FAS | Intelligence | News | 2001 ||||

September 2001 Intelligence News

• Computer Robots Gather Intelligence by Jim Krane, Associated Press, September 28. "The military is testing software robots that can identify targets and present them to commanders much more quickly than a human could.
• Executive Order on Terrorist Financing, White House fact sheet, September 24. "The President has directed the first strike on the global terror network today by issuing an Executive Order to starve terrorists of their support funds."
• Spies lost in Cold war in a new age of terror by Chris Fusco, Chicago Sun-Times, September 23. "America's spy network is caught in a time warp, designed to eavesdrop on the Russians and Chinese but lacking the manpower and street smarts to track terrorists such as Osama bin Laden."
• Bin Laden Evidence Report Planned by John J. Lumpkin, Associated Press, September 22. "U.S. intelligence agencies are collaborating on a report to detail evidence linking Osama bin Laden to last week's terror attacks, a U.S. official said."
• Assassination Ban Gets New Look by Nancy Benac, Associated Press, September 22. "The ban on assassinations is now being re-examined in light of the terrorist attacks that the government believes were engineered by Osama bin Laden."
• FBI Arrests DIA Employee, FBI press release, September 21. Ana Belen Montes is accused of conspiracy to deliver national defense information to Cuba.
• Can Spy Satellites Find Osama Bin Laden? by Emily Yoffe, Slate.com, September 20. "Can all the billion-dollar spy hardware orbiting Earth locate and identify Osama Bin Laden? No."
• Surge of New Technologies Erodes U.S. Edge in Spying by William J. Broad, New York Times, September 20. "It seems improbable that the N.S.A. would ever recover the full margin of technology advantage," said Steven Aftergood, an intelligence expert at the Federation of American Scientists.
• President Bush Addresses a Joint Session of Congress, September 20. "On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our country."
• Changing U.S. Assassination Policy Called Useless by Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters, September 18. "Calls to untie the CIA's hands in hiring shady agents and lift a ban on assassinations after the shattering attack on the United States are at best meaningless, analysts said."
• Declaration of National Emergency by Reason of Certain Terrorist Attacks By the President of the United States, Federal Register, September 18.
• Treasury Under Secretary Jimmy Gurul� FTAT Update, Dept of the Treasury press statement, September 18. "Today I am pleased to report that FTAT has begun to create financial profiles of some of those suspected of involvement in Tuesday's attacks."
• Treasury Dept Establishes Team to Disrupt Terrorism Fundraising, Treasury Department press statement, September 14. "In addition to our more traditional law enforcement role, Treasury is committed to fighting terrorism with every asset that we have available."
• Senate Intelligence Committee Authorizes Intelligence Spending for FY 2002, Committee press release, September 6. "The Intelligence Community is our nation's vital early warning system and we must support its mission to the fullest extent possible."