The NYT Whitewashes the Obituary for Thomas Moorer, Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

On Friday February 6, 2004 the NYT announced the death of Thomas Moorer:

Adm. Thomas Hinman Moorer, a World War II hero who was appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President Richard M. Nixon, died on Thursday, the Department of Defense said. He was 91.

A 41-year veteran of the Navy, Admiral Moorer was appointed as the military's senior uniformed officer in 1970, and served in that post until he retired in 1974. Before that appointment he served as chief of naval operations for three years.

The paper devoted two columns to the obituary, noting that Moorer had been stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked and later escaped when his plane was shot down. The Times also noted that in 1998 he had been accused by CNN of authorizing the use of nerve gas in Laos, a charge that was later disavowed.

Two events in Moorer's life received no mention: his role in what has been called the most serious case of military spying in American history and his dissent in the case involving the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty.

Spying on the President

In 1970 the Joint Chiefs of Staff, frustrated with Nixon's and Kissinger's penchant for secrecy, began spying on the executive branch. At the order of Admiral Thomas Moorer, Navy yeoman Charles Edward Radford, began Xeroxing secret documents from the National Security Council, where he was posted. He copied more than 5,000 documents. According to historian Melvin Small, Radford boasted that he"took so darn much stuff I can't remember what it was." Defense Secretary Melvin Laird was unaware of the spying. Al Haig was, according to a statement provided by Robert O. Welander, the chiefs' liaison with the NSC who transmitted the orders from Moorer to Radford.

In December 1971 Kissinger's tilt toward Pakistan in the India-Pakistan war was revealed in a column by Jack Anderson. The infamous Plumbers investigated, discovering the spy ring involving Moorer, Welander and Radford. Radford insisted he was not the source of the leak to Anderson, but admitted spying on behalf of the joint chiefs of staff.

When told about the spy ring, Nixon threatened to put Moorer, Radford and Welander in jail. But upon reflection he chose to do nothing, though Radford was transferred from the White House. A few months later he reappointed Moorer as head of the joint chiefs of staff. Small speculates that by leaving Moorer in place Nixon felt he could exercise leverage against the admiral. The story remained secret until the Watergate investigation in 1973.

Moorer's Statement About the USS Liberty Affair

In 1967 Israel attacked the USS Liberty at the time of the Six Day War. Israel claimed that the ship been mistaken for an Egyptian vessel. The U.S. investigated and concluded the attack had been a mistake.

Admiral Moorer initially agreed with this conclusion when he was serving as chief of naval operations, but subsequently insisted that Israel intentionally torpedoed the ship:

It's ridiculous to say this was an accident. There was good weather, she was flying the U.S. flag and the planes and torpedo boats attacked over a long period of time. I think Congress should investigate the incident, even now.

Moorer's statement has repeatedly been cited in accounts of the controversy.

Sources

• Melvin Small, The Presidency of Richard Nixon (1999), pp. 54-55.
• Fred Emery, Watergate (1994), pp. 83-85.
• Stephen Ambrose, Nixon.
• James Bamford, "USS Liberty: Cover Up" (HNN).
• James Ennes, "USS Liberty: Eyewitness Account" (HNN).