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| Pentagon Attempts to Block Book on Afghan War |
| 2010-09-10 |
| On the eve of Sept. 11, Fox News has learned the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has attempted to block a book about the tipping point in Afghanistan and a controversial pre-9/11 data mining project called "Able Danger." In a letter obtained by Fox News, the DIA says national security could be breached if "Operation Dark Heart" is published in its current form. The agency also attempted to block key portions of the book that claim "Able Danger" successfully identified hijacker Mohammed Atta as a threat to the United States before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Click here to read the full DIA letter (pdf) Specifically, the DIA wanted references to a meeting between Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, the book's author, and the executive director of the 9/11 Commission, Philip Zelikow, removed. In that meeting, which took place in Afghanistan, Shaffer alleges the commission was told about "Able Danger" and the identification of Atta before the attacks. No mention of this was made in the final 9/11 report. In a highly unusual move, the DIA is now negotiating with the publisher, St. Martin's Press, to buy all 10,000 copies of the first printing of the book to keep it off shelves -- even after the U.S. Army had cleared the book for release. Atta was the alleged ringleader of the Sept. 11 hijackers and piloted American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center. Shaffer spoke to Fox News before he was asked by the military not to discuss the book. He confirmed efforts to block the book and other details. The documents and exclusive interviews, including an Army data collector on the Able Danger Project, are part of an ongoing investigation by the documentary unit "Fox News Reporting" which uncovered new details about American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and efforts by the FBI to track and recruit him for intelligence purposes after 9/11. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #3 "AFGHAN WAR" BOOK versus * BHARAT RAKSHAK > [Book Review] THE COMING "GENERATIONAL STORM": WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICA'S ECONMIC FUTURE. * SAME > NYT OpEd Columnist THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN > [USA]SUPERBROKE, SUPERFRUGAL, SUPERPOWER? IIUC, POST-COLD WAR "HAVES-VERSUS-HAVE-MORES" to evol into "HAVE-LESS-VERSUS-HAVE-MUCH-LESS/NOTHINGS??? D *** NG IT, AMERICA = AMERIKA, OWG MIGHTY USSA = OWG WEAK USRoA SSR, SUPPORT YOUR OWG WENDY'S "VERY NICE" GLOBAL TV COMMERCIALS - OUR SACRED AMERIKAN NATIONAL, GLOBAL FASCISM-FOR-COMMUNISM DEMANDS NO LESS! And don't youse fergit what we never told you! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-09-10 22:32 |
| #2 The 'problem' is that data mining is profiling on steroids. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2010-09-10 21:15 |
| #1 Saw Shaffer interviewed on Fox this a.m. It was an intriguing interview. It's not like data-mining techniques are so esoteric that it would prevent the book from being released. Perhaps there are names and contacts turned up by the techniques that need to be protected. It's not like OBL had not been identified as a threat. There were several attempts to take him out prior to 9/11. As I recall there were warnings about mid-easterners taking flying lessons in the southwest (maybe Florida) prior to 9/11. Just didn't seem to raise alarms. Maybe the world was too busy with news of WJC and Monica. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-09-10 13:46 |