Giuliani Campaign Press Release - Setting the Record Straight: International Association of Partisan Politics Misleads on Mayor Giuliani's Record

Steve Cassidy, President, IAFF Local 94 UFA FDNY: "[T]he Things That We Needed To Do Our Job Even Better We Didn't Have Because Of His Administration." (IAFF's "Rudy Giuliani: Urban Legend," Released 7/11/07)

In Fact, Giuliani Took Extensive Steps To Prepare City For All Emergencies

Safety Expert: "New York City Is The Cadillac Of Preparedness." "'New York City is the Cadillac of preparedness. On a scale of one to 10, I'd give them a 9.5,' [Michael Wermuth, senior policy analyst at RAND Corp.] said. Firefighters and police were on the scene of the Sept. 11 attack within minutes. The evacuation of the scene was about as orderly as could be expected." (Charles Oliver, "Be Prepared – New York Was, But How Will Other Cities Cope?" Investor's Business Daily, 9/25/01)

Giuliani Created The Office Of Emergency Management In 1996 To Prepare City For Disasters. "In a bid to improve the city's disaster planning and response, Mayor Giuliani [1/16/96] created a new Office of Emergency Management with a … director. The department … will help coordinate the response of the Police and Fire departments, Emergency Medical Service and other agencies to disasters ranging from major fires to blizzards and terrorist threats." (David L. Lewis, "Rudy Taps Crisis Chief," Daily News, 1/17/96)

"[Giuliani] Said Tragedies Like The 1993 Terrorist Bombing Of The World Trade Center And Last Year's Poison Gas Attack In The Tokyo Subway System Demonstrated The Need To Prepare For Increasingly Difficult Disasters." (David L. Lewis, "Rudy Taps Crisis Chief," Daily News, 1/17/96)

… And Specifically Focused On Preparing City For Terrorist Attacks

"Experts Say New York … Is Ahead Of The Nation In Preparing For 21st Century Terror" ("Is New York City Ready For Unconventional Terror?" The Associated Press, 5/3/99)

Giuliani's OEM Performed Anti-Terrorism Exercises. Giuliani: "We try every day every month every year to improve and we — we're doing more about the possibility of attack than we've ever done before. I've established a couple of years ago an office of emergency management which the city never had before … They have gone through table top exercises, actual drills. We've worked with the Defense Department — worked with foreign agencies. We're trying to improve everyday our ability to react and to detect and we have – - I think the only joint anti-terrorism force in the country where the police and the FBI agents work together as partners to try to sift through this information." (Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes," 2/19/98)

Prior To 9/11, City Staged Terror Drills To Test Emergency Response. "Emergency strike teams of cops, firefighters, doctors, surgeons and federal agents recently staged a series of terror drills from Tribeca to Kennedy Airport to gauge the city's readiness." ("Rudy: Feds Didn't Tell Us," Daily News, 2/20/98)

Giuliani Invested Significant Resources To Improve Firefighter Safety

Giuliani Secured $10 Million Of Bunker Gear For All Firefighters At Same Time Mayor Was Cutting The City's Budget. After a terrible fire killed two firefighters shortly after he took office, Mayor Giuliani directed the FDNY to purchase and outfit every firefighter with new, state-of the-art protective bunker gear. By the end of his first year in office, the City had distributed 11,300 sets of bunker gear at a cost of approximately $10 million. The new bunker gear resulted in a decrease of burn injuries by nearly 60% between 1994 and 1996. (Norimitsu Onishi, "A Bittersweet Graduation As Fallen Firefighters Are Mourned," The New York Times, 4/1/94; FDNY, "With New York Firefighters," 4th Issue, 2001, p. 16; Alison Mitchell, "Mayor's Bet: Safety Carries More Weight With Public," The New York Times, 5/11/94)

The New Bunker Gear Helped Reduce Medical Leave Time From 9.7% In The Last Six Months Of 1993 To 7.6% In The Last Six Months Of 1994. (Julio Laboy, "Sharp Drop In Overtime At Fire Dept.," Newsday, 1/8/95)

