Tenet Played Major Role in War on Terrorism
Compiled by washingtonpost.com
Thursday, June 3, 2004 Originally appointed as Director of Central Intelligence by President Clinton, and retained by President Bush, George Tenet has been at the center of the most pressing national security issues since 1997. He was a key architect of the U.S. war in Afghanistan against al Qaeda and the ruling Taliban. In 2002 and 2003, Tenet was responsible for the agency's intelligence on Iraq and Saddam Hussein's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. Here is a collection of video and transcripts from recent testimony and speeches Tenet delivered to the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks, on Capitol Hill, and at his alma mater, Georgetown University. Also, read Washington Post coverage of Tenet, including excerpts from Bob Woodward's books "Bush at War" and "Plan of Attack" in which the author closely examines Tenet's role in the Afghan war and the build up to war in Iraq. Iraq Tenet Before the Senate Armed Services Committee, March 9:
CIA Director George Tenet told the Senate Armed Services Committe in March that he did not believe the Bush administration misrepresented intelligence to justify going to war in Iraq, but said he spoke privately to senior officials when he believed they publicly misconstrued facts they had been given.
• Lawmakers Seek Answers on Iraq Reports (The Washington Post, March 10, 2004)
 Tenet Testimony Before Senate Amrmed Services Committee
Tenet at Georgetown University, Feb. 5:
"Let me be clear: Analysts differed on several important aspects of these programs, and those debates were spelled out in the estimate... They never said there was an imminent threat."
• Tenet Defends CIA's Analysis off Iraq as Objective, if Flawed (The Washington Post, Feb. 6, 2004)
• Despite Scrutiny, Business as Usual for Tenet (The Washington Post, Feb. 4, 2004)
Tenet Speaks at Georgetown University | Full Transcript
Pre-9/11 Intelligence Tenet Before the Sept. 11 commission, April 14:
"We made mistakes... We all understood bin Laden's intent to strike the homeland but were unable to translate this knowledge into an effective defense of the country."
• Tenet Concedes CIA Made Mistakes (The Washington Post, April 15, 2004)
• Forgotten Briefings of August 2001 (The Washington Post, April 15, 2004)
April 14: Tenet Testimony | Full Transcript
Restructuring U.S. Intelligence Tenet Before Sept. 11 commission, March 24: "[We] have to ask ourself some pretty tough questions about, are we organized the right way? Is this the structure you want for the next 50 years? It's been here for 57 years. What kinds of issues do we have to put on the table? All with the notion of fusing and integrating operations and data in a manner that's seamless so that there's never the assertion that I didn't see this piece of information that could have saved lives."
• Transcript: Tenet Before Sept. 11 Commission
• Congress Seeks U.S. Intelligence Director (The Washington Post, April 2, 2004)
• Intelligence Reform Will Not Be Quick (The Washington Post, May 4, 2004)
More From The Washington Post • By Way of Hill and NSC Staff, Tenet Is Unconventional Choice for CIA (March 20, 1997)
• CIA Resurfaces, in the Oval Office (July 29, 2001)
• The Focus On Tenet Sharpens After Leak (Oct. 5, 2003)
From "Plan of Attack," by Bob Woodward:
• With CIA Push, Movement to War Accelerated
From "Bush at War," by Bob Woodward:
• CIA Led Way With Cash Handouts
© 2004 The Washington Post Company | |  
CIA Director George Tenet at the public hearing by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the U.S. in Washington earlier this year. (Jahi Chikwendiu - Post File Photo)
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