What do you think?
Rate this book
First Strike: Twa Flight 800 and the Attack on America
September 11, 2001, did not represent the first aerial assault against the American mainland. The first came on July 17,1996, with the downing of TWA Flight 800. This book looks in detail at what people saw and heard on this fateful night.
"First Strike "explains how a determined corps of ordinary citizens worked to reveal the compromise and corruption that tainted the federal investigation. With an impressive array of facts, Jack Cashill and James Sanders show the relationship between events in July 1996 and September 2001 and proclaim how and why the American government has attempted to cover up the truth.
"First Strike "explains how a determined corps of ordinary citizens worked to reveal the compromise and corruption that tainted the federal investigation. With an impressive array of facts, Jack Cashill and James Sanders show the relationship between events in July 1996 and September 2001 and proclaim how and why the American government has attempted to cover up the truth.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2003
22 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 1, 2011
What's most fascinating about FIRST STRIKE is the way that the authors (Cashill and Sanders) effortlessly weave speculation and fact so seamlessly together. By the outcome, the reader might not be entirely sure of what to believe, but there's no doubt that all of the facts -- on either side of the argument (was it an act of terrorism or unprecedented mechanical failure never before seen in aviation history) -- don't exactly add up neatly.
In this investigation of the downing of Flight 800,Cashill and Sanders dramatically reconstruct the event through the use of the unheard of participants -- parents and friends of those who died so tragically, mechanical engineers who tested materials recovered in the crash, even former police and NTSB investigators who played no role other than to enforce how askew the entire handling of the event played out. Therein lies the greatest fascination of the work; the book works best when it spends time indulging in the thought-processes behind the theories, and it skips along unevently when trying to recount fact after fact after fact. While the data here largely supports the authors' conclusions, it could've been dissected less succinctly so that it mixed more cohesively with the story of those along for the ride.
FIRST STRIKE paints a very vivid picture of the unfortunate politics associated to handling criminal investigations (who's to gain politically, emotionally, and professionally, as well as who's to lose), and the authors deserve much credit for keeping a reader's interest throughout what appears to be 250+ pages of a foregone conclusion.
A masterful job, FIRST STRIKE's only shortcoming is the fact that I personally felt that the last few chapters culminated an impression for a follow-up book; however, by the last paragraph, I could only wonder, "What more could there be?"
In this investigation of the downing of Flight 800,Cashill and Sanders dramatically reconstruct the event through the use of the unheard of participants -- parents and friends of those who died so tragically, mechanical engineers who tested materials recovered in the crash, even former police and NTSB investigators who played no role other than to enforce how askew the entire handling of the event played out. Therein lies the greatest fascination of the work; the book works best when it spends time indulging in the thought-processes behind the theories, and it skips along unevently when trying to recount fact after fact after fact. While the data here largely supports the authors' conclusions, it could've been dissected less succinctly so that it mixed more cohesively with the story of those along for the ride.
FIRST STRIKE paints a very vivid picture of the unfortunate politics associated to handling criminal investigations (who's to gain politically, emotionally, and professionally, as well as who's to lose), and the authors deserve much credit for keeping a reader's interest throughout what appears to be 250+ pages of a foregone conclusion.
A masterful job, FIRST STRIKE's only shortcoming is the fact that I personally felt that the last few chapters culminated an impression for a follow-up book; however, by the last paragraph, I could only wonder, "What more could there be?"
June 26, 2014
One more piece of history that the government has lied about and covered up. A Muslim terrorist in a small plane loaded with high explosives was flying off Long Island looking for a large airliner to suicide-crash into. He selected TWA 800 as his target. The Navy tracked him, saw the danger and fired two missiles at him, but the terrorist managed to maneuver into position just below the TWA flight so that the missiles destroyed both planes. President Clinton was notified immediately of the disaster and ordered the coverup. There were 730 eye-witnesses, nearly all of whom described missiles, but their testimony was downplayed and made to look mistaken by the FBI, who took over the investigation from the NTSB, which by law had the authority. The FBI concluded that a fuel tank explosion brought down the plane. One sickening aspect of the story is that 9/11 might have been prevented if the truth had been released. Another is that co-author James Sanders, an investigative journalist, obtained some physical evidence of a missile, and was falsely charged, along with his wife, of theft and conspiracy; they were convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison. The book is well written and thoroughly documented.
