Buzz
When bin Laden is mentioned today, most people's minds immediately go to terrorism, especially against the United States. In a similar vein, George Bush—whether the father or the son—brings to mind their respective presidencies. For George W. Bush, his term in the White House was notably marked by the tragic events of the 9/11 attacks.
However, beyond the obvious, there are numerous other connections to explore. The Bush and bin Laden families have had a long history of business relationships, and Osama bin Laden himself reportedly once worked for the CIA, serving American interests. While some of these links between the Bushes and bin Ladens could just be coincidences, they certainly spark intrigue. Here are ten examples of connections, whether direct or indirect, between two of the most well-known families in the world.
10. Connections in the Oil Business
The ties between the bin Laden and Bush families trace back several decades. One of the earliest notable instances occurred in 1978, when George W. Bush and Salem bin Laden, Osama’s brother, established Arbusto Energy in Texas.
The business didn't achieve success, and by the mid-1980s, after merging with Spectrum 7, it was acquired by a company named Harken Energy. As we will explore further, this acquisition itself raised suspicions—suspicions that were later confirmed when an investigation into the company financing the takeover revealed several corruption scandals.
Other affluent Saudi investors were also involved with Arbusto. The individual primarily credited with facilitating the connections between the Bush family and these wealthy investors is the subject of our next entry.
9. Jim Bath
Jim Bath was recognized as a 'CIA asset' around the time George W. Bush was diving into the oil industry, during the period when the CIA was under the leadership of George H.W. Bush. Bath had extensive international connections, particularly with wealthy Middle Eastern businessmen seeking to invest in the U.S. dollar. Many of these individuals were part of Saudi Arabia’s royal family and elite circles, including the bin Laden family.
In fact, Bath's trust with the bin Laden family was so strong that he became their representative for business endeavors in the United States. This partnership also extended to Bath representing the interests of Khalid bin Mahfuiz, a name frequently mentioned in relation to the business dealings between the Bushes and the bin Ladens, as well as someone with deep ties to Saudi Arabia's National Commercial Bank.
Bath had been a close companion of Bush Jr. since their days together in the Texas Air National Guard—a position that, whether justified or not, effectively kept an otherwise eligible Bush Jr. out of the Vietnam War.
8. BCCI and Harken Energy
When Harken Energy took over the failing Arbusto Oil Company in 1986, it was funded with $25 million by the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, or BCCI. Whether by chance or design, many of the same wealthy Middle Eastern investors involved in Arbusto's operations were also connected to BCCI.
In early 1991, BCCI was shut down after investigations uncovered money laundering activities linked to the trafficking of weapons, as well as funneling funds to the Mujahideen to support their fight against the Soviet Union. (As we will later see, this money was funneled directly to Osama bin Laden.) Another key Bush-bin Laden associate, Khalid bin Mahfuiz, had a significant stake in BCCI. In short, BCCI has been dubbed 'the most corrupt financial institution in history.'
While no direct connections have been proven between the Bush family and BCCI, there were certainly indirect links that warranted investigation. Additionally, there were similar associations between another entity the Bush and bin Laden families were involved with, which had direct ties to BCCI. This group is the subject of our next entry.
7. The Carlyle Group
In the book House of Bush, House of Saud, author and researcher Craig Unger delves into allegations of covert political agendas involving the Bush family (and by extension, the Bush administrations), wealthy Saudi businessmen (including Saudi royals and the bin Laden family), and a select group of individuals known as the Carlyle Group. The revelations in this publication were so explosive that some publishing houses withdrew the book from circulation, fearing potential libel suits.
This move led many to believe that the publishers and authors were being intimidated in an effort to suppress the information. Simon Master of Random House, one of the publishers, even claimed that libel lawyers were 'suppressing free speech.' To some, however, it was not the lawyers who were doing the silencing, but rather those whose actions were exposed in the book's contents.
In brief, the Carlyle Group, while a fully transparent private equity firm, had many of the same Saudi investors, along with Bush Jr. and his associates, who were also connected to the highly controversial BCCI scandals, along with several other companies dating back many years. This has led some to view the group with suspicion. Our next entry does little to reduce that suspicion.
6. Bush Sr.’s 9/11 Meeting
While George W. Bush was in Florida reading a book about goats during the unfolding 9/11 attacks, George H. W. Bush was attending a meeting on behalf of the Carlyle Group at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C., alongside a brother of Osama bin Laden, America's soon-to-be most wanted man.
Whether the meeting was purely coincidental or not remains a topic of debate—and many have discussed it extensively. Michael Moore, in his film Fahrenheit 9/11, pointed out the connections between the two families, including the meeting on September 11. While both families maintain that their relationship is purely business-oriented, others suspect it may have been driven by covert political motives.
While it doesn’t provide any definitive proof of wrongdoing, it may be a coincidence that’s just too much to ignore, even for the most die-hard skeptic of such conspiracy theories. This becomes even more apparent when considering the next entry on our list.
