Recap: “Essential Intelligence: The CIA’s Response to 9/11”
Former Acting CIA Directors John McLaughlin and Michael Morell and former CIA Senior Paramilitary Officer Phil Reilly participated in a public program at the 9/11 Memorial Museum on Thursday, Sept. 26 about how the terrorist attacks transformed the intelligence agency.
The CIA was in a unique position to support both policymakers and military operations in the crucial 15 days immediately following 9/11.
“By virtue of having worked Afghanistan aggressively in the late 90s, we had over a hundred recruited sources on the ground in Afghanistan, and we had eight tribal networks working with us,” McLaughlin said. “So our teams went in to work, to exploit that, and to build that relationship with the Northern Alliance.”
McLaughlin, Morell, and Reilly also talked about how 9/11 ushered in a new era of intelligence work at the CIA.
CBS News’ Intelligence Matters podcast featured the program. You can view the full program here. Find out more about the fall 2019 public programming season at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
By 9/11 Memorial Staff
A plush-toy dinosaur and small, cuddly bear recently acquired by the 9/11 Memorial Museum serve as stand-ins for the two sisters who had been their affectionate caretakers: 8-year-old Zoe Falkenberg, and her 3-year-old sister, Dana Falkenberg. The girls were passengers aboard hijacked Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon.
Mets rookie sensation Pete Alonso donated his 9/11 tribute cleats and an autographed commemorative bat to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on Tuesday. The first basemen wore the cleats during a game on the anniversary of the 18th Anniversary of the 2001 attacks.