Original subtitles

Downloaded from YTS.MX

Narrator: MAY 1, 2011,

OSAMA BIN LADEN, THE MASTERMIND OF THE 9/11 ATTACK ON AMERICA,

Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX

IS AT LAST WITHIN THE SIGHTS OF UNITED STATES SPECIAL FORCES.

Ben Rhodes: THERE WAS A REAL SENSE OF DEEP ANXIETY IN THE ROOM.

IT WAS TOTALLY SILENT.

Leon Panetta: THE FEARS ABOUT WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG,

SUDDENLY ALL OF THOSE FEARS ARE COMING TRUE.

Narrator: AS BIN LADEN'S TERROR ATTACKS

SPIRAL ACROSS THE WORLD,

A SUPERPOWER STRUGGLES FOR YEARS TO FIND AND ELIMINATE

THE WORLD'S MOST WANTED MAN.

Richard Clarke: THE WORLD'S ONLY REMAINING SUPERPOWER

DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET ONE GUY.

Narrator: NOW, THROUGH THE MEMORIES OF THE PEOPLE

WHO LED THE MISSION TO GET BIN LADEN,

THIS FILM TELLS THE INSIDE STORY

OF THE MOST INTENSIVE MANHUNT IN HISTORY.

Gary Schroen: "FIND BIN LADEN, KILL HIM, CUT OFF HIS HEAD,

AND I'M GOING TO TAKE IT DOWN AND SHOW THE PRESIDENT."

Narrator: IT'S A STORY OF PRESIDENTIAL FRUSTRATIONS

AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES.

George W. Bush: I WANT JUSTICE.

THERE'S AN OLD POSTER OUT WEST, AS I RECALL,

THAT SAID, "WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE!"

Fran Townsend: THE PRESIDENT GOT TO THE POINT

WHERE AT EVERY SINGLE INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING,

THE FIRST QUESTION WAS,

WHERE IS BIN LADEN AND WHAT ARE WE DOING TO FIND HIM?

Narrator: A STORY OF MILITARY CONFUSIONS

AND VICIOUS TURF WARS.

Mark Rossini: THE CIA HAS A BUNCH OF BAD GUYS

THAT ARE COMING TO THE U.S.

WE KNOW THEIR [BEEP] FLIGHT INFORMATION, FOR CHRIST'S SAKES!

AND YOU DON'T TELL THE FBI?

Donald Rumsfeld: ALL THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES

FOCUSED ON BIN LADEN.

AND THE TASK WAS TO FIND HIM.

AND, OF COURSE, HIS TASK WAS TO NOT BE FOUND.

Schroen: YOU CAN RUN, AND YOU CAN HIDE,

BUT WE WILL NEVER STOP LOOKING,

AND EVENTUALLY, WE WILL FIND YOU.

Narrator: FOR MOST OF THE WORLD,

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, IS A CATASTROPHE WITHOUT WARNING.

BUT FOR A HANDFUL OF INSIDERS

WHO'VE SPENT THE PREVIOUS DECADE PURSUING OSAMA BIN LADEN,

THE SIGNALS HAD BEEN ALARMINGLY CLEAR.

Clarke: WE WORRIED THAT BIN LADEN WOULD CARRY OUT

AN ATTACK IN THE UNITED STATES.

WE WERE THE FAR ENEMY,

HE SAID THE FAR ENEMY SHOULD BE ATTACKED.

Cofer Black: IT WASN'T LIKE, OH, MY GOSH, LOOK WHAT HAPPENED.

IT WAS A CONSUMMATION OF EVERYTHING

THAT WE HAD REPORTED ABOUT OSAMA BIN LADEN.

Narrator: FOR A SMALL GROUP OF COUNTER-TERRORISM SPECIALISTS

FROM THE CIA, THE FBI, AND THE WHITE HOUSE

FOR WHOM BIN LADEN HAS BECOME AN OBSESSION,

9/11 IS THE BLEAKEST MOMENT IN A MANHUNT UNLIKE ANY OTHER.

THEY ARE NOW MORE DRIVEN THAN EVER TO GET HIM.

Pat D'Amuro: TERRORISM CONSUMES YOU.

YOU DON'T SEE YOUR FAMILY, YOU MISS BIRTHDAYS,

YOU MISS HOLIDAYS.

IF YOU DON'T LET IT CONSUME YOU, IT'LL DESTROY YOU.

Rossini: WHAT IF I'D STAYED FIVE MINUTES LATER

IN MY OFFICE TONIGHT?

WHAT IF I'D MADE THAT ONE PHONE CALL?

WHAT IF I DID THAT ONE LINK

BETWEEN THAT PERSON AND THAT PERSON?

WHAT AM I MISSING TO GET BIN LADEN,

BRING HIM TO JUSTICE, OR KILL HIM?

Jack Cloonan: I HAD A "WANTED" POSTER IN MY HOUSE FOR BIN LADEN

THAT WAS SIX FEET TALL.

IT WAS IN MY BEDROOM.

Dan Coleman: I WANTED TO KILL HIM MYSELF.

I DIDN'T WANT SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO IT.

Man: WATCH OUT, WATCH OUT!

[SIRENS]

Narrator: FEBRUARY 26, 1993, EIGHT YEARS BEFORE 9/11.

A TRUCK BOMB EXPLODES UNDERNEATH THE WORLD TRADE CENTER

IN NEW YORK.

IT IS THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO TAKE DOWN THE TWIN TOWERS--

AND A SHOCKING MESSAGE THAT ISLAMIST TERROR

HAS REACHED THE AMERICAN HEARTLAND.

SIX PEOPLE ARE KILLED.

IT'S A LUCKY ESCAPE FOR THOUSANDS.

AS FBI SPECIALISTS BEGIN TO INVESTIGATE,

ONE NAME KEEPS COMING UP--

OSAMA BIN LADEN.

D'Amuro: THAT FIRST BOMBING OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER

WAS REALLY THE EYE-OPENER FOR RADICAL EXTREMISM

AND THEIR ACTIVITIES IN THE UNITED STATES.

AN ATTACK ON OUR SOIL, DOMESTICALLY,

THAT EVENT CAUSED ALL OF THE INVESTIGATIONS

BEING OPENED UP INTO OSAMA BIN LADEN.

Narrator: AS THE INVESTIGATORS BEGIN TO PIECE TOGETHER

THE TRAIL OF EVIDENCE ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS BIN LADEN,

THEY FIND AN EXTRAORDINARY AND DISTURBING STORY.

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS THE 17th CHILD

OF A BILLIONAIRE SAUDI BUSINESSMAN.

ON HIS FATHER'S DEATH HE INHERITS A FORTUNE,

AND AS A DEDICATED STUDENT OF ISLAM,

BIN LADEN TRAVELS IN 1984 TO AFGHANISTAN.

27-YEAR-OLD BIN LADEN JOINS THOUSANDS OF ISLAMIC GUERRILLAS

IN THEIR JIHAD--

A HOLY WAR AGAINST THE GODLESS COMMUNIST ARMIES

OF THE SOVIET UNION WHICH HAVE INVADED AFGHANISTAN.

BIN LADEN HELPS TO FUND THE JIHAD WITH HIS MILLIONS.

THE JIHADISTS ALSO HAVE AN UNLIKELY ALLY--

AMERICA'S CIA,

WHICH IS SUPPORTING THE ANTI-COMMUNIST FIGHTERS.

CIA CHIEF GARY SCHROEN IS IN AFGHANISTAN,

WORKING WITH THE ISLAMIC MUJAHIDEEN.

Schroen: THERE'S A RUMOR THAT BIN LADEN

WAS A GREAT JIHADIST LEADER, THAT HE LED HIS MEN IN COMBAT.

BUT IT LOOKS LIKE HIS COMMANDER THOUGHT THAT HIS CHECKBOOK

WAS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS USE OF A KALASHNIKOV.

Narrator: BIN LADEN BEGINS TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION

ON HIS FELLOW FIGHTERS.

Noman Benotman: HE WAS VERY, VERY CALM,

AND HE WAS LIKE A UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL, YOU KNOW.

EVEN WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY OR YOU--

SOMETIMES YOUR ACTION MAY PROVOKE HIM, YOU KNOW.

HE WAS CAPABLE ALWAYS TO REMAIN CALM AND SILENT

AND HE WOULD GIVE A VERY WIDE SMILE, YOU KNOW,

AS A MESSAGE OF PEACE.

Narrator: BIN LADEN SOON FINDS HIS KEY ROLE IN JIHAD.

WITH A HANDFUL OF OTHER ISLAMIC FIGHTERS,

HE DRAFTS THIS FOUNDING DOCUMENT FOR AL QAEDA--"THE BASE,"

AN ORGANIZATION TO RALLY AND COORDINATE TERRORIST GROUPS

FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

Clarke: WE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT AL QAEDA AT THE TIME.

WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE NAME AL QAEDA AT THE TIME.

I MEAN, AL QAEDA HAD COME INTO EXISTENCE

AND HAD ITS BASIC DOCUMENTS OF INCORPORATION

AND HAD MEETINGS AND ALL OF THAT,

AND THE CIA HAD NEVER NOTICED.

Narrator: FEBRUARY 15, 1989.

THE LAST SOVIET FORCES PULL OUT OF AFGHANISTAN.

BIN LADEN HAS LEARNED A CRUCIAL LESSON--

JIHAD CAN DEFEAT A SUPERPOWER.

AUGUST 1990.

U.S. FORCES ARE INVITED INTO BIN LADEN'S SAUDI HOMELAND

TO FIGHT THE FIRST GULF WAR AGAINST IRAQ.

BIN LADEN IS INFURIATED BY THE ARRIVAL OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS,

AND THE EVENT WILL SHAPE HIS LIFE

AND IGNITE HIS RAGE AGAINST THE UNITED STATES.

HE ISSUES FIERCE DENUNCIATIONS OF THE SAUDI RULERS

FOR ALLOWING INFIDEL FORCES ONTO THE HOLY SOIL OF ISLAM.

Benotman: I THINK SINCE THEN,

BIN LADEN, HE WAS LIKE 100% COMMITTED TO THE IDEA

OF, LIKE, FIGHTING AGAINST THE-- WHAT HE CALLED THE CRUSADERS

AND THE ENEMY OF ISLAM,

HE WAS, I THINK, CLEAR

ABOUT EXACTLY THE VISION HE SHOULD ADOPT.

[CHANTING]

Narrator: BIN LADEN'S VISION IS NOTHING LESS

THAN A NEW WORLD ORDER.

HE IS DETERMINED TO FREE PALESTINE,

AND TO BRING FUNDAMENTALIST ISLAMIC RULE AROUND THE WORLD

TO COUNTER WESTERN IMPERIALISM AND AMERICAN POWER.

FOLLOWING HIS BITTER DENUNCIATIONS

OF THE SAUDI RULERS,

BIN LADEN IS EXPELLED FROM HIS HOMELAND.

IN APRIL 1991, HE ARRIVES IN SUDAN

AND BEGINS TO TURN AL QAEDA INTO A FORCE OF GLOBAL TERROR.

BIN LADEN IS WELCOMED BY THE REGIME IN KHARTOUM,

WHICH IS A REFUGE FOR INTERNATIONAL TERRORISTS.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, AMERICA BEGINS TO PAY ATTENTION.

Clarke: WHAT HE WAS DOING WAS PRESERVING HIS AFGHAN ARMY

BY BRINGING THE VETERANS DOWN TO SUDAN,

AND THEN HE WAS USING KHARTOUM AS A STAGING BASE

TO BRING RADICAL TERRORIST TYPES FROM ALL OVER THE ISLAMIC WORLD.

Narrator: OCTOBER 1993,

EIGHT MONTHS AFTER THE WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING.

BIN LADEN STRIKES IN AFRICA--

BUT ONCE AGAIN, THE TARGET IS THE UNITED STATES.

IN THE INCIDENT THAT BECOMES KNOWN AS "BLACK HAWK DOWN,"

TWO U.S. HELICOPTERS ARE BROUGHT DOWN BY SOMALI TERRORISTS.

THE IMAGES OF DEAD U.S. SOLDIERS

DRAGGED THROUGH THE STREETS OF MOGADISHU

WILL BURN INTO AMERICAN MEMORIES.

