t1a b49 9-11 plot 6-16-04 hearing fdr- tab 3- suggested questions and invite letters w withdrawal...

8/14/2019 T1A B49 9-11 Plot 6-16-04 Hearing Fdr- Tab 3- Suggested Questions and Invite Letters w Withdrawal Notice

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THE 9/11 PLOTPANEL: AL QAEDA

M S. DEBORAH DORANSpecial AgentFederal Bureau of InvestigationTHE HON ORA BLE PATRICK J. FITZGERALDU.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois

9/11 Closed by Statute

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 16Designated Commissioners:

Enclosures1 - Suggested Questions for thePanel2 - Prepared Statements3 - Biographies4 - Invitation Letters


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SUGGESTED QUESTIONS FO R THE PANEL: AL QAEDADesignated Commissioners:

General1. W hat are the three or four m ost important things the nation needs to know about alQaeda?2. How is al Qaeda different from the way it was pre-9/11? Who are the key al Qaedaleaders today?

Understanding how al Qaeda currently operates w ill inform counterterrorism policyrecommendations. Al Qaeda is no longer a centralized organization headquartered inAfghanistan. It is a loose collection of regional networks. As a result, the USG cannotcombat the threat from al Qaeda by focusing exclusively on k illing or capturing keyleaders.3. How does al Qaeda recruit, vet, and train operatives now?

Same reasoning as above.4. W hat is the status of al Qaeda's e fforts to obtain ch emical, biological, radioactive, andnuclear (CBRN) weapons?

Director Tenet has said that al Qaeda is determ ined to attack the United S tates usingCBRN weapons. He noted a particularly high risk of poison, anthrax, chemical attacksusing com m on m aterials, and attacks using radiological dispersal devices.5. Describe what we kn ow about al Qaeda's presence in the U.S.6. What attacks have we prevented?

This question is intended to give a fuller picture of al Q aeda as w ell as elicit informationon how successful U.S. counterterrorism efforts have been since 9/11.7. W hy haven't we been h it again since 9/11?8. W hat is Bin Ladin's current role within al Qaeda?


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Terrorist Attacks1. Do you agree w ith our staff statement as to al Qaeda's role in:

1993 World Trade Center bom bing Black Hawk Dow n Bojinka OPM-SANG Khobar Towers Millennium Plots

2. W hat precautions did al Qaeda take to prevent us from learning about attacks beforethey were carried out?

Infrastructure1. W hat is/was al Qaeda's command and control structure?

Understanding al Qaeda's command and control structure is important to determininghow to attack and weaken the organization.2. How significant is the loss of the Afghan training camps? How is al Qaeda currentlyconducting training?

Al Qaeda camps primarily provided m ilitary training, not terrorist training. Terroristoperatives such as the 9/11 hijackers took specialized courses which were not availablewithin the standard camp structure.

3. How many people went through bin Ladin's training camps prior to 9/11? Do we knowtheir current status?This question helps to understand the magnitude of the threat. Estimates range from10,000 to 100,000. The trainees returned to their countries and could be activated toconduct attacks against U.S. interests.

Popular SupportHow much support does Bin Ladin/al Qaeda have in the Muslim world? Is his supportincreasing or decreasing? Wh at is the source of his appeal?


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A survey recently cited in the Washington Post claimed that 49% of Saudi citizens have afavorable opinion of Bin Ladin's sermons and rhetoric, although less than 5% wouldsupport his becoming "President of the Arabian Peninsula."

Relationships with StatesIran1. Did Iran provide safe passage for al Qaeda operatives traveling to and fromAfghanistan?

Several sources, as well as Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, have stated thatIran has provided safe passage to al Qaeda operatives and senior officials. Documentsretrieved from possible al Qaeda safehouses refer to a "safe passage" arrangement,although the docum ents also indicate the arrangem ent was no longer in force after 9/11.2. Are there al Qaeda mem bers in Iran now? If so, are there any Iranian-imposed limitson their actions?

Press reporting indicates that Iran has a numb er of senior al Q aeda officials under "housearrest," although the Iranian government has not provided the U.S. with their identities(Newsweek has reported that Saif al-Adel, head of al Qaeda's Military Com mittee, andSaad Bin Ladin are among them).