October 14, 2011
Quite thought-provoking and mirrors some of what I have always thought REALLY happened to TWA 800 on the night of 7/17/96. I will never forget the breaking news reports that night and have always been touched & saddened by the number of young people & children who lost their lives so needlessly that evening. Most especially, the French Club from Montoursville, PA, and their chaperones have always had my heart and prayers. There was so much secrecy and weird reporting immediately following the crash and in the months and years that came afterwards...I have no doubt that there was some sort of governmental cover-up. The scenario painted by the author in the last chapter, based on all the evidence given in the heart of the book, will make the hairs on your neck stand up. It feels very much like the truth, especially in light of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil that occurred 5 years later, on 9/11/01. Parts of the book are quite dull so that's why I only gave it three stars, but it is quite an interesting read in the meatier sections.
January 16, 2025
I’d always thought it was common knowledge that the plane was shot down and covered up-though Long Islanders, particularly those of us in Suffolk County, paid extra close attention to the event. With that said, I was just a kid when it happened so I wanted more information about it. It’s really disgusting what the government got away with, and that is not speculation. There is still only theory as to why the plane was shot down so don’t think you’re going to get that answer, but there is no doubt that it was, which, once again, I really had always thought was common knowledge. But if you want to know what lengths the government went through to cover it up, then give it a read. Also, you’ll get some quick history lessons that you will probably never learn in school, one of them being that there were going to be regulations put in place to tighten security on planes (as there was an initial theory that there was possibly a bomb snuck on the plane because of dynamite found) but with it being election year and the airlines not liking the trial done on it, a few of them paid Clinton off on his presidential campaign to do away with the added security. To think that 9/11 would have likely not happened…
Anyway, 99% of the book focuses on the TWA accident and it’s wild. There is a lot of information to absorb and a lot of names to remember so if you aren’t good with names I suggest writing them down as you go along.
Anyway, 99% of the book focuses on the TWA accident and it’s wild. There is a lot of information to absorb and a lot of names to remember so if you aren’t good with names I suggest writing them down as you go along.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2018
I remember following the news coverage on this 'incident' as it was fresh. Even as the investigation was unfolding, I had a distrustful instinct about the official version being promoted by the Clinton Administration. I couldn't forget eyewitness accounts & discrepancies in the facts. I purchased this book after seeing Mr Cashill speaking about the crash, cover-up & revisionist history on the matter on C-Span. I did not pick it up to read however, until I was having knee replacement surgery & could be certain to have the time to peruse it.
It is compelling & very disturbing. In light of what we are now discovering about corruption in the FBI & Justice Department, I would suggest one read it with an eye open to the evidence that it was corrupted long before Americans were aware of the power of political scandals, in which human beings are treated as collateral damage, to take president over the truth that a missile took down this plane of innocent civilians.
It is compelling & very disturbing. In light of what we are now discovering about corruption in the FBI & Justice Department, I would suggest one read it with an eye open to the evidence that it was corrupted long before Americans were aware of the power of political scandals, in which human beings are treated as collateral damage, to take president over the truth that a missile took down this plane of innocent civilians.
September 10, 2024
It was okay. I preferred other books to this one on the same topic.
It's just a huge cover up. Too bad they never found out
The real story.
It's just a huge cover up. Too bad they never found out
The real story.
June 19, 2009
Very compelling. Unfortunately, it lags in the middle. All the book needed was six chapters.
1. Here is what happened.
2. This is what the government says.
3. This is how the government covers it up
4. This is what the facts and eyewitnesses say.
5. This is how we prove it.
6. This is what we think actually happened.
I love Jack Cashill. I love his book What is Wrong With California. But my only gripe is that it could have been condensed.
After Air France TWA 800 has come back up but not to level I would like. I hope this lie is revisited.
1. Here is what happened.
2. This is what the government says.
3. This is how the government covers it up
4. This is what the facts and eyewitnesses say.
5. This is how we prove it.
6. This is what we think actually happened.
I love Jack Cashill. I love his book What is Wrong With California. But my only gripe is that it could have been condensed.
After Air France TWA 800 has come back up but not to level I would like. I hope this lie is revisited.
May 13, 2014
I've always been incredibly skeptical of the official cause of this accident. The CIA animation was almost laughable. A plane missing the front 3rd of it's fuselage can't maintain stable flight and gain thousands of feet of altitude. I like the fact that this book didn't claim to know exactly what happened, but rather pointed out all the inconsistencies in the investigation, and wrapped up the book with a solid alternative theory on what happened.
June 25, 2011
While I'm fascinated to know what really happened to TWA Flight 800, I could not get into this very dry book.
April 23, 2014
Wingnut-approved
May 10, 2016
Decent non-fiction about what happened to TWA 800 -- or speculation what really happened. It got a bit repetitive.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews