22357 Columbia Street
Dearborn, MI 48124-3431
pvs6@Cornell.edu
29 August 2006
Via fedex airbill #853542968989
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
Office of the Attorney General of New York
Room 220
The State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224-0341
(518) 474-7330
Subject: General Public Release of Photographic Evidence of World Trade Center Building #7
Reference 1: Radio Interview of Popular Mechanics (PM) on August 23, 2006
Reference 2: New PM Book Entitled: Debunking 9/11 Myths
Dear Attorney General Spitzer:
Thank you for the many good deeds you have accomplished for my beloved home state of New York. This includes but is not limited to your efforts post-September 11, 2001 (e.g. 9/11 United Services Group, et al.).
On August 23, 2006 KFNX‑AM Phoenix radio talk-show host Charles Goyette, interviewed Davin Coburn, Senior Research Editor from the Hearst Corporation publication Popular Mechanics (PM).
Approximately 11 minutes into this live interview Goyette is pursuing the collapse of WTC-7, and specifically questions the existence of photographic evidence that allegedly shows the condition of WTC-7 prior to its collapse at 5:25 pm on 9/11. Goyette challenges why the new PM book Debunking 9/11 Myths makes numerous references to these photographs but fails to display them. When PM is pressured about this blatant omission, the following conversation proceeds:
|
Popular Mechanics (PM) |
Well ya know, here again, there&39;s an interesting issue that you (Goyette) brought up before, we have seen (WTC-7) pictures, actually, they are pictures that are the property of the New York police department and other various governmental agencies, that we were not given permission to disseminate. And that gets back to your original question, I cannot speak for . . . |
| Goyette KFNX‑AM |
But you got to see them, Popular Mechanics got to see them. But the average American citizen can&39;t see them? |
| PM |
Correct. |
| Goyette |
Well that&39;s a fine kettle of fish isn&39;t it? |
| PM |
Yeah it certainly is, and that I guess gets back to, ya know, us trying to do our homework and having the authority to see the pictures though what we are allowed to show everyone else, what is chosen to become public domain isn&39;t necessarily our . . . |
| Goyette |
Did you see them? |
| PM |
Yes. |
August 29, 2006
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
Page Two of Four
| Goyette |
Do we have to kill you now? |
| PM |
Let&39;s hope not. |
| Goyette |
Well, I mean, explain it to me. What did you see there that I can&39;t see? |
| PM |
Actually it was pretty much just what was described. |
| Goyette |
Well there must be something that would be dangerous for me as an American citizen or a voter to see. |
| PM |
I cannot . . ya know, tell you again, why that . . . |
| Goyette |
You&39;re publishers. I mean if anybody&39;s concerned about evidence in a criminal case or something they&39;ve done the worst possible thing, they showed it to a damn magazine publisher! |
| PM |
Right. And that was done for the purposes of our background research, that we could . . . |
| Goyette |
What about my background research? What about my background research? Do you see the source of my frustration here? I didn&39;t know they had different classes of citizens! You can&39;t tell me it&39;s because there&39;s a criminal case because they&39;ve shown it to a damn magazine publisher! |
| PM |
I&39;m actually not telling you anything . . . I can&39;t answer that question. |
| Goyette |
I know you can&39;t . . . alright . . . let me go to the phones. |
I have bolded specific portions of the above transcript to evoke your long-standing and well-deserved accolade as "The People&39;s Lawyer."
It is utterly absurd at this point in time, that an elite New York based publisher, like Hearst Corporation, is allowed to view photographs of a building that mysteriously collapsed (although not struck by a passenger airliner) . . .However, the ‘common people&39; are not allowed such access! Mr. Spitzer, as The People&39;s Lawyer, how can you allow such an outrage to go unresolved; legally, morally and in the context of compassion and respect for the 9/11 victims and their families?
This exact type of behavior, which has now been publicly alleged by Popular Mechanics against
"the New York police department and other various governmental agencies,"
lends credence to an issue that has been communicated to you since release of the 911 Commission Report: The request for an independent investigation of September 11, 2001. (In light of recent Zogby Polls which indicate broad popular support, it is well-known that your office has not responded to this request.)
The recent outbursts from Popular Mechanics in magazines, books and radio are suspect. PM now unilaterally claims WTC-7 collapsed due to being "scooped out . . . by the wreckage of the North Tower." Strange, no government or independent agency has EVER stated why WTC-7 collapsed. Indeed, I have had several conversations with NIST investigator Stephen Cauffman, and he explains that the writing of his WTC-7 report has not commenced, and will not even be available for the public comment&39; phase until AFTER the November 2006 elections! My concerns do not end with PM&39;s new "scooped out" theory.
August 29, 2006
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
Page Three of Four
You enjoy very close ties with Larry Silverstein, the leaseholder of the World Trade Center complex and owner of WTC-7. In stark contrast to PM&39;s "scooped out" theory, Silverstein was quoted on a PBS documentary describing the collapse of WTC-7 as follows:
"Maybe the smartest thing to do is pull it&39; . . . and they made that decision to pull, and then we watched the building collapse."
On the enclosed cd you will find three Windows Media files. File A is the audio from the August 23, 2006 KFNX‑AM radio interview of Popular Mechanics&39; Davin Coburn (excerpted above). Note that later on File A the Silverstein quote is defended by Coburn. The latter&39;s attempt to redefine the term "pull it" would be laughable were this not such a serious subject: The murdering of 3000 people on 9/11. File B is a portion from PBS that quotes Silverstein&39;s use of "pull it" regarding the controlled collapse of WTC-7. File C is from the very same PBS documentary where the @ term is stated by and clearly used as a demolition term by demolition experts.(On this point, Popular Mechanics&39;Coburn has no credibility and should be ignored.)
General Public Release of Photographic Evidence of World Trade Center Building #7
I hereby respectfully demand that you use the power and propriety of the Office of the Attorney General of the Great State of New York to accomplish general public release of at-least the following documents:
(1)All photographs viewed by any member of the Hearst Corporation, including but not limited to any member of the Popular Mechanics staff, that are discussed in the referenced radio interview,
(2)All photographs, viewed by anyone, from any source/in any possession, accessible to the jurisdiction of your Office, that document the condition of WTC-7 prior to its collapse on September 11, 2001,
(3)A complete log, including all contact information, of the source and custody of any photographs responsive to (1) and (2), from the time said photographs were taken until the time of this request.
I would like a response to the question I posed to you (bolded) on page 2, and an update on your progress regarding release of the three documents prior to September 11, 2006.
Please feel free to contact me at any time.
Respectfully and cordially,
Paul V. Sheridan
2005 Civil Justice Foundation Award Winner
Attachments/Enclosures
August 29, 2006
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
Page Four of Four
Courtesy Copy List
Mr. Bruce Estes (The Ithaca Journal)
Mr. Charles Goyette (KFNX‑AM radio)
Mr. Chet Reynolds ((KFNX‑AM radio)
Mr. Chris Shaw (The New York Post)
Mr. Col Allan (The New York Post)
Mr. Gregg Birnvaum (The New York Post)
Mr. John Mancini (Newsday)
Mr. Leonard Downie (The Washington Post)
Mr. Martin Dunn (The New York Daily News)
Mr. Seth Lipsky (The New York Sun)
Mr. William Keller (The New York Times)
Blind Courtesy Copy List Available Upon Request
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