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Commission votes to subpoena pentagon Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://apnews.myway.com/article/20031107/D7UM305G0.html http://apnews.myway.com/article/20031107/D7UM305G0.html 9-11 Commission Votes to Subpoena Pentagon Nov 7, 6:51 PM (ET) By LAURENCE ARNOLD WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks voted Friday to subpoena the Pentagon for documents related to the activities of U.S. air defenses on the day of the terrorist hijackings. The independent commission said it was "especially dismayed" by incomplete document production on the part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, the part of the Defense Department responsible for protecting North American airspace. The commission's broad investigation includes questions about how, and how quickly, the Federal Aviation Administration notified U.S. air defenses about hijacked planes on Sept. 11, 2001. The commission's first subpoena, issued last month, was to the FAA. The panel, formally called the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, met privately Friday about matters including production of documents it has requested from numerous government offices. The panel, headed by former New Jersey Gov. Thomas H. Kean, a Republican, has also encountered resistance from the White House in its efforts to review sensitive intelligence documents. The panel's statement did not address the White House dispute. Commission spokesman Al Felzenberg said talks continued Friday between commission leaders and the administration. "The commission remains hopeful that these talks will be resolved soon in a way that satisfies the president's concerns for the sensitivity of the documents, and the commission's need for access to materials," Felzenberg said. In a statement announcing the Defense Department subpoena, the commission said, "In several cases we were assured that all requested records had been produced, but we then discovered, through investigation, that these assurances were mistaken." The 10-person, bipartisan panel said it raised its concerns with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who pledged to help and "has already taken strong steps to back up this pledge." Stephen A. Cambone, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, said in a statement that Rumsfeld has made clear the department will comply with "established schedules" for producing documents. "The commission has a statutory deadline it must meet," Cambone said, "and the secretary has directed that the department be responsive to help ensure the commission can meet its deadlines." He said the department has provided more than 38,000 pages of material to the commission thus far. The commission has until May 27 to report on the events of Sept. 11 and issues of diplomacy, immigration, commercial aviation and the flow of assets to terror organizations. One commissioner, Democrat Richard Ben-Veniste, said the Defense Department's failure to produce documents will force the commission to postpone a planned hearing in January on the immediate response to the hijackings by the nation's air security system. "Our investigative staff will have to spend valuable time backtracking and re-interviewing certain personnel," said Ben-Veniste, a former Watergate prosecutor. "It is my view that given the very stringent time constraints under which we are operating, the failure of agencies to produce essential materials to us is simply unacceptable." At a hearing earlier this year, Ben-Veniste dug into the length of time it took the FAA to notify NORAD about American Airlines Flight 77 between the time it deviated from its flight path to the time it crashed into the Pentagon. The FAA knew that Los Angeles-bound Flight 77 left its course at 8:55 a.m., Ben-Veniste said, but NORAD did not get official notice of a hijacking until 9:24 a.m. A witness at the hearing, retired Maj. Gen. Larry K. Arnold, who was in charge of NORAD on the day of the attacks, said it was "physically possible" that fighter jets could have beaten the civilian airliner to the Pentagon had they been activated earlier. --- On the Net: National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States: http://www.9-11commission.gov

berger-incident bush-interview commission-failure commission-recommendations conflicts-of-interest congress-report dissent hampering-probe public-heaings senator-graham-alleges-coverup 9 11 probe quit 911 attacks preventable panel head believes { December 19 2003 } 911 commission chairs son runs for new jersey senate { October 19 2006 } 911 inquiry fired 911 panel cites communication failures between nyfd nypd { May 18 2004 } 911 panel reaches deal on access to papers { November 13 2003 } 911 panel to get more access to memos 911 probe panel 911 victim families not taking bribe money Air defense flaws detail in 911 panel { April 25 2004 } Ashcroft blames clinton rules for 911 { April 14 2004 } Ashcroft blames intelligence sharing wall { April 14 2004 } Battle over 911 panels deadline intesifies { January 29 2004 } Breaks on 9 11 truth commission Bush disagrees with saddam 911 connection { June 17 2004 } Bush grants commission extension { February 4 2004 } Bush press conference during 911 hearings Bushs 911 coverup { June 18 2003 } Chair says attack was preventable Chief assess blame but holds off on higher ups { December 19 2003 } Cia report criticizes cia leaders actions { January 8 2005 } Commission could subpoena oval office files { October 26 2003 } Commission investigates FBI { April 13 2004 } Commission tells of many warnings { July 25 2004 } Commission votes to subpoena pentagon Congressional investigation angers cia fbi Conspiracy theories abound in 911 probe { December 29 2003 } Deal 911 commision { November 15 2002 } Failed put hijackers watch list { May 15 2003 } Families seek curb probe officer Grassley investigate 911 House 911 inquiry Kean says 911 attacks could have been prevented { December 19 2003 } Kean says 911 report will be surprising Most families havent taken payoff fund { August 31 2003 } News reporters ordered not to investigate 911 No iraq link to 911 says panel Panel describes how attackers got money { September 11 2001 } Panel grills alqaeda chiefs on 911 { May 12 2004 } Panel has glimpse presidential briefings { November 16 2003 } Panel has testy exchange with firefights police { May 18 2004 } Panel may subpoena its summaries of bush briefings { January 31 2004 } Panel plans hard questions for fbi doj { April 6 2004 } Panel probes failures of air defenses Panel requests documents { June 19 2003 } Panel seeks declassification of 911 warning memo Panel urged disciplinary { December 11 2002 } Panel will sharply fault role of congress { July 22 2004 } Report citing blame for 911 supressed till after election { October 19 2004 } Secrets of 911 Tenet lies about not seeing bush in august 2001 { April 16 2004 } Terrorism catchall too vague an enemy for war { July 23 2004 } Top brass says no chance hijackers fly into pentagon { April 15 2004 } Victims relatives press white house for sept 11 details { October 29 2003 } Why does 911 inquiry scare bush { July 11 2003 } Files Listed: 55

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