From JFK to 9/11 -- The Saga of Exponent Failure Analysis Associates

Yesterday, I was involved in a 9/11 debate concerning the mysterious collapse of WTC 7, the 47 story tower that was never hit by a plane and sustained relatively minor damage. One of the responses was from a prolific ATS member who vigorously defended the official story, then casually mentioned that he was a liberal British "analyst" who hated Bush. I guess this was his way of assuring us that his opinion was impartial and solely based on facts. His encyclopedic knowledge of obscure 9/11 events, along with even more obscure details of the NIST report was impressive if not a bit suspicious, especially after I discovered that his previous 250 posts were also a ringing endorsement of the official story. Most were detailed and highly intelligent attempts to promote the government's version of events -- dozens of posts a day for months, which is typical for what I call the "professional" 9/11 debunkers who are ubiquitous to ATS. I was curious why a self-professed liberal Brit with an intense dislike for Bush would spend vast amounts of time trying to convince anyone who'd listen that the official 9/11 fairy tale was anything more than a decades-old manifestation of a neocon's wet dream.

When I Googled his screen name along with various 9/11 phrases, an interesting Wikipedia page appeared:

Exponent (consulting firm)

Exponent has been involved in the investigations of many well known incidents including ... the September 11 attacks, the 2009–2010 Toyota vehicle recalls, the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 among many other aviation accidents, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The Federal Emergency Management Agency also hired Exponent to examine the Oklahoma City bombing damage aftermath, specifically the damage to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. NASA hired Exponent in 1986 to determine the causes of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In 2003, Exponent was hired by the U.S. government to investigate the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

According to the Los Angeles Times, "Exponent's research has come under fire from critics, including engineers, attorneys and academics who say the company tends to deliver to clients the reports they need to mount a public defense."

In 2009, the Amazon Defense Coalition criticized an Exponent study commissioned by the energy company Chevron that dumping oil waste didn't cause cancer because Chevron's largest shareholder was a director on Exponent's board. Exponent "doubted" the director knew of the study. Controversially, Exponent research argued that secondhand smoke does not cause cancer. The firm was also criticized for assisting industry efforts to reduce chromium regulation.

Hmmm... a corporate friendly company (with a UK branch) that was hired to investigate the Exxon Valdez oil spill, chemical, tobacco and automotive companies, along with 9/11, Oklahoma City and both space shuttle disasters. Since when did the U.S. government hire private companies to perform their most important investigations? This sounded interesting.

Further searches brought up the Toyota recalls, which was in the news again today:

Toyota calls in Exponent Inc. as hired gun
Los Angeles Times
February 18, 2010 | By Ken Bensinger and Ralph Vartabedian

The California engineering firm is known for helping big corporations weather messy disputes. It denies accusations that it skews results to benefit its clients.

When some of the world's best-known companies faced disputes over secondhand smoke, toxic waste in the jungle and asbestos, they all turned to the same source for a staunch defense: Exponent Inc.

Now that same engineering and consulting firm has been hired by Toyota Motor Corp. as it seeks to fend off claims that sudden acceleration in its vehicles could be caused by problems in its electronic throttle systems.

A 56-page report that Menlo Park, Calif.-based Exponent sent to Congress on Feb. 9 found that the system behaved as intended and that Exponent was "unable to induce . . . unintended acceleration or behavior that might be a precursor to such an event."

But Exponent's research has come under fire from critics, including engineers, attorneys and academics who say the company tends to deliver to clients the reports they need to mount a public defense.

"If I were Toyota, I wouldn't have picked somebody like Exponent to do analysis," said Stanton Glantz, a cardiologist at UC San Francisco who runs a database on the tobacco industry that contains thousands of pages of Exponent research arguing, among other things, that secondhand smoke does not cause cancer. "I would have picked a firm with more of a reputation of neutrality."

...Cindy Sage, an environmental consultant in Santa Barbara who specializes in electromagnetic interference, said that much more extensive testing than described in the report would be necessary to find a potential problem.

