T1a B49 9-11 Plot 6-16-04 Hearing Fdr- Tab 3- Suggested Questions And Invite Letters W Withdrawal Notice

THE 9/11 PLOT PANEL: AL QAEDA MS. DEBORAH DORAN Special Agent Federal Bureau of Investigation THE HONORABLE PATRICK J. FITZGERALD U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois

9/11 Closed by Statute

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 16 Designated Commissioners: Enclosures 1 - Suggested Questions for the Panel 2 - Prepared Statements 3 - Biographies 4 - Invitation Letters

SUGGESTED QUESTIONS FOR THE PANEL: AL QAEDA Designated Commissioners: General 1. What are the three or four most important things the nation needs to know about al Qaeda? 2. How is al Qaeda different from the way it was pre-9/11? Who are the key al Qaeda leaders today? Understanding how al Qaeda currently operates will inform counterterrorism policy recommendations. Al Qaeda is no longer a centralized organization headquartered in Afghanistan. It is a loose collection of regional networks. As a result, the USG cannot combat the threat from al Qaeda by focusing exclusively on killing or capturing key leaders. 3. How does al Qaeda recruit, vet, and train operatives now? Same reasoning as above. 4. What is the status of al Qaeda's efforts to obtain chemical, biological, radioactive, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons? Director Tenet has said that al Qaeda is determined to attack the United States using CBRN weapons. He noted a particularly high risk of poison, anthrax, chemical attacks using common materials, and attacks using radiological dispersal devices. 5. Describe what we know about al Qaeda's presence in the U.S. 6. What attacks have we prevented? This question is intended to give a fuller picture of al Qaeda as well as elicit information on how successful U.S. counterterrorism efforts have been since 9/11. 7. Why haven't we been hit again since 9/11? 8. What is Bin Ladin's current role within al Qaeda?

Terrorist Attacks 1. Do you agree with our staff statement as to al Qaeda's role in: • 1993 World Trade Center bombing • Black Hawk Down • Bojinka • OPM-SANG • Khobar Towers • Millennium Plots 2. What precautions did al Qaeda take to prevent us from learning about attacks before they were carried out?

Infrastructure 1. What is/was al Qaeda's command and control structure? Understanding al Qaeda's command and control structure is important to determining how to attack and weaken the organization. 2. How significant is the loss of the Afghan training camps? How is al Qaeda currently conducting training? Al Qaeda camps primarily provided military training, not terrorist training. Terrorist operatives such as the 9/11 hijackers took specialized courses which were not available within the standard camp structure. 3. How many people went through bin Ladin's training camps prior to 9/11? Do we know their current status? This question helps to understand the magnitude of the threat. Estimates range from 10,000 to 100,000. The trainees returned to their countries and could be activated to conduct attacks against U.S. interests.

Popular Support How much support does Bin Ladin/al Qaeda have in the Muslim world? Is his support increasing or decreasing? What is the source of his appeal?

A survey recently cited in the Washington Post claimed that 49% of Saudi citizens have a favorable opinion of Bin Ladin's sermons and rhetoric, although less than 5% would support his becoming "President of the Arabian Peninsula."

Relationships with States Iran 1. Did Iran provide safe passage for al Qaeda operatives traveling to and from Afghanistan? Several sources, as well as Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, have stated that Iran has provided safe passage to al Qaeda operatives and senior officials. Documents retrieved from possible al Qaeda safehouses refer to a "safe passage" arrangement, although the documents also indicate the arrangement was no longer in force after 9/11. 2. Are there al Qaeda members in Iran now? If so, are there any Iranian-imposed limits on their actions? Press reporting indicates that Iran has a number of senior al Qaeda officials under "house arrest," although the Iranian government has not provided the U.S. with their identities (Newsweek has reported that Saif al-Adel, head of al Qaeda's Military Committee, and Saad Bin Ladin are among them). 3. Other than the training in the early 90s described in the staff statement, are you aware of any additional ties between al Qaeda and Hezbollah? Saudi Arabia 1. Did the Saudi government or any members of the Royal Family provide al Qaeda with operational support or direct funding? Team 4 has found no evidence to indicate that the Saudi government or senior officials within the Saudi government directly funded al Qaeda. Our staff statement indicates that "some governments" may have turned a blind eye to al Qaeda fundraising, and that al Qaeda found fertile fundraising ground in Saudi Arabia. 2. What is your sense of al Qaeda's ethnic composition prior to 9/11? Did any particular nationalities predominate? If so, why do you think that was the case? From its start, Saudi and Yemeni nationals seem to have found Al Qaeda's message especially compelling. At least before 9/11, they apparently formed the bulk of its members.

