As Andrew Card, the White House Chief of Staff, said later, the briefing was a token of gratitude to the Russian President for his contribution to the counter-terrorist cause.
The Presidents summarised the briefing in an opinion exchange on terrorism, and discussed a wider range of 21st century interests the two countries shared, Mr Card said.
CIA Director George Tenet made a report to the gathering.
National security briefings are usually intended for the US President alone, so Mr Putin’s presence had no precedent.
See also
State Visit to the United States of America
November 7 − 16, 2001