The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs

THAT MEMORY OF GOING TO

ARLINGTON TO BURY ONE OF MY

OFFICERS FROM THE C.I.A.,

ELIZABETH HANSON, IS ONE THAT

WILL BE WITH ME FOR A LONG TIME.

THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE

TO SERVE THIS COUNTRY, AND

THAT'S WHAT ELIZABETH HANSON

DID.

I KNEW THAT THE C.I.A. OFFICERS

WERE THERE BECAUSE I ORDERED

THEM TO BE THERE.

I HAD TO BEAR SOME OF THE

RESPONSIBILITY FOR HAVING TAKEN

THIS RISK.

INITIAL REPORTS INDICATE THE

BOMBER WAS BEING RECRUITED BY

THE C.I.A. AS A SOURCE.

THIS WAS THE WORST, SINGLE

LOSS OF LIFE FOR THE C.I.A.

SINCE 1983, WHEN A TRUCK BOMBER

BLEW UP THE AMERICAN EMBASSY.

THIS PERSON OBVIOUSLY TURNED

OUT TO BE A DOUBLE AGENT AND HAD

BLOWN HIMSELF UP, AS WELL AS OUR

OFFICERS.

IT'S HARD TO FIND THE WORDS WHEN

SUDDENLY YOU'RE TOLD THAT SEVEN

OF YOUR OFFICERS HAVE BEEN

KILLED AND OTHERS SERIOUSLY

WOUNDED.

WHAT WENT THROUGH MY MIND WAS

THE FAMILIES OUT THERE WHO,

WITHIN A FEW HOURS, WERE GOING

TO BE INFORMED THAT SOMEONE

WHO... WHO THEY LOVED HAD BEEN

KILLED.

WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TRYING TO

FIGURE OUT WHO WERE THE ONES WHO

PUSHED THAT BUTTON.

WE HAVE A LOT OF SOURCES THAT WE

RELY ON, SPIES.

AND SO WE IMMEDIATELY ASKED THE

QUESTION, "WHO THE HELL WAS

INVOLVED IN THIS TRAGIC SUICIDE

BOMBING?"

WE WERE ABLE TO GET PRETTY GOOD

INTELLIGENCE.

AND SO, WE KNEW WHO THE

INDIVIDUAL WAS.

THIS WAS A BAD GUY, AND HE WAS

CLEARLY A LEADER.

HAD BEEN INVOLVED NOT ONLY IN

GOING AFTER OUR OFFICERS, BUT IN

KILLING MEMBERS OF OUR OWN

FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN.

AND IT WAS ON THE DAY OF

ELIZABETH HANSON'S FUNERAL THAT

I GOT A CALL FROM OUR OPERATIONS

CENTER.

THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD PRETTY

GOOD INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE

THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS.

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS INDIVIDUAL

HAD FAMILY AND WIFE AND CHILDREN

AROUND HIM, AND SO ONE OF THE

TOUGH QUESTIONS WAS, YOU KNOW,

"WHAT SHOULD WE DO?"

STANDBY.

DO NOT ENGAGE.

DO NOT ENGAGE THE MOSQUE.

ROGER.

IF THERE WERE WOMEN AND

CHILDREN IN THE SHOT, WE

NORMALLY WOULD NOT

TAKE THE SHOT.

I REMEMBER CALLING THE WHITE

HOUSE, AND THEY WERE AWARE HOW

TOUGH A DECISION THIS IS AND

BASICALLY SAID, "LOOK, YOU KNOW,

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE A

JUDGMENT HERE."

SO I KNEW AT THAT POINT THAT IT

WAS A DECISION THAT I WAS GOING

TO HAVE TO MAKE.

I MEAN, I'M THE ONE WHO'S GOING

TO HAVE TO SAY HAIL MARYS HERE.

I WAS RAISED A CATHOLIC, I

BELIEVE IN MY FAITH, AND I RELY

A GREAT DEAL ON MY FAITH

THROUGHOUT MY LIFE.

I'VE ALWAYS CARRIED A ROSARY AND

ALWAYS SAID A HELL OF A LOT OF

HAIL MARYS IN TOUGH SITUATIONS.

AND SUDDENLY, YOU KNOW, I FOUND

THAT I WAS MAKING DECISIONS ON

LIFE AND DEATH AS DIRECTOR, AND

THOSE DECISIONS ARE NEVER EASY,

AND FRANKLY THEY SHOULDN'T BE

EASY.