3. Other than the training in the early 90s described in the staff statement, are you awareof any additional ties between al Qaeda and Hezbollah?Saudi Arabia1. Did the Saudi government or any members of the Royal Family provide al Qaeda withoperational support or direct funding?

Team 4 has found no evidence to indicate that the Saudi government or senior officialswithin the Saudi government directly funded al Qaeda. Our staff statement indicates that"some governments" m ay have turned a blind eye to al Qaeda fundraising, and that alQaeda found fertile fundraising ground in Saudi Arabia.

2. W hat is your sense of al Qaeda's ethnic composition prior to 9/11? Did any particularnationalities predominate? If so, why do you think that was the case?From its start, Saudi and Yemeni nationals seem to have found Al Qaeda's messageespecially compelling. At least before 9/11, they apparently formed the bulk of itsmembers.


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PakistanWhat was the relationship between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate(ISID) an d al Qaeda, if any, prior to 9/11? How did it change post-9/11?

We have found that ISID was the main distributor of Pakistani government support to theTaliban. Given the close ties between the T aliban and al Qaeda, ISID support to al Qaedais possible but so far unproven. Support by ind ividual ISID and former ISID personnelseems much mo re likely. In the wake of 9/11, the Pakistani go vernment broke off itssupport for the Taliban. This suggests that whatever ISID- al Qaeda relation ship mayhave existed also ended. How ever, there are indications that some individual ISIDpersonnel may have assisted al Qaeda mem bers to flee Afghanistan.

Iraq1. Did the Iraqi regime ever consider offering Bin Ladin safe haven?2. Prior to 9/11, was there operational support or cooperation betw een Bin Ladin andSaddam Hussein? Did this change after 9/11?

The reporting on this subject is gen erally u nreliable, sparse, and contradictory. A num berof recent analytic docu men ts (like the Feith m emo ) have argued that a relationship d idexist between the two. According to what the staff has seen, the best that can be said isthat any relationship between al Qaed a and Iraq extended no farther than "sporadic, low-level contacts," an d even that is hard to pin down.

Myths and Misconceptions1. Did the CIA fund Bin Ladin during the Soviet War in Afghanistan?

This question has been asked by the family members.2. Does it use drug money or conflict diam onds to fund its operations?

Conflict diamonds are mined in war zones an d sold covertly to support warlords or rebelgroups. Man y conflict diamon ds come from Sierra Leone, Angola, or Liberia and w ereused to finance the rebel causes in those cou ntries. Several sources claim al Qaeda usedthese diamonds to fund terrorist efforts, although we have found this to beunsubstantiated.


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A f

H. Kean

H.HamiltonC H A I R

F. FieldingS.GorelickGorton

F. LehmanJ . R o emer

R. Thompson

D. Zelikow'.UTIVE D I R E C T O R

June 1, 2004

Ms. Deborah Mary DoranSpecial AgentFederal Bureau of InvestigationJ. Edgar Hoover Building935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20535-0001Dear Ms. Doran:The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States willhold a public hearing on June 16,2004, in Washington, DC on the 9/11 Plot.You areinvited to testify at these proceedings at 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.onWednesday, June 16.This session will be the sixth in the Commission's 2004 investigative hearingschedule, which will collectively advance the Commission's efforts to producean authoritative account of the facts and circumstances surrounding theSeptember 11,2001 terrorist attacks. At this hearing, the Commission willexamine the nature of the enemy that carried out the 9/11 plot. We lookforward to your testimony on the following topics: The characteristics that enabled al Qaeda to carry out devastating attacks

on the United States between 1998 and 2001, including ideology,objectives, command-and-control, financial, operational capability, linkswith other groups, training, recruitment, and tradecraft.

The current status of the al Qaeda network, and the threat that it andsimilar groups pose to the United States.

