FBI Author of Pre-9/11 Memo Talks to Paper

[maddezmom]

PHOENIX - The FBI (news - web sites) agent who wrote a memo warning that terrorists were training at flight schools before the Sept. 11 attacks said concerns over racial profiling may have prevented officials from acting on his intelligence.



"If you look at the world prior to 9/11, we were prevented from doing certain things. We were victimized by our own restraints," Ken Williams told The Arizona Republic in his first interview since writing his now-famous memo in July 2001.


Williams' findings were based on investigations of Arizona aviation students tied to al-Qaida. At the time, he recommended the State Department coordinate with the FBI to provide information on flight students from Middle Eastern countries.


His memo was ignored by supervisors until after the attacks, but Williams said it was not a case of incompetence or malfeasance and he never blamed supervisors for the intelligence failure.

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=718&e=5&u=/ap/20041122/ap_on_re_us/attacks_fbi_memo

Not sure what to make of this admission. :eyes:

Edited to add original article...finally found it. Of course it's another "terror alert" or maybe the CIA knows something we don't know yet...thanks to the * misadministration. :shrug:

Agent says terrorists will hit again

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1121williams21.html
Wrote pre-9/11 memo on flight schools

[George_S]

1. Oh, it's all the liberals fault!

Damn multiculturalism caused 9/11. Why didn't we know that?

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Hatfield, the anthrax suspect, also met a profile.

White, scientifically inclined and possessing a security check.

Let's see how they handled that: He expressed indignation at the scrutiny he received and I believe he's threatening a lawsuit.

I do believe that there was a basis for policemen, pre 9/11, to use what we call racial profiling when they can base the stereotype on their experiences and if it involves a high crime area OR an airport.

Personally, I find shocking that anyone in law enforcement was shy about racial profiling, because that's not what I've been noticing, at all.

[meganmonkey]

2. Oooohhh Gaaawd, you've gotta be kidding me

"His memo was ignored by supervisors until after the attacks, but Williams said it was not a case of incompetence or malfeasance and he never blamed supervisors for the intelligence failure."

What kinda spin crap is this? His memo was 'ignored', but we're gonna attribute the lack of action on this memo to fear of racial profiling?

:eyes:

"Williams also said Americans have to reclaim the sense of unity they had three years ago to thwart another terrorist attack."

You're either with us or you're a terrorist.

The election is over. What's the point of this now?!

[DireStrike]

4. "What's the point of this now"

So they can blame us liberals when they nuke LA.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. If we had unity back in the 90s, we'd still have two tall skyscrapers

in New York City and over 3000 more people. Well, 4200 if you count the Iraqi occupation casualties.

[GetTheRightVote]

6. I believe they knew about it (FBI) & passed it on but the

people they passed it on to did not act on it. The adminstration of this country knew about 9/11 events but did not act on the information given to them, Bush, Rice, Rumsfeld, etc. They simply did not act on the information because Bush wanted an excuse to go to war against Iraq. This is an evil admistration we have in this country right now and we are the pawns of their chess game. I truly do not know how these people live with themselves.

[countmyvote4real]

7. By the "we" standards it's only about 4200.

When you open it up to Iraqi civilions and include the 19 hijackers, I get 104,219 and counting.

[Carl Brennan]

8. Williams is covering Dave Frasca's ass!!

Also involved in Rowley obstruction is possibly David Frasca head of FBI's Radical Fundamentalist Unit! : http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1383405

snip
......Special Agent Dave Frasca occupies a very important position mid-way between the Bush cabinet/FBI leadership and the FBI agents on the ground in various American cities. He is in the unusual position of taking important findings of intended radical Bin Laden-type terrorist actions to his supervisors, especially the heads of the FBI. Clearly, he was, along with the various world intelligence agencies, able to forward enough information through his supervisors to raise concerns with President Bush himself in July 2001.

FBI agent Kenneth Williams wrote the famous Phoenix memo on July 10, 2001 warning that Osama Bin Laden's foot soldiers might be training in American flight schools. Special Agent Dave Frasca, as the Head of the Radical Fundamentalist Unit in Washington D.C., received the memo. Kenneth Williams was the most senior member of a joint terrorist task force and according to Ronald Myers, a 31 year FBI veteran and William's former colleague, told the Los Angeles Times "He is one of the strongest agents I have ever met. Anyone in FBI management who wouldn't take what Williams said seriously is a fool." Dave Frasca got the memo but he is no "fool" as we shall see. (cnn.com, May20, 2002) Williams specifically recommended a nation-wide survey of Arab-American students attending flight schools. Unlike 1995, the FBI did not descent on flight schools as recommended by Senior Agent Kenneth Williams. Williams also recommended his memo be shared with other local FBI agents. It never was. The official view is that, unlike 1995, there were not enough agents available for the flight school survey. (Remember the cutbacks and refusals by cabinet members mentioned earlier)

Robert Mueller even refused to turn over the William's memo to Arlen Specter, a veteran Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. It remains "classified." (cnn.com, May 20, 2002) Both Ashcroft and Mueller claim to not know of the memo until after September 11. .......

[maddezmom]

9. thanks for the link

:)

[robbedvoter]

10. Yawn...Clinton's fault. Wasn't this guy involved in the "FBI Files"BS?

Didn't he came after 911 with Judicial Watch - and people here were hopeful - until we realized they were old pals from previous anti-Clinton BS?
What's the news here?

[maddezmom]

11. yes, and Carl provided a link above

robbed some of us(me) are not as educated as you and others on DU. :)