National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
Name	National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
Formed	November 27, 2002
Dissolved	August 21, 2004
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Chief1 name	Thomas Kean
Chief1 position	Chair
Chief2 name	Lee H. Hamilton
Chief2 position	Vice Chair

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States was an independent, bipartisan commission created by the United States Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush in late 2002. Its mandate was to provide a "full and complete accounting" of the circumstances surrounding the September 11 attacks and to offer recommendations for preventing future acts of terrorism. Commonly known as the 9/11 Commission, it conducted a comprehensive twenty-month investigation, culminating in a widely read public report. The commission's work led to significant reforms in the United States Intelligence Community and the structure of the federal government.

Background and creation

The impetus for the commission's creation stemmed from persistent pressure from the families of September 11 attacks victims, who were dissatisfied with the initial investigations conducted by the United States Congress through the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. After a prolonged legislative battle and initial resistance from the Bush administration, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 was passed, formally establishing the commission. The legislation was notably championed by lawmakers such as John McCain and Joseph Lieberman. The commission's broad charter directed it to examine the facts related to the attacks, study the performance of relevant government agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and assess the effectiveness of the national response.

Membership and structure

The commission comprised ten members, appointed equally by Democratic and Republican leaders of the United States Congress. The chairman was former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, a Republican, and the vice chairman was former Indiana Congressman Lee H. Hamilton, a Democrat. Other prominent members included former Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, and former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick. The commission was supported by a professional staff of over eighty, led by Executive Director Philip Zelikow, a historian and former advisor to the National Security Council. This bipartisan structure was critical to maintaining the investigation's credibility and securing access to highly classified materials from agencies like the National Security Agency.

Investigation and hearings

The commission's investigation was exhaustive, reviewing over 2.5 million pages of documents and conducting more than 1,200 interviews in ten countries, including with key figures from the Clinton administration and the Bush administration. It held 19 days of public hearings, televised nationally, featuring testimony from high-profile officials such as National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, CIA Director George Tenet, and FBI Director Robert Mueller. The commission also privately interviewed President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney together, and former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore together. Staff teams focused on specific areas, including al-Qaeda, intelligence collection, and the emergency response in New York City and at the Pentagon.

The 9/11 Commission Report

The commission's final product, the 9/11 Commission Report, was released on July 22, 2004. It became a national bestseller, praised for its narrative clarity and thoroughness. The report detailed the history of al-Qaeda, the planning of the attacks led by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and the series of missed opportunities by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to disrupt the plot. It provided a minute-by-minute account of the events of 9/11 and analyzed the failures in counterterrorism policy, imagination, and capabilities across the Federal Aviation Administration, the CIA, and the FBI. The report avoided assigning blame to specific individuals, instead focusing on systemic failures.

Recommendations and impact

The commission issued 41 recommendations aimed at restructuring the government to prevent future attacks. Its most significant proposals led to the passage of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which created the office of the Director of National Intelligence to oversee the entire United States Intelligence Community and established the National Counterterrorism Center. Other major recommendations included reforming congressional oversight of intelligence, improving radio interoperability for first responders, and standardizing secure identification documents. While not all recommendations were adopted, the legislation represented the most substantial overhaul of the U.S. intelligence apparatus since the National Security Act of 1947.

Legacy and criticism

The 9/11 Commission is widely regarded as a model of a successful bipartisan government investigation, credited with implementing historic reforms. Its report remains a foundational text for understanding modern counterterrorism and homeland security. However, the commission has faced subsequent criticism from some commissioners, family members, and analysts. Criticisms include that it relied too heavily on CIA-arranged interrogations of al-Qaeda detainees, that it failed to sufficiently investigate potential Saudi Arabian financing, and that its mandate excluded the broader context of U.S. foreign policy. Some of its reforms, particularly the effectiveness of the Director of National Intelligence, have been debated in later years by bodies like the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Category:2002 establishments in the United States Category:2004 disestablishments in the United States Category:September 11 attacks Category:United States federal commissions and committees