UPI
Administration won't release 9-11 data - 9/18/2002
Fri Sep 20 00:25:55 2002
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Administration won't release 9-11 data - 9/18/2002
http://www.upi.com/print.cfm?StoryID=20020918-035035-1042r

By P. Mitchell Prothero
From the Washington Politics & Policy Desk

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The administration has denied lawmakers
investigating the Sept. 11 attacks permission to reveal whether the president
or other White House staff received warning of potential terrorist attacks
against the United States, including plans by al Qaida linked terrorists to
use hijacked planes as weapons.

The joint House-Senate Intelligence Committee -- which is charged with
determining why intelligence and law enforcement agencies missed apparently
numerous warnings prior to Sept. 11 -- Wednesday released summaries of
dozens of now-declassified intelligence briefings dating back to the early
1990's, but was denied permission to release the names of the recipients
by CIA boss George Tenet.

"The Director of Central Intelligence has declined to declassify two issues
of particular importance to this inquiry," Eleanor Hill, staff director for
the committee told the panel, "any references to the intelligence community
providing information to the president or White House and the identity of
and information on a key al Qaida leader involved in the September 11
attacks."

But the panel's co-chairman, Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., said that the point of
the panel's inquiry was to fulfill an oversight responsibility and not to
point blame at anyone in the government, White House or intelligence
services.

"These public hearings are part of our search for the truth -- not to point
fingers or pin blame, but with the goal of identifying and correcting
whatever systematic problems might have prevented our government from
detecting and disrupting al Qaida's plot," he said.

Co-chairman Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla. -- without directly addressing the
administration's gag order -- said that there were only three reasons to
keep information a secret: to protect sources or methods of collection,
to protect the plans and intentions of operations, and to avoid interfering
with ongoing investigations and prosecutions.

Hill detailed the reasons given for the decision to classify some
nformation about who knew what, in a probe designed to determine
exactly that.

"According to (Tenet), the president's knowledge of intelligence information
relevant to this inquiry remains classified even when the substance of
intelligence information has been declassified," Hill told lawmakers.

"With respect to the key al Qaida leader involved in the September 11
attacks, the DCI declined to declassify his identity despite an enormous
volume of media reporting on this individual."

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a Kuwaiti national, has given an interview in which
he claims to have been the organizer and financier for the attacks. In an
interview with an Arab language news service, he admitted to being a top
al Qaida official and appears to be the person in question. He remains at
large and is thought to be in Pakistan.

Hill complained that the decision to bar the release of the two sets of
information has restricted the probe, but she noted that the committee
lacks authority to overrule Tenet, whose formal title is Director of
Central Intelliegence on such matters.

"The Joint Inquiry Staff disagrees with the DCI's position on both issues,"
she said. "We believe the American public has a compelling interest in
this information and that public disclosure would not harm national
security. However, we do not have an independent authority to declassify
intelligence information short of a lengthy procedure in the U.S. Congress."

The dispute over declassification could lead to a showdown between congress
and the White House. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mi., threatened in a statement at
Wednesday's hearing to try to force the administration to declassify
disputed material.

"I hope the leadership will let the Administration know our committee will
seek congressional authorization to declassify appropriate information if
the executive branch refuses," said Levin in his statement.

The ranking Senate Republican, Richard Shelby of Alabama, said that
Wednesday's decision -- and other regulations that have prevented members
of the committee from following the work of the joint staff -- threatens
the success of the entire committee.

"Many members have found it exceedingly difficult to get information
about the inquiry," he said.

"They are frustrated by what they perceive to be efforts to limit their
ability to participate fully."

Copyright © 2002 United Press International
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