Well, here's the text of the Aug 6th, 2001 Big News Memo. Only there's nothing new there. It's all stuff we already knew. It's background information on bin Laden....just as Dr. Rice said. And it's based on things known since at least 1997. Plus, it states that the FBI is already involved in 70 investigations pertaining to the threat.



Text of Aug, 6, 2001 memo
06:41 PM CDT on Saturday, April 10, 2004


Associated Press

("X" indicates the places where a word or words were blacked out in the declassified version released Saturday.)


"Clandestine, foreign government, and media reports indicate Bin Ladin since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the U.S. Bin Ladin implied in US television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and "bring the fighting to America."
After US missile strikes on his base in Afghanistan in 1998, Bin Ladin told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington, according to xxxxxxxxxxx service.

An Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) operative told an xxxxxxxxxx service at the same time that Bin Ladin was planning to exploit the operative's access to the US to mount a terrorist strike.

The millennium plotting in Canada in 1999 may have been part of Bin Ladin's first serious attempt to implement a terrorist strike in the US. Convicted plotter Ahmed Ressam has told the FBI that he conceived the idea to attack Los Angeles International Airport himself, but that Bin Ladin lieutenant Abu Zubaydah encouraged him and helped facilitate the operation. Ressam also said that in 1998 Abu Zubaydah was planning his own US attack.
Ressam says Bin Ladin was aware of the Los Angeles operation.

Although Bin Ladin has not succeeded, his attacks against the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 demonstrate that he prepares operations years in advance and is not deterred by setbacks. Bin Ladin associates surveilled our Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam as early as 1993, and some members of the Nairobi cell planning the bombings were arrested and deported in 1997.

Al-Qa'ida members – including some who are US citizens – have resided in or traveled to the US for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks. Two al-Qa'ida members found guilty in the conspiracy to bomb our Embassies in East Africa were US citizens, and a senior EIJ member lived in California in the mid-1990s.

A clandestine source said in 1998 that a Bin Ladin cell in New York was recruiting Muslim-American youth for attacks.

We have not been able to corroborate some of the more sensational threat reporting, such as that from a xxxxxxxxxx service in 1998 saying that Bin Ladin wanted to hijack a US aircraft to gain the release of "Blind Shaykh" 'Umar 'Abd al-Rahman and other US-held extremists.

Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.

The FBI is conducting approximately 70 full field investigations throughout the US that it considers Bin Ladin-related. CIA and the FBI are investigating a call to our Embassy in UAE in May saying that a group of Bin Ladin supporters was in the US planning attacks with explosives."

One sentence from the Aug 6th PDB:

"After US missile strikes on his base in Afghanistan in 1998, Bin Ladin told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington, according to xxxxxxxxxxx service. "

So....for all you libs who condemn Pres. Bush for what you say is "causing" more attacks by his action in Iraq......then what do you have to say about Pres. Clinton "causing" the attacks in Washington and New York by bombing Afghanistan in 1998?

I think you just might realize how ridiculous such claims are. Neither President caused any of this. If anything, it was Pres. Clinton's FAILURE in those bombings that emboldened bin Laden. And that is why we CANNOT fail in Iraq.

Right, ok, Clinton "caused" it. And when a terrorist nuclear device goes off in the USA, you'll be the first in line to say Bush "caused" it by responding to 9/11, right? (Not that I notice that you only have the balls to take on the most extreme claims from the other side, courageous and intellectually honest babe that you are and all.)

I love the memo, Jape. Was that just before or after Bush headed down to Texas to take a vacation and chop a little wood for the photo ops.

Let's see if we have the picture straight. Just a month or so before Pearl Harbour, FDR gets a memo saying the Japanese want to launch a major attack against the United States. So what does FDR do? He heads on out for a vacation and some photo ops. Oh yes, he also contemplates stem cell research while he's sunning himself.

Yep, ole Bush, the great war leader.

