Inside the Holy Grail of 9/11 Documents

A few months ago, after nearly a decade of contentious litigation and with many conspiracy theories spawned, the Pentagon released the Holy Grail of Sept. 11th, 2001, documents: transcripts from the emergency conference calls initiated by the National Military Command Center.

For years, the government insisted that the entire conference was classified because the disclosure of any parts could be combined with existing public information to give adversaries a window into how the military responds during an acute crisis, as well as how the government’s continuity of government programs work. The version eventually released does indeed contain numerous redactions. It also, as we shall see, leaves in several startling revelations. Quite fortunately for historians, the Pentagon’s concerns were correct in a broad sense: there exists enoughinformation already declassified and in the public domain to fill in virtually all of the redactions. What emerges is not flattering to the government and, 13 years later, not particularly sensitive.

A number of the official redactions involve communications between the Presidential Emergency Operations Center and the NMCC. Several excisions include verbatim transcripts of conversations between national-level principals like Vice President Dick Cheney and the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Several other excisions concern the PEOC’s knowledge of the precise location of Air Force One and the standing up of military assets to protect it during the initial phases of the emergency. You can, right here, read about those redacted conversations thanks to the type-up notes of a commission staffer who was able to listen to the conference call.

A few specific points are worth mentioning:

Communication was extremely spotty:

DDO: This is the DDO, roger. We are attempting to get the FAA in the conference.

NORAD: Can you also forward that request to poll all airborne traffic to determine their status?

DDO: This is the DDO, roger. Understand. Is FEMA in the conference? This is the DDO. Is FEMA in the conference?

NMCC EA: DDO, FEMA has dropped. We’ll bring it back up.

Initially, the Federal Aviation Administration’s emergency nationwide ground stop prevented so-called emergency evacuation aircraft from operating. The FAA modified the order shortly thereafter to permit those flights to operate. The emergency evacuation aircraft category included the military assets stationed around the Capitol to provide airborne contingency evacuation of senior cabinet and congressional officials. So those flights could not take off immediately.

The acting director of operations at the NMCC classified the conference at the level of “TOP SECRET SIOP,” which is confusing. I believe he meant to say “TOP SECRET SIOP-ESI,” which was the caveat at the time for information dealing with the execution of emergency nuclear war orders. This is an important point. During the first hour after the attacks, the United States did not really know whether the hijackings were a prelude to an attack by nation states, an attack that might trigger the president’s execution of war orders. At that level of classification, participants could discuss retaliatory attack options if they needed to. That classification level also applies to the measures taken to protect the nuclear command and control system and the national command authority’s ability to use it.

The FAA joined the call late and was not able to keep up with the information collected by its own command center; the FAA’s line to the NMCC, classified for calls up to the TOP SECRET SIOP-ESI level, was located some distance away from the “floor” where data was coming in. This helped contribute to confusion over who had tactical control of aircraft in the National Capital Region.

Why no Andrews fighters?
The representative from the PEOC inquires about a half dozen times about “Andrews assets” being used to form a combat air patrol over the Washington area within thirty minutes of the first strike. The Air Force, NMCC, and NORAD simply did not know how to order these assets into action.

DDO: This is the DDO. Stand by. Air Force can you provide an update on fighter cap for the D.C. area?

AIR FORCE: Stand by for Air Force. Conference, conference, this is Air Force. We don’t have that information at this time. Can NORAD provide? How copy?

DDO: Say again the last request for NORAD to provide info.

AIR FORCE: Yes, sir. Can NORAD provide information on fighter coverage over the Washington area?

NORAD: This is NORAD. We have no further information at this point. Stand by we’re scrambling out field. NORAD complete.

At several points, generals take over the conference and clarify what their entire commands are doing.

CONR: Gen. Arnold, CONR. This is Air Officer.
I tried to get a good location, sir, on the shout line from your ADDO. We’re receiving reports that the original report of an aircraft out of San Diego. Enroute to Denver area was false. Can we verify that with you, sir?

GEN. ARNOLD: Yeah, hang on a second. We understand that to be the case, that there was an intel support as opposed to a FAA request. So, we’re not tracking them and the FAA is not tracking them. So, as far as we know it doesn’t exist. But, we’re still maintaining the track over the Colorado.

The NAOCs
There were three National Airborne Operation Center planes launched in response to the continuity of government program that morning. They identify on the net as “NAOC Primary,” “NAOC Secondary,” and “NAOC Tertiary.” Had there been a nuclear attack, or had the Pentagon been wiped out, these planes would coordinate the disposition of the world’s largest military, including its nuclear assets. But the NAOC planes had trouble communicating with the NMCC at times.

EA: Break, break, this is the EA. Stand by. We’re going to verify that NAOC is still on.

DDO: Roger.

