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I.) Why The World
Trade TowersÂ
"Must come down!"
A BRIEF TECHNICAL
SUMMARY, WHY:
The structural integrity of the massive
World Trade Center Towers was contingent upon the combined -value
of *both* the internal, perimeter STEEL columns and the adjoining
ALUMINIUM fascia-panels.
Over the years, the process known as 'galvanic
corrosion' had structurally degraded these buildings beyond
repair. Supporting statements to this effect had been compiled
by the engineers and delivered to the building owners during
the time-frame that I have described. Subsequently, both Mayor
Giuiliani's Office, and the New York Port Authority, had allegedly
received an order for the buildings to be completely dismantled,
by 2007."
Through the continual effects of wind-sheer
and [flex-fatigue]
this process had eroded the bolt-holds at roughly floors #7 through
#25, that fulcrum-point where the lateral pressures were
inherently sustained. Photographs, taken after the disaster,
reveal that it was only those lowest exterior column sectional
groupings which do not appear to have shown severe de-coupling
of the joinery, therein. This is evidenced by the bright 'shiny,'
cage-like forms that served to contain the bulk of the physical
contents among a burning rubble.
Physical evidence verifies that an incendiary 'explosive' material,
such as 'thermate,' had come into contact with numerous Steel
structural members throughout the entire structures. This has
now been verified by independent research scientists from actual
samples that had been collected from the site. Witnessed by their
locations within the burning pyre, these supporting columns had
fallen from the upper-most portions of the two building core-sections.
*My views concerning the chronic construction
"flaws" in the World Trade Towers, follows at the end
of this document, in section IV. I do not wish to assign 'blame,'
nor do I feel the need for me to address these physical matters
with any degree of scientific analysis. Sadly enough, the end
result of simple human error has now brought the entire
world to a state of heightened alarm, to say the very least.
I strongly encourage you to cross-reference these issues, as
recorded in countless independent and government source documents
pertaining to the critical stress-dynamics, and galvanic
properties inherent in aluminium alloys.
I also witnessed numerous, "highly
suspicious" activities that took place at WTC, building
#7, shortly after the structure was erected, and
thus concurrent to the events that I have described. Mr. Silverstein
was involved from the onset! *Virtually no information
concerning the floor-plans, or the construction-phase* has been
collected for anyone to do any real investigation into
Building #7.
I realize this is a leading statement,
but I will challenge any NYC architect to accept the chance to
disprove it. After -all, I am the ONLY current spokesperson for
the original architects, once officially recognized as the World's
foremost design firm. :) -Put that feather in your cap,
Mr. Robert A. M. Stern!
II.) T. S. Gordon's
Insider Knowledge
ESTABLISHING EVENTS:
*CRITICAL DATE CORRECTIONS: In June, of
1986, I moved to NYC, and spent around two months at my
friend's loft on Hudson St. Then I moved to Woodstock/Saugerties
to save on rental expenses. I spent nearly a year commuting to
the city from there, staying on Hudson St. whenever my friend
was away on business, in Isla Mojares, Mexico. It was October,
1987 before I actually rented my own apartment on Thompson
St., thus my confusion about the actual 'year' by which I had
"moved there," and thus been measuring these events.
After 9/11/2001, all I could remember was paying my first month's
rent with the deposit money I had received to photograph the
"Exchange Building" on Sunday, the weekend following
the '87 Crash, when you could literally hear a pin-drop from
Bowery to Lower Broadway.
__________
I had moved to Manhattan, seeking architectural
photography assignments from various architects. Following a
brief introduction to Mr. Barry Roth Jr., AIA, the President
of Emery-Roth & Associates, and his partner, (cousin) Mr.
Robert Sobel, AIA, I was instructed to photograph "the World
Trade Center" in the early Spring of 1987.
Supervising the WTC project at that time
were Mr. Barry Yanku, AIA, and Richard Stob, AIA, who had instructed,
and/or accompanied me throughout my employment with the firm.
I became aware of these individuals through personal friends
of Mr. Yanku, including; Gregory Vargo, of Perkins & Will,
NYC., who had befriended my former client, Simon Zalkind, of
Denver. Each of whom may serve as my material witnesses.
Widely known in the trade journals, "Ezra
Stoller" and "Norman McGrath" had thoroughly photographed
the World Trade Center for a period of many years prior. They
created some of the finest known images of the towers, the most
memorable ones had circulated the world, as book covers and on
posters, often featuring the Statue of Liberty in the foreground.