THE TERRORISTS HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY BIN LADEN'S AFGHAN VETERANS.

Coleman: THEY BEGAN TO SHOOT DOWN AMERICAN HELICOPTERS

USING A TECHNIQUE THAT THE PEOPLE HAD USED IN AFGHANISTAN,

ARE ROCKET-PROPELLED GRENADES FIRED FROM TALL BUILDINGS.

THAT'S NOT INTUITIVE,

YOU DON'T KNOW TO DO IT UNLESS YOU'RE TAUGHT.

Narrator: 18 AMERICAN SOLDIERS AND HUNDREDS OF SOMALIS

ARE KILLED.

Bill Clinton: I, WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR...

Narrator: PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON IS URGED BY SOME ADVISORS

TO CONSIDER A RADICAL IDEA--

SNATCHING BIN LADEN FROM HIS BASE IN KHARTOUM.

BUT THERE ARE OBSTACLES, BOTH PRACTICAL AND LEGAL.

Clarke: THE PROBLEM OF GETTING HIM IN KHARTOUM

WAS THE CIA TOLD US THEY HAD NO CAPABILITY TO DO SNATCHES.

WE WERE FLABBERGASTED.

Narrator: THE CIA STATION CHIEF IN KHARTOUM

INSISTS HIS HANDS ARE TIED.

Black: IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER

THAT AT THAT TIME THERE WAS NO WARRANT

FOR OSAMA BIN LADEN'S ARREST.

COVERT ACTION TO DEGRADE THEM AS A TERRORIST GROUP

WAS NOT APPROVABLE AT THAT TIME.

Paul Pillar: SO A BIG QUESTION WAS,

EVEN IF WE DID OUR HANDS ON HIM, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT?

IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE DOG WHO CATCHES THE CAR

THAT HE'S ALWAYS CHASING.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FINALLY CATCH HIM?

Clarke: WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WAS TOLD

WAS THE WORLD'S ONLY REMAINING SUPERPOWER, THE UNITED STATES--

HAD JUST WON THE COLD WAR--

DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET ONE GUY IN KHARTOUM.

Narrator: SOON AFTER BLACK HAWK DOWN,

PRESIDENT CLINTON WITHDRAWS U.S. TROOPS FROM SOMALIA.

Coleman: WE DIDN'T FOLLOW UP, WE LEFT.

SO AS A CONSEQUENCE, AL QAEDA TOOK THE POSITION

THAT YOU KILL ENOUGH AMERICANS, AND THEY'LL RUN AWAY.

Narrator: ONCE AGAIN, BIN LADEN LEARNS

THAT HE CAN CHALLENGE A SUPERPOWER.

AND THE UNITED STATES IS LEARNING HOW COMPLEX IT IS

TO TAKE ON BIN LADEN.

Coleman: IN MY MIND, THE MOGADISHU SITUATION

SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TO JUSTIFY GOING TO GET HIM.

BUT IT WASN'T, IT WASN'T ALLOWED.

Narrator: AT THE TIME, DESPITE THESE FIRST ATTACKS,

BIN LADEN STILL SEEMS A DISTANT THREAT.

AND AMERICA IS BECOMING CAUGHT IN THE DILEMMA

THAT WILL HAUNT BIN LADEN'S HUNTERS ALL THE WAY TO 9/11.

IS HE A CRIMINAL TO BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE

THROUGH THE LEGAL SYSTEM?

OR A MORTAL ENEMY TO BE TARGETED BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY?

FOR NOW, THE FOCUS IS ON GATHERING INTELLIGENCE

TO UNCOVER THE TRUE SCALE OF BIN LADEN'S THREAT.

Pillar: A PICTURE EMERGES OF BIN LADEN

AS REALLY THE HEAD OF A TERRORIST GROUP

THAT WE NEED TO WORRY ABOUT A GREAT DEAL.

Narrator: BY THE MID 1990s,

AMERICA'S COUNTER-TERRORIST SPECIALISTS REALIZE

THAT AL QAEDA IS RAPIDLY EXPANDING CELLS AND INFLUENCE

FROM WEST AFRICA RIGHT ACROSS TO THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT.

BIN LADEN'S AMBITION TO CONFRONT AND DEFEAT

AMERICAN POWER AROUND THE WORLD IS BUILDING.

Rossini: AL QAEDA IS ALMOST LIKE AN ORGANIZED CRIME FAMILY,

IN WHICH YOU BASICALLY HAD BIN LADEN AS THE GODFATHER.

Cloonan: FAR MORE SOPHISTICATED THAN WE THOUGHT,

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FOOLISH

TO MAKE FUN OF BIN LADEN AND AL QAEDA

TO THINK IT WAS JUST SOME SORT OF HAREBRAINED IDEA

OF A RADICAL ISLAMIST WHO HAD NO FUTURE.

IT WAS AN ORGANIZATION TOP TO BOTTOM,

BIN LADEN THE CEO.

Narrator: SOON ACTS OF TERROR ERUPT ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST.

NOVEMBER 1995, FIVE AMERICANS KILLED IN RIYADH.

JUNE 1996, 19 U.S. AIRMEN DIE IN THE KHOBAR TOWERS BOMBING.

THERE'S EVEN A PLOT TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENT CLINTON.

FINALLY, IN 1996,

FEARING BIN LADEN'S MAYHEM WILL BRING INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS,

SUDAN EXPELS ITS INCREASINGLY UNCONTROLLABLE GUEST.

BIN LADEN FLEES TO HIS OLD REFUGE IN AFGHANISTAN.

Coleman: HE MIGHT AS WELL HAVE MOVED TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON

FOR ALL OUR ABILITY

TO DO ANYTHING WITH HIM IN AFGHANISTAN.

Narrator: BUILDING HIS NEW BASE IN AFGHANISTAN,

BIN LADEN HAS PUT HIMSELF BEYOND THE REACH OF HIS PURSUERS.

HE MAKES AN ALLIANCE WITH THE TALIBAN,

FANATICAL ISLAMIC TRIBESMEN

WHO ARE MOUNTING A REMORSELESS ATTACK

ON THE GOVERNMENT IN KABUL

AND ENFORCING THEIR REPRESSIVE RULE AS THEY ADVANCE.

[MACHINE GUN FIRE]

IN AUGUST 1996,

THROUGH A RADICAL ISLAMIC NEWSPAPER IN LONDON,

BIN LADEN ISSUES A FATWA, AN ISLAMIC DECREE,

AGAINST AMERICA FOR OCCUPYING PLACES HOLY TO ISLAM.

[GUNFIRE]

IT AMOUNTS TO A DECLARATION OF WAR.

Rossini: THIS IS A VERY BAD MAN.

THIS GUY HAS GOT TO BE STOPPED

BEFORE HE BECOMES WHAT HE BECOMES.

Narrator: AT A BASE NEAR THE CIA HEADQUARTERS

AT LANGLEY, VIRGINIA,

THE CIA AND FBI COMBINE

TO FORM A SPECIAL UNIT, THE ALEX STATION,

DEDICATED TO PURSUING BIN LADEN AND BRINGING HIM TO JUSTICE.

Pillar: "ALL BIN LADEN, ALL THE TIME" WAS THE DESIRED ATTITUDE,

AND IT WAS THE ATTITUDE OF THE PEOPLE WORKING THERE.

Narrator: BUT BIN LADEN REMAINS A REMOTE FIGURE

PULLING THE STRINGS BEHIND THE SCENES.

IT'S HARD TO FIND EVIDENCE TO MOUNT A CRIMINAL CASE.

PRESIDENT CLINTON SECRETLY AUTHORIZES THE CIA

TO SEIZE HIM WITHOUT AN ARREST WARRANT.

BUT THEY CAN'T KILL HIM.

John McLaughlin: THE PRESIDENT LITERALLY SIGNS HIS NAME

TO A PIECE OF PAPER AND SAYS, "GO DO THIS."

AND SO WE HAD AUTHORITY TO GO AND TRY AND CAPTURE HIM.

Narrator: BUT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS,

CIA INTELLIGENCE ABOUT BIN LADEN'S LOCATION

IS JUDGED TO BE UNRELIABLE.

Clarke: WE WERE ASKING THE CIA

TO TRY TO SNATCH HIM IN AFGHANISTAN.

AND CIA WENT THROUGH A WHOLE SERIES

OF SORT OF KEYSTONE COPS-LIKE EPISODES

WHERE THEY HIRED WHAT THEY CALLED "TRIBALS."

Schroen: THE AFGHAN GROUP CAME UP WITH A PLAN

TO GO IN AT NIGHT AND KIDNAP HIM,

AND THEY PROVIDED PHOTOGRAPHS, MAPS, SKETCHES.

THEY HAD A CAVE WHERE THEY WOULD HOLD HIM FOR 30 DAYS.

Clarke: THEY CAME UP WITH A SORT OF GOOFY PLAN

FOR A FRONTAL ASSAULT ON BIN LADEN'S WALLED COMPOUND,

A WALLED COMPOUND THAT WAS DEFENDED

BY TANKS AND MACHINE GUNS.

Schroen: UNFORTUNATELY, WE DIDN'T KNOW FOR SURE

WHICH HOUSE HE WOULD BE IN ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT,

AND SO THE ODDS OF THE RAID BEING SUCCESSFUL

WERE EVEN LESS THAN 20%.

AND IT WAS CANCELED.

Narrator: AS THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN BECOMES MORE INTENSE,

THE FBI TRACKS DOWN TWO CRUCIAL WITNESSES.

BOTH HAD BEEN CLOSE TO BIN LADEN SINCE THE 1980s.

Coleman: THE THINGS THAT STARTED COMING OUT WERE INCREDIBLE.

Cloonan: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL GAMES THAT ARE PLAYED,

I HAVE TO TELL YOU, I NEVER HAD MORE FUN IN MY LIFE.

Narrator: THEIR INTERROGATIONS WILL GO ON FOR YEARS.

BUT THE WITNESSES START TO GIVE VIVID DETAILS

OF BIN LADEN'S OPERATIONS AND HIS PERSONALITY.

Cloonan: HE WAS A HYPOCHONDRIAC.

HE WAS A MAMA'S BOY.

HE WAS VERY CLOSE TO HIS BIRTH MOTHER.

Coleman: IT'S EXTREMELY ORGANIZED.

THERE ARE MEMBERSHIP LISTS, THERE ARE EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS.

Cloonan: HE SLEPT TWO OR THREE HOURS A NIGHT,

HE WAS VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT HE ATE.

Coleman: THERE ARE BENEFITS, THERE ARE AGREEMENTS,

THERE ARE COMMITTEES.

Cloonan: DOES BIN LADEN WEAR DISGUISES? YES.

DOES BIN LADEN EVER DRESS AS A WOMAN? YES.

WOULD HE FIGHT IF CORNERED? WOULD HE COMMIT SUICIDE?

ON AND ON AND ON.

Narrator: MAY 1998.

BIN LADEN SUMMONS REPORTERS

TO HEAR HIM ISSUE A NEW AND MORE EXTREME FATWA.

IT AUTHORIZES INDISCRIMINATE KILLING

OF AMERICANS AND JEWS EVERYWHERE.

Narrator: TWO DAYS LATER,

BIN LADEN AGREES TO MEET JOHN MILLER OF ABC NEWS

AT A SECRET HIDEOUT.

John Miller: MR. BIN LADEN, YOU'VE ISSUED A FATWA

CALLING ON MUSLIMS TO KILL AMERICANS,

WHERE THEY CAN, WHEN THEY CAN.

Narrator: HE USES THE INTERVIEW TO ISSUE MENACING THREATS.

Rossini: WHAT BIN LADEN HAD DONE--

MASTER MANIPULATOR THAT HE WAS, VERY SMART INDIVIDUAL--

HE SUMMONED THE PRESS BECAUSE HE FELT

IT WAS THE CHEAPEST, EASIEST WAY TO GET HIS MESSAGE OUT.

Narrator: OVER THE NEXT DECADE,

BIN LADEN WILL USE TV WITH INCREASING SKILL

TO SPREAD HIS MESSAGE.

Ali Soufan: HE NEEDS HIS TIME ON THE AIR.

