Top CIA officials fought bitterly in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks over whether U.S. intelligence agencies could have done more to stop the deadliest terrorist strikes in American history, documents released on Friday show.
The once-secret documents include a more complete version of a 2005 report by the spy agency's inspector general, which found that the CIA did not have a comprehensive strategy or marshal adequate resources to combat al-Qaida before hijacked planes hit New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
A redacted summary of that report was first made public in 2007. But the documents released by the CIA on Friday also reflect the arguments of former CIA Director George Tenet and his lieutenants that U.S. intelligence was intently focused on al-Qaida and leader Osama bin Laden.