Pakistan What was the relationship between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISID) and al Qaeda, if any, prior to 9/11? How did it change post-9/11? We have found that ISID was the main distributor of Pakistani government support to the Taliban. Given the close ties between the Taliban and al Qaeda, ISID support to al Qaeda is possible but so far unproven. Support by individual ISID and former ISID personnel seems much more likely. In the wake of 9/11, the Pakistani government broke off its support for the Taliban. This suggests that whatever ISID- al Qaeda relationship may have existed also ended. However, there are indications that some individual ISID personnel may have assisted al Qaeda members to flee Afghanistan. Iraq 1. Did the Iraqi regime ever consider offering Bin Ladin safe haven? 2. Prior to 9/11, was there operational support or cooperation between Bin Ladin and Saddam Hussein? Did this change after 9/11? The reporting on this subject is generally unreliable, sparse, and contradictory. A number of recent analytic documents (like the Feith memo) have argued that a relationship did exist between the two. According to what the staff has seen, the best that can be said is that any relationship between al Qaeda and Iraq extended no farther than "sporadic, lowlevel contacts," and even that is hard to pin down.

Myths and Misconceptions 1. Did the CIA fund Bin Ladin during the Soviet War in Afghanistan? This question has been asked by the family members. 2. Does it use drug money or conflict diamonds to fund its operations? Conflict diamonds are mined in war zones and sold covertly to support warlords or rebel groups. Many conflict diamonds come from Sierra Leone, Angola, or Liberia and were used to finance the rebel causes in those countries. Several sources claim al Qaeda used these diamonds to fund terrorist efforts, although we have found this to be unsubstantiated.

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Thomas H. Kean CHAIR Lee H. Hamilton VICE CHAIR Richard Ben-Veniste Fred F. Fielding Jamie S. Gorelick

June 1, 2004

Ms. Deborah Mary Doran Special Agent Federal Bureau of Investigation J. Edgar Hoover Building 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20535-0001

Slade Gorton Bob Kerrey John F. Lehman Timothy J. Roemer James R. Thompson

Philip D. Zelikow Y—'.UTIVE DIRECTOR

Dear Ms. Doran: The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States will hold a public hearing on June 16,2004, in Washington, DC on the 9/11 Plot. You are invited to testify at these proceedings at 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 16. This session will be the sixth in the Commission's 2004 investigative hearing schedule, which will collectively advance the Commission's efforts to produce an authoritative account of the facts and circumstances surrounding the September 11,2001 terrorist attacks. At this hearing, the Commission will examine the nature of the enemy that carried out the 9/11 plot. We look forward to your testimony on the following topics: •

The characteristics that enabled al Qaeda to carry out devastating attacks on the United States between 1998 and 2001, including ideology, objectives, command-and-control, financial, operational capability, links with other groups, training, recruitment, and tradecraft.

•

The current status of the al Qaeda network, and the threat that it and similar groups pose to the United States.

