"To The Editor:
Re 'Report of 9/11 Panel Cites Lapses by C.I.A. AND F.B.I.' (front page, July 25):
The Congressional committee does not address the slow response time to the attacks as they were occurring. Why did the North American Aerospace Defense Command's response take so long during what should have looked like a hijacking in the first two minutes of these well-coordinated attacks?
Federal Aviation Administration regulations state that fighters should be scrambled once any aircraft deviaters more than 15 degrees off-course or at the first failiong of equipment such as transponders...more than 3,000 people died because such rules were ignored.
The real question to be answered...is not 'Why didn't we expect them?' but rather 'Who left the door open for them?'
Todd Papaleo..."