USS Liberty: Decision to Sail 1,200 Miles to Malta Drydock

Dear Mr. Meadors:

Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via email to
foia@nara.gov. We received your request on December 5, 2022. Your request
concerns states*:*

*I was aboard the USS Liberty when the ship was attacked by the IDF on June
8, 1967 and serve my shipmates as Director of Operations of the USS Liberty
Veterans Association. After the attack, the decision was made to have us
sail to Malta for drydock. We are requesting all the documents related to
the decision to have us sail 1.200 miles to Malta instead of being sent to
a drydock closer because of the torpedo hole in our side. The requested
documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is
not being made for commercial purposes. *

Our office handles FOIA and Privacy Act requests for NARA’s operational records
(records created by this agency). Because your FOIA request is for
records that may be archival records (records created by or originated in a
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National Archives and Records Administration
Research Services, Textual Reference Branch (RR2RR)
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2400
College Park, MD 20740

Phone: 301-837-3091
Fax: 301-837-1752
Email: archives2reference@nara.gov

For your reference, a copy of your request is below.

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Sincerely,
Ashley A. Bryan
Government Information Specialist
Office of General Counsel (NGC)
National Archives and Records Administration
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College Park, Maryland, 20740-6001
301-837-3642

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Sun, Dec 4, 2022 at 10:42 PM
Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: USS Liberty: Decision to Sail
1,200 Miles to Malta Drydock
To: NARA General Counsel FOIA Office <foia@nara.gov>

Nat'l Archives & Records Admin
FOIA Office
Room 3110
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740

December 4, 2022

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:

I was aboard the USS Liberty when the ship was attacked by the IDF on June
8, 1967 and serve my shipmates as Director of Operations of the USS Liberty
Veterans Association.

After the attack, the decision was made to have us sail to Malta for
drydock.

We are requesting all the documents related to the decision to have us sail
1.200 miles to Malta instead of being sent to a drydock closer because of
the torpedo hole in our side.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and
this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform
me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer
the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or
CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I
look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business
days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Joe Meadors

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DEPT MR 137529
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PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is
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department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.

Joe Meadors
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 137529
263 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115

Dear Mr. Meadors,

This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act request dated
December 4, 2022, where you have requested all records relating to the
orders and movement of the USS Liberty (AGTR 5) after the attack on June 8,
1967. Your request was received by the Reference Branch (RR2RR) on December
13, 2022 with the assigned tracking number 23-12627.

We have searched our holdings in Record Group 38: Records of the Chief of
Naval Operations and Record Group 313: Records of Naval Operating Forces,
and we were unable to locate the records you have requested.

Operational Plans and Orders after the Korean War are located at the Naval
History and Heritage Command. The National Archives has series of
post-Korean War Operational Plans (UD-06W 62 in RG 38), but not orders.
According to the deck log of the Liberty for June 8 and 9, 1967, it refers
to a message received from Sixth Fleet and rendezvousing with destroyers.

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/215475147 - June 1967 deck log entries

Post-Korean War Operational Orders and Plans are located at the Naval
History and Heritage Command:

Naval History and Heritage Command
805 Kidder Breese Street SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060
(202) 433-3224; Fax (202) 433-2833
archives@navy.mil
www.history.navy.mil

The National Archives has series of records of the Sixth Fleet up through
1959 in Record Group 313. For 1960 and later records, you will need to
contact the Navy’s Records Manager.

Maurice King
Department of Defense
Department of the Navy
1000 Navy Pentagon, 5E170
Washington DC 22350
maurice.king@navy.mil
703-693-9930

We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request. However, if you are
not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
dispute resolution are outlined in the attached enclosure. If you have any
questions, you may reach us at archives2reference@nara.gov. This completes
the processing of your request.

Sincerely,

NATHANIEL PATCH
Archivist, Archives II Reference Section (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD

FOIA Appeal and Dispute Resolution Options

You have the right to file an administrative appeal in writing via regular
U.S. mail or email. Your appeal should be received within ninety (90)
calendar days from the date of this letter and it should explain why you
believe this response does not meet the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act. Please address it to the Deputy Archivist of the United
States (ND), National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi
Road, College Park, Maryland 20740. Both the letter and the envelope
should be clearly marked “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.” You may also
submit your appeal to FOIA@nara.gov also addressed to the Deputy Archivist.
All correspondence should reference your internal case tracking number
23-13627.

In addition to your right to file an administrative appeal with the Deputy
Archivist, you may seek assistance from our FOIA Public Liaison, Rebecca
Calcagno. Contact information for the FOIA Public Liaison at the National
Archives, Washington DC area is as follows:

Accessioned Executive Branch Agency Records - Washington, DC Area
FOIA Public Liaison: Rebecca Calcagno
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Email: DC.foia.liaison@nara.gov
Telephone: 301-837-3190

You may also contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS),
the Federal FOIA Ombudsman’s office, for assistance. OGIS offers mediation
services to help resolve disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal
agencies. The contact information for OGIS is:
Office of Government Information Services
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road–OGIS
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Email: ogis@nara.gov
https://www.archives.gov/ogis
Phone: 202-741-5770 or 1-877-684-6448

NATHANIEL PATCH
Archivist, Archives II Reference Branch (RR2RR)
National Archives at College Park, MD
"Pax per scientiam"

Original Request: