State Department spokesman Robert McCloskey announced today that the Government of Israel had paid the full amount claimed by the U.S. Government on behalf of the families of the 34 Americans killed in the June 8, 1967 attack on the U.S.S. Liberty. The intelligence ship was accidentally attacked last June 8. The compensation paid to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on May 27 totalled $3,323,500.
The Department of State is preparing other categories of claims against Israel including claims on behalf of men injured in the incident. It was learned that the claims will also include a bill for damages to the ship. This bill is now being computed by the U.S. Government. Compensation for the injured will apply to 171 men wounded in the incident. Israel expressed regret last June and said it was “prepared to make amends for the tragic loss of life and material damage.”
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