August 27, 2000

MR. Hall

It was a really fine public relations effort, but I am afraid a pea soup fog-bank rolled in that never lifted about 0915 on the first morning when your security people carried off Mr. Reed Irvine of Accuracy in Media for passing out a Washington Times TWA 800 Witness Alliance Ad. 
You call this a Sunshine hearing?

Here is some of what I learned from this low point in American aviation history:

1. You don't honor your written word.  Where was the discussion about radar evidence of a missile impact and it's debris field and the many other issues ARAP has raised as you promised in your last letter to me? 
2. You didn't release the party investigators from their oath to remain silent about the findings which is normally done when the board adopts the final report. Why? Are you trying to get through yet another general election with all the inside investigators still silenced by federal law? 
3. The board was afraid to discuss : the IAM's finding that the center wing tank did not cause the incident and the Stinger missile tests done in FL that supported the witnesses but you didn't hesitate in slandering the 800 Americans who trusted this administration and came forward by implying they were drunk. Why? 
4. Your coordination with the White House in pandering to FL-800 victim's families and their rich tort lawyers is impressive. How did you manage to sweeten the pot retroactively for these abused folks just as the hearings began? 
5. Mr. Goglia was the only member who seems to have a good understanding of aviation crash issues, it's too bad the other members and your senior staff have so many severe problems understanding basic science while speaking about this incident in public.    

Sincerely,

CDR W S Donaldson, USN ret.        
ARAP Investigations   http://twa800.com