The joint inquiry by the

Senate and House intelligence committees has drafted a final report,

most of which is classified,

It includes more than a dozen recommendations

that are unclassified and

will be publicly released

on Wednesday

if lawmakers on the intelligence committees

approve the report.

The CIA and FBI

have been criticized

for missing potential clues

that

if pursued,

critics say,

may have led to

unraveling

the plot

that sent four hijacked planes

crashing

into the World Trade Center

in New York,

the Pentagon outside Washington and a

Pennsylvania field on

Sept. 11, 2001.

More than 3,000 people died in the attacks,

which prompted

a review of U.S. security vulnerabilities

to better protect against another strike

on U.S. soil,

and

led to the creation

of a new

Department of Homeland Security.

---

An

independent

commission

led by

former

Secretary of State

Henry Kissinger

will follow the congressional intelligence inquiry

but with a more sweeping mandate

to investigate Sept. 11 failures in intelligence,

aviation security, immigration and other areas.

The congressional inquiry's draft recommendations

propose

separating

the positions of

Director of Central Intelligence,

who oversees

14

intelligence agencies +

the CIA director

who runs

the spy agency.

Currently

one person

wears

both hats.

The report recommends instead

creating a

Director of National Intelligence

to oversee coordination

of all U.S. spy agencies,

including the CIA

and intelligence components of the

Defense Department,

FBI,

State Department,

Energy Department and

other government agencies.

---

The proposal would

create a position

in the hierarchy

over the CIA director

that currently

does

not

exist.

---

One

U.S. official

opposed to

separating the twin roles of the CIA chief

said:

it would

justify

a

"useless figurehead.

(")

"How would this have prevented 9/11?"

the official said.

(")

I just don't think it gets you anywhere.(")

---

CIA DIRECTOR IN CROSS-FIRE

Senate Intelligence Committee

Vice Chairman

Richard Shelby,

Alabama Republican and one of

CIA Director

George Tenet's

harshest critics,

has repeatedly said

someone of greater stature was needed

to oversee all the U.S. spy agencies.

But

President Bush, who often

receives his daily intelligence briefing from

Tenet

personally,

has expressed confidence in

the CIA director

since

the Sept. 11 attacks.

Some intelligence officials

have said

one way

to strengthen the

CIA director's oversight

over all the spy programs

would be

to give him

control over their

budgets.

About 80 percent of the intelligence budget,

which is classified

but estimated by experts at about $35 billion,

is controlled by the

Defense Department

which has the

National Security Agency

that eavesdrops

on communications

worldwide.

The budget issue has been discussed

for years

but never advanced and

would almost certainly face resistance

from the Pentagon

which would lose control

over billions of dollars.

The congressional inquiry's report

does not recommend taking action

against the directors of the CIA and FBI

for Sept. 11 intelligence failures, but

recommends

the agencies' inspectors general

investigate

whether anyone should be held accountable,

government sources said.

"There is no recommendation about accountability of the leaders of the agencies,"

one source said.

The report contains findings,

which currently are classified,

that criticize various actions of the

CIAFBI

related to 00.Sept.2001

sources said. insert:arabcalendar

The report also recommends investigating

whether the United States should create a

domestic spy agency similar to Britain's MI5,

which has the power to collect intelligence

inside

Britain

while leaving law enforcement

to the police.

Lawmakers have expressed concern

that the FBI has not yet demonstrated

it is fully capable of combating terrorism

inside the United States,

or readjusting its previous focus

on domestic crime

fighting.

Administration officials

last month

said that while the

White House was considering ways

to bolster

domestic intelligence gathering,

calls for creation of a new domestic spy agency

were premature.

They said

the focus

was on the new

Department of Homeland Security,

which would include

a division

charged with analyzing

intelligence gathered

by the

FBI&.