No evidence commanders lied over 9/11: report [View All]

[Omaha Steve]

No evidence commanders lied over 9/11: report
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Aug 5, 7:31 AM (ET)




NEW YORK (Reuters) - There is no evidence that senior Pentagon commanders intentionally provided false testimony to about the military's actions on the morning of the September 11 attacks, according to a report by the Defense Department's watchdog agency cited in the New York Times on Saturday.

The Pentagon's office of inspector general said the Defense Department's initial inaccurate accounts could be attributed largely to poor record-keeping, the newspaper said in an article on its Web site, citing the newly released report.

In a report dated May 27, 2005, but not released until Friday, the inspector general's office found that "the inaccuracies, in part, resulted because of inadequate forensic capabilities," including poor log-keeping at military air traffic control centers, the newspaper said.

The report was initially classified secret but was released under a freedom-of-information request by the Times. What amounted to several pages' worth were blacked out on national security grounds, the newspaper said.


Gen. Ralph Eberhart, Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is shown gesturing during the final day of hearings of the 9/11 Commission, in Washington, in this June 17, 2004 file photo. There is no evidence that senior Pentagon commanders intentionally provided false testimony to about the military's actions on the morning of the September 11 attacks, according to a report by the Defense Department's watchdog agency cited in the New York Times on Saturday. REUTERS/Shaun Heasley