We ask that you submit comprehensive written testimony and provide yourstatement via e-mail to Melissa Coffey atmcoffey@9-l lcommission.gov by9:00 a.m. on June 9,2004. Your foil statement will be made part of the recordand carefully studied by the Commission.We would also ask that you limit your oral remarks to five minutes, so that wemay highlight what we expect will be a highly fruitful interchange with you.In addition to summarizing your written testimony, your oral statement shouldhighlight what youbelieve to be most important for the Commission and the

301 7 th Street SW , R o o m 5125Washington, DC 20407T 202.331.4060 F 202.296.5545www.9-11 commission.gov

26 Federal PlazaSuite 13-100New York, NY 10278T 212.264.1505 F 212.264.1595


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Ms. Deborah MaryDoranJune 1,2004Page 2

public to understanding about the enemy. All witnesses at this and futureCommission hearings will be asked to testify under oath.Please contact Douglas MacEachin at (202) 331-4070 or Yoel Tobin at(202) 331 -4071 with any questions you may have. We look forward to yourparticipation in this important public forum.

With best regards,

Thomas H. Kean Lee H. HamiltonChair Vice Chair

cc: Pat O'Brien, Federal Bureau of InvestigationDan Levin, U.S. Department of Justice


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Kean

H. HamiltonC H A I RBen-Veniste

F. FieldingS. GorelickGorton

F.LehmanJ. Roemer

R. Thompson

D. ZelikowDIRECTOR

June 1,2004

The Honorable Patrick J. FitzgeraldU.S. Attorney for the Northern District of IllinoisU.S. Attorney's Office219 South Dearborn, Suite 500Chicago, IL 60604Dear Mr. Fitzgerald:The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States willhold apublic hearing on June 16,2004, in Washington, DC on the 9/11 Plot.You are invited to testify atthese proceedings at 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. onWednesday, June 16.This session will be the sixth in the Commission's 2004 investigative hearingschedule, which will collectively advance the Commission's efforts to producean authoritative account of the facts and circumstances surrounding theSeptember 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. At this hearing, the Commission willexamine the nature of the enemy that carried out the 9/11 plot. We lookforward to your testimony on the following topics: The characteristics that enabled al Qaeda tocarry out devastating attacks

on the United States between 1998 and 2001, including ideology,objectives, command-and-control, financial, operational capability, linkswith other groups, training, recruitment, and tradecraft.

The current status of the al Qaeda network, and the threat that it andsimilar groups pose to the United States.

We ask that you submit comprehensive written testimony andprovide yourstatement via e-mail toMelissa Coffey at mcoffey@9-l lcommission.gov by9:00 a.m. on June 9,2004. Your full statement will be made part of the recordand carefully studied by the Commission.We would also ask that you limit your oral remarksto five minutes, so that wemay highlight what we expect will be a highly fruitful interchange with you.In addition tosummarizing your written testimony, your oral statement shouldhighlight what you believe to be most important for the Commission and the

th Street SW, Room 5125DC 20407

202.331.4060 F 202.296.5545lcommission.gov

26 Federal PlazaSuite 13400New York, NY 10278T 212.264.1505 F 212.264.1595


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TheHonorable Patrick J. FitzgeraldJune 1,2004Page 2

public to understanding about the enemy. All witnesses at this and futureCommission hearings will be asked to testify under oath.Please contact Douglas MacEachin at (202) 331-4070 or Yoel Tobin at(202) 331-4071 with any questions you may have. Welook forward to yourparticipation in this important public forum.

With best regards,

A*Thomas H. Kean Lee H. Hamilton

Chair Vice Chair

cc: Dan Levin, U.S. Department of Justice


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WITH DRA WAL NOTICE

RG: 148Box: 00017 Folder: 0049 DocumentsSeries: Team 1A FilesCopies: 1 Pages: 2

ACCESS RESTRICTEDThe item identified below has been withdrawn from this file:

Folder Title: 9/11 Plot Hearing BookDocument Date: 06-01-2004Document Type: LetterSpecial Media:From:To:

Subject: letter to potential panel w itness

In the review of this file this item was removed because access to it isrestricted. Restrictions o n records in the N ational Archives are stated ingeneral and specific record group restriction statem ents which are availablefor examination.

NND: 341Withdrawn: 08-14-2008 by:RETRIEVAL #: 341 00017 0049 5System DocID: 3888