Dame Eliza has put it this way: “Often difficult decisions need to be made on the basis of
intelligence which is fragmentary and difficult to interpret . . . some is gold, some dross, and all of
it requires validation, analysis, and assessment.”
We in the FBI are panning for gold. First, we have to determine in which streams we are likely
to find gold. Which suspected networks? Which human sources? Which websites? Then, agents
and analysts must take their pans and wade through the waters of intelligence, carefully searching
Global Terrorism Today and the Challenges of Tomorrow by Robert S. Mueller
Our goal is to get as close as possible to having the complete picture. For the FBI, this means
we often continue to collect information long after we have gathered enough evidence for
prosecution. Once we have the threat under control, we use these cases as intelligence collection
Part 5, p. 632
platforms. Our mission is not just to disrupt an isolated plot, but to thoroughly dismantle the entire
network that supports it.
As Jonathan Evans has said, “Knowing of somebody is not the same as knowing all about
With each unique investigation, we wrestle with the same questions. Have we struck the right
balance between security and freedom? Did we take every reasonable step? What if we didn’t peel
back the layer that would have revealed a connection to another terrorist network, or another
terrorist plot? The FBI has learned the answers to these questions through hard experience.
While on active duty aboard the USS Benfold in the Middle East, Abu-Jihaad sent classified
information about the movements and vulnerabilities of his navy battle group to an extremist
website based in London. This was just months after al Qaeda had attacked the USS Cole in
Yemen, killing 17 American sailors.
We learned about Abu-Jihaad from British law enforcement officers, who found a computer
disk containing this classified information while searching a residence in London.
Global Terrorism Today and the Challenges of Tomorrow by Robert S. Mueller
Shareef was then arrested in December 2006 and charged with plotting to detonate hand
grenades at a large shopping mall outside Chicago at the height of the Christmas season. He pled
guilty this past November.
This case is another illustration of both the power and the limitations of intelligence, and the
need for strong partnerships throughout the global intelligence and law enforcement communities.
The investigation ranged from a battleship in the Persian Gulf to a shopping mall in suburban
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The FBI has a Legal Attaché office here in London. Our staff works every day with officials in
the security services, with New Scotland Yard, and with Britain’s other constabularies. FBI
personnel have 20 to 30 in-person meetings every week with British intelligence and law
enforcement officials. We share intelligence. We support one another’s investigations.
This collaboration is the future of counterterrorism. We never know when a fragment of
information uncovered in one country could unearth an entire network of terror in another.
And this is true not just for terrorism—the same can be said for all criminal threats, from
transnational organized crime rings, to child pornography, to cyber attacks. The intelligence we
seek often resides where our adversaries are based, not where we are based.
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Like the fascism our nations defeated six decades ago, terrorism is designed to make us afraid
of today, afraid of tomorrow, and afraid of each other. It is a battle based not on territory, but on
ideology—on freedom versus fear, on tolerance versus tyranny.
Once again, freedom is at stake. Once again, freedom-loving nations must rise to the challenge
of our time. And once again, the road ahead will not be easy. This struggle will not end in a single,
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is the general purpose of the speech? What is the specific purpose?
2. What attention-getting strategy does Mueller employ in his introduction? What type of warrant
does he make?
3. How does Mueller apply the third step of Monroe’s motivated sequence (satisfaction), which
identifies the solution to the problem?
Mueller provides powerful evidence that “standing together” and “triumphing together” has
4. How does Mueller effect his credibility as an expert on terrorist tactics? How does he attempt
to convince his audience that his intelligence/partnership solution is an effective one?
Mueller shares his experience, as director of the FBI, hunting down suspected terrorists and
terrorist cells; he emphasizes not just “knowing of” a terrorist, but “knowing everything about”
5. Identify in Mueller’s speech the fifth step in Monroe’s motivated sequence, the action step that
involves asking the audience to act according to their acceptance of the message.
Mueller once again makes a plea for collaboration and solidarity in the fight against terrorism;
Part 5, p. 637
Eulogy of the Columbia Space Shuttle Astronauts by George W. Bush
On February 4, 2003, a memorial service at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas,
was held in honor of the seven astronauts who died while aboard the Columbia space shuttle.
Because the crew included the first astronaut from Israel and the first woman astronaut born in
India, the loss was deemed both a national and an international tragedy. Following is the eulogy
offered by President George W. Bush.
Their mission was almost complete, and we lost them so close to home. The men and women
of the Columbia had journeyed more than six million miles and were minutes away from arrival
and reunion. The loss was sudden and terrible, and for their families the grief is heavy.
Part 5, p. 638
One of Rick’s favorite hymns was “How Great Thou Art,” which offers these words of praise:
“I see the stars. I hear the mighty thunder. Thy power throughout the universe displayed.”
David Brown was first drawn to the stars as a little boy with a telescope in his backyard. He
admired astronauts, but as he said: “I thought they were movie stars. I thought I was kind of a
normal kid.”
loved her husband and her son. A friend who heard Laurel speaking to mission control said, “There
was a smile in her voice.”
Laurel conducted some of the experiments as Columbia orbited the Earth and described seeing
new life emerge from a tiny cocoon.
“Life,” she said, “continues in a lot of places, and life is a magical thing.”
“Ilan,” said his wife Rona, “left us at his peak moment, in his favorite place, with people he
loved.”
The Columbia’s pilot was Commander Willy McCool, whom friends knew as the most steady
and dependable of men. In Lubbock today, they’re thinking back to the Eagle Scout who became a
distinguished naval officer and a fearless test pilot.
They go in peace for all mankind, and all mankind is in their debt.
Part 5, p. 640
Yet, some explorers do not return, and the law settles unfairly on a few. The families here
today shared in the courage of those they loved, but now they must face life and grief without
them. The sorrow is lonely, but you are not alone.
In time, you will find comfort and the grace to see you through. And in God’s own time, we can
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is the general purpose of the speech? What is the specific purpose?
2. Does President Bush successfully follow the guidelines for giving a eulogy? Cite one or two
examples.
Yes, he does. He provided a balance of delivery and emotions. Rather than dwell on the sad
loss of each astronaut, Bush instead shares stories about each, emphasizing their achievements
Part 5, p. 641
3. How does Bush humanize the message of his eulogy?
In addition to praising each astronaut’s great achievements, he also reminds his listeners that
these astronauts were also humble individuals with dreams, families, hopes, and fears—like
Part 5, p. 642