Disable future danger

Leaders of the 9/11 commission have tried to dismiss allegations about a secret program code-named Able Danger. Not so fast.

No disrespect to commission Chairman Thomas Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton, but in the year since releasing their report, they have emphasized the importance of following up. Tracking whether agencies and Congress adopt the commission's suggested reforms is one form of follow-up. Making sure that the public learns of information that came to light after publication is just as important.

Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., says that Able Danger, a top-secret project that sifted through electronic data in search of spy and terrorist activity, identified 9/11 ringleader Mohamed Atta a year before the attacks. According to Rep. Weldon, military lawyers blocked Able Danger members from telling the FBI.

Two military officers, Army Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer and Navy Capt. Scott Phillpott, now have backed Rep. Weldon's claim, as has a former defense contractor, James Smith. Rep. Weldon says the Able Danger team created a chart containing Atta's name and picture. The Pentagon says it can't find the chart but admits that some Able Danger documents have been destroyed. The Pentagon also admitted Thursday that it had identified several more people who recalled seeing the chart.

The 9/11 commission's report doesn't deal with Able Danger, even though Lt. Col. Shaffer and Capt. Phillpott say they mentioned it to commission staff members. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., as chairman of the judiciary committee, correctly has demanded more information from the FBI and others and will hold hearings on Sept. 14.

It would be profoundly embarrassing if the Pentagon had identified Atta before 9/11. But avoiding embarrassment is not a defensible goal. Avoiding future intelligence lapses is.