Flash - Cheney Diverted
Investigation
High-ranking US government officials,
including Vice President Richard Cheney, were aware of many critical
details regarding the September 11, 2001 attack on New York City yet did
nothing to prevent the incident. Explosive recordings released by a
former intelligence officer who briefed Cheney during the summer of 2001
reveal that Cheney deliberately subverted an investigation when it
indicated ties to a highly-placed Saudi executive.
The now-retired officer?s briefing of Cheney was based on intelligence
uncovered in a Frankfurst apartment by German intelligence agents. The
agents raided the apartment in mid-June 2001, when evidence indicated the
residents were linked to the Al-Qaeda network. The first of several tapes
opens with the former agent explaining the discovery to Cheney. Evidence
of a planned terrorist strike against the United States included flight
manuals for several makes of passenger jet, schematics and photographs of
the World Trade Center towers and several other Manhattan skyscrapers,
chemistry manuals regarding jet fuel, and a list of several dozen
individuals in various cities in the United States. The analyst suggested
that Al-Qaeda members planned to either steal, or more likely hijack, one
or more jet airplanes for use as flying bombs. When Cheney questioned the
plausibility of the suggestion, the analyst argued it was a logical
extension of past suicide bombings utilizing trucks and buses.
The analyst went on to suggest a likely time for the attack. He argued it
was likely to take place after Labor Day, as summer is a peak period for
air travel, and hijackers prefer lighter passenger loads because they are
easier to control. Using the light passenger scenario, he suggested
either Tuesday or Wednesday, the lightest passenger days, were the most
likely day such a hijacking would take place. He advised Cheney to
substantially increase airport security in early September, specifically
naming the 11th and 12th as the days of greatest danger. Based on the
calculations regarding jet fuel, the analyst suggested that hijackers
would mostly likely choose a non-stop cross-country flight originating in
a major east coast city. He named Boston and Philadelphia, based on their
proximity to New York, as special areas of concern. The two hijacked
flights which struck the World Trade Center originated in Boston. No
special security protocols were in place at Logan International Airport
September 11. The first tape concludes with Cheney concurring that the
possibility of a terrorist attack was real, and that the CIA should
continue investigating. The next meeting on July 1, 2001 has the Vice
President taking a very different attitude.
"After months of consideration, I?ve come to the conclusion that
[Saudi businessman] was only a small part of this equation,"
suggests the former analyst. "So many things happened in the weeks
leading up to 9-11, it?s almost as if Cheney wanted this thing to happen.
If I was blocked on this, I have to believe others were too. I just
wonder how far and how deep the interference ran."
[ Further
Info ]
Reminds me of the greaspit on 'meet the press' dodging the question of
how a missile was given 20 minutes to half an hour to strike
Washington.
