ABSTRACT
In statecraft and commerce, secrets can be the talismans of power. No wonder that so much effort has been devoted to the study of intelligence, its acquisition, disclosure and influence. Scholars, usually maintaining an institutional focus, have concerned themselves with the methods of gathering secrets, the dynamics of their dissemination within a bureaucracy, and their role in the decision-making process. Less well explored is the impact of intelligence work beyond the bureaucratic arena. If valuable intelligence can safeguard a nation, how does intelligence failure affect domestic politics and public faith in authorities? This essay, using the lens of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, considers the symbiotic relationship between intelligence failure and conspiracy thinking. This interaction not only influences public debate, but meets psychological needs induced by national trauma. In making their scenarios believable, the conspiracists who weave events into plots quickly discovered that government leaders came to be their unwitting partners.
