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Hi,

A Hatfill Theory was certainly exhaustively examined by one Amerithrax Squad. Conspicuous surveillance was not called off until late 2003, when they found “extremely virulent” (but unweaponized) anthrax at a house in Kandahar that had existed pre-2001. It was found after Hambali’s harsh interrogation in Jordan.

It was fascinating to see the Hatfill theory develop during the Summer of 2002.

There were excited whispered calls about “Did you hear about the cabin in woods?” I asked, no, “what state was it in?” “I don’t know,” was the reply. It turned out to be a cabin that Dr. Hatfill had visited in a social group with friends, that he wouldn’t have been able to find and had no special access to.

Then there was the Greendale School he lived near that didn’t exist.

Then there was the plastic box with holes characterized as a glove box when actually its design precisely fit a minnow catcher. That got some giggles back at the Task Force. The source of that pond tip was a fellow SAIC employee who then went to work as an FBI analyst. He recently issued a 460 page thesis, supervised by Ken at GMU, on the use of weaponized anthrax and other agents in Zimbabwe. The thesis is so sexy that you need a brown paper to take it out of the library. As Dr. Patrick could confirm, however, the idea doesn’t hold water. The last thing you’d want as a place to fill the envelopes is a high humidity environment. Ken would agree.

In 2002, titillating the CIA even more was that a man named Goosen who had participated in Project Coast offered samples from the project. The Rhodesia program was said to lay the groundwork for Project Coast. Goosen said that workers had not destroyed all samples as Dr. Basson had claimed. Goosen asked for $5 million in return for the samples. The year before he had approached DOD with vaccine research. A meeting was arranged with Bioport. Extensive interviews have not shown Dr. Hatfill to ever had anything to do with Project Coast, but hey, why allege murder when you can allege genocide, eh?

So while the FBI was definitely right to vigorously pursue the theory, there never came to be any evidence that supported the theory and you cite none now.

For example, while there is documentary evidence that Ayman Zawahiri planned to weaponize anthrax for use against US targets, there is no such evidence in the case of Dr. Hatfill.

While “extremely virulent” anthrax was found in Kandahar, and a hijacker coming from Kandahar had a blackened leg lesion, Dr. Hatfill merely had an anthrax simulant (which was related to his work). Tell me you don’t have BG or BT in your fridge.

It would be reasonable for the FBI to posit, however, that if it was a non-Al Qaeda, it had to be someone with access to intelligence information, because the coding used in the letter was used by the militants. For example, “School” was used by Ayman in a June 2001 letter to his supporters explaining his merger with Al Qaeda. (The sender was “Greendale School”). Green was known by the CIA and DIA to symbolize islam. Sufaat, for example, named the company covering work relating to his anthrax lab Green Laboratory. The FBI got access to Moussaoui’s email greenlab@usanet on September 19, 2001. Thus, Hatfill is a far better candidate than someone who did not have a security clearance.

Marcinko, author of Green Team, served in Somalia as a Navy Seal where CBRN player Saif Adel used Green Team as the name of his group. See memo from Adel to Atef. Marcinko describes his experience in Somalia in the Green Team book above relating to use of anthrax by the militants to create a united ummah.

On the subject of bloodhounds, Ed’s theory is that the FBI is lying to us about why the dogs were used. He argues they were not picking up a scent on the envelopes but were merely used in tracking Dr. Hatfill, and the FBI was too embarrassed to admit that they lost him en route to Louisiana. His conspiracy theory necessarily includes the DOJ and the dog trainers.

Ed has done a wonderful job of keeping the public posted about Dr. Hatfill civil suits. I commend the record to you. You’ll see that no evidence ever developed supporting the theory.

I emailed BHR in December 2001 and she commented “they know who the suspects are.” It’s not that the theory was not worth pursuing or that those who held/hold the theory are showing bad faith — it just turns out there was/is no “there there.”

Hatfill was not shown to have the means. His worked involved viruses. He was never shown to have drying expertise. The vaccine research done by Ft. Detrick was a far cry from weaponizing anthrax.

Hatfill was not shown to have a motive to send a deadly pathogen that reasonably put recipients at risk for death. Given that as of the time of the first mailing, a man in a Biohazard suit was featured on TIME and articles had started appearing about the cropdusters, a party financially interested in vaccine production, had no financial interest that needed furthering. They were already sitting pretty.

Bioport’s contract was being challenged — by a large pharma company. SAIC would have continued to benefit from the post-911 surge in spending regardless which of the companies got the contract. Moreover, even if SAIC had a financial interest, which it didn’t, such an interest would not translate to an interest on the part of Dr. Hatfill. The FBI did think to check his financials. A defense contractor post-911 did not have to murder to get a contract, they just needed to hire a lobbyist who had recently left government. It’s the American Way.

Dr. Hatfill was not shown to have the opportunity. He has an alibi. His time cards constitute documentary evidence of how he spent his time in the preceding weeks and numerous witnesses confirm he was at the wedding, for example.

It was not shown to be his modus operandi. As I indicated, extensive interviews have confirmed he had nothing whatsoever to do with Project Coast.

So while the documentary evidence establishes that Al Qaeda had the means, motive, modus operandi and opportunity, there is no evidence suggesting Dr. Hatfill was in any way involved in the anthrax mailings. NK should have contacted Dr. Hatfill to get his side of the story and provided the opportunity that facts be corrected. I’ve written Bilal Phillips, the unindicted WTC 1993 conspirator and Ali’s mentor, as well as his supporters and friends, but not heard back. I’ve written Ken and Charles and GMU counsel, but not heard back. I had dinner just the other week with leading iANA supporters and laid all this out in person, following up by a written summary. If you figure out Ayman’s email, let me know. The Hatfill accusers should have at least contacted him and given him a chance to correct any factual errors. Admittedly, hindsight is 20/20.

Dr. Hatfill has made himself for more than one deposition and no evidence has ever come out in suport of your suggestion. But we certainly appreciate that the FBI needed to leave no stone unturned. What Van Harp was thinking in talking to Brian Ross about the theory, I don’t know. Since the leaks from that squad about that theory in 4 and 5 years ago, the FBI has been very good at avoiding unauthorized leaks.

Dr. Hatfill’s counsel, IMO, is mistaken to suggest that falsely claiming one has a PhD is akin to “puffery.” As is Ed. But that is not at all probative of the means, motive, modus operandi and opportunity of the anthrax mailings.

Moreover, studies have shown that a majority of American men in his age group have had workplace sex (in case he ever did as once alleged). Hopefully, at a party celebrating the final resolution of this long-lingering matter — whatever its ultimate resolution — we can all share stories over beers.

The most curious aspect of a Hatfill Theory is that no specific alibi relating to the nights has been shared. Did he sleep over or not? Sleeping on the couch during the day nursing a hangover from a wedding is the not the same as: “And he lay beside me all night.”