"Intelligence Matters" presents: Remembering 9/11 with Gina Bennett

In this special episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Gina Bennett, one of the longest-serving intelligence analysts on al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Bennett and Morell discuss how the CIA first became aware of the work of Osama bin Laden, and how the earliest warnings of al Qaeda's ambitions went largely unheeded. Bennett shares recollections from the day of the 9/11 attacks, including how she and CIA colleagues refused to evacuate headquarters despite being told Langley was a credible target.  

Ahead of the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Morell is curating a series of conversations with former senior American officials who had notable proximity to the tragic events of the day and its immediate aftermath. Morell, who served as President George W. Bush's daily intelligence briefer and was traveling with the president on the day the planes hit the towers, will also share personal reflections and new details about the CIA's race to provide answers and protect the country from further terror attacks. The series launched the week of August 9 and run for five weeks, with its first episode premiering on August 11, 2021 and its final episode running on September 8, 2021.