Margaret Gillespie

[noise]

One of the unexplained mysteries of 9/11 is why the FBI was finally notified (at least officially) that al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar were in the US. The official explanation is that FBI IRS (Intelligence Research Specialist) Margaret Gillespie found out on 8/21/01 by looking at CIA cables which showed that al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar arrived in the US and al-Hazmi didn't leave. She then confirmed that al-Mihdhar left but reentered the country on July 4th.

CIA manager Tom Wilshire recommends that an officer be assigned to review information about al-Qaeda’s Malaysia summit, to see if there are any connections between it and the attack against the USS Cole. The task is assigned to Margaret Gillespie, an agent on loan from the FBI. Author Lawrence Wright will comment: “… but did not reveal that some of the participants might be in the United States. More important, he conveyed none of the urgency reflected in ; he told that she should examine the material in her free time. She didn’t get around to it until the end of July.” Due to the request’s lack of urgency, it takes Gillespie three months to work out what Wilshire already knows—that some of the 9/11 hijackers have entered the US—at which point she immediately alerts the FBI to their presence (see August 21-22, 2001).

Mid-May 2001: CIA Assigns Officer to Examine Malaysia Summit in Her Free Time

1) If the goal of Alec Station was to keep the FBI from knowing al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar were in the US then why would Wilshire have Gillespie review the information in the first place?

2) If Wilshire truly wanted the information shared then he would have shared it himself months earlier.

IMO there is a chance that the Gillespie research account is not true. Instead Wilshire, Gillespie and Corsi had another reason for sharing the information at this time. What reason? I don't know. Perhaps to ensure that Alec Station didn't get all the blame for a terrorist attack. One circumstantial point that backs my guess is the fact that Corsi didn't tell the Cole investigators. FTR, I would like nothing better than for Wilshire, Gillespie and Corsi to publicly explain what happened. AFAIK, their interview summaries on the NARA website are still pending classification review. Why is that?

[noise]

1. Another possibility

Wilshire, Corsi and Gillespie ensured that the UBLU would take control of the investigation as Gillespie's cable was sent to Corsi. If someone other than Corsi (i.e. criminal side agents) had been in charge of the investigation they might have been chiefly focused on preventing a terrorist attack. As agent Donnachie noted the investigation should have been opened as a sub file under the existing Cole investigation. Instead Corsi claimed it was strictly intel which meant she had control over the NSA clearance and NSLU rulings.