Find, Fix, Finish (45 page)
Authors: Aki Peritz,Eric Rosenbach
26
George Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA
(New York: Harper Collins, 2007), 353.
George Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA
(New York: Harper Collins, 2007), 353.
27
Michael Isikoff, “Entering the Mind of a Terrorist,”
Science and Spirit
, May–June 2007; Mayer,
Dark Side,
104–106; Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009.
Michael Isikoff, “Entering the Mind of a Terrorist,”
Science and Spirit
, May–June 2007; Mayer,
Dark Side,
104–106; Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009.
28
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 120; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 105.
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 120; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 105.
29
Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009.
Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009.
30
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 120; Mayer,
Dark Side,
104–105.
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 120; Mayer,
Dark Side,
104–105.
31
Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009.
Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009.
32
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 120; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 105.
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 120; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 105.
33
Mayer,
Dark Side
, 105; “Unclassified Verbatim Transcript,” 10.
Mayer,
Dark Side
, 105; “Unclassified Verbatim Transcript,” 10.
34
“Unclassified Verbatim Transcript,” 9–10.
“Unclassified Verbatim Transcript,” 9–10.
35
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 121; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 106.
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 121; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 106.
36
“The Truth About Torture,”
Newsweek
, November 13, 2005.
“The Truth About Torture,”
Newsweek
, November 13, 2005.
37
Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009.
Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009.
38
Ibid.
Ibid.
39
Transcript of “Rendition to Torture: The Case of Maher Arar,” 110th Congress, 1st sess., 13.
Transcript of “Rendition to Torture: The Case of Maher Arar,” 110th Congress, 1st sess., 13.
40
Ibid.
Ibid.
41
Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 106.
Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 106.
42
Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 106.
Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 106.
43
The authors unsuccessfully solicited interviews from CIA officials familiar with these events in an attempt to provide a more complete understanding of these circumstances.
The authors unsuccessfully solicited interviews from CIA officials familiar with these events in an attempt to provide a more complete understanding of these circumstances.
44
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 121; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 106; Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009.
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 121; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 106; Jack Cloonan, discussion with author, April 6, 2009.
45
Jamie McIntyre, Andrea Koppel, and Barbara Starr, “Top al-Qaeda Leader Held Aboard US Warship,” CNN, January 8, 2002.
Jamie McIntyre, Andrea Koppel, and Barbara Starr, “Top al-Qaeda Leader Held Aboard US Warship,” CNN, January 8, 2002.
46
Erik Eckholm and Eric Schmitt, “A Nation Challenged: The Hunted: US Takes Custody of a Qaeda Trainer Seized by Pakistan,”
New York Times,
January 6, 2002.
Erik Eckholm and Eric Schmitt, “A Nation Challenged: The Hunted: US Takes Custody of a Qaeda Trainer Seized by Pakistan,”
New York Times,
January 6, 2002.
47
“FBI Director Checks on His Agents Far Away from Home,”
St. Petersburg Times
, January 24, 2002.
“FBI Director Checks on His Agents Far Away from Home,”
St. Petersburg Times
, January 24, 2002.
48
Kevin Johnson, Toni Locy, and Jonathan Weisman, “Officials May Transfer Al-Qaeda Figure to U.S.,”
USA Today
, April 24, 2002.
Kevin Johnson, Toni Locy, and Jonathan Weisman, “Officials May Transfer Al-Qaeda Figure to U.S.,”
USA Today
, April 24, 2002.
49
Declassified reports released in April 2009 argue that Abu Zubaydah was not a leader in al-Qaeda but rather a training camp personnel clerk who arranged false documents and travel for mujahideen. His work enabled him to provide information about key al-Qaeda operatives. See Scott Shane, “Divisions Arose on Rough Tactics for Qaeda Figure,”
New York Times
, April 17, 2009.
Declassified reports released in April 2009 argue that Abu Zubaydah was not a leader in al-Qaeda but rather a training camp personnel clerk who arranged false documents and travel for mujahideen. His work enabled him to provide information about key al-Qaeda operatives. See Scott Shane, “Divisions Arose on Rough Tactics for Qaeda Figure,”
New York Times
, April 17, 2009.
50
Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm
, 353; Douglas Jehl, “Qaeda-Iraq Link Cited Is Tied to Coercion Claim,”
New York Times,
December 9, 2005; Omar Sinan, “Al-Qaida No. 2 Praises Dead Militant Leader,” Associated Press, October 4, 2009; Tom Malinowski, “Hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” Federal News Service
,
July 26, 2007; Michael Hirsh et al., “The Debate over Torture,”
Newsweek
, November 21, 2005; NYU School of Law, “Fate and Whereabouts Unknown: Detainees in the ‘War on Terror,’” 2005,
www.chrgj.org/docs/Whereabouts%20Unknown%20Final.pdf
.
Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm
, 353; Douglas Jehl, “Qaeda-Iraq Link Cited Is Tied to Coercion Claim,”
New York Times,
December 9, 2005; Omar Sinan, “Al-Qaida No. 2 Praises Dead Militant Leader,” Associated Press, October 4, 2009; Tom Malinowski, “Hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” Federal News Service
,
July 26, 2007; Michael Hirsh et al., “The Debate over Torture,”
Newsweek
, November 21, 2005; NYU School of Law, “Fate and Whereabouts Unknown: Detainees in the ‘War on Terror,’” 2005,
www.chrgj.org/docs/Whereabouts%20Unknown%20Final.pdf
.
51
George W. Bush, News Conference on Iraq, Social Security, and the World Bank,
New York Times,
March 16, 2005.
George W. Bush, News Conference on Iraq, Social Security, and the World Bank,
New York Times,
March 16, 2005.
52
Mayer,
Dark Side
, 119.
Mayer,
Dark Side
, 119.
53
Mayer,
Dark Side
, 119; Stephen Grey,
Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Torture Program
(New York: St. Martin’s, 2006), 31–32.
Mayer,
Dark Side
, 119; Stephen Grey,
Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Torture Program
(New York: St. Martin’s, 2006), 31–32.
54
Johnson, Locy, and Weisman, “Officials May Transfer”; John Lumpkin, “Bin Laden Lieutenant Talks and American Interrogators Listen, Mindful of Deception,” Associated Press, April 24, 2002.
Johnson, Locy, and Weisman, “Officials May Transfer”; John Lumpkin, “Bin Laden Lieutenant Talks and American Interrogators Listen, Mindful of Deception,” Associated Press, April 24, 2002.
55
Lumpkin, “Bin Laden Lieutenant Talks.”
Lumpkin, “Bin Laden Lieutenant Talks.”
56
Ibid.
Ibid.
57
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Postwar Findings.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Postwar Findings.
58
Ibid., 75–77.
Ibid., 75–77.
59
Ibid., 76.
Ibid., 76.
60
Ibid., 76–77.
Ibid., 76–77.
61
Ibid., 77.
Ibid., 77.
62
Robert McCain, “Biden Sees Pre-Emptive Strike on Iraq: US Probably to go to War,”
Washington Times
, August 5, 2002.
Robert McCain, “Biden Sees Pre-Emptive Strike on Iraq: US Probably to go to War,”
Washington Times
, August 5, 2002.
63
“Eyes on Iraq; In Cheney’s Words: The Administration’s Case for Removing Saddam Hussein,”
New York Times
, August 27, 2002; James Crawley and Jeanette Steele, “Rumsfeld Meets the Troops: Argument Made for a Pre-Emptive Strike Against Iraq,”
San Diego Union-Tribune
, August 28, 2002.
“Eyes on Iraq; In Cheney’s Words: The Administration’s Case for Removing Saddam Hussein,”
New York Times
, August 27, 2002; James Crawley and Jeanette Steele, “Rumsfeld Meets the Troops: Argument Made for a Pre-Emptive Strike Against Iraq,”
San Diego Union-Tribune
, August 28, 2002.
64
Dick Cheney, interview,
Meet the Press
, September 8, 2002,
www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/bush/meet.htm
.
Dick Cheney, interview,
Meet the Press
, September 8, 2002,
www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/bush/meet.htm
.
65
Michael Gordon and Judith Miller, “Threats and Responses: The Iraqis; US Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts,”
New York Times,
September 8, 2002.
Michael Gordon and Judith Miller, “Threats and Responses: The Iraqis; US Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts,”
New York Times,
September 8, 2002.
66
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Report on the US Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq,
July 7, 2004, 298–299,
http://intelligence.senate.gov/pub108thcongress.html
.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Report on the US Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq,
July 7, 2004, 298–299,
http://intelligence.senate.gov/pub108thcongress.html
.
67
Ibid.
Ibid.
68
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Postwar Findings, 78.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Postwar Findings, 78.
69
John McLaughlin, letter to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, October 7, 2002.
John McLaughlin, letter to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, October 7, 2002.
70
Condoleezza Rice, interview, NewsHour, September 25, 2002,
www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/international/july-dec02/rice_9–25.html
.
Condoleezza Rice, interview, NewsHour, September 25, 2002,
www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/international/july-dec02/rice_9–25.html
.
71
Douglas Jehl, “Report Warned Bush Team About Intelligence Suspicions,”
New York Times
, November 6, 2005; Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball, “Spies, Lies, and the White House,”
Newsweek
, June 11, 2008; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 135–136.
Douglas Jehl, “Report Warned Bush Team About Intelligence Suspicions,”
New York Times
, November 6, 2005; Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball, “Spies, Lies, and the White House,”
Newsweek
, June 11, 2008; Mayer,
Dark Side
, 135–136.