Sage, who has faced off against Exponent witnesses on safety issues in the past, said Toyota's hiring of Exponent was telling.

"The first thing you know is that when Exponent is brought in to help a company, that company is in big trouble," she said.

Big trouble, huh? So why would the presumably not-in-big-trouble U.S. government hire Exponent Failure Analysis Associates to investigate the worst terrorist attacks in history?

I soon discovered why:

On a foggy July morning in 1949, Lt. Colonel William Smith was piloting a U.S. Army B-25 bomber through New York City. He was on his way to Newark Airport in New Jersey to pick up his commanding officer, but through error and accident found himself flying over LaGuardia Airport. Because of the poor visibility, the LaGuardia tower asked him to land. But Smith persisted, requesting and receiving permission from the military to continue on to Newark. The last transmission from the LaGuardia tower to the plane was an ominous warning: “From where I’m sitting, I can’t see the top of the Empire State Building.” His plane crashed into the famous skyscraper, killing 14 and injuring 26.

As the engineers and architects of the World Trade Center Towers began their work some 30 years ago, they feared that a similar disaster could occur. So they imagined what would happen if a 707 (the largest airliner of the day) were to strike into the side of a tower and designed accordingly. Their findings: the structure would remain sound; the towers would stand. “It was more of an academic exercise at the time frankly,” says Ron Klemencic, chairman of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an international organization of engineering, architectural and construction professionals who help set up international guidelines for skyscraper design. “No one really thought that someone was going to crash an airplane into the side of the building.”

But those engineers could not have foreseen the awesome force unleashed by the impact of the 767s that struck the towers. The Boeing 767s used in the attacks were significantly heavier, faster and equipped with more powerful engines than a 707. The kinetic force released by a 767 (which weighs approximately 350,000 lbs) traveling at an estimated 400 mph is equivalent to the force generated by 93,333 six-thousand pound wrecking balls moving at 10 mph, according to LeRoy Alaways, Ph.D., a managing engineer in Accident Reconstruction at Exponent Failure Analysis Associates in Menlo Park, Calif.

www.graduatingengineer.com...

Just one problem -- a 767 is NOT significantly heavier or faster than a 707. In fact, the planes are quite similar:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/5668267b28c1.gif[/atsimg]

The above graphic from Chapter 1 of FEMA's Report shows the sizes of a 707 and a 767 relative to the footprint of a WTC tower. Flight 11 and Flight 175 were Boeing 767-200s. Although a 767-200 has a slightly wider body than a 707, the two models are very similar in overall size, weight and fuel capacity.

Given the differences in cruise speeds, a 707 in normal flight would actually have more kinetic energy than a 767, despite the slightly smaller size. Note the similar fuel capacities of both aircraft. The 767s used on September 11th were estimated to be carrying about 10,000 gallons of fuel each at the time of impact, only about 40% of the capacity of a 707.

911research.wtc7.net...

So I wondered, what other conclusions about 9/11 had been made by Exponent Failure Analysis' "experts"?

WTC 7 of course:

A NATION CHALLENGED: GROUND ZERO; Burning Diesel Is Cited in Fall Of 3rd Tower
By JAMES GLANZ and ERIC LIPTON
New York Times
Saturday, March 2, 2002

Massive structural beams that functioned as a sort of bridge to hold up the 47-story skyscraper known as 7 World Trade Center were compromised in a disastrous blaze fed by diesel fuel, leading to the building's collapse on Sept. 11, investigators have concluded in a preliminary report.

The tower was set on fire by debris from the twin towers and burned for about seven hours before collapsing in the late afternoon under previously unexplained circumstances. The analysis of its collapse is one of the first detailed findings by a team of engineers organized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Society of Civil Engineers to understand the fate of all the buildings around the site.

