SK B2 Commission Meeting 2-12-03 Fdr- Minutes and Memos 218

8/14/2019 SK B2 Commission Meeting 2-12-03 Fdr- Minutes and Memos 218

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National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon th e United StatesMinutes of February 12, 2003 Meeting

Chairman Kean convened the meeting at 9:40 AM. All Commissioners were inattendance.The Commission took the following actions:

~ Decided that meeting m inutes would include all decisions of the Com mission;~ Decided that Com missioners would follow a policy of full disclosure ofprofessional financial activities and relationships; Decided on actions to facilitate early release of Joint Inquiry Committee documentsto the Commission, and to seek additional Commission office space;~ Decided that Task Forces / Teams of the Commission would address areas ofinvestigation required by Statute, an d additional areas as agreed by the Commission;- Decided that C omm issioners would subm it recomm endations on Task Forces /Teams, to be assembled by staff an d circulated fo r review and decision;~ Decided that Comm issioners would participate actively in Task Forces / Teams,preferably by a process of self-selection, an d possibly by a process of designation, tobe determ ined later; Decided that th e Comm ission would hold public hearings in New York City in lateMarch / early April 2003 at 9:30 AM; and-- Decided that th e next meeting of the Commission would be held on Thursday,February 27, 2003 at 9:30 AM .

In addition, Commiss ioner Ben-Vemste asked fo r inclusion in the record his statement,that in the process of negotiation with th e White House, th e Com mission should not takeoff the table any of the statutory pow ers of the Com mission. The Co mm ission expressedagreement with Com missioner B en-V eniste 's statement.


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MEMORANDUMTo: Fellow CommissionersFrom: Tom Kean and Lee HamiltonSubj: Our Meeting on February 12W e look forward to seeing you on W ednesday, in our new offices at 2100 K Street. W eare in an anonymous looking building that also houses the Federal M ediation andConc iliation Service. The guards in the lobby will have you r names and staff will makesure yo u find us on the 3rd floor.We are planning to begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at noon. Our agenda will be:I. Scope of the Commission's WorkWe provide a suggestive outline below, following up on our discussion on January 27.II. Initial Schedule fo r Commission ActivitiesWe are looking ahead to an initial set of public hearings in New York City, hopefully inlate M arch, followed b y a series of initial background briefing s in D.C .III. Commission ProcessMany of you have voiced individual suggestions about the way the Commission shoulddo its work and gather information. We want to take the time to share and discuss theseideas.IV . Commission Organization and Administrative IssuesIn the last two weeks we have been rapidly working through a blizzard of details toaddress space, staff, and budgets. W e have already begun to hire some additional staff,including a Deputy Director (Chris Kojm), and hope to offer employment to a majorportion of the staff by the end of this month.V. PressAfter the meeting we will make o urselves available to the press to comment on the statusof ou r work. As we speak for the Commission, we want to share thoug hts on how topresent our progress to date.


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SCOPE OF THE COMM ISSION'S WORKAs we reflecting on the law that created the Commission, input we have received frommany sources, and the discussion at our last meeting, we might think of our workaddressing six major themes:1) The "Base" [Al Qaeda]A section on the enemy could review the origins and varieties of Muslim terrorism as itemerged in new fo rms during the 1990s. It would describe "the other side of the hill" -ho w they see the world, their leadership an d organization, strategy an d plans, recruitmentand training, and their assessments of us -- as best we understand it today. It would carrythe story forward to our reconstruction of their operational planning up to the eve of the9/11 attacks. Thus the key analytic efforts would focus on :

A. The Development of Islamic Transnational Terrorism

B. Al Qaeda an d Affiliates: Leadership, Institutional Capabilities, Strategy,and Operational StyleC. The Attack on America: People, Plans, and PreparationsD. U.S. Comprehension of the Enemy: Intelligence Collection an d Analysis(including executive management an d congressional oversight an dresource choices)

2) The International Counter-Terrorism Strategies of the United StatesA section on America's international strategies could include an appraisal of the overallcharacter of America's counterterrorism strategy as it evolved through 2001, especiallyafter the East African bombings in 1998. This would include the capabilities available todifferent agencies and the work of American diplomacy. Particular attention would haveto be given to U.S. policy toward Afghanistan an d interactions with crucial friends suchas Saudi Arabia. The pre-9/11 behavior of German agencies, and their interactions withthe U.S., will also be important. The mix of continuity and change after the Bushadministration took office would be considered, along with an analysis of thatadministration's growing unease about the danger during 2001. Key analytic efforts:

