9/11 Commission Records

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, known as the 9/11 Commission, was an independent, bipartisan commission created by Congress. The Commission's mandate was to provide a "full and complete accounting" of the attacks of September 11, 2001 and to provide recommendations as to how to prevent such attacks in the future. The Commission, extant from 2003 - 2004, held hearings, conducted interviews, and produced a report.

When the 9/11 Commission closed on August 21, 2004, it transferred legal custody of its records to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The Commission encouraged the release of its records to the fullest extent possible in January 2009. Because the Commission was part of the legislative branch its records are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Approximately 35% of the Commission's archived textual records are now publicly available. Due to the collection's volume and the large percentage of national security classified files, NARA staff was unable to process the entire collection by January 2009. Review and processing focused on the portion of the collection that contains unique documents created by the Commission and those that reveal the most about the scope of the investigation and the internal workings of the Commission and its staff.

Online Resources for the 9/11 Commission Records

FAQs on the 9/11 Commission Records
The 9/11 Commission Series
- Memorandums for the Record (MFR)
  During its investigation, the commission staff conducted over 1200 fact-finding interviews-the MFRs are summaries of these interviews.
  This series is available online
- Other 9/11 Commission Series
Staff Monograph on the Four Flights and Civil Aviation Security (first and second releases)
- The September 12, 2005 version of the Staff Monograph on the "Four Flights and Civil Aviation Security" resulted from a second review of the report by the executive branch. This version was released by the U.S. Department of Justice and transferred into the custody of the National Archives on September 12, 2005. This newer version contains less redacted information than the first version released on January 28, 2005.
- The January 28, 2005 version of the Staff Monograph on the Four Flights and Civil Aviation Security was the originally released version, now superseded by the second version cited above. This monograph was the third produced by the 9/11 Commission for public dissemination. The full text of the other two monographs, as well as other information about the commission, can be found on the Commission's archived web site at http://www.9-11commission.gov.
9-11 Commission Web Site
The commission's web site is preserved as it appeared on August 21, 2004, when the commission closed its doors. It remains accessible, but no data can be added, deleted, or altered. The web site contains a variety of information including staff monographs and staff statements, commissioner and staff biographies, the final report, hearing transcripts and video, lists of witnesses, press releases, and other resources.

PDF files require the free Adobe Reader.
More information on Adobe Acrobat PDF files is available on our Accessibility page.