White House directs Sept. 11 tributes

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. government officials have received detailed guidelines from the White House on how to commemorate the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

They call for honoring the memory of those who died on American soil but also remembering that attacks by al-Qaida and extremist groups have occurred in many other countries, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

"The important theme is to show the world how much we realize that 9/11--the attacks themselves and violent extremism writ large -- is not "just about us," said one U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Copies of the guidelines were provided to the Times by officials in several agencies involved in planning the commemorations.

One set is framed for overseas allies and their citizens, another includes themes for Americans.

One significant theme in both sets of documents is that Americans must be prepared for another attack and must be resilient in recovering from the loss.

Resilience is a repeated theme of the communications.

"It's a statement of strength that the United States can outlast our adversaries," said Benjamin J. Rhodes, deputy national security adviser. "We're stronger than the terrorists' ability to frighten us."