[Vision2020] 06-13-04 CNN: Powell: Inaccurate terror report was `big mistake'Powell: Inaccurate terror report was `big mistake'

Sun, 13 Jun 2004 08:24:33 -0700

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0032_01C4511F.DAD2F170
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Powell: Inaccurate terror report was `big mistake'
Sunday, June 13, 2004 Posted: 11:15 AM EDT (1515 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A State Department report that incorrectly showed a decline
last year in terrorism worldwide was a "big mistake," Secretary of State Colin
Powell said Sunday.

He said he was working with the CIA, which helped to compile the data, to
determine why the errors got into the report.

Powell said he planned a meeting on the issue Monday and that the intelligence
agency was working through the weekend in preparation.

"I'm not saying it is responsible until I sit down with all of the individuals
who had something to do with this report: CIA, my department, members of my
department, other agencies that contributed to it," Powell said.

"It's a numbers error. It's not a political judgment that said,

`Let's see if we can cook the books.' We can't get away with that now. Nobody
was out to cook the books. Errors crept in," he told ABC's "This Week."

He pledged to release a corrected report as quickly as possible.

A leading House Democrat, Rep. Henry Waxman of California, had challenged the
findings, contending they were manipulated for political purposes. The
conclusion that terrorism was on the decline was used to boost one of President
Bush's chief foreign policy claims, success in countering terror.

Waxman asked Powell for an explanation and the secretary called last week to say
the mistakes for unintentional.

"He says it wasn't politically motivated so I will accept that," Waxman said
after their conversation. Still, the lawmaker said, "We are still left with the
fact that this report is useless until it is corrected."

The April report said attacks had declined last year to 190, down from 198 in
2002 and 346 in 2001. The 2003 figure would have been the lowest level in 34
years and a 45 percent drop since 2001, Bush's first year as president.

The report also showed the virtual disappearance of attacks in which no one
died.

"There's a new terrorist threat information center that compiles this data under
the CIA. And we are still trying to determine what went wrong with the data and
why we didn't catch it in the State Department," Powell said Sunday.

"It's a very big mistake. And we are not happy about this big mistake," he
added.

The department has said that one of the mistakes was that only part of 2003 was
taken into account.

When the annual report was issued April 29, senior administration officials used
it as evidence the war was being won under Bush.

"We weren't saying terrorism has gone away. The report clearly says terrorism is
a main problem facing the world today. We've got to continue going after
terrorists," Powell said.

"But based on the data we had within the report, there was a suggestion that the
number of incidents had dropped and it was the lowest since 1969," he added.
"That turns out not to have been correct. We were wrong. We will correct it."

------=_NextPart_000_0032_01C4511F.DAD2F170
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4>
<H1>Powell: Inaccurate terror report was `big mistake'</H1>
<H3></H3>
<P><SPAN class=3DcnnStoryTime><!-- date -->
<SCRIPT language=3DJavaScript type=3Dtext/javascript>=0A=
<!--=0A=
	host =3D new String(location.hostname);=0A=
	host =3D host.toLowerCase();=0A=
	if ( host.indexOf("edition.") !=3D -1 ) {=0A=
		document.write('Sunday, June 13, 2004 Posted: 1515 GMT (2315 HKT)');=0A=
	}else {=0A=
		document.write('Sunday, June 13, 2004 Posted: 11:15 AM EDT (1515 =
GMT)');=0A=
	}=0A=
//-->=0A=
</SCRIPT>
<FONT size=3D1>Sunday, June 13, 2004 Posted: 11:15 AM EDT (1515 GMT) =
<!-- /date --><BR></FONT></SPAN></P>
<SCRIPT language=3DJavaScript=20
type=3Dtext/javascript>var clickExpire =3D "07/13/2004";</SCRIPT>
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude-->
<P><B style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 14px">WASHINGTON (AP) -- A State Department =
report that=20
incorrectly showed a decline last year in terrorism worldwide was a "big =

mistake," Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday.</B></P>
<P>He said he was working with the CIA, which helped to compile the =
data, to=20
determine why the errors got into the report.</P>
<P>Powell said he planned a meeting on the issue Monday and that the=20
intelligence agency was working through the weekend in preparation.</P>
<P>"I'm not saying it is responsible until I sit down with all of the=20
individuals who had something to do with this report: CIA, my =
department,=20
members of my department, other agencies that contributed to it," Powell =

said.
"It's a numbers error. It's not a political judgment that said,
`Let's see if we can cook the books.' We can't get away with that =
now. Nobody=20
was out to cook the books. Errors crept in," he told ABC's "This =
Week."
He pledged to release a corrected report as quickly as possible.
A leading House Democrat, Rep. Henry Waxman of California, had =
challenged the=20
findings, contending they were manipulated for political purposes. The=20
conclusion that terrorism was on the decline was used to boost one of =
President=20
Bush's chief foreign policy claims, success in countering terror.
Waxman asked Powell for an explanation and the secretary called last =
week to=20
say the mistakes for unintentional.
"He says it wasn't politically motivated so I will accept that," =
Waxman said=20
after their conversation. Still, the lawmaker said, "We are still left =
with the=20
fact that this report is useless until it is corrected."
The April report said attacks had declined last year to 190, down =
from 198 in=20
2002 and 346 in 2001. The 2003 figure would have been the lowest level =
in 34=20
years and a 45 percent drop since 2001, Bush's first year as =
president.
The report also showed the virtual disappearance of attacks in which =
no one=20
died.
"There's a new terrorist threat information center that compiles this =
data=20
under the CIA. And we are still trying to determine what went wrong with =
the=20
data and why we didn't catch it in the State Department," Powell said=20
Sunday.
"It's a very big mistake. And we are not happy about this big =
mistake," he=20
added.
The department has said that one of the mistakes was that only part =
of 2003=20
was taken into account.
When the annual report was issued April 29, senior administration =
officials=20
used it as evidence the war was being won under Bush.
"We weren't saying terrorism has gone away. The report clearly says =
terrorism=20
is a main problem facing the world today. We've got to continue going =
after=20
terrorists," Powell said.
"But based on the data we had within the report, there was a =
suggestion that=20
the number of incidents had dropped and it was the lowest since 1969," =
he added.=20
"That turns out not to have been correct. We were wrong. We will correct =

it."</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0032_01C4511F.DAD2F170--