9/11 Commission, Memorandum for the Record, 11/20/2003, State Department Interviews

9/11 Commission, Memorandum for the Record, 11/20/2003, State Department Interviews

9/11 Commission interview with Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of State, and Jamie Borek, Assistant Legal Counsel, Department of State. Discussion of improvements, and areas in need of improvement, related to the State Department's handling of intelligence in the wake of September 11.

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, INTELFILES, State-Department

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9/11 Commission, Memorandum for the Record, 9/12/2003, CIA Budget

Memorandum for the Record, 9/11 Commission, 9/12/2003: CIA Interviews

This is a tough examination of the effect of politically mandated budget cuts on the CIA prior to September 11. Subjects interviewed were Pat Hanback of the CIA's Inspector General Office and another subject whose name has been redacted.

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, Budget, CIA, Counterterrorism, INTELFILES

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9/11 Commission Memoranda on Extremism in Pakistan

In light of recent developments in Pakistan, it's useful and interesting to take a look at some of the interviews conducted in Pakistan by the 9/11 Commission, which spoke with State Department hands, Pakistani officials at various levels and local journalists.

What immediately grabs you about these accounts is the breathtaking state of denial among Pakistani officials. One wonders what they think now.

10/25/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Retired Lt. Gen. Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, Governor of the Northwest Frontier Province

"[T]he Governor strongly disputed the coalition perception of the situation. He flatly stated that terrorist groups could not have a base in the NWFP; it was 'impossible.' Madrassas were in cities, not the countryside. Weapons would have to be used for training, making noise that would give them away. That would be reported. Most of the population was not with the jihadis. These people were probably being harbored in Afghanistan."

10/26/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with U.S. State Department Country Team, Islamabad

"Asked what the current government wants to accomplish, beyond the defense and foreign policy sphere, emphasis was placed on economic stability, controlling corruption, sustaining some kind of democratic transition, and developing moderate Islam."

10/27/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Ashraf Naser, Chief Secretary of Balochistan

"We told him that we had concerns about Balochistan, that many informed officials in both Afghanistan and Pakistan had told us that it is unsafe, insecure and that extremists are gaining the upper hand there. Naser disagreed vehemently with this characterization. 'Why don't you come to Quetta with me? He invited. Foreign journalists roam freely
there. I don't see a problem.' [...]

"Naser said that the U.S. had more or less brought the 9/11 attacks on itself. You left Afghanistan unattended, we told you that was a mistake. We knew what was happening
there. But the Pakistanis could not control the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"He asserted that the recent sectarian killings in Balochistan were part of an Afghan plot to destabilize the region. The suicide bombers were part of Taliban groups trained in Afghanistan, he said. These suicide bombers were Baloch from south of Quetta, they were trained by Indians in Afghanistan. 'The Northern Alliance is openly contemptuous of us.'"

10/27/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Secretary Tasneem Noorani, Pakistani Ministry of Interior

"He indicated that he and the entire Ministry were in shock by the 9-11 attacks and were struck by the scale and scope of the attacks. They couldn't image that the attacks could be connected with Pakistan. The initial reaction was a total blank. They didn't know how to react.

"Only after the US began discussing Usama bin Laden did the Ministry become aware of UBL and that the region, Pakistan and Afghanistan, was somehow involved. UBL was not known in Pakistan. He is an eccentric Saudi and was not understood by most people. [...]

"The Secretary seemed completely surprised by evidence that KSM had been active in Karachi and that he celebrated the 9-11 attacks in there and was actually interviewed by a journalist in Karachi about the attack. This information was a surprise to the Secretary. He asked for proof. He didn't believe any accounts of journalists in this regard."

The U.S. consul in Karachi didn't fare much better before the Commission's questioning.

10/20/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Douglas C. Rohn, Consul General, U.S. Consulate, Karachi

"The Consul did not have a very informed understanding of the type and sophistication of the threat in Karachi or the region. He had no estimate of the al Qai' da presence, though he recognized that they have long operated in the region. His insights into the terrorist threat, from his few months on the job, were very basic and didn't provide any new information ... 'we've been attacked here in Karachi, the bad guys are out there, I'm trying to keep American safe.'"

It wasn't all bad, however. There were a few people who seemed to know what they were talking about.