EA: Break, break, this is the EA. NAOC are you online? This is the Command Center. NAOC are you online?

DDO: NAOC this is the DDO.

EA: Break, break, this is the EA. We’re still continuing to have problems with NAOC. Stand by while we try to add them back in the conference, sir.

The “mystery” plane
The NAOC Tertiary plane, with a call sign of Venus 77, took off from Andrews immediately after the attack — around 9:45 — and was trapped by the air space closure. It milled around Virginia for a while, and became quite noticeable when television cameras picked it up. In the early afternoon, it needed to land at Andrews, presumably because it was running out of fuel. (There was no tanker support in the Washington area; there was tanker support for the other two NAOCs, which were flying around the midwestern United States.) The NAOC Tertiary could not easily communicate with the Pentagon or with Andrews Air Force Base, where the Venus command post that monitors special assignment air missions at Andrews was located. Hence:

NAOC: DDO were you calling NAOC primary?

DDO: Roger. Actually, any NAOC element. We’re trying to confirm the type of aircraft that ADDIS77 is.

That’s A-D-D-I-S77 which is inbound to Andrews Air Force Base.

NAOC: That is a tertiary NAOC and they are trying to get into Andrews.

DDO: Roger. Understand it’s an E4B?

So what was the NAOC E4B doing at Andrews that morning? We already know the answer: it was participating in a Strategic Command nuclear command and control exercise, one of many that STRATCOM held that year, the years before, and in the years since. Interestingly, because of the type of exercises scheduled for 9/11, the United States military probably had more emergency assets available — and still, communications in the real world failed the test of redundancy many times.

Poll: More Americans Believe WTC 7 Was Demolished than Believe the Government’s Explanation

Preface: Americans have learned in the past decade that our government lied to us about:

– Iraq weapons of mass destruction (and here)

– The case for war against Syria (and see this)

– Its involvement in false flag terror in Iran in the 1950s

– Pervasive spying by the NSA

– Manipulation of the markets by big banks

– And various other important topics

But do Americans think that the government lied about 9/11?

A new poll shows that they do. At least about World Trade Center Building 7.

We’re not talking about the Twin Towers … although Building 7 was part of the same complex. No planes hit Building 7, no one was killed when Building 7 fell, no wars were launched on the basis of Building 7, and no civil rights were lost because of the destruction of Building 7.

In other words, Building 7 is a “safe topic” we can discuss without heated emotion. And numerous high-level architects and engineers have already debunked the government’s claims.

Following is a press release from ReThink911 and Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth – a group of more than 2,000 architects and engineers – concerning a new poll by YouGov.

How would you answer the poll questions?

On the 12^th anniversary of 9/11, a new national survey by the polling firm YouGov reveals that one in two Americans have doubts about the government’s account of 9/11, and after viewing video footage of World Trade Center Building 7’s collapse, 46% suspect that it was caused by a controlled demolition. Building 7, a 47-story skyscraper, collapsed into its own footprint late in the afternoon on 9/11.

The poll was sponsored by ReThink911, a global public awareness campaign launched on September 1. The campaign includes a 54-foot billboard in Times Square and a variety of transit and outdoor advertising in 11 other cities, all posing the question, “Did you know a third tower fell on 9/11?”

Among the poll’s findings:

– 38% of Americans have some doubts about the official account of 9/11, 10% do not believe it at all, and 12% are unsure about it;

– 46%, nearly one in two, are not aware that a third tower collapsed on 9/11. Of those who are aware of Building 7’s collapse, only 19% know the building’s name;

– After seeing video footage of Building 7′s collapse:

– 46% are sure or suspect it was caused by controlled demolition, compared to 28% who are sure or suspect fires caused it, and 27% who don’t know; [in other words, more people think controlled demolition than believe the government’s narrative]

– By a margin of nearly two to one, 41% support a new investigation of Building 7′s collapse, compared to 21% who oppose it.

30-Second Video Shown to 1,194 Survey Respondents:

“The poll shows quite clearly what we already knew. Most people who see Building 7’s collapse have trouble believing that fires brought it down,” said Richard Gage, a member of the American Institute of Architects and founder of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, the campaign’s major sponsor. “It simply doesn’t look like a natural building collapse, and that’s because all the columns have been removed at once to allow it to come down symmetrically in free-fall. The evidence of controlled demolition is overwhelming. As more and more people learn about Building 7, public demand for a new investigation grows. People want the truth.”

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), normal office fires caused the failure of a single column, starting a chain reaction that brought Building 7 down. More than 2,000 architects and engineers have signed the Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth petition that questions NIST’s explanation of the building’s collapse.