'Why' these famous photographers were released from their contracts,
and I was subsequently hired, is beyond my comprehension. Neither
party has released a single WTC photograph since! So I ask, on
what basis would two independent parties willingly 'throw-away'
something of say, easily $100,000. in current resale value?
Before I began any coverage of the site I was required to thoroughly
analyze the Original WTC plans and over 5,000 original copy written
photographs. (Many were signed gifts.) I had asked every available
associate in the office a lot of questions which provided me
with the information I have covered here. However, during that
first week, the "librarian" at Emery's offices, (who
served as the firm's main corporate secretary and receptionist,)
had refused to answer even the simplest of my questions about
the buildings. This presented my first challenge, and triggered
my concern over some of the materials, (and particularly the
physical ones) that I discovered.
I was particularly interested in why they
had commissioned *three* entirely different sets of plans
for the towers? Their answers were logical, since AutoCad didn't
exist when they began. The plan-set posted widely on the internet-"was
created ONLY for interior refurbishment."
Not long after the buildings were built,
the WTC owners created a separate contract to retain the architects
and their "official photographers," as well as several
principal engineers from the original consulting firm; "to
establish the safety of the twin towers." Each of their
staff members worked on this project on a "full-time contract
basis," most of them for a period spanning from around 1976-78,
or about 10 years, prior to my arrival.
By 1987, according to Mr. Yanku;
"there are about 15 participants from ER&A, who have
been continually retained for the structural research project,
from the onset." This is a huge admission, because their
names, and the positions they held therefore must be listed
on numerous documents of record.
My assignment was: "To photograph
Both of the Towers in their contextual situation. Not
just the buildings, but especially how they 'fit' with the neighborhood,
including 1-point perspectives of every adjacent structure."
Roth had, "been in contact with the property management
personnel that this would directly concern." This reinforces
my point about potentially available written records! I was only
asked to provide my drivers license to access these buildings,
with hardly a minor glitch. This was an inherently ludicrous,
yet highly challenging request, making it right down my alley!
The project was titled "the Bridgeways Project."
Their stated objective was; "to
encircle the entire twin-structure with scaffolding, to insure
the safety of pedestrian traffic during the complete de-commissioning
of the towers."
Following a month and a half of coverage
I had exhausted my interest in the street vantage-points, so
I decided to go up in the towers early one morning, just to see
which adjacent rooftops offered the most suitable additional
vantage-points. My memory of these dates is the fact it was far
too chilly for me to access any of the higher rooftops. This
was either May 9th, or June 9, 1987.* [Technically, I
was actually residing at Tony Parker's in Woodstock-Saugerties
at that time.]
My apartment on Thompson St. was searched
about a fortnight after I moved there. My girlfriend had a shop
a few doors down. She became alert to the fact that we were being
followed for a period of two years thereafter. Occasionally,
she would ask: "Who's that guy?" - "Who are those
two guys following us?" They were the same two photographers,
"assigned to supervise the clean-up operation for FEMA",-Jim
Chestnutt and Kurt Sonnenfeld. (photos provided.) As my proteges
in Denver will attest, they were completely incongruous in promoting
themselves as a professional "photo-assistants"
to various friends of mine at the time.
This pair did not go unnoticed by David
Zinser's landlord and neighbor, Frank Ponte. Both he and 'Doc'
provided their assurances for my safety, and I soon believed
it was entertaining 'to be tailed' in this way. (Doc's got a
PhD in spy novels.) About two years later, I made a scheduled
visit to see my friend Haidar's Studio, on Sunset Boulevard,
in LA. Later that week, we received a visit from these two, again
offering their "professional assistant services."
-This time, I directly confronted the pair, and I said, "You
two guys look familiar." With this, Kurt said, "I'll
wait in the car," and he left without looking back.
Jim, (the serious one) remained calm, so
I asked him outright: "Are you an FBI agent? Why have you
followed me to LA? - This startled him noticeably and his response
confirmed that he had received rigorous, professional training.
He said nothing more than,- "I believe this interview is
over." (Real photographers would have laughed at these assertions!)
As soon as he departed, I asked Haidar to let me use his car
to follow them! Instead, he physically restrained me, and said;
"How about let's you live another day. I know who they are,
I can find them." But, he refused to elaborate in any way.
