The FBI is a strange, idiot/savant organisation, populated by character types ranging from 'quirky genius' to 'cover-your-ass' bureaucrats. It is wise to approach their press releases with a certain amount of scepticism.
I have regular contact with people who work in the testing and regulatory aspects of the civilian and military aviation industry. Without being told as much by anyone, I feel pretty sure in stating that there are legitimate reasons for not publicly releasing the contents of the Flight Data Recorder, and the ****pit Voice Recorder that were recovered from the Pentagon crash site.
Both uniits were severely damaged in the crash, and the subsequent fire. The scraps of information that can be retrieved from them really wouldn't serve any purpose for the general public. The recorders from the fourth aircraft (that crashed in the field), are still being analysed. Bits of information have been released, like a brief summary of the coercion being applied to the pilots just before the flight changed course.
Again, other than satisfying a certain morbid curiosity, there is no purpose to be served by playing the tapes on prime-time TV. This stuff carries an extremely heavy emotional loading. I really don't think we want to see the kind of 'foaming-at-the-mouth' screams for immediate vengeance that would result. There is a lot of anger. Without a specific place to focus that energy, the results could be as destructive as the damage already inflicted.
This is not the usual cops-and-robbers stuff. This is an international head-game where psychological warfare is at least as important as military action. The Americans risk erosion of public support by not being entirely open, but they have been making their case to various world leaders as they are approached for support. Its a judgement call, and a lot of the information that goes into the decision-making is only available on a need-to-know basis.
Some bits of the puzzle for you to ponder:
-The attacks of 11 September required many years of planning, training, and financial preparation. Such activities leave 'footprints', however faint they may be.
-A large number of people were, and are, involved. Most of these are still active. These are dedicated, motivated, people with considerable skill and ability.
-They live, and work, among us.
-The members of these interconnected networks view themselves as soldiers. They are at war. Some of them have been active since the planning of the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, and the destruction of the corrupt Pelavi family.
-Publicly proclaiming the discovery of each new piece of evidence serves to warn the subjects of any investigation, and makes further dicovery more difficult.
-None of this will be resolved in time for the weekend. :rolleyes:
