Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission [Hardcover]

Thomas H. Kean (Author), Lee H. Hamilton (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 15, 2006

In the words of the commission’s co-chairmen, this is the compelling inside story of how the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States—more commonly known as the 9/11 Commission—managed to succeed against all odds in producing a report that made clear what went wrong and why.

The mandate of the 9/11 Commission was daunting and all-encompassing. In its investigation of the events leading up to and including September 11, 2001, the commission had to examine U.S. diplomacy, military policy, intelligence agencies, law enforcement, border and aviation security, and congressional oversight, as well as the immediate response to the terrorist attacks, while also investigating the lethal enemy al Qaeda.

The creation of the 9/11 Commission was blocked for months by the Bush administration, and after its inception in December 2002 the commission spent months mired in a series of controversies—the resignation of its first chairman, Henry Kissinger, and vice-chairman, George Mitchell; an inadequate budget; an extraordinarily polarized atmosphere leading up to the 2004 presidential election; the conflicting demands of various interest groups; the distrust of the victims’ families; difficulties in obtaining access to highly classified documents and to al Qaeda detainees; and a media eager to record stumbles and gaffes. The obstacles were great, and the expectations for a blue-ribbon panel are never high—yet somehow the 9/11 Commission overcame everything that might have thwarted it and succeeded beyond anyone’s greatest expectation, holding a series of hearings that riveted the nation, producing a unanimous and widely heralded report that became a national best seller, and issuing recommendations that led to the most significant reform of America’s national security agencies in decades.

The 9/11 Commission report slaked the national thirst for accountability. Here for the first time is the story of how the commission came together to produce its landmark document.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A re-creation of the inner workings of a government commission threatens to be a dry bureaucratic procedural, but the 9/11 Commission was so politically fraught that its story is compelling in its own right. Chairman Kean and vice-chair Hamilton detail the commission's fight with Congress for more money and time; its wranglings with the Bush administration to win access to witnesses and classified documents; its delicate relations with victims' families, who were its harshest critics and staunchest champions; its strategic use of public censure to wring concessions from recalcitrant officials; and the forging of a bipartisan consensus among fractious Republican and Democratic commissioners. Their tone is evenhanded and diplomatic, but some adversaries—NORAD, the FAA, House Republicans—get singled out as stumbling blocks to the investigation. The authors cogently defend the compromises they made and swat conspiracy theories about coverups, but critics unhappy with the commission's refusal to "point fingers" or its lukewarm resistance to White House claims of executive privilege may not be satisfied. The issues the commission wrestled with—official incapacity to prevent disaster, the government's use and misuse of intelligence, presidential accountability—are still in the headlines, which makes this lucid, absorbing account of its work very timely. Photos. (Aug. 15)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The 9/11 Commission Report (2004) was an exception to the rule that U.S. government publications are written in unreadable bureaucratese. Its plain English yielded sales of hundreds of thousands of copies, and its success indicates that a huge audience may exist for this account by the commission chairmen. Former politicians Kean and Hamilton adopt a chronological approach and a style dominated by descriptions of their investigative process: theirs is not a source for knowledge about the Islamic terrorist strikes of 2001. Information related to 9/11 does permeate the text, but it appears as the object of fact finding, such as the time line of the FAA's and NORAD's reactions to the hijackings. Along with the formal organization of the commission, Kean and Hamilton dwell on two habits of Washington that they worried would roil the commission: leaks and partisanship. As their narrative rolls forward, this leak or that partisan enters their story, whose most dramatic moments reside in the commission's televised hearings. These, one learns, had scant investigative value and were considered vehicles for educating the public about the terrible attacks. A continuation of that lofty aim, this volume's prominence is assured; less certain is the perseverance of average readers. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (August 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307263770
• ISBN-13: 978-0307263773
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,428,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A rare inside look at Washington political process August 25, 2006

By Fran Sepler

Format:Hardcover

I found this book fascinating. There are rarely Washington insiders with the narrative talent and an appreciation for process, and in this case, we have a book that provides both. The careful negotiations, resistance and calculations by federal agencies, the push and pull of partisan politics and the unique friendly-adversarial role of the 911 families provide for absorbing reading. If nothing else, the use of careful diplomacy by the authors in knowing when to wheedle and when to subpoena is a lesson unto itself. The delicacy of diplomacy and the ham-handedness of security considerations provide a rare insight into the difficulties of maneuvering inside the beltway, and the differences amongst and amidst the commission itself are more than simple sniping -- they are in many ways a laboratory for American political struggles. Recommended for policy wonks and aspiring diplomats, and for those, like me, who'd rather get the inside scoop on the White House than Hollywood.

