A declassified email to the head of the CIA’s Bin Ladin unit Michael Scheuer, sent from CIA Islamabad station chief Gary Schroen, dated December 20, 1998, reflected on the fact that strikes against Bin Ladin were not carried out. It read: “DCI [Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet] wanted my views–I said hit him [Bin Laden, aka UBL] tonight–we may not get another chance [redacted] But given the political mess there I had doubts the decision would be to go ahead–and I was correct. The call [redacted] was disappointing. [Redacted] we have been hammering the Taliban on UBL & that we would hold them responsible & the bombing of Iraq demonstrated the threat was real. The increased security on the streets [redacted] only raises the ante and makes it that much more difficult, dangerous to conduct the raid. I am not a hawk on the bombing [redacted] but we should have done it last night. We may well come to regret the decision not to go ahead.”
– CIA, “Re: urgent re ubl,” Note For: Michael F. Scheuer, From: [Excised], CIA Email. Cited in 9/11 Commission Report as “[Gary] Schroen to Mike,” The Central Intelligence Agency’s 9/11 File:, The National Security Archive, Dec. 20, 1998