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MFR: Canada Trip Lessons Learned i

1. Coordinate through Dan Levine and State Dept Hoffman and Fox. Hoffman was
left out and was concerned at the last moment.

2. Original letter should be changed. Rather than reflect 2-3 hour interviews with all
players from Ambassador to Counselors to host government personnel it should
be more specific. Courtesy calls with A! mbassador/DCM; 90 min. interviews with
country team members; and consultation with host government personnel. The
details of who and what can be worked put with the country desk.

3. Get press/media release for us, State and country team.

4. Give the country desk (and infd Pat, Karen, et al):

(a) "Areas for inquiry"
(b) web site information
(c) travel information for clearance cable
(d) greater definition of who and how we want to meet with people (see
below)
(e) rules of engagement for US persons and host government - on the record,
off the record, access to draft report and final issues
(t) minder rules - one minder per US person; one US gov rep with hosts.
Team can invite others.

5. Have Graham send full clearances/ii closed by statute

6. Meet with country desk

(a) Do we need Visa and how do we get them? Immunizations?

(b) Requirements for visit include setting up the interviews with team and
host and having the meetings in a SCIF. We would also like periodic
access to a phone and STU, access to clas and unclas internet, safe to store
notes in during the visit, notes secure faxed back to our number, dip secure
courier pouch back to our building or country desk for us.
(c) Do we need help with transportation to/from airport; to/from meetings?
(d) Do we need help with hotel reservations?
(e) Learn from them organization of country team and host government
organization on CT.
(f) Map meetings (see below)
(g) Can we communicate with our POC at the other end directly on logistics?

7. Write Team 2 questions for country team and host government

8. Get questions from Teams 3,4, 5, 6.

9. We might also consider a document request up front.

 10. Ask Melissa sooner to make a book with Travel info and orders and hotel info;
Schedule and bios; questions for each; family questions; rules of engagement and
press release etc. And note paper.

11. Get money? Take business cards, pager, ...

Ideal Interview Schedule:

- Meet with Ambassador/DCM - 30 minutes to discuss our charter/plans, rules of
engagement, minders' behavior, press release and their view of embassy and relations
within country team and host, their concerns.
- Country team session - 1 hour to explain charter and ROE and address their concerns;
get overview briefing from them.
- 90 minute interviews with Team 2 officers -| 9/n closed by statute |
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^J

- 60-90 minute interviews with others who have CT role - Pol Counselor, Economic
Counselor, Immigration/Visa, Customs, etc.
- Overview with host government rep preferably the person who has government
responsibility for coordinating all CT. Then 45 - 60 min consultation with counterparts
| 9/11 closed by statute [Oversight (we may invite them along if Ambassador assigns
someone else to accompany us). It would be nice to visit them in their offices but for
time/logistics consideration it could be done all in one location. Then 30-60 minutes with
others who have CT responsibility- terrorist finance, immigration/visa, customs, etc.
- Outbrief with the Ambassador/DCM - 30 minutes.
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Specific Lessons-learned from Canada Trip:

The Canadians, relative to the-ROE, decided to treat us like a parliamentary inquiry and
\not divulge classified information, fthink some on the Country team there and other
governtnent agencies here think we are Congressional Staff equivalents and do not
understand.the nu.ance-.pf "Independent Commission" ...

1 jsat in'foH 'x>,. "~| With the! bhc acted as a

participant;. She responded to inquiries and consulted with him on answers not on ROE
issues. During thd [interview she sighed heavily repeatedly. In the first two
interviews she sat next to the subjects said wrote verbatim notes, obviously. She took
. verbatim notes in the third as well. She had^an opportunity to coach/poison the well with
I fet dinner the night before and with others before they arrived including with FBI
attorney and Legal.] |said she was not acting as their "representative" but as an 1C
attorney, for "consultation" and to bring back action items. They say they will have an 1C
\y when requested by their people and a rep for action items when they feel one is
. needed. ,

I jcxpected to sit in on host country meetings as well, as a guest of the] | That

would be in addition to the Ambassadors representative. We made clear these were
; Commission meetings and only the Commission could invite others (including! pince
\M had askedj |to escort us).

I Ut in on interviews with PCO, SolGen, CSIS, RCMP, SIRC and DFAIT. I think at
a maximum he should have only sat in on CSIS and RCMP and RCMP really would have
been LEGAT (He had never even met SIRC before). He sat next to the subjects in at
least two. He responded to questions and even asked a question. He sought to describe
Canadian system/organization while there were 3 Canadians there to talk to us. He also
asked his DI rep to attend INSAC visit the next day (which was fine but should've been
on our invitation not his). He was disruptive in one interview arranging after action with
POLAD off-line but in the room.

It's a toss-up whether to use defining the Commission purpose with each host country
person to break the ice or whether to provide a handout. Perhaps we could do both.