'The Only Plane in the Sky' collects 9/11 eyewitness accounts
Author Garrett Graff's new book compiles thousands of stories from September 11, 2001; Mark Meredith reports.
A French publisher has issued an apology after one if its history textbooks suggested that the CIA “orchestrated” the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.
The textbook titled “History of the 20th Century in Flashcards” was published last November through Ellipses publications to present the entire last century in French, European and world history to undergraduate students.
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The sentence appeared on page 204 of the textbook in a chapter about the creation of the Al Qaeda terrorist group and the attacks on America on September 11, 2001, French daily Le Monde reported.
The sentence reads: "This global event - no doubt orchestrated by the CIA (secret services) to impose American influence on the Middle East? - hit the symbols of American power on its own territory."
An American flag flies near the base of the destroyed World Trade Center in New York, in this photo from September 11, 2001, taken after the collapse of the towers. (REUTERS/Peter Morgan-File)
High school history and geography teachers were the first to find the conspiracy-driven sentence and alerted a teachers’ Facebook group, the paper reported.
The publisher said in a statement on its website that the sentence should have never appeared in the textbook. It said the author, Jean-Pierre Rocher, a certified professor of history and geography and a graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Studies, wanted it removed.
“This phrase, which echoes conspiracy theories devoid of any factual basis, should never have been used in this book,” the statement said in French. “It does not reflect the editorial line of Ellipses or the position of its author.”
Ellipses said it would include a correction slip with all copies of the textbook that had not been shipped to bookstores, according to the BBC.
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Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 terror attacks when Al Qaeda jihadists hijacked planes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another plane, United Flight 93, crashed in a field near Shanksville, Penn., after passengers fought back against the terrorists.