Editorial: Kissinger’s secrecy was embarrassing

Monday, Dec. 16, 2002 | 9:53 a.m.

Henry Kissinger made the right decision Friday to resign as chairman of a bipartisan commission investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Kissinger, whose consulting firm represents multinational corporations, had come under intense criticism for refusing to list who his clients were. If he would have stayed on the commission on his terms, which were indefensible, there would have been no way to know whether he had conflicts of interest with firms that had ties to Mideast nations that could have helped foster an international terrorist network.

It did seem odd that Bush asked Kissinger to lead a probe to unearth information. Kissinger, the former secretary of state to Presidents Nixon and Ford, long has had an obsession with secrecy. Then again, this is the same White House that has had a penchant for secrecy itself and initially fought the creation of the Sept. 11 commission.

Early on the White House had claimed there was no legal requirement that Kissinger reveal his client list, but last week the Senate Ethics Committee, citing its own research, said that federal law did require disclosure for members of commissions created by Congress. There wasn't any need for the White House to get bogged down in a legal dispute when it should have been perfectly clear that openness was, and is, the best option.

The American people want an unvarnished investigation into Sept. 11, and their confidence in such a probe will be undermined if there are doubts that some members may be pulling their punches to protect clients.