All the news that . . . shhhhush!

by Jamie McIntyre Saturday, Oct. 13, 2001 at 1:32 PM

'New war' to be fought with unprecedented secrecy. Why? Becasue terrorist organizations lack the intelligence-gathering capacity that nations possess, relying instead on news organizations to find out what their enemies are doing. Could this be why the CIA subscribes to so many newspapers?

'New war' to be fought with unprecedented secrecy

By Jamie McIntyre

CNN Washington

WASHINGTON (CNN) --America's "new war" against terrorism will be

fought with unprecedented secrecy, including heavy press restrictions not

seen for years, Pentagon sources said Monday.

Planning for possible military action has been "highly compartmentalized" to ensure

the fewest number of people possible have access to classified war plans, the

sources said.

According to Pentagon officials close to the process, the Bush administration has

decided to clamp down on even routine information because it could prove of some

use to potential terrorists.

"I want to make it clear to the American people that this administration will not talk

about any plans we may or may not have," President Bush said Monday. "We will

not jeopardize in any way, shape or form, anybody who wears the uniform of the

United States."

In response to the attacks, the U.S. Defense Department has stopped posting on the

Internet the general location of U.S. warships. The department's Web pages that

show ship location haven't been updated since September 10, the day before

hijacked airplanes struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

In addition, the Pentagon currently has no plans to allow reporters to deploy with

troops, or report from warships, practices routinely carried out in the 1991 Persian

Gulf War.

Sources said the Pentagon is drawing up "high-end" and "low-end" options for

military action.

The "high-end" options include air strikes against countries that support terrorists,

while "low-end" plans include the use of special forces to capture or kill terrorist

leaders, such as Osama bin Laden, sources said.

The actual plans are under close guard and have not been shared with news

agencies. The rationale, according to Pentagon officials: Terrorist organizations lack

the intelligence-gathering capacity that nations possess, relying instead on news

organizations to find out what their enemies are doing.

Original: All the news that . . . shhhhush!