“Even the government’s own computer model disproves its theory. It looks nothing like the actual collapse,” said Tony Szamboti, a mechanical engineer from the Philadelphia area. “Not only that, they refuse to release the data that would allow us to verify their model. In the world of science, this is as bad as it gets. I’m glad most people can look at the collapse and see the obvious.”

The ReThink911 campaign calls for a new investigation into Building 7’s collapse, as well as the destruction of the Twin Towers. The YouGov poll and the ad campaign were financed with more than $225,000 in donations from thousands of supporters.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1194 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27th – 29th August 2013. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).

– Press Release: New Poll Finds Most Americans Open to Alternative 9/11 Theories (PDF)

– Download a Summary of the Poll Results (PDF)

– Download the Full Poll Results (EXCEL)

Ron Paul: Police Manhunt For Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Scarier Than Attack

Former Rep. Ron Paul said the law enforcement that swarmed around Boston in the days following the marathon bombings was scarier than the actual terrorist attack.

“The Boston bombing provided the opportunity for the government to turn what should have been a police investigation into a military-style occupation of an American city,” he said on the Lew Rockwell website, Politico reported. “This unprecedented move should frighten us as much or more than the attack itself.”

The terror attacks on April 15 in Boston killed three and injured 264.

Mr. Paul, a former libertarian political candidate who served in Congressas a member of the Republican Party, said the door-to-door searches police conducted in Watertown for the bombing suspects were particularly alarming.

They reminded of a “military coup in a far off banana republic,” he said, Politico reported. “Force lockdown of a city. Militarized police riding tanks in the streets. Door-to-door armed searches without warrant. Families thrown out of their homes at gunpoint to be searched without probable cause. Businesses forced to close. Transport shut down.”

Mr. Paul reminded the surviving suspect, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was ultimately discovered by a civilian, and not due to police crackdown, Politico reported.

“He was discovered by a private citizen, who then placed a call to the police,” he said. “And he was identified not by government surveillance cameras, but by private citizens who willingly shared their photographs with the police.”

Ron Paul – Liberty Was Also Attacked in Boston

Forced lock down of a city. Militarized police riding tanks in the streets. Door-to-door armed searches without warrant. Families thrown out of their homes at gunpoint to be searched without probable cause. Businesses forced to close. Transport shut down.

These were not the scenes from a military coup in a far off banana republic, but rather the scenes just over a week ago in Boston as the United States got a taste of martial law. The ostensible reason for the military-style takeover of parts of Boston was that the accused perpetrator of a horrific crime was on the loose. The Boston bombing provided the opportunity for the government to turn what should have been a police investigation into a military-style occupation of an American city. This unprecedented move should frighten us as much or more than the attack itself.

What has been sadly forgotten in all the celebration of the capture of one suspect and the killing of his older brother is that the police state tactics in Boston did absolutely nothing to catch them. While the media crowed that the apprehension of the suspects was a triumph of the new surveillance state – and, predictably, many talking heads and Members of Congress called for even more government cameras pointed at the rest of us – the fact is none of this caught the suspect. Actually, it very nearly gave the suspect a chance to make a getaway.

The “shelter in place” command imposed by the governor of Massachusetts was lifted before the suspect was caught. Only after this police state move was ended did the owner of the boat go outside to check on his property, and in so doing discover the suspect.

No, the suspect was not discovered by the paramilitary troops terrorizing the public. He was discovered by a private citizen, who then placed a call to the police. And he was identified not by government surveillance cameras, but by private citizens who willingly shared their photographs with the police.

As journalist Tim Carney wrote last week:

“Law enforcement in Boston used cameras to ID the bombing suspects, but not police cameras. Instead, authorities asked the public to submit all photos and videos of the finish-line area to the FBI, just in case any of them had relevant images. The surveillance videos the FBI posted online of the suspects came from private businesses that use surveillance to punish and deter crime on their property.”

Sadly, we have been conditioned to believe that the job of the government is to keep us safe, but in reality the job of the government is to protect our liberties. Once the government decides that its role is to keep us safe, whether economically or physically, they can only do so by taking away our liberties. That is what happened in Boston.

Three people were killed in Boston and that is tragic. But what of the fact that over 40 persons are killed in the United States each day, and sometimes ten persons can be killed in one city on any given weekend? These cities are not locked-down by paramilitary police riding in tanks and pointing automatic weapons at innocent citizens.

This is unprecedented and is very dangerous. We must educate ourselves and others about our precious civil liberties to ensure that we never accept demands that we give up our Constitution so that the government can pretend to protect us.

Former Congressman Paul’s article first appeared at the-free-foundation.org, the temporary home for his weekly column until his personal web page is up and running.

Lone Democrat Sen. Betsy Johnson Could Stall Oregon Gun Control Bills

Oregon State Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, might seem like an unlikely gatekeeper to the future of gun rights in Oregon, but right now she may very well hold the key in her hands.

