On 3 July 1988, Iran Air 655 took off from Bandar Abbas, Iran, bound for Dubai, across the Gulf in the United Arab Emirates. Its flight path, along the recognised air corridor passed close to the position of the USS Vinciennes, inside Iranian waters in the Strait of Hormuz. Commanded by Captain William C. Rogers III, The Vinciennes on the morning of 3 July, the Vincennes was passing through the Strait of Hormuz returning from an escort duty. A helicopter from the USS Vincennes received small arms fire from Iranian patrol vessels, as it observed from a high altitude. The Vincennes moved to engage the Iranian vessels, in the course of which they all violated Omani waters and left after being challenged and ordered to leave by a Royal Navy of Oman warship. The Vincennes then pursued the Iranian gunboats crossing into Iranian territorial waters to open fire. The USS Sides and USS Elmer Montgomery were nearby. It was shortly after this gunfire exchange that Iran Air Flight 655 approached to begin its transit of the Strait. The USS Vincennes fired upon the airliner, destroying it and killing all aboard.
Investigations afterwards showed the Captain Rogers had ordered the missile to be fired, despite the evidence that the Iranian airliner was a civil aircraft, it was ascending, it was in a recognised civil air corridor and had its radar transponder giving out a civilian radar code. On all those counts, Captain Rogers claimed the reverse, as did many of his crew, despite the computer records clearly showing the truth.
Captain Rogers had a history of making aggressive statements and reacting in an aggressive manner whilst in command of the Vincennes. The US Navy board of inquiry attempted to make a coverup and hide this evidence of a flagrant criminal act which Captain Rogers was responsible for. When the story of the coverup broke, in an article in Rolling Stone magazine which detailed both what had occurred on the Vincennes bridge on 3 July 1988 but also how the coverup reached to the highest levels in the White House, including the then Vice-President George H.W. Bush, a public outrage grew.
Now, Vice-President Bush was engaged in the run-up to the US 1988 Presidential Election. Dubbed "Iran Air-Gate" by the media (amazing the long-lasting effect of the Watergate Scandal on the media's headline writers), Bush lost the election. Mike Dukakis won. When faced with the facts, Bush declared, "I will never apologise for the United States of America. I don't care what the facts are." Dukakis quickly turned around and said, "There is no shame in admission of wrong doing. I'd prefer an honest politician who could admit fault than one who was so deluded and removed from reality they can't see it." This resonated with American voters who rejected Bush and his arrogance.
What would the effects be from there?
Investigations afterwards showed the Captain Rogers had ordered the missile to be fired, despite the evidence that the Iranian airliner was a civil aircraft, it was ascending, it was in a recognised civil air corridor and had its radar transponder giving out a civilian radar code. On all those counts, Captain Rogers claimed the reverse, as did many of his crew, despite the computer records clearly showing the truth.
Captain Rogers had a history of making aggressive statements and reacting in an aggressive manner whilst in command of the Vincennes. The US Navy board of inquiry attempted to make a coverup and hide this evidence of a flagrant criminal act which Captain Rogers was responsible for. When the story of the coverup broke, in an article in Rolling Stone magazine which detailed both what had occurred on the Vincennes bridge on 3 July 1988 but also how the coverup reached to the highest levels in the White House, including the then Vice-President George H.W. Bush, a public outrage grew.
Now, Vice-President Bush was engaged in the run-up to the US 1988 Presidential Election. Dubbed "Iran Air-Gate" by the media (amazing the long-lasting effect of the Watergate Scandal on the media's headline writers), Bush lost the election. Mike Dukakis won. When faced with the facts, Bush declared, "I will never apologise for the United States of America. I don't care what the facts are." Dukakis quickly turned around and said, "There is no shame in admission of wrong doing. I'd prefer an honest politician who could admit fault than one who was so deluded and removed from reality they can't see it." This resonated with American voters who rejected Bush and his arrogance.
What would the effects be from there?