The recent N.Y. Times open disclosure of the SWIFT program was described as “no big deal”. Tony Fratto, Treasury’s Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs had contacted the Times some two months ago and had asked the Times not to publish information about the Swift program which is a highly classified program that involves an international banking consortium cooperating with the U.S. to follow the money by organizations like al Qaeda. Later, Secretary John Snow invited Editor Bill Keller of the Times to his office and delivered the same message. The N.Y. times decided to publish the article despite the pleas not to publish.

      I think that there is a different view of the current conflict with Radical Islam by our government and most of the western world and the N.Y. Times. The Times view is a different one than that of our government. Mr. Keller, I would suggest, does not really think or believe that there is a war going on and questions the legitimacy of our country in the pursuit of a victory in this conflict. Another interesting fact is that on September 24, 2001, the N.Y. Times in an editorial “Finances of Terror” pointed out that much more is needed including stricter regulations, recruitment of specialized investigators and greater cooperation with foreign banking sources- similar to the essence of the Swift program. Times publisher, Arthur Sulzberger is no friend of President Bush and has spoken about our misbegotten war in Iraq. The elitist opinions of the Times and their high opinion of themselves leads them to really believe that they are an adjunct to our three sectors of government. All else follows their editorials and agenda driven news. They really believe that there is nothing that they cannot print.

      (Much of the above information was obtained from a recent Wall Street Journal article).

Gary E. Marsella

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