"Forget it," he would say, "Let it go, they aren't
here to Kill you!"
III.) "FBI"
'take-over' at the WTC!
Aware of the neighboring Manhattan building
'security' protocols, I was well prepared as I entered the building,
during the morning rush, at about 9:10am. However, I was singled-out
from the ordinary building patrons, and immediately escorted
to a secondary check-point by the lobby guards, which entirely
caught me by surprise.
I explained my interests politely, assuming
that I would be allowed free access to the general 'public' areas,
such as "Windows on the World," where, "I was
just looking forward to seeing the view." -Evidently, someone
had provided them with my photograph because I looked indistinguishable
amongst the usual patrons at that time of day. However, I was
immediately told that I was on a list of persons who were explicitly
to be escorted upstairs, "to insure that I would arrive
at the engineering office in time for Our meeting." - What
meeting, I thought?
The suite was listed on the Guard's ledger
as: "Skilling & Jackson, P.C.," -a name I had seen
somewhere in print, but I had no prior relations with. I thought,
being fully aware that Emery Roth had NOT maintained an office
in the building for many years, so clearly this was NOT a situation
vaguely pertaining to me! Two regular WTC official guards came
from the nearby service area (rear) to escort me upstairs. As
we arrived at the 'skylobby,' two, different guards accompanied
me from there.
When we arrived at the door to this suite,
(Tower 1, around the 84th to 86th floor, North) there was yet
another guard standing outside, and I became highly skeptical
by this point because of the temporary qualities of the sign
on their 'main' office door. They had a brand new, fake wood
engraved plastic sign, it read: "Skilling Associates, P.C."
(I thought, this name doesn't match, and this office has been
here for what, over 10 years?)
"Everyone sit down and be quiet."
"Who's this?"
-The Chief orator said loudly, starring at me, as the guards
led me toward the door of an isolated, (est. 14'x 24') glazed
conference room, immediately to the left of this rear entry.
I said: "I am the official photographer
from Emery Roth," and offered to shake his hand. Un-flinching,
somber and businesslike, he said without drawing a breath,- Then,
you are to be included, who sent you here?
I said; "Barry Yanku- I just got a message from his secretary."
(Which was not true, but she had called me about something the
day prior, but I was not able to learn why she had called .)
He nodded and addressed the full group,
(then reading from a 4x5 file-card,) "As you know some of
your associates have worked as absentee members, and each of
them have already confirmed their knowledge of, and prior 'agreements
of compliance' with the orders I have described to some of you
earlier today.
He said to everyone: "Listen carefully,
nobody gets out of this!"
"Each of you were called here to sign
an affidavit of non-disclosure. None of the information from
our project can find it's way into the public-eye. Absolutely
nothing that we have learned from this project can be revealed
to the public because it is potentially damaging to our client.
Some of you have enjoyed 10 years of service on this project
for our client. Each of the team leaders have recently received
raises and additional benefits. { someone } -has already received
a new assignment and he will be getting a healthy raise at his
new location, which, as I've explained to each of you, must remain
undisclosed."
"I know this transition will take
you by surprise, but there was no other way to handle it. You
are All terminated from this project effective immediately!
This means you need to clear your desks and surrender all of
your files by the end of the day. I will assist you in getting
these papers into the archive cabinets so we can give them to
the owners for safekeeping."
"After you have signed these forms,
we will have a short recess. You may go to the Cafe, or to 'Windows'
for lunch, but do not leave the buildings! "
"I want you all to know that I am
sad to have to break this news. Your fine work here will not
go unnoticed. Each of you has provided an invaluable service
and we are all grateful. Do not think that this action shows
any reflection on the exceptional quality of your individual
work!"
This guy's speech sounded like a military
operation. Everyone in attendance could tell he had no connection
to the Port Authority, or the WTC Security Staff, yet no one
in the group recognized that I didn't technically work for their
firm, and I had no business being there!
"The 'Critical'
issue with these Structures:"
Next, we were escorted to "lunch,"
at around 10:15am., where I was able to visit with 4, or 5 of
the lesser engineers, without oversight from the supervising
officers. I played it really cool despite my total ignorance.
Each of these men were genuinely furious about what had transpired.
