In 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats attacked the USN research ship USS Liberty resulting in US casualties. Both governments' official conclusions, following inquiries, were that the attack was a case of mistaken identity, with the IDF believing the Liberty to be an Egyptian vessel, but various American sources, including veterans associations, members of the JAG Corps involved with the investigation, and even the US secretary of state at the time (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty_incident#Ongoing_controversy_and_unresolved_questions) have maintained that the attack was deliberate or at least rejected the above explanation. There is speculation that Israel intended the US to assume the attack was by Egyptian forces and thus bring them into the war, or else that it was to conceal the Israeli offensive in the Golan against the terms of an existing ceasefire. Regardless of the true nature of the attack, what is the plausibility of Washington, or the American public, taking a harder line regarding the attack, particularly if reports of possible Israeli war crimes (the alleged attacks on US lifeboats and personnel working to launch them) are leaked to the public earlier?
Alternatively, IOTL, the US Admiral commanding the Sixth Fleet ordered jets to respond to the Liberty's SOS, but was countermanded by Robert McNamara, apparently in an effort to preserve the US-Israeli diplomatic relationship. What happens if, due to slow radio traffic, this update never reaches McNamara until it is too late, resulting in sustained battle between US and Israeli aircraft and further military escalation?
In either scenario, would the US engage in an all-out intervention against Israel, cease to support them, or what? If the US doesn't attack, does Israel loose the Six-Day war with increased US sanctioning, and if so, does it respond with a nuclear attack against Egypt and/or Syria (according to the wiki, Israel had a few crude nukes operational by the War)? How does the USSR respond, and what are the longer-term ramifications for the world?
Alternatively, IOTL, the US Admiral commanding the Sixth Fleet ordered jets to respond to the Liberty's SOS, but was countermanded by Robert McNamara, apparently in an effort to preserve the US-Israeli diplomatic relationship. What happens if, due to slow radio traffic, this update never reaches McNamara until it is too late, resulting in sustained battle between US and Israeli aircraft and further military escalation?
In either scenario, would the US engage in an all-out intervention against Israel, cease to support them, or what? If the US doesn't attack, does Israel loose the Six-Day war with increased US sanctioning, and if so, does it respond with a nuclear attack against Egypt and/or Syria (according to the wiki, Israel had a few crude nukes operational by the War)? How does the USSR respond, and what are the longer-term ramifications for the world?