NY releases 9/11 first responder transcripts

Four years after the fact, officials in New York City released tens of thousands of documents detailing the September 11 terrorist attacks on lower Manhattan, following a judge's order. The New York Times published excerpts of the material online, leading to a wave of curious web traffic which slowed the newspaper's site to a crawl. The records include thousands of hours of recorded interviews with New York City firefighters and medical personnel, as well as the full transcripts of hundreds of 911 calls made from within the World Trade Center on the morning of the attacks.

Mayor Bloomberg's administration had resisted releasing the documents and tapes "out of respect for the victims of the tragedy and their families." Researchers say the evidence provides the most detailed look at a civil emergency ever assembled.

- see this special section from The New York Times