Flashback: Report Warned Of Suicide Hijackings
Although the article was dated in 2002, still an important article to look into.
(CBS) Two years before the Sept. 11 attacks, an analysis prepared for U.S. intelligence warned that Osama bin Laden's terrorists could hijack an airliner and fly it into government buildings like the Pentagon.
"Suicide bomber(s) belonging to al Qaeda's Martyrdom Battalion could crash-land an aircraft packed with high explosives (C-4 and semtex) into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), or the White House," the September 1999 report said.
The Bush administration has asserted that no one in government had envisioned a suicide hijacking before it happened.
"Had I know that the enemy was going to use airplanes to kill on that fateful morning, I would have done everything in my power to protect the American people," Mr. Bush told U.S. Air Force Academy football team members who were visiting the White House on Friday. It was his first public comment on revelations this week that he was told Aug. 6 that bin Laden wanted to hijack planes.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/05/18/attack/main509488.shtml
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Here's...
The correspondence I had with the author of said report.
I have a few questions for the author of this document, Rex A. Hudson. This was written in September 1999.
It is available here:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/Soc_Psych_of_Terrorism.pdf
On page 15 of 186, it says the following:
"Suicide bomber(s) belonging to al-Qaida’s Martyrdom Battalion could crash-land an aircraft packed with high explosives (C-4 and semtex) into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), or the White House."
My questions are, was this document:
1) Known throughout the intelligence community? (Before 9/11)
2) Known to the Congress? (Before 9/11)
3) Known to the Bush Administration? (Before 9/11)
4) Known in particular to ex-National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice? (Before 9/11)
5) Known to the FAA/NORAD? (Before 9/11)
6) Presented to the 9/11 Commission?
Any information you have about public knowledge of this document would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Gold
First response...
Dear Mr. Gold:
Thank you for your inquiry to the Federal Research Division, the fee-for-service research unit of the Library of Congress. In response to your questions, all of those entities in your list eventually became aware of the report. The report was mounted on the Library of Congress public website on December 14, 2001. It reported the findings of FRD's research of then-current literature written by experts on terrorism, inside and outside government, and was commissioned in June 1999 by the National Intelligence Council (http://www.cia.gov/nic/) and delivered in September 1999. We do not know, nor have any way of gauging, to what extent each of the listed entities were aware of the report prior to September 11, 2001.
Best wishes,
Robert L. Worden, PhD
Chief, Federal Research Division
Library of Congress ... 101 Independence Ave SE, LA-5282
Washington, DC 20540-4840
Phone: 202-707-3909 ... Fax: 202-707-3920
URL: http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd
First response from the author...
From the author...
Dear Mr. Gold,
Thank you for your inquiry and pertinent questions regarding my 1999 study. With regard to the 9/11 Commission, I have yet to come across any evidence that it cited my report. No one from the Commission contacted me about it in general or the origins of the cited scenario in particular.
Sincerely,
Rex Hudson
My reply...
Mr. Hudson,
I thank you for getting back to me in regards to this. Obviously you understand my reasoning for this inquiry. According to people within the Bush Administration, "no one could have imagined them taking airplanes, and using them as missiles". I've heard that quote countless times, and thanks to your report, I now know that at least someone "imagined" it. Just out of curiousity, do you know if this report was the reason why in November 2000, the Pentagon had drills referred to as MASCAL. Drills which planned for the very event that occurred on 9/11?
Thank you for your time,
Jonathan Gold
His response...
Mr. Gold,
Thank you for the MASCAL reference. Very interesting. I hadn't heard about it. It would be nice to think that they read my 1999 report over at the Pentagon, but I don't know of any connection. It's appropriate that you put "imagined" in quotes. Now, back to work...
Rex Hudson
Do these people deserve to know how and why their loved ones were murdered? Do we deserve to know how and why 9/11 happened?