The senator is the only Democrat in the state legislature which is questioning four gun bills coming up for a vote.

She says that she feels the measures, which include a ban on guns on school property as well as “universal background checks”, are feel good measures which wouldn’t actually do anything to prevent violent crime.

According to the StatesmanJournal.com,

Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, said Thursday the bills are poorly crafted, more difficult to implement than supporters think and won’t help to curb gun violence.

…

“I just don’t think the bills accomplish what people hope they would accomplish,” she said. “If I had my way I would do something meaningful rather than symbolic.”

Read Full Article Here

Skyscraper Engulfed By Fire, Does Not Collapse

The new understanding of physics since September 11, 2001, that limited fire damage can cause buildings to implode at almost free fall speed into their own footprints, was confounded once again as a 40-storey skyscraper in Chechnya was engulfed with flames for hours yet did not collapse.

The blaze consumed an apartment building in Grozny, the Chechen capital yesterday evening before it was eventually put out in the early hours of Thursday morning. Fires burned on every single floor of the structure apart from the ground floor.

“According to the emergencies service, the blaze has damaged an area of more than 14,000 square meters. It has completely destroyed the plastic trimming used on the building’s exterior, but the interior remained untouched,” reports RIA Novosti.

The building is the tallest structure in the region outside of Moscow, standing at 145-meters (475-foot). No one was injured or killed in the blaze but dozens had to be evacuated.

Although officials expressed concern at one point that the building could collapse, its core structure was not affected by the huge fire.

Compare the skyscraper in Grozny to the similar-sized WTC Building 7 on 9/11, which was not hit by a plane, suffered comparably limited fire damage, and yet collapsed almost into its own footprint at near free fall speed.

Following 9/11, scientists agreed that instead of accepting the premise that some form of explosives must have been used to bring down WTC 7, physics itself must be wrong and that normal fires can burn hot enough to weaken steel cores, despite the fact that they were barely hot enough to break the vast majority of windows in Building 7.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was forced to invent a “new phenomenon” of “thermal expansion” to explain to collapse of WTC 7, labeling it “the first known instance of fire causing the total collapse of a tall building” in history.

The collapse of Building 7 was so highly anticipated that it was reported before it happened by several news stations, including BBC and CNN. Firefighters, police and first responders were all told to get back from the building because it was about to be brought down.

The Grozny skyscraper is just the latest example of a building refuse to conform to our new post-9/11 understanding of physics, following the example of a similar sized building in Beijing which was also consumed by fire in 2009 but remained standing.

Cheney Admits that He Lied about 9/11

The New York Times’ Maureen Daud writes today:

In a documentary soon to appear on Showtime, “The World According to Dick Cheney,” [Cheney said]  “I got on the telephone with the president, who was in Florida, and told him not to be at one location where we could both be taken out.” Mr. Cheney kept W. flying aimlessly in the air on 9/11 while he and Lynn left on a helicopter for a secure undisclosed location, leaving Washington in a bleak, scared silence, with no one reassuring the nation in those first terrifying hours.

“I gave the instructions that we’d authorize our pilots to take it out,” he says, referring to the jet headed to Washington that crashed in a Pennsylvania field. He adds: “After I’d given the order, it was pretty quiet. Everybody had heard it, and it was obviously a significant moment.”

***

When they testified together before the 9/11 Commission, W. and Mr. Cheney kept up a pretense that in a previous call, the president had authorized the vice president to give a shoot-down order if needed. But the commission found “no documentary evidence for this call.”

In other words, Cheney pretended that Bush had authorized a shoot-down order, but Cheney now admits that he never did … and Cheney acted as if he was the president on 9/11.

Cheney lied about numerous other facts related to 9/11 as well.  For example, Cheney:

• Falsely linked Iraq with 9/11 (indeed, the entire torture program was aimed at establishing such a false linkage; and Cheney is the guy who pushed for torture, pressured the Justice Department lawyers to write memos saying torture was legal, and made the pitch to Congress justifying torture. the former director of the CIA said Cheney of overseeing American torture policies)

• Falsely claimed that spying on Americans, torture, the Patriot Act, the Afghanistan war, the Iraq war and the “war on terror” were all necessitated by 9/11 … when none of it was true

• Falsely stated that an attack such as 9/11 was unforeseeable, when Al Qaeda flying planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon was something which American military and intelligence services – and our allies – knew could happen

• Falsely pretended that he was out of the loop during the 9/11 attacks

• Falsely blamed others for 9/11,  when Cheney was in charge of all of America’s counter-terrorism exercises, activities and responses on 9/11. See this Department of State announcement and this CNN article …

• … And when Cheney was apparently responsible for letting the Pentagon get hit by an airplane(confirmed here and here)

• And was instrumental in squashing a real investigation into 9/11