The American Truth (The American Truth - September 11th Attacks)

by Nick Shelton

  Four

  Number of cable spools that stood untouched in front of the Pentagon’s damage area. These spools were left on the Pentagon’s lawn after recent renovations. The largest spool stood over six feet tall and was approximately 25 feet from the Pentagon’s outer wall.

  Even if Hani Hanjour miraculously maneuvered a Boeing 757 an inch off the ground, it does not explain why these objects in the plane’s path remained untouched. This leads many experts to believe something smaller and more nimble than a Boeing 757 hit the Pentagon on 9/11.

  63

  Out of 64 passengers on Flight 77 that were identified by DNAtesting or fingerprinting (the only one not identified was a toddler).

  Despite the intense heat generated by 825 °C burning jet fuel, officials were able to identify all but one of the victims from Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon. However, these same officials were unable to find any pieces of the plane.

  There was no trace of the two six-ton plane engines that were made out of nearly-indestructible material, nor any other identifiable part of the plane. The only materials found were small ambiguous pieces that many experts say do not look like parts from a Boeing 757.

  According to this evidence, delicate DNA materials withstood the extreme heat and collision, but a highlyadvanced aircraft was completely vaporized.

  Charles Burlingame

  Name of the Naval Reserve Captain who worked as a liaison at the Pentagon for anti-terrorism strategies. Ironically, he was the pilot of Flight 77 that hit the Pentagon on 9/11.

  25,000

  Approximate number of employees and personnel at the Pentagon on a given day. However, only 125 lives were claimed on 9/11.

  The plane hit the only section of the Pentagon that had been renovated for a better defense against a terrorist attack. Since the renovation was still incomplete, most of the impact area was unoccupied by Department of Defense employees. Even though few lives were lost in the Pentagon strike, this section did contain many files that held secret government information, most of which were forever destroyed.

  Operation Northwoods

  A plan proposed in 1962 by the U.S. Department of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff that suggested the U.S would attack itself in order to gain support for military action against Cuba.

  This plan called for deaths of American citizens and other acts of terror that would be blamed on the Cuban government. Its purpose was to create a cataclysmic event like a “new Pearl Harbor” that would arouse American willingness for war. Specifically, the plan called for the following acts (see if any sound familiar to 9/11):

  • Taking down an unmanned aircraft that would be reported as a commercial aircraft full of innocent passengers.

  • Bombing and destroying an American ship harbored at Guantanamo Bay (with real military casualties possibly involved).

  • Developing a “Communist Cuban Terror Campaign” in major cities that would be widely publicized by the media.

  Luckily, this plan was never implemented. However, it may have been studied by American leaders in the 21st century.

  PNAC

  Abbreviation for Project of New American Century. PNAC is a neoconservative group established to promote U.S. global leadership. Their pro-war beliefs and foreign relations policies have been heavily criticized for wanting to “take over the world.”

  When the group was founded in 1997, they hypothesized that several things were needed to ensure U.S. global dominance:

  • Significant increase of U.S. military spending;

  • Strengthening ties with allies and challenging regimes hostile to US interests;

  • Promoting the cause of political and economic freedom outside the U.S.

  The group publicly stated that their objectives would not be met without the aid of a “New Pearl Harbor” that would increase military spending and encourage an American willingness for war. Conveniently, 9/11 gave them just what they wanted.

  This group is not a group of extremists who keep their identities unknown. Rather, the group is comprised of top members of the Bush Administration. Just to name a few: Dick Cheney (Vice-President), Donald Rumsfeld (former U.S. Secretary of Defense), Paul Wolfowitz (president of the World Bank), Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad (U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan), and Jeb Bush (brother of George W. Bush and governor of Florida).

  6 weeks

  Amount of time that it took the U.S. government to install the PATRIOT Act after 9/11. The 300-page document was written, passed by both branches of Congress, and signed by the President in a matter of 45 days. In order to prepare this document so quickly, many experts believe that the Bush Administration had started writing it long before 9/11.

  $2.5 million

  Amount of profits earned by an individual (or organization), who heavily invested in Put Options just before 9/11. Put Options are placed when an investor predicts a stock will fall.

  The Put Options were mainly placed on American Airlines and other top corporations that suffered heavy losses due to the 9/11 tragedy.

  Never before were so many Put Options of United and American Airlines traded in one day. Normally, Put Options are on a 1:1 ratio with Call Options (investors use Call Options when they predict a stock will increase). On September 7, there was a 12:1 ratio between Put and Call Options.

  The most shocking part is that the rightful owner of the $2.5 million still remains unknown.

  $46 billion

  Current net worth of Warren Buffet, the second richest man in the world. Around 3:00 pm on 9/11, President Bush arrived at Offutt Air Force Base where he could conduct affairs in a secure location. Oddly enough, Warren Buffet was also at Offutt at that time hosting a golf tournament. The small town of 8,901 just so happened to host the world’s most powerful leader and the world’s second richest man during one of most crucial dates in U.S. history.

