Posted on 08/21/2005 2:52:23 PM PDT by wagglebee
Documents detailing the work of a top secret military intelligence unit that identified lead 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta before the 9/11 attacks have disappeared, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency's liaison for the group, code named Able Danger.
"There's some troubling things that have happened both to me and the way the [Able Danger] information [was handled]," Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer told C-Span's "Sunday Morning Journal." "Shortly after I talked to the 9/11 Commission, there was some issues going on about the documentation. Right now as it stands this minute, to my knowledge, the documentation I had . . . we don't know where it is."
"It's not where I left it back in March of 2003," Shaffer said, which was "in a Department intelligence facility in the Northern Virginia area."
Shaffer told C-Span he had "one full set of Able Danger documents in my holdings from the DIA."
The Able Danger whistleblower had said previously that a member of the team had delivered two briefcases full of documents to the 9/11 Commission - but Commission spokesman have said they have found nothing that mentioned Atta by name.
I agree 100%, but what is it? we had been guessing it was Berger sentencing.
then what does this statement mean:
"
Shaffer told C-Span he had "one full set of Able Danger documents in my holdings from the DIA."
"
what does "my holdings" refer to?
Unless something else happens...this story is finished...IMHO.
but what happened here? did someone get to this guy?
One possibility (and this is just a totally random guess) is that Able Danger had uncovered concrete links between Saddam and al Qaida.
Means his work at DIA is put into his "holdings" (record repository) at that agency. He does not get to walk out with Classified information. They are there for him as long as he retains his security classification, but he does not get to take them home. He's not Sandy Burger.
Sandypants Berger?
"...so he goes public now, and then follows it up with "the docs seems to be missing" a week later? something is not right."
For all we know, he may have worked out of good faith with Weldon and others, with the believe the full set of documentation was secured as he signed off the stuff for storage. Then as Konaice said, Clintoonites arranged for stuff to be removed, destroyed etc.. The original stuff may be all gone. And most probably DIA rules forbid folks from just making copies on to CD and handing off to someone for save keepings. That is what their secured storage facilities are for.
Do you realize how powerful the forces are who want this thing pushed under the rug.
This mess touches everybody.
so then if the documents are gone, that means someone scrubbed his record repository there. is that it?
Reminds me of the fall of the Roman empire...everyone wanted the power/greed/lust/corruption. They all lost it.
The persistence of the data depends on its classification level. If it is indeed, classified Secret or better, it would be a major legal issue if copies were located other than where authorized. The higher the classification, the more rigid the record keeping and procedures. Sometimes the raw data is not classified, but the summation connecting the dots is.
This does not preclude folks from ignoring the procedures regarding classified info (ala Sandy Berger), however, I would find it unlikely that some who did that, would go public.
One thing for sure, it will be interesting to see where this goes.
Those connections have already been uncovered ...
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/011380.php
Don't know if NewsMax has this straight, or worded this in a misleading way, anyone have other sources, has Schaffer said anything more about this? This will die I think if it stands that this is the case. Hmmm.. bs from the beginning or the powers that be have made a move..need more info.
well then, I fully expect that Tom Kean will get his wish this week - the pentagon will make some statement stating that "no supporting documentation can be found", and this story will be buried except here on FR and with Michael Savage.
no matter how many team members come forward and make verbal statements regarding "I did this", "we found that" - they all can be swept aside without supporting information.
If there is anything to establish a direct link between Saddam and al Qaida, this would certainly be the time for Bush to be leaking it.
"...I dare anyone to tell me that just because the paper print outs were shredded or misplaced or whatever that they cannot retrieve this information from backup tape."
That was my position. But I agree with Konaice's theory that if the operation was closed downed. Then perhaps most of the raw data was erased, perhaps only paper documents where created to represent facsimily the total package of data, which included a few sets of paper generated documentation most suitable for presenting to some future review board, whatever. This may turn out to be one sad oversight that will end any further enquires, due to lack of substantiating information. Perhaps the computer systems they used, if they where PC type computers, who knows.....may not even be in existence at this point.
You can watch the C-Span interview, I'm having problems with Real Player.
http://www.c-span.org/search/basic.asp?ResultStart=1&ResultCount=10&BasicQueryText=shaffer&image1.x=0&image1.y=0&image1=Submit
Lt. Col Shaffer has "copies" of all those documents. You can bet on that. That is done so that in the case something like this happens. Well you can cover your old patoot, so to speak.
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