[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 132 (Thursday, October 4, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S10268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         PROBLEMS WITH THE FBI

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Illinois for his 
comments. He could not be more correct about the problems with the FBI. 
In fact, the FBI had a lot of information regarding the potential of 
the events on September 11 4 and 5 years ago, I have learned, in 
certain compartments. Regrettably, just because of the 
compartmentalization and the process, that information was never 
adequately followed up on, as I think we will learn over the course of 
the next few months. We regret that.
  There needs to be an enormous amount of work done in the coordination 
of the processing of information between the CIA and the FBI. The FBI, 
obviously, has been much more focused on prosecuting crimes after they 
happen and not necessarily on taking information and evaluating it in 
the context of a crime that may happen. The CIA has been much more 
involved in the processing of information. Their human intelligence 
component in the CIA has been so devastated in the last 10, 15 years, 
that we are light years behind where we ought to be.
  I will correct my colleague. We had the security chief from El Al in 
yesterday with Senator Hollings. He said that every facet of airline 
security is in fact Government managed at this point--in fact, the 
employees. I don't know if that was an older process or what. 
Yesterday, El Al gave us a clear description of how they are doing it 
now. It is entirely managed by the Government, which is precisely what 
we are suggesting ought to happen here.
  (The remarks of Mr. Kerry pertaining to the introduction of S. 1499 
are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from New Jersey for his 
courtesy in allowing me to step in front of him to introduce this 
legislation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.

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