United States of Secrets

After 9/11, Americans realized that there were huge intelligence gaps regarding terrorist threats to the homeland. Almost immediately, top government officials, notably Vice President Dick Cheney, proposed a sweeping expansion of intelligence gathering techniques that simply came to be known as "the program." This two-part PBS-aired Frontline special from filmmakers Michael Kirk and Martin Smith explores the government's desire to "push every boundary" while "taking the gloves off" in order to prevent another 9/11. The "program" called for monitoring phone calls and Internet traffic, as well as conducting warrantless data searches. One witness likens the affair to something out of a John le Carré spy novel, with secret courts, clandestine meetings, and in one case, a bizarre, contentious hospital bedside discussion between White House lawyers and an ailing Attorney General. Government officials interviewed here speak with surprising frankness and occasional bitterness, while journalists supply background context on an operation "gone rogue." Part two brings the story up to date during the Obama years. Although initially promising "no more secrets," Obama harbored an instinctive dislike for news leaks, but his administration would experience pushback from Silicon Valley companies, including Google and Facebook, that were caught up in a "huge dragnet operation." The documentary also covers the Edward Snowden affair, FBI raids, and indictments of suspected leakers, along with the inevitable political fallout in today's Washington. United States of Secrets effectively raises the question of whether the "program" was worth the cost in lost trust and privacy violations. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)