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What's on Those Destroyed CIA Tapes
He named two other Saudi princes, and also the chief of Pakistan's air force, as his major contacts. Moreover, he stunned his interrogators by charging that two of the men, the king's nephew and the Pakistani air-force chief, knew a major terror operation was planned for America on 9/11.
It would be nice to further investigate the men named by Zubaydah, but that is not possible. All four identified by Zubaydah are now dead. As for the three Saudi princes, the king's 43-year-old nephew, Prince Ahmed, died of either a heart attack or blood clot, depending on which report you believe, after having liposuction in Riyadh's top hospital. The second, 41-year-old Prince Sultan bin Faisal bin Turki al-Saud, died the following day in a one-car accident, on his way to the funeral of Prince Ahmed. And one week later, the third Saudi prince named by Zubaydah, 25-year-old Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabir, died, according to the Saudi Royal Court, "of thirst." The head of Pakistan's air force, Mushaf Ali Mir, was the last to go. He died, together with his wife and 15 of his top aides, when his plane blew up—suspected as sabotage—in February 2003. Pakistan's investigation of the explosion—if one was even done—has never been made public.
Zubaydah is the only top al Queda operative who has secretly linked two of America's closest allies in the war on terror—Saudi Arabia and Pakistan—to the 9/11 attacks. George W. Bush protected the Saudi royal family and the Pakistani military from the implications of Zubaydah's confessions. Bush, because of getting bogged down in Iraq, desperately needed Pakistani and Saudi help. He wanted them to keep Afghanistan from spinning completely out of control, and act as counterweights to the growing power of Iran. The Sunni governments in Riyadh and Islamabad have as much to fear from a resurgent Iran as does any American administration.
But that accommodation meant that the leads about the origins of 9/11 were not pursued. I hoped that President Obama would not be so craven as President Bush in chasing the truth about 9/11, no matter where it leads. Now, with the destruction of the tapes, his intelligence advisers will tell him there was no such thing as the Zubaydah confession.
The American public deserves no less than the complete truth about 9/11. And those CIA officials complicit in hiding the truth by destroying key evidence should be held responsible. President Obama is our last chance.
Gerald Posner is the award-winning author of 10 best-selling books of investigative nonfiction ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism (www.posner.com). He also has written dozens of articles for national magazines and newspapers.
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Gerald Posner is former chief investigative reporter for The Daily Beast. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, on topics ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
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Gerald Posner is former chief investigative reporter for The Daily Beast. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, on topics ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
drauzy
Copies of those destroyed tapes would be worth lotsa money - even more than a gov pension.
exoevolution
lie upon lie upon lie....
will we ever find the truth in this forest of LIES!
pdxwill
Drauzy, You got the first comment, and you blew it on that. Nice work.
Nuld001
The President is indeed our last chance for finding out the truth. This whole episode has become an ever larger distortion of what exactly U.S. policy is. So what is it and what are we? Somebody has a lot of 'splain to do.
bigwurzz
Did he lay out how the Saudi Family and Pakistan government were supported by the Bush administration as well.
Hopefully that will come out as well some day.
bigwurzz
The only way people like president Obama will give us the truth and hold those accountable is if people like Mr. Posner don't let up. Also, more well established (sorry Mr. Posner) journalists pick up the story and don't give up. Probably a tall order considering the state of journalism.
(See Chris Brown article(s))
ChanRobt
The fault lies with Peolosi and others in the Congress who are threatening a witch hunt against the previous administration.
If there is any fault for losing the "Rosetta Stone" it lies with the Democrats. Who, as always, compromise our security.
lifeactor-y
It's time for enhanced interrogation techniques to be used on the perpetrators of this crime. How very predictable.
lifeactor-y
What's the matter Chan - you have something to hide?
DoubleDutch
I can think of a whole bunch of reasons to destroy a tape like the one described without even the benefit of inside information. Imagine the size of a war if we were to attack Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for their alleged roles and the subsequent destablizing impact on the region if not the entire world. Conversely, imagine using that tape as leverage to consolidate allegiances with the states where these "rogue" actors reside in an official capacity and the unprecendented cooperation you could force out of them. You could demand that they take direct action against the colluders, resulting even in their elimination.
That second half sure sounds like history and that first half sure sounds scary!
lifeactor-y
Who was supporting the Pakistan government at the time? Probably the same crime family that is beholden to the house of Saud. You can hide the evidence but you can't hide the truth.
bigwurzz
By crime family you must surely mean the Bush's. And, Chan you are joking, right? I know neo-cons aren't the sharpest tools in the shed but that is the most idiotic statement I have heard today. And, I read this blog all the time.
sundancer
This is enthralling stuff. And rather believable. I've long known W was deeply beholden to the Saudis as they bailed him out of his disasterous oil company adventure, Harkin Oil (the joke in west Texas was W couldn't find a quart of oil in a Midland 7/11).
Two questions; 1) Who is this "intelligence official" and who does he work for?
2) Where is Zubaydah now?
drauzy
pdx, I could not care less about being first, or, obviously, your pointless assessment.
Now, for those who believe that "the truth will out", let's just hope, even faintly, a civil servant (or contractor!) dubbed a copy... the possibility alone can yield some good.
troutcor
Those deaths are awfully coincidental. No doubt the Bushies fears about revealing Saudi links to 911 contributed to the decision to Nixon the tapes, but of course there's another thing they didn't want heard:
SCREAMS!
Thank you.
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