







About the Commission | Report | Hearings | Staff Statements | Press | Archive | For Families The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), an independent, bipartisan commission created by congressional legislation and the signature of President George W. Bush in late 2002, is chartered to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks. The Commission is also mandated to provide recommendations designed to guard against future attacks. The Commission has released its final report, available below in PDF format. The report is also available in bookstores nationwide and from the Government Printing Office. Frequently Asked Questions about the report are answered on this site. 9-11 Commission Report Public Statement by the Chair and Vice Chair Regarding the Report PDF, 36 KB Executive Summary PDF, 372 KB HTML, 64 KB Complete 9/11 Commission Report PDF, 7.4 MB Report by Section Contents, List of Illustrations and Tables, Members, and Staff PDF, 372 KB HTML, 64 KB Preface PDF, 67 KB HTML, 14 KB 1. "We Have Some Planes" 1.1 Inside the Four Flights

1.2 Improvising a Homeland Defense

1.3 National Crisis Management PDF, 952 KB HTML, 133 KB 2. The Foundation of the New Terrorism 2.1 A Declaration of War

2.2 Bin Ladin's Appeal in the Islamic World

2.3 The Rise of Bin Ladin and al Qaeda (1988-1992)

2.4 Building an Organization, Declaring War on the United States (1992-1996)

2.5 Al Qaeda's Renewal in Afghanistan (1996-1998) PDF, 1.4 MB HTML, 72 KB 3. Counterterrorism Evolves 3.1 From the Old Terrorism to the New: The First World Trade Center Bombing

3.2 Adaptation--and Nonadaptation--in the Law Enforcement Community

3.3 ... and in the Federal Aviation Administration

3.4 ... and in the Intelligence Community

3.5 ... and in the State Department and the Defense Department

3.6 ... and in the White House

3.7 ... and in the Congress PDF, 188 KB HTML, 116 KB 4. Responses to Al Qaeda's Initial Assaults 4.1 Before the Bombings in Kenya and Tanzania

4.2 Crisis: August 1998

4.3 Diplomacy

4.4 Covert Action

4.5 Searching for Fresh Options PDF, 185 KB HTML, 113 KB 5. Al Qaeda Aims at the American Homeland 5.1 Terrorist Entrepreneurs

5.2 The "Planes Operation"

5.3 The Hamburg Contingent

5.4 A Money Trail? PDF, 312 KB HTML, 89 KB 6. From Threat To Threat 6.1 The Millennium Crisis

6.2 Post-Crisis Reflection: Agenda for 2000

6.3 The Attack on the USS Cole

6.4 Change and Continuity

6.5 The New Administration's Approach PDF, 209 KB HTML, 129 KB 7. The Attack Looms 7.1 First Arrivals in California

7.2 The 9/11 Pilots in the United States

7.3 Assembling the Teams

7.4 Final Strategies and Tactics PDF, 949 KB HTML, 119 KB 8. "The System Was Blinking Red" 8.1 The Summer of Threat

8.2 Late Leads--Mihdhar, Moussaoui, and KSM PDF, 146 KB HTML, 76 KB 9. Heroism and Horror 9.1 Preparedness as of September 11

9.2 September 11, 2001

9.3 Emergency Response at the Pentagon

9.4 Analysis PDF, 2.3 MB HTML, 130 KB 10. Wartime 10.1 Immediate Responses at Home

10.2 Planning for War

10.3 "Phase Two" and the Question of Iraq PDF, 109 KB HTML, 45 KB 11. Foresight--and Hindsight 11.1 Imagination

11.2 Policy

11.3 Capabilities

11.4 Management PDF, 133 KB HTML, 67 KB 12. What To Do? A Global Strategy 12.1 Reflecting on a Generational Challenge

12.2 Attack Terrorists and Their Organizations

12.3 Prevent the Continued Growth of Islamist Terrorism

12.4 Protect against and Prepare for Terrorist Attacks PDF, 184 KB HTML, 110 KB 13. How To Do It? A Different Way of Organizing the Government 13.1 Unity of Effort across the Foreign-Domestic Divide

13.2 Unity of Effort in the Intelligence Community

13.3 Unity of Effort in Sharing Information

13.4 Unity of Effort in the Congress

13.5 Organizing America's Defenses in the United States PDF, 158 KB HTML, 79 KB Appendices PDF, 109 KB HTML, 49 KB Notes PDF, 669 KB HTML, 681 KB PDF files can be viewed using the free Adobe Reader software.