I said things like,- "Shame we have to disband-band. I was
looking forward to being here for at least a few months."-"What
do you suppose we've done wrong?" ...Each man (who's identity
was not known to me) in turn revealed:
"The fact is, we all know that the
buildings can't stand safely for over 40 to 60 years. It's not
the sub-soil, that's granite. They must have received the completed
demolition report, which we all knew to expect. It was supposed
to be finished months ago. Clearly it looks bad. Well, I'm damn
sure we all know the real implication- that the owners can't
ever get their money back! That's what we all learned today.
-Thanks, _(no knowledge of person he named)_, -screw you!"
I asked: -"Why? What do you mean;-
how Much too much?"
"It's $2.6 Billion just to erect the
two scaffolds to surround both buildings, and that's only the
beginning. They literally have to re-build them, then un-build
them, twice! -Now it's obvious, bottom-line is that the developer
will have to sell soon, or take a serious bath; ...Total?- You
tell me, $4.5 Billion, or so!" (I forgot his figures.)
-"Why now?" I asked. "They
still seem really stable, -architecturally."
"They are much too big. It's come
down to a piece-by-piece problem. They simply can't be imploded,
we know of no other way. Why do you think they hired me for 10
years to find other solutions? I'm not a structural specialist,
just an architect, and a pretty damn good one at that! "
- "I thought Barry said you guys were
about to find a solution."
(I could sense this was the wrong thing
for a non-participant to say.) A definite look of concern spread
over their faces, until I said-"What's a few more flying
buttresses going to cost?" It was a lame assertion, but
they certainly bought it, as a joke, and everyone relaxed, as
I said something like; "So, what about me, should I be composing
a resume for my next 'real-job' interview?"
Then someone asked, "Why are you allowed
to free-lance?" He asserted: "None of us were allowed
to be holding other jobs, as long as we've held these titles,
because of the contract-stipulation that had occurred about 4
years ago." - "Tom, Were you aware of this?"
Of course, I had to answer, "No."
Which immediately indicated the end of their interest in confiding
in me. Instead, they all griped about the pathetic lunch. "This
is horrible, I can't eat here!" No one was very relaxed
at any point. The more I had learned, the more scared I was,
still I played the Jr. draftsperson, listening for more fascinating
inside news. -Fat chance.
-Finally, truly pushing my luck, I prodded
again, directly addressing the most reserved engineer in the
group. "-So tell me about the electrolytic issue?"
Everyone went quiet at first. But, they
all realized that we had been sharing some deeply guarded insights.
One man began a patent, evasive narrative, clearly not about
to go anywhere. But, this main guy had sensed that I actually
did know as much as each of them about the compositional, and
mechanical arrangement of these disparate metals. By then, I
had effectively blown my cover, yet their identities were unknown
to me, and we ALL knew that we had found ourselves in a similar
jamb here.
He said: "If you are referring to
the coring project, I don't think any of us here had any direct
involvement. That was terminated a long time ago." I asked;
Is it not feasible to simply put a sleeve in with the bad bolts,
to separate the metals?
With this, they all joined in, and I got
all I needed to know.- There were a total of about 15 floors
which had received new bolts, each bolt-hold requiring a noisy
core-drilling which had caused the project to cease. The procedure
caused a 'ringing' that transferred the noise, vertically
throughout dozens of floors. This infuriated the tenants, beyond
belief, and thus it became an unacceptable and impractical
approach.
Suddenly, well short of our hour, two men
came in (-swat-team style) to escort us back upstairs. Behind
them they had back-ups. They were all being "sent to their
desks," (which by now didn't exist,) yet the contents of
which were completely boxed and/or removed. The Principal Officer
awaited us (actually just me) at the entry door:
"Again, son, tell me who you are?"
-he asked, like he had all day to become real friendly. "You
guys walk ahead," he said, using assertive body-language
to physically indicate that he would be in a position to restrain
me right there at the door, or at any time he should choose.
I answered: "I'm T.S. Gordon their
new, official photographer. I've only been here two months. Evidently,
they were tired of paying Mr. Stoller."
"Who's Stoller?, I only know of a
Mr. McGrath? -Are you saying you are Not with Mr. McGrath's photography
firm?"
I said; "You don't know Ezra, the
world's greatest at shooting tall buildings? Haven't you seen
all the great shots up at Emery Roth? -McGrath has shot what,
4 or 5 decent photos in 4 years!,"
(-I was 'acting' as though I were always
a sarcastic SOB by nature, until I began to feel that he might
arrest me. By the way, Norman's shot's were awesome, but I felt
I had to assert a strong, and belligerent opinion here, specifically,
just to anchor any notion that he may have had concerning my
'right' to be in attendance here, which I did not, but I didn't
care. For me, this WAS serious 'espionage'. )
"Son, I asked you a question, ARE
YOU, or ARE YOU NOT working with MR McGRATH?"
