Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet released a written statement for the Joint Inquiry Committee on October 17, 2002. It read: “The US Government had no official presence in Afghanistan, and relations with the Taliban were seriously strained. Both factors made it more difficult to gain access to Bin Ladin and al-Qa’ida personnel.”
– CIA, “Written Statement for the Record of the DCI,” (before the Joint Inquiry Committee, CIA), The Central Intelligence Agency’s 9/11 File:, The National Security Archive, Oct. 17, 2002