72
George W. Bush, speech in Cincinnati, Ohio, October 7, 2002,
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/allpolotics/10/07/bush.transcript
.
George W. Bush, speech in Cincinnati, Ohio, October 7, 2002,
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/allpolotics/10/07/bush.transcript
.
73
Since retiring in 2005, Colonel Wilkerson, who was responsible for clearing the intelligence used in Secretary Powell’s 2003 speech to the UN, has become an outspoken critic of the role played by the Bush administration and the intelligence community in the lead-up to the Iraq War. In a January 19, 2006,
Washington Post
article, “Breaking Ranks,” Wilkerson cited intelligence failures, the detainee abuse issue, the ineptitude of post-invasion planning for Iraq, and secretive decision making as his reasons for speaking out. Wilkerson called for Bush’s impeachment, scathingly criticized the administration’s top officials, and left the Republican Party. Though once very close, Powell and Wilkerson have become “estranged,” according to the
Post
, on account of Wilkerson’s stance and allegations.
Since retiring in 2005, Colonel Wilkerson, who was responsible for clearing the intelligence used in Secretary Powell’s 2003 speech to the UN, has become an outspoken critic of the role played by the Bush administration and the intelligence community in the lead-up to the Iraq War. In a January 19, 2006,
Washington Post
article, “Breaking Ranks,” Wilkerson cited intelligence failures, the detainee abuse issue, the ineptitude of post-invasion planning for Iraq, and secretive decision making as his reasons for speaking out. Wilkerson called for Bush’s impeachment, scathingly criticized the administration’s top officials, and left the Republican Party. Though once very close, Powell and Wilkerson have become “estranged,” according to the
Post
, on account of Wilkerson’s stance and allegations.
74
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
75
Ibid.
Ibid.
76
Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm
, 374.
Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm
, 374.
77
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
78
Ibid. Typically, intelligence assessments must provide source notes for the underlying intelligence information.
Ibid. Typically, intelligence assessments must provide source notes for the underlying intelligence information.
79
The Mukhabarat, or Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS), was the main intelligence agency in Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
The Mukhabarat, or Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS), was the main intelligence agency in Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
80
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
81
Douglas Jehl and Richard Stevenson, “Leak Case Renews Questions on War’s Rationale,”
New York Times
, October 23, 2005.
Douglas Jehl and Richard Stevenson, “Leak Case Renews Questions on War’s Rationale,”
New York Times
, October 23, 2005.
82
John McLaughlin, statement to the WMD Commission, April 1, 2005,
www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/wmd_mclaughlin.html
.
John McLaughlin, statement to the WMD Commission, April 1, 2005,
www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/wmd_mclaughlin.html
.
83
Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm
, 372; Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Report on the US Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq
, 241.
Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm
, 372; Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Report on the US Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq
, 241.
84
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
85
Ibid. The authors were refused an interview with former DCI George Tenet regarding Colonel Wilkerson’s account. In electronic communication, however, a representative of Tenet reports that three CIA officials involved in the speechwriting process do not remember the above scene as it is described.
Ibid. The authors were refused an interview with former DCI George Tenet regarding Colonel Wilkerson’s account. In electronic communication, however, a representative of Tenet reports that three CIA officials involved in the speechwriting process do not remember the above scene as it is described.
86
Colin Powell, presentation to the U.N. Security Council, February 5, 2003,
www.cnn.com/2003/US/02/05/sprj.irq.powell.transcript
.
Colin Powell, presentation to the U.N. Security Council, February 5, 2003,
www.cnn.com/2003/US/02/05/sprj.irq.powell.transcript
.
87
“Senators Praise Powell’s Presentation,” Associated Press, February 5, 2003.
“Senators Praise Powell’s Presentation,” Associated Press, February 5, 2003.
88
“Sen. Durbin Finds Powell Evidence ‘compelling,’” Copley News Service, February 5, 2003; “Democrats Say Powell Made Compelling Case,” Associated Press Online, February 5, 2003.
“Sen. Durbin Finds Powell Evidence ‘compelling,’” Copley News Service, February 5, 2003; “Democrats Say Powell Made Compelling Case,” Associated Press Online, February 5, 2003.
89
Mike Allen and Dan Balz, “Congress’s Overall Opinion Is Positive: But Some Members Say It’s Still Too Soon for War,”
Washington Post
, February 6, 2003.
Mike Allen and Dan Balz, “Congress’s Overall Opinion Is Positive: But Some Members Say It’s Still Too Soon for War,”
Washington Post
, February 6, 2003.
90
Ibid.
Ibid.
91
Ibid.
Ibid.
92
Kim Gamel, “Powell Evidence Gets Mixed Reviews,” Associated Press Online, February 5, 2003.
