Newshour Extra Feature:

Life after 9.11

Seeking Intelligence
February 14, 2002

After the day of terror last September, many people wondered why the United States didn't know about the attacks before planes slammed into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.

The U.S. spends millions of dollars on gathering information (called intelligence) on everything from foreign countries to individuals. Experts sort through the information to determine what people or places might become a threat to the safety and security of Americans.

Congressional leaders announced Thursday that they also want to find out how intelligence agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) failed to prevent the September 11 terror attacks.

The House of Representative and Senate intelligence committees said they will hold hearings starting in April. Some hearings will be public, while others will be closed to protect classified information.

U.S. officials say they have found no missed piece of intelligence that would have provided specific warning of the attacks.

But the inquiry will look at whether intelligence-gathering agencies are led and funded well enough so the U.S. can avoid future major terrorist attacks.