June 3, 2002 U.S. Senator Carl Levin calls for independent investigation of September 11 By Jennifer McNulty Speaking before the UC Santa Cruz Foundation, U.S. Senator Carl Levin called on Congress to create an independent "blue-ribbon panel" to investigate the performance of U.S. intelligence agencies before the September 11 terrorist attacks. Senator Carl Levin speaks May 30 at the University House, above. Levin is greeted by Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood, center photo. Former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, below, introduces Levin. Photos: Jim Burns Levin's remarks came during a May 30 University House reception attended by trustees of the UCSC Foundation, Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood, several faculty members, and other campus leaders. Former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta introduced Levin, a high-ranking Michigan Democrat, who was invited by Foundation trustee Anne Levin, whose husband Paul is Senator Levin's cousin. Levin discussed terrorism, the Enron scandal, and funding for education during his 45-minute visit. As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Levin has access to classified information regarding intelligence failures prior to the September 11 attacks. Recent news reports have detailed the FBI's failure to act on its agents' findings and "red flags" prior to the terrorist attacks. While stopping short of saying he thinks better coordination could have prevented the attacks, Levin echoed FBI Director Robert Mueller's recent admission that internal communication should have been better. Communication failures took place both "vertically and horizontally," at the highest levels of the FBI and between its Washington, D.C., headquarters and field offices, said Levin. The so-called "Phoenix memo," outlining a Phoenix FBI agent's concerns about students at a U.S. flight school, was distributed to 10 individuals, including members of the bureau's "Bin Laden" and "Radical Fundamentalist" units, and still no action was taken, said Levin. "I asked the FBI director last week why that information wasn't shared, and he didn't know," said Levin. "The director of the FBI didn't know." That memo should be made public, noted Levin, who is confident it will be released--if not leaked--before long. "The American people deserve to know what was in that memo," he said, adding that the only reason not to release the information is because it is "embarrassing to the FBI." Discussing funding for education, Levin was pessimistic, saying there's a large disparity between what the Bush administration has proposed for education and what congressional Democrats want. Responding to a question about the upcoming November elections and the Democrats' razor-thin one-vote majority in the Senate, Levin said much will hang on whether the president can transfer his popularity as the leader of the "war on terrorism" over to his leadership on the domestic front. Levin cautioned the audience to resist the short-term appeal of Bush's proposed permanent tax cut, which he said would severely deplete funds for critically important programs and services. "Bush says 'It's your money,'" said Levin. "Well, of course it's your money. And it's also your future, your environment, your schools, and your transportation systems that need maintenance and roads that need repair." Return to Front Page