  Also worth noting: Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Co. owns millions of shares of the world’s top oil companies.

  2nd Largest Oil Reserves

  If Warren Buffet is the second richest man in terms of money, Iraq is the second richest nation in terms of oil. In hopes of gaining more control of oil, the U.S. has long had its eye on grabbing the oil fields in Iraq. Staging a war in Iraq would allow the U.S. to gain Iraqi oil like the Bush family and PNAC have been wanting.

  Zero

  Number of reprimands in the U.S military for allowing 9/11 to occur. In most societies, top military officials are forced to step down after allowing a major catastrophe. However, after 9/11, most U.S. officials were promoted to higher positions, which were made possible by the increase in U.S. military spending.

  It is illogical to think that 19 Muslim terrorists who could barely fly a single-man plane could bypass the most advanced air defense system in the world. U.S. air defense identifies any aircraft that flies off course and dispatches fighter jets to escort these aircraft within minutes. On 9/11, however, they failed to act when three hijacked planes flew off course for over 30 minutes in the two most-protected air spaces on the planet.

  11 miles

  Distance from Andrews Air Force Base and the Pentagon. Fighter jets could have been scrambled and been at the Pentagon in less than five minutes.

  Also, Washington D.C. arguably has the world’s most advanced air defense shield protecting its restricted airspace.

  $2.3 trillion

  Amount of money that was unaccounted for from U.S. military spending on September 10, 2001. On the day before 9/11, Donald Rumsfeld announced that the Pentagon had lost track of $2.3 trillion worth of transactions. To this day, no one knows what happened to all that money.

  To give you a perspective of how much money this is, this is what you could do with $2,300,000,000,000: • Provide food, clean water, and educational opportunities to 300 million African children for 21 years.1

  •Purchase a brand new Chevrolet Aveo for everyone in America who is 16 years of age or older.

  •Buy everyone in the world a mobile phone (
which also serves as a digital camera and internet browser), an iPod, a Sony PlayStation 2 (which also serves as a CD and DVD player), a portable television set, and a copy of this book.2

  •Combine the wealth of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and the eight other top 10 richest people in the world, and still be ten times richer than the combined wealth of these ten individuals. 3

  Conveniently, the 9/11 terrorist acts made headlines the next day, and this major issue was quickly swept under the rug.

  18,500,000

  Number of website matches that come up when you search for “The 9/11 Conspiracy Theories” on Google. com. Just to give you a reference, here is what you would get in other Google Searches:

  Sexual Intercourse 1,650,000

  Twin Towers 1,930,000

  Oprah Winfrey 2,030,000

  Osama bin Laden 3,550,000

  The Holy Bible 6,640,000

  Jesus Christ 33,200,000

  Democrat 37,400,000

  George W. Bush 58,900,000

  Republican 64,500,000

  Failure 249,000,000 1

  1 Based upon Google search results on December 25, 2006. To the 2,992 who died on that tragic September day.

  Chapter 1

  The Pentagon September 11, 2001 9:40 a.m.

  The vacuum from the explosion sucked the oxygen from his lungs as Nathan Alexander crashed to the floor.

  The giant explosion devastated Nathan’s surroundings. Chairs flipped over, littering the floor with Pentagon employees. Many were hit by collapsing file cabinets. Ceiling tiles rained down.

  Nathan quickly jumped up. His pupils dilated as adrenaline rushed through his body. His ears picked up every sound--the cries for help, the groans of pain, the sharp intakes of surprise.

  Only moments before, the large corridor that housed the Communications Division had been filled with a click, click, click of keyboards echoing between its marble walls. Now, the sound of tragedy filled the air. Above all the startled voices, a whistling noise grew with staggering intensity. Within seconds, a second blast exploded, leaving a deafening thunder in its wake.

  The building rumbled as if it were experiencing an earthquake. Nathan wobbled back and forth as he struggled to keep balance. At 38, the former naval officer was in excellent shape. That, combined with his willpower, helped him stay on his feet while others around him hit the floor.

  Although the Pentagon employees were experienced with emergency situations, nothing could simulate the current atmosphere. The piercing alarm and flashing emergency lights added to the commotion.

  Fear of the situation caused the military personnel to ignore the protocol of making a calm, orderly evacuation. Within seconds, everyone made a dash to the exit.

  Nathan spotted a security officer getting into position at the stairwell for an evacuation. He headed toward him to offer assistance.

  “Tell me what to do!” he shouted above the roar.

  The security officer motioned toward the door. “Follow everyone else.”

  Nathan had no intention of jumping ship.

  He surveyed the mayhem and spotted several older veterans on the ground, getting trampled by the mad dash to the exit. Thoughts of his wife flooded his mind as he envisioned her experiencing the same destruction and chaos in her office.

  Nathan’s heart told him to get out as soon as possible, to find Cindy in her section of the Pentagon. His instincts, however, pulled him towards the men on the floor.

