“John C. Gannon, then chairman of the National Intelligence Council, defended the [August 20, 1998] strikes [against terrorist camps in Afghanistan and the al Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, Sudan] in a speech at Stanford University on November 16, 1998. ‘We found solid evidence of CW [chemical weapons] activity at Shifa in Khartoum. Sophisticated tests done on soil samples revealed the presence of EMPTA, a key precursor for the nerve agent VX. …the evidence was solid. Moreover, the evidence fit into the ominous pattern we had been piecing together against bin Laden and his network. Bin Laden had attacked Americans before and he said he planned to do so again. He was seeking CW to use in future attacks. He was cooperating with the government of Sudan in those efforts. Shifa was linked to bin Laden and CW. We brought the evidence and our analyses to the President [Bill Clinton], and he took decisive action.’ ”
– Stephen F. Hayes, The Connection, Page 111