--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, our position, and our chairman has…" description: "\"Well, our position, and our chairman has talked about this extensively, is that we had a lot of intelligence prior to 9/11. We knew that two al Qaeda o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/richard-ben-veniste-23923_al-qaeda_well-our-position-and-our-chairman-has-t_2583086.jpg" --- # Well, our position, and our chairman has talked about this… ![“Well, our position, and our chairman has talked about this extensively, is that we had a lot of intelligence prior to 9/11. We knew that two al Qaeda operatives who ultimately participated in the 9/11 disaster were in the United States. We didn't find them.” quote by Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/richard-ben-veniste-23923_al-qaeda_well-our-position-and-our-chairman-has-t_2583086.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/richard-ben-veniste-23923_al-qaeda_well-our-position-and-our-chairman-has-t_2583086.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/richard-ben-veniste-23923_al-qaeda_well-our-position-and-our-chairman-has-t_2583086.jpg) > “Well, our position, and our chairman has talked about this extensively, is that we had a lot of intelligence prior to 9/11. We knew that two al Qaeda operatives who ultimately participated in the 9/11 disaster were in the United States. We didn't find them.” [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intelligence existed before 9/11 but was not acted upon, highlighting failures in detection and response. **In simple terms:** We had intel, missed it. Key Takeaway Improve intelligence analysis and action. Themes security intelligence policy Mood serious urgent Type political analytical When to use this quote - terrorism prevention - government oversight - risk management Key Concepts political science law enforcement Questions to Reflect On - How can agencies better act on existing intel? - What systemic changes are needed? A Different Perspective Complexity of data may impede timely action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) ## Related quotes > [As you know, there are al Qaeda operatives that are taken back into Iran, given training as leaders, and they’re moving back into Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/as-you-know-there-are-al-qaeda-operatives-that-are-taken-back-into/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [ \[Subjects of the targeted killings\] are supposed to be high-level Al Qaeda operatives that pose an imminent threat to the U.S. and American personnel… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medea-benjamin/subjects-of-the-targeted-killings-are-supposed-to-be-high-level-al/) [Medea Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medea-benjamin/) > [They have involved co-operation between the Iraqi intelligence and al-Qaeda operatives on training and combined operations regarding bomb making and chemical and biological weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-have-involved-co-operation-between-the-iraqi-intelligence-and-al/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Were there contacts over time between Iraq and al-Qaeda? Yes, there were efforts made to communicate. We found no evidence of collaboration in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/were-there-contacts-over-time-between-iraq-and-al-qaeda-yes-there/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [“The Special Operations Network was instigated to handle policing duties considered either too unusual or too specialized to be tackled by the regular force.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/the-special-operations-network-was-instigated-to-handle-policing/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“People always think that they'll never break. They'll never give in, CIA operatives somehow crack, but not them”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-thomas/people-always-think-that-they-ll-never-break-they-ll-never-give-in/) [Kitty Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-thomas/) > [I would like all newspapers to become workers' co-operatives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/i-would-like-all-newspapers-to-become-workers-co-operatives/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/) > [“To achieve its New World Order plans, the Omega Agency needed people who could make use of their primordial instincts, who wouldn’t question the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morcan/to-achieve-its-new-world-order-plans-the-omega-agency-needed-people/) [James Morcan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morcan/) > [“All true, I suppose, but Caine is not the man you think he is. Do you have any idea how much blood is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/all-true-i-suppose-but-caine-is-not-the-man-you-think-he-is-do-you/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [Any suggestion that I'm writing about political operatives because I'm interested in political operatives misses the entire point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-woodward/any-suggestion-that-i-m-writing-about-political-operatives-because-i/) [Bob Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-woodward/) > [If you don't understand what al Qaeda was trying to do on 9/11, if you don't have a sense of who Osama bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-you-don-t-understand-what-al-qaeda-was-trying-to-do-on-9-11-if-you/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I was on the front lines in the Cold War, and I was on the front lines in the fight against Al Qaeda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-haspel/i-was-on-the-front-lines-in-the-cold-war-and-i-was-on-the-front-lines/) [Gina Haspel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-haspel/) > [The people who illegally cross into the country are from countries that have very close ties to al Qaeda, whether it's Yemen or Afghanistan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/the-people-who-illegally-cross-into-the-country-are-from-countries/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [ This war \[in Syria\] is going to support Al-Qaeda and the same people that killed Americans in the 11th of September. The second thing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/this-war-in-syria-is-going-to-support-al-qaeda-and-the-same-people/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [There's overwhelming evidence... circumstantial and otherwise, to suggest a connection between Iraq and al Qaeda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/there-s-overwhelming-evidence-circumstantial-and-otherwise-to-suggest/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) ## More by Richard Ben-Veniste > [With respect to the FBI, they had problems communicating in a vertical way, within the FBI itself, so that information of importance could get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/with-respect-to-the-fbi-they-had-problems-communicating-in-a-vertical/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [We've had public hearings. We've had interim reports, which our statute has encouraged us to provide to the public. We have brought the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/we-ve-had-public-hearings-we-ve-had-interim-reports-which-our-statute/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [In an age when many of our citizens casually reveal information about themselves in social media wildly beyond anything imaginable only a decade ago,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/in-an-age-when-many-of-our-citizens-casually-reveal-information-about/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [At bottom, the decision to pardon Nixon was a political judgment properly within the bounds of Ford's constitutional authority. The specter of a former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/at-bottom-the-decision-to-pardon-nixon-was-a-political-judgment/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [Without the tape-recorded evidence demonstrating irrefutably, in Nixon's own voice, his knowledge of and active involvement in obstruction of justice, it is likely that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/without-the-tape-recorded-evidence-demonstrating-irrefutably-in-nixon/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [Only the last two planes, I think, had any shot of being intercepted and taken down on 9/11.