Bush to Create Another Intelligence Agency

The US president, George Bush, will propose the creation of a new cabinet-level homeland security office as part of a major restructuring following allegations that US intelligence missed clues warning of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The Associated Press reported that in a speech tonight, Mr Bush will outline plans for the new office, which would include an agency to act as a clearinghouse for terrorism intelligence. Several White House officials called the proposal one of the biggest restructuring efforts since World War II.

Congress, which has been investigating intelligence lapses prior to September 11, would have to approve Mr Bush's plan before the post could be created.

Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge currently serves as homeland security adviser, and Congress has been pushing a reluctant Mr Bush to give him Cabinet status. A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr Bush has not yet settled on a nominee, a position subject to Senate confirmation.

Senator Edward Kennedy said Congress had no inkling that Mr Bush was planning this reorganisation, and he was not sure whether an internal reorganisation was needed.

"The question is whether shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic is the way to go," he said.

With 100 executive branch entities and 88 congressional committees and subcommittees now sharing jurisdiction over homeland security, coordination has become unmanageable, the administration official said.

This source described one scene illustrating the problem: When Mr Bush summoned relevant committee chairmen and ranking members to the White House last October, they had to be divided into two groups for separate meetings that still filled the Cabinet Room beyond capacity.

The new intelligence agency will supplement efforts of the FBI, the CIA and other intelligence agencies, not replace them, the officials said.

The idea is to have one office that helps the intelligence agencies analyse the data they gather.

The announcement comes as Congress investigates potential security lapses prior to September 11. The FBI director, Robert Mueller, was to testify today about the agency's failure to anticipate the terror attacks. Mr. Mueller recently announced a major restructuring of the FBI.

The White House has stepped up efforts in recent days to shield Mr Bush from criticism that his administration did not do enough to prevent the attacks. Mr Bush's announcement is designed in part to steal some attention from the congressional hearings, White House officials said.

Mr Bush, who had expressed support for the FBI and CIA in the early days of the controversy, acknowledged for the first time this week that the agencies failed to communicate adequately. But he said there was no evidence that better communication could have prevented the attacks.