State Dept. Scrubs 'All Clear' Memo Issued Five Days Before Libya Attack

Five days before the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Libya, the U.S. state department posted an Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) memo saying there was no credible threat of violence against the U.S. for the then-upcoming September 11 anniversary.

That memo has since been scrubbed from government websites.

The memo read in part: “The OSAC has no credible information to suggest that Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist group is plotting any kind of attack overseas to coincide with the upcoming anniversary of September 11.” 

Far from warning of impeding danger, the memo told U.S. personnel that increased media attention for the September 11 anniversary might make them feel something was wrong, but they were assured “there was [no] credible evidence of a terrorist plot.”