FYI, the president was at his ranch in Crawford BEFORE he received this PDB. And he had asked that it be presented to him. You might also note that the entire Congress was "on vacation" as you call it. So were they being irresponsible? I think not. However, the Congress has the luxury of actually "going on vacation." A president does not. He's always working....even when it's at his ranch.

And no...I was NOT saying Clinton caused 9/11. I was trying to show you how irresponsible "liberal logic" is. I was pointing how ridiculous it is to make such a claim. A claim the left has no problem in making about Bush concerning Iraq....but will NOT do in regards to anything Clinton did. And that's a fact. How many libs have you heard or seen making such claims about Clinton? I think that would be zero, zip, nada, zilch. So, no....I do NOT think Clinton caused it. Nor do I think Bush caused it. Now.....let's hear you say the same. Let's see just how CONSISTENT and NON-PARTISAN you are?

I understood that you didn't believe Clinton caused anything. Obviously.

Equally obvious is that Bush didn't cause 9/11. I don't know anyone who things he did. Personally, that is.

Maybe some of those who post such things are just trying to wind you up. Certainly, such claims come in response to the ridiculous noises about what a great war president the boob is, things like that. Puhleeze.

Why don't you ask me how sorry I'll feel for Bush when he goes down because 9/11 happened on his watch, regardless of whether it was his fault or not?

Why don't you ask me how sorry I feel for Bush for being the victim of spin, disingenuousness, and politics, after the way conservatives obsessed with hatred of Clinton for 8 friggin' years?

I'll let you in on something. My dislike of Bush has nothing to do with anything he's done since he became president, even though he is a truly lousy president and truly destructive to the country.

Conservatives sure whine a lot when a small fraction of their own vile, despicable, ugly tactics come back at them. But then, gangsters cry rivers when they're not treated with the respect due to the fine, upstanding pillars of achievement that they are.

"Honey" "Dingbat" Are you incapable of debate without name-calling? Is that furnished to you in your daily fax from the DNC of your "talking ponts".....or do you just add those on your own accord? Well, gee. Now you've told us: you hated George W. Bush even BEFORE he became president. So, no use debating someone so closed-minded.

Thank you for acknowledging my acknowledgement and crediting me with admitting what you dared me to admit.

You see, give an inch to a fascist and they just see it as weakness and treat you worse. Oops, sorry, that's how a terrorist acts. Not a nice American girl.

I call you names because you call people names or use derogatory language on a regular basis. Besides, who can resist the temptation? It's the combination of arrogance, a loud mouth, AND ignorance, hysteria, and irrationality that makes it irresistable to call you names.

Oh, yes, nearly forgot. I didn't say I hated Bush. I don't think I did. Sigh. 'Spose I oughtta' go back and look. But disliking him before the election doesn't make me close minded. Geez, honey, try to be a little rational. Come back to the real world, will ya'. I didn't just wake up one day and arbitrarily decide I didn't like this guy.

I'm sure there are things and people you dislike. Does that make you close minded? No, not for you I bet. I bet in your case it's always "different", right? I mean when you're exactly like those things you dislike in others.

If you expect me to respond to you, stop with your name-calling and mindless drivel. Otherwise, adios.

You're one to talk about "mindless drivel"! LOL. (I mean, speaking of insults. Or is it just the name-calling type of insult that bugs you? I see. Fairly arbitrary, huh? A case of play by my rules or I quit, huh? LOL.)

I don't give a (*)(*)(*)(*) if you respond to me, JP. You have nothing to say. You're just useful as a springboard, but there are many others. Adios.

...right? You DO realize that Iraq had not directly threatened the USA right? You do realize that the nukular(sic) threat that georgie-boy keeps on talking about has bogus right? You do realize that there are NO WMD's right?

Iraq has NOTHING to do with the war on terra, it is ALL about re-election (sic) and revenge....

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The last time this country mixed politics with religion, people got burned at the stake.