The team is still deliberating on how tightly it can pin down the precise train of events that led to the collapse of the twin towers themselves. But until now, the collapse of 7 World Trade has stood as one of the outstanding mysteries of the Sept. 11 attack, since before then, no modern, steel-reinforced high-rise in the United States had ever collapsed in a fire.

Videos of the 5:28 p.m. collapse of 7 World Trade lend vivid support to the truss-failure theory. Roughly 30 seconds before the building goes down, a rooftop mechanical room starts to disappear, falling into the building's core. Then a second larger rooftop room sinks. The building then quickly collapses.

Both rooms were above sections of the building held up by the trusses. Other video evidence shows fire concentrated in the floors containing the trusses and the fuel tanks.

Dr. John D. Osteraas, director of civil engineering practice, Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, in Menlo Park, Calif., reviewed videos of the collapse, discussed it with other engineers and came to a similar conclusion; the fuel, the trusses and the fire brought 7 World Trade down. ''The pieces have come together,'' he said. ''Without the fuel, I think the building would have done fine.'

'
www.wanttoknow.info...

Yep, after reviewing and discussing some videos, all the pieces finally came together for Exponent Failure Analysis. Six years later, NIST would announce their ground-breaking new theory of physics: "thermal expansion." As for numerous other demolition experts in the U.S. and throughout the world, watching every support beam fail within milliseconds of each other to precipitate a free-fall collapse was an obvious case of controlled demolition.

At Oklahoma City, Exponent somehow missed the fact that two very powerful military-grade explosive devices were recovered and defused from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The bomb squad recoveries were widely reported and seen on TV (including an announcement of the two additional bombs by Oklahoma governor Frank Keating). They was also detailed in the daily incident reports of every military and law enforcement agency at the scene. Exponent suggested that perhaps only one support column was destroyed, which buckled three others:

Murrah Building Bombing Revisited: A Qualitative Assessment of Blast Damage and Collapse Patterns

by John D. Osteraas, F.ASCE, (Group Vice Pres. and Prin. Engr., Exponent Failure Analysis Assoc., 149 Commonwealth Dr., Menlo Park, CA 94025

On April 19, 1995, a truck loaded with an ammonium nitrate and fuel oil bomb caused collapse of fully half of the total floor area of the nine-story, reinforced concrete Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The extent of the collapse, which extended well beyond the zone of direct structural blast damage, prompted studies of progressive/disproportionate collapse and development of new design guidelines for important buildings. While there is no question that the collapse was the result of the loss of only four columns, there is a common belief that direct blast effects destroyed three of those columns. Firsthand observation of debris, collapse patterns, damage patterns, and thousands of photographs taken during search and rescue activities at the building suggest the possibility that only one column was destroyed by direct blast effects, while the other three buckled due to loss of lateral support provided by beams and floor diaphragms that were destroyed by the blast. While the distinction may be subtle, it has significant implications for the design of tougher buildings. Specific lessons include ductile detailing, the necessity of maintaining the integrity of a three-dimensional frame, and explicit consideration of structural fuses to protect critical elements.
cedb.asce.org...

But wait, there's more! You'll never guess who confirmed the "Magic Bullet Theory" of the JFK assassination. Yep, the former Failure Analysis Associates, the Fed's Fave Sleuths:

The House Select Committee investigating the JFK assassination in the late 1970s (HSCA) determined that the relative positions of the President and Governor Connally were consistent with the Single Bullet Theory, and more recent investigations by Failure Analysis Associates, Inc. (now Exponent) have confirmed this.

www.jfk-online.com...

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I'm wondering who owns/manages the company and what ties they have to the US government. I'd be willing to bet that they're tied in somewhere. TPTB doesn't hand out assignments like these to just anybody!

reply to post by GoldenFleece


WOW>. !!! S&F for sure.. !!! Excellent, excellent research GF !!! .. the data for 9/11 continues to mount.. and to me, never going to stop and I hope it never ever .. does..

because the truth WILL come out.. whether or not it's in 1 yr or 50yrs.... it WILL come out..

