Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11

Product DescriptionSince 9/11, one important question has persisted: What was really going on behind the scenes with intelligence services and government leaders during the time preceding that terrible day After an eighteen-month investigation, Gerald Posner reveals much previously undisclosed information, including details about a secret deal between Saudi Arabia and Osama bin Laden; how the U.S. government missed several chances to kill or capture bin Laden; how the CIA tracked-and then lost-two of the hijackers when they entered the United States months before the attacks; the devastating consequences of the crippling rivalry between the CIA and FBI; and the startling account of top al Qaeda captive whose information subsequently led to a trail of mysterious deaths of Saudi Arabian princes and Pakistani military leaders.Why America Slept exposes the frequent mistakes made by law enforcement and government agencies, and demonstrates how the failures to prevent 9/11 were tragically not an exception but typical. In the end, Posner makes a damning case that the terrorist attacks could have been prevented.Review“Smart and evocatively written . . . A narrative that takes on the frenetic pace of a spy thriller.”-The New York Times Book Review“EXPLOSIVE . . . A lean, lucid retelling of how the CIA, FBI, and U.S. leaders missed a decade’s worth of clues and opportunities that if heeded, Posner argues, might have forestalled the 9/11 terrorist attacks . . . It opens up more troubling questions about crucial U.S. allies that someone will now have to address.”-Time“A GODSEND . . . Posner has done an amazing job . . . laying out a complicated situation through dramatic narrative.”-St. Louis Post-Dispatch“AN EXPLOSIVE SCOOP . . . No question, 9/11 could and should have been prevented.”-Austin American-Statesman“RIVETING AND DISQUIETING.”-The New York TimesFrom the Inside FlapSince 9/11, one important question has persisted: What was really going on behind the scenes with intelligence services and government leaders during the time preceding that terrible day After an eighteen-month investigation, Gerald Posner reveals much previously undisclosed information, including details about a secret deal between Saudi Arabia and Osama bin Laden; how the U.S. government missed several chances to kill or capture bin Laden; how the CIA tracked-and then lost-two of the hijackers when they entered the United States months before the attacks; the devastating consequences of the crippling rivalry between the CIA and FBI; and the startling account of top al Qaeda captive whose information subsequently led to a trail of mysterious deaths of Saudi Arabian princes and Pakistani military leaders.
Why America Slept exposes the frequent mistakes made by law enforcement and government agencies, and demonstrates how the failures to prevent 9/11 were tragically not an exception but typical. In the end, Posner makes a damning case that the terrorist attacks could have been prevented.About the AuthorGerald Posner, a former Wall Street lawyer, is an award-winning author of eight books on subjects ranging from Nazi war criminals, to assassinations, to the careers of politicians. A frequent commentator on television talk and news shows, he has also written for many national publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News & World Report. He lives in Miami and New York City with his wife, the author Trisha Posner. More information is available at www.posner.com.Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.CHAPTER 1THE TAKEOVERA decade before 9/11, the worldwide surge in Islamic fundamentalism and its virulent hatred of the West was largely unrecognized in America. We did not notice when some of the most prominent radicals moved to this country and set up operations just across the river from the World Trade Center. Those early militants, ignored
Author: Posner, Gerald L.

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Binding: mass_market

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0812966236

ISBN-13: 9780812966237