17 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Important Dimension is added August 21, 2006

By o dubhthaigh VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

In all honesty, the book is a little dull, especially when compared with The Looming Tower, just published. There isn't a whole lot more revealed about the 9/11 coverup than what is in the official report. However, one very striking detail is highlighted and ought to be taken seriously by the lemmings who live below the 49th parallel and above the Mexican Border: Alberto Gonzales is the man who stood between the 9/11 Commission and what the Bush administration did, failed to do, and then covered up.

The US version of the Spanish Inquisitor is the architectural genius behind the current administration's efforts to dismantle the separation of powers encoded in the US Constitution, behind the US refusal to be held to the Geneva Convention in the detainment and treatment of prisoners, the chief interrogator in the gulag of secret prisons in Eastern European and Western Asian countries used by the CIA to torture Al-Qayeda suspects, and the one who has changed the make-up of the Civil Rights division of the Justice Department from a wing that essentially hired on merit attorneys with a proven track record enforcing civil rights, to politically appointing attorneys who worked in the private sector defending or attacking civil rights and affirmative action standards. In other words, kangaroo courts.

Through the course of Kean and Hamilton's book, you are confronted with repeated efforts by Gonzales to stonewall the 911 Commission from completeing its publicly stated and Congressionally mandated mission. Gonzales acts on "behalf of his client." Excuse me?!?! Kean and Hamilton stop short of accusing Gonzales of obstruction, but it's quite clear that every effort is being made to ensure that the "client" never testifies or is interviewed on his own. Meanwhile, scores of Muslims are tortured and interrogated whether or not they had any active role in any Islamist organization.

Kean and Hamilton allow the reader to draw their own conclusions, but it is clear that Kean is disgusted with the subterfuge of the W administration, appalled at the way the US Constitution is consistently undermined, infuriated that this government will not acknowledge how it has failed its citizenry, and determined to be part of that movement within his party to reclaim the integrity of Linclon's party.

Good luck, Tom. You have an uphill battle against an entrenched mentality that harkens back to McCarthy and even to 1930's Germany. For the rest of us, what this book portends is the awakening of an electorate to their own self-deception at the hands of those who would cry wolf. The wolf in fact is already here. You all elected him President. Twice.

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Leadership! August 16, 2006

By Loyd E. Eskildson HALL OF FAME

Format:Hardcover

Kean and Hamilton's invaluable leadership skills in the 9/11 Commission come through naturally, quite clearly, and throughout "Without Precedent." The effort easily could have foundered through political squabbling - either among commission members themselves, or with information sources that had various reasons to without cooperation. Fortunately, Kean and Hamilton learned from prior commissions (eg. those investigating Pearl Harbor and President Kennedy's assassination) and emphasized bi-partisanship in staffing selections, seating, public interviews, and formulating the final report - and thereby provided an excellent product.

The idea of forming an independent commission to look into 9/11 was first voiced 10/01, but it took over a year before it was created. Part of the reason was a joint House/Senate Intelligence Committee investigation that had already started - however, it lacked the time etc. to go into sufficient detail, and was hampered by White House refusal to submit various documents or personnel for review.

Similarly, the White House opposed the creation of the commission - "would distract from waging the ongoing war on terrorism." Fortunately, pressure from the 9/11 families got the idea enacted. Then the real struggles began.

Security clearances took about two months despite many of the members having already served in high positions, and then there was the funding issue. Congress had provided only $3 million - Kean requested a staff determination of a more realistic amount ($14 million), and with Senators Lieberman and McCain (and the 9/11 families) was able to get it approved. (The Challenger Space Shuttle Commission used about $40 million; Republicans, however, were leery of the whole idea of a commission.

The next problem was over-coming resistance to allowing commission members to see the House/Senate inquiry conclusions, then several battles with the White House, FAA, and NORAD for access to materials. Thanks to Kean and Hamilton's patience, however, almost all these barriers were overcome.

Then it was on to NYC. Earlier, the Bloomberg administration had indicated that its cooperation would be limited, at best - despite having not even been involved. Again, however, the 9/11 Commission, building upon the credibility it had established in the prior months, overcame the resistance.

Finally, it was time for the commission report. Kean and Hamilton decided to word it in a manner that garnered unanimous support from the commissioners - thus, ensuring credibility. This too was accomplished.

If only all government was this effective!