By Reginald Johnson
Like so many
Americans, my wife and I were glued to our TV today, watching several hours of
coverage of the 20th anniversary observances of the Sept. 11, 2001
terror attacks, which caused the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.
It was so moving to hear the readings by the
survivors of workers who died at the World Trade Center in New York and the
recollections about the heroic firefighters who ran into the twin towers as
they were engulfed in flames to rescue people. It was also powerful to be
reminded of the bravery of the passengers on Flight 93 who stopped the
terrorists who were flying that plane before it could reach the Capitol, and
died as the plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field.
But as I saw the
footage replayed of the planes crashing into the trade center and saw huge
fireballs explode around the towers --- forcing people to choose between being
burned alive or jumping to their death --- my old feelings of anger about this
event resurfaced.
How on earth did
this all happen? Why weren’t we better prepared?
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| The World Trade Center on fire on Sept. 11, 2001 |
How did four planes get taken over by terrorists on the same
morning, with three of them reaching their destinations (New York and the
Pentagon in Washington D.C.), without them being stopped or shot down by our air
defenses? The US has the greatest military in the world and the greatest Air
Force in the world. Just how did our air defenses fail so miserably?
Why didn’t the
administration of Pres. George W. Bush have the nation better prepared for a
terrorist attack? There were ample warnings in 2001 that something was
imminent. In the spring, a report had come out by a bi-partisan committee
headed in part by former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart that said it wasn’t a question of if
there was going to be an attack on the United States, but only when. In early August, the CIA briefed President
Bush with a report that said the system was “blinking red” and a terrorist
attack was imminent. Why didn’t Bush and his administration have the United
States military go on high alert for a possible attack and set in motion strict
security measures for airports and other key locations?
I’ve faulted the CIA
for a number of things over the years, but on this one, they got it right.
I remember National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice calling for an emergency meeting on September 10th
to discuss possible terrorist threats. September 10th ??
Also, how was it
that three buildings at the World Trade Center collapsed so easily? Two of the buildings were hit by planes and erupted
into fire. But these buildings were monster structures composed of massive
amounts of concrete and steel, 110 stories high, and it is still mystifying to
me that a strike by an airplane and resulting fire would be enough to bring
those structures down. There were reports by many eyewitnesses that they heard
explosions in the buildings after the planes hit. Were there bombs
planted in the towers to trigger an implosion? That possibility was never
investigated.
Lending credence to that theory is that
Building Seven, which was not struck by a plane, collapsed later in the day. A
few fires had started in the building as a result of sparks and flaming debris
flying from the towers, but this hardly seems enough to bring down a huge steel
and concrete building.
If bombs were
planted, it means there were accessories to the attack. People on the ground
assisting the suicide bombers. Again, not investigated.
Also puzzling about
the 9/11 attacks is the performance of the FBI. The bureau had received reports
from its field agents during the summer of 2001 that some of the people who later piloted the terror planes or were associated with those people, were
training at flight schools in Arizona and Minnesota and acting in a very
bizarre manner. Warnings were sent to higher-ups that these people should be
watched closely. But apparently this was not done. This is gross incompetence.
So there are still
so many questions about Sept. 11 and it’s deeply troubling that they have never been answered.
My wife, who is from Europe, said it best.
“How could this have
happened to the United States?” she asked.
Indeed.
We need to get to the bottom of exactly what happened on
9/11.