(gulp!) "No Sir! I don't work for
Norman McGrath, nor have I ever met the man." -I said, quite
truthfully.
"You go by, Tom, Thomas, or T.S.?"
-He asked, looking again at my Colorado drivers license.
"T.S., or Tom, - I was only contracted
to cover site-analysis, not technically just the buildings. I
didn't even need to come in here again to complete my assignment!"
- I said; "Look, I can find my way to the elevator if you
really don't want me here." He immediately grabbed my arm,
(like a trained MP,) and proceeded to direct me back out into
the corridor behind the others.
"No, funny business, man! I'm going
to assume you are who you say you are. You were called in because
Everyone had to sign off on their contracts as described in their
part in this entire assignment. You say you work for Barry__
-who?"
I responded, "Yanku," and added,
"He's the one that cuts my checks, and I give him ALL the
film." (I knew Barry was a former, 'on-site' project manager,
and that he would probably be "at lunch" if they tried
to call. Of course, I lied about giving-up the film. [see: ASMP
contract guidelines. ]
"You are not to tell anyone about your employment here,
ever!" -he said, "You do exactly what I tell you. You
are not allowed to leave these premises. Now, I'm going to have
to separate you from the others, while I check your employment
status with this Mr. Yanku."
What I had witnessed by this point was
beyond belief! The entire 1/2 office-floor suite had been almost
completely emptied by now. In place of the prior cubicle walls
they had demarked the entire space with a grid of masking tape.
Uniformly boxed and boldly labeled, were only those items, (as
he announced to be); "of personal value to their rightful
owner."
"Tom, wait here by the window. -IN
FACT, all of you with outside affiliations are to wait in a small
group here where I can keep an eye on all of you." They
(and I) were evidently 'vendors.' A couple of guys took their
seats by the North window, but I was really nervous, and I stood
against the glass with my back to the FBI. I gazed down on the
un-finished looking iron-work of building #7, which I knew had
just been 'topped-out' the day before. I began to compose a photographic
mental record of the scene below, by extending my thumbs, and
shifting my imaginary perspective, as only a large-format shooter
might do.
"What are you studying?" someone
quietly asked. "I still can't believe that building is that
tall and skinny." (And I really couldn't. I had toured #7,
with Photographer Bill Charles, about 10 days earlier, before
it went 'high-security,' and I was quite curious about this birds-eye
angle.)
He stood up, evidently angry, now, and
said quite unpleasantly; "Yeah, good old #7, the building
that never should have been built!" I was very surprised
as he casually, gently bent an ear in my direction. I think he
said, (discretely,) "Does Barry even know you're here?"
I whispered,- "No" and re-scanned the view, offering
him the opportunity to talk... "Are you going to the ceremony,
tomorrow at 11:00am?" ...(Hugh?) "I'm considering,
why, ...should I?"
The Chief officer, noticing our interaction
through the glass, immediately summoned us to stop talking! My
instinct was that this man I was talking with was a senior employee,
probably the project architect, who had indicated, in this way,
a desperate desire to let me know exactly what this was all about!
"Sir, I told you to take a seat."
he said, to this guy. With this, the entire East side of the
office floor, being some 20 people, went dead silent, thus confirming
this man's importance to the team. He separated the four or five
of them by one chair each. He made me go to the North East corner,
where I had a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge, {which,
by-the-way, is the only damn reason I had come here in the first
place!}
After about 5 minutes he physically ushered
me into the office where there were at least 9, 'FBI-looking'
guys, mostly wearing black suits, gathered around the service-grade
conference table, clearly not purchased for that tiny room. (Architects,
let alone engineers, would never have been dressed so formally,
nor been known to organize any office in this way, and I've never
met any group that acted so up-tight, much worse so than the
Staff at NORAD.)
"Mr Gordon, I'm sorry; Mr. Thomas-Scott
Gordon," (he said correcting himself for his witnesses.)
