“Citing security concerns, the United States Embassy in Rome sent most of its employees home for the day yesterday [January 5, 2001]. ‘We had credible information and we decided as a precaution to close down the embassy,’ a spokesman for the embassy said. …Officials said the threat came from people associated with Osama bin Laden’s […]
1/5/2001
During the transitional period between the Clinton and Bush administrations in the first week of January 2001, outgoing National Security Advisor Sandy Berger met with his successor, Condoleezza Rice, at a briefing on terrorism. Afterwards, he told her: ” ‘I believe that the Bush Administration will spend more time on terrorism generally, and on al-Qaeda […]
1/3/2001
Counterterrorism czar Richard “Clarke presented the incoming Bush team with an aggressive plan to attack al Qaeda [at a meeting on January 3, 2001]. …Bush administration officials have denied being given a formal plan to take action against al Qaeda. …Most significantly of all, Clarke called for covert operations ‘to eliminate sanctuary’ in Afghanistan where […]
1/2/2001
Regarding the documents stolen from the Niger Embassy in Rome, Italy: “The letters were obviously a blend of several genuine older documents, possibly obtained during the earlier break-in [on January 2, 2001], which were used to masquerade the counterfeit newer ones. The purpose of the phony documents was to create the impression that the true […]
1/1/2001
“With the Pentagon now under Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz–both of whom had also long believed that Saddam Hussein should have been toppled during the first Gulf War–the war planners were given free rein. What was needed, however, was a pretext–perhaps a major crisis. ‘Crises can be opportunities,’ wrote [advisor […]
12/31/2000
On December 31, 2000, “the United States signed the [International Criminal Court (ICC)] treaty to create the first permanent international court designed to try cases of crimes against humanity. Not legally binding without ratification by the Senate, the U.S. signature, according to [President Bill] Clinton, was meant to ‘reaffirm our strong support for international accountability’ […]
12/31/2000
“By the end of 2000, [President Bill] Clinton’s last year in office, bin Laden’s terror network was operating in more than fifty-five countries and already responsible for the deaths of thousands (including 59 Americans).” [The 31st of the month used for date sorting purposes only.] – Richard Miniter, Losing Bin Laden, Page xvi […]
12/29/2000
On December 29, 2000, “The CIA had put together what it called a ‘Blue Sky’ plan for additional authorities to go after Osama bin Laden and his cohorts more aggressively, and [counterterrorism czar Richard] Clarke wanted the new president [Bush] to sign off on aid to the Northern Alliance, an anti-Taliban rebel group in Afghanistan, […]
12/29/2000
On December 29, 2000, “A week after [future 9/11 hijackers Mohamed] Atta and [Marwan] al-Shehhi received their pilot’s licenses, they rented six hours on a Boeing 727 simulator. …Mostly they practiced making midair turns, showing no interest whatsoever in takeoffs and landings.” – Der Spiegel, Inside 9-11, Page 15 […]
12/29/2000
Former CIA Director George Tenet said the ‘Blue Sky’ paper “was designed to include our best ideas for how the war on terror might proceed if we were free from resource limitations or past policy decisions that had hampered our progress. We sent the paper to [counterterrorism czar] Dick Clarke on December 29 [2000]. Among […]