Bloomberg: NY Should Have Been Told About Nuke Fear

Reuters ^

[Asmodeus]

Mon Mar 4, 2002
Bloomberg: NY Should Have Been Told About Nuke Fear

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Monday New York officials should have been told about alleged fears of a nuclear attack on the city last October as reported by Time magazine.

Time magazine reported on Sunday that a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, top federal officials feared a nuclear weapon obtained from the Russian arsenal was being smuggled into New York.

The White House's Counterterrorism Security Group, part of the National Security Council, was alerted to the danger through a report by an agent code-named DRAGONFIRE, according to the magazine, but New York officials and senior FBI officials were not informed in an effort to avoid panic.

"I do believe the New York City government should have been told" of the alleged nuclear threat, Bloomberg said.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was not notified and was "not unduly distressed that I was not."

"I don't think I could have done much with the information," Annan added. "What was important is that the authorities who have the responsibility for security did what had to be done."

The threat was later determined to be false, but the magazine said counterterrorist investigators went on their highest state of alert -- without coordinating plans with New York officials, including then Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

[rintense]

Is anyone surprised?

[Texaggie79]

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

Yeah, tell 'em next time and see if there is any chaos or anarchy, fleeing that happens as a result.

[summer]

But what are 8 million New Yorkers going to do? Evacuate? Really? And go where? Not everyone can move to CT. The way I see it, New Yorkers still residing in the city are now sitting ducks, and will be for a very long time.

[summer]

But what are 8 million New Yorkers going to do? Evacuate? Really? And go where? Not everyone can move to CT. The way I see it, New Yorkers still residing in the city are now sitting ducks, and will be for a very long time.

[summer]

(Sorry for the double-post!)

[toenail]

Is this the same Bloomberg who wants to recruit more abortionists to kill NY babies?

[summer]

Good point - because he'll get out, and be in Bermuda.

[Clemenza]

Good. Real Estate prices will come down and I can finally afford to live there!

[doug from upland]

The result of letting him know would be chaos, panic, gridlock, looting, etc.

[Gritty]

Tell New York?

Sure. And you can bet all the NY politicos would have been able to keep it a secret.

[summer]

LOL...yeah, just in time to be wiped out by terrorists... sorry, Clemenza, but I had the same thought, and I do not want to live under constant threat of terrorist or nuclear attack - I mean, it's hard enough dealing with the subways sometimes! :)

[cricket]

Here we go. . .typical Lib response. . .

Wasn't it enough that we could imagine such; isn't that what they are telling us everyday, anyway. . .what 'can'/'may'not happen? Would Libs be happier if they had word pictures?

Californina lives with the possibility of falling into the ocean. . .life goes on. . .

[Dr. Eckleburg]

I think this is an old story, and is being dusted off and unrelentingly highlighted for some other reason.

[finnman69]

This is the first dumb thing Bloomberg has done as mayor. Ok, we announce there is a threat to nuke NYC. Then what. Panic? Rioting? Martial law? Suicides? Does the city get evacuated? And if so, where do 8 million people relocate to? Imagine a total traffic gridlock as people try to get out on foot. Imagine a complete cessation of normal buisness activity as people leave the city. NYC take as even bigger economic hit, which affects the rest of the nation. Other cities starting hearing rumors they are the actual target and you have the same all across the US.

[QueenCityAllan]

Heck, Nadler by himself trying to get out of the city constitutes gridlock.

[gridlock]

The result of letting him know would be chaos, panic, gridlock looting, etc.

I would not!

Well, maybe if I was walking down the street and the Cartier window display was broken right in front of me...