We ask that you submit comprehensive written testimony and provide your statement via e-mail to Melissa Coffey at mcoffey@9-l lcommission.gov by 9:00 a.m. on June 9,2004. Your foil statement will be made part of the record and carefully studied by the Commission. We would also ask that you limit your oral remarks to five minutes, so that we may highlight what we expect will be a highly fruitful interchange with you. In addition to summarizing your written testimony, your oral statement should highlight what you believe to be most important for the Commission and the

301 7th Street SW, Room 5125 Washington, DC 20407 T 202.331.4060 F 202.296.5545 www.9-11 commission.gov

26 Federal Plaza Suite 13-100 New York, NY 10278

T 212.264.1505 F 212.264.1595

Ms. Deborah Mary Doran June 1,2004 Page 2

public to understanding about the enemy. All witnesses at this and future Commission hearings will be asked to testify under oath. Please contact Douglas MacEachin at (202) 331-4070 or Yoel Tobin at (202) 331 -4071 with any questions you may have. We look forward to your participation in this important public forum. With best regards,

Thomas H. Kean Chair

cc:

Lee H. Hamilton Vice Chair

Pat O'Brien, Federal Bureau of Investigation Dan Levin, U.S. Department of Justice

Thomas H. Kean CHAIR Lee H. Hamilton VICE CHAIR

June 1,2004

Jamie S. Gorelick

The Honorable Patrick J. Fitzgerald U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois U.S. Attorney's Office 219 South Dearborn, Suite 500 Chicago, IL 60604

Slade Gorton

Dear Mr. Fitzgerald:

Richard Ben-Veniste Fred F. Fielding

Bob Kerrey John F. Lehman Timothy J. Roemer

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States will hold a public hearing on June 16,2004, in Washington, DC on the 9/11 Plot. You are invited to testify at these proceedings at 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 16.

James R. Thompson

Philip D. Zelikow EXECJJTIVE DIRECTOR

This session will be the sixth in the Commission's 2004 investigative hearing schedule, which will collectively advance the Commission's efforts to produce an authoritative account of the facts and circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. At this hearing, the Commission will examine the nature of the enemy that carried out the 9/11 plot. We look forward to your testimony on the following topics: •

The characteristics that enabled al Qaeda to carry out devastating attacks on the United States between 1998 and 2001, including ideology, objectives, command-and-control, financial, operational capability, links with other groups, training, recruitment, and tradecraft.

•

The current status of the al Qaeda network, and the threat that it and similar groups pose to the United States.

We ask that you submit comprehensive written testimony and provide your statement via e-mail to Melissa Coffey at mcoffey@9-l lcommission.gov by 9:00 a.m. on June 9,2004. Your full statement will be made part of the record and carefully studied by the Commission. We would also ask that you limit your oral remarks to five minutes, so that we may highlight what we expect will be a highly fruitful interchange with you. In addition to summarizing your written testimony, your oral statement should highlight what you believe to be most important for the Commission and the

301 7th Street SW, Room 5125 Washington, DC 20407 T 202.331.4060 F 202.296.5545 www.9-1 lcommission.gov

26 Federal Plaza Suite 13400 New York, NY 10278 T 212.264.1505 F 212.264.1595

The Honorable Patrick J. Fitzgerald June 1,2004 Page 2

public to understanding about the enemy. All witnesses at this and future Commission hearings will be asked to testify under oath. Please contact Douglas MacEachin at (202) 331-4070 or Yoel Tobin at (202) 331 -4071 with any questions you may have. We look forward to your participation in this important public forum. With best regards,

A* Thomas H. Kean Chair

cc:

Dan Levin, U.S. Department of Justice

Lee H. Hamilton Vice Chair

WITH DRAWAL NOTICE RG: 148 Box: 00017 Series:

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Folder: 0049 Documents Team 1A Files Pages: 2 ACCESS RESTRICTED

The item identified below has been withdrawn from this file: Folder Title: 9/11 Plot Hearing Book Document Date: 06-01-2004 Document Type: Letter Special Media: From: To: Subject:

letter to potential panel witness

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: 341 Withdrawn: 08-14-2008

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RETRIEVAL #: 341 00017 0049 5 System DocID: 3888