5. Bin Ladens Allowed to Leave the U.S.
It's well known that after the attacks on the Twin Towers, key members of the bin Laden family were allowed to leave the United States. Even more surprisingly, they were given safe passage by the U.S. government, despite the fact that all air traffic over American skies had been grounded.
While it's tempting to jump to conclusions and dive into conspiracy theories here, a more objective look suggests that the decision was likely made to protect longtime associates from the unjust backlash they might face due to their relative's heinous act. As Yeslam bin Laden, one of Osama’s brothers, remarked, 'since the 9/11 attacks, the name bin Laden is synonymous with terror.'
However, it wasn't just the fact that members of the bin Laden family were allowed to leave that raised eyebrows. Numerous reports from military and government officials later revealed that Osama bin Laden might have been captured shortly after 9/11. CIA field commander Gary Berntsen, in particular, claimed that there was a lack of action and effort to apprehend bin Laden, despite knowing his whereabouts in the months following the attacks. Berntsen elaborates on this in his book Jawbreaker, where he concludes that the U.S. 'let Osama bin Laden get away.' Whether or not bin Laden was truly 'taken out' in 2011, as the world was led to believe, is another conspiracy in itself—though it’s beyond the scope of this discussion.
4. Osama's CIA Connections
Back in the 1970s and especially throughout the 1980s, Osama bin Laden wasn’t just seen as a friend to the United States—he was actually regarded as an asset of the CIA.
While the majority of the bin Laden family thrived as successful businessmen, Osama’s strengths appeared to lie in more practical, on-the-ground operations. During the 1980s, he led militia forces fighting against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, with his group receiving significant support from the CIA, including arms, training, and resources.
When the war in Afghanistan ended, things started to get more complicated. Many conspiracy theorists argue that Osama bin Laden maintained a covert connection to the CIA. However, it’s important to note that there is no definitive evidence supporting this claim, and those who make these assertions often reference previous CIA actions as the basis for their theories.
Officially, Osama bin Laden opposed the growing influence of the U.S. in the Middle East, which led him to leave his homeland and embark on a path that ultimately culminated in the 9/11 attacks. In the world of intelligence, this kind of outcome is referred to as 'blowback.' The fact that there’s even a specific term for such events might suggest that this is more than just an isolated incident.
3. Heroin
One of the most underreported aspects of the connection between the Bush family and the bin Laden family is the allegations surrounding drug trafficking after the invasion of Afghanistan. These claims have been a persistent part of the Bush family’s legacy for decades, and many believe they have a solid basis.
While the Taliban had expressed approval for a pipeline project mentioned earlier, they were staunchly opposed to the production and trafficking of heroin from the country’s vast opium supply. Meanwhile, agencies like the CIA turned a blind eye, essentially allowing the opium trade to thrive, while the Taliban worked to shut it down.
When U.S. forces entered Afghanistan, accusing the Taliban of harboring Osama bin Laden, it was observed that heroin production not only returned to pre-Taliban levels but surged to unprecedented heights. Could it have been pure coincidence that these opium fields were seized by the U.S. military right after the invasion and have stayed under their control ever since?
2. The Afghan Pipeline
In 1997, California-based Unocal, a company with numerous ties to Dick Cheney, began preparations for the Afghanistan Oil Pipeline, set to run from Turkmenistan, through Afghanistan, and to the Arabian Sea—ultimately benefiting U.S.-run corporations. Both the Taliban and anti-Taliban factions backed the project, with U.S.-led training offered to prospective workers to help lay the pipeline.
However, the project faced intense opposition, particularly from feminist groups who vehemently protested any deal involving the Taliban due to their severe human rights violations, especially the lack of rights for women. The mounting pressure led Unocal to ultimately pull out of the agreement.
Following the 9/11 attacks, which turned Osama bin Laden into the most wanted man in the world, the Bush administration launched airstrikes on critical sites in Afghanistan, eventually invading the country in pursuit of the mastermind. Whether by coincidence or design, by the close of 2002, with Dick Cheney still a significant figure in the Bush administration, the pipeline project was back on track. With the Taliban now an adversary, their approval was no longer a requirement.
Whether these events were manipulated, opportunistically seized upon, or simply coincidental, numerous researchers and critics have discussed them extensively in various publications, making it impossible to dismiss them entirely.
1. 9/11 and Saudi Arabia
While much remains unclear about the 9/11 attacks, one more “coincidence” involves potential Saudi involvement in the events. After all, Saudi Arabia is the home country of the bin Laden family.
According to official records, 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 attacks were from Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Khalid Shaykh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind, was allowed to freely enter and exit the United States throughout much of 2001. This was despite multiple warnings from U.S. intelligence agencies about his potential involvement in terrorist activities. Further alerts were issued just weeks before the attacks in August 2001, specifically mentioning Osama bin Laden and other Saudi financiers.
Given these circumstances, it’s puzzling to some that the U.S. military didn’t immediately focus on Saudi Arabia. Instead, they chose to invade Afghanistan, claiming it was where Osama bin Laden was hiding. We delve into the possible alternative motivations in the following entries on our list.