Giuliani Secured Purchase Of Thermal-Imaging Cameras For FDNY, Giving Firefighters Additional Abilities To "See" Fires Behind Walls And Locate Victims. Giuliani Administration purchased thermal-imaging cameras for all FDNY Ladder Companies, allowing firefighters to see into smoke-filled spaces, locate victims more quickly, and detect hidden pockets of fires in walls and ceilings. (Mayor's State of the City Address, Jan 13, 2000; FDNY, "With New York Firefighters," 4th Issue, 2001, p. 9)

Giuliani's FDNY Purchased Personal Alarms For All Firefighters, Aiding In Search And Rescue Of Downed Firefighters. In 1998, FDNY purchased Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) alarms for all firefighters to assist in the search and rescue of immobile/unconscious firefighters. The PASS alarms are integrated with the self-contained breathing apparatus, activating the alarm any time the air pack was in use so that firefighters no longer had to worry about activating their PASS in the middle of a fire response. (FDNY, "With New York Firefighters," 4th Issue, 2001, p. 17)

Giuliani's FDNY Established Special Operations Command Battalion To Oversee Role Of Specialized Units At Emergency Scenes. FDNY established the Special Operations Command Battalion in 1998 to oversee the role of specialized units at incidents concerning hazardous materials, chemical/biological threats, confined space operations and high-angle rope rescue. The Special Operations Command Battalion is responsible for five Rescue Companies, seven Squad Companies, three Marine Units, and one Haz-Mat unit, as well as the Tactical Support, De-Watering, De-Con, and Recuperation and Care (RAC) units. (FDNY, "With New York Firefighters," 4th Issue, 2001, p. 9)

IAFF MISLEADS ON EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER

IAFF Video Criticizes Mayor For Emergency Operations Center Placement

Steve Cassidy, President, IAFF Local 94 UFA FDNY: "The Mayor Who's Claiming To Run On 9/11 Built His OEM Center, His Communications Center, The Basis For All Decisions To Be Made On The Site Of The World Trade Center That Had Been Attacked Just Eight Years Earlier." (IAFF's "Rudy Giuliani: Urban Legend," Released 7/11/07)

But Placing Emergency Operations Center At 7 World Trade Center Made Sense

NYC Director Of Emergency Management Jerry Hauer Said Site Was Chosen After Study Of 50 Different Options. "Asked about the center's location in the World Trade Center, in a building across the street from the site of the 1993 terrorist bombing that killed six people, Mr. Hauer, who is director of the city's Office of Emergency Management, said the location was chosen after a study of some 50 alternative sites. The complex now has tight security and is close to the Mayor's office, the Police and Fire Departments and the headquarters of other high city officials, he said, adding that in the event of an emergency, personnel would want to reach the center on foot." (Judith Miller, "With Crisis In Mind, Center Opens," The New York Times, 6/8/99)

Major National Security Agencies Already Had Offices In 7 WTC When EOC Location Was Chosen. "The IRS, the Department of Defense, and the CIA kept offices on the 25th floor. The Secret Service occupied the ninth and tenth. The Securities and Exchange Commission (home to vast records of bank transactions) was on floors 11 through 13." (Mark Jacobson, "The Ground Zero Grassy Knoll," New York Magazine, 3/27/06)

Giuliani's Plan For EOC Was Widely Praised By National Security Agencies. "Lost in the press clatter was the fact that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Clinton White House and National Security Council, the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service (the latter three also had offices in [the] World Trade Center) praised the mayor's plans for an emergency command center." (Fred Siegel, "The Prince Of The City," 2005, p. 226)

"Asked What He Thought Of The Facility, Col. Robert Fitton, A Visiting Official From The U.S. Department Of Defense, Said 'This Is Certainly State Of The Art. It's One Of The Better Ones I've Seen." (Graham Rayman, "City Unveils Command Center," Newsday, 6/8/99)

New York Times Editorial: "The Mayor's Proposal [For The EOC] Makes Sense." (Editorial, "The Bunker Is Not A Laughing Matter," The New York Times, 6/17/98)

