theatlantic:

Here’s a missed opportunity. In 1999, the U.S. was months away from completing a cell phone network in Afghanistan that would’ve granted wide access to Al Qaeda and Taliban phone calls prior to 9/11. Unfortunately, inter-agency bickering between the FBI, NSA and CIA over who would control it scuttled the project, a former NSA official tells Vanity Fair’s David Rose.

“Had this network been built with the technology that existed in 2000, it would have been a priceless intelligence asset. Why didn’t we put it in? Because we couldn’t f—-ing agree,”

The piece features a number of interviews with frustrated national security officials about how close they came to uncovering the necessary intel to foil the 9/11 hijacking plot.

When humans are involved, pride and opportunity for self-advancement always take priority