LBJ had a real thing about not being embarrassed...


http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2006/300806jfk.htm
LBJ Night Before JFK Assassination: "Those SOB's Will Never Embarrass Me Again"

Extract, LBJ on his foreknowledge/arrangement(?) of the JFK assasination
November 21st 1963, the night before the assassination:
"They all went in to this conference room..... Lyndon didn't stay that much in the meeting and when he came out.... he grabbed me by the arm and he had this deep voice and he said, 'after tomorrow those S.O.B.'s will never embarrass me again - that's no threat - that's a promise.'"


Extracts, LBJ on why he wanted the USS Liberty sunk
June 8th 1967, attack on the US intelligence ship, USS Liberty:

The defenseless LIBERTY radioed for help. Two aircraft carriers in the Med responded by launching fighter aircraft. Unbelievably, they were recalled by the White House. RADM Geis, then commanding the carriers in the Sixth Fleet, called Washington personally to confirm the order. SecDef McNamara came on the line, then President Johnson. Johnson indicated to Geis that the aircraft were to be returned, that he would not have his allies embarrassed, and that he didn't care who was killed or what was done to the ship. Geis, like any good sailor, recalled the aircraft.

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The following was transcribed from NBC's Liberty Story, aired on national television on 1/27/92.

The film depicts Lieutenant Commander David E. Lewis, the officer in charge of Liberty's Research Department, relating a meeting he had with Rear Admiral Lawrence R. Geis shortly after the Liberty attack. Admiral Geis was the officer in charge of the embarked aircraft in both the USS America and USS Saratoga. It was Admiral Geis who was responsible for sending aircraft to help the Liberty when she came under attack.

Liberty was under fire for 75 minutes and was confronted by armed and hostile Israeli forces for 152 minutes. During the very long period, no help came from the US Sixth Fleet less than 300 miles away, despite the fact that the ship was promised air support within ten minutes if she needed help.

The first American forces to reach the Liberty arrived early the next morning, more than sixteen hours after the first shots were fired.



ANNOUNCER: It had been 16 long hours since the attack began. The Liberty's wounded were evacuated by helicopter to the USS America. There, Liberty Intelligence Officer David Lewis says he met privately with Sixth Fleet Rear Admiral Lawrence Geis. Geis died in 1980 and Lewis's account of the meeting is un-corroborated.

LEWIS: He said that he wanted somebody to know that we weren't forgotten... attempts HAD been made to come to our assistance. He said that he had launched a flight of aircraft to come to our assistance, and he had then called Washington. Secretary McNamara came on the line and ordered the recall of the aircraft, which he did. Concurrently, he said that since he suspected that they were afraid that there might have been nuclear weapons on board he reconfigured another flight of aircraft... strictly conventional weaponry... and re-launched it. After the second launch, he again called Washington to let them know what was going on. Again, Secretary McNamara ordered the aircraft recalled. Not understanding why, he requested confirmation of the order, and the next higher in command came on to confirm that... President Johnson... with the instructions that the aircraft were to be returned, that he would not have his allies embarrassed, he didn't care who was killed or what was done to the ship...words to that effect. With that, Admiral Geis swore me to secrecy for his lifetime. I had been silent up until I found out from Admiral Moorer that Admiral Geis had passed away.

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See also ERT msg #s 27576, 27557