“The effort to track the bin Laden group’s money began in earnest when President Bill Clinton signed a classified presidential order on Oct. 21, 1995. The secret order, Presidential Decision Directive 42, ordered the Departments of Justice, State and Treasury, the National Security Council, the C.I.A. and other intelligence agencies to increase and integrate their efforts against international money laundering by terrorists and criminals. The government agencies joined together to try to penetrate the bin Laden network of businesses, charities, banks and front companies. They failed.”
– Tim Weiner and David Cay Johnston, “Roadblocks Cited in Efforts to Trace bin Laden’s Money,” The New York Times, Sep. 20, 2001