To the Point

9-11 Commission on Day of Attack, Government Response

Today, the world heard the voice of a hijacker and the frantic efforts of air traffic controllers in the midst of unprecedented crisis. With surviving families in the audience, the 9-11 Commission played audiotapes recorded before American Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center. One tape appears to capture the voice of Mohammed Atta cautioning, "Everything will be ok. If you try to make any move, you endanger yourself and the airplane." The Commission reported that military jets were scrambled, but too late to make any difference. Why were civilian and military authorities so unprepared? Are US air defenses any better today? Warren Olney speaks with victim's families, national security experts, a former Defense Department official and a member of a former White House commission on aviation security about mass confusion and miscommunications, split-second decisions, and the lessons they hold for the future. Reporter's Notebook: President Bush Insists on Saddam-al Qaeda Connection Yesterday-s report by the 9-11 Commission says that Osama bin Laden once asked Iraqi intelligence if he could establish training camps in Iraq and get help in procuring arms. It says Iraq never responded, adding that further contacts -do not appear to have resulted in a collaborative relationship.- However, today, President Bush again insisted on the connection. We hear a debate between David Corn of The Nation and Cliff May of the Foundation of the Defense of Democracies.