7 WTC Was A Secure Building "With Backup Electricity, Phone Lines And Elevators." "As now planned, [The Mayor's Crisis Center] would occupy space on the 23d floor of 7 World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, commanding unobstructed views and proximity to Federal agencies whose expertise is often crucial in emergencies. City officials decided to lease the space as the most secure and usable of more than 50 buildings surveyed in the last year and a half. Once constructed, the command hub would be able to withstand hurricane winds, bullets and some kinds of bombs. It will have work space for 100 people with backup electricity, phone lines and elevators." (Editorial, "The Bunker Is Not A Laughing Matter," The New York Times, 6/17/98)

IAFF MISLEADS ON RECOVERY EFFORTS AT GROUND ZERO

IAFF Claims Giuliani Did Not Care About Remains Of Firefighters

But Simply Wanted To Recover Gold And Silver From Bank Vault

VOICEOVER: "Fire Fighters Began The Difficult Task Of Respectfully Recovering The Remains Of Civilians And Their Fallen Brothers. But Then Gold Belonging To The Bank Of Nova Scotia Was Found And Removed. …Within Hours Of Announcing That The Gold Had Been Recovered, Rudy Pulled FDNY Members Off The Pile Claiming He Was Worried About Their Safety." (IAFF's "Rudy Giuliani: Urban Legend," Released 7/11/07)

But Giuliani Wanted To Honor And Record All Those Who Lost Their Lives On 9/11

Giuliani Was "Touched" By Treatment Of Lost Firefighters, Called Recovery Effort "Sad … But Magnificent." "The mayor said he was touched to watch a squad of New York City firefighters carry out the body of one of their own yesterday, noting that the men stood saluting while the victim's remains were brought from the rubble and blessed by a department chaplain. 'It gives you a sense of the honor that is being paid to those who have been lost,' Giuliani said, calling the effort 'sad … but magnificent.'" (Greg Clary, "Their Mission Remains The Same," The [Westchester County] Journal News, 9/23/01)

Giuliani Insisted That Debris Be Removed Carefully So Human Remains Could Be Located. Giuliani: "The mission is going to remain the same for some time …The firefighters and construction workers and police officers that are there are removing debris carefully in order to find human beings or human remains. The way in which we go about what we're doing will remain exactly the same." (Greg Clary, "Their Mission Remains The Same," The [Westchester County] Journal News, 9/23/01)

"City Officials Also Decided To Reduce The Number Of Large Earth-Movers On The Site To Prevent Bodies Or Body Parts From Accidentally Being Lifted And Dumped Into Piles Of Rubble That Are Sent To Staten Island For Sorting." (Jennifer Steinhauer, "Ex-Firefighter's Quiet Plea Ends Conflict Over Staffing," The New York Times, 11/17/01)

Throughout Search And Recovery Operation, Safety Was Primary Concern

Giuliani Said That Nothing Could Justify Losing Another Firefighter In The Rescue Effort. "Giuliani: All of us standing here have friends that continue to remain there, and we would love to recover them. But none of us standing here can possibly justify seeing a human being die in this effort." (Rudy Giuliani, As Quoted On NBC's "Today," 11/2/01)

Mayor Giuliani And FDNY Deputy Chief Peter Hayden Made The Safety Of Those Involved In The Search And Recovery Operations Their Top Priority. Every "Incident Action Plan" from FDNY had as its first objective, "provide for the health, safety and welfare of all personnel working in and around the incident." (FDNY Incident Action Plans, 9/23/01-1/14/02)

The Mayor's Concern For Worker's Safety Was Evident In The Fact That Not One Person Died In Recovery Operations At The World Trade Center Site And That Only 35 Workers Suffered Non-Life Threatening Injuries Resulting In Lost Workdays. (Occupational Safety & Health Administration, "Injury And Illness Rate At World Trade Center Site Nearly Half National Average For Similar Sites," Press Release, 4/12/02)

And Safety Considerations Dictated Number Of Firefighters Permitted On Site

Due To Safety Concerns, The Number Of Firefighters Involved In Search And Recovery Operations Had Been Steadily Declining Since At Least September 23, When The Number Of Firefighters Stood At 350 Per Shift, To October 31, When The Number Of Firefighters Involved In Search And Recovery Operations Were 120 Per Shift. (FDNY Incident Action Plans, 9/23/01, 10/30/01)

Mayor Giuliani Based Recovery Plan That Included Drawdown Of Firefighter Presence On Recommendations Of Safety Experts. "Mayor Rudy Giuliani said the plan was based on the recommendations of safety experts brought in by the New York City Department of Design and Construction and the engineering-construction firm, Bechtel. 'This is all about safety,' Giuliani said Wednesday. 'We don't want any more casualties. We don't want any serious injuries. This is a very dangerous operation. We have to make certain everybody's wearing their equipment, everybody's being careful, and everything's being done in a coordinated way,' he said." ("Cops, Firefighters Scaled Back At Ground Zero," CNN.com, 11/1/01)

Mayor Giuliani: "All Of The Changes Being Made At Ground Zero Are Being Made For Safety Reasons … If The Safety Experts Can Be Convinced That We Can Make Exceptions To It, Then I'll Make The Exceptions In A Second." (Robert Worth, Citing Safety, City Will Cut Work Force For Recovery," The New York Times, 11/1/01)

Officials Were Worried Rubble Pile Would Collapse. "'All of the changes being made at Ground Zero are being made for safety reasons, and the safety experts have made those recommendations,' Giuliani said yesterday. City officials are concerned the rubble pile could collapse while rescue workers are crawling into voids to look for bodies." (Michele McPhee, "Rudy Defends Smaller Rescue Crews," Daily News, 11/1/01)

High-Ranking Fire Officials Said City Needed To Put Fewer Firefighters At Risk. "High-ranking fire officials said the site is unsafe and the air may be hazardous. Rescue workers have also been undertaking risky recovery operations – such as crawling under heavy rubble and into voids – looking for bodies. 'We don't need to be going to any more funerals,' said one official. 'The fact is, we need the group to be more tightly controlled and we need to put less people at risk.'" (Michele McPhee, "City Slashes NYPD, FDNY Crews At Site," Daily News, 10/31/01)

In November 2001, Following Site Evaluation, Giuliani Increased Recovery Operations To Near Their Previous Level. "Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani listened to [retired firefighter Lee] Ielpi's appeal in an emotional meeting with the widows and parents of firefighters on Monday. The mayor told him to go with [Fire Commissioner Thomas] Von Essen to ground zero and figure out how to do what he wanted. .… After that site evaluation, the decision was made to increase the number of firefighters at the site to 75 per shift, about what it was before the city reduced the contingent." (Jennifer Steinhauer, "Ex-Firefighter's Quiet Plea Ends Conflict Over Staffing," The New York Times, 11/17/01)

This Increase In Fire Fighters Was Done In Conjunction With Increased Safety Precautions. "The city also altered procedures at the work site. The group of firefighters — aided by 50 officers from the New York Police Department and the Port Authority Police — will work in more organized fashion now, Mr. Von Essen said. Spotters, who peer into the moving rubble for remains, will wear high-visibility vests, and each group of workers will be assigned to a specific area instead of wandering around the site." (Jennifer Steinhauer, "Ex-Firefighter's Quiet Plea Ends Conflict Over Staffing," The New York Times, 11/17/01)

Bank Vault Holding Gold Was Not Located On Main Recovery Site

And Was Evacuated To Enable Necessary Demolition Of WTC 4

Bank Vault Was Located In WTC Building Four, Which Was On Opposite End Of Complex From WTC Building 1. (National Institutes Of Standards And Technology, "Final Report On The Collapse Of The World Trade Center Towers," Report, 9/05; "Gold, Silver Removed From Trade Center Site," The Associated Press, 10/31/01)

World Trade Center Building 4 Was "Damaged Beyond Repair" And Required Demolition. "The damage in the area that became known as Ground Zero is almost incomprehensible. The iconic 110-storey Twin Towers were part of a complex of seven buildings that made up the World Trade Center (WTC). Buildings 1 and 2 (Twin Towers) collapsed, as did WTC building 7, WTC 3 (Marriott Hotel) was crushed by the collapses of WTC 1 and 2, and WTC 4, 5 and 6 were damaged beyond repair and later demolished. The complex, in the heart of New York City's downtown financial district, contained 1.24 million sqm of office space, almost 4 per cent of Manhattan's entire office inventory." ("Ground Zero: The Gruesome Clean-Up," The Canberra Times, 9/2/06)

