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The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation | 
 enlarge | Author: Philip Shenon
Publisher: Twelve
List Price: $27.00
Buy New: $17.82
You Save: $9.18 (34%)
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Rating:  35 reviews
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.6
ISBN: 0446580759
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931
EAN: 9780446580755
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In a work of history that will make headlines, New York Times reporter Philip Shenon investigates the investigation of 9/11 and tells the inside story of most important federal commission since the the Warren Commission. Shenon uncovers startling new information about the inner workings of the 9/11 commission and its relationship with the Bush White House. The Commission will change our understanding of the 9/11 investigation -- and of the attacks themselves.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
Good reading on the inner workings of the 9/11 Commission December 5, 2008
Some people have commented on the Shenons inability to debunk the official 9/11 story given by the government in this book. But there are just way too many inconsistencies and unanswered questions from the official story (as many of us already know) that if he was to get into all of them in this book, it would be much too long. Instead, he concentrates on just the fine details behind the 9/11 commission. After all, he did cover the story of the as a reporter for the NY Times. Any musings on the numerous conspiracy theories concerning 9/11 would probably have made his account on the 9/11 commission less credible to some readers.
I think the inclusion of some sort of footnotes on certain topics concerning the official government story would have been helpful though; if for no other reason than to point less informed readers in the direction of the 9/11 truth movement.
SHENON BOOK VERY GOOD, BUT HE CHICKENS OUT August 13, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have to point out that I really enjoyed this book just for the sheer insider details on the inner workings of the very flawed 9/11 Commission investigation provided by someone that was there from day one, and that is Philip Shenon.What sealed it for me was how Shenon quietly and mysteriously leaves and open ended statement for all to ponder over at the very very end of his book (page 423). SEE BELOW.
What do I mean by that? Well, to me, Shenon contradicts all other 400 + pages of his book with that final selection of words.And to me, that is fascinating in the fact that he confesses to wanting to tell us more but he is afraid to.Why? Is he terrified of losing his D.C. insider status?
As someone else points out here, you must read David Ray Griffin's review
of Shenon's book to find out what very important issues Shenon leaves out of his book.See March 19th,2008 review.
I don't need to go over all the points to DRG's review, but I urge you to read it for yourself.
But ultimately, BOTH Griffin and Shenon fail to point out the main ommission, and that is Israel's complicit connection to the 9/11 attacks, which is the smoking gun.
Despite all the coverups that seem to lead above and beyond just hiding whom was at fault in the U.S. government - past and present, Shenon does not go above and beyond to find out the real story.
It disturbs me to this day that Shenon writes (page 118) in his book that conspiracy theories were well debunked early on and that evidence of Al Qeada alone was behind the attacks based on a Bin Laden video tape (which was proven to NOT be him) and that OBL dispatched 19 Arab hijackers personally and that all of them were aboard the four planes is laughable being that the mainstream media and other credible sources , domestic and internationally, have reported 7 of the hijackers alive post 9/11.
Then Shenon mentions the well documented money plot.Where in his book does he describe the commission's details on the money plot? Kean himself was quoted as saying that "the money trail was of unimportance".
But we all know it is and was, it's just that the commission did not even mention the Pakistan ISI Chief and his wiring of $100,000 to Atta just prior to 9/11.
This part of Shenon's book may NOT of been read by most reader's because it is in the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS section of the book at the very end and in the final paragraph.Shenon writes this:
"if the full truth is ever told about
September 11, 2001, 'it will be the doing of the
9/11 families'
. "It has not been told yet."
What hasn't been told yet? Shenon writes that the attacks were just what the commission said it was.19 hijackers on four planes as ordered & carried out by Bin Laden.
Shenon tells us of the failures of the Bush administration,the CIA,the NSC,FBI, and so on and goes into detail about the blame game.
It seems to me Shenon covered it all here.
What truth by the 9/11 families is there still yet to be told? And how would they be the ones that will tell it, if no one in the U.S. government is willing to reinvestigate despite the numerous protests by the families and 9/11 activists?
I emailed Shenon initially once to praise him for his book and he replied immediately with a thank you.
But when I followed up with several emails with this question, he has ignored me.
Hi Philip,
One quick question.
