Just one week after the September 11th attacks, letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to different addresses around the country, including high-profile offices like NBC News. Soon, there was a run on gas masks, and some feared terrorists like al-Qaeda would introduce a deadly and highly contagious disease like smallpox into the country. This TIME cover story attempted to assess the state of the nation’s safeguards against biological, chemical, and nuclear attacks. But a counterterrorism official reassured TIME that “it’s very difficult for terrorists to manufacture, transport and dispense these types of weapons,” and if they haven’t acquired nuclear weapons, then they’re unlikely to be building them and transporting them.
TIME Covers Terrorism Throughout the Years
“A Clear And Present Danger”
October 8, 2001
Full List
TIME Covers
- “Tower Terror”
- “Unabomber: Tracking Down the Unabomber”
- “Oklahoma City: Blow to the Heart”
- “Terror’s Venue”
- “What’s Wrong at the FBI?”
- “Botching The Big Case”
- “If You Want To Humble An Empire”
- “A Clear And Present Danger”
- “The Fear Factor”
- “The Shoe Bomber’s World”
- “Can We Stop The Next 9/11?”
- “Rush Hour Terror”
- The Fort Hood Killer: Terrified … or Terrorist?