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--- Begin Message ----Caveat Lector- http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1075618239119620.xml9/11 panel turns its attention to intelligence blunders FBI, CIA, FAA, Pentagon, White House to come under investigation Sunday, February 01, 2004 BY ROBERT COHEN STAR-LEDGER WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- The national commission investigating the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which previously has looked at airport and border security, is turning its attention to why the U.S. intelligence, aviation and military services were unable to thwart the terrorist attacks. Coming under scrutiny in the weeks and months ahead: the FBI, the CIA, the Pentagon, the Federal Aviation Administration -- and the White House under Presidents Clinton and Bush. Commission members are examining why the air defense system failed; why the intelligence communities didn't share vital information or pick up on important clues; and why the nation's top policymakers did not recognize the magnitude of the terrorist danger and take significant steps to counter it. "Each of the issues presents a piece of the complicated puzzle," said Al Felzenberg, the spokesman for the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Commissioner Tim Roemer, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana, said the House and Senate intelligence committee report released last year and the 9/11 commission's work so far have developed a few consistent themes. "One theme seems to be a series of mistakes and errors and failures, whether it be in an intelligence agency, at the border checking a passport or in tracking and watch-listing terrorists," said Roemer. He said many of those in critical positions of authority appear to have been "working on an old paradigm of security" that did not fully recognize the kind of threat to the United States posed by Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist network. The 10-member panel has a May 27 deadline to complete its expansive inquiry, and is asking Congress for an extension until at least July so it can follow new leads and have time to prepare a comprehensive report. But the panel faces opposition from the White House and GOP leaders who do not want the report released so close to the November elections. "We simply don't have the time to do the job adequately," said Commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste, a former Watergate prosecutor. A bill will be introduced this week by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) to extend the commission deadline past the election season to next January. Asked whether he expects a battle with the White House over an extension, Thomas Kean, the commission chairman and former New Jersey Republican governor, said, "We'll see." The panel is also still confronting problems getting unfettered access to some classified White House materials. It has not reached agreements with either President Bush or former President Clinton for interviews, or with the Bush administration on whether it will receive public testimony from National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and other top aides. These discussions follow months of delay in getting documents from the White House and a number of government agencies. Investigators so far have reviewed more than 2 million documents, interviewed 900 witnesses and need to meet with 300 more. "The good news is most of our interviews have been completed. The bad news is much work remains to be done," said Lee Hamilton, the vice chairman of the panel and a former Democratic congressman from Indiana. Ben-Veniste said the panel will examine the role of the FBI and the CIA in the terrorism fight, what they knew, what they missed and what they told each other and those on the front lines. "We want to know what were the reasons for the failure to disseminate information to those agencies who needed to know and could utilize it effectively," said Ben-Veniste. He said the panel is looking how the FBI and CIA responded after the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, and after the arrest in Washington state two weeks before the New Year's celebration of 2000 of an al Qaeda terrorist with explosives and timing devices. Kean has said those two incidents were parts of a pattern of terrorist activities that, if pieced together, could have helped the United States be better prepared and more vigilant before 9/11. "We also want to know how they responded on Sept. 11, 2001, what changes have been made and are those changes effective countermeasures to the threat that is posed," said Ben-Veniste. In addition, commission officials said the panel will examine the lack of communication between the FAA, the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Air Force on Sept. 11, and their delay in responding to the hijackings of four airliners by 19 terrorists. The hijackers crashed the planes into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside, killing nearly 3,000 people. Commission officials also said extensive behind-the-scenes investigation is taking place regarding terrorist financing and the role of foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, in assisting al Qaeda. It also is looking at "the response on the ground" to the attacks by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the first responders, and the role of Congress in the nation's lack of preparedness. Last week, commission staff investigators reported during two days of hearings that State Department consular officers and immigration authorities missed numerous opportunities to stop the hijackers. They found the hijackers used doctored passports, made false statements on their visa applications and violated immigration laws as they traveled to and from the United States. The panel's staff also found that nine of the 19 terrorists triggered security concerns on Sept. 11 and were subjected to extra airport screening but were still allowed aboard the airplanes. The staff found that aviation security was fixated on looking for explosives, but let hijackers on the planes with 4-inch pocketknives and cans of pepper spray or Mace that were used to carry out their mission. In addition, the panel learned the FBI told the FAA in 2000 that reported threats of suicide hijackings of airliners were not credible. It also disclosed that airline security officials had virtually no access to background information potential terrorists. Staff writer Bob Braun contributed to this report. -__ ___ _ ___ __ ___ _ _ _ __ /-_|-0-\-V-/-\|-|-__|-|-|-/-_| \_-\--_/\-/|-\\-|-_||-V-V-\_-\ |__/_|--//-|_|\_|___|\_A_/|__/ SPY NEWS is OSINT newsletter and discussion list associated to Mario's Cyberspace Station - The Global Intelligence News Portal http://mprofaca.cro.net ######## CAUTION! ######### Since you are receiving and reading documents, news stories, comments and opinions not only from so called (or self-proclaimed) "reliable sources", but also a lot of possible misinformation collected by Spy News moderator and subscribers and posted to Spy News for OSINT purposes - it should be a serious reason (particularly to journalists and web publishers) to think twice before using it for their story writing, further publishing or forwarding throughout Cyberspace. 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That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
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