Who was this “close European ally”? That’s classified, says the CIA. According to a footnote in Drumheller’s book: “The nationality of the visiting delegation in this chapter and other details of what the author witnessed of that event have been masked under CIA secrecy requirements.” But two former intel officials tell NEWSWEEK the foreign delegation was British, led by spy chief Richard Dearlove and David Manning, the national-security adviser. A U.K. source, who, like the former intel officials, requested anonymity due to diplomatic sensitivities, acknowledged that the delegation did visit Tenet on Sept. 12, 2001, and confirmed it was the U.K.’s position at the time that the U.S. should not attack Iraq. One of the other officials acknowledged the meeting but said Iraq was not discussed. CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said, “The agency does not publicly discuss its relations with foreign intelligence organizations.”
