The Mamdani administration has opened a public portal containing more than 170,000 pages of city records on the Sept. 11 attacks and their aftermath, ending a multiyear legal fight over records tied to air quality, health concerns and the city’s response.
The initial release comes ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks and includes the long-discussed Harding Memo, records known as the “68 boxes” and documents concerning World Trade Center 7, according to the mayor’s office.
The records are available through a new city portal, nyc.gov/sept11docs. The portal could not be independently accessed through the available web retrieval tool at publication time, but the mayor’s office said it will be updated regularly as additional records are reviewed and personally identifiable information is redacted.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani also announced the settlement of two lawsuits brought by 9/11 Health Watch, a group that has pressed the city to release records related to health risks after the attacks.
“For too long, New Yorkers have had to fight for access to records that should have been available to them in the first place,” Mamdani said in a statement. “This portal is part of our administration’s enduring commitment to honor those we lost, care for those living with lasting health consequences and give thousands of New Yorkers the answer they’ve been asking for.”
The city’s fiscal year 2027 budget includes $34 million to create and maintain the portal, according to the mayor’s office.
The first group of documents focuses on health concerns, air quality and the government’s response in the months and years following the attacks. City Law Department officials worked with 9/11 Health Watch to identify records sought in the lawsuits for inclusion in the initial release, the administration said.
The city expects to add substantially more documents during the next year as records are reviewed and sensitive personal information is removed.
The administration also said it will assign dedicated staff at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and New York City Public Schools to help people retrieve records that may establish their presence in the New York City Exposure Zone.
Such documentation can be important for survivors, responders, workers, students and residents seeking access to federal assistance created under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, including the World Trade Center Health Program and the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund.
Corporation Counsel Steven Banks said the release would provide public access to documents that had never previously been available and could help clarify how city government responded to the attacks and their consequences.
Elected officials and advocates who have long called for disclosure welcomed the move. U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler said the records could shed light on what city officials knew about potential health hazards faced by people exposed to dust and smoke at and around Ground Zero.
Former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney said the records may also help survivors establish their presence in the exposure zone and pursue benefits for which they may qualify.
The release is not expected to end scrutiny of the city’s post-9/11 record. But for first responders, survivors and families who have spent years seeking documents about the health effects of the attacks, the portal opens a new source of information—and potentially, evidence—25 years after the towers fell.