What did you mean SPECIFICALLY about the ending comment in your book The Commission? Being that your book just came out recently, what does the family have left in their game plan after all these years (it's been about 4 since the commission report was published).Is there something we should know about?
What truth if ever told would be the doing of the 9/11 families that has not been told yet?
We already know about the sheer incompetence at the least.
There is only one thing left.
I can handle your thoughts if you are willing to share them with me!
Best,
Marc
As far as I am concerned, Shenon's book has added to the conspiracy phenomenom of 9/11.
 interesting account of the goings-on behind the 9/11 Commission August 11, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is about the machinations behind the scenes at the 9/11 Commission and how those machinations ultimately led to the report of the 9/11 Commission. There was a great deal of skepticism about the credibility of the 9/11 report and it is these beliefs, often true, though sometimes not, which Shenon investigates in this revealing and somewhat disturbing book. I say disturbing because of the extent to which the commission was politicized and employed to fight partisan battles. Obviously it would be impossible to withdraw political considerations from any process, but one would think that in an investigation into one of the most tragic, dreadful attacks on the United States, important people could put aside political interests and simply tell the truth. Obviously that was unlikely-I am not Pollyannish enough to believe otherwise, but one can hope.
The Bush administration was opposed to the concept of an investigation into the September 11 attacks at first. They were grudgingly forced, by the protests of some prominent widows of the September 11 attacks and increasingly, by public pressure, to agree to the formation of a commission. Philip Shenon, who covered the activities of the Commission for the New York Times has turned over a lot of stones and investigated a lot of leads to see where interference and stonewalling manifested themselves in the investigation; of course such activities were not universal, but they did happen a lot.
Once the Bush administration realized they would have to accept an investigation into the attacks of September 11, President Bush selected controversial former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to be executive director. The executive director would be the commissioner who signed off on all parts of the commission's findings. However, his unwillingness to divulge some of his clients cut short his candidacy for the position and instead, the White House turned to Philip Zelikow, a Russia scholar with close ties to Condoleeza Rice, then US National Security Advisor. His ties to Rice were deemed unimportant during the selection process and he was cleared to be head of the Commission. Additionally, Shenon writes that the White House's selection of high-profile bi-partisan heads of the commission, men who would have given the commission more credibility and who might have made its mandate more urgent-former Sen. George Mitchell and former Clinton cabinet member Richard Holbrook among them-could not serve, and instead the White House turned to former Rep. Lee Hamilton (R-Indiana) and former New Jersey governor, Thomas Kean (D). Both men were very reasonable and competent but it would seem their lesser political stature and more passive political identities hindered their ability to get access to the full range of documents they might have wanted in order to conduct a more complete investigation for the Commission. Whether their selection was welcomed by those who wanted to cover up some of the activities which happened in the run-up to 9/11 is unknown, but it would seem that the Commission could have done a more comprehensive investigation (whether one liked what one found being immaterial) had the Commission been headed by Mitchell and another more prominent politico.
Shenon was the beneficiary of a lot of co-operation from people integral to the investigation and this enhances the credibility of his book. We know that the conclusions he reaches are based on the co-operation and involvement of many with a great deal of influence within the Commission. We get sufficient background on all the commissioners so that we know a little bit about all of them, and what their interests might be. The vast majority of the commissioners seem to be well-chosen for their task and they seem, by-and-large, to do a great job in a very challenging and historic investigation.
The book, ultimately, seems to be the story of the very smooth but somewhat manipulative way in which Philip Zelikow leads the 9/11 Commission. He creates enemies on the staff due to a brusque, imperious manner, and the perception that he is a tool of the Bush administration in an attempt to game the commission. Shenon also documents the manner in which Zelikow sets up the commission so that he has the final say on the way the various sections of the report are worded which does not diminish claims that Shenon is a biased player in the investigation into the events preceding 9/11. To this reader, Zelikow's selection was a very crafty way to game the findings of the 9/11 commission. More than that, the selection of Kean and Hamilton allowed Zelikow to lead the commission with a freer hand. It would seem-at least to me-that Kean and Hamilton were not skeptical enough of Zelikow's motives.
In any case, this is ultimately a carefully researched, thoughtful look at the work of a commission whose work was undeniably valuable, but which was to some degree gamed by interests within the Bush administration. For anyone curious about a very politicized era and the degree to which the 9/11 commission was compromised to some degree by politicization, this is a crucial read.
