India, Sept. 12 -- Several dozen presidential briefing documents were declassified Friday, the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, detail intelligence government officials had gathered about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida leading up to the hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people and upended American national security.

The documents illustrate security analysts' tracking of bin Laden's movements and support system, as well as concerns about possible threats to US targets. They also detail officials' understanding of his network in the United States and other countries, including how his operations were financed.

Proclaiming it "an act of exceptional transparency," CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the documents were the agency'...