Irvin Lucero
PHL 202
14 Mar. 2007
Government knows too much but acts too slow The American Government has failed us and probably continues doing so. Terrorism has changed the way Americans live their everyday lives from leaving their kids at a day care center to going through a check point at the airport. Others Unknown is a detail account by Stephen Jonesof the events leading up to the horrific bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. In Cover Up, Peter Lance exposes how the American government had evidence and knowledge prior to the attack on 9-11 and failed to act appropriately. Both of these books share various similarities but two that stand out the most are that the government had prior knowledge that wold have prevented both devastating attacks on American soil and how the government leisurely handled both investigations. We would expect that the government to protect us from a foreign invader or a domestic attack but failed both tasks, in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, and the terrorist attack in New York on September 11, 2001. No one will ever forget the Oklahoma City bombing on the Murrah Federal Building which killed 168 people, including nineteen children under the age of six (Jones 16). It has been portrayed as an attack by Americans, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, against other Americans. This attack, which could have been prevented, has strong evidence that McVeigh and Nichols were only two members of a broad conspiracy, one that included other white supremacists and possibly Iraqi agents. Larry Mackey, number-two prosecutor on the government’s team, called Stephen Jones to see if he would join him in denouncing the claim of Carol Howe, an informant for the ATF, that the government had prior knowledge of the bombing over a press conference (Jones 218). To make such an incredible statement like that would have shocked and enraged the American people. All statements that Howe reported were kept in a file where she reported saying that six months before the bombing, a neo-Nazi made a plan to attack the Murrah building (Jones 220). Jones didn’t know that these files existed and was curious to find out more about Howe and her investigation. Jones, realized that the evidence clearly shows that the government knew that an attack was going to happen and did no action to stop it. Likewise, Lance stated that all of the evidence to bin Laden’s ever growing threat to America was contained in the files of the U.S. Justice Department (Lance 24). This shows strong evidence that the government had prior knowledge but seem like they didn’t bother to go on and investigate deeply. The government used several informants to gather information of known terrorist groups, one of these groups was Sheikh’s cell. Nancy Floyd, an informant for the FBI, hired Emad Salem, an ex-Egyptian army officer with intelligence background, to infiltrate the Sheikh’s cell (Lance 28). Salem successfully infiltrated and was sending valuable information to Floyd which she reported to the FBI. When Carson Dunbar, an FBI administrative special agent in charge, took over New York office’s terrorism unit, he wanted to alienate Salem (Lance 29). Salem was a valuable person in gathering information since he had a direct connection with Sheikh and to have him alienated could potentially expose his cover. Salem had evidence that a bombing plot was in the works and it was then the job of the Bureau to perform the necessary surveillance to establish a probable cause for an indictment but Dunbar had another plan of action and that was for Salem to wear a wire and that he would testify in an open court (Lance 29). Salem didn’t agree with the new terms and withdrew, which meant that Sheikh needed a new partner and Ramzi Yousef came into the picture (Lance 30). Salem had said that a bombing was going to happen and with Yousef now working in the plot, the bombing was sure to come. If it wasn’t for Dunbar’s arrogance, one attack could have been prevented and possibly 9-11 would have never occur. It is important to recognize the significance of the evidence that is put forth. All clues that where gathered led to one conclusion, a terrorist attack on American soil. The government had sufficient evidence that could have potentially saved all those lives that were lost during the attacks. It makes no sense having informants to report valuable information and not have the government to pursue a definite conclusion. The government is supposed to gather information come to a conclusion and take action. James Miller, a receptionist in the Executive Secretariat answered a call from Timothy McVeigh saying that the Murrah Federal building had been bombed but it actually wouldn’t be until thirty minutes later (Jones 4). One would expect that a threat of this magnitude would be reported and investigated but it wasn’t. When a threat is made to a government body, we would expect for the government to investigate and react at a moments notice. But in the case of the Oklahoma City bombing, the TWA 800 and the 9-11 attack, many of the findings that the government found was bewildering due but how they reacted to the evidence was more bewildering. There is strong evidence that McVeigh and Nichols were only two members of a broad conspiracy, one that included other white supremacists and possibly Iraqi agents, but what has always been puzzling has been the government's lack of interest in pursuing other suspects. The government has done this before. A statement by Vincent Cannistraro, former chief of operations and analysis of the CIA’s counterterrorism center, summarized an event saying, “The government just isn’t interested in uncovering a foreign plot. It has its perpetrators, and it doesn’t want anyone or anything complicating its case” (Jones 149). Clearly showing the government’s lack of interest to prosecute every perpetrator to prevent potential future threats. In the months and years that followed, it seemed as if the Justice Department did not want there to be any other suspects. In the trial of McVeigh, the government did not call a single witness who could place McVeigh at the scene of the crime, presumably because each one of those witnesses would also testify that they saw McVeigh with another suspect or the famous John Doe #2. Jones asked several people at the Elliott’s Body Shop Junction City, Kansas, who they all claimed that they saw McVeigh with another person (Jones 49). An unbelievable event happened when Ramzi Yousef came into the U.S. and was searched by the INS and found a suitcase full of bomb manuals, a videotape of suicide car bombers, and a passport with his picture roughly pasted over a Swedish national (Lance 31). He was detain but caused an uproar claiming political asylum that he was given a hearing date and released into the country (Lance 31). How could the government just release someone with material that can potentially be used to cause a terrorist attack in the U.S? On February 26, 1993, a bomb created by Ramzi Yousef went off on the B-2 level beneath the North Tower of the Trade Center and two days later the Feds searched Nidal Ayyad’s computer and found a letter stating that they will attack again and the Trade Center is going to be there target (Lance 33). Thinking that the government let Yousef into the U.S, I would expect for them to improve security and prepare for a possible attack.
It is important to recognize that the government that we think is working for our best interest is actually working for their best interest. It seems that the government was putting &&&&&The pursuit of other suspects would have revealed how badly the government bungled the investigation, or might have showed that the government could have prevented the terrorist attacks. This would have shown weakness within the government structure and the confidence of the American people.
I believe that it is important that the government is inform of every threat that is made towards America and investigated. The government having knowledge and evidence of suspected plots of terror could have prevented the attacks before they escalated.
It wasn’t until the attacks on American soil happen that the government woke up to uncover answers. They didn’t have to work very hard since they had the answers starring at their faces for more than ten years. There are several possible explanations for what is either the government's lack of interest or a cover-up. Expecting that the U.S. Government is the best one in the world, it has let us down many times.