A recently released 9/11 Commission memo highlights the role of government “minders†who accompanied witnesses interviewed by the commission. It was added to the National Archives’ files at the start of the year and discovered there by History Commons contributor paxvector.
The memo, entitled “Executive Branch Minders’ Intimidation of Witnesses,†complains that:
Minders “answer[ed] questions directed at witnesses;†Minders acted as “monitors, reporting to their respective agencies on Commission staffs lines of inquiry and witnesses’ verbatim responses.†The staff thought this “conveys to witnesses that their superiors will review their statements and may engage in retribution;†and Minders “positioned themselves physically and have conducted themselves in a manner that we believe intimidates witnesses from giving full and candid responses to our questions.â€
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I'm paxvector at historycommons, btw