The papers and TV are full of all sorts of stories about the attack on NYC. I want to give you a different side of the picture, and probably one that cooler, professional heads are thinking about. This was written by my high school classmate, Don Morris, who spent 17 years with the CIA. Don writes the very fine Donald R. Morris Newsletter put out by the Trident Syndicate, PO Box 19909, Houston, TX. 77224.
"In the feeding frenzy which still exists, a few random thoughts occur. In their outrage and frustration, all the talking heads, starting with our president, used the adjective 'cowardly' to describe the perpetrators. This is inappropriate. Whatever the terrorists were, at least 19 of them accepted and lived with a mission that was not simply 'high risk', but certain suicide. Nor were they simple, immature, unlettered zealots; they were intelligent, highly-trained individuals, more than four with the skills needed to fly a jetliner. In short, they willingly gave their lives for a cause -- an act for which we automatically award our military personnel the Medal of Honor. Admirable? Not by Western standards. But they weren't physical cowards -- nor are people who give their lives for a cause moral cowards.
"The conception of the attacks verged on genius. The front line for some time has been counter-terrorism; the best and brightest of what were once our Cold War Warriors are found in our intelligence and security forces.
"Osama bin Laden and his cohorts (and who else could it possibly have been?) outwitted them. They knew it was impossible for a strange aircraft to approach or invade American airspace without being instantly spotted and questioned -- as every narcotics smuggler knows well. At any moment, endlessly, every plane in the air (military, commercial or private) is identified and monitored -- so that the only place to escape suspicion would be a scheduled airliner on its duly appointed rounds. It would be necessary to take control of it -- skyjack it -- after takeoff, and then divert it to its target, thus saving the onset of suspicion to the last possible moment. And by choosing east-coast, non-stop transcontinental flights, they acquired aircrafts laden with fuel.
"Despite the evidence of Barbara Olson that the hijackers were armed with 'knife-like weapons,' it is almost inconceivable that each of the four skyjack teams did not have at least one firearm. It was absolutely mandatory that they not only gain access to the cockpit but also that they incapacitate the cockpit crew and take over the controls, themselves; even at gun-point the pilot could probably not be forced to crash into specific targets. And for that, edged weapons alone would be far too risky. Which leaves the question -- how were the weapons smuggled aboard? The terrorists had months to study chosen air terminals, and to find loopholes in the security system; a confederate in the ground-handling personal to pre-plant the weapons, or manning the security check points is likely.
"So what lies ahead? More of the same; perhaps not so spectacular -- perhaps more so. How do we stop sky-jacking? We don't. El Al has armed guards on every flight, and for a while, we had them on many flights. That isn't practical, not with 40,000 flights a day -- nor is arming cockpit crews, although with tasers or stun guns, that might be. Nor is it practical to isolate cockpit crews from the cabin and passengers; doors that are locked can be unlocked -- it would require a solid bulkhead.
"Retaliation? Killing bin Laden won't do it; he has a huge organization in 55 nations, and too many are ready to take his place. . . . . Massive retaliation only creates more of the same. Many Palestinians, a prime source of suicide bombers, rejoiced at this 'triumph' of those who would tweak the eagle's tail . . . Israel is even now learning the bitter price of retaliation against terrorism; now its our turn
"There are no easy answers. There many not be any answers."
From Richard Russell
Dow Theory Letters |
