9/11 Commission Questions For Cia Official Britt Snider

COMMISSION SENSITIVE Interview of Mr. Britt Snider Position: Former Inspector General, Central Intelligence Agency; former Chief Counsel, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Purpose: The purpose of this interview is to gain Mr. Snider's insights in the role of congressional oversight of the Intelligence Community (1C), Intelligence Community Management, DCI authorities and the role of the CIA inspector general. Mr. Snider served Chief Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Key Questions Background 1) Please provide for us an account of your positions on the SSCI and at the CIA and the years that you held those positions. 2) Are you currently on contract with the Central Intelligence Agency or any other agency in the Intelligence Community? Role of the CIA Inspector General 1) What is the role of the CIA Inspector General in regards to evaluating the effectiveness of CIA programs like the counterterrorism? What is the role of the DCI and Congress in reviewing the IG's inspection agenda? Can you give examples of inspections or audits that were stopped or not initiated at the request of the DCI? At the request of Congress? During your tenure did you seek to investigate the performance of the Counterterrorism Center? Was such an investigation conducted? What were the conclusions of this investigation? 4) In a 1994 IG investigation of the CTC, several issues were raised about its ability

to provide "timely warning of impending terrorist attack," relations with the FBI, training in CTC's ability to provide effective support to law enforcement, and adapting to the trends in terrorism. Do you recall any follow-up to these issues by your predecessors or by you during your tenure? 5) Did you initiate investigations of the performance of the CIA after the 1998 bombings of the East Africa Embassies? Do you know of any other investigations into the performance of the CIA or the 1C after terrorist attacks? Congressional Oversight 6) Please describe the original motivations for the establishment of the SSCI and the role of the Committee in conducting 1C oversight. Has the goal, mission of the SSCI changed over time?

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COMMISSION SENSITIVE 7) How do you judge the effectiveness of congressional oversight? What are the metrics? 8) What are the alternatives to the current congressional oversight arrangement? A joint House and Senate Committee? Separate appropriations committees in the House and Senate for the NFIP? Smaller staffs on the HPSCI and SSCI? Larger staffs? A streamline budget process? 9) What has been the impact of the differing jurisdictions of the SSCI and the HPSCI in the conduct of oversight? 10) We understand that the SSCI conducted no hearings into the IC's performance against the terrorism target during the late 1990s despite the series of attacks during the period. Are(fmbllc}hearings the only way to conduct oversight? 11) What is the role of the budget process in the conduct of the SSCI's oversight? Intelligence Community Management 12) After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Soviet Union, how would you describe the state of the Intelligence Community? What was the atmosphere on the Hill? 13) Why did Congress establish the so-called Aspin-Brown Commission? What was its goal? What did it ultimately contribute to the debate on 1C management? 14) In your view, does the DCI have the authority to "manage" the Intelligence Community? What should be the relationship between the DCI and the SecDef? 15) Has the government's attempts at Intelligence Community Management been successful? Do you see a relationship between the Community's efforts against the terrorist target and the existing structure of the Community's management? The 9-11 Attacks 16) Was 9-11 an intelligence failure? How do you define an intelligence failure? 17) What should be the role of the CIA IG in investigating the CIA's CT efforts after 9-11?

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WITH DRAWAL NOTICE RG: 148 Box: 00003 Series: Copies: 1

Folder: 0009 Document: 17 Team 2 Files Pages: 23 ACCESS RESTRICTED

The item identified below has been withdrawn from this file: Folder Title: Britt Snider Document Date: 09-04-2003 Document Type: Handwritten Notes Special Media: From: To: Subject:

notes and summary of interview with Britt Snider

In the review of this file this item was removed because access to it is restricted. Restrictions on records in the National Archives are stated in general and specific record group restriction statements which are available for examination.

NND: 361 Withdrawn: 11-05-2008 RETRIEVAL*: 361 00003 0009 17 System DocID: 5568