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S.E. Wood Airline security revisited Some of you may recall this already, but it
needs to be reported again. In July 1996, following the mysterious
explosion of TWA Flight 800 over Long Island Sound, then-Vice
President Al Gore headed a presidential commission to tighten
airport security. One of the theories being considered following
the TWA disaster was that the explosion was the result of a terrorist
bomb slipped on board before takeoff from New York. So, on Aug. 22, 1996, President Clinton created
the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. He
named Gore to head the commission and gave them 45 days to submit
their recommendations. Gore accepted the position with the promise
to "take the strongest measures possible to reduce the risk
of terrorism and sabotage to airline passengers and crews."
On Sept. 9, 1996, Gore produced a strong preliminary report of
findings to back up his promise. When the airlines got wind of the preliminary
report, they realized that the new regulations would cost them
big bucks and began to apply political pressure. Gore, just two weeks prior to the 1996 presidential
election, wrote a letter to airline lobbyist Carol Hallett, promising
that the commission's findings would not cause the airlines any
loss of revenue. The very next day, the Democratic National
Committee (DNC) received a check from Trans World Airlines for
$40,000. Within two weeks, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines
and American Airlines coughed up another $55,000. But that was just for starters! In all, the
DNC received $250,000 from American, $120,000 from Delta, $115,000
from United and $87,000 from Northwest. Well over a half-million
dollars were given to the Democrat Party by members of the airline
industry during the final weeks of the Clinton-Gore re-election
campaign of 1996. When the commission presented its final draft
resolution in January 1997, most of its security recommendations
had been significantly watered down. Commission member Victoria
Cummock, whose husband had perished in the terrorist bombing
of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and CIA Director
John Deutch objected strongly and publicly over the "softball"
report. Gore withdrew the draft copy and reissued the final commission
report with most of the original safety measures reinstated.
They included: ·High-tech bomb detectors. ·More training for airport security
personnel. ·Aggressive testing of existing security
systems. ·Criminal background checks for security
personnel. ·Use of the Immigration and Customs
services to enhance security. ·Increase FBI participation in counter-terrorism
investigations. On Feb. 12, 1997, the final report was submitted
to Clinton. He congratulated Gore for such a fine job, and the
rest of the meeting was filled with the usual self-congratulatory
speeches. Only one minor problem: The report was "open ended."
It did not include a date for compliance. It wasn't worth the
paper it was written on! Gore delivered what he promised in his letter
to Hallett. Commission findings didn't cost the airline industry
any loss of revenue, because they didn't have to do anything. So, here we are again, five years and 6,000
deaths later, with a new presidential commission to make recommendations
for strengthening airport security. Would the events of this
past Sept. 11 have been different if the original recommendations
had been heeded? You tell me. · · · |