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/only-the-last-two-planes-i-think-had-any-shot-of-being-intercepted/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [We've got a daunting enough task to provide a definitive account of what happened in 9/11, without fear or favor, something that will last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/we-ve-got-a-daunting-enough-task-to-provide-a-definitive-account-of/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [Well, our concern has to do with the period prior to 9/11, up to and including the catastrophe that occurred. And thank goodness, we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/well-our-concern-has-to-do-with-the-period-prior-to-9-11-up-to-and/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [When Richard M. Nixon resigned and Ford became the 38th president of the United States, the Watergate Special Prosecutor's Office, of which I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/when-richard-m-nixon-resigned-and-ford-became-the-38th-president-of/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [No connection between Iraq and the 9/11 catastrophe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/no-connection-between-iraq-and-the-9-11-catastrophe/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [You can assert a fifth amendment privilege and not testify. But if you go in and swear to tell the truth, then you better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/you-can-assert-a-fifth-amendment-privilege-and-not-testify-but-if-you/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [I like Harvey Keitel. I liked him in Mean Streets. Im a fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/i-like-harvey-keitel-i-liked-him-in-mean-streets-im-a-fan/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [Were there contacts over time between Iraq and al-Qaeda? Yes, there were efforts made to communicate. We found no evidence of collaboration in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/were-there-contacts-over-time-between-iraq-and-al-qaeda-yes-there/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [But as I said to Dr. Rice following her testimony, and I think she appreciated it, we had our job to do and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/but-as-i-said-to-dr-rice-following-her-testimony-and-i-think-she/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [Well, our statute provides us with authority to conduct a very broad inquiry basically to provide an investigation of 9/11 that's thorough, complete and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/well-our-statute-provides-us-with-authority-to-conduct-a-very-broad/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) [Explore all 25 Richard Ben-Veniste quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) ## More Al qaeda quotes > [There's overwhelming evidence... circumstantial and otherwise, to suggest a connection between Iraq and al Qaeda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/there-s-overwhelming-evidence-circumstantial-and-otherwise-to-suggest/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Critics have stepped up their attacks on the President for authorizing the National Security Agency to listen to international communications of known al Qaeda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcclellan/critics-have-stepped-up-their-attacks-on-the-president-for/) [Scott McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mcclellan/) > [“I do not go to church. I don’t go to Christian church or Jew church or any other church. I don’t go to church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/i-do-not-go-to-church-i-don-t-go-to-christian-church-or-jew-church-or/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [ This war \[in Syria\] is going to support Al-Qaeda and the same people that killed Americans in the 11th of September. The second thing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/this-war-in-syria-is-going-to-support-al-qaeda-and-the-same-people/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [The people who illegally cross into the country are from countries that have very close ties to al Qaeda, whether it's Yemen or Afghanistan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/the-people-who-illegally-cross-into-the-country-are-from-countries/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [The White House was signaling that the threat posed by Saddam Hussein was of such urgency that it had priority over the crushing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-graham/the-white-house-was-signaling-that-the-threat-posed-by-saddam-hussein/) [Bob Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-graham/) > [I was on the front lines in the Cold War, and I was on the front lines in the fight against Al Qaeda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-haspel/i-was-on-the-front-lines-in-the-cold-war-and-i-was-on-the-front-lines/) [Gina Haspel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-haspel/) > [If you don't understand what al Qaeda was trying to do on 9/11, if you don't have a sense of who Osama bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-you-don-t-understand-what-al-qaeda-was-trying-to-do-on-9-11-if-you/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Some have argued that the President is required to get permission from a federal court before taking action against a United States citizen who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/some-have-argued-that-the-president-is-required-to-get-permission/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [Iraq, for the first time, gives al Qaeda and its allies contiguous safe-haven territory to train and launch attacks into the Levant. First into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/iraq-for-the-first-time-gives-al-qaeda-and-its-allies-contiguous-safe/) [Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/) > [The idea the president of the United States was warned that Al-Qaeda was going to attack the United States and did nothing about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-idea-the-president-of-the-united-states-was-warned-that-al-qaeda/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [There's more evil in the charts than an Al-Qaeda suggestion box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/there-s-more-evil-in-the-charts-than-an-al-qaeda-suggestion-box/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [Muslim leaders around the globe have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocally reject the hateful ideology that groups like ISIL and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/muslim-leaders-around-the-globe-have-to-continue-working-with-us-to/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Mistreatment of al Qaeda members and their friends and hangers-on is something I number among my moral concerns. But it's number 1,000,000,001.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/mistreatment-of-al-qaeda-members-and-their-friends-and-hangers-on-is/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [(The United States) is the same as al-Qaeda, under a different color flag, calling on the name a different God to sanction and approve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/the-united-states-is-the-same-as-al-qaeda-under-a-different-color/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) Browse all 360 Al qaeda quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Well, our position, and our chairman has talked about this extensively, is that we had a lot of intelligence prior to 9/11. We knew that two al Qaeda operatives who ultimately participated in the 9/11 disaster were in the United States. 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