US intelligence faces major revamp: Bush

After the attacks, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency were criticised for failing to "connect the dots" of the plot because of factors such as poor information sharing and inadequate analysis.

An Aug. 6, 2001, presidential intelligence document, made public by the White House on Saturday under pressure from the 9/11 commission, said the FBI had detected patterns of suspicious activity that pointed toward possible preparations for hijackings or other attacks.

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It also said the FBI was conducting 70 full field investigations about al-Qaeda's presence in the United States. But US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, in her public testimony to the commission last week, pointed to structural problems in US intelligence that prevented all agencies from sharing information.

Bush, at a news conference with visiting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, said he was hoping to hear recommendations about what needs to be changed from the commission investigating the hijacked airliner attacks.

"Now, the 9/11 commission hearings are going to analyse that which went on and hopefully bring recommendations forward to help this administration and future administrations do our solemn duty to protect the American people," he said. "And that's why I think the hearings are a good thing, particularly when they address any weaknesses in the system."

Bush, who originally opposed creation of the 10-member, bipartisan panel and only allowed Rice to testify under oath and in public after coming under pressure, pointed to her comment that "now may be a time to revamp and reform our intelligence services.

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"And we look forward to hearing recommendations. We're thinking about that ourselves and we look forward to working with the commission," he said.