Watch the Program

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A New Kind of Threat

The National Security Agency, or NSA, is the largest, most secret, most technologically advanced intelligence agency in the world. It thrived during the Cold War with the Soviets, but Al Qaeda represents an entirely different kind of threat. Is the NSA up to it?
running time 10:45

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Missed Signals

Al Qaeda strikes U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998 and the USS Cole in 2000. Both times, the U.S. intelligence community fails to give a timely warning of the attacks.
running time 9:09

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More Missed Signals

Well before 9/11, the NSA begins listening in on phone calls from two of the future hijackers from inside the U.S. to a house in Yemen that served as an Al Qaeda operations center. Why didn't they alert the FBI?
running time 9:14

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Orwell's "Thought Police" Come Alive

Three weeks after 9/11, President Bush bypasses privacy laws and issues an executive order—the NSA no longer needs to obtain warrants to eavesdrop inside America. The agency begins warrantless monitoring of millions of domestic and international calls, e-mails, and other communications.
running time 9:24

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Intelligence Overload?

Most experts agree that, to ensure another 9/11 doesn't slip through the cracks, we need to monitor potential terrorists and share information between agencies. But as author James Bamford asks, could too much information end up making the world more dangerous?
running time 11:04