U.S. Responded to Plot With Speed, Secrecy

WashPost ^ | 8-13-06 | Dan Eggen and Spencer S. Hsu

[STARWISE]

It was the last week of July, heading into the lazy dog days of official Washington, but Michael Chertoff was suddenly busy.

The homeland security secretary discreetly asked subordinates about plans developed months or even years ago, focused on aviation safety, threat levels and other minutiae. In briefings, he quizzed staffers about responses to an aviation threat: What was the default plan for going to "orange alert"? What items can we ban from airplanes if we need to?

Those taking the questions -- including many of Chertoff's closest aides -- had no idea what was really going on, two senior counterterrorism officials said.

Chertoff's stealthy information-gathering was just one example of the U.S. government's secretive response to an emerging terrorist plot, in which at least 41 suspects were arrested in Britain and Pakistan in connection with alleged plans to blow up jetliners as they flew from London to the United States.

Until the last hours, details of the British probe were confined to a limited coterie of U.S. Cabinet members and senior officials, according to interviews with more than a dozen people who were involved or have since been briefed.

The approach ensured that no advance word of the operation leaked out -- but also meant that airlines, airports and even the Transportation Security Administration had only a few hours to ramp up sweeping new measures after being alerted to the threat late Wednesday night.

"Operational security was the paramount concern on our part and on the part of the Brits," one senior U.S. law enforcement official said. "We had a very small number of people who were actually read in on it and operating with full knowledge."

[DrDeb]

Thanks for the ping!

BTT.

[Lancey Howard]

bttt

[Lancey Howard]

bttt

[Lancey Howard]

If nobody else wants to bump this, then I will.
Bump.

[Lancey Howard]

bttt

[Enchante]

Sorry, just saw your ping, I've been out in the mountains all day (beauuuutiful day here in Utah). Interesting article -- obviously the normal operational security is made ever more difficult by the FACT that we have so many lib weasels in the bureaucracies who would much rather blather to the NY Slimes than see a major counter-terrorism operation come off successfully. All real Americans are ashamed that the weasels in CIA, State, etc. have given America such a bad reputation and reality when it comes to keeping vital secrets with Allies, etc.

"Operational security was the paramount concern on our part and on the part of the Brits," one senior U.S. law enforcement official said. "We had a very small number of people who were actually read in on it and operating with full knowledge."

[Enchante]

"This report confirms what the caller to Rush's show (w/ Roger Hedgecock filling in) said earlier in the week about the CIA (and the FBI and others) being left out of the loop because of the fear of leaks. It's all part of the Plame/Wilson legacy: rogue leftists at the CIA and State Department.

That's exactly right. The weasels like Pflame, Wilson, and friends have made it increasingly difficult for allies to trust us, and much more difficult for cabinet officers to trust their own bureaucracies. This should be a huge electoral issue, to demand clean-up of the lib-infested agencies, but of course that will go nowhere even if a Weldon or other maverick wants to raise it.....

[pinz-n-needlez]

Thanks for the ping.

I trust Chertoff with my life. Good to know he proves his worthiness of that trust, yet again. :-)

Pinz

[Lancey Howard]

Thanks for pinging the list.
Howlin has been away today as well. If I was a little more savvy about ping lists I'd figure it out and do it myself, but I'm just a newbie.

[Sam Hill]

"Until the last hours, details of the British probe were confined to a limited coterie of U.S. Cabinet members and senior officials, according to interviews with more than a dozen people who were involved or have since been briefed."

We know that this must be untrue, since the Democrats have accused everyone from Dick Cheny to Tony Snow about making "soft on terrorism" remarks about the DNC, when they knew this was coming down.

So either the WP is lying or the Dems.

Doesn't the DNC's right hand know what its left hand is doing?

[nopardons]

Many thanks for the ping and I'm glad that you had such a lovely day.

[nopardons]

Game well played and now the leakers have been isolated.

[MinorityRepublican]

Bttt

[STARWISE]

Don't we just pray it's so.

[STARWISE]

Bump.

[Marine_Uncle]

At least this time around the leakers where not in on anything vital. But it always goes back to the fact the L/MSM are so willing to print stuff they should not. If they where red blooded Americans they would turn the leakers in. No one can plead innocence in what constitutes national security.

[SE Mom]

Thanks for ping:)

Why doesn't the entire country find this revelation disturbing? That one of the most covert and secretive government agencies has to have secrets kept FROM it-for OUR safety- should make ALL Americans furious.

[Lancey Howard]

Why doesn't the entire country find this revelation disturbing? That one of the most covert and secretive government agencies has to have secrets kept FROM it-for OUR safety- should make ALL Americans furious.

Maybe Bush is finally consolidating and strengthening the DIA and slowly dumping the traitorous CIA. If he could get rid of State, or at least totally isolate it, we might finally be safe.

[Grampa Dave]

Obviously, no rats in congress were briefed.

[Beckwith]

What items can we ban from airplanes if we need to?

MUSLIMS!