Saturday, December 5, 2009

9/11: Did the Solicitor General lie about receiving phone calls from his wife Barbara Olson?

Andrew Alexander
Ombudsman
The Washington Post

Dear Mr. Alexander:

RE: On Flight 77: 'Our Plane Is Being Hijacked'
By Marc Fisher and Don Phillips
September 12, 2001; Page A01


According to the Washington Post, Barbara K. Olson called her husband twice on September 11, 2001 in the final minutes of Flight 77. Her last words to him were, "What do I tell the pilot to do?"

"She called from the plane while it was being hijacked," said Theodore Olson — 42nd Solicitor General of the United States. "I wish it wasn't so, but it is."

However, prosecution exhibit P200054 (attached) in United States v. Zacarias Moussaoui shows that Barbara Olson made only one phone call — it did not connect, and it lasted for 0 seconds!

Both accounts of Barbara Olson's phone calls — the Solicitor General's and the prosecution's in United States v. Zacarias Moussaoui — cannot be correct.

This is not a trivial issue.

The Solicitor General's account of this phone call was picked up by major news media around the world, it helped define the narrative of September 11, 2001, was repeated in "The 9/11 Commission Report" (page 9), and it could impact the trial of the alleged 9/11 "mastermind" Khaled Sheikh Mohammed.

The Post owes its readers a correction of the record of this historic, tragic day.


Sincerely,
Enver Masud

Founder and CEO
The Wisdom Fund
www.twf.org

xxxx Hayes Street
Arlington, VA 22202

Phone: 703-521-xxxx

3 comments:

auggie paul said...

It is items like this that make me
believe the whole 911 situation needs to be re-exanined

Moderator said...

December 6, 2009

Mr. Masud,

Thanks for writing. I will forward your e-mail to The Post's National desk, so they are aware of the issue you've raised.

Best wishes,
Andy Alexander
Washington Post Ombudsman

Moderator said...

The 9/11 Commission Report, page 455:

See note 57 on cell phone and Airphone usage.