# Respected journalist that claimed a missile was used during 9/11 some years ago? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 11, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respected-journalist-that-claimed-a-missile-was-used-during-9-11-some-years-ago/719776 "2015-05-11T14:46:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respected-journalist-that-claimed-a-missile-was-used-during-9-11-some-years-ago/719776/1 "2015-05-11T14:46:44Z")
I seem to recall that some years ago a journalist that was respected (at least before) was claiming that a missile was using during 9/11. I cannot recall if he was talking about the Pentagon or one of the WTC towers. Anybody recall this? Who was the journalist? My googling has failed me. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respected-journalist-that-claimed-a-missile-was-used-during-9-11-some-years-ago/719776/2 "2015-05-11T14:52:57Z")
Pierre Salinger, formerly President Kennedy’s press secretary and later a longtime ABC reporter, was most responsible for the story that TWA Flight 800 was shot down accidentally by a US Navy missile. Is that what you’re thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respected-journalist-that-claimed-a-missile-was-used-during-9-11-some-years-ago/719776/3 "2015-05-11T14:54:08Z")
When was the claim made? Was this something that happened the day of, when all the facts were still shrouded in chaos, or months after when reason should have prevailed? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respected-journalist-that-claimed-a-missile-was-used-during-9-11-some-years-ago/719776/4 "2015-05-11T15:04:35Z")
According to [Wikipedia,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_77) a USAToday journalist who witnessed the Pentagon attack said this: > [@Mike Walter](#): > > I looked out my window and I saw this plane, this jet, an American Airlines jet, coming. And I thought, ‘This doesn’t add up, it’s really low.’ And I saw it. I mean it was like a cruise missile with wings. It went right there and slammed right into the Pentagon. But it looks like the [real noise about a missile](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_conspiracy_theories#The_Pentagon) came primarily from [Thierry Meyssan,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thierry_Meyssan) who may be the (formerly) respect journalist to whom you’re referring. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respected-journalist-that-claimed-a-missile-was-used-during-9-11-some-years-ago/719776/5 "2015-05-11T15:26:33Z")
I’m pretty sure Elvis nailed it and there’s some conflation between Pierre Salinger and 9/11. Nobody respected seriously said 9/11 involved a missile, but Salinger was very vocal in his believe that TWA 800 was shot down by USS Normandy (an extremely dubious hypothesis to say the least.) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respected-journalist-that-claimed-a-missile-was-used-during-9-11-some-years-ago/719776/6 "2015-05-11T15:31:10Z")
Besides, Meyssan was never a respected journalist. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respected-journalist-that-claimed-a-missile-was-used-during-9-11-some-years-ago/719776/7 "2015-05-11T15:44:35Z")
That quote about the Pentagon plane looking like a cruise missile is infamously taken out of context by “Truthers”. The full quote indicates that he actually saw the jet and was only making an analogy. Follow on interview verify that he really, really, _really_, did see the plane. This has made him a target for harassment from “Truthers”. And he was only one of many people who saw the plane crash. So, take one eyewitness statement out of context and you have “truth”. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/respected-journalist-that-claimed-a-missile-was-used-during-9-11-some-years-ago/719776/8 "2015-05-11T17:42:54Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Pierre Salinger, formerly President Kennedy’s press secretary and later a longtime ABC reporter, was most responsible for the story that TWA Flight 800 was shot down accidentally by a US Navy missile. Is that what you’re thinking of? Pretty sure that’s it, thanks!