T7 B7 Letters From Citizens Fdr- 77 Pilot Carmen Villani To 911 Commission Re Staff Stmt 3- Publics Threat Assessment- Cockpit Doors-planes As Missiles 178

Mnas H Kean CHAIR

Date:

'Hlimilton VICE CHAIR bard Ben-Veniste

TO:

TEAM

cOelaud IF. Fielding

FROM: Dianna Campagna

K S. Gorelick e Gorton

The attached correspondence from

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is being forwarded to you for information and consideration. A copy has

othyj. Roetner

also been sent to Team(s) _ x ^ _ _ _ for their information. If you

s R Thompson

have any questions, please call me on 33 1 -4082. Thank you.

pD. Zelikow DIRECTOR

TEL (202) 331-4060 FAX (202) 296-5545 www.9-1 lcommission.gov

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13 04 04: 59p

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(\X COVER SHEET

TO: Chairman Thomas Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States 301 7th Street, SW Room 5125 Washington, DC 20407

FROM: Mr. Carmen D. Villani, Jr. Phone: 703-818-9433 Fax: 703-818-0931 E-mail: CDVILLANI@,aol.com

TOTAL PAGES: 2

COMMENTS: In order to ensure our safety in the future, we must learn from the mistakes that history teaches us, not repeat them.

13 04 0 4 : 5 9 p

April 13,2004 Chairman Thomas Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States 301 7th Street, SW Room 5125 Washington, DC 20407 Dear Chairman Kean and Vice Chairman Hamilton, On September 8,2001,1 was the Captain of Flight 77 from Washington's Dulles Airport to Los Angeles International. Just days after September 11,1 was scheduled to once again be the Captain of that flight. But by the Grace of God, I am able to write this letter to you today. While I applaud the Commission's effort to "shake the trees" in determining where our government failed in preventing the despicable evil attack on 911 and to make recommendations to ensure victory in the War on Terrorism, I must take strong exception to your "Staff Statement No. 3" regarding aviation security. It is extremely troubling to me that this document would even mention that "the public's own 'threat assessment' before September 11 was sanguine about commercial aviation safety and security." With all due respect gentlemen, the Constitution outlines the responsibility of "threat assessment" to mat of government, not the "public." Had the "public" been aware of "Operation Bojinka" in 1996, as detailed in a Presidential Daily Briefing according to the book "Dereliction of DUTY," or a 1999 National Intelligence Security Council report on al Qaeda's interest in using suicide bombers to crash an airplane into the Pentagon, I would surmise that their "threat assessment" would have been something other than "sanguine." More importantly, however, would be the consideration of negligence by senior ranking officials within the FAA. Given today's testimony by Attorney General Janet Reno that "terrorism posed a great threat to Americans on American soil" as well as Commissioner Ben-Veniste's comment that "substantial info" regarding airplanes being used as missiles was known within government, the FAA's own inspections detailing "shortcomings," and the points outlined in the previous paragraph, logic should have dictated mat the "Common Strategy" and cockpit doors pre 9-11 were severely inadequate. Logic would also suggest that had the policies pertaining to these two issues been changed, the attack on 9-11 would not have occurred as it did. Adding further concern was former FBI Director Louis Freeh's testimony, also occurring today, that the Gore Commission's recommendations in 1996 were "never implemented." In closing, I will never again have the chance to fly with my friends Ken and Jennifer Lewis, nor chat with "MT" Booth in operations before going to my airplane because of the brutal act carried out by terrorists on that beautiful September morning in 2001. Additionally, I am outraged that bureaucracy and politics continue to influence the government's Constitutional requirement to protect the American people. It is my hope that the Commission will point out in its report that while checks and balances are necessary, bureaucracy and politics are not. It is also important for there to be accountability should negligence by a government official be determined. One specific recommendation that should be made is to increase the number of facilities that pilots can attend to become Federal Flight Deck Officers. Your role is an extremely important one in preventing further attacks on the US. While, as a nation, we must move on from that tragic day, we must never forget. Thank you for giving my letter your consideration and for your service to this great Nation. Respectfully Submitted,

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P (^ G•fU^O&iOkV— r^) - ; o^-L—. N/XJWvX^-.— V_7 Carmen D. Villani, Jr. 161 Captain

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