Why This Matters
The government has released declassified President's Daily Brief items from 1998 onward warning about Usama Bin Ladin, including a December 1998 item titled "Bin Ladin Preparing To Hijack US Aircraft and Other Attacks" and repeated reports of planned attacks inside the US. For researchers, journalists and the public, the posting turns previously secret intelligence summaries into searchable primary documents, adding to the historical record of what the White House was told before 9/11.
Key Takeaways
- Dozens of pre-9/11 PDB items on Bin Ladin are now public as downloadable PDFs, with publication dates from February 1998 forward.
- Titles show recurring warnings about hijackings, attacks inside the US, and possible chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear capability.
- The release expands open-source primary material for accountability research on what intelligence reached the president and when.
PDF Downloads
Terrorists seeking WMD capability (1 page)
Publication Date: February 13, 1998
In Brief - Middle East (1 page)
Publication Date: February 24, 1998
Islamic Threat to Western Interests (2 pages)
Publication Date: March 05, 1998
No Evidence Taliban Plans To Hand Over Bin Ladin (1 page)
Publication Date: April 29, 1998
Potential Targets for Anti-US Attacks by Bin Ladin (2 pages)
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