arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

L'événement est exceptionnel et pourtant il est passé presque inaperçu dans les grands médias américains.

En effet, cinquante agents du FBI, de la CIA, de la NSA (National Security Agency), du ministère de la justice, de la défense, des transports et autres spécialistes de la lutte contre le terrorisme ou professionnels du renseignement ont annoncé à Washington, le 28 avril 2005, la formation d'une alliance (The National Security Whistlblowers Coalition) en vue de défendre et de protéger les droits de ses membres contre les attaques qu'ils subissent de la part de l'administration Bush depuis le 11 septembre 2001.

Les membres de cette alliance accusent cette administration de harceler, de menacer et de renvoyer tous les agents de ces organisations qui dénoncent les mensonges officiels entourant les événements du 11 septembre et la lutte contre le terrorisme qui s'en est suivie.

La principale représentante de ce groupe est une ancienne traductrice du FBI, Sibel Edmonds, en charge de traduire des documents liés aux attentats, au lendemain du 11 septembre, jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit renvoyée au printemps 2002, après avoir signalé à ses supérieurs un certain nombre de faits graves qu'elle avait pu constater dans son unité de traduction. Peu après son renvoi, elle fait l'objet d'une mesure exceptionnelle, un "gag order", l'empêchant de révéler la teneur exacte des faits qu'elle reproche (et tout particulièrement les noms des plus hauts responsables qu'elle suspecte) et de prouver ou de documenter ses propos.

Elle affirme, entre autres choses, que d'éminentes personnalités du FBI et de l'administration Bush savaient, plusieurs mois avant le 11 septembre, qu'une attaque terroriste d'envergure, organisée par Al-Qaeda, et impliquant des avions, allait avoir lieu sur le territoire américain (Voir: dans The Independent, 2 Avril 2004, par Andrew Buncombe, "Whistleblower the White House Wants to Silence, Speaks to the Independent". On peut y lire, notamment: "A former translator for the FBI with top-secret security clearance says she has provided information to the panel investigating the 11 September attacks which proves senior officials knew of al-Qa'ida's plans to attack the US with aircraft months before the strikes happened. "President Bush said they had no specific information about 11 September and that is accurate but only because he said 11 September," she said. There was, however, general information about the use of airplanes and that an attack was just months away." Pour consulter l'intégralité du texte: http://www.lidiotduvillage.com/article.php3?id_article=4991).

Sibel Edmonds affirme, également, que depuis ces événements, tout est mis en œuvre pour empêcher que la lumière soit faite sur les véritables causes et circonstances de ces attentats.

Le 11 février 2004 elle porte ces faits devant la Commission sur le 11 Septembre qui se réunit alors à huis-clos et l'auditionne pendant plusieurs heures. Aucun de ces faits n'a été jugé digne d'être mentionné dans le rapport final de cette Commission publié en juillet 2004.

Le 1er août 2004 Sibel Edmonds décide alors d'écrire une lettre au Président de la Commission, Thomas Kean, résumant ces faits et soulignant les graves omissions et distorsions du rapport. Parmi ces omissions et distorsions elle souligne, notamment, les éléments suivants:

