‘It was all hands on deck’: how the CIA responded to 9/11
Summary
The CIA was caught unprepared for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which ended the agency's focus on fighting communism and started a new focus on the "war on terror." After the attacks, the CIA made big changes but faced criticism for faulty intelligence about Iraq and secret prisoner interrogations later ruled as torture.Key Facts
- The CIA had been mainly focused on fighting communism before 9/11.
- On September 11, 2001, al-Qaida terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
- The attacks surprised the CIA, and its leadership was initially unclear about how to respond.
- Some CIA staff stayed in the original building through the day despite the risks.
- CIA Director George Tenet and top leaders moved to a safer building during the attacks.
- The CIA's intelligence after 9/11 helped start the "war on terror," including the Iraq invasion.
- The agency ran a program of secret detentions and harsh interrogations later called torture.
- The 9/11 attacks led to major changes in how the CIA works and focuses its efforts.
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