Panetta Marks 9/11 Anniversary, Tries to Boost CIA Morale

Topics: Domestic Issues

CIA Director Leon Panetta addressed agency staff in an e-mail today marking the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks tomorrow. With the CIA facing scrutiny over Bush-era torture of detainees and questions about how it should share responsibilities with the FBI and other federal agencies, Panetta used the opportunity to try to boost morale and rally employees.

Panetta's full message is included below:

Message from the Director: September 11th

Tomorrow, our nation as a whole will remember those lost to us eight years ago. For the men and women of the CIA, September 11th is a constant, powerful incentive in the war against al-Qa'ida and its violent sympathizers. Our Agency is at the center of that fight. We have no higher priority or greater focus.

Alone, and with partners in this country and overseas, the CIA has inflicted major losses on a dangerous enemy. Places that al-Qa'ida once counted as safe havens have become less safe. People on whom al-Qa'ida once relied—planners, commanders, facilitators, and trainers—have been taken off the battlefield.

The information the CIA gathers and the actions it takes, crucial as they are, will not by themselves defeat terrorists determined to strike again. Al-Qa'ida's own vicious ideology, founded on the murder of innocent people, has proven to be a major weakness. But we cannot wait for popular disgust to isolate and overcome the extremists. We and our allies must continue to press the offensive, eroding their ability to plot and kill.

It is difficult, hazardous work. But your skill, dedication, and valor make good on our responsibility not only to the memory of those who perished on September 11th, but to their families and to all Americans. We will never forget their sacrifice and we will never rest until we have brought those responsible for this tragedy to justice.

The President has made clear that our mission is to disrupt, defeat, and destroy al-Qa'ida—and that's exactly what we intend to do. It is a privilege for me to work with men and women worthy of so vital a mission. Thank you for serving so well in this fight—and for helping the United States guarantee that no life lost in this attack or battle shall be lost in vain. That is our pledge and our prayer on this September 11th.

Leon E. Panetta

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by brucearnold September 27, 2009 9:23 PM EDT: On 9/11/01, the all-powerful bankers behind New World Order globalization unleashed their oil and money hungry military-industrial dogs of war to orchestrate the fall of 3 (not 2) WTC towers--the third, not struck by a plane, housing 3 floors of damning SEC records. On that day, we lost 3000 lives (with 1000s more to follow) plus 4 commercial airliners (with all on board) ... and stood by helplessly as something (not wide enough to be a 757) bored a hole in the side of the Pentagon. Yet even today, two elections and a new administration later, our Big Brother government expects us to believe that all of that masterfully-plotted and perfectly-timed destruction was accomplished by 15 Saudis and 4 of their cousins using nothing more than box cutters and big balls. If you believe that, or if you believe we have been told anything close to the Truth about 9/11, then I ask you to Google "911 truth" and "911 peak oil", and objectively evaluate what you find at websites like AE911Truth.org.; Reply to this comment


by pensacola8-2009 September 10, 2009 9:59 PM EDT: The CIA isn't perfect, but when they err, people die needlessly.

The COLD WAR is over, but much of the CIA and State Department still follows the obsolete model of Cold War policy making.

If the CIA can transform itself and salvage it's reputation, it might be a good thing, but civilians need to be in control, and the public must be given reason to believe that the CIA can accept policing as a permanent part of their existance.; Reply to this comment

by rightbehind September 10, 2009 9:33 PM EDT

What ever happened to the CIA that brought us the SR71? It seemed that I was reading an article that said some of the higher ups in the CIA retired shortly after bush took office. I remember it saying something about dick cheney walking through the place like he owned it. This Great Nation has fallen in so many ways due to ideology. Sad!

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by pensacola8-2009 September 10, 2009 10:02 PM EDT: The SR-71 was part of the COLD WAR. The Cold War was over 20 years ago.

Cheney's image didn't help the CIA. Now, both are at the bottom of the political barrel.

by thesevenveils September 10, 2009 9:22 PM EDT

Oh yeah, the CIA needs a morale boost during the anniversary of their absolute failure to prevent the 9/11 airplane catastrophes.

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by pasmalltown September 10, 2009 9:35 PM EDT: I don't think the CIA has forgotten their failure to prevent the events that occurred on 9/11/2001, but on the "other side", this is 9/10/2009. In your estimation, has the CIA done a fairly decent job in the past eight years or is it you just couldn't find of anything else to say?


by pensacola8-2009 September 10, 2009 10:43 PM EDT: There were three government agencies that shared responsibility of the 911 attack. The FAA had airport security that fell behind as the weakest link to superior security standards that existed at the time overseas. We left our airports widely unguarded at the time. The FBI and the CIA were not exchanging information with each other very well in those days. Many times, the law enforcement agencies were confused about how to handle situations, because of the judicial politics that segregaged state, city, county courts from federal courts. Evidence gathering for prosecutions was not simple to satisfy for every judicial layer of prosecution that may be handling a case. Some of this still is a problem today. Today, a thousand people may touch a single case connected to a terrorist attack depending on its complexity and scale.

What the CIA needs is transformation and a divorce from its' old Cold War image. The United States no longer has an opponent with a unified command and control authority as the USSR once was. Reorganization is essential to monitor the diversified enemies of the United States. The classified budget also needs to disappear and be a public record.


by thesevenveils September 10, 2009 9:19 PM EDT: Oh yeah boost CIA morale on 9/11. The day this agency let America down.; Reply to this comment