Fantastic. Read it! July 19, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you are interested in 9/11 quickly move your mouse to the 1-click button (nay, sign up for Amazon Prime first so the book arrives faster) and read this book and The Looming Tower. From the latter you will learn about Al-Qaeda -- those that created and run it and those that try to stop it. From the former you will learn about those who tried to stop it, and those such as Aschroft and Rice, who claim they tried but did everything they could to ignore it.
Although the primary story of the book is the dysfunctional workings of the 9/11 commission and the whitewashing that occurred as they were manipulated away from politically damaging information and instead took a "praise everyone" approach, the back story of the inept handling of information in the CIA, FBI, NSA and White House is even more interesting.
The book will leave you wondering "Why?". And more importantly, will we need to wait 100 years before all the players are dead and someone can really dig into and write about what really happened.
If you are a diehard Bush supporter, don't read this book. It will force you to question whether Bush and his advisors are great. And that would be problematic for a simple world. Also avoid fairy tales such as "The Emporer Has No Clothes" which could equally test your faith.
If you are unsure or mixed about your feelings of the Bush presidency, or you think he and the war in Iraq stink, this book will be fascinating and will raise many questions.
What the 9/11 Commission Report Forgot to Tell Us June 23, 2008
This book is a must read for every individual who has read the 9/11 Commission Report and still believes the report was independent and is the most reliable and accurate assessment of the 9/11 attacks. Philip Shenon clearly shows how the most important member of the Commission, Philip Zelikow, the Executive Director and the 9/11 Report's main author, did his best to manipulate and sway the investigation and final report in favor of his friends and like minded ideologues in the Bush Administration.
This book will undoubtedly infuriate most Americans who try to believe in our government and who expected honesty and credibility in the 9/11 investigation. Choosing the heavily conflicted Zelikow as the ED was the type of decision one would have expected from a third world country, it was the kind of decision that democracy suppressor Vladimir Putin of Russia would have been proud to have gotten away with. Shenon basically shows that when you start with rotten fish, you end up with rotten fish.
Overall, I would recommend this book, it provides some good additional insight into the 9/11 investigation and shows how politicized it really was. Following are some of the other positives and negatives of this book:
Positives:
1. It's an easy and entertaining read, similar to the 9/11 Commission Report, and also written for mass appeal and corporate media approval.
2. Has a good focus on Zelikow's many significant conflicts of interest and how the investigation and final report were heavily influenced by these conflicts.
3. Highlights the incompetence and credibility concerns of Condoleezza Rice and other top Administration officials (particularly Tenet and Ashcroft, and to a lesser extent, the infinitely incurious President Bush).
4. Provides some interesting insights into the commission's investigation and how important issues were addressed and resolved, including with the White House and the intelligence agencies.
5. Provides interesting color and background on most of the commissioners and a handful of the key staffers.
Negatives:
1. Somewhat light on new facts. A lot of Shenon's information can actually be found in the 9/11 Commission Report (although with much less attention and / or buried in the footnotes) and Kean & Hamilton's, "Without Precedent." It does have the benefit of some additional insight from interviews with approximately 40 commissioners and / or staff, as well as Andy Card.
2. It is almost comical that Shenon writes over 400 pages citing significant conflicts of interest by the commission's top member and author, a manipulated investigation and final report, significant and blatant intelligence failures, attempted "known" cover-ups, lying and unaccountable government and intelligence officials, etc, but then unquestionably assures us in about 1 page that only al-Qaeda was responsible??? It seems like a questionable conclusion on Shenon's part given some of the facts in his book appear to at least give rise to the "possibility" of complicity by others. David Ray Griffin's above review on March 19, 2008, actually addresses this issue in greater and more eloquent detail.
America failed the victims and families of 9/11 when we sat idly by and blindly accepted the white washed 9/11 Commission Report. Unfortunately, we will probably never have a reinvestigation of the 9/11 attacks, but Philip Shenon has at least done his part in showing a vastly different story to the account held in the 9/11 Commission Report. For his part, Shenon has corrected a small piece of history, I can only hope that some of the other commissioners or staffers follow in his footsteps in further setting the record straight.
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