Washington Post editor Warren Bass, who wrote for the National Security Council during the 9/11 Commission, said the unprecedented study has helped Americans better understand their government Tuesday at Memorial Union.
“It’s our right as citizens to know why we’re doing things and what’s going on,” said Ty Hildebrandt, a UW-Madison freshman in attendance.
Bass, the deputy editor of Outlook, The Washington Post’s Sunday commentary and opinion section, spoke as part of the Wisconsin Union Directorate’s Distinguished Lecture Series, which brings prominent speakers to campus.
Following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Bass worked as a staff writer for the National Security Council portfolio for the 9/11 Commission.
The commission, signed by President George W. Bush in late 2002 and released to the public in July of 2004, was chartered to detail the September attacks and access government preparedness and response time.
Bass discussed the events leading up to 9/11 based on his research of government memos for the commission and detailed how the committee publicized the internal government processes surrounding the events.
Bass said the commission held a series of hearings prior to the report’s release in order to reach the public via radio, TV and newspapers.
“It was all designed to build momentum for the commission,” he said.
He said he believed the commission report was written in a confusing manner, with 10 commissioners and 80 staff writers constructing the report. However, he said the purpose of the commission was to have every U.S. citizen read and understand it.
During a series of questions, an audience member asked whether Bass believed there are holes in the document, which may allude to conspiracy theories concerning the U.S. government.
“I saw no evidence in my experience that the U.S government could ever succeed in a conspiracy,” Bass said.
He said questions raised by the lessons learned from the commission are relevant today.
“[The 9/11 Commission] was designed sort of as a gift to the American public,” he said.
A UW-Madison senior in the audience agreed. “These events about history give you perspective on current events and the more you understand history the more you understand the present,” Andrew Rahn said.
