The Hindu : International : CIA did not get warning on 9/11, says Tenet

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Friday, Apr 16, 2004

International

International

CIA did not get warning on 9/11, says Tenet

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, APRIL 15. The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, George Tenet, has told the National Commission looking into the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 that it would take "another five years of work" to put in place a clandestine network that America needs to come to terms with outfits like the Al-Qaeda and other terrorist threats.

"The same can be said for the National Security Agency, our imagery agency and our analytic community," Mr. Tenet remarked while giving his public testimony before the federal panel this morning.

The top spy chief admitted that intelligence agencies never did get into the 9/11 plot.

"We all understood Osama bin Laden's intent to strike the homeland but were unable to translate this knowledge into an effective defence of the country," Mr. Tenet told the Commission many of whose members have been sharply critical of both the CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. One of the things that Mr. Tenet touched upon — as was the case with panellists yesterday — was resources with the CIA Chief saying that agencies had lost "close to 25 per cent of our people and billions of dollars in capital investment" in several years preceding to 1997 when he took over at the helm of affairs.

The National Commission had made the point that there had been a dip in resources dating back to the end of the Cold War. Mr. Tenet's tenure at the CIA has cut through the Clinton and the Bush administrations.

The federal panel has made some sharp comments against the CIA which would include faulting the agency of missing the big picture of "tell-tale indicators" of impending terror attacks; an inadequate counter-terror management strategy prior to 9/11;no institutionalised process to learn from success and failures; and the lack of any constructive approach leading to reviews being perceived as fault finding.

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