fo b2 commission meeting 11-6-03 fdr- memo- preparation and publication of commission report- draft...
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P R E P A R A T I O N A N D P U B L IC A T IO N O F C O M M IS S IO N R E P O R T
Staf f Memorandum for Discussion
1. Structure of the Report
The report itself will include:
An Executive Summary spotlighting key conclusions and policy
recommendations. This will be of a length that can be read and digested in the
news cycles that would begin with the press conference releasing the report.
A book-length Report, publicly released and available as a book in every major
bookstore in America, as well as being downloadable over the Internet. The
Report would be published and distributed by a commercial publisher contracted
for this purpose by the Commission, while also being released through GPO for
depositories of government documents.
Nine volumes of supporting monographs, written for more specialized audiences.
Most, perhaps all, of these monographs will contain classified information. They
would also be attractively printed and published, through CIA's printing services,
for readers who have the necessary security clearances.
2. Drafting Process
Staff drafting of most monographs has already begun. But the report will have a different
structure from the monographs, since it will synthesize that material in a single narrative,
present it at a different level of classification, and be written for a broad audience.Toward the end of 2003 the front office will begin drafting the report, drawing on the
evolving draft monographs already being prepared by the various teams. Rolling drafts
of the report and the monographs will keep being prepared and constantly revised into the
spring of 2004.
In April 2004 the front office will share an advanced draft of the report with staffers
across all the concerned teams. In an intensive set of drafting sessions the staff will come
to collective judgments about the material they recommend for inclusion in the draft that
will be submitted to the commissioners.
As the report is being finalized by commissioners and prepared for publication, the frontoffice will also be reviewing and finalizing the nine volumes of staff monographs so that
these all meet common standards of quality and clarity. The monographs are likely to be
published in classified form during June or July 2004.
hi April andMay, the Chair and Vice Chair will schedule an intensive set of Commission
meetings to consider the major conclusions and policy recommendations, as well as the
text of the Executive Summary and the Report.
1
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3. Declassification Issues
The Report itself should never contain classified information. In other words, the
Commission should endeavor not to include language in the Report that, if disclosed, will
damage the national security of the United States. Portions of the Report will draw on
classified information. Those portions, and only those portions, must be submitted to
pre-publication review by the agencies that supplied this information. The only job of
those agencies is to verify the Commission's judgment that none of the text, if disclosed,
will harm the national security of the United States. This is a different procedure than
that used for declassification of a classified document. Similar procedures have,
however, been used many times in the pre-publication review of memoirs or other books
that draw on classified information.
We have already asked the administration to organize teams for the rapid pre-publication
review process. We will have a chance to test this process in the clearance of the staff
statements that the Executive Director will present at the outset of public hearings
scheduled in 2004.
4. Commercial Publication of the Report
While the GPO can and will publish the Report, the GPO does not have the infrastructure
to place the report in bookstores across the nation or around the world and keep supplies
flowing to bookstores through wholesalers. Nor can the GPO provide the editorial,
promotional services, or management of subsidiary rights that a commercial publisher
canprovide.
Other notable government reports in the past have been published by commercial
publishers. In the case of the Warren Commission we believe this was done by advance
arrangement, including a release through the Book of the Month Club. In other cases a
publisher simply waits for the GPO release and then produces an instant book, a cheaply
produced paperback, to satisfy and profit from public demand. That is what happened to
the Kerner Commission, the Tower Board on Iran-Contra, and the Starr Report. We
think it is better for the Commission to control both the process and the quality of the
product.
Working with lawyers of the General Services Administration, the Commission has
confirmed its authority to contract with a private publisher for publication of the report
and has developed a lawful way to proceed. After investigating interest and suitability,
the Commission plans to solicit bids from three publishers: W.W. Norton, PublicAffairs,
and Times Books. A copy of the letter we intend to send to each of these publishers is
appended to this outline. It indicates the terms on which we hope these firms will
compete.
You will note that we do not ask publishers to forego or return their profit. Each of the
publishers are being asked to compete on their willingness to assume risks, such as the
costs of extremely fast 24/7 editorial and production turnaround of the manuscript, the
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costs of large, speculative advance print runs, and these costs combined with a low sales
price (made still lower by our waiver of royalties). It is in our interest to encourage the
publishers to take a large risk, which—as private firms—they can rationalize by their
hopes of making a profit.
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DATE
NAME
ORGANIZATION
ADDRESS
ADDRESSCITY, STATE ZIP
Dear NAME :
As you may know , the National Comm ission on Terrorist A ttacks Upon the
United States (better known as the 9-11 Comm ission) is an independent,
bipartisan inquiry created by congressional legislation and signed by President
George W . Bush in November 2002. The Com mission is chartered to prepare
a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September
11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and provide recomm endations to guard against
future attacks.
The Com mission intends to produce an unclassified book-length report on or
before its statutory deadline of May 27,2004. As a federal entity, the
Com mission is obligated to publish its official report through the Governm ent
Printing Office (GPO). O nce released, the report will become part of the
public domain. Webelieve, however, that only a commercial publishing
house has the resources and institutional capacity to truly deliver the
Com mission's report to the American people. Public Law 107-306 permits theCommission to "enter into contracts to enable the Commission to discharge itsduties," and we are therefore seeking to partner with a civic-minded publisher
in order to ensure the report is widely and affordably available in bookstoresnationwide.
We envision an arrangement by which the Commission wou ld provide the
publisher with an exclusive advance copy of the report. In turn, the publisher
would produce hardcover and softcover versions, the debut of w hich would
coincide as much as possible with the report's official release, hi order toproceed, we are inviting three publishing houses, including [Publisher X], to
submit proposals for the Commission's consideration. Should [Publisher X]
wish to pursue this opportunity, we ask that your proposal address the
following criteria and questions:
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1) Production Schedule. How quickly could [Publisher X] turn the
Commission's manuscript into an indexed book? How soon after would
the report appear on bookstore shelves?
2) Initial Print-Run and Distribution.What would be the initial print-run?
What are the distribution capabilities of [Publisher X], and how widely
would this book be distributed?
3) Price andProceeds. The Commission is willing to waive any royalties in
the hope that this cost saving can be passed back to readers in a reduced
price. Given this parameter, what would you estimate to be the price of the
book?
4) Marketing Plan and Partnership. We would expect to work with the
publisher to ensure that the message, content, and timing of its promotion
campaign complement the Commission's overall media strategy. How
would [Publisher X] propose to promote the book?
5) Confidentiality. The Commission would expect the publisher to sign a
confidentiality agreement to protect the report's contents prior to its
release. What other steps would [Publisher X] take to ensure the complete
confidentiality of the report?
6) Back-Listing and Future Reprints. How would [Publisher X] keep the
report in print over the medium- to long-term? How would [Publisher X]
view future reprints?
7) Design. The Commission would expect the book to have a tasteful and
dignified design from cover to cover. How would [Publisher X] work with
the Commission to ensure that all artwork reinforces the tone and solemn
purpose of the report?
hi addition to these criteria andquestions, we are also interested, more
generally, in what qualities you believe [Publisher X] has to offer, and why
your company is uniquely positioned to publish the Commission's report.
It is important for us to collaborate with a publisher who shares our vision for
this historic project. Please let us know if you intend to submit a proposal, and
feel free to call me with any questions you may have at (202) 331-4060. We
would like to receive all proposals by Tuesday, October 14. After a brief
period of internal review, my colleagues and I hope to meet with you in New
York or Washington in November.
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Thank you for your consideration of this historic project. We look forward to
; f r o m you.
Sincerely,
Philip Zelikow
Executive Director