Franks wrote to his Senator, Harold Hughes, a Democrat who was a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Franks told the Senator that "we have been reporting that our planes have received hostile reactions such as AAA and SAM firings, whether they have or not. We have also been falsifying targets struck and bomb damage assessments." Hughes had a copy of the letter hand-carried to Air Force Chief of Staff General John D. Ryan on March 8. Franks' identity was initially concealed by Congress but was eventually leaked to the New York Times.