Moreover, it is unlikely that the purpose of the CIA station was only that made public to the Times. More likely is that the public story is a cover for what the station did.
I went to a meeting in the WTC this spring. It took a half hour to get through security because they had to type all kinds of details into some computer and take my picture with a camera. It all seemed like a preposterous amount of security and rigamarole even after the 93 bombing. If they really cared about stopping attacks like that, they would do a better job guarding the garage and keeping track of the surveillance tapes after the fact. On the floor of my meeting, though, I figured out what was probably going on. The floor held a number of offices including several branch offices of foreign banks. These weren't for passbook customers making deposits. They were the kind used to do big deals. My guess is that someone used the databases and photos of those coming and going for intelligence purposes. Perhaps there was something more a foot too, but the concentration of financial deal making seems high enough to be worth the effort. The UN can be a 60+ minute drive by car. -Peter