19 Days: The John O’Neill Story — References Podcast EP #25

Sep 11

2 min read

About This Episode

Long before most Americans knew the name al-Qaeda, FBI agent John O’Neill was already following the threat.

19 Days: The John O’Neill Story follows his work from the FBI’s terrorism investigations to the final nineteen days of his life as head of security at the World Trade Center.

This page contains the reports, interviews, articles and archival materials used to research the episode. As always, the Archivists are invited to explore the sources, review the evidence and reach their own conclusions.

A Note About the Research

This episode draws from official government reports, contemporaneous news coverage, archival interviews and later investigative reporting.

Some questions discussed in the episode remain disputed. In particular, the theory that the CIA may have been attempting to recruit one or more future hijackers has been attributed to Richard Clarke and other former investigators. Philip Zelikow, executive director of the 9/11 Commission, has publicly rejected that theory and stated that the Commission found no supporting evidence.

The episode does not claim that John O’Neill knew the date or method of the September 11 attacks. It also does not claim that any agency deliberately allowed the attacks to occur.

References and Further Reading

CBS News. “Cole Blast Brouhaha.” CBS News, 5 July 2001.
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. “The 9/11 Commission Report.” U.S. Government Printing Office, 2004.
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. “Public Hearings and Archived Records.” National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 2004.
National September 11 Memorial & Museum. “John O’Neill’s FBI Jacket and Passport Embody His Enduring Fight Against Terrorism.” National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
PBS FRONTLINE. “The Man Who Knew.” FRONTLINE, PBS, 2002. Documentary, interviews, chronology and supporting materials.
United States Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General. “A Review of the FBI’s Handling of Intelligence Information Prior to the September 11 Attacks: Chapter Five.” Office of the Inspector General, June 2005.
Wright, Lawrence. “The Agent.” The New Yorker, 3 July 2006.
Wright, Lawrence. “The Counter-Terrorist.” The New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2002.
Zelikow, Philip. “9/11 Commission Director: No Evidence That CIA Sought to Recruit Future 9/11 Hijackers.” The Cipher Brief, 2017.