Cool.
Unfortunately for him, Farmer, the Counsel General for the 9/11 Commission, in his book out last year says the Official Story is a pack of lies. When the 9/11 Commission went to the DOJ for them to take action against the false statements, the DOJ told them the report stands & to take a hike. Also with O'Riley on Fox linking the Truthers to Fanatical Islamics I see a full court press to shut the Truthers up for good.

Hola!

I'm not sure whether I should take this as an insult or a compliment. I am not associated with this company, and if I was do you really think that I would pick this as my nickname? Please.

Originally posted by dontaskme
I'm wondering who owns/manages the company and what ties they have to the US government. I'd be willing to bet that they're tied in somewhere. TPTB doesn't hand out assignments like these to just anybody!

Exponent's officers:

Paul R. Johnston, PhD, PE, President & Chief Executive Officer
Subbaiah V. Malladi, PhD, PE, Chief Technical Officer
Jack S. Mandel, PhD, MPH, Chief Science Officer
Richard L. Schlenker, Jr., Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary

And yes, they have many U.S. government/military contracts. Anyone who can concoct the JFK Magic Bullet Theory, overlook a couple of unexploded bombs at Oklahoma City and confidently state that WTC 7 collapsed due to "fire and truss failure" will be the government's new BFF.

BTW, in case anyone wonders why there's rarely a consensus on "scientific studies" or "product safety", it's because there are plenty of "scientists" and PhDs for rent who will gladly "study" anything you've got the $$$ for.

The LA Times said it best:

When some of the world's best-known companies faced disputes over secondhand smoke, toxic waste in the jungle and asbestos, they all turned to the same source for a staunch defense: Exponent Inc.

I wonder if they are hiring.

Originally posted by exponent
Hola!

I'm not sure whether I should take this as an insult or a compliment. I am not associated with this company, and if I was do you really think that I would pick this as my nickname? Please.

Greetings, Señor Exponent! So nice to see you. How does it feel to finally leave the 9/11 forum?

I hope for your sake you're not associated with this company or you'll be shopping that PhD for a loooong time!

Originally posted by GoldenFleece
Greetings, Señor Exponent! So nice to see you. How does it feel to finally leave the 9/11 forum?

It's not as interesting out here

I hope for your sake you're not associated with this company or you'll be shopping that PhD for a loooong time!

I only wish I could get paid for what I do here, it'd be better than the reality, that I do this as a distraction from work that pays me

reply to post by GoldenFleece


Ooh I just wanted to mention too:

encyclopedic knowledge...impressive...detailed...highly intelligent

High praise indeed. I thank you sincerely. I didn't realise I posted dozens of times a day but I guess that could be accurate. It's nice to hear praise though, even if it's while insinuating I'm some sort of paid deceiver

Wow, so to get this straight.

There is a company that has "investigated" all of these events, 9/11, OKC, etc.... basically to protect large corporations from legal repercussions from these events, named "Exponent."

And, there is a self-proclaimed British "analyst" here named "exponent."

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.


Maybe totally unrelated, maybe someone from Exponent posting here in their free time, or maybe this is an example of the DoD paying people to blog/post on forums on their behalf?


Edit to add... I suppose it's only fair to ask the man himself, if you actually said you are an "analyst," is that for the company "Exponent," exponent?

Regardless, I'd never heard of this company before and I appreciate the OP bringing it to my attention. A company involved with "investigating" the legal ramifications of all of those events warrants a certain investigation itself.

Originally posted by bsbray11
Wow, so to get this straight.

There is a company that has "investigated" all of these events, 9/11, OKC, etc.... basically to protect large corporations from legal repercussions from these events, named "Exponent."

Correct, but not just large corporations. Even larger governments. Or is that the same thing?

Originally posted by bsbray11
And, there is a self-proclaimed British "analyst" here named "exponent."

Yep, with a long-running gig in the 9/11 Forum. Shows daily at noon, 3 and 6. Remember to tip your waitress.

