get them. Fifty-four years after they were created it is amazing that these records have never been released before now and how difficult it is to pry them loose.
Best wishes,
Michelle J. Kinnucan
Station HYPO 
17 January 2022 at 15:40
They stonewall and fiddley-fart around as long as they can. When they wear out one excuse they will come up with
another. Hang in there lady and you just might out last them.
Jim King
CTOC Ret.
LikeLike
17 January 2022 at 17:15
Thanks, Michelle. Keep up the good work.
Former CTA2 John J. Mitchell
LikeLike
17 January 2022 at 17:24
It was a warm spring day when we learned of this tragedy while attending “A” Classes at Corry Field. We were briefed the following day in class by our instructors the incident was not to be talked of as scuttlebutt. It was puzzling to us all. In time the story would be one of fact and fiction. Today fiction is fading away. This is a good thing.
LikeLike
17 January 2022 at 21:17
Do you have any information about the USS Pueblo??
LikeLike
18 January 2022 at 22:24
Immersed in James Bamford’s BODY OF SECRETS, it seems there is ‘PLENTY’ out there to remove any doubt what happened. Now if we can only train our current REPREHENSITIVES to open their eyes and LOOK.
LikeLike
22 January 2022 at 00:27
To claim that something is still classified after this lengthily passage of time is ridiculous. It seems as if the government will do anything in its power to prevent an honest recounting of this event. Over time I’ve come to realize that successive administrations have been dedicated to ensuring that the State of Israel will never be held accountable for the murder of our sailors.
LikeLike
25 January 2022 at 16:45
Remember you are dealing with a Government Agency or in this case agencies, whose bottom line is National Security. Now whether that term covers foreign relations is debatable, especially if the truth would threaten our relationship with our biggest ally in the middle east. Also to remember that the Government has held onto and in some cases redacted documents that you would not think of as concerning National Security for decades now some since World War II. And don’t forget with the advent of Privacy and Confidentiality Laws there is a triple layer of beuraucracy to deal with. Can you tell, I have a bit of experience with government?
LikeLike
22 February 2023 at 14:51
My father was injured on this ship and never received compensation. I am looking for information.
LikeLike