48 Hours - EP 1: The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs. Life and Death Decisions

Episode Date: May 16, 2016

Life and Death Decisions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. Hi, I'm Chris Whipple, the writer and one of the executive producers of the documentary The Spymasters, CIA and the Crosshairs. What are the rules for America's spymasters in their effort to prevent the next terrorist attack?

Will the White House of the future bring back waterboarding as a so-called enhanced interrogation technique? Republican candidate Donald Trump has said he would bring back waterboarding and a hell of a lot worse. Donald Trump has said he would bring back waterboarding, and a hell of a lot worse. The Spymasters addresses those questions and more as we show you the CIA as you've never seen it, through the eyes of all 12 living directors of the agency. They talk openly about the life and death decisions they've had to make, the ethical dilemmas they've confronted, and the future mission of the CIA. The documentary will air on CBS on Saturday, May 21st, starting at 9 o'clock p.m. on the CBS television network. It's a special presentation by 48 hours. What surprised us was how stunningly candid the directors were about some of their most

closely held secrets, as when Leon Panetta described the day a top terrorist was spotted in Pakistan by a lethal CIA drone. Here is a sneak peek. That memory of going to Arlington to bury one of my officers from the CIA, Elizabeth Hansen, 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 Hansen did. I knew that the CIA 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 CIA as a source. This was the worst single loss of life for the CIA 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. 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 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. 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 Hansen'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? 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 that, you know, 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, you know, 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 cleared on the building. If you're cleared on the big square building, you can go ahead and level it. Roger that. Yeah, direct hit right there. And it did involve collateral damage, but we got him. Good job. 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. Be sure to tune in to CBS Saturday, May 21st, starting at 9 p.m.

for 48 Hours Presents, The Spymasters, CIA and the Crosshairs. Chat with members of the Spymasters team during the broadcast on Twitter and Facebook and follow 48 Hours on Instagram. I'm Chris Whipple. Thanks for listening and be sure to watch. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror.

But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free, with a 48-hour plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals.

However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets, the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X.

In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defence attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals. Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now.