Thomas H. Kean CHAIR
Lee H. Hamilton
FBI BRIEFING REQUEST NO. 5
VICE CHAIR
Richard Ben-Veniste Max Cleland Fred F. Fielding Jamie S. Gorelick Slade Gorton John Lehman Timothy J. Roemer James R. Thompson
Philip D. Zelikow EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the "Commission") requests an informal background briefing from appropriate officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, including the PENTTBOM investigation's "Flight Team," related to the FBI's investigation of the hijackings of September 11, 2001. The purpose of this briefing is to gain an understanding of the FBI's work related to the following topics: (1) Events that occurred on the four hijacked flights (AA #11, UA #175, AA #77, and UA 93), including cell phone calls to individuals on the ground; (2) The state of airport security on September 11, and how the hijackers were able to breach that security; (3) The movements and actions of the hijackers on September 11; (4) The FBI's analysis of the crash sites; and (5) The response by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other government agencies to the hijackings. The requested briefing is for general background purposes only and will not be a substitute for later interviews the Commission and its staff may wish to conduct. The Commission asks that this briefing be scheduled at the earliest possible date. July 29, 2003
Daniel Marcus General Counsel
TEL (202) 331-4060 FAX (202) 296-5545 www.9-1 lcommission.gov