10/25/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Arlene Ferrill, Consul General, U.S. Consulate, Peshawar

"CG Ferrill commented on the NWFP government that arose out of the parliamentary elections in the fall of 2002. Eveyone had been surprised, including the victors, by the success of the six-party Islamic coalition, led by the JI (Qazi Hussain Ahmed) and JUI(Fezlur Rahman), Their rhetorical agenda calls for restoration of Sharia law and stresses anti-American themes. [Comment: An Islamic coalition also won power at the same time in Balochistan.] The popular climate in the NWFP is anti-American. In that sense, not much has changed in Peshawar since 9111. Though openly wearing guns has stopped in Peshawar, it continues in the tribal areas - as does the availability of a wide variety of arms in nearby bazaars."

10/27/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with journalist Ahmed Rashid

"[Prior to 9/11], the US had a policy on terrorism, focused only on what they wanted with Bin Laden. But the Americans did not present Pakistan, then under sanctions, either with carrots or with sticks. Clinton had snubbed Pakistan with the way he had handled his visit, favoring India, in March 2000. To present carrots and/or sticks would have required a real geopolitical strategy toward Pakistan, not just toward terrorism."

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, INTELFILES, MFR, Pakistan, State-Department

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9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, Jan. 1, 2004 to End of FOIA Response

A note to readers: This is the last batch of chronological documents provided by the FBI to the 9/11 Commission and referenced in footnotes to that report.

There are a handful of major reports left to post, representing some of the FBI's deepest analytical works regarding the September 11 attacks. Those reports will be posted over the next several weeks.

A substantial amount of additional 9/11 materials are available and will continue to be posted here, as well as a variety of declassified government documents on various topics of intererst, including crime and law enforcement, national security, intelligence, war on terror, and more.

01/04/2004: FBI Summary of Information, Lotfi Raissi

01/04/2004: FBI Summary of Information, Lotfi Raissi

Raissi was an Algerian national who lived in Phoenix and attended flight school shortly after Hani Hanjour, one of the 9/11 hijackers. This 22-page document contains a substantial amount of information the FBI collected on Raissi, including alleged links to Hanjour and previous investigations in several countries. The document also contains information about Hanjour's flight training and additional unknown individuals who took flight training at the same time.

02/09/2004: FBI/DS Deployment to Sierra Leone

02/09/2004: FBI/DS Deployment to Sierra Leone

02/09/2004: FBI/DS Deployment to Sierra Leone

Details of an FBI investigative trip to Sierra Leone. The reasons for the trip are related to the investigation of conflict diamonds to finance al Qaeda.

03/25/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Louise Sweeney (9/11 Families)

04/07/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Fuad Omar Bazarah

04/07/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Fuad Omar Bazarah

05/17/2004: FBI Summary of Information, Mohdar Mohamed Abdullah

05/18/2004: FBI Summary of Information, Mohdar Mohamed Abdullah

05/18/2004: FBI Summary, Interview of Charles Sabah Toma (re: Modhar Mohamed Abdullah)

06/09/2004: FBI, Information in Preparation for Interview of Yazeed Saad Atif
Al-Salmi

06/17/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Yazeed Al Salmi

06/17/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Yazeed Al Salmi

06/17/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Yazeed Al Salmi

07/01/2004: FBI Lead Sheet, Mohdar Mohamed Abdullah

The four documents that follow appear to be the same document with wildly different patterns of redaction applied by the FBI.

04/25/2006: FBI Memorandum, Connections of San Diego PENTTBOMB Subjects to the Government of Saudi Arabia

04/25/2006: FBI Memorandum, Connections of San Diego PENTTBOMB Subjects to the Government of Saudi Arabia

Date Unclear: FBI Memorandum, Connections of San Diego PENTTBOMB Subjects to the Government of Saudi Arabia

Date Unclear: FBI Memorandum, Connections of San Diego PENTTBOMB Subjects to the Government of Saudi Arabia

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, FBI, Flight-Schools, Hijackers, INTELFILES, Lotfi-Raissi, Saudi-Arabia

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9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, Jan. 1, 2003 to Dec. 31, 2003

1/8/2003: FBI Letterhead Memorandum, Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas

1/8/2003: FBI Letterhead Memorandum, Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas (unredacted)

1/16/2003: FBI FD-302, Record of interrogation, Derar Mohammed Saleh

2/4/2003: FBI FD-302, Record of interrogation, Shareef Abdulmuttaleb El-Arbi

2/4/2003: FBI FD-302, Record of interrogation, Shareef Abdulmuttaleb El-Arbi (less redacted)

2/4/2003: FBI FD-302, Record of interrogation, Shareef Abdulmuttaleb El-Arbi (different redactions)