HE NEEDS HIS TIME IN THE COLUMNS OF THE NEWSPAPER,

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY USE IN ORDER TO RECRUIT PEOPLE,

PEOPLE WHO FEEL, YOU KNOW,

THAT THERE IS A BIG CONSPIRACY AGAINST ISLAM.

Benotman: THAT'S BIN LADEN.

HE WAS LIKE ONE OF THE MASTERS,

YOU KNOW, IN THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT,

YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF BRANDING.

HE WAS RESPONSIBLE, LIKE, PERSONALLY, YOU KNOW,

FOR BRANDING AL QAEDA.

[SIRENS]

Narrator: AUGUST 7, 1998.

THE GATHERING STORM OF BIN LADEN'S THREATS

BREAKS WITH DEVASTATING FORCE IN AFRICA.

BOMBS RIP APART AMERICA'S EMBASSIES

IN THE CITIES OF NAIROBI AND DAR ES SALAAM.

258 PEOPLE DIE, MORE THAN 4,000 ARE INJURED.

Rossini: WHY?

WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?

Soufan: WE HAD NO DOUBT IN OUR MINDS

THAT BIN LADEN WAS BEHIND THE ATTACK,

WE HAD NO DOUBT IN OUR MIND

THAT AL QAEDA STRIKE THE UNITED STATES.

McLaughlin: WE SAW THAT AS "UH-OH,"

WE ARE NOW IN SOME SORT OF GLOBAL CONFLICT HERE

WITH A PERSON WHO'S OUT TO DO US SERIOUS DAMAGE,

AND THIS IS PROBABLY JUST THE BEGINNING.

THAT WAS THE, THE REAL PIVOT OUT OF THE '98 BOMBINGS,

WAS "WE ARE AT WAR."

Narrator: BUT THE HUNT IS STILL BEING PURSUED BY AMERICA

NOT AS A WAR, BUT AS A CRIMINAL CASE.

MARK ROSSINI FLIES OUT TO NAIROBI

AS PART OF THE FBI INVESTIGATING TEAM.

Rossini: I CAN'T WAIT TO GET ON THE GROUND

AND START INVESTIGATING THIS.

I'VE GOT TO SEE THE CRIME SCENE, I'VE GOT TO GET THERE,

I'VE GOT TO FEEL IT, I'VE GOT TO TOUCH IT.

Narrator: FBI INVESTIGATORS TRACK DOWN A TERRORIST

WHO WAS IN THE BOMB TRUCK, MOHAMMED AL WALI.

ASTONISHINGLY, THE 21-YEAR-OLD AL WALI,

A WELL-EDUCATED SAUDI FROM A PROMINENT MERCHANT FAMILY,

HAS SURVIVED THE SUICIDE BOMBING.

D'Amuro: HE BEGAN RUNNING AWAY AND WAS HIT BY THE BLAST

AND HAD ALL KINDS OF LACERATIONS AND CUTS ON HIS BACK.

WE HAD CONDUCTED INVESTIGATIONS AT ALL THE HOSPITALS.

THAT LED TO THE CAPTURE OF AL WALI.

Rossini: HE'S ASKED, "YOU KILLED A LOT OF MUSLIMS

AND KENYANS IN THE STREET RATHER THAN AMERICANS.

AND YOU DID IT ON A FRIDAY, THE HOLY DAY."

AND HE SAID, "WELL, ALL THOSE GOOD MUSLIMS

SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE MOSQUE,

SO I DID THEM A FAVOR, ESSENTIALLY, BY KILLING THEM,

AND THEY ACTUALLY DESERVED TO DIE."

D'Amuro: HE DIDN'T WANT TO LOOK AT THE PICTURES

OF THE INNOCENT CIVILIANS THAT WERE KILLED AT FIRST,

HE WOULDN'T LOOK AT THEM.

FINALLY WE GOT HIM TO LOOK AT THAT,

AND THAT'S WHEN HE CONFESSED.

Narrator: THE FBI INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER THAT BIN LADEN

BEGAN PLANNING THE EMBASSY BOMBINGS AS FAR BACK AS 1993

WHEN HE SENT AN AL QAEDA SPY TO NAIROBI

TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAW UP PLANS.

BIN LADEN THEN PERSONALLY APPROVED THE ATTACK,

BUT DELAYED THE OPERATION UNTIL HE HAD LEFT NEIGHBORING SUDAN.

Coleman: THE PLANNING FOR THE EMBASSY BOMBING

WAS DONE FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE FACT,

WHICH IS JUST SHOWS YOU HOW INSIDIOUS THEY ARE.

Rossini: THAT'S WHEN MY EYES WERE OPENED

AS TO HOW VAST AND STRUCTURED THIS WAS.

Narrator: AL QAEDA OPERATIVES ARE NOW PROLIFERATING

BEYOND AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST,

RIGHT ACROSS EUROPE.

ANTI-TERRORISM SPECIALISTS STRUGGLE TO KEEP TRACK OF THEM.

Rossini: AND THEN OF COURSE YOU GET ANGRY AND SAY,

"SOMEONE'S GOT TO BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE, THIS CANNOT GO ON.

SOMEONE MUST GO TO JAIL FOR THIS BEHAVIOR,"

AND THAT'S WHAT DRIVES YOU, TO RIGHT THE WRONG.

Bill Clinton: NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES,

WE MUST FIND THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE EVIL ACTS

AND SEE THAT JUSTICE IS DONE.

Myers: THE PEOPLE WHO PERPETRATED THOSE ACTS

WERE A NEW TYPE OF ENEMY,

SO HOW DO WE GO AFTER THEM, WAS THE REAL QUESTION.

Narrator: A FEW DAYS AFTER THE EMBASSY BOMBINGS IN AFRICA,

THERE'S A SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY

TO STRIKE AT BIN LADEN.

AN URGENT CIA BRIEFING REPORTS

THAT HE WILL BE MEETING AL QAEDA LEADERS

IN AN AFGHAN TRAINING CAMP.

THE UNITED STATES NOW MOVES FROM CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

TO MILITARY ACTION.

Clinton: TODAY I ORDERED OUR ARMED FORCES

TO STRIKE AT TERRORIST-RELATED FACILITIES

IN AFGHANISTAN AND SUDAN.

Narrator: PRESIDENT CLINTON ORDERS OPERATION INFINITE REACH--

THE FIRING OF SCORES OF CRUISE MISSILES

AT BIN LADEN'S TRAINING CAMPS.

HE ALSO TARGETS A SUSPECTED CHEMICAL WEAPONS FACTORY

IN SUDAN.

Clinton: OUR TARGET WAS TERROR, OUR MISSION WAS CLEAR--

TO STRIKE AT OSAMA BIN LADEN,

PERHAPS THE PREEMINENT ORGANIZER AND FINANCIER

OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM IN THE WORLD TODAY.

Hugh Shelton: UNFORTUNATELY, WE LEARNED

FROM INTELLIGENCE LATER ON

THAT WE MISSED HIM BY ABOUT TWO HOURS.

IT WAS CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR.

Crowd: DOWN, DOWN, USA! DOWN, DOWN, USA!

DOWN, DOWN, USA!

Narrator: THE PRICE OF FAILURE IS IMMENSE.

IN PAKISTAN AND SUDAN, FURIOUS CROWDS RAGE AGAINST AMERICA.

[CROWD CHANTING]

PRESIDENT CLINTON IS BOMBARDED WITH ACCUSATIONS

THAT HE ORDERED THE STRIKE TO DISTRACT ATTENTION

FROM HIS AFFAIR WITH WHITE HOUSE INTERN MONICA LEWINSKY.

AND THE SUSPECTED KHARTOUM CHEMICAL WEAPONS PLANT

PROVES TO BE AN INNOCENT PHARMACEUTICAL FACTORY.

THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN LOSES ITS FOCUS.

MILITARY ACTION IS SHELVED.

AT THE VERY MOMENT AMERICA UNDERSTANDS

THE SCALE OF BIN LADEN'S THREAT,

IT HAS BECOME MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO STOP HIM.

Myers: I THINK IT LED BIN LADEN TO BELIEVE

THAT WE WEREN'T SERIOUS ABOUT THIS SO-CALLED WAR

THAT HAD BEEN DECLARED BY OUR ADVERSARY.

Narrator: NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 1998.

THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN REVERTS

TO BEING PRIMARILY A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.

Woman: THE SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT

CHARGES OSAMA BIN LADEN...

Narrator: FOLLOWING INTERROGATIONS BY THE FBI

OF TWO CAPTURED EMBASSY BOMBERS,

AT LAST, AMERICAN AUTHORITIES HAVE THE EVIDENCE

TO INDICT BIN LADEN FOR MASS MURDER.

Woman: ...MAXIMUM SENTENCES OF LIFE IN PRISON

WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE OR DEATH.

Narrator: BIN LADEN IS BEYOND THE REACH OF THE INDICTMENT,

SECURE IN AFGHANISTAN.

Pillar: WHAT CHANGED AFTER THE 1998 BOMBINGS

WAS BIN LADEN NO LONGER STAYED IN ONE PLACE.

HE STARTED MOVING AROUND AFGHANISTAN.

AND SO ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES

WAS TO TRY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHERE HE WAS.

Narrator: BY 1999, THE TALIBAN ARE RULING AFGHANISTAN,

AND BIN LADEN IS MORE PROTECTED THAN EVER.

AMID THE CHAOS OF TRIBAL WAR,

CIA CHIEF GARY SCHROEN MEETS UP

WITH THE LEADER OF THE ANTI-TALIBAN NORTHERN ALLIANCE,

AHMAD SHAH MASSOUD.

Schroen: HE WAS PROBABLY THE MOST CHARISMATIC

AND BRILLIANT MILITARY COMMANDER.

HE WAS A POET AND A GREAT STRATEGIST.

Narrator: SCHROEN SEEKS THE HELP OF COMMANDER MASSOUD

AND HIS CLOSEST ADVISOR, MASSOUD KHALILI,

IN TRACKING DOWN BIN LADEN.

Massoud Khalili: COMMANDER MASSOUD WAS SAYING

MY MESSAGE TO AMERICA IS "HELP US."

OSAMA BIN LADEN AND OTHERS ARE COMING.

"AMERICA, WAKE UP."

IT WAS AS CLEAR AS THE LIGHT OF THE MORNING.

Schroen: WE ENDED UP SENDING IN CIA TEAMS

INTO THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE.

WE WERE INTERESTED BECAUSE BIN LADEN WAS REPORTED TO TRAVEL

AND FREQUENTLY DID COME CLOSE TO PLACES

WHERE THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET HIM.

THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE TRACKED BIN LADEN

TO A DESERT HUNTING CAMP.

Clarke: AND SO SOME PEOPLE IN THE CIA

SAID, "SO LET'S BLOW UP THE DESERT CAMP."

Schroen: THIS IS WHERE WE BEGAN TO GET THESE QUESTIONS

OF WHERE IS BIN LADEN ACTUALLY SLEEPING?

WELL, YOU KNOW, OK, THEN IT GOT DOWN TO,

WELL, WHEN DOES HE GO TO THE BATHROOM AND WHERE?

Clarke: THE ARAB GULF EXPERT

SAID ROYAL FAMILIES FROM THE GULF

FLY INTO THESE PLACES TO GO HUNTING THIS TIME OF YEAR.

Schroen: THEY COULD BE MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY,

THEY COULD BE VERY WEALTHY BUSINESSMEN.

IF WE KILL A LOT OF THEM,

THIS COULD DAMAGE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.

Clarke: THE CIA DIRECTOR SAID,

"WELL, WE'RE NOT BLOWING UP A HUNTING CAMP,"

AND THAT WAS THAT.

Schroen: MY FIRST REACTION WAS ANGER,

BECAUSE I THOUGHT NOW THIS IS A CHANCE,

WE REALLY HAVE A CHANCE TO KILL THIS GUY.

I'M CONVINCED THAT HE WAS THERE

AND WE MISSED A GOOD OPPORTUNITY.

WE SHOULD HAVE JUST GONE IN AND BLASTED THE WHOLE PLACE,

YOU KNOW, AND MADE SURE WE GOT HIM.

Narrator: THE DESERT CAMP INCIDENT RAISES CRITICAL QUESTIONS

ABOUT THE MEANS AMERICA CAN USE TO ELIMINATE BIN LADEN.

Clarke: WHAT IS AN ASSASSINATION AND WHAT IS MILITARY ACTION?

AND WE GOT THE SORT OF BIZARRE LEGAL OPINION

FROM JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND THE WHITE HOUSE LAWYERS

THAT SAID IF WE KNEW

WHERE BIN LADEN AND THE AL QAEDA LEADERSHIP WERE,

WE COULD FLY A BOMBER OVERHEAD AND BOMB THEM.

OR WE COULD HAVE A SUBMARINE OFF THE PAKISTANI COAST,

FIRE CRUISE MISSILES AND BLOW UP THE FACILITY THEY WERE IN.

BUT WE COULDN'T PUT A BULLET THROUGH THEIR HEAD

FROM A SNIPER, BECAUSE THAT WAS ASSASSINATION.

Narrator: FOLLOWING THE EMBASSY BOMBINGS

AND THE INDICTMENT OF BIN LADEN,

PRESIDENT CLINTON MAKES A CRUCIAL DECISION

WHICH, EFFECTIVELY, IS A LICENSE TO KILL.

Clarke: EVENTUALLY, AND THROUGH A LONG, LABORIOUS PROCESS,

THE PRESIDENT GOT A DOCUMENT AND SIGNED IT

THAT AUTHORIZED THE CIA TO SNATCH HIM,

BUT IF THAT DIDN'T WORK, TO KILL HIM.

THAT WAS A WATERSHED.

Narrator: WHILE THE UNITED STATES HUNTS FOR BIN LADEN,

AN AL QAEDA VIDEO FINDS HIM IN HIS AFGHAN COMPOUND.

IN 2000, BIN LADEN INVITES SCORES OF JIHADISTS

TO COME AND DISCUSS THE NEXT STAGE OF THE WAR ON THE WEST.

BIN LADEN IS CONTINUING TO ATTACK THE WEST,

EVEN THOUGH AT THIS TIME HIS PROTECTOR,

THE TALIBAN LEADER MULLAH OMAR, TO WHOM HE'S SWORN OBEDIENCE,

IS TRYING TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES.

NOMAN BENOTMAN CONFRONTS BIN LADEN.

Benotman: OKAY, HOW COME YOU DISOBEY HIS ORDER

WHEN HE ORDERED YOU TO STOP FIGHTING

AND PROVOKING UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?

I FACED HIM WITH THIS, FACE TO FACE.

AND HE FAILED TO GIVE ME AN ANSWER. HE FAILED.

HE SAID TO ME, "LOOK, I WILL CONSIDER ALL THESE ARGUMENTS,

AND YOU'RE RIGHT.

BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE MISSION I CAN'T CANCEL, YOU KNOW,

BECAUSE IT'S ALMOST THERE,

AND IF WE ORDER THE CANCELLATION OF THIS OPERATION,

IT WILL RUIN MY ORGANIZATION AND DEMORALIZE THE WHOLE GROUP."

I DON'T THINK IT'S LIKE ROCKET SCIENCE

TO FIGURE IT OUT, YOU KNOW.

IT WAS THE 11th OF SEPTEMBER, DEFINITELY.

Narrator: ON THE VIDEO OF BIN LADEN'S JIHADI GATHERING,

TWO YOUNG MEN ARE LAUGHING AND SHARING IDEAS.

THEY ARE ZIAD JARRAH AND MOHAMMED ATTA,

TWO OF THE PILOTS OF THE 9/11 PLANES.

BUT BIN LADEN HAS A MORE IMMEDIATE SHOCK IN STORE

FOR AMERICA.

OCTOBER 12, 2000.

AN AL QAEDA VIDEO PROCLAIMS BIN LADEN'S LATEST ASSAULT

ON AMERICA.

SUICIDE BOMBERS ATTACK THE U.S.S. COLE,

AN AMERICAN DESTROYER PATROLLING THE ARABIAN SEA

THAT HAS PUT INTO HARBOR IN YEMEN.

17 SAILORS ARE KILLED AND 39 INJURED.

McLaughlin: WE CAN SEE THE AFRICAN EMBASSY BOMBINGS

AND THE COLE AS OPENING ACTS OF A VERY BAD PLAY

THAT OCCURS ON 9/11.

Narrator: AN FBI TEAM IS SENT OUT TO INVESTIGATE,

LED BY ALI SOUFAN.

Soufan: YOU SMELL DEATH, LITERALLY.

BODIES WERE STILL WRAPPED IN THE METAL.

THE EXPLOSION CREATED SUCH A FORCE

THAT THE FLOOR LITERALLY FOLDED LIKE A CARPET.

AND MANY OF THE SAILORS WERE STILL TRAPPED.

Myers: IF YOU LOOK WHO WE SENT IN TO LOOK AT THE AFTERMATH,

THE COLE, A HEAVY FBI PRESENCE, AND THIS IS A CRIME.

WE DIDN'T VIEW THAT AS WAR.

IF WE HAD VIEWED IT AS WAR, WE'D HAVE PROBABLY HAD

A DIFFERENT APPROACH AND A RESPONSE.

Narrator: TO THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS ON THE GROUND,

IT'S CLEAR THAT WAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN DECLARED

ON BIN LADEN LONG AGO.

Coleman: WHAT WAS THE MILITARY RESPONSE TO MOGADISHU?

WE PULLED OUT.

WHAT WAS THE MILITARY RESPONSE TO NAIROBI AND DAR ES SALAAM?

WE FIRED A COUPLE OF CRUISE MISSILES

AND KILLED A COUPLE OF BUMS ON THE GROUND.

NOBODY IMPORTANT.

WHAT WAS THE MILITARY RESPONSE TO THE COLE? NONE.

NONE, ZERO.

THAT WAS AN ACT OF WAR.

BIN LADEN HAD DECLARED WAR ON THE UNITED STATES

IN AUGUST OF 1996, AND HE MEANT IT.

AND WE KNEW, THE ONES THAT WORKED ON IT,

KNEW THAT HE MEANT IT.

AND NOBODY ELSE BELIEVED US,

BUT AFTER THE COLE, THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE US.

THEY TREATED THE COLE LIKE SOMEBODY HAD DONE A CARJACKING.

Rossini: THE COLE WAS A QUAGMIRE,

BECAUSE IT INVOLVED A TREMENDOUS COMMINGLING OF AGENCIES

IN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAVING THEIR OWN LITTLE BATTLE.

INFORMATION SHARING, COMPARTMENTALIZATION,

TURF, RULES-- ALL THIS [BEEP] WENT INTO PLAY.

Narrator: WORKING INSIDE THE CIA AND FBI JOINT OPERATION

TO HUNT DOWN BIN LADEN,

MARK ROSSINI IS SHOCKED TO FIND THAT INVESTIGATIONS

ARE BECOMING ENTANGLED IN BUREAUCRATIC RELUCTANCE

TO SHARE INFORMATION BETWEEN AGENCIES.

HE GETS A PHONE CALL FROM FBI COLLEAGUE ALI SOUFAN

WHO'S IN ADEN ALONGSIDE THE U.S.S. COLE.

Rossini: HE'S IN THE WATER NEXT TO THE [BEEP] BOAT

WITH THE HOLE IN IT.

AND HE CALLS ME AND I'M AT MY DESK,

AND HE SAYS, "HEY, MARK, WHAT DO YOU HAVE ON SO-AND-SO?"

Narrator: ROSSINI GIVES HIS COLLEAGUE

INFORMATION ABOUT A SUSPECT.

HE'S CAREFUL TO CONCEAL DETAILS THAT MIGHT BE INTERCEPTED.

Rossini: I GET A TAP ON MY SHOULDER.

I HAD PASSED CIA INFORMATION ON AN UNDISCLOSED LINE TO THE FBI

WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION.

AND THEY WANTED TO REMOVE ME FROM THE BUILDING THAT MOMENT,

TAKE ME, ESCORT ME OUT OF THE BUILDING,

TAKE MY CLEARANCES AWAY,

AND HAVE ME TAKEN OUT OF THE BUILDING.

I'M CALLING AN FBI AGENT IN THE FIELD [BEEP]

WHO IS INVESTIGATING AN ATTACK,

AND YOU WANT TO SHOVE THE RULES UP MY [BEEP]

Narrator: THERE'S A REASON FOR THESE TURF WARS

THAT GOES BEYOND PROFESSIONAL RIVALRY.

IT'S KNOWN AS "THE WALL"--

IT'S KNOWN AS "THE WALL"--

AN AMERICAN POLICY THAT PROHIBITS

THE PASSING OF INFORMATION COLLECTED BY THE CIA

IN FOREIGN OPERATIONS

TO THE FBI, WHOSE ROLE IS TO BUILD A CASE

ON EVIDENCE THAT CAN BE BROUGHT BEFORE A U.S. COURT.

Rossini: THEN THEY MADE ME SIGN A DOCUMENT

THAT SAID THAT I CANNOT TELL THE FBI ANYTHING

ABOUT WHAT I LEARNED IN THE CIA

WITHOUT WRITTEN EXPLICIT PERMISSION FROM THE CIA.

I COULD NOT UTTER IT, I COULD NOT E-MAIL IT,

I COULD NOT EVEN SAY IT IN A PASSING CONVERSATION,

ANYTHING I LEARNED IN THE CIA WHEN I WAS WORKING THERE.

Narrator: BIN LADEN'S CHALLENGE TO AMERICA

IS EXPOSING BASIC DILEMMAS AT THE HEART OF A DEMOCRACY--

PROTECTING INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY IS WEAKENING ITS DEFENSES.

Michael Hayden: THE TERRORIST TARGET IS A PECULIAR BLEND

OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC,

OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE-BASED INFORMATION.

WE, HISTORICALLY, IN THE UNITED STATES

HAVE BUILT UP AN APPROACH

THAT WE'RE GOING TO PROTECT OUR LIBERTIES

BY KEEPING THOSE INTEL GUYS AT THE CIA

AWAY FROM THESE LAW ENFORCEMENT GUYS.

NOW WE WERE PLAYING AGAINST AN ADVERSARY

WHO COULD ONLY BE DEFEATED

IF WE BLENDED THOSE STREAMS OF INFORMATION.

George Bush: I, GEORGE WALKER BUSH, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR

THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE OFFICE

OF PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Narrator: THREE MONTHS AFTER THE ATTACK ON THE U.S.S. COLE,

GEORGE W. BUSH IS SWORN IN

AS 43rd PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Bush: SO HELP ME GOD.

["HAIL TO THE CHIEF" PLAYING]

Narrator: OUTGOING PRESIDENT CLINTON TELLS BUSH

THAT TERRORISM WILL BE HIS TOP PRIORITY.

BUT FOR THE NEW ADMINISTRATION,

BIN LADEN AND THE THREAT OF AL QAEDA SEEM LESS URGENT.

Black: REMEMBER, THE WORD "TERRORISM"

WAS NOT EVEN IN THE PRESIDENT'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE.

AND TERRORISM WAS NOT VERY WELL UNDERSTOOD.

Clarke: THE MOST DISTURBING THING

WAS THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SAYING,

YOU KNOW, "I WORKED IN THE WHITE HOUSE EIGHT YEARS AGO,

AND WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS BIG COUNTER-TERRORISM OFFICE

THAT YOU RUN NOW.

WHY IS IT HERE?"

THEY HAD MISSED THE GROWTH OF THIS NEW SET OF THREATS.

Narrator: IN 2000, A NEW STEALTH TECHNOLOGY

ENTERS THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN-- THE PREDATOR DRONE--

A PILOTLESS SPY PLANE CONTROLLED FROM THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.

AT LAST THERE IS THE PROSPECT OF SPOTTING

AMERICA'S MOST WANTED MAN IN TIME TO TAKE ACTION.

Clarke: WITH THE PREDATOR, WE COULD LOOK IN REAL TIME

AT A TARGET IN AFGHANISTAN.

AND WE COULD LOOK,

AND ACTUALLY ON ONE OCCASION, SEE BIN LADEN.

Narrator: BIN LADEN MAY OCCASIONALLY BE VISIBLE,

BUT HE REMAINS OUT OF REACH.

IN 2001, THE HUNTERS GROW MORE ALARMED

AS THE DRUMBEAT INTENSIFIES

OF THREATS FROM AL QAEDA AND BIN LADEN.

Black: AS WE APPROACHED THE SUMMER OF 2001,

THE SPIKE IN INTELLIGENCE WE COLLECTED,

THE VOLUME, THE ACCURACY, AS WELL AS THE STRIDENCY,

KEPT GOING UP AND UP AND UP.

Clarke: AL QAEDA WAS STEPPING UP ITS TEMPO,

IT WAS GETTING BIGGER,

IT WAS GETTING MORE MUSCULAR,

IT COULD PULL OFF ATTACKS ALL AROUND THE WORLD SIMULTANEOUSLY.

Black: I WENT TO BRIEF MY BOSS,

AND IT WAS HIS DETERMINATION

THAT WE GO TO THE WHITE HOUSE IMMEDIATELY.

YOU KNOW IN THE MOVIES, WHERE YOU PICK UP THE PHONE

AND CALL THE WHITE HOUSE, "WE'RE COMING OVER."

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME HE'D EVER DONE IT.

I DO NOT THINK I HAVE PARTICIPATED

IN A MORE FORCEFUL, MORE SPECIFIC,

MORE WELL SOURCED, CLEAR BRIEFING OF THE THREAT PICTURE

THAT THE UNITED STATES FACES.

Narrator: AUGUST 6th.

THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEFING IS HEADED,

"BIN LADEN DETERMINED TO STRIKE IN U.S."

SEPTEMBER 9th, AHMED SHAH MASSOUD,

AMERICA'S CRUCIAL ALLY IN THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN

IS ASSASSINATED IN AN AL QAEDA SUICIDE ATTACK.

Khalili: TWO ARABS CAME,

PRETENDING THEY WERE JOURNALISTS,

I WAS THERE WITH HIM, TWO, THREE, FOUR PEOPLE

WITH THE CAMERA, AND THE MAN HAD ALL BOMBS.

AND IN FIVE MINUTES, HE WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Schroen: I THOUGHT, OH, MY GOD,

THIS IS, YOU KNOW, A DISASTER FOR THE COUNTRY,

IT'S A DISASTER FOR US, THE U.S.

Narrator: THAT SAME DAY, SEPTEMBER 9th,

THE 9/11 HIJACKERS' LEADER, MOHAMMED ATTA,

WRITES TO HIS TEAM,

"YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY TO EVERLASTING PARADISE."

Black: THE PHONE RANG. "BAD NEWS CHIEF."

Man: WE JUST HAD A PLANE CRASH INTO AN UPPER FLOOR

OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

Black: AT THAT INSTANT, I THOUGHT THIS COULD BE THE START.

Man: IT'S JUST A HUGE EXPLOSION.

Schroen: AND THEN THE SECOND PLANE HIT.

Shelton: THE HAIR ON THE BACK OF MY NECK STOOD UP,

AND I KNEW THEN, THIS IS A TERRORIST ATTACK.

THIS IS BIN LADEN.

Man: MAYDAY, MAYDAY!

THERE'S ANOTHER PLANE HIT THE SECOND TOWER, OKAY.

Schroen: EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM SAID "BIN LADEN."

Man: B-3, A MAJOR COLLAPSE IN ONE OF THE TOWERS.

Clarke: WHAT WE ALL THOUGHT ON 9/11 WAS,

IN SOME VERY LARGE EXTENT, WE'D FAILED.

[SIRENS]

IN THE BACK OF OUR MINDS THAT DAY,

AND CERTAINLY THEREAFTER, WAS A SENSE OF DESPERATION IN A WAY,

A SENSE THAT THIS DIDN'T HAVE TO BE.

IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE IMPERFECTIONS

OF THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.

THE GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN UNABLE TO TAKE IN INFORMATION,

PROCESS IT, AND ACT ON IT,

AND BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN UNABLE TO DO THAT,

THIS AWFUL EVENT, THAT WAS AVOIDABLE,

HAD HAPPENED.

THE FACT THAT WE HAD SEEN IT COMING

MADE IT ALL THE MORE PAINFUL.

Narrator: FOR THE INVESTIGATORS WHO HAVE BEEN PURSUING BIN LADEN

FOR ALMOST A DECADE,

THE TRAGEDY OF 9/11 RAISES ANGUISHED QUESTIONS.

Soufan: I WAS REALLY KIND OF, WHAT DID WE MISS?

WHAT DID WE MISS?

Narrator: ALI SOUFAN IS FINALLY ALLOWED TO SEE EVIDENCE

LINKED TO THE 9/11 HIJACKERS

THAT HAS BEEN HELD UNTIL NOW BY THE CIA.

Soufan: IT'S BASICALLY INFORMATION

THAT WE HAD BEEN ASKING FOR SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2000.

THEN I START READING A REPORT,

AND I--I'M LIKE, YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME.

I REMEMBER I JUST RAN FROM THAT OFFICE

TO A BATHROOM IN THE HALLWAY.

AND I JUST THREW UP.

Narrator: SOUFAN DISCOVERS THAT THE IDENTITIES

OF TWO OF THE 9/11 HIJACKERS,

AND THE FACT THAT THEY HAD ARRIVED IN AMERICA,

HAVE BEEN KNOWN BY THE CIA SINCE THE BOMBING OF THE U.S.S. COLE

BUT NOT RELEASED TO THE FBI.

IT'S THE CULMINATION OF DIVISIONS

THAT HAVE SO DAMAGED THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN.

Soufan: I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE INFORMATION WAS NOT PASSED.

I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY OUR REQUESTS

WERE REPEATEDLY IGNORED.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.

I--I DON'T KNOW.

Cloonan: I DO THINK THAT WE COULD HAVE BEEN

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT CONSPIRACY

IF WE HAD, IF SEVERAL PEOPLE HAD DONE WHAT I SEE TO BE THEIR JOB.

Soufan: IF INFORMATION WAS SHARED,

9/11 COULD HAVE BEEN INTERCEPTED.

[CROWD CHEERING]

Narrator: ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2001,

PRESIDENT BUSH COMES TO GROUND ZERO.

Bush: I CAN HEAR YOU, THE REST OF THE WORLD HEARS YOU,

AND THE PEOPLE...

[CHEERING]

AND THE PEOPLE WHO KNOCKED THESE BUILDINGS DOWN

WILL HEAR ALL OF US SOON.

[CHEERING]

Crowd: USA! USA! USA!

Narrator: FOUR DAYS AFTER THE 9/11 ATTACKS,

PRESIDENT BUSH SUMMONS HIS TOP OFFICIALS

TO PLAN THE NATION'S RESPONSE.

Shelton: WE WENT OUT TO CAMP DAVID FOR A DISCUSSION

ON CARRYING OUT SOME TYPE OF A MILITARY OPERATION

AGAINST THE TALIBAN AND BIN LADEN IN AFGHANISTAN.

BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS DISCUSSION,

WE GET A CHIMING IN FROM,

I THINK IT WAS SECRETARY WOLFOWITZ,

ABOUT GOING AFTER IRAQ,

AND THAT WE OUGHT TO MAKE THIS PART OF OUR PLAN, AS WELL.

AND THE PRESIDENT SAID, "LET'S WAIT ON THAT, HOLD THAT,

WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT."

GETS A LITTLE BIT IRRITATED,

AND I CALL IT FIRING A HIGH EXPLOSIVE ROUND

ACROSS THE TABLE INTO WOLFOWITZ' CHEST,

SAYING, FORGET IT,

WE'RE GOING TO CONCENTRATE ON THE REAL ENEMY RIGHT NOW,

WHICH IS THE TALIBAN AND BIN LADEN.

Bush: AND IF HE THINKS HE CAN HIDE AND RUN

FROM THE UNITED STATES AND OUR ALLIES,

HE WILL BE SORELY MISTAKEN.

Narrator: FROM NOW ON, THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN IS A WAR.

A NEW LAW, THE PATRIOT ACT,

WILL REQUIRE ALL AGENCIES TO SHARE INFORMATION.

PRESIDENT BUSH AGREES TO ADOPT A CIA PLAN.

CIA PARAMILITARIES WILL LINK UP WITH ANTI-TALIBAN GUERRILLAS

OF THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE.

CIA VETERAN GARY SCHROEN FINDS HIS LIFE TRANSFORMED

BY PRESIDENT BUSH'S PROMISE TO PURSUE BIN LADEN.

Schroen: I WENT HOME ON 9/11

THINKING THAT HERE I WAS RETIRING,

AND THAT I WOULD, YOU KNOW, MISS THIS FIGHT

THAT I HAD, IN A SENSE, BEEN ALREADY FIGHTING FOR YEARS,

THAT I WAS GOING TO MISS IT.

I GOT A CALL SAYING, "COME IN TO THE OFFICE,"

AND I MET COFER BLACK, WHO SAID, "WE WANT YOU TO TAKE A TEAM IN

AND LINK UP WITH THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE,"

AND I SAID, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH,

I WILL BE HAPPY TO DO THAT."

AND SO OUT OF EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTRY

WHO WANTED TO DO SOMETHING,

I WAS THE GUY PICKED TO START THIS, YOU KNOW, THE FIGHT BACK.

COFER TOLD THE PRESIDENT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET THIS GUY.

HE SAID, "ULTIMATELY, I WANT YOU TO FIND BIN LADEN, KILL HIM,

AND CUT OFF HIS HEAD, PUT IT ON DRY ICE,

AND SHIP IT BACK TO ME,

AND I AM GOING TO TAKE IT DOWN AND SHOW THE PRESIDENT.

AND THE OTHER GUYS, KILL THEM, CUT OFF THEIR HEADS,

AND PUT THEM ON PIKES."

AND I SAID, "WELL, THAT'S ABOUT AS CLEAR AN ORDER

AS I'VE EVER GOTTEN IN THE ORGANIZATION."

AND I SAID, "WELL, PIKES WE CAN PROBABLY IMPROVISE,

BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO

ABOUT DRY ICE, COFER."

Narrator: ARRIVING IN AFGHANISTAN,

SCHROEN CONTACTS THE MAN CLOSEST

TO AMERICA'S MURDERED NORTHERN ALLIANCE ALLY, MASSOUD KHALILI.

Khalili: AND I SAID, "GARY, THANK YOU FOR COMING,

BUT YOU'RE LATE-- I LOST MY FRIEND."

Narrator: IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN,

THE CIA'S JAWBREAKER TEAM IS READY TO SPEARHEAD

THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN.

Schroen: WE SENT THE FIRST COMMUNICATION BACK

THAT SAID JAWBREAKER'S IN PLACE, AND WE'RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

Narrator: FOR THE JAWBREAKER TEAM, "BUSINESS" INCLUDES

HANDING OUT BAGS FULL OF DOLLAR BILLS

TO WIN THE SUPPORT OF THEIR NORTHERN ALLIANCE PARTNERS.

Schroen: THE MAIN MOTIVATION FOR THEM IS MONEY.

IT'S LIKE A SUITCASE FULL OF MONEY

OR A DUFFEL BAG FULL OF MONEY THAT YOU HAD TO TOTE AROUND

OR DRIVE AROUND IN A TRUCK AND PASS 'EM OVER TO THEM.

McLaughlin: WHAT THE CIA BROUGHT TO IT

WAS THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TERRAIN AND THE PEOPLE,

AND TO PROVIDE INDUCEMENTS TO TRIBALS TO WORK WITH US.

WHAT THE MILITARY WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE

WAS LETHAL POWER THAT WE DID NOT HAVE,

WITH THE CAPACITY OF SPECIAL FORCES,

TO DIRECT VERY LETHAL WEAPONRY

ON TO TARGETS THAT WE COULD IDENTIFY.

Narrator: THE TALIBAN REFUSE TO HAND OVER BIN LADEN.

ON OCTOBER 7th,

AMERICA BEGINS THE BOMBING OF TALIBAN-CONTROLLED KABUL.

Schroen: WE COULDN'T ACTUALLY SEE KABUL FROM WHERE WE WERE AT,

BUT YOU COULD SEE THE BOMB FLASHES

ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CLOUDS.

WE'D JUST PUT UP A SATELLITE DISH

THAT THE GUYS HAD BUILT FROM SCRATCH.

CNN COMES ON, AND THEY TURN IT UP,

AND IT'S LIKE, "BOMBING HAS STARTED IN KABUL."

IT WAS LIKE, OH, WELL, THIS IS GREAT,

LET'S GO DOWN AND WATCH IT ON CNN WHERE WE CAN SEE IT BETTER.

SO MODERN WAR, IT'S REALLY GREAT.

Narrator: ON THE SAME DAY,

A PRE-RECORDED STATEMENT BY BIN LADEN IS RELEASED.

HE SUPPORTS THE 9/11 ATTACKS, WITHOUT CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY.

Narrator: AFTER FIVE WEEKS OF INTENSIVE AMERICAN BOMBING,

THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE TAKES KABUL ON NOVEMBER 14th.

BUT FOR BIN LADEN'S PURSUERS,

THERE'S ONLY A FAINT HOPE HE'LL STILL BE THERE.

[CHEERING]

Schroen: BY THE TIME KABUL FELL,

I'M CONVINCED BIN LADEN WAS LONG GONE.

I THINK HE READ THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

AND SAID, "I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE,"

AND HAD HEADED FOR TORA BORA.

Narrator: IN EARLY DECEMBER 2001,

THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN SHIFTS TO THE MOUNTAINS OF TORA BORA.

JUST A FEW MILES FROM THE BORDER WITH PAKISTAN,

IT'S A DAUNTING AREA OF NARROW VALLEYS AND PEAKS

REACHING UP TO 14,000 FEET.

BIN LADEN SEEMS BOXED IN.

WILL THIS BE HIS LAST STAND?

Schroen: TORA BORA WAS A PLACE HE KNEW WELL,

AND BACK IN THE JIHAD DAYS, I THINK HE HAD A CAVE SYSTEM,

SO HE TOOK SHELTER THERE.

IT'S REALLY GOING TO BE HARD FOR ANYBODY

TO COME AND GET BIN LADEN IN THERE.

Narrator: TORA BORA WILL BECOME THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL EPISODE

IN THE LONG PURSUIT OF BIN LADEN.

THREE YEARS AFTER THE EVENT, GENERAL TOMMY FRANKS,

COMMANDER OF AMERICAN OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN, WILL SAY,

"WE DON'T KNOW TO THIS DAY IF MR. BIN LADEN WAS AT TORA BORA,"

BUT THE MEN ON THE GROUND ARE SURE.

GARY BERNTSEN, A SENIOR CIA PARAMILITARY COMMANDER

REPLACES HIS OLD COLLEAGUE GARY SCHROEN

AS THE JAWBREAKER UNIT'S TOP MAN IN THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN.

Gary Berntsen: WE KNEW HE WAS THERE.

WE HAD ENOUGH HUMAN INTELLIGENCE

THAT HAD TRACKED HIM ALL ALONG THAT WE KNEW WHERE HE WAS.

THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO QUESTION AT ALL.

Narrator: AMERICA'S MOST SENIOR GENERAL ALSO KNOWS

THAT THIS IS A DECISIVE MOMENT.

Myers: HEY, WE THINK WE'VE GOT A CHANCE TO GO AFTER BIN LADEN

AND SOME OF HIS FOLKS HELD UP IN THE HILLS,

THIS PLACE IN THE MOUNTAINS, THIS PLACE WE CALL TORA BORA.

Narrator: BIN LADEN'S HUNTERS SEEM TANTALIZINGLY CLOSE

TO THEIR PREY.

BUT EVEN BEFORE THE OPERATION BEGINS,

SENIOR CIA OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON ARE ALARMED

ABOUT THE LACK OF TROOPS ON THE GROUND IN TORA BORA

TO SUPPORT A SMALL UNIT OF DELTA SPECIAL FORCES.

BERNTSEN IS TOLD CIA CHIEFS ARE GOING TO THE WHITE HOUSE

TO REQUEST RANGER LIGHT INFANTRY TROOPS.

Berntsen: THEY SPOKE TO THE PRESIDENT,

THE VICE PRESIDENT AND RUMSFELD,

AND SAID, "WE NEED MORE FORCES, WE NEED 800 RANGERS."

AND RUMSFELD'S RESPONSE WAS,

"NO, THE PAKISTANIS WILL COVER THE BACK SIDE,

AND WE'RE USING DELTA FORCE."

Narrator: GENERAL FRANKS ALSO REJECTS THE CIA REQUEST

TO DEPLOY RANGER FORCES.

HE INSISTS THAT HELICOPTERS WOULD HAVE GREAT DIFFICULTY

LANDING RANGERS IN TORA BORA.

HE'S ALSO BEEN TOLD BY PAKISTAN'S PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF

THAT HIS FRONTIER GUARDS CAN BLOCK ESCAPE ROUTES

ACROSS THE BORDER.

BUT THE MURDER OF COMMANDER MASSOUD

MEANS THE CIA HAS LOST A CRUCIAL ALLY.

THEY HIRE TWO MINOR WARLORDS,

A FORMER TALIBAN AND A DRUG SMUGGLER,

WHO BRING AROUND 2,000 OF THEIR FIGHTERS TO PURSUE BIN LADEN.

HE HAS MORE THAN 1,000 AL QAEDA PROTECTORS.

THERE ARE FEWER THAN 100

AMERICAN AND BRITISH SPECIAL FORCES.

IT SOON BECOMES EVIDENT THAT THEY AND THE AFGHAN MERCENARIES

ARE STRETCHED VERY THIN.

Franklin Hagenbeck: WHAT COULD WE DO TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT?

AND AS WE WORKED OUR WAY THROUGH THE ABILITY OR INABILITY

TO GET AMERICAN TROOPS ON THE GROUND,

IT REALLY TRANSPIRED THAT

THE ONLY RESPONSE THAT WE COULD MAKE WERE WITH BOMBS.

Narrator: IN EARLY DECEMBER,

AS MANY AS 100 AIRSTRIKES A DAY SATURATE TORA BORA WITH BOMBS.

IN SIGHT OF AL QAEDA SNIPERS,

SPECIAL FORCES HIGHLIGHT THE TARGETS WITH LASERS.

Berntsen: VERY RISKY.

THEY WILL PAINT AN OBJECT WITH A LASER,

AND A PLANE WILL THROW AN EXPLOSIVE OUT,

AND IT WILL CATCH AND RIDE THE LIGHT INTO THE TARGET.

AS PEOPLE ARE DOING THIS, AND VERY BRAVELY,

THEY ARE EXPOSED.

Rumsfeld: THE U.S. MILITARY AIR CAPABILITY

JUST PUMMELED THE TORA BORA AREA.

I MEAN, THEY COULDN'T HAVE DROPPED ANY MORE BOMBS.

Narrator: ON DECEMBER 9th,

AMERICA DROPS A 15,000-POUND DAISY CUTTER,

THE MOST POWERFUL NON-NUCLEAR BOMB ON EARTH,

LAST USED IN VIETNAM.

THE IMPACT IS UNCLEAR.

BUT ON A CAPTURED RADIO,

BIN LADEN IS HEARD URGING HIS MEN TO FIGHT ON.

AND THE UNEASY ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE ALLIED PURSUERS

AND THEIR LOCAL FIGHTERS IS NOT GOING WELL.

Myers: YOU HAVE LIMITED FORCES,

AND YOU HAVE TO COUNT ON INDIGENOUS FORCES

THAT ARE MORE OR LESS RELIABLE.

SOME ARE RELIABLE, SOME ARE NOT GOING TO FIGHT.

SOME MAY FIGHT FOR A WHILE AND DECIDE TO DO SOMETHING ELSE.

Narrator: ON DECEMBER 10th, SPECIAL FORCES REPORT

THAT THEY MAY HAVE SPOTTED BIN LADEN.

BUT THE AFGHAN COMMANDER HIRED TO SUPPORT THEM RETREATS,

AND HIS FIGHTERS FLEE UNDER AL QAEDA FIRE.

THE HANDFUL OF AMERICAN AND BRITISH SPECIAL FORCES

ARE LEFT ALONE IN AL QAEDA TERRITORY.

Berntsen: THERE WERE NO MORE THAN 60 AMERICANS

FIGHTING DOWN IN TORA BORA.

BIN LADEN FLED WITH ABOUT 1,000 INTO THOSE MOUNTAINS.

THERE WERE MORE JOURNALISTS THAN THERE WERE U.S. FORCES THERE.

Man: WE KILLED THE TRANSLATOR. WE KILLED THE TRANSLATOR.

Berntsen: AND THE CHALLENGE WAS HOW TO DO ALL OF THIS

BEFORE HE GOT OUT.

Narrator: DESPITE THEIR LIMITED NUMBERS,

A DELTA FORCE VIDEO CAMERA RECORDS BIN LADEN'S PURSUERS

CLOSING IN ON THE MAIN AL QAEDA BASE.

SPECIAL FORCES MONITOR A BIN LADEN RADIO MESSAGE

SAYING HE HAS LET HIS MEN DOWN,

AND THAT THEY ARE PERMITTED TO SURRENDER.

Berntsen: WE HAD BIN LADEN ON INTERCEPT ON THE RADIO,

YOU KNOW PRAYING, APOLOGIZING, DEJECTED...

TELLING HIS PEOPLE HE WAS SORRY HE'D LED THEM IN THIS TRAP

AND THAT THE SUFFERING THAT THEY WERE HAVING.

AND OF COURSE, WE KEPT IT UP, KEPT IT UP, KEPT IT UP,

KEPT AT HIM, TRYING TO END IT.

Narrator: ONE OF THE WARLORDS SUPPORTING THE AMERICANS

DEMANDS A CEASEFIRE

TO ALLOW AL QAEDA FIGHTERS TO GIVE THEMSELVES UP.

THE AMERICANS FEAR A TRICK,

BUT ARE COMPELLED TO PAUSE THEIR OPERATIONS.

AROUND 800 AL QAEDA DISAPPEAR IN THE NIGHT

ACROSS THE BORDER INTO THE WILD NORTHWEST OF PAKISTAN,

A FRONTIER REGION OF RIVAL FACTIONS

WITH UNLIMITED PLACES TO HIDE.

Hagenbeck: THE PAKISTANIS PUT SOME TROOPS

TO CAPTURE THOSE THAT WERE ESCAPING.

AND THEY DID, AT SOME POINT, MANAGE TO CAPTURE

IN EXCESS OF 100 COMING OUT OF TORA BORA.

BUT THEN MIRACULOUSLY, WITHIN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME,

ALL OF THOSE MANAGED TO ESCAPE.

Myers: IF WE'D HAD MORE TROOPS,

WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN MORE SUCCESSFUL.

BUT WE DIDN'T.

Berntsen: I WENT IN WITH EIGHT MEN INITIALLY,

AND THERE WERE 1,000 AL QAEDA IN THAT AREA.

THE PROBLEM WAS THIS-- WORKING WITH INDIGENOUS FORCES

HAD WORKED IN ALL OTHER PARTS OF THE CONFLICT UP TO THAT POINT.

WE GOT DOWN TO THE FINAL PIECE OF KILLING BIN LADEN,

AND WE NEEDED TO DO THAT ON OUR OWN.

Narrator: ONE DAY IN MID DECEMBER 2001

OSAMA BIN LADEN WALKS OUT OF TORA BORA

AND DISAPPEARS INTO PAKISTAN.

HIS PURSUERS ARE LEFT TO EXPLORE HIS ABANDONED CAVES

AND REFLECT ON WHY HIS EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE

WAS EVER ALLOWED.

Berntsen: IF I COULD GET A BUNCH OF CIVILIANS IN THERE TO FIGHT,

I FIGURED THAT THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

COULD GET SOME RANGERS IN THERE FOR ME.

Rumsfeld: I NEVER HEARD ANYONE ASK FOR MORE FORCES.

NOT ONE PERSON EVER UP THE CHAIN OF COMMAND

EVER CAME TO ME AND SAID,

"I'VE GOT PEOPLE ASKING FOR MORE TROOPS."

NEVER ONCE DID ANYONE SAY THAT THERE WOULD BE ANY ADVANTAGE

IN DOING THAT.

Clarke: IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT HAD THE MILITARY ATTACK PLAN

AUTHORIZED A RANGER UNIT TO GO UP

AND REINFORCE THE SPECIAL FORCES,

WE COULD HAVE NOT ONLY GOTTEN BIN LADEN,

WE COULD HAVE GOTTEN ALL THE LEADERSHIP OF AL QAEDA

THAT WAS THEN ABOUT TO FLEE INTO PAKISTAN.

AND WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO SUFFER

THE FOLLOWING 10 YEARS OF AL QAEDA.

Narrator: THE QUESTIONS AFTER TORA BORA,

FROM THE DISPUTED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT AMERICAN TROOP LEVELS

TO PAKISTAN'S ROLE,

REMAIN UNANSWERED TO THIS DAY.

Berntsen: TORA BORA WAS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY THAT WAS MISSED.

THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN WOULD HAVE ENDED,

WOULD HAVE ENDED IT THEN.

Narrator: AFTER TORA BORA, THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN

DRIFTS INTO A DECADE OF FRUSTRATION.

A $27 MILLION REWARD AND A MAJOR MILITARY OPERATION IN 2002

FAIL TO PRODUCE ANY EVIDENCE OF THE WORLD'S MOST WANTED MAN.

FACED WITH UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTIONS ABOUT BIN LADEN,

THE WHITE HOUSE DOWNPLAYS HIS IMPORTANCE.

Clarke: GEORGE BUSH WENT FROM SAYING,

"I AM GOING TO GET BIN LADEN DEAD OR ALIVE,"

TO ACTUALLY SAYING, "WELL, HE'S NOT ALL THAT IMPORTANT."

Bush: I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS.

I JUST DON'T SPEND THAT MUCH TIME ON HIM REALLY,

TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.

Clarke: THE REASON FOR THAT

WAS THAT THEY HAD NO INTELLIGENCE ON WHERE HE WAS.

Narrator: FOR AMERICA'S COUNTER-TERRORISM SPECIALISTS,

BIN LADEN REMAINS AN AGONIZING CHALLENGE.

Juan Zarate: BIN LADEN HUNG OVER

THE ENTIRE COUNTER-TERRORISM ENTERPRISE LIKE A SPECTER.

THERE WAS NEVER A PERIOD WHERE COUNTER-TERRORISM OPERATIVES

STOPPED LOOKING FOR TRAILS TO GET TO BIN LADEN.

Rumsfeld: IF YOU'RE TRYING TO CATCH A CHICKEN IN THE BARNYARD,

AND YOU'RE RUNNING AFTER IT, ARE YOU CLOSE?

NOT UNTIL YOU'VE CAUGHT IT. AND WE HAVEN'T.

Narrator: OCTOBER 2002.

THE BOMBING OF A NIGHTCLUB IN BALI IS A SHOCKING REMINDER

THAT BIN LADEN AND AL QAEDA ARE A CONTINUING THREAT.

IT'S ONLY THE FIRST OF MANY ATTACKS AROUND THE WORLD

IN THE YEARS THAT FOLLOW.

Zarate: BIN LADEN WAS THE GALVANIZING FIGURE,

THE CHARISMATIC CHARACTER,

WHO ACTUALLY DROVE, NOT ONLY THE FOUNDING OF AL QAEDA,

BUT ITS MORPHING INTO MOST CORNERS OF THE WORLD.

[SIRENS]

Narrator: AS AL QAEDA TERROR SPILLS OUT AROUND THE WORLD,

BIN LADEN REMAINS BEYOND THE REACH OF HIS PURSUERS.

Zarate: BIN LADEN HIMSELF WAS VERY GOOD

IN TERMS OF OPERATIONAL SECURITY.

THERE WAS NO USE OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA.

HE DID EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO REMAIN HIDDEN,

NOT JUST FROM WESTERN AUTHORITIES

OR COUNTER-TERRORISM OFFICIALS,

BUT ALSO IN MANY WAYS FROM HIS OWN PEOPLE.

FRUSTRATINGLY, WE WERE NOT CLOSE TO FINDING HIM.

Narrator: BAGHDAD...

MARCH 19, 2003.

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION TURNS ITS SIGHTS

TOWARDS ITS LONG-TIME ENEMY, SADDAM HUSSEIN AND IRAQ.

THE INVASION DISTRACTS ATTENTION FROM THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN.

Robert Grenier: THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THE SHIFT TO IRAQ

TOOK A LOT OF THE ENERGY OUT OF THE EFFORT TO CAPTURE BIN LADEN.

FROM THE CIA POINT OF VIEW,

WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH OF OUR BEST PEOPLE

AND MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE

WHO WERE ENGAGED IN THE EFFORT ANYMORE.

THEY WERE BEING SHIFTED TO IRAQ.

Zarate: THERE WAS A SENSE THAT

WE WEREN'T LOOKING FOR BIN LADEN ANYMORE,

THAT WE HAD LOST FOCUS, THAT WE HAD LOST INTEREST.

Narrator: BIN LADEN CONTINUES TO TAUNT AMERICA

WITH VIDEO PRONOUNCEMENTS.

IN 2004, HE ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR 9/11

AND CONDEMNS AMERICA'S RESPONSE.

Hayden: FRANKLY, IT WAS VERY FRUSTRATING.

I MEAN THE PRESIDENT WOULD SAY TO ME, "SO, MIKE, WHERE ARE WE?"

"MR. PRESIDENT, NOTHING NEW."

"WELL, YOU ARE WORKING ON IT?" "YES, SIR, WE REALLY ARE."

AND I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANT.

WHERE ARE WE ON THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN?

BUT THE TRAIL WAS COLD.

WHEN I SAY THE TRAIL WAS COLD, I MEAN THE TRAIL WAS COLD.

Townsend: THERE WAS A CHART THAT WAS PREPARED FOR THE PRESIDENT

THAT BASICALLY SHOWED AL QAEDA'S LEADERSHIP.

THE PRESIDENT TOOK TO KEEPING THAT CHART,

BECAUSE IT WAS A WAY OF KEEPING TRACK

OF WHO WAS STILL OUTSTANDING.

AND HE WOULD JUST MARK OFF AS WE WENT ALONG

SO THAT HE KNEW WHO WE STILL HAD LEFT.

AND OF COURSE, THE NAME THAT WAS STILL ON THERE

WITH NO "X" THROUGH IT WAS BIN LADEN.

Narrator: IT'S AT THE GUANTANAMO DETENTION CENTER

THAT THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN

FINALLY MAKES THE CRUCIAL BREAKTHROUGH.

INTERROGATIONS OF AL QAEDA SUSPECTS SUGGEST

THAT A MYSTERIOUS FIGURE KNOWN AS "AL KUWAITI"

WHO ESCAPED FROM TORA BORA WITH BIN LADEN

MAY BE WORKING AS HIS COURIER.

Hayden: BASED ON INFORMATION THAT WE'D GOTTEN FROM DETAINEES,

FOLKS CAME IN TO ME IN 2007

AND SAID, "WE THINK WE CAN GO AFTER BIN LADEN

BY TRACING THE COURIER NETWORK."

Grenier: IT HAD TO BE A SYSTEM OF COURIERS

THAT WAS BEING USED IN ORDER TO EFFECT COMMUNICATIONS

BETWEEN BIN LADEN, WHEREVER HE WAS,

AND HIS ORGANIZATION.

THERE HAD TO BE SOME SORT OF A SYSTEM

THAT WOULD PERMIT HIM TO GET

AUDIO TAPES, VIDEO TAPES, OUT TO HIS PEOPLE,

AND MAYBE ENGAGE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DIRECT COMMUNICATION

WITH MEMBERS OF HIS OWN ORGANIZATION.

Hayden: UNTIL WE GOT ON THE TRAIL OF THE COURIERS,

ANY INSTINCT THAT WE HAD A LEAD ON BIN LADEN,

IN RETROSPECT, LOOKED A LOT MORE LIKE ELVIS SIGHTINGS

THAN IT DOES HARD INTELLIGENCE.

Narrator: BIN LADEN HAS OUTLASTED A SUCCESSION

OF AMERICAN PRESIDENTS, DEFYING EVERY EFFORT TO TRACK HIM DOWN.

IN OCTOBER 2008,

AS CANDIDATES CAMPAIGN FOR THE ELECTION OF A NEW PRESIDENT,

BARACK OBAMA PUTS A SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN.

Barack Obama: IF WE HAVE OSAMA BIN LADEN IN OUR SIGHTS,

THEN I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO ACT.

WE WILL KILL BIN LADEN, WE WILL CRUSH AL QAEDA.

THAT HAS TO BE OUR BIGGEST NATIONAL SECURITY PRIORITY.

Panetta: HE BASICALLY SAID,

"I WANT YOU TO GO AFTER BIN LADEN,

BIN LADEN IS NUMBER ONE ENEMY OF THIS COUNTRY.

I WANT YOU TO FIND HIM AND TO BRING HIM TO JUSTICE."

Narrator: IN THE CROWDED BORDER TOWNS OF PAKISTAN,

BIN LADEN REMAINS A HERO.

FOR MONTHS, INTENSIVE ELECTRONIC INVESTIGATIONS

TRY TO TRACK DOWN ANY HINT OF THE COURIER AL KUWAITI.

AT LAST, IN AUGUST 2010,

AN INTERCEPTED PHONE CALL MADE BY KUWAITI PROVIDES THE CLUE

BIN LADEN'S PURSUERS HAVE BEEN CHASING FOR YEARS.

"I AM WORKING WITH THE PEOPLE I WAS WITH BEFORE," HE SAYS.

NOW THE TRAIL TO BIN LADEN IS OPENING UP.

Panetta: THERE WAS THIS VERY IMPORTANT LEAD

WITH REGARDS TO THE COURIERS,

AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, IT RAISED GREAT SUSPICIONS.

Narrator: IN AUGUST 2010,

CIA AGENTS SPOT AL KUWAITI'S CAR,

AND IT'S DRIVING IN AN UNEXPECTED DIRECTION.

RATHER THAN HEADING FOR THE WILD TERRITORY

ALONG THE BORDER WITH AFGHANISTAN

WHERE BIN LADEN'S PURSUERS HAVE LONG SUSPECTED HIM TO BE HIDING,

AL KUWAITI HEADS FOR ABBOTTABAD, A PROSPEROUS REGIONAL TOWN

AND THE BASE FOR A TOP PAKISTANI MILITARY ACADEMY.

BIN LADEN'S COURIER DRIVES TO A COMPOUND IN THE TOWN

WHERE A LARGE THREE-STORY HOUSE IS PROTECTED BEHIND HIGH WALLS.

Panetta: MY FIRST REACTION

WHEN THEY DESCRIBED THE COMPOUND IN ABBOTTABAD

WAS THAT WE HAD SOMETHING VERY UNUSUAL.

John Brennan: LEON, AND A FEW OTHERS, CIA BRIEFERS,

CAME IN AND EXPLAINED TO THE PRESIDENT

THAT WE NOW, WE MAY IN FACT HAVE IDENTIFIED A LOCATION

WHERE BIN LADEN MIGHT BE HOLED UP.

Narrator: CIA AGENTS MOVE INTO HOUSES

OVERLOOKING THE MYSTERIOUS COMPOUND,

OBSERVING HOW THE OCCUPANTS SHUN ALL ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

AND BURN THEIR OWN GARBAGE.

EVEN CRICKET BALLS HIT OVER THE WALLS ARE KEPT AND BURNED.

Panetta: THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE SAW IN THE COMPOUND

SEEMED TO MATCH THE NUMBER OF FAMILY MEMBERS

THAT MIGHT BE WITH BIN LADEN.

WE HAD PROBABLY THE BEST CLUE AS TO THE POSSIBILITY

THAT BIN LADEN WOULD BE THERE SINCE TORA BORA.

Narrator: THE PRESIDENT IS BRIEFED REGULARLY,

BUT ALL INFORMATION IS TIGHTLY CONTROLLED.

Rhodes: THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT KNEW

ABOUT THE BIN LADEN COMPOUND

WAS INCREDIBLY SMALL FOR A VERY LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

BUT THERE WERE ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONS TAKEN.

THE TOPIC OF THE MEETING WAS NEVER LISTED,

THE CAMERAS THAT ARE USUALLY ON IN THE SITUATION ROOM

WERE TURNED OFF.

AND IT KEPT VERY TIGHT,

I THINK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF, YOU KNOW, A DOZEN PEOPLE

FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

Narrator: AS LOCAL AGENTS KEEP WATCH OVER THE COMPOUND

FOR ANY SIGN OF BIN LADEN,

HE IS NEVER DETECTED.

