Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs Page #7

ALL THE WAY UP, BELTING OUT, "AS

LONG AS I KNOW HOW TO LOVE, I

KNOW I WILL SURVIVE," JUS DANCING.

AS LONG AS I KNOW HOW TO LOVE

I KNOW I'LL STAY ALIVE

THAT'S HOW I REMEMBER HER

LIVING, LARGER THAN LIFE.

SHE JUST WAS ALL HEART.

AS MUCH AS AL QAEDA THINKS THEY

DESTROYED HER THAT DAY, THEY

MADE HER IMMORTAL.

SHE WILL ALWAYS SURVIVE.

IT WAS VERY PERSONAL,

PERSONAL FOR ME, PERSONAL FOR

THE OTHER OFFICERS AT THE C.I.A.

Narrator:
IT ISN'T LONG

BEFORE LEON PANETTA MAKES THA LIFE-AND-DEATH DECISION, CALLING

IN A DEADLY DRONE STRIKE ON THE

MASTERMIND OF THAT SUICIDE

BOMBING-- THE STRIKE THAT ALSO

KILLED HIS FAMILY.

PROBABLY THE BIGGES CONSEQUENCE WAS THAT THE GU FEELING IN EVERY OFFICERS' INNER

BEING THAT THAT THEIR GOAL WAS

TO GO AFTER THE LEADERSHIP OF AL

QAEDA.

WE NEEDED TO GET REAL-TIME

INFORMATION AS FAST AS WE

POSSIBLY COULD TO PROTECT THE

COUNTRY AND ENSURE THERE WASN' ANOTHER ATTACK ON THE HOMELAND.

Narrator:
THE C.I.A. UNDER

GEORGE TENET NOW EMBARKS ON A

CONTROVERSIAL INTERROGATION

PROGRAM THAT WILL COME BACK TO

HAUNT IT, ONE THAT BEGINS WITH A

SINGLE PRISONER.

ABU ZUBAYDAH WAS A MAJOR

TERRORIST FACILITATOR AND

PLANNER ON THE PART OF AL QAEDA.

WE BELIEVED THAT HE HAD

IMPORTANT AND SIGNIFICAN INFORMATION TO PROVIDE.

AND THROUGH AN INCREDIBLY

DIFFICULT TARGETING EFFORT, WE

WERE ABLE TO FINALLY CAPTURE HIM

IN MARCH OF 2002.

THERE WAS A FIREFIGHT AND ABU

ZUBAYDAH IS SEVERELY WOUNDED, SO

WE NEEDED TO TAKE HIM SOMEWHERE

WHERE WE COULD INTERROGATE HIM

OURSELVES, AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC

LIGHT.

WE NEEDED A PLACE TO TALK TO

THEM.

WHERE'S THAT GOING TO BE?

IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT A

JAILHOUSE IN PAKISTAN, YOU'RE

GOING TO GET A HUGELY BAD

OUTCOME BECAUSE:
A, NOTHING'S

GOING TO BE SECRET AND PROBABLY

NOBODY IS GOING TO SURVIVE THE

SESSION, PLUS THERE WILL BE A

RIOT ON THE MAIN STREET IN ABOU 15 MINUTES.

SHOULD WE BRING THEM BACK TO

THE UNITED STATES?

GIVE THEM THE FULL PROTECTION OF

THE U.S. CONSTITUTION?

ALLOW THEM TO HAVE LAWYERS

PRESENT TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS

AS IF THEY WERE AMERICAN

CITIZENS?

I'D LIKE TO KNOW, WHAT ARE YOU

GOING TO TELL THE DIRECTOR OF

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE TO DO?

Narrator:
IN ORDER TO

INTERROGATE THEIR PRISONERS, THE

C.I.A. CREATES A NETWORK OF

SO-CALLED BLACK SITES, SECRE PRISONS THAT EVENTUALLY WILL

HOLD AT LEAST 119 SUSPECTED AL

QAEDA TERRORISTS.

IN CHARGE OF THE SITES IS JOSE

RODRIGUEZ.

THE BLACK SITES WERE

INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING US GAIN

VERY INVALUABLE INFORMATION.

SOME CRITICS MIGHT SAY,

"WELL, WAIT A MINUTE, YOU WANTED

TO BE ABLE TO ABUSE THIS GUY.

YOU DIDN'T WANT ANY RULES.

YOU WANTED TO..."

WELL, THAT'S...

"...TORTURE THE GUY."

THAT'S BULLSHIT.

WE GET ACCUSED BY HUMAN RIGH ACTIVISTS THAT WE CREATED THIS

BLACK SITE IN ORDER TO ABUSE

PEOPLE.

IN FACT, BY ACCEPTING PRISONERS,

WE ACTUALLY BECAME RESPONSIBLE

FOR THEM, FOR THEIR HEALTH, FOR

THEM TOTALLY.

ABU ZUBAYDAH HAD PROVIDED SOME

EARLY USEFUL INFORMATION, AND

THEN HE STOPPED TALKING.

GEORGE TENET WAS GOING TO THE

WHITE HOUSE EVERY DAY AND THE

PRESIDENT WAS ASKING GEORGE,

"WHAT IS ABU ZUBAYDAH SAYING

ABOUT THE SECOND WAVE OF ATTACKS

AND ABOUT ALL THESE OTHER

PROGRAMS?"

WELL, HE WAS NOT SAYING

ANYTHING, AND WE KNEW WE HAD TO

DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

AND OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS OF

2002 PUT TOGETHER WHAT BECAME

THE ENHANCED INTERROGATION

PROGRAM.