Kim Gamel, “Powell Evidence Gets Mixed Reviews,” Associated Press Online, February 5, 2003.
93
Keith Richburg, “Speech Fails to Budge Europeans from Their Divergent Positions,”
Washington Post
, February 6, 2003.
Keith Richburg, “Speech Fails to Budge Europeans from Their Divergent Positions,”
Washington Post
, February 6, 2003.
94
Kim Gamel, “Powell Evidence Gets Mixed Reviews.”
Kim Gamel, “Powell Evidence Gets Mixed Reviews.”
95
Ibid.
Ibid.
96
Ibid.
Ibid.
97
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
98
John McLaughlin, discussion with author, November 3, 2009.
John McLaughlin, discussion with author, November 3, 2009.
99
Ibid.
Ibid.
100
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
Larry Wilkerson, discussion with author, March 27, 2009.
101
Ibid.
Ibid.
102
Three senior intelligence officials, interview by author.
Three senior intelligence officials, interview by author.
103
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 334; Stephen Hayes,
The Connection: How al-Qaeda’s Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America
(New York: Harper Collins, 2004), 120.
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 334; Stephen Hayes,
The Connection: How al-Qaeda’s Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America
(New York: Harper Collins, 2004), 120.
104
Department of Defense Office of Inspector General,
Review of Pre-Iraqi War Activities of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy: Executive Summary, Report 07-INTEL-04
, February 9, 2007,
www.npr.org/documents/2007/feb/dod_iog_iraq_summary.pdf
.
Department of Defense Office of Inspector General,
Review of Pre-Iraqi War Activities of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy: Executive Summary, Report 07-INTEL-04
, February 9, 2007,
www.npr.org/documents/2007/feb/dod_iog_iraq_summary.pdf
.
105
Seymour Hersh, “Selective Intelligence: Donald Rumsfeld Has His Own Special Sources. Are They Reliable?”
New Yorker
, May 12, 2003.
Seymour Hersh, “Selective Intelligence: Donald Rumsfeld Has His Own Special Sources. Are They Reliable?”
New Yorker
, May 12, 2003.
106
Ibid.
Ibid.
107
Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm
, 347–348.
Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm
, 347–348.
108
Stephen Hayes, “Case Closed: The US Government’s Secret Memo Detailing Cooperation Between Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden,”
Weekly Standard
, November 24, 2003.
Stephen Hayes, “Case Closed: The US Government’s Secret Memo Detailing Cooperation Between Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden,”
Weekly Standard
, November 24, 2003.
109
US Department of Defense,
DoD Statement on News Reports of Al-Qaeda and Iraq Connections
, November 15, 2003,
www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=5785
.
US Department of Defense,
DoD Statement on News Reports of Al-Qaeda and Iraq Connections
, November 15, 2003,
www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=5785
.
110
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 335.
Corn and Isikoff,
Hubris
, 335.
111
Douglas Jehl, “Qaeda-Iraq Link Cited Is Tied to Coercion Claim,”
New York Times
, December 9, 2003; Jane Mayer, “Outsourcing Torture,”
New Yorker
, February 14, 2005.
Douglas Jehl, “Qaeda-Iraq Link Cited Is Tied to Coercion Claim,”
New York Times
, December 9, 2003; Jane Mayer, “Outsourcing Torture,”
New Yorker
, February 14, 2005.
112
Jane Mayer, “Outsourcing Torture”; Douglas Jehl, “Report Warned Bush Team About Intelligence Suspicions,”
New York Times
, November 6, 2005; “Libya Reports Prison Suicide of top Qaeda Man,” Reuters, May 11, 2009; Nicole Gaouette, “Prewar Claims Set Off Bells,”
Los Angeles Times
, November 7, 2005.
Jane Mayer, “Outsourcing Torture”; Douglas Jehl, “Report Warned Bush Team About Intelligence Suspicions,”
New York Times
, November 6, 2005; “Libya Reports Prison Suicide of top Qaeda Man,” Reuters, May 11, 2009; Nicole Gaouette, “Prewar Claims Set Off Bells,”
Los Angeles Times
, November 7, 2005.
113
Stephen Grey, “CIA Rendition: The Smoking Gun Cable,” ABC Newsblotter, November 6, 2007,
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/11/cia-rendition-t.html
.
Stephen Grey, “CIA Rendition: The Smoking Gun Cable,” ABC Newsblotter, November 6, 2007,
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/11/cia-rendition-t.html
.
114
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Postwar Findings
, 79.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Postwar Findings
, 79.
115
Grey, “CIA Rendition”; Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Postwar Findings
, 79.
Grey, “CIA Rendition”; Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Postwar Findings
, 79.
116
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Postwar Findings
, 79.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
Postwar Findings
, 79.
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