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Continuing discussion of the 9/11/2001 attacks, this program consists largely of a collation of articles from previous broadcasts on the subject.
1. Before turning to the subject that comprises the focal point and title of the program, the broadcast begins with discussion of the political background of Hiram Torres, an American Taliban. (“N.J. Name Found on Taliban Document” [AP]; Daily Record [Morris County, New Jersey]; 2/7/2002; p. A7.) A native of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Torres was a high school valedictorian who appears to have joined the Taliban in 1993. (Idem.) His ideological inclinations and behavior are of more than passing interest and are disturbingly representative of the “Islamofascism” that Mr. Emory believes to be central to the events of September 11. “Torres’ unsmiling face stares from pages of Perth Amboy High School’s 1992 and 1993 yearbooks in pictures of the German Club, German Honor Society and cross-country track team. . . Penny Borkowski, who was in most of Torres’ high school classes and knew him from the German club, said Torres would listen to Hitler’s speeches in German and recite them in the school hallways. ‘He went on about Jews, he went on about all minorities,’ Borkowski told The Associated Press on Wednesday. ‘They had to be all put in one place, there was no use for them, that kind of thing.’ ” (Idem.) Torres may have anticipated his enlistment in the ranks of America’s enemies. “Torres also refused to pose for his senior high school picture, friend Sachin Timbadia told the newspaper, explaining that he ‘wanted to keep a low profile in case something happened in the future.’ ” (Idem.)
2. Highlighting a divergence of opinion and practice between the FBI and the CIA: “The discussion makes it clear that the FBI and the CIA had engaged in ‘a war between the police forces,’ since the Gulf War, with the FBI reproaching the intelligence agency for its ‘too great leniency with regard to its ‘Islamist partners.’ ” (Dollars for Terror: The United States and Islam; by Richard Labeviere; Copyright 2000 [SC]; Algora Publishing; ISBN 1–892941-06–6; pp. 365–66.) Previously, Bin Laden’s brother-in-law had been given a visa to enter the United States-an occurrence that outraged the FBI. (Ibid.; p. 365.)
3. The program focuses on Ali Mohamed, an Egyptian-born U.S. Army veteran who was a double agent for Al Queda. (“Ali Mohamed Served in the U.S. Army-And Bin Laden’s Circle” by Peter Waldman, Gerald F. Seib, Jerry Markon, and Christopher Cooper; Wall Street Journal; 11/26/2001; pp. A1-A6.) Originally involved with an Egyptian Islamic fundamentalist group that murdered Anwar Sadat, Mohamed helped train the group that bombed the World Trade Center in 1993. (Ibid.; p. A1.) Mohamed also worked for the Army at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. (Idem.) In addition, it appears that he worked for the CIA against the Soviets during the Afghan war of the 1980’s. (Ibid.; p. A6.) Mohamed informed for the FBI, and also worked for Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, convicted in connection with the first World Trade Center conspiracy and related events. (Idem.) (Rahman, too, was a veteran of the anti-Soviet Afghan war and his sons apparently work for Bin Laden.) While working as a double agent within U.S. intelligence for Bin Laden, Mohammed planned the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa. (Idem.)
4. One fascinating detail of the discussion concerns a comment made by Sheikh Rahman in a conversation with one of his followers and over heard by FBI eavesdroppers. “‘Slow down; slow down a little bit,’ the sheik cautioned, whispering for fear the FBI was bugging his apartment-which it was. ‘The one who killed Kennedy was trained for three years.’ It was never made clear in later court testimony which assassination the sheik was talking about.” (Idem.) It should be noted that both Kennedy assassinations were supposedly the work of “lone nuts” and not the result of conspiracies. Sirhan Sirhan, the patsy for the assassination of Robert Kennedy, was a Palestinian Arab (who supposedly killed Kennedy because of his support for Israel.) There are numerous evidentiary tributaries connecting both Kennedy assassinations to the assassination of Martin Luther King, as well as the shooting of George Wallace. It is Mr. Emory’s view that the executive authority in the assassinations was the same milieu that lay behind the 9/11 attacks.
5. Recapitulating an item discussed in FTR#341, the broadcast highlights a parking ticket received by Mohammed Atta. (“Atta Was in N.Y. as Early as June of ‘00” by Pat Milton [AP]; San Jose Mercury News; 12/9/2001; p. 8A.) This ticket was received in Brooklyn in the spring of 2000, a fact that must have alerted the terrorist that he might be compromised. The theft of a briefcase from John O’Neill (in charge of the FBI’s investigation into Bin Laden) in the summer of 2000 may have been for the purpose of determining whether the FBI was monitoring the conspirators.
6. Next, the program highlighted the theft of a briefcase containing top-secret documents about counterintelligence and counterterrorist operations in New York. (“FBI Terror Expert Lost Track of Top-Secret Plans” by David Johnston [New York Times]; San Francisco Chronicle; 8/9/2001; p. A8.) The FBI expert in question, the late John O’Neill, was in charge of the Bin Laden investigation for the FBI. The broadcast delineates a disturbing aspect of the documents stolen from O’Neill in the summer of 2000. “Officials identified one document in the briefcase as a draft of the annual field office report for national security operations in New York. The closely guarded report contained a description of every counterespionage and counterterrorism program in New York and detailed the manpower for each operation.” (Idem.) In August, O’Neill left the bureau to become director of security for the World Trade Center. He was killed on 9/11.
7. In a book recently published in France, O’Neill stated that the investigation into Bin Laden had been frustrated by American corporate connections to Saudi Arabia and “oil.” (“Oil Diplomacy Muddled U.S. Pursuit of Bin Laden, New Book Contends” by Ethan Bronner; New York Times; 11/12/2001; p. B6.) O’Neill resigned his position at the FBI in July of 2001 in protest over the obstruction, and believed the Saudis to be deeply complicit in that obstruction. (Idem.) Further developing discussion of the French book, the program highlights allegations that the Taliban were seen as a “stabilizing force” in Central Asia. (“U.S. Policy Towards the Taliban Influenced by Oil-Authors” by Julio Godoy; 11/15/2001; Inter Press Service; accessed at www.ips.org [4].) The book contends that the Bush administration was negotiating with the Taliban over a pipeline to carry oil from the Caspian Sea. (Idem.) It should be noted that the proposed pipeline was a project undertaken by Unocal (in which the elder George Bush has a stake), British Petroleum and the Saudis. (Idem.) In addition, the article charges that the last meeting between the Taliban and representatives of the Bush administration took place five weeks before the 9/11 attacks. (Idem.)
8. In July, Bush selected Robert Mueller, a member of his father’s Justice department, to be FBI director. (“S.F. Prosecutor Mueller Picked to Lead FBI, Mend Its Image” by Zachary Coile and Bob Egelko; San Francisco Chronicle; 7/6/2001; pp. A1-A12.) In his work for the Bush Justice Department, Mueller was less than vigorous in his role overseeing the prosecution of General Noriega of Panama, the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and the BCCI case. (“In the Running for FBI Director” by Stacy Finz; San Francisco Chronicle; 7/1/2001; pp. A1-A6.) All three of those investigations overlap the Iran-Contra investigation and the elder Bush was principally involved in that imbroglio. Full disclosure concerning the BCCI case could lead to investigation of James R. Bath, the North American business representative of the Bin Laden family and one of the financiers of George W.‘s first oil venture.
9. The appointment of Mueller as head of the FBI may have been in anticipation of the attacks to maneuver a Bush (Senior) insider into position at the FBI, to assure operational security and to have someone who would not investigate the Bush/Bin Laden business connections.
10. Mueller has been reorganizing the FBI.(“FBI Director Announces Reorganization of Bureau” [New York Times]; San Francisco Chronicle; 12/4/2001; p. A7.) Whether this reorganization turns out to be beneficial remains to be seen.
11. The program reprises discussion concerning alleged links between Timothy McVeigh and men of Middle Eastern extraction. (“Justice Department Won’t Let Agent Testify” by James Patterson; Indianapolis Star; 11/3/2001; accessed at www.indystar.com [5].) Two FBI agents with information corroborating this account have been blocked from testifying at the state trial of Terry Nichols. (Idem.)
12. In that context, the program sets forth the reluctance of the FBI to accept the help of retired agents desiring to assist in the investigation, all the more curious in light of the fact that the Bureau’s resources are stretched thin, under the circumstances. (“FBI turns Down Hundreds of Ex-Agents Offering Help” by Eric Lichtblau; Los Angeles Times; 11/6/2001; p. A1.)
13. The bureau declined to pursue leads into Zaccharias Moussaoui, who has since been indicted in the attacks. (“In August, FBI Held Off on Probe of Suspicious Man” by David Johnston and Philip Shenon [New York Times]; San Jose Mercury News; 10/6/2001; p. 4A.)
14. In the context of the destabilization of the FBI, it is worth noting that Attorney General John Ashcroft himself has been very vocal in support of an ultra-rightist accused of plotting to murder an FBI agent and a federal witness. (“Why Did Ashcroft Try to Help Dr. Sell?” by Joe Conason; New York Observer; 1/18/2001; p. 5.) Convicted of defrauding Medicaid, Dr. Charles T. Sell allegedly plotted to murder the FBI agent who arrested him and a federal witness. (Idem.) Sell counts both Ashcroft, and the white-supremacist Conservative Citizens’ Council among his supporters. (Idem.) The latter is an overtly racist and pro-fascist group that regards African-Americans to be inferior, glorifies the Confederate States of the American Civil War. The CCC interfaces with a number of fascist organizations, including the National Alliance. The CCC has enjoyed the support of prominent republicans, such as Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. (Idem.)
15. The FBI has been encountering difficulties abroad, as well as at home. Perhaps because of foot dragging and (possibly) complicity on the part of the Germans in connection with the investigation, FBI personnel in Germany have been at loggerheads with their hosts. (“Tensions Erupt Between Germans and FBI” by Hugh Williamson and Philip Jaklin; Financial Times; 10/16/2001; p. 5.)