Only a week before, Ridge had been leery of raising the threat level. And last week, as he ratcheted back to Yellow–with the holidays over, some specific threats had “expired,” officials said–his agency invited NEWSWEEK into its meeting rooms to reveal why and how critical decisions were made. Many of DHS’s most serious measures had not been publicized: extra biological detectors were deployed for the Rose Bowl, other games and New Year’s celebrations in New York and Chicago. Patrols were increased on railroads, subways, bridges and tunnels, particularly in the New York area. Security was beefed up at offshore oil platforms. Trucks and trains carrying hazardous materials were diverted from sites where large crowds would gather. One “intelligence stream” suggested attacks against oil or gasoline facilities, prompting special precautions at the Alaskan port of Valdez.
Security officials told NEWSWEEK there were indications that the Orange alert may have disrupted at least one would-be plot because a suspect who was thought to be heading for the United States apparently stayed away. (Other officials said they could not confirm this.) Ridge thinks more evidence will eventually emerge: “We have learned some time after the fact in other incidents that people were scoping out a particular venue, or planning for an attack and decided the security was too great.”
Plot or not, officials say the holiday alert raised national readiness for the next time. Now, concerned by flight cancellations and delays, Ridge is considering a new “international protocol” for speeding the exchange of passenger lists. Authorities are also talking about “surgical” increases in the color level for specific areas and industries. “The threshold for going from Yellow to Orange should be higher” next time, said Ridge. At the least, that could make for calmer holidays.
