New CIA 9/11 Briefs Add Material to George W. Bush Book

Steven C. Markoff says 71 newly declassified CIA President’s Daily Briefs released on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 add more primary-source material to his 2020 book on George W. Bush. The documents, which cover 1998 through Sept. 12, 2001, include warnings about Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda and the August 6, 2001 brief titled “Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US.”

Why it matters: - The newly released CIA records add more primary-source material to the historical record on what the Bush administration knew about Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda before 9/11. - Markoff argues the documents reinforce the central question in The Case Against George W. Bush: how much warning the administration had before the attacks and how it responded. - The release arrives as the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks brings renewed attention to pre-attack intelligence failures.

What happened: - The CIA released 71 declassified 9/11-related President’s Daily Briefs on Sept. 21, 2026, the 25th anniversary of the attacks. - Steven C. Markoff said the documents provide additional historical material for his 2020 book, The Case Against George W. Bush. - Markoff’s book examines information available to President George W. Bush and his administration about the threat from Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. - The book also reviews government reports, administration statements and other accounts on warnings and intelligence before Sept. 11, 2001.

The details: - The CIA collection includes documents dating from 1998 through Sept. 12, 2001. - The records include reports on potential attacks by bin Laden and threats to U.S. interests. - The collection includes the Aug. 6, 2001 President’s Daily Brief titled “Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US.” - Markoff said the newly released documents add primary-source material for understanding the intelligence available to the Bush administration before Sept. 11. - Markoff’s book cites a Dec. 19, 2000 warning from President Clinton to President-elect Bush to prioritize Al-Qaeda. - The book cites an Aug. 3, 2001 intelligence advisory saying Al-Qaeda was lying in wait and looking for gaps in security before planned attacks on the U.S. - The book says reports on the day Bush received the Aug. 6, 2001 brief indicated he left work early and went fishing. - The book cites Condoleezza Rice’s testimony that George Tenet met with Bush 40 times to warn of a major Al-Qaeda attack and that Bush did not convene top officials in response. - The book cites Tenet’s view that his July 10, 2001 meeting with Rice was a “tremendous lost opportunity” to prevent or disrupt the attacks. - The book cites bipartisan 9/11 Commission leaders saying on Meet the Press on April 4, 2004, that the 9/11 attacks could have been prevented. - The book cites Bush’s later reflection that, after reviewing the Aug. 6, 2001 brief, he did not feel urgency, did not summon the FBI and CIA directors and did not order heightened alerts. - Markoff’s book chronicles the Bush presidency through nearly 600 quotations from more than 90 authors and public figures, including Tony Blair, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Steve Coll, Frank Rich, Craig Unger and Bob Woodward.

Between the lines: - The new declassification gives fresh support to a long-running debate over whether warning signs before 9/11 were clear enough to trigger a stronger response. - Markoff is using the documents to bolster a broader historical argument built from quoted sources, testimony and official records. - The focus on the Aug. 6, 2001 brief keeps attention on one of the most scrutinized intelligence memos in modern U.S. history.

What's next: - Markoff is pointing readers to The Case Against George W. Bush for a fuller review of the information available before and after Bush became president. - The newly declassified CIA documents are likely to fuel further historical and political analysis of pre-9/11 warnings. - Rare Bird Books continues to distribute Markoff’s title through its partnership with Simon & Schuster.

The bottom line: - The latest CIA release does not settle the 9/11 intelligence debate, but it adds more documentary material to an already heavily examined record.