Originally posted by bsbray11
Edit to add... I suppose it's only fair to ask the man himself, if you actually said you are an "analyst," is that for the company "Exponent," exponent?

Asked and answered above. exponent says if he actually worked for Exponent, do we really think he'd use exponent as a nick? I say, only if he never expected to be caught.

Originally posted by GoldenFleece
Asked and answered above. Exponent says if he actually worked for Exponent, do we really think he'd use Exponent as a nick?

I don't like it when people answer a question with a question.

It's a non-answer.

Originally posted by bsbray11
I don't like it when people answer a question with a question.

It's a non-answer.

Man it must be a pretty weird world you live in.

No, I do not and as far as I know have never done work for this firm in any capacity.

Happy?

There is no lack of investigation, more like a lack in information released to the public. When this empire collapses just like all the rest of them I think the truth of all of the modern (and not so modern) mysteries will cxome out. In the same way a mean kid picks on the loser kid the other nations of the world will kick the U.S. when its down and humilliate it by exposing it as a bunch of cover ups and a government that lies to its citizens.

Off topic post...
i remember the Oklahoma bombing...The metion of the UNEXPLODED BOMBS IN THE BUILDING REMINDS ME>>>>>>>
I heard the very first reports comming in on the CBC network and followed it with rigorous attention for several hours....
Abut an hour or so into the event, CBC radio reported a mysterious explosion aboard a US Army helicopter near Killeen Texas...All sixteen passengers and crew killed as the chopper was blown up un midair....the passengers were a demolition team of the US army....
Ive never been able to confirm this as the report was never read again on air....
Only later did i discover Killeen is about an hours flight from Oklahoma City.....

Its not my country, and not my goverment thats suffered the coup de etat.....
but i just thought youd like to know....

Flagged and starred!

Maybe slightly off subject but,

I grew up KNOWING the JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King incidents HAD to be CIA because of the absolutely unbelievable BS that the gov spewed out. I was 3 when JFK got it and when RFK got it and I saw Sir Han Sir Han cry he loved Bobby. He look frail as he asked just how could be the shooter? Maybe someone doctored the phootage but it looked clearly to be Sir Han with a smoking gun in his hand when captured by the football great Greer. That made me think, at 8 years of age mind you, that brainwashing was used on him. Much later I saw "the Manchurian Candidate" with Angela Landsbury and Robert Redford as the villians and it hit me how they could pull it off. So when JFK was shot and then the Warren Commission reviewed the films and said it was a lone gunman, I realized later, that was the day we lost our country. From that point on the Military complex, as Pres Ike warned us about, had taken over our government totally. I have bee trying desperately to disprove the theory but things like the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the Suez Canal incident show something sinister is in charge behind the scenes. I know Gore was cheated in Florida and I feel he probably got the Nobel for that rather than that BS story about Climate. As a chemist measuring atmospheric gases today, I KNOW it is the sun and well known scientific observations show cycles of the sun cause our roller coaster weather. That makes the concept a slam dunk for me AND the weathermen who sit next to me forcasting events. These "Exponent Co's" and IPCC type organizations are getting away with lies and false science by the media's silence.

double post

Failure analysis reminds myself of the fellow in thIs video.....

I'm sure you understand.....
Maybe not.
If Exponent appears to be a 'legal' though 'unlawful' crime ring, perhaps it is.
It makes 'sense' therefor it most likely Is.

Subpoena of witnesses could be the next step.
Witness protection program, the next.
For some reason, I don't believe the 'courts' or the State dept. would find it in their 'budgets' to pay for any kind of witness protection program. If not, are 'they' not to be questioned and put to trial?

There are many more criminal enterprises though you hit the nail on it's Head with this one.
NXT.....?

Excellent thread, thanks OP for bringing this up.

I'd never heard of this company before.

As for the ATS member "Exponent".......well this is all very suspicious.

Let's face it, he's unlikely to admit that he does work for that company is he?