Requiem for a nightmare. "FBI headquarters said, 'There are lots of things the intelligence community knows and other people ought not to know.'" (Photo: Reuters)

September 11: What You "Ought Not to Know"

by Greg Palast

DOCUMENT 199-I AND THE FBI'S WORDS TO CHILL THE SOUL

On November 9, 2001, when you could still choke on the dust in the air near Ground Zero, BBC Television received a call in London from a top-level US intelligence agent. He was not happy. Shortly after George W. Bush took office, he told us reluctantly, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the FBI, "were told to back off the Saudis."

We knew that. In the newsroom, we had a document already in hand, marked, "SECRET" across the top and "199-I" - meaning this was a national security matter.

The secret memo released agents to hunt down two member of the bin Laden family operating a "suspected terrorist organization" in the USA. It was dated September 13, 2001 -- two days too late for too many. What the memo indicates, corroborated by other sources, was that the agents had long wanted to question these characters ... but could not until after the attack. By that time, these bin Laden birds had flown their American nest.

Back to the high-level agent. I pressed him to tell me exactly which investigations were spiked. None of this interview dance was easy, requiring switching to untraceable phones. Ultimately, the insider said, "Khan Labs." At the time, our intelligence agencies were on the trail of Pakistan's Dr. Strangelove, A.Q. Khan, who built Pakistan's bomb and was selling its secrets to the Libyans. But once Bush and Condoleeza Rice's team took over, the source told us, agents were forced to let a hot trail go cold. Specifically, there were limits on tracing the Saudi money behind this "Islamic bomb."

Public Enemy #2. "While WAMY draws membership with wholesome activities, it has also acted as a cover for the recruitment of jihadi killers. Certainly, it was worth asking the bin Laden boys a few questions. But the FBI agents couldn't, until it was too late." (Photo: Reuters)

Then we made another call, this time to an arms dealer in the Mideast. He confirmed that his partner attended a meeting in 1995 at the 5-star Hotel Royale Monceau in Paris where, allegedly, Saudi billionaires agreed to fund Al Qaeda fanatics. We understood it to be protection money, not really a sign of support for their attacks. Nevertheless, rule number one of investigative reporting is "follow the money" -- but the sheiks' piggy banks were effectively off-limits to the US agents during the Bush years. One of the men in the posh hotel's meeting of vipers happens to have been a Bush family business associate.

Before you jump to the wrong conclusion, let me tell you that we found no evidence -- none, zero, no kidding -- that George Bush knew about Al Qaeda's plan to attack on September 11. Indeed, the grim joke at BBC is that anyone accusing George Bush of knowing anything at all must have solid evidence. This is not a story of what George Bush knew but rather of his very-unfunny ignorance. And it was not stupidity, but policy: no asking Saudis uncomfortable questions about their paying off roving packs of killers, especially when those Saudis are so generous to Bush family businesses.

Yes, Bill Clinton was also a bit too tender towards the oil men of Arabia. But this you should know. In his last year in office, Clinton sent two delegations to the Gulf to suggest that the Royal family crack down on "charitable donations" from their kingdom to the guys who blew up our embassies.

But when a failed Texas oil man took over the White House in January 2001, demands on the Saudis to cut off terror funding simply stopped.

And what about the bin Laden "suspected terrorist organization"? Called the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, the group sponsors soccer teams and summer camps in Florida. BBC obtained a video of one camp activity, a speech exhorting kids on the heroism of suicide bombings and hostage takings. While WAMY draws membership with wholesome activities, it has also acted as a cover or front, say the Dutch, Indian and Bosnian governments, for the recruitment of jihadi killers.

Certainly, it was worth asking the bin Laden boys a few questions. But the FBI agents couldn't, until it was too late.

In November 2001, when BBC ran the report on the spike of investigations of Saudi funding of terror in November 2001, the Bush defenders whom we'd invited to respond on air dismissed the concerns of lower level FBI agents who'd passed over the WAMY documents. No action was taken on the group headed by the bin Ladens.

What me, worry? Depends on your definition of 'me.'" (Photo: Reuters/Al Behrman)

Then, in May this year, fifty FBI agents surrounded, invaded and sealed off WAMY's Virginia office. It was like a bad scene out of the 'Untouchables.' The raid took place three years after our report and long after the bin Ladens had waved bye-bye, it is not surprising that the feds seized mostly empty files and a lot of soccer balls.

Why now this belated move on the bin Laden's former operation? Why not right after the September 11 attack? This year's FBI raid occurred just days after an Islamist terror assault in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Apparently, messin' with the oil sheiks gets this Administration's attention. Falling towers in New York are only for Republican convention photo ops.

The 199-I memo was passed to BBC television by the sleuths at the National Security News Service in Washington. We authenticated it, added in our own sleuthing, then gave the FBI its say, expecting the usual, "It's baloney, a fake." But we didn't get the usual response. Rather, FBI headquarters said, "There are lots of things the intelligence community knows and other people ought not to know."

Ought not to know? What else ought we not to know, Mr. President? And when are we supposed to forget it?

11 September 04

Greg Palast is author of the New York Times bestseller, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: The Truth About Corporate Cons, Globalization, and High-Finance Fraudsters. Subscribe to his writings for Britain's Observer and Guardian newspapers, and view his investigative reports for BBC Television's Newsnight, at www.GregPalast.com.

"Beyond Our Pain" With the success of slams and the explosion of hip-hop, poetry is more alive than ever. But if you ask Saul Williams, it's not doing its job unless it's making uncomfortable connections for a country too used to its own version of truth. Our interview explains . . . MORE	Deja Coup Where have we seen this before? United States is at odds with popularly elected leader who initiates a series of economic and political reforms, screwing the fat cats in the process. U.S. summarily funds violent overthrow and installs puppet regime, screwing the job force in the process. Haiti? Iraq? Panama? All of the above? . . . . MORE	Shameless in Iraq Handover? Nice try. For a country that's housing over 100, 000 soldiers, million dollar embassies, private contractors and insurance sectors offering those handy sudden-death policies, America's beginning to look more like a neighbor every day . . . MORE
Mash It Up! Morphizm's monthly look at what music hath wrought is in. And right now, it looks like !!! wins it with punctuation, Pedro the Lion wins it with heart, and Sleep Station wins it with the brains. Just another trip to indie rock's own private Oz . . . MORE	Hollywood Uncensored In this age of FCC jihads against one of Janet Jackson's titties, you may be forgiven for thinking that we've come a long way baby. But before Madonna and Sex in the City, there was Hollywood's Production Code, legislating decency into pop culture with deadly boring results. Thank god for these pre-Code standouts . . . MORE	20 Ways to Honor Reagan Ronald Reagan's death has provoked some to rethink their hero worship. But putting his face on the $10 bill or Mount Rushmore is thinking too small. Surely there are more noble ways to honor one of the United States' most influential politicians ever . . . . MORE