by G. Edward Griffin

Updated 2007 February 13

from FreedomForce Website
 

It was widely rumored following 9/11 that President Bush publicly claimed he was watching TV in his limousine when he saw the first plane hit the Twin Towers. If true, this was an amazing statement, because there is no record of that event being broadcast live over TV.

Why should it have been?

There was no reason for a TV station to be showing live images of the Twin Towers before the first plane crash. How could the President see what didn't exist? I assumed that the rumors were not accurate and thought no more of it.

Then, at the end of January, 2006, we received an Internet link to an audio recording of Mr. Bush's speech and, lo and behold, that's exactly what he said. This was the signal for a rash of theories about the existence of a top-secret closed-circuit TV network that provided this image only to the President and his senior staff members so they could have a front-row seat to the event.

To be sure, the President said that he saw the first strike while sitting in his limousine prior to entering the classroom in Booker School where he was notified by his Chief of Staff, Andy Card, that there was a second strike. That would seem to make an airtight case that he must have been watching closed-circuit TV.

So what do we conclude? Is this the smoking gun, the accidental admission of guilt from which there is no escape?

Let us not be naive. To my knowledge, Mr. Bush has never offered a public explanation for this statement; but, there can be no doubt that, should he be pressed to do so, he would say that he was confused in his recollection because of the emotional drama of the day and that, "obviously," he must have been mentally visualizing video replays of the event.

Such plausible denial would be readily accepted by the press and the American public. Many people I know honestly believe they saw both planes strike the buildings on the morning of 9/11. When I tell them the first impact was not shown on television that day, they look puzzled and ask: "Are you sure?" This is understandable.

The two impacts were eighteen minutes apart. By the time of the second impact, there were multiple cameras to capture it from diverse angles and, from that moment forward, television viewers were inundated with replays of these images. The same plane was viewed from several locations, creating the impression that they were different planes.

To confuse matters further, the first impact actually was recorded on camera by Jules and Gedeon Naudeta, video documentary producers from France. On the morning of 9/11, the brothers were in Manhattan shooting scenes for a program about the lives of firefighters at New York's Engine 7 team, which is housed just a few blocks from the World Trade Center.

As their cameras were recording an interview on the street with the Twin Towers in the background, the first plane came into view and smashed into its target. It was an amazing coincidence that a camera should be rolling at that precise spot at that historic moment. However, this video was not shown on TV on 9/11. In fact, it was first shown on American TV over CBS on March 11, 2003, six months after the event.

So, the fact remains that, even though many people by now have seen the video of the first plane, they did not see it on 9/11. Yet, it is no wonder that they believe they did. The drama and horror of the event is so intense that, for most of us, everything has become blurred into a mental montage of repeated airplane crashes, smoke and fire, collapsing buildings, and desperate people. I don't see why the President, who is not noted for mental clarity, should be any different.

As everyone should know by now, I am convinced that President Bush had ample foreknowledge of the pending attacks on 9/11 but chose to let them happen, because that provided the apparent moral justification for military action in the Middle East and expansion of political power in the U.S. I am also convinced that the Trade Center buildings were brought down by controlled demolition. If I am correct, that means the explosives were put in place many weeks ahead of 9/11.

Such a technically complex operation could not have been executed in less time. Only demolition experts and military teams with years of training and experience can do that. Jihad terrorists could never have pulled it off. Furthermore, demolition teams could not have swarmed over the buildings' superstructures without the full knowledge and cooperation of their owners and managers.

It must be remembered that the firm in charge of electronic security for the World Trade Center on 9/11 was Securacom (later renamed as Stratesec), and that President Bush's brother, Marvin, was a Director. It should also be remembered that Securacom had the electronic-security contract at Dulles Airport where the terrorists are said to have escaped detection.

It also should be remembered that Marvin Bush's last year on the board at Stratesec coincided with his first year on the board of HCC Insurance, formerly Houston Casualty Co., one of the insurance carriers for the World Trade Center. And it should be remembered that the owner of the World Trade Center, Larry Silverstein, collected almost twice the amount from his insurance than he paid for the buildings just a few months previously, yet, the insurance companies did not contest the claim.

It's all an amazing coincidence, isn't it?

For more information about these coincidental connections, see www.commondreams.org/views03/0204-06.htm

Having said all this, I must confess that I have doubts about the closed-circuit TV theory – primarily because it's not very logical – at least not to me. If I were a top conspirator anticipating an event like this and wanted to appear taken by surprise, I would prefer to know as few of the details as possible so I could not be exposed by whistle-blowing accomplices or tripped up by unguarded statements like this.

I would set the master plan into motion and then let my generals and lieutenants take care of the implementation. The last thing I would want is a team of technicians and assistants aware that I was watching a TV image of the side of a building in anticipation of a "surprise" terrorist attack.

On the other hand, a false-flag operation of this magnitude would have to have on board a substantial number of trusted aids, security personnel, and technicians, and I must admit that rigging up a private TV link "for the eyes of the President only" would not be difficult nor would it necessarily expand the number of people already within that trusted core.

The bottom line is this. Those who are unable to consider the possibility that 9/11 was a false-flag operation (and that includes most Americans) will happily accept the plausible denial that Bush simply was confused. We have almost come to expect that of him.

That being the case, I think we should not waste time on the closed-circuit TV theory when there is so much hard evidence elsewhere that simply cannot be plausibly denied. We do our cause a disservice when we get away from the provable facts and wander into the realm of conjecture. It's in that realm that we lose credibility and look silly to the very people we are trying to reach with the truth.

OK, having said my piece, here is President Bush who will say his.

President Bush says "I saw the first plane"...