I FELT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT

IN THAT JOB TO DO WHAT I COULD

TO PROTECT THIS COUNTRY, SO I

PASSED ON THE WORD.

I SAID, IF YOU CAN ISOLATE THE

INDIVIDUAL AND TAKE THE SHOT

WITHOUT IMPACTING ON WOMEN OR

CHILDREN, THEN DO IT.

BUT IF YOU HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE

AND IT LOOKS LIKE HE MIGHT GET

AWAY, THEN TAKE THE SHOT.

LET'S GO.

ROLL IT IN.

WILDFIRE, WE'RE CLEARED ON THE

BUILDING.

WE'RE CLEARED ON THE BIG

SQUARE BUILDING.

GO AHEAD AND LEVEL IT.

ROGER THAT.

YEAH, DIRECT HITS RIGHT THERE.

AND IT DID INVOLVE COLLATERAL

DAMAGE, BUT WE GOT HIM.

IT'S DONE.

THESE ARE TOUGH DECISIONS,

AND YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT, THEY ARE

TOUGH DECISIONS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A WAR.

THIS IS A WAR.

9/11, THESE PEOPLE DIDN'T

HESITATE A MOMENT TO KILL 3,000

PEOPLE AND TAKE DOWN THE TRADE

CENTERS AND HIT THE PENTAGON.

THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULD

NOT HESITATE TO ATTACK US AGAIN.

IN THE END, WHAT YOU DO I THINK

HAS TO BE BASED ON WHAT YOUR

GUTS TELL YOU IS RIGHT.

THAT'S REALLY WHAT IT'S ALL

ABOUT.

YOU HAVE TO BE TRUE TO YOURSELF

AS TO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT

AND HOPE THAT ULTIMATELY GOD

AGREES WITH YOU.

Narrator: INSIDE THE C.I.A...

I'M FORCED TO MAKE DECISIONS

EVERY DAY.

Narrator: DIRECTOR JOHN

BRENNAN CARRIES THE BURDEN OF

COMMAND.

A LOT OF DECISIONS THAT WE

RECOGNIZE HAVE RISKS ASSOCIATED

WITH THEM, SIGNIFICANT RISKS

THAT SOMETIMES CAN RESULT IN

DEATHS.

THE C.I.A.'S ACTIONS A DECADE

AGO ARE A STAIN ON OUR VALUE AND

ON OUR HISTORY.

YOU CAN'T CLAIM THAT TYING

SOMEONE TO THE FLOOR AND HAVING

THEM FREEZE TO DEATH IS NOT

TORTURE.

TORTURE WAS WHAT THE AL QAEDA

TERRORISTS DID TO 3,000

AMERICANS ON 9/11.

I WISH THE WORLD WERE

SIMPLER.

I WISH WE DIDN'T HAVE THESE

COMPLEX CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE

WHERE THERE IS NOT A RIGHT AND

WRONG ANSWER, WHERE IT'S NOT

BLACK AND WHITE.

ON THOSE DAYS WHEN I'M THINKING

ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WORRY ME

MOST, THERE IS THE BIOLOGICAL

AGENT, THERE IS THE DEVASTATING

STRATEGIC TYPE OF TERRORIST

ATTACK, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT

THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE SO

DETERMINED TO CAUSE AS MUCH

HAVOC AND DESTRUCTION AND DEATH

AS POSSIBLE.

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THIS

PHENOMENON THAT WE'RE FACING AS

FAR AS TERRORISM, LIKE ISIS AND

THEIR WANTON, MURDEROUS

ACTIVITIES?

ISIS RULES WITH BRUTALITY AND

FEAR, PUBLICLY EXECUTING THOSE

WHO OFFEND ITS STRICT VERSION OF

ISLAMIC LAW.

WELL, WE CAN LET THESE

TERRORIST ORGANITIONS THRIVE

AND NOT TAKE ACTION AGAINST

THEM, OR WE CAN TRY TO TAKE

ACTION THAT'S GOING TO DISRUPT

THEIR PLANS.

Narrator: IN A CONFLICT

AGAINST A RUTHLESS ENEMY, WHAT

ARE THE RULES FOR AMERICA'S

SPYMASTERS?