Editorial: Investigating 9/11

Last week, President George W. Bush appointed Henry Kissinger to head an independent investigation into the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Kissinger, 79, is a veteran of administrations including those of Richard Nixon, Law '37, and Gerald Ford, having served as Secretary of State and National Security Adviser. The commission is charged with looking into security failures surrounding Sept. 11, examining what was known when and why the attack occurred.

Although Kissinger has wide respect in Washington for his abilities as a statesman, his selection to head an investigating commission is troubling. In the past Kissinger has kept many of his actions secret. For example, under Kissinger the United States carried out covert military action in Cambodia, secret negotiations with China and underground plans to overthrow the Chilean government. But perhaps most importantly, Kissinger tried to suppress the publication of the Pentagon Papers, which explicated the United States' role in Vietnam.

Thus, doubts exist about Kissinger's commitment to discovering and publishing the truth, the very mission his commission is charged with in regard to Sept. 11. Even if Kissinger is fully committed to letting the public know the truth in this case, his shady past clouds the commission.

However, since the Bush administration is comfortable with Kissinger, there will likely be a high degree of cooperation between the White House and the commission, which promises to help expedite the process and ensure that the investigation is thorough. Moreover, Kissinger's vast experience in Washington makes him powerful enough and well-respected enough to get things done independent of the Bush administration.

The appointment of George Mitchell, a former Senate majority leader, as vice chair of the commission is an encouraging choice. Mitchell promises to bring an openness to the commission that is tainted by Kissinger's reputation. Moreover, there remain numerous seats on the commission to be filled, and leaders should appoint as many upstanding, squeak-clean individuals as they can find to ensure that the commission has at least an air of objectivity.

Ultimately, the Bush administration took the right step by appointing this commission, even though it did occur after several months of stonewalling. It is a testament to the will of the Sept. 11 victims' families that this commission was formed in the first place, and the commission has a duty to these families and to the rest of America to thoroughly and accurately report the truth about why the government was not able to prevent those horrific acts of terrorism.