Meanwhile, at the United Nations, United States Ambassador Goldberg announced, in response to Arab complaints that the U.S. and British were supporting Israel in the conflict, that the U.S. forces were hundreds of miles from the conflict.[8](p.21) At the time the statement was made, this was the case, since the Liberty was just entering the Mediterranean Sea [8] but would ultimately steam to within a few miles of the Sinai Peninsula. On the night of June 7 Washington time, early morning on June 8, 0110Z or 3:10 AM local time, the Pentagon issued an order to Sixth Fleet headquarters to tell the Liberty to come no closer than 100 nautical miles (185 km) to Israel, Syria, or the Sinai coast (Oren, p. 263). [1](pages 5 and Exhibit N, page 58). According to the Naval Court of Inquiry [2] (page 23 ff, p. 111 ff) and National Security Agency official history [8] (pp. 21-23), the order to withdraw was not broadcast on the frequencies that the Liberty crew was monitoring for orders until 1525 Zulu, hours after the attack, due to a long series of administrative and communications problems.Our ambassador said no American ships were within a hundred miles of the conflict, while the Liberty (due to communication failures, the same kind that allowed Japan's success at Pearl Harbor) entered the war zone. A cluster foul-up waiting to happen, and it did.
That seems to be the most logial explanation.