"I have called your supervisor at Emery-Roth. He tells me
that they Do acknowledge that you have been contracted to photograph
the WTC properties." (Note, he did not say "Mr Yanku's"
name, and they had not taken the time to discuss any details,
so I was "off the hook" in a minor way. Remember, I
was NEVER supposed to even be here!)
"I'll repeat for your benefit what
has been said to each of the other employees. Your work here
is to be terminated immediately! Each member of the staff will
be treated as an individual case. You will sign this waiver,
which says that you have agreed to comply to an oath of confidentiality
concerning your project which we discussed in the hallway."
-I asked: "May I read it, before I sign it?" "You
may read it, but I can't let you have a copy." I stood at
the doorway and read it. After 15 years, I've forgotten the lesser
things that were being said between them. A couple of other guys
asked me questions too. One man, seated, had asserted a 'superior
order' -sounding line. Then, I think the prior leading official
said: "Stand-down, Sir, I will handle him." The General
(I'll assume that's what he was) chuckled in response to his
subordinate, Sergeant's retort. Finally, the General was the
one that actually dismissed me, and he even said "good luck
with your future photography," which made me think he was
playing the Executive architect, and I returned the gesture with
a warm,- "Thank You, sir!"
Finally, the Sergeant guy said; "You
will be escorted from the premises to assure us that you do not
talk to any of the other participants on the way out. And, Mr.
Thomas-Scott Gordon; you are not to contact the staff here, -not
ever again!" He led me to the door where an armed plain-clothes
guard was waiting outside, plus a standard WTC guard. (I think
their team members were also mixed-up by now.) At the sky-deck,
there were more guards (I hadn't previously seen them) monitoring
the freight elevator traffic. The same pair escorted me down
to the concierge check-point, where I was identified to the building
guards before being taken by the plain-clothes guy, all the way
past #6, to the street. -But, why?
Within a few days I called Ezra Stoller,
in White Plains. Speaking freely about WTC. He innocently revealed
that he - "Wasn't allowed to shoot any more pictures
of it." That was a very funny thing to hear him say,
because no one ever "doesn't allow" a celebrity photographer
to get a better shot! I knew he would hear about this fiasco,
but I didn't explain what I had just experienced, only that it
was very exciting for me to get to follow in his shoes. I thanked
him for the friendly phone visit, and promised to "send
him one of my prints, should I ever get any really great shots
of the WTC."
IV.) Post-mortem;
-Follow the Money-:
Minoru Yamasaki was working for the Saudi's when he took on this
project. After its completion, in 1973, "he returned to
Saudi Arabia to consult on other projects," there, he was
accredited to "the Saudi Financial Center," evidently
just before he died of cancer in 1986. Minoru befriended Richard
Roth Sr., while working for 'Brown & Root,' Chicago. Roth
was noted for his contribution on the "Columbia Exposition,"
and the two shared many stylistic attitudes. Richard Roth
Jr. was in charge of his dad's firm when he retired. Their
clients included: Carnegie Mellon, Stephen Roth,
and Jeffrey Levine, Simkin Master's Interests, Alliance
Savings & Loan, Avatar Holdings, URA, and
DMT, when their focus moved off-shore, to lesser publicized
(US) projects in India, and China.
Before the building was sold to Silverstein,
(Westfield America,) Stephen Roth, (who I think runs the
"ADL" with Vernado Realty,) worked to take the bid
as high as possible, offering $750.M more than the next lower
bidder. Did he even have the money? Two months before the official
auction, he withdrew the ridiculous bid. Could this have been
a mistake, or just a 'foil' to make Silverstein's bid look legitimate?
Interestingly enough, ADL's global presence was established through
a massive re-capitalization in 1991. Researchers have noted that
this occurred simultaneous to an unexpected rise in 'neo-Nazism'
propagated in Germany, and attributed to "CIA instigators,"
under George Bush Sr's control.
Another key Houston player, through this
period was Charles Hurwitz, owner of MAXXAM who allegedly
used junk bonds to buy Kaiser Aluminum International,
an office that received the first-hit. Kaiser's liabilities for
their 'asbestos' cases were dropped after the WTC was deemed
to have been destroyed by terrorists. Hurwitz was responsible
for the demise of United Savings Association of Texas,
(vis-a-vie, Michael Milken,) clearly establishing him with the
Bush family during this same year. Researchers should look closely
at the Bush connections to Alliance Savings and Loan. Lastly,
I believe that both George Nethercutt (Senate Appropriations)
and Andrew Lundquist, (Cheney Energy Director) had my
same level of knowledge before the attacks. Doubtless, we can
see ongoing connections through the Seattle-to-Alaska military
pipeline.