"Over three years ago, more than four months prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks, in April 2001, a long-term FBI informant/asset who had been providing the bureau with information since 1990, provided two FBI agents and a translator with specific information regarding a terrorist attack being planned by Osama Bin Laden. This asset/informant was previously a high-level intelligence officer in Iran in charge of intelligence from Afghanistan. Through his contacts in Afghanistan he received information that: 1) Osama Bin Laden was planning a major terrorist attack in the United States targeting 4-5 major cities, 2) the attack was going to involve airplanes, 3) some of the individuals in charge of carrying out this attack were already in place in the United States, 4) the attack was going to be carried out soon, in a few months. The agents who received this information reported it to their superior, Special Agent in Charge of Counterterrorism, Thomas Frields, at the FBI Washington Field Office, by filing "302" forms, and the translator translated and documented this information. No action was taken by the Special Agent in Charge, and after 9/11 the agents and the translators were told to 'keep quiet' regarding this issue. The translator who was present during the session with the FBI informant, Mr. Behrooz Sarshar, reported this incident to Director Mueller in writing, and later to the Department of Justice Inspector General. The press reported this incident, and in fact the report in the Chicago Tribune on July 21, 2004 stated that FBI officials had confirmed that this information was received in April 2001, and further, the Chicago Tribune quoted an aide to Director Mueller that he (Mueller) was surprised that the Commission never raised this particular issue with him during the hearing (Please refer to Chicago Tribune article, dated July 21, 2004). Mr. Sarshar reported this issue to your investigators on February 12, 2004, and provided them with specific dates, location, witness names, and the contact information for that particular Iranian asset and the two special agents who received the information (Please refer to the tape-recorded testimony provided to your investigators during a 2.5 hours testimony by Mr. Sarshar on February 12, 2004). I provided your investigators with a detailed and specific account of this issue, the names of other witnesses, and documents I had seen. (Please refer to tape-recorded 3.5 hours testimony by Sibel Edmonds, provided to your investigators on February 11, 2004). Mr. Sarshar also provided the Department of Justice Inspector General with specific information regarding this issue (Please refer to DOJ-IG report Re: Sibel Edmonds and FBI Translation, provided to you prior to the completion of your report)." (…)

"The latest buzz topic regarding intelligence is the problem of sharing information/intelligence within intelligence agencies and between intelligence agencies. To this date the public has not been told of intentional blocking of intelligence, and has not been told that certain information, despite its direct links, impacts and ties to terrorist related activities, is not given to or shared with Counterterrorism units, their investigations, and countering terrorism related activities. This was the case prior to 9/11, and remains in effect after 9/11. If Counterintelligence receives information that contains money laundering, illegal arms sale, and illegal drug activities, directly linked to terrorist activities; and if that information involves certain nations, certain semi-legit organizations, and ties to certain lucrative or political relations in this country, then, that information is not shared with Counterterrorism, regardless of the possible severe consequences. In certain cases, frustrated FBI agents cited 'direct pressure by the State Department,' and in other cases 'sensitive diplomatic relations' is cited. The Department of Justice Inspector General received detailed and specific information and evidence regarding this issue (Please refer to DOJ-IG report Re: Sibel Edmonds and FBI Translation, provided to you prior to the completion of your report). I provided your investigators with a detailed and specific account of this issue, the names of other witnesses willing to corroborate this, and the names of certain U.S. officials involved in these transactions and activities. (Please refer to tape-recorded 3.5 hours testimony by Sibel Edmonds, provided to your investigators on February 11, 2004)." (…)

"I am writing this letter in light of my direct experience within the FBI's translation unit during the most crucial times after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in light of my first hand knowledge of certain problems and cases within the Bureau's language units, and in light of what has already been established as facts. As you are fully aware, the facts, incidents, and problems cited in this letter are by NO means based upon personal opinion or un-verified allegations. As you are fully aware, these issues and incidents were found confirmed by a Senior Republican Senator, Charles Grassley, and a Senior Democrat Senator, Patrick Leahy. As you know, according to officials with direct knowledge of the Department of Justice Inspector General's report on my allegations, 'none of my allegations were disproved.' As you are fully aware, even FBI officials 'confirmed all my allegations and denied none' during their unclassified meetings with the Senate Judiciary staff over two years ago. However, neither your commission's hearings, nor your commission's five hundred sixty seven-page report, nor your recommendations include these serious issues, major incidents, and systemic problems. Your report's coverage of FBI translation problems consists of a brief microscopic footnote (Footnote #25). Yet, your commission is geared to start aggressively pressuring our government to hastily implement your measures and recommendations based upon your incomplete and deficient report." (…)

(Voir, pour le texte complet: http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0802-06.htm - Public Letter to 9/11 Commission Chairman from FBI Whistleblower)

N'obtenant pas de réponse, elle co-signe le 13 septembre 2004, avec 24 autres membres du FBI et des diverses agences de renseignement, une lettre ouverte adressée au Congrès américain, dans laquelle on peut lire:

"Omission is one of the major flaws in the Commission's report. We are aware of significant issues and cases that were duly reported to the commission by those of us with direct knowledge, but somehow escaped attention. Serious problems and shortcomings within government agencies likewise were reported to the Commission but were not included in the report. The report simply does not get at key problems within the intelligence, aviation security, and law enforcement communities. The omission of such serious and applicable issues and information by itself renders the report flawed, and casts doubt on the validity of many of its recommendations.

