I was almost in tears reading this story from the NY Times. I can imagine not releasing this tape out of respect for the privacy of the victims (and their families) heard on it. I can NOT imagine the possible relevance to the upcoming trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, the stated reason for not releasing it.
Anyone have an idea why this would be? This thread may be more appropriate in GQ, so mods please move it if you feel it is more appropriate elsewhere.
Well, they made it to the floor where one of the planes crashed. It’s highly likely that their reports over the radio would have included a description of what they saw, including the plane and any possible bodies of the crew and passengers. I think that the most likely reason that they’re keeping this quiet now is so that Moussaoui’s defenders can’t claim that the releasing of the records prejudiced any potential juries. There’s already claims that he can’t get a fair trial in this country and if they were to release the tapes, it would only add fuel to the fire.