I'll relate my brief interaction with the FBI investigation into the anthrax attacks. It began on the day when the Bureau first released images of two of the letters. When I saw these images on the front page of USA Today, I was stunned, to say the least. There were several messages which clearly came through in the way the messages were written and, together with the Trenton, NJ mailing point, added up to Ft. Detrick and someone who had been, or was, associated with the anthrax program there (I'd been very much aware of the furor in the early 70's over Nixon's shutting down of the offensive programs).

Here's what I encountered when trying to convey my input to the FBI:

2 emails: no response

phone call: brushed off

call to someone I knew at the Bureau: "he's out of town and cannot be reached"

It was like shouting into a large, and very empty cavern! I had the feeling at the time that this was not really an investigation, but just a show being put on for public consumption.

Glen, you mention that Ivins might be "the" anthrax attacker. A quick analysis of the notes included with the anthrax gives a suggestion (strong?) that the writer of the notes had some military background. I've seen no mention of any military background in Ivins' case (there was with Hatfill).

The suggestion here is that, possibly, Ivins did not act alone (if he did, in fact, act in the crime). If a military, or former military, person wrote the notes, that person probably would not have had the experience to handle the anthrax, and that's where Ivins (or some other scientific type) would enter.

I just glanced through the Affidavit linked to in Glenn's posting. The thing which immediately bothered me, on the top of page 3, was the restatement of what the notes said. There was a discrepancy which I find curious. According to the affidavit the date on the notes is given as

9-11-01

The actual notes, as I well recall, used the more unusual form

09-11-01

Two questions:

(1) Why might the leading "0" have been left off in the affidavit?

(2) Who might write the month in the format "09"? Perhaps someone with a military background? Any opinions on this out there?