"We believe that one of the primary purposes of the Commission was to establish accountability; that to do so is essential to understanding the failures that led to 9/11, and to prescribe needed changes. However, the Commission in its report holds no one accountable, stating instead "our aim has not been to assign individual blame". That is to play the political game, and it shows that the goal of achieving unanimity overrode one of the primary purposes of this Commission's establishment. When calling for accountability, we are referring not to quasi-innocent mistakes caused by "lack of imagination" or brought about by ordinary "human error". Rather, we refer to intentional actions or inaction by individuals responsible for our national security, actions or inaction dictated by motives other than the security of the people of the United States. The report deliberately ignores officials and civil servants who were, and still are, clearly negligent and/or derelict in their duties to the nation. If these individuals are protected rather than held accountable, the mindset that enabled 9/11 will persist, no matter how many layers of bureaucracy are added, and no matter how much money is poured into the agencies. Character counts. Personal integrity, courage, and professionalism make the difference. Only a commission bent on holding no one responsible and reaching unanimity could have missed that."

(Voir, pour le texte complet: http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20040913204528519 - National Security Experts Speak Out: 9/11 Commission Falls Short).


Enfin, le 28 avril 2005 elle fonde The National Security Whistlblowers Coalition que nous avons mentionné au début de cet article (Pour le texte complet, voir: http://www.911citizenswatch.org/print.php?sid=530 - Whistleblowers Launch Coalition to Demand Accountability & Protection). Se joint alors à elle, l'une des plus célèbres "Whistleblowers" des Etats-Unis, l'ancienne agent du FBI Coleen Rowley (désignée "personne de l'année" en 2002 par le magazine américain Time, qui publie son portrait en une, le 22 décembre de cette même année). Celle-ci avait demandé, en vain, à ses supérieurs hiérarchiques, en août 2001, moins d'un mois avant les attentats du 11 septembre, un mandat pour se saisir de l'ordinateur portable du suspect Zacarias Moussaoui, arrêté peu avant. Elle avait, elle aussi, dénoncé ces faits, sans réussir à se faire écouter et subissant des pressions pour ne pas poursuivre son investigation. Elle aussi a pu constater que le rapport final de la Commission sur le 11 Septembre ne fait aucunement mention de ces éléments.

Aujourd'hui, Sibel Edmonds n'est plus seule et sa cause commence à recevoir l'attention de certains médias (Voir également:http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20041026093059633 - Respected Leaders and Families Launch 9/11 Truth Statement Demanding Deeper Investigation into the Events of 9/11). Elle est, en outre, soutenue par la puissante association américaine ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) qui l'appuie dans sa démarche visant à lever le "gag order" dont elle fait l'objet.

Ce qu'illustre, de manière remarquable, cette affaire, c'est la puissance d'un individu, isolé et sans autre ressource que le courage et la détermination, qui réclame sa part de vérité et le droit de l'exprimer, face à une administration ayant érigé le mensonge, la terreur et la violence en principe de gouvernement, et face à une société paralysée par la peur de savoir et de comprendre.

Il y a près de quarante ans, un "petit" juge de l'Etat de Louisiane, Jim Garrison, avait osé défier la confortable vérité officielle sur l'assassinat du Président John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Il avait su mener jusqu'à son terme, en dépit des menaces subies, une enquête devant contredire point par point le rapport de la Commission du Congrès américain (Commission Warren) qui avait conclu à l'existence d'un tueur unique et à l'absence de complot.

C'est lorsqu'ils se croient intouchables que les puissants sont les plus vulnérables. L'administration Bush aurait, sans doute, de bonnes raisons de craindre les paroles de cette femme en colère.