2/2003: FBI Secret Report, "The 11 September Hijacker Cell Model"

3/19/2003: FBI Information Control Document, ADENBOM

3/19/2003: FBI Information Control Document, ADENBOM (second version)

3/19/2003: FBI Information Control Document, Redacted, Refs Hamas, Al Qaeda

4/2/2003: FBI FD-302, Record of interrogation, Abdulaziz Al-Roomi

4/2/2003: FBI FD-302, Record of interrogation, Abdulaziz Al-Roomi (second version)

4/2/2003: FBI FD-302, Record of interrogation, Abdulaziz Al-Roomi (third version)

7/18/2003: FBI Letterhead Memorandum, Al Qaeda and Conflict Diamonds

7/18/2003: FBI Letterhead Memorandum, Al Qaeda and Conflict Diamonds (version 2)

8/18/2003: FBI FD-302, Record of Interrogation, Interview of Omar Al Bayoumi

9/17/2003: FBI FD-302, Record of Interrogation, Interview of Omar Al Bayoumi

9/17/2003: FBI FD-302, Record of Interrogation, Interview of Omar Al Bayoumi (version 2)

9/22/2003: FBI Information Control Document, Rayed Mohammed Abdullah

10/16/2003: FBI Information Control Document, Hamdan Ghareeb Al-Shalawi

11/14/2003: FBI Chronology of Hijackers' Activities

11/17/2003: FBI Summary of Abdelghani Mzoudi Proceedings

12/4/2003: FBI Transcript of Flight 93 Cockpit Recorder

12/5/2003: FBI Summary of Abdelghani Mzoudi Proceedings

12/5/2003: FBI Summary of Abdelghani Mzoudi Proceedings (2)

12/5/2003: FBI Summary of Abdelghani Mzoudi Proceedings (3)

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, FBI, Hijackers, INTELFILES

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9/11 Commission, Memorandum For The Record, Commission Interviews

12/3/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Charles Freeman, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia

Keywords: Muslim World League, Afghanistan

12/5/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Tom Furey, former consul general to Saudi Arabia

Keywords: Visa Express program, passport fraud

12/9/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with John Hamre, former Deputy Defense Secretary

Keywords: East African Embassy Bombings, Osama Bin Laden, WMD, Richard Clarke


9/3/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Jamie Gorelick

1/9/2004: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Jamie Gorelick

1/13/2004: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Jamie Gorelick

Keywords: INS, Justice Department, "The Wall Memo"

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, INS, INTELFILES, Jamie-Gorelick, Richard-Clarke, Saudi-Arabia, Visa

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9/11 Commission, Memorandum For The Record, FBI Interviews. Part 1

10/29/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with FBI agent

Terrorism financing investigations, lack of formal coordination between FBI task forces

11/05/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with FBI agent

Investigation of hijacker associate(s)

11/05/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with FBI agent Peter Brust

9/11 Command Post, material witness deported

01/06/2004: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with FBI agent Robert Clymer

Investigation of Ziad Jarrah activities in Las Vegas

01/06/2004: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with FBI agents

Investigation of whether Mohammed Atta visited Hoover dam

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, FBI, Hani-Hanjour, Hijackers, INTELFILES, Mohammed-Atta, Ziad-Jarrah

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Descriptions of U.S. Border Security Programs, TIP, PISCES

10/3/2002: Description of U.S. Terrorist Interdiction Program

2/9/2002: Description of Personal Identification Secure Comparison and
Evaluation System (PISCES), terrorist watchlisting program

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, Border-Security, INTELFILES

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9/11 Commission, Memorandum For The Record, Commission Interviews

The following interview pertains to counterterrorism during the 1990s and Clinton Administration efforts against Al Qaeda:

1/7/2004, 9/11 Commission Memorandum for the record, Interview with Madeleine Albright

The following interviews were conducted by the 9/11 Commission and pertain to Airline Security:

11/18/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum for the record, Interview with American Airlines Captain Don Dillman

11/19/2003, 9/11 Commission Memorandum for the record, Interview with American Airlines employees

1/07/2004, 9/11 Commission Memorandum for the record, Interview with Timothy Ahern, American Airlines vice president of Safety, Security and Environmental

1/8/2004: 9/11 Commission Memorandum for the record, Interview with Gerard Arpey, former American Airlines executive vice president for Operations

1/8/2004: 9/11 Commission Memorandum for the record, Interview with Larry Wansley, American Airlines director of security

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, Airline-Security, Albright, INTELFILES, MFR, State-Department

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink