Atta files destroyed by Pentagon

The Washington Times ^ | 9-22-25 | Bill Gertz

[stan_sipple]

Pentagon lawyers during the Clinton administration ordered the destruction of intelligence reports that identified September 11 leader Mohamed Atta months before the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, according to congressional testimony yesterday. A lawyer for two Pentagon whistleblowers also told the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday that the Defense Intelligence Agency last year destroyed files on the Army's computer data-mining program known as Able Danger to avoid disclosing the information.

[eyespysomething]

Well then.





Hmm.



Lots of background on a lot of people. I wonder how deep all this goes and who exactly is behind it? Is China behind all of it? Is bin Laden an intentional distraction for us? Boy, I could come up with all sorts of stuff.

I wonder if Clinton and GHWBush paling around ties into all of this?

My head hurts.

[eleni121]

Condoleezza Rice and the Stanford spy ring
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=20581

________________________________

A Chinese double agent inside the inner ring of power.

How far will this unravel? When will heads roll?

I'm getting mad as hell...

[Marine_Uncle]

"Atta and the other three 9/11 terrorists who showed up on the Able Danger chart were NOT U.S. citizens. So information about them need not have, and should not have, been destroyed."

Look. Atta and perhaps ten thousand other individuals where buried within the raw data received and masaged using the various set of software tools described in many articles posted at FR in the past month. Weldon continues to make it clear as well as colonel Shaffer, Captain Phspot etc., that they had no idea who Atta was. His entity (by name) and linked to a photograph supplied by a unnamed source from California (someone working on seeing who attended what mosques etc), showed up in textual/graphical reports printed and of course shown on the NT Systems screen. They had no idea who he was. They where experimenting with these new software tools for the most part for reasons not complety made clear. Probably just evaluating their capabilities. Their mission clearly did not include doing investigative work on any individual in the way a crime investigative team , say at the FBI would handle the data. At some point AD team members made contact with the FBI after feeling Atta and his cohorts who where linked with him in the associated data, hierarchical as well as relational, somehow appeared to be associated with a known NY Brooklyn terrorist cell.
This conclusion was stumbled upon, due to the nature of how they messaged the data, and a warning lite went off that perhaps these guys should have been checked out by the FBI.

OK. Now with that very abbreviated history. Within the scope of their project, it was decided to cancel the program or as it appears, move elements of the project fully into the contractors's domain. That is stop the Army folk from working on the project while on DIA property. In the process the DIA rules indicated the project data should be destroyed within 90 days of the project being shut down. We have no idea as to how many US citizens, governement employees as well as plain citizens may have been single out in that projects activities. But clearly, the DoD acting within the spirit of the Gorelick memos decided they may get in trouble for spying on US citizens so they ordered the data to be destroyed and close the project down. Clearly at that time as Weldon and other have tried to stress over and over again. The info on Atta in the form it took probably would not have gone anywhere. If by chance the FBI had been allowed to find him, if they could, and question him, remember he had a valid visa at the time, they would not have held him on anything. No charges where (remember Clintoon's philosophy, treat terrorist like criminals, which means you have to wait until after they pull something off, to charge them), would have come forth. Atta and his gang would just move about for another few months and had carried out their mission. But I am digressing. In that period of time Atta was only a name in a database structure of some sort. The DoD asked for the whole database structure(s) to be destroyed that may have contained literally thousands of US citizens names and attributes. Atta was just some data record at best if one views it in a relational database type form (a tuple, or record within a table).

So with this rather verbose description, I would ask anyone.
How could this team at the time known that Atta's data should have somehow been saved into some privately held database structure in a way that would have any meaning to anyone, and then destroy the rest of the data. The total byte size (from a raw data viewpoint stored on say a hard disk) may have only amounted to a few megabytes, of course including the digitized photo of him). He was not suspect of anything within the bounds of that project. Right? He was one of thousands or more entities within the raw data that popped up while doing various type search algorithms.

So this whole issue has gotten out of hand in my opinion in regards to the destruction of the data, and closing down the project. 9/11 would have taken place regardless if the project continued and every byte of data was intack to this day in some NT/2000 server or not. And chances are Bill Clinton had no idea the DIA unit called Able Danger even existed. Don't you folks realize there are dozen of like projects that go on within the DoD very few people have a need to know about. Why would Hillary the Beast or Billy Boy know about this particular project? Think about it. As for Sandy the Burgler. Why would he know about it. Just because one is the National Security Advisor to the POTUS does not mean they spend their time viewing detailed and often classified flow charts of just what unit does what within the framework of each of the hundreds of DoD sub units.
Same thing goes with Richard Clark, who has not been mentioned much in this discussion on Able Danger. I bet you a dime none of the above mentioned knew about Able Danger, as was the case with many high ranking DoD and even DIA generals and downward. They had no need to know. That is the way the system works.

[jw777]

UNFORGIVEABLE AND VILE. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED UNDER BUSH, HE'D HAVE BEEN IMPEACHED ALREADY!

[quantfive]

"Because it implicated Clinton and his ties to the Chinese."

Exactly. Clinton was a master at keeping people quite. Now that his Administration is gone, the truth is coming out. Let's face it people, Clinton should have declared all out war on the Al Queda organization after the first World Trade tower bombing. What did he do? NOTHING.

[brityank]

Is that where the Condoleeza Rice thing popped up?

Try Susan Rice from clinton's gang of thieves.

[eyespysomething]

Arizona businessman Harry Ellen testified he let the FBI bug his home, car and office, allowed his Muslim foundation's activities in the Gaza Strip to be monitored by agents, arranged a peace meeting between top Palestinian activists and gained personal access to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat during more than four years of co-operation with the FBI.

Ellen's FBI handler in the late 1990s was Kenneth Williams, an agent who later became famous for writing a pre-Sept. 11 memo to FBI headquarters warning there were Arab pilots training at U.S. flight schools. The warning went unheeded.

Found on Lexis Nexis, AP story from October 7, 2003 author John Solomon

[Red Badger]

...Defense Intelligence Agency last year destroyed files on the Army's computer data-mining program known as Able Danger to avoid disclosing the information.

Uh, it did.......

[LS]

Well, even if the majorities don't increase, Bush has already made history with his style---it would, in fact, be quite in line with trends for the majorities to decrease. (I personally don't think they will: I think the Dems are in complete meltdown).

Maybe you've not been married more than once, but from experience, I can tell you when you had a bad marriage, you don't want revenge; you don't want the other person in jail; you don't even want to HEAR about him or her. You just want to forget it and move on. That's how, I think, the public views Clinton. The people know they made a big mistake, but conservatives will NEVER get the satisfaction of hearing them say it. And Bush figured that out.

[LS]

Yet.

And, I could add, just because we don't see them in jail doesn't men they weren't caught and neutered in other ways. Remember the Godfather, how the Frank Sinatra character thought his job just was offered to him by the studio head, when, in fact, a "head" of another sort was involved :)

[GraniteStateConservative]

I don't see what the Bush administration would have to gain by this either.

Because Bush and Clinton both agreed to keep things secret the other wanted kept secret. A lot of back scratching. They aren't mortal enemies as some here wish.

[petitfour]

The reason the files were destroyed probably had nothing to do with Atta. Nothing.

[jw777]

so humble!

[quantfive]

90 days, my ass.

"Does anyone here have any idea how long it takes to collect 2.5 to 3 terabytes of highly organized data in a formal data warehousing environment?

It took them years to build that data warehouse.

And that cost millions of dollars.

Someone ordered the plug pulled and they had a really good reason."

I'll offer up some speculation as to why Able Body was destroyed. It may have been linked to ruling members of the House of Saud funding Al Queda. Remember their little fundraising stunt to the tune of $100 million dollars to the Palestinians? As someone else said, follow the money if you want a real answer. If some of the ruling elite was found channeling large sums of money to Al Queda, it would mean we should have attacked them instead of Iraq. I remember in 2002 their was a prince and his wife that was caught doing this, but it quickly went away in the news and was only posted here on FR.

[InterceptPoint]

For future reference here is a link to a pdf version of Army Regulation 381-10

381-10 is worth reading. It defines the requirements for collection, retention and destruction of information collected by the Army on American citizens. Whoever made the decision to destroy all of the Able Danger data would have used this document as a guide. Lawyers don't make those kinds of decisions - they just weigh in on what the law says. My quick reading of this document tells me that there is nothing automatic about the requirements for destroying the Able Danger documents and that the regulations allow for exceptions to the rules. So somebody up the chain made a decision that was carried out by the Army lawyer Tony Gentry. Who is his boss? Probably another lawyer. Who is the boss's boss. Well I would like to know the answer to that question.

Just to wet your appetite, here is the second paragraph of the Forward:

"Executive Order 12333, “United States Intelligence Activities,” stipulates that certain activities of intelligence components that affect US persons be governed by procedures issued by the agency head and approved by the Attorney General. Specifically, procedures 1 through 10, as well as appendix A, herein, require approval by the Attorney General. Procedures 11 through 15, while not requiring approval by the Attorney General, contain further guidance to DoD Components in implementing Executive Order 12333 as well as Executive Order 12334, “President’s Intelligence Oversight Board.” ..."

Another tidbit:

"C. TYPES OF INFORMATION THAT MAY BE COLLECTED ABOUT UNITED STATES PERSONS Information that identifies a United States person may be collected by a DoD intelligence component only if it is necessary to the conduct of a function assigned the collecting component, and only if it falls within one of the following categories: Note: Terms used in this part are defined in appendix A and may differ substantially from traditional Army usage.

1. Information obtained with consent. In may be collected about a United States person who consents to such collection.

2. Publicly available information. Information may be collected about a United States person if it is publicly available. " ...

[eyespysomething]

An expanded version of the same story (post#127):

Mr. Ellen testified the operation ended abruptly in early 1999, when he and his handler disagreed over the operation. The disputes began when Mr. Ellen angered the FBI by having an affair with a Chinese woman suspected of espionage.

The Justice Department's inspector-general is investigating some allegations that came to light in Mr. Ellen's case, including that FBI agents in sensitive probes moonlighted at private companies using FBI assets or investigative subjects to assist their personal interests.

Mr. Ellen, stepson of a U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, had worked for U.S. intelligence since the 1970s as an "asset," a private citizen paid to provide information or conduct specific tasks. His work started in Latin America and also involved China and the Middle East.

By 1996, his humanitarian work had won him unprecedented access to Muslim terrorists from groups fighting for Palestinian independence, including Hamas.

He set up a foundation named al-Sadaqa to further his work by bringing sewing machines, eyeglasses and other assistance to Palestinians.

[danamco]

Yeah..why would they do that before 9/11 - it was only after 9/11 that he papers made them look bad.


Don't you get it???
Two words: clinton gore-lick!!!

[Itzlzha]

Ellen's FBI handler in the late 1990s was Kenneth Williams, an agent who later became famous for writing a pre-Sept. 11 memo to FBI headquarters warning there were Arab pilots training at U.S. flight schools. The warning went unheeded.

Found on Lexis Nexis, AP story from October 7, 2003 author John Solomon

HOLY F'N CRAP!!!!! Look at my post 120, then look at the BLOODY LINKAGE eyespysomething found!

I think THIS needs to get out! This might be a major connector!

Ellen was involved in Islamazi terrorism...AND Chinese spying...now he's linked to 9/11?!?!

[eyespysomething]

Huh, well, Harry Ellen is dead:

Harry Ellen

MESA, Ariz. (AP) - Harry Ellen, a longtime intelligence operative who aided and then publicly clashed with the FBI, died Friday. He was 56.

Ellen died at University Medical Center in Tucson after complications from a heart attack suffered several weeks ago, said Joe Abodeely, a lawyer and friend of Ellen.

Ellen spent more than 20 years as an American agent in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

Between 1995 and 1999, he made four trips to the Gaza Strip, where he established a charitable foundation and met with top Palestinian officials. He also met with five major terrorist groups in the region, seeking guarantees that doctors he brought to the region would not be targeted for violence.

His relationship with the FBI, however, soured in early 1999 over a separate investigation of a Chinese woman whom the FBI suspected was a spy. Agents disclosed Ellen's relationship with the bureau to the woman, who never faced any charges and was allowed to stay in the country.

The Justice Department was investigating Ellen's complaints.

[eyespysomething]

This is long, but he was romantically involved with a possible chinese spy:

HEADLINE: Former intelligence operative says author of Phoenix memo endangered his life

BYLINE: By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Writer

DATELINE: PHOENIX

May 23, 2002, Thursday, BC cycle

"I was interviewed about events concerning various companies and corporations with whom I came in contact and-or had financial dealings with while I was assisting the FBI," Ellen said in an interview. "One or more of the companies were operated by FBI agents."

FBI agents generally are prohibited from moonlighting in second jobs without special permission, and they undergo regular background checks for irregularities. One of the questions the inspector general is examining is whether private companies originally were fronts used by the FBI in undercover investigations and then were taken over by agents as they neared retirement, officials said.

While working on sensitive Chinese and Palestinian cases, Ellen had a falling out with the FBI in 1999 after he had an affair with a Chinese woman named Joanna Xie. The bureau had asked Ellen to monitor the woman as a possible Chinese intelligence agent.

Ellen alleges FBI agents intentionally divulged his identity, jeopardizing his life. The FBI denies blowing his cover and says he was severed for violating rules for paid assets. "We decided to break off this relationship," the FBI said in a statement. The FBI has been aware of Ellen's allegations for several years but has concluded there is no wrongdoing, officials said.

The FBI's counterespionage program was rocked earlier this year by criminal charges filed against one of its key agents in California, who is accused of becoming romantically involved with a woman he was supposed to be watching and allowing her to gain access to sensitive classified information.

The new investigation focuses in part on allegations from Ellen and Xie in a closed immigration case, which were further researched by a freelance reporter who has become a witness in the case.

Xie testified that in 1995 a prominent Chinese-American professor who introduced her to FBI agents visited her in Shanghai with some U.S. businessmen and tried to enlist her help on a project to sell "black box" satellite technology to a Chinese military aerospace company.

An agent introduced by the professor contacted Xie in 1996 from his Phoenix company "requesting that I assist his company with Amway," Xie testified. She said the agent's contact set up an Amway bank account for her for sales. She did not explain further the reference to Amway, the sales distributorship company.

By 1997, Xie alleged, the professor introduced her to some business partners, including another FBI agent who was described as an investor in a Chinese trading company in Chicago. That agent, she alleged, also had business interests in a Phoenix trading company, sought her help on business and introduced her to Chinese business executives.

"So you had learned that some FBI agents were business partners?" her lawyer asked.

"Yes," Xie testified.

Xie said she has turned over to investigators the personal business cards that agents gave her listing at least three of their private companies.

Ellen testified that while working with the FBI on a sensitive Middle East terrorism investigation, he was asked by the bureau to get close to Xie to monitor her activities. Ellen said around that time, one of the agents cited by Xie provided him free T-shirts to be used for his Muslim foundation, which was cooperating with the FBI.

Ellen testified he also had been working on a foundation project to establish a communications system for the Palestinians, but the FBI asked him to stop. A few years later, he said, he learned his plan was put back in motion by a different company he believes was connected with FBI figures.

The Justice inspector general also has interviewed an Arizona freelance journalist named Don Devereux, who researched Ellen's case and provided the government and The Associated Press copies of corporation records indicating FBI counterterrorism agents had created companies with family members and suspected FBI assets.

The company names, in many cases, match those Xie testified about. Officials of one company that involved communications technology, Devereux said, went on a government trade mission to the Middle East.

Devereux wrote the FBI in August 2002 about evidence that "several Phoenix FBI agents became personally involved in the mid-1990s in various international trading companies, some evidently doing business with China."

"As I understand it, those same agents had counterintelligence responsibilities at the same time, duties which specifically included the monitoring of illegal technology transfer to China," he wrote the FBI.