  He ran to the aid of three fallen figures, helping them to their feet and leading them to the stairwell. Once they were on their way to safety, he’d go for his wife.

  Then, it hit him. My knife. Nathan turned around and fought through the wave of desperate Pentagon employees.

  He got back to his desk and grabbed the knife the President of the United States had awarded to his father for his service as a Navy SEAL. It was more than a memento--his father had earned it by rescuing a band of captured soldiers in Vietnam. It represented who his father was, who Nathan wanted to be. He wanted to hand down this valuable heirloom to his own son. He flashbacked to the moment his father gave him the knife three years ago--it was the day before he died. His father made him promise that he’d always strive to uphold the Alexander family legacy of being true American patriots.

  He tucked the knife into his pocket and again sprinted to the exit. He ran into Robert Montgomery, his good friend who frequently collaborated with him on completing the Pentagon’s media reports.

  Robert began sniffing. “You smell that?”

  “Yeah, what is it?” said Nathan, as he nearly tripped by running too fast down the stairs.

  “Cordite.”

  “Cordite? The stuff in explosives?”

  “I’d know that smell anywhere--we used it in our artillery shells in the Gulf.”

  At the base of the stairs, another security officer directed the flow of traffic. Dozens of Pentagon employees struggled to funnel out the exit of the five-story, five-sided building.

  Once outside, yet another security officer directed everyone to a vacated parking lot across the street. Nathan broke rank and headed across the lawn, toward the section of the building where his wife worked.

  Then he saw it.

  A thick cloud of smoke was rising from the west side of the Pentagon. Through the dense black fog, Nathan could see a hole in the face of the building.

  His heart sank. Cindy!

  2 Nick Shelton

  Nathan sprinted toward the damaged area.

  Chapter 2

  Pentagon Lawn

  September 11, 2001 9:48 a.m.

  Nathan sprinted toward the damaged area. “Sir!” Asecurity officer stopped Nathan by outstretching his arm. “You can’t go any farther.”

  “My wife’s in there!”

  “All access to the building is restricted.”

  “I’ve got to make sure she’s alright.” Nathan pushed forward.

  The security officer forced his palm into Nathan’s chest, preventing him for entering the building. “If your wife’s still in there, our people will get her out.”

  Nathan turned around and sprinted to the parking lot, praying she got out before the fires started. He frantically scanned the tops of the heads of the crowd that had gathered, desperately looking for his wife’s golden blonde hair. Please, he pleaded silently. Please.

  His search became increasingly intense with every passing second. He lost all sense of time. He had never known such anxiety-- his heart slammed against his ribs, and his stomach twisted and churned.

  As he searched the far side of the lot, a television reporter stuck a microphone in front of his face. Nathan, a communications officer, was accustomed to speaking in front of a camera, but today he had no time for the media.

  “Sir, were you in the building when the plane crashed?”

  “Aplane?” Nathan glanced over the scene. Firefighters were hopelessly battling a ball of fire. “That’s what caused this?”

  “It’s just like what happened in New York earlier today. Were you in the building at the time?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you tell us about your experience?”

  “I didn’t know what happened.” Nathan was distracted by the flaring flames that engulfed the building. “I’m sorry. I have to find my wife.”

  As Nathan ran off, an onslaught of security guards reached the news crew. “Pull back!” The guard had his weapon unnecessarily drawn. “That’s an order.”

  “We’re civilians. You can’t order us—” the newscaster started to say before he was whisked away by the team of security guards.

  Nathan waited in parking lot until midnight. The smoldering fires were now extinguished, and all other employees had left. Only dedicated journalists working around the clock to cover the story still lingered. Nathan prayed for a sign that his wife had survived.

  He took out his wallet and stared at a family picture. His fingers trembled as he stared into the photo of him standing with Cindy and the k
ids.

  Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Robert Montgomery approaching. Nathan had called Robert earlier that afternoon to check on his kids. He now turned to his friend in desperation. “Have you heard anything? How are Nick and Claire?”

  Robert slowly kept walking to him, saying nothing.

  For several seconds, it felt like time was suspended.

  Robert looked into Nathan’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Nathan. She didn’t make it.” Nathan’s chin buried into his chest. Robert embraced his friend, letting Nathan’s pain run out onto his shoulder.

  Chapter 3

  The Pentagon

  September 1, 2001 7:02 a.m.

  Safety crews cleared Nathan’s department at the Pentagon at a record pace. His boss, Major Leibner, ordered him to report back to work less than 48 hours after the tragedy.

  Leibner walked up to his desk and dropped a six-inch stack of folders in front of him. “Nathan, I’m truly sorry for the loss of your wife. I know you don’t want to be here right now, but we have a crisis to take care of. We need you to handle the press releases and the media communications covering the terrorist attacks. These documents have all the facts and descriptions you’ll need.”

  Nathan looked through the list of 19 Middle Eastern names who were the suspected hijackers. “Where did these reports come from?”

  “From up top.”

  “What’s the turn-around time on this?”