High-ranking US government officials, including Vice President Richard
Cheney, were aware of many critical details regarding the September 11,
2001 attack on New York City yet did nothing to prevent the incident.
Explosive recordings released by a former intelligence officer who
briefed Cheney during the summer of 2001 reveal that Cheney deliberately
subverted an investigation when it indicated ties to a highly-placed
Saudi executive.

The now-retired officer’s briefing of Cheney was based on intelligence
uncovered in a Frankfurst apartment by German intelligence agents. The
agents raided the apartment in mid-June 2001, when evidence indicated
the residents were linked to the Al-Qaeda network. The first of several
tapes opens with the former agent explaining the discovery to Cheney.
Evidence of a planned terrorist strike against the United States
included flight manuals for several makes of passenger jet, schematics
and photographs of the World Trade Center towers and several other
Manhattan skyscrapers, chemistry manuals regarding jet fuel, and a list
of several dozen individuals in various cities in the United States.
The analyst suggested that Al-Qaeda members planned to either steal, or
more likely hijack, one or more jet airplanes for use as flying bombs.
When Cheney questioned the plausibility of the suggestion, the analyst
argued it was a logical extension of past suicide bombings utilizing
trucks and buses.

The analyst went on to suggest a likely time for the attack. He argued
it was likely to take place after Labor Day, as summer is a peak period
for air travel, and hijackers prefer lighter passenger loads because
they are easier to control. Using the light passenger scenario, he
suggested either Tuesday or Wednesday, the lightest passenger days, were
the most likely day such a hijacking would take place. He advised Cheney
to substantially increase airport security in early September,
specifically naming the 11th and 12th as the days of greatest danger.
Based on the calculations regarding jet fuel, the analyst suggested that
hijackers would mostly likely choose a non-stop cross-country flight
originating in a major east coast city. He named Boston and
Philadelphia, based on their proximity to New York, as special areas of
concern. The two hijacked flights which struck the World Trade Center
originated in Boston. No special security protocols were in place at
Logan International Airport September 11.
The first tape concludes with Cheney concurring that the possibility of
a terrorist attack was real, and that the CIA should continue
investigating. The next meeting on July 1, 2001 has the Vice President
taking a very different attitude.

"After months of consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion that [Saudi
businessman] was only a small part of this equation," suggests the
former analyst. "So many things happened in the weeks leading up to
9-11, it’s almost as if Cheney wanted this thing to happen. If I was
blocked on this, I have to believe others were too. I just wonder how
far and how deep the interference ran."