Items In Vault Were Removed Because Authorities Needed To Demolish WTC 4, The Building That Housed Vault. "The precious metals in a Bank of Nova Scotia vault at 4 World Trade Center were being taken away 'because authorities need to demolish the building,' said Pam Agnew, a spokeswoman for the Toronto-based bank." ("Gold, Silver Removed From Trade Center Site," The Associated Press, 10/31/01)

Absurdity Of Gold And Silver Theory Is Demonstrated By Fringe Conspiracy Groups Promoting It

911Review.com: "One of the less noted of the possible motives for the attack was the creation of diversion in order to steal hundreds of millions of dollars worth of precious metals." (911Review.com, "Precious Metals Stored Beneath The World Trade Center," 911review.com, Accessed: 6/18/07)

911Review.com Claims That There Is No Evidence To Support "Official Myth" That Islamic Hijackers Flew Planes Into WTC Buildings, Causing Them To Collapse. "The official myth of the 9/11/01 attack was rolled out on the day of the attack. Its major elements are: Sleeper cells of Islamic terrorist directed by Osama bin Laden hijack four jetliners using only primitive weapons (boxcutters). The hijackers fly two of the planes into the Twin Towers. … The towers, weakened by fires, collapse. There is no public evidence that strongly supports any of these claims." (911Review.com, "The 9/11 Myth," 911review.com, Accessed: 7/11/07)

"The View from the Meadow's" David Satre: "This might not have been the perfect crime, but the cover-up comes close. We may never know the actual truth behind 9/11. Or who ended up with the gold." (David Satre, The View from the Meadow, "9/11 In A Nutshell," viewfromthemeadow.com, Accessed: 6/18/07)

Satre Believes U.S. Government Instigated Attacks For "Money, Power, and Gold." "Americans were sold on the idea that Bin Laden had masterminded the attacks on The World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A massive media and political campaign following the terrorist attacks had fingered Bin Laden as the ringleader, despite the fact that he had denied responsibility for the actions. Osama said the attacks 'seemed planned by people for personal reasons.' … And, if the buildings were actually detonated, Bin Laden did not have the capabilities to do this. Yet, the charade continues. Why would our government allow this? It's the usual answer: Money, Power and Gold." (David Satre, The View from the Meadow, "9/11 In A Nutshell," viewfromthemeadow.com, Accessed: 7/11/07)

Angels For Truth: "According [to] the report, the gold may have been moved from the Bank of Nova Scotia, whose vault was under Trade Center Building #4, adjacent to the first tower that collapsed. It was clearly being moved AWAY from the South Tower. … There clearly was more going on than a human rescue operation on September 11." (Angles For Truth, "WTC Attack — Some Serious Questions," www.angelsfortruth.com, Accessed: 6/18/07)

Angels For Truth Requests Its Readers Sign On To A Petition Claiming All Branches Of The United States Government Have "Engendered Crimes Against Its People." "It has become my personal belief beyond all reasonable doubt that the Government of the United States has turned itself against its people, and through myriad intentional acts that all branches of this government have engendered crimes against its people and against humanity in its closed minded pursuit of global domination …" (Angels For Truth, www.angelsfortruth.com, Accessed: 7/11/07)

911Research.net: "Why is there this huge discrepancy between the value of gold and silver reported recovered, and the value reported to have been stored in the vaults? There are a number of possible explanations, from outright theft using the attack as cover, to insurance fraud. Until there is a genuine investigation that probes all the relevant facts and circumstances surrounding the attack, we can only speculate." (911research.net, "Missing Gold," 911research.wtc7.net, Accessed: 6/18/07)

911Research.net Touts Idea That Americans Were Duped By "Pavlovian Conditioning" Into Blaming Osama Bin Laden For 9/11 Attacks. "There are many red flags in the official story of September 11th that passed right by the vast majority of people. … Within hours of the attack Osama bin Laden was presented as the prime suspect. His picture was repeatedly shown on TV alongside images of the devastation in Lower Manhattan, a technique known as Pavlovian conditioning. … The curious building "collapses" in Manhattan were immediately claimed to be inevitable." (911Review.com, "Red Flags," 911research.wtc7.net, Accessed 7/11/07)