Rhodes: WE WERE HOPING THAT THERE WOULD BE

MORE DEFINITIVE INFORMATION THAT BIN LADEN WAS THERE,

AND WE NEVER REALLY GOT THAT INFORMATION.

NOBODY WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO SAY, "AH-HA,

WE HAVE THE PIECE OF EVIDENCE THAT CAN GIVE US CERTAINTY

THAT HE'S THERE."

Narrator: THE MOST WANTED MAN ON EARTH

REMAINS SHUT AWAY IN HIS ROOM,

UNAWARE THAT HIS PURSUERS ARE TIGHTENING THE NET AROUND HIM.

IN WASHINGTON, THE PRESIDENT'S ADVISORS BEGIN TO EXPLORE

WAYS OF MOUNTING A MISSION TO GET BIN LADEN ONCE AND FOR ALL.

Panetta: ONCE THE INTELLIGENCE

HAD REACHED A POINT WHERE THERE WAS AT LEAST

A HIGHER CONFIDENCE LEVEL ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY,

THE NEXT QUESTION WE ASKED WAS WHAT SHOULD WE DO OPERATIONALLY?

Brennan: THE PRESIDENT WAS THE ONE WHO SAID

START TO PULL TOGETHER THE OPTIONS THAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE.

"I DON'T WANT TO WAIT,

BECAUSE THIS COULD BE, IN FACT, A FLEETING TARGET."

Rhodes: THE CLOSER YOU GOT TO THE OPERATION,

THE MORE YOU STARTED TO CONTEMPLATE

ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD GO WRONG.

Narrator: THE TERRIBLE MEMORY

OF THE BLACK HAWK DOWN DISASTER IN SOMALIA

IS IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID.

SO IS THE FAILED ATTEMPT TO RESCUE U.S. HOSTAGES IN IRAN

IN 1980, WHICH FATALLY DAMAGED JIMMY CARTER'S PRESIDENCY.

Rhodes: LEON PANETTA SAID, "LOOK,

WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET THIS GUY FOR 15, 20 YEARS, OKAY.

WE MISSED HIM AT TORA BORA.

THIS IS CLEARLY THE BEST INTELLIGENCE WE'VE HAD

LEADING US TO BIN LADEN SINCE TORA BORA.

WE CAN'T MAKE THE MISTAKE

OF NOT GOING FULL TILT AGAINST IT AGAIN."

Narrator: ON MARCH 14, 2011,

PRESIDENT OBAMA SUMMONS HIS ADVISORS

TO A MEETING IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

Rhodes: THE PRESIDENT WENT AROUND THE TABLE

AND ASKED EVERY ONE OF HIS ADVISORS FOR THEIR ADVICE

AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TO GO INTO ABBOTTABAD.

THERE WERE ESSENTIALLY THREE OPTIONS.

ONE OPTION WAS TO GO FORWARD WITH A SPECIAL FORCES RAID.

ANOTHER OPTION WAS TO TAKE A MISSILE STRIKE AT THE COMPOUND.

THE THIRD OPTION WAS TO WAIT AND TRY TO GATHER MORE INTELLIGENCE.

Panetta: THE FOCUS ULTIMATELY FELL ON THE RAID OPTION

IN ORDER TO NOT ONLY BE ABLE TO GO IN,

BUT TO DETERMINE WHETHER, IN FACT, IT WAS BIN LADEN.

[SHOUTING, GUNFIRE]

Narrator: SEAL TEAM SIX GOES INTO INTENSIVE TRAINING

SIMULATING AN ATTACK

ON A REPLICA OF THE ABBOTTABAD COMPOUND.

THE SEALS STILL DON'T KNOW THEIR TARGET.

BUT THEIR COMMANDERS HAVE CHOSEN HIS CODE NAME--GERONIMO.

Brennan: THE WEEK LEADING UP TO THE ACTUAL OPERATION,

EVERY DAY WE HAD MEETINGS IN THE WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM,

WE HAD MEETINGS WITH THE PRESIDENT.

IT WAS ALMOST A NONSTOP EFFORT

FROM THE MORNING TO LATE AT NIGHT.

Narrator: FINALLY, PRESIDENT OBAMA MUST MAKE

A MOMENTOUS AND POLITICALLY CRITICAL DECISION--

GO OR NOT GO.

Rhodes: THE PRESIDENT SAID HE WAS GOING TO GO BACK

AND THINK ABOUT IT OVERNIGHT.

HE TOOK THIS ALL ON HIMSELF THAT NIGHT.

HE CAME DOWN THE NEXT MORNING AND SAID JUST, "IT'S A GO."

Woman: PLEASE WELCOME THE PRESIDENT

OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

BARACK OBAMA.

Narrator: THE NIGHT BEFORE THE RAID

IS THE ANNUAL WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER

IN WASHINGTON.

THE PRESIDENT'S BIN LADEN TEAM HAS TO ATTEND

TO AVOID AROUSING AWKWARD QUESTIONS.

Rhodes: IF SUDDENLY THE SENIORMOST NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIALS

IN THE GOVERNMENT ALL CANCELED IN UNISON

ON THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING THEM TO THIS DINNER

WHO HAPPENED TO BE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL JOURNALISTS IN TOWN,

THAT WOULD RAISE SUSPICIONS,

AND THAT WOULD SEND PEOPLE CHASING INFORMATION.

Panetta: THE DECISION WAS

LET'S JUST GO AHEAD AND PLAY IT STRAIGHT.

Rhodes: IT WAS VERY STRANGE TO GO TO THAT DINNER

AND TO LOOK AT THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE ROOM,

NONE OF WHOM KNEW

THIS MOMENTOUS THING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN THE NEXT DAY,

AND TO OCCASIONALLY SEE SOMEBODY WHO DID KNOW,

YOU KIND OF MAKE EYE CONTACT,

AND SUDDENLY IT HIT YOU LIKE A TON OF BRICKS

THAT TOMORROW IS, YOU KNOW,

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DAYS OF YOUR LIFE.

MEANWHILE, YOU'RE AT THIS KIND OF ABSURD WASHINGTON PARTY.

Seth Meyers: PEOPLE THINK BIN LADEN IS HIDING IN THE HINDU KUSH,

BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT EVERY DAY FROM 4 TO 5

HE HOSTS A SHOW ON C-SPAN?

[LAUGHTER]

Panetta: BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU,

EVERY TIME SOMEBODY MADE A JOKE ABOUT BIN LADEN,

I COULDN'T HELP BUT THINK,

"IF ONLY THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM KNOW WHAT THE HELL I KNOW."

[LAUGHS]

Rhodes: WE CAME IN SUNDAY MORNING,

WE HAD TO CANCEL ALL THE TOURS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

WE ORDERED FOOD FOR THE DAY,

PREPARED FOR SEVERAL HOURS IN THE SITUATION ROOM.

Brennan: AND THEN THE PRESIDENT JOINED US,

AND IT WAS A PERIOD OF SUCH INTENSITY.

MANY PARTS OF THAT LAST DAY ARE ETCHED ON MY MIND

AND WILL BE FOREVER.

Rhodes: WE WAITED, AND IT WAS VERY TENSE,

BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE DOING SOMETHING,

BUT WE REALLY REALIZED

THAT IT WAS OUT OF OUR HANDS AT THAT POINT.

Narrator: AS THE PRESIDENT'S TEAM WAITS

ON THAT SUNDAY MORNING IN THE WHITE HOUSE,

IT'S EVENING IN ABBOTTABAD.

Panetta: SINCE IT WAS A COVERT OPERATION,

I WAS DESIGNATED AS THE PERSON TO OVERSEE THE OPERATION,

SO WE BASICALLY SET UP AN OPERATIONS CENTER AT THE CIA,

AND WE MAINTAINED CONTACT WITH ADMIRAL McCRAVEN,

WHO WAS IN AFGHANISTAN OVERSEEING THE OPERATIONS.

AND WE WERE GETTING REGULAR REPORTS,

AND WE WERE FEEDING THOSE BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE.

IT WAS RISKY, BECAUSE IT DID INVOLVE AN OPERATION

THAT HAD TO GO A LONG WAY INTO PAKISTAN.

WE CLEARLY HAD TO TRACK IT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

Rhodes: WHEN THE HELICOPTERS REACHED ABBOTTABAD,

THE FIRST THING WE HEARD

WAS THAT THEY HAD A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM

WITH ONE OF THE HELICOPTERS,

IT WAS ESSENTIALLY GOING DOWN.

THE THING THAT WE ALL DREADED,

SOME KIND OF HELICOPTER INCIDENT, WAS HAPPENING.

THAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE OF INFORMATION WE HAD.

Panetta: YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT INVOLVES SOME OF THE FEARS

ABOUT WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG--

SUDDENLY, ALL OF THOSE FEARS ARE COMING TRUE.

Rhodes: SUDDENLY WE'RE THINKING

THAT THIS OPERATION IS GOING SIDEWAYS,

THERE'S GOING TO BE POTENTIAL U.S. CASUALTIES.

THERE WAS A REAL SENSE OF DEEP ANXIETY IN THE ROOM.

IT WAS TOTALLY SILENT,

PEOPLE JUST HANGING ON EVERY WORD FROM BILL McCRAVEN

OR LEON PANETTA.

Panetta: WHEN ADMIRAL McCRAVEN INDICATED A KIND OF, YOU KNOW,

THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM, THESE GUYS ARE GOING TO DO THE JOB,

IT GAVE ME A SENSE OF CONFIDENCE.

Rhodes: WE WERE VERY RELIEVED WHEN IT WAS REPORTED

THAT EVERYONE WAS OFF SAFELY, THE OPERATION IS GOING FORWARD.

Panetta: THERE WAS A LONG PERIOD

AFTER THEY'D GONE INTO THE COMPOUND.

WE HAD HEARD THAT SHOTS HAD BEEN FIRED.

WE REALLY WEREN'T QUITE SURE WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

IT WAS A GOOD 15 OR 20 MINUTES OF SILENCE

IN THE SENSE OF WHAT EXACTLY WAS GOING ON IN THERE.

THOSE WERE VERY LONG AND TORTUROUS MOMENTS...

WAITING FOR THE WORD.

AND THE CODE WORD GERONIMO CAME ACROSS.

Rhodes: I REMEMBER THAT BEING A MOMENT OF EXTRAORDINARY RELIEF,

BECAUSE WE NEVER KNEW THAT THIS FIGURE

THAT WE HAD TRACED TO THIS COMPOUND WAS BIN LADEN.

Panetta: ALL OF THE MONTHS OF GATHERING INTELLIGENCE,

ALL OF THE OPERATIONS,

ALL OF THE QUESTIONS SUDDENLY WERE ANSWERED

IN THAT MOMENT WHEN WE HEARD GERONIMO.

Rhodes: THERE WAS KIND OF AN AUDIBLE EXHALING

OF EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM.

AND THEN THE PRESIDENT JUST SAID, "WE GOT HIM, WE GOT HIM."

[CHEERING]

Obama: THE UNITED STATES HAS CONDUCTED AN OPERATION

THAT KILLED OSAMA BIN LADEN.

JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE.

Narrator: ON FEBRUARY 25, 2012,

PAKISTANI SECURITY FORCES BEGAN DEMOLISHING BIN LADEN'S HOUSE.

Panetta: WHAT WAS A SURPRISE WAS THAT

IT FRANKLY TOOK AS LONG AS IT DID TO FINALLY GET BIN LADEN.

YOU WOULD HAVE HOPED THAT WE COULD HAVE DONE IT EARLIER.

Clarke: MY REACTION WAS, YOU KNOW, IF I ORDERED A PIZZA

AND IT CAME 10 YEARS AFTER I ORDERED IT,

I WOULDN'T BE TOO DELIGHTED.

Schroen: IT REALLY DID BRING HOME THE MESSAGE

THAT WE WILL COME AND GET YOU.

Rossini: YOU DON'T SLEEP BETTER BECAUSE HE'S GONE.

WHAT YOU WORRY ABOUT IS WHO TAKES HIS PLACE.

Rumsfeld: THE FACT THAT HE'S DEAD, I THINK, IS FINE.

THE WORLD'S A BETTER PLACE WITH OSAMA BIN LADEN NOT HERE.