“We *urgently* (underlined) need such a Principals level review on the al Qida network”

Despite Clarke’s request, there was no Principals Committee meeting on al-Qaeda until September 4, 2001.

Clarke, as you know, was transferred out of his position.
From what we have learned about increased chatter that summer, Washington being on high alert due to warning signs that Al Qaeda was planning some type of attack, and what Clarke, Tenant, and Scheurer have said, combined with the memo outlining Clarke’s reasons for why he was urgently calling for a meeting, not having that meeting for 8 more months goes beyond the transitional grace period, in my mind.
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“(if the memo is to be believed”
I don’t understand what you might be getting at with that comment.