The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3

The Bush and Clinton administrations received ample, precise intelligence warnings about Al-Qaeda's intent and capability to strike the U.S. before 9/11, including specific plots and hijacking preparations, yet repeatedly failed to act on opportunities to capture or neutralize Osama bin Laden and prevent the attacks.

• Precise intelligence on Al-Qaeda's hijacking plans was available to U.S. administrations before 9/11.

• Multiple opportunities to capture or kill Osama bin Laden were inexplicably suspended or ignored by both the Clinton and Bush administrations.

• Official dismissals and lack of response to terror attacks, like the USS Cole bombing, contributed to systemic failures and a breeding ground for distrust.

Both the Clinton and Bush administrations, along with U.S. intelligence agencies, had extensive, actionable intelligence regarding Osama bin Laden's determination to strike the United States and Al-Qaeda's specific plans for hijackings. Despite numerous direct warnings from intelligence officials, detailed plans to capture bin Laden, and even simulations of hijacked planes crashing into buildings, these warnings and opportunities were consistently dismissed or ignored, leading to a profound failure to prevent the 9/11 attacks. This inaction fostered an environment ripe for conspiracy theories due to official deception.

Pre-9/11 Intelligence

• 00:00:26 The U.S. possessed actionable intelligence on Osama bin Laden's plans, including a presidential daily briefing titled 'Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.' on August 6, 2001, which warned of Al-Qaeda members in the U.S. and suspicious activity consistent with hijacking preparations. Intelligence reports in May 2001 explicitly concluded that 'Operatives may hijack airplanes,' prompting FAA warnings, and NORAD even simulated a hijacked airliner crashing into a U.S. building as an exercise on September 11, 2001, just miles from where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed.

Warnings to Bush/Rice

• 00:02:40 During the 2000-2001 presidential transition, Bill Clinton warned President Bush that bin Laden was the greatest threat. In January 2001, Sandy Berger informed Condoleezza Rice that Al-Qaeda was the biggest national security threat. By July 10, 2001, CIA Director George Tenet and his deputy were so alarmed by intelligence of an impending Al-Qaeda attack that they demanded an emergency White House meeting with Rice, yet these warnings were largely unheeded, with officials like Paul Wolfowitz questioning the intelligence.

Missed Opportunities

• 00:08:37 Under the Clinton administration, the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, known as Alec Station, developed and rehearsed a detailed plan to capture Osama bin Laden at Tarnak Farms in 1997-1998, which received military and legal support, but the operation was inexplicably suspended at the last minute. Mike Scheuer, former chief of Alec Station, recounts at least ten more opportunities to capture or kill bin Laden between 1997 and 1999 that were not pursued, despite clear intelligence.

Consequences of Inaction

• 00:15:24 The failure to act against bin Laden culminated in the USS Cole attack on October 12, 2000, which killed 17 servicemen, yet the Clinton administration gave no retaliatory response, citing a lack of 'definitive proof' despite internal knowledge of Al-Qaeda's responsibility. The Bush administration, upon taking office, dismissed the Cole bombing as 'stale.' This consistent pattern of inaction and official obfuscation around clear intelligence warnings created conditions where conspiracy theories about 9/11 could flourish.