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CNN Live Today
Look at 'Phoenix Memo' From FBI Agent
Aired September 24, 2002 - 12:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Back in the U.S., lawmakers still are consumed with the September 11th terrorist attacks. Today, their focus is on what might have gone right, but didn't. There is the so- called Phoenix Memo from a local FBI agent about a possible terrorist threat.
Here with more from Washington, CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena -- Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the so-called Phoenix Memo is just one of two-pieces of information that lawmakers are examining today. The others is the arrest and subsequent investigation into accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui. Let's start with that Phoenix Memo. This is a memo that was written two months before the September 11th attacks by special agent Kenneth Williams in the Phoenix FBI office, alerting investigators that Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist network was sending individuals to the United States for flight training with the goal of committing a possible terrorist act.
We heard about frustration with headquarters not moving aggressively enough or following up on that information. In fact one of the people that was mentioned in that memo, we were told today, was an associate of Hani Hanjur (ph), a familiar name to us all, because he piloted flight 77 into the Pentagon. The suggestion, of course, is that had the FBI aggressively pursued that lead, perhaps it would have led them to someone directly involved in the September 11th plot.
As for Zacarias Moussaoui, we heard again of field agents frustration with headquarters and how they allegedly stymied field agents pursuit of Moussaoui and as much information they could gather on him. In fact, staff director Eleanor Hill gave us a statement of how frustrated one agent was in a earlier statement that she made today.
Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELEANOR HILL, STAFF DIRECTOR, JOINT INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: During a conversation on August 27th, 2001, the RFU unit at headquarters told the Minneapolis supervisor that the supervisor was getting people -- quote -- "spun up" -- close quote -- over Moussaoui. According to go his notes and the statement to the joint injury staff, the supervisor replied that he was trying to get people at FBI headquarters spun up because he was trying to make sure that Moussaoui -- quote -- "did not take control of a plane and fly it into the World Trade Center," closed quote. The Minneapolis agents said that the headquarters' agent told him -- quote "that is not going to happen, we do not know that he is a terrorist, you don't not have enough to show he is a terrorist, you have a dry interested in this aircraft -- that is it," closed quote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARENA: Now despite that startling statement about a flying a plane into the World Trade Center, the supervisor said later on in the statement that he had no information to back that assumption up. What's happening right now is that we are hearing from unidentified FBI agents who are hidden -- if you could see in the back behind a screen. The Bureau has asked that their identities be concealed, because these are agents who work cases, so it would not be helpful for the public to get a good look at them, although one of those agents is Kenneth Williams, who was the author of the now famous Phoenix Memo that was sent to headquarters a full two months before the September 11th attacks.
Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: Kelli, back to this Phoenix Member, I've heard conflicting reports about whether it reached the president's desk or not. What do you know?
ARENA: Well, that information, at least in this venue, is classified. What information was sent to the president and what wasn't sent has been an issue of some conversation here, and it was laid out that that is executive privilege, it will remain executive privilege.
So what is the focus here today is, what information was shared within the FBI between the Osama bin Laden unit, the radical fundamentalist unit, headquarters, various field, operations, again, also with other intelligence agencies and other government agencies that would have been able to provide relevant information, so that is more the focus of today, as has been the focus for the past several public sessions, is what -- where are the problems within the intelligence community, and people who are on the front lines who can actually do something about it.
PHILLIPS: Justice correspondent Kelli Arena. Thanks, Kelli.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 24, 2002 - 12:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Back in the U.S., lawmakers still are consumed with the September 11th terrorist attacks. Today, their focus is on what might have gone right, but didn't. There is the so- called Phoenix Memo from a local FBI agent about a possible terrorist threat.
Here with more from Washington, CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena -- Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the so-called Phoenix Memo is just one of two-pieces of information that lawmakers are examining today. The others is the arrest and subsequent investigation into accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui. Let's start with that Phoenix Memo. This is a memo that was written two months before the September 11th attacks by special agent Kenneth Williams in the Phoenix FBI office, alerting investigators that Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist network was sending individuals to the United States for flight training with the goal of committing a possible terrorist act.
We heard about frustration with headquarters not moving aggressively enough or following up on that information. In fact one of the people that was mentioned in that memo, we were told today, was an associate of Hani Hanjur (ph), a familiar name to us all, because he piloted flight 77 into the Pentagon. The suggestion, of course, is that had the FBI aggressively pursued that lead, perhaps it would have led them to someone directly involved in the September 11th plot.
As for Zacarias Moussaoui, we heard again of field agents frustration with headquarters and how they allegedly stymied field agents pursuit of Moussaoui and as much information they could gather on him. In fact, staff director Eleanor Hill gave us a statement of how frustrated one agent was in a earlier statement that she made today.
Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELEANOR HILL, STAFF DIRECTOR, JOINT INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: During a conversation on August 27th, 2001, the RFU unit at headquarters told the Minneapolis supervisor that the supervisor was getting people -- quote -- "spun up" -- close quote -- over Moussaoui. According to go his notes and the statement to the joint injury staff, the supervisor replied that he was trying to get people at FBI headquarters spun up because he was trying to make sure that Moussaoui -- quote -- "did not take control of a plane and fly it into the World Trade Center," closed quote. The Minneapolis agents said that the headquarters' agent told him -- quote "that is not going to happen, we do not know that he is a terrorist, you don't not have enough to show he is a terrorist, you have a dry interested in this aircraft -- that is it," closed quote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARENA: Now despite that startling statement about a flying a plane into the World Trade Center, the supervisor said later on in the statement that he had no information to back that assumption up. What's happening right now is that we are hearing from unidentified FBI agents who are hidden -- if you could see in the back behind a screen. The Bureau has asked that their identities be concealed, because these are agents who work cases, so it would not be helpful for the public to get a good look at them, although one of those agents is Kenneth Williams, who was the author of the now famous Phoenix Memo that was sent to headquarters a full two months before the September 11th attacks.
Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: Kelli, back to this Phoenix Member, I've heard conflicting reports about whether it reached the president's desk or not. What do you know?
ARENA: Well, that information, at least in this venue, is classified. What information was sent to the president and what wasn't sent has been an issue of some conversation here, and it was laid out that that is executive privilege, it will remain executive privilege.
So what is the focus here today is, what information was shared within the FBI between the Osama bin Laden unit, the radical fundamentalist unit, headquarters, various field, operations, again, also with other intelligence agencies and other government agencies that would have been able to provide relevant information, so that is more the focus of today, as has been the focus for the past several public sessions, is what -- where are the problems within the intelligence community, and people who are on the front lines who can actually do something about it.
PHILLIPS: Justice correspondent Kelli Arena. Thanks, Kelli.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