Between 1989 through 1993, the downtown
Manhattan real estate market was in decline, offering suspicion
that the WTC owners may have accommodated the first bombing,
courtesy of either the CIA, or the FBI. Both, The World Financial
Complex, and Battery Park Improvements Project had attracted
the WTC's biggest tenants, diminishing its lease viability. By
1996, the internet had "decentralized," (or at least
threatened,) the financial industry, further eroding the profitability
of this property. Each event significantly factors into this
timeline, but I remain focused on the underlying motives:
The building was bid at
$750.M, and cost$1.2B to build. It was worth about $4. to $5.B
at its peak., but, would have cost nearly $15.B to un-build it
in 2010 dollars, or as it neared its 1/2 'safe' life. Obviously,
it was Imploded, because there was never going to be a 'break-even'
point for either, the current, or future owners!
Recently I heard from Tommy Malley, who
claims his family are involved in New York City construction.
Mr. Malley's testimony sounded very professional as he revealed
knowledge of pre-bid information pertaining to the "Decomissioning
of theTowers." (A phrase only he and myself have ever used.)
Mr. Malley encouraged me to revise my figures, which brings forth
a startling, and potentially critical new discovery, which I
will quote:
"The owners were fully
aware of the problem and had been given the ultimatum that they
could not 'implode' the buildings. They received the report stating
that: Decommissioning was required by the EPA by no later than
2007, at a projected cost of $20.B"
*After these events, I discussed this with
my father at length. His specialty at ALCOA was material-bonding,
and galvanic corrosion. Dad's conclusive opinion remains to be,
and I quote: "That damn architect is an idiot who
didn't deserve his degree!" This was not really
Minoru's fault, because aluminum had not yet been tested as a
combination-layered structural material in this type of application.
ALUMINUM + STEEL
= Electro-mechanical failure!
The exterior Aluminum panels were designed
to meet an unusual set of technical specifications. Those criteria
were published in various trade-periodicals at that time. This
information has not been released by NIST, or otherwise been
widely discussed of late. We know that this material was custom
manufactured to exacting specifications.
Typical examples from that era had similar
alloy compositions, though none were exactly the same as we use
today. By varying the percentages of Silica and Alumina, and
lesser quantities of Nickel, Tin and Zinc, this material appeared
to meet their needs. (I felt it with my hand, and I have handled
dozens of unique samples at dad's request.) Uniquely, I thought
it had a very coarse-substrate,(6-8g) as though it were
cast, but otherwise it appears to have been an extruded profile
with a smooth outer finish, having a good-quality brushed sheen.
It literally appeared to be brand-new, and far more durable that
any of your contemporary aluminum-laminates, such as "Aluccabond
I, and II."
This was formally stated as the key to
creating an "elastic membrane," that much I
remembered as my project began. Materials experts will attest
that the entire composition qualities are important to the integrity
of this compound.The 'clear,' electro-metallic plating, (then
unproven,) may have contained Sulfur, and was pronounced to have;
"effectively prevented oxidization and withstanding the
elements, performing better than anyone had expected, over time."
-(Architectural Record.)
Special 'elasticity' requirements
were weighed against the shear-resistance as required to support
the vertical, and lateral loads. Experts did not know what
alloy mix would ultimately provide the best solution at the time
the project was put out to bids. They had certainly evaluated
the known "inter-granular corrosion," statistical guidelines,
yet this material had never been subjected to this extreme application
for civilian use. I had followed some of this in the trade-journals
at the time. Choosing the right mixture was sort of a work in
progress right up to the final days before the delivery due date.
Certainly today's composites exhibit increased qualities in every
regard. However, I will cite this photo example from NIST, because
it may well be idemnical to the cause, and it certainly serves
as an effective visual aid.
[I have illustrated the bolt-hold
to indicate the relative severity of the damages involved.]
Internet publishing date: July 7, 2006.
By, Thomas-Scott Gordon, Architectural Photographer, Designer,
and Audio/Video Systems Engineer. *Minor grammar corrections
have been made on 9/29/06. A PDF of the actual documents filed
with the US Military is available upon request.*
(A
page of photos, as attached to this submission.)
*Addenda
on Aluminum,- WTC's weakest link.
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