Top Secret America

This PBS Frontline documentary examines the legal and ethical issues related to the new kind of war that the United States launched against Al Qaeda following the 9/11 terrorist attacks—a huge covert international affair, one designed to “hide in plain sight” and minimize the American footprint, while using drone attacks, secret prisons, hidden budget money, private contractors, domestic wiretaps, surveillance, and “enhanced interrogation” techniques, which many deemed torture. Combining archival and contemporary footage and stills, interviews with key decision makers (such as security expert Richard Clarke), and commentary from Washington Post reporter Dana Priest and others, director Michael Kirk's Top Secret America covers the turf battle between the Central Intelligence Agency and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon, the CIA's initial successes in Afghanistan, and the growing distraction posed by Iraq, where the Bush administration became bogged down in a bloody insurgency while the War on Terror continued to grow in size, materials, and budget, with no end in sight. President Obama, an early critic, has come around to support much of his predecessor's agenda, and the documentary points out that the U.S. has had some successes—including the killing of Osama Bin Laden—although problems remain, along with the risk of ultimate mission failure. While much of this material will be familiar to nightly news watchers, this overview is still recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)