Narrator:
TO RUN ITS PROGRAM,

THE C.I.A. HIRES TWO

PSYCHOLOGISTS WHO HAD TRAINED

U.S. AIRMEN TO RESIST ENEMY

TORTURE.

THEY HAVE NO EXPERIENCE IN

INTERROGATION AND NO KNOWLEDGE

OF AL QAEDA, BUT THEIR COMPANY

IS PAID A STAGGERING SUM OF $81

MILLION.

A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKED ABOU "JUST HAVE TEA WITH THE GUY AND

ESTABLISH SOME SORT OF RAPPORT."

I GET IT.

I GET THAT IF YOU'VE GOT TIME.

WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME.

WE NEEDED TO ACCELERATE THE

PROCESS.

WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO WAS TO

MOVE INDIVIDUALS FROM A ZONE OF

DEFIANCE INTO A ZONE OF

COOPERATION, AND THEN THE

INTELLIGENCE GATHERING BEGAN.

Narrator:
UNDER C.I.A.

SUPERVISION, DETAINEES WOULD BE

SLAPPED AND GRABBED; DEPRIVED OF

SLEEP; FORCED ONTO LIQUID DIETS;

EVEN CONFINED IN A COFFIN-LIKE

BOX WITH LIVE INSECTS.

THERE WAS NUDITY.

THERE WAS WATER DOUSING, CRAMPED

CONFINEMENT, STRESS POSITIONS.

Narrator:
AND THEN THERE IS A

TECHNIQUE MADE INFAMOUS BY

HOLLYWOOD:
WATERBOARDING.

WHERE WAS THE LAST TIME YOU

SAW BIN LADEN?

WHERE WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW

BIN LADEN, HUH?

WHEN YOU LIE TO ME, I HURT YOU.

THE OPENING SCENE OF "ZERO

DARK THIRTY," WHERE YOU SEE ALL

THESE PRISONERS BEING ABUSED BY

C.I.A. OFFICERS, SPONTANEOUS

WATERBOARDING WITH A PAIL--

TOTAL BULLSHIT.

MADE UP STUFF.

WATERBOARDING AS PRACTICED BY

THE CHINESE, THE NAZIS, THE

SPANISH INQUISITION IS TORTURE

AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN TORTURE.

BUT THE WATERBOARDING THAT WAS

APPLIED WAS DIFFERENT, OKAY.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT?

IT'S DIFFERENT BECAUSE I DOESN'T USE AS MUCH WATER.

THEY DON'T DROWN ANYBODY.

THE BODY RESPONDS AS IF THE

BODY THINKS ITS DROWNING.

AM I HAPPY WE HAD TO DO IT?

OF COURSE NOT.

WE HAD DOCTORS THERE TO MAKE

SURE THAT NO HARM CAME TO THE

INDIVIDUAL.

I'M NOT TRYING TO MINIMIZE HOW

UNPLEASANT THIS TECHNIQUE WAS.

IT IS NOT TORTURE.

YOU KNOW, LAWYERS LOOKED A THIS.

HAD THEY SAID, THIS IS TORTURE,

WE WOULD NOT DO IT.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THA HAPPENS HERE IS THESE TECHNIQUES

AND THE PROPOSAL TO USE THESE

TECHNIQUES ON ANY HUMAN BEING

ARE SENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF

JUSTICE IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE WE

WANT TO KNOW THAT IT IS LEGAL

UNDER U.S. LAW AND DOES NOT IN

ANY WAY COMPROMISE OUR ADHERENCE

TO INTERNATIONAL TORTURE

STATUTES.

AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE

UNITED STATES TOLD US THAT I DID NOT.

IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO KNOW THA THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED

STATES AUTHORIZED THESE

TECHNIQUES.

THE PRESIDENT READ THE MEMO,

LOOKED AT THE TECHNIQUES AND

DECIDED HE WAS GOING TO TAKE TWO

TECHNIQUES OFF THE TABLE

HIMSELF.

I DO NOT KNOW NOR DO I RECALL

WHAT TECHNIQUES WERE TAKEN OFF

THE TABLE.

ONLY THREE DETAINEES WERE

EVER WATERBOARDED, BY THE WAY.

THREE KILLERS THAT HAD AMERICAN

BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS WERE

WATERBOARDED BY US.

GIVE ME A BREAK.

GIVE ME A BREAK.

Narrator:
BUT THERE ARE SOME

INSIDE THE C.I.A. WHO HAVE GRAVE

DOUBTS.

THERE WERE A NUMBER OF THOSE

TECHNIQUES THAT I PERSONALLY

FELT WERE INAPPROPRIATE, NO NECESSARY, BEYOND THE PALE.

I WAS NOT IN THE... IN THE CHAIN

OF COMMAND, BUT I WAS A C.I.A.

OFFICER.

I WAS A SENIOR C.I.A. OFFICER A THE TIME, AND I HAD EXPRESSED

MY... MY DISCOMFORT AND MY... MY

CONCERNS ABOUT THESE TECHNIQUES,

BELIEVING THAT THEY WERE GOING

TO COME BACK TO HAUNT US, THE

C.I.A.

I DID THAT WITH INDIVIDUALS,

COLLEAGUES AT THE AGENCY.

DID HE EVER COME AND COMPLAIN

TO YOU ABOUT THE

ENHANCED-INTERROGATION

TECHNIQUES?

NOPE.

HE NEVER CAME TO YOU AND

SAID, "HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT,

GEORGE?

I THINK THIS IS WRONG"?

NOPE.

HE NEVER DID?

NOPE.

IT'S NOT AS THOUGH I WENT UP

AND DOWN THE HALLS OF THE C.I.A.

AND SAID, "WE SHOULDN'T BE DOING

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