A. General Strategies (to 1998, and 1998-2001)B. Special Institutional Capabilities

1. Military2. Covert action3. Interdicting flow of assets to terrorists


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C. States Implicated in Terrorism: U.S. CT Policy and Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon,Iran, and SyriaD. The Base for Al Qaeda: U.S. Policy toward Afgha nistan and PakistanE. International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation (including law enforcement)

1. Arab wo rld, especially Saudi Arabia2. Europe (e.g., Germany - Ham burg cell, also UK, France, Spain,Italy)3. Asia (e.g., Malaysia, Philippines)

3) Defending America at HomeA section on America's defenses at home could start with the protection of borders andhandling of foreign immigrants and visitors. It would include an assessment of thereadiness of American law enforcement agencies and the state of their intelligence wo rkagainst terrorism within the United States. It would analyze the preparedness ofcomm ercial aviation and the FAA. The section w ould also consider the preparedness ofpublic and private authorities for site protection and emergency response. Throughou tthe report would connect these abstract points to the particular behavior of the attackers,and how they exploited weaknesses in the system.

A. Borders1. Passports and Visas2. Watch Lists3. Border control4. Immigration enforcement

B. Law Enforcem ent and Intelligence Wo rk Inside the United States1. Domestic Intelligence and Anti-Terrorism, 1976-20012. Justice and the FBI (including Phoenix and Minneapolis warnings)3. State and local law enforcement and intelligence work

C. Information Sharing: Law, Policy, and TechnologyD. Aviation Security

4) 9/11A section on 9/11 could offer a narrative of the attacks themselves, starting with the finalmoves of the attackers and the four flights. It would examine the devastation, the


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6) Recommendations and ReflectionsThe section could follow with further policy recommendations that go beyond the lessonsalready learned, along with careful analysis of the reasoning b ehind them. In otherw ords, rather than just state a problem an d then offer a set of conclusoryrecommendations, the recommendations themselves w ould be treated as policy ideas thatdeserve separate an alysis. But the report could also offer some broader thoughts - nottightly linked to policy - about the terrorist danger, the relationship between that dangerand other aspects of Am erican policy, and the difficulties that are characteristicallyencountered in preparing for surprise attacks or catastrophic events.

A. The DangerB. Past and Future

1. International strategy2. Institutional capabilities - intelligence, military , covert action,financial, mu ltilateral opportunities3. Homeland security, including executive management andcongressional oversightC. Reflections

1. A new era in world politics and its implications2. America, terrorism, and the Muslim world3. Surprise attacks4. Coping with catastrophes5. Opportunities


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MEMORANDUMTo: Tom Kean and Lee HamiltonFrom: Philip Zelikow

Subj: Commission Meeting on February 12A possible agenda for the meeting might have the following five parts:I. Scope of the Com mission's W ork

I can circulate a narrative outline following up on the Comm ission's d iscussion atour first meeting. That outline is previewed in the staffing outline I've attached inthe memo on commission organization.We would get commissioners' reactions and comments. We could also use thatoutline in explaining ou r plans in our congressional meetings, where we will alsohear reactions and suggestions for the direction of our work.

II. Initial Schedule for Commission ActivitiesYou may w ish to consider whether yo u want to establish a regular schedu le forcomm ission meetings. My su ggestion is yes, bu t limit it to once a mon th for March andApril. If you schedule m ore such meetings, with the attendant work in lining upparticipants an d preparing b riefing materials, it will eat up the time of you r stillembryonic staff. But that tempo of full commission activity may be able to quicken asthe staff starts hitting its stride.March session.

Public hearing in New York C ity, extending over period of two days. Theme: Com mission goals. Witness groups: (1) Victims/families; (2) State and local leaders; (3) Keycongressional sponsors; (4 ) President's representative; (5 ) Briefing on

ASCE/FEMA report; (6) Briefing on McKinsey/FDNY report; (7) ????April session.

Private b riefings in Washington, covering one or one and a half days. Theme: Background information. Sessions: (1) Historical overview of US counterterrorism policy and landmarkevents, especially since the 80s; (2) Overview of Islamic transnational terrorism;(3) Counter-terrorism policy community, institutions andplayers - internationaland domestic; (4) Intelligence community; (5) Joint Inquiry findings


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Documents

SK B2 Commission Meeting 2-12-03 Fdr- Minutes and Memos 218