The USS Liberty FOIA Lawsuit and the Fight Over a Secret 1967 Report
By Haley Fuller, Military.com, Mar. 21, 2026
Nearly six decades after Israeli forces attacked the U.S. Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty during the Six-Day War, a lawsuit is attempting to force the release of a still-secret congressional report about the incident. The case, brought by journalist Michelle Kinnucan under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), seeks records that could shed light on what the U.S. government knew about the June 8, 1967, attack on the Liberty that killed 34 American sailors and wounded approximately 174 others.
Oral arguments in the case were held on March 9 before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where judges heard arguments over whether the report is a congressional record exempt from FOIA or an agency record subject to public disclosure.
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