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Narrator: MAY 1, 2011.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IS ABOUT TO TAKE HIS BIGGEST RISK
SINCE BECOMING AMERICA'S COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
Greitens: HE KNEW THAT TONIGHT WAS A SPECIAL NIGHT.
TONIGHT WAS THE RAID TO GET OSAMA BIN LADEN.
Narrator: WITH NO HARD EVIDENCE, THE PRESIDENT PULLS THE TRIGGER,
SENDING SPECIAL-OPS FORCE SEAL TEAM 6
ON THE MOST DARING, COVERT RAID IN U.S. HISTORY.
ME MIGHT BE THERE. HE MIGHT NOT BE THERE.
Narrator: A HIGH-STAKES MISSION --
THE OUTCOME RESTING SQUARELY ON THE SHOULDERS
OF THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
NO ONE SHOULD UNDERESTIMATE HOW HARD THE DECISION WAS.
Narrator: A HUGE GAMBLE -- PUTTING LIVES ON THE LINE.
Gresham: IT'S A QUESTION OF,
"DO YOU WANT TO PUT YOUR MONEY ON THE TABLE
AND THROW THE DICE, MR. PRESIDENT?"
Narrator: TONIGHT -- INSIDE THE SITUATION ROOM
AS THE RAID ON OSAMA BIN LADEN'S COMPOUND UNFOLDS...
...WITH THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE.
THE WAITING WAS TERRIBLE. SECONDS SEEMED LIKE HOURS.
Narrator: WE REVEAL NEW OPERATIONAL DETAILS --
THE MISSION TO TAKE DOWN OSAMA BIN LADEN
AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.
IN EVERY PRESIDENCY, THERE COMES A MOMENT,
A LINE TO BE CROSSED, A DECISION TO BE MADE,
WHEN THE MAN WE ELECT PRESIDENT
BECOMES... THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
SOMEWHERE OVER PAKISTAN,
TWO BLACK HAWK STEALTH HELICOPTERS FLY LOW AND FAST.
INSIDE, THE AIR IS STIFLING.
THESE ARE AMERICA'S ELITE, SPECIAL-OPS COMMANDOS,
SEAL TEAM 6,
ON THE MOST IMPORTANT MISSION OF THEIR LIVES.
ONE THING THAT'S CLEARLY OBVIOUS TO EVERYBODY INVOLVED IN THIS --
THEY'RE ONLY GONNA GET ONE TRY.
Narrator: AS THEY APPROACH THEIR TARGET, DISASTER STRIKES.
7,000 MILES AWAY,
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AND HIS ADVISORS
WATCH HELPLESSLY
AS THE BLACK HAWK SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL
AND CRASHES TO THE GROUND.
THE PRESIDENT UNDERSTOOD THIS WAS GONNA BE ON HIS SHOULDERS
AND PUT HIS REPUTATION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF
ON THE LINE.
Narrator: THIS IS HOW LIVES ARE LOST,
POWERFUL NATIONS HUMILIATED,
PRESIDENCIES DESTROYED.
EIGHT MONTHS EARLIER, DOWN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND,
JUNIOR ANALYSTS AT CIA HEADQUARTERS
ARE STUDYING A SATELLITE IMAGE OF A COMPOUND
IN ABBOTTABAD, PAKISTAN.
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]
THIS IS THE PHOTOGRAPH
THAT COULD BE THEIR FIRST SOLID LEAD IN 10 YEARS
ON OSAMA BIN LADEN,
THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF THOUSANDS
ON SEPTEMBER 11th.
Gresham: THE TEAM REALIZES THEY'VE GOT SOMETHING.
AT THAT POINT, THE LEAD ANALYST WALKS UP TO THE SEVENTH FLOOR,
WALKS IN, AND SAYS,
"BOSS, I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE A GENUINE TARGETING LEAD
ON BIN LADEN."
Narrator: CIA DIRECTOR LEON PANETTA
REQUESTS AN URGENT MEETING
WITH PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AND HIS TOP SECURITY ADVISORS.
Gresham: EVERYBODY SITS DOWN --
THE PRESIDENT, SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON,
BOB GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE,
MIKE MULLEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS IS THERE,
THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR, TOM DONILON.
Narrator: PANETTA PASSES AROUND THE TOP-SECRET SURVEILLANCE PHOTO.
IT SHOWS A WALLED COMPOUND, A THREE-STORY RESIDENCE,
A GUEST HOUSE, A FEW ANIMALS IN THE YARD,
AND A JEEP.
NOTHING UNUSUAL...
UNTIL PANETTA POINTS OUT THE CLUES HIS ANALYSTS FOUND.
THIS IS NOT A NORMAL MULTI-FAMILY COMPOUND.
THIS IS IN A PART OF THE WORLD WHERE THE SUMMERS ARE VERY HOT.
SO, WHO BUILDS UP SIX-FOOT WALLS OUTSIDE THEIR BALCONIES
AROUND THEIR BEDROOMS,
WHEN THE PURPOSE OF THOSE WINDOWS
IS THE FREE FLOW OF AIR?
WOW. THAT'S UNUSUAL.
Narrator: THE JEEP IN THE PHOTOGRAPH IS KEY.
IT BELONGS TO AN AL-QAEDA COURIER
THEY'VE BEEN TRACKING FOR MONTHS --
AHMED AL KUWAITI,
BIN LADEN'S LIFELINE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
BIN LADEN DOES NOT USE TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATIONS.
[ SPEAKING ARABIC ]
Gresham: HE SPEAKS TO HIS MOVEMENT THROUGH TAPES AND VIDEOS.
HE PASSES MESSAGES THROUGH A SERIES OF COURIERS.
AND THEY DO THIS FOR THE SIMPLE REASON
THAT THEY KNOW
HE IS THE MOST WANTED HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET.
Narrator: A FEW WEEKS LATER,
A TOP-SECRET WHITE HOUSE MEETING.
ONLY OBAMA'S HIGHEST-RANKING NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISORS
KNOW THE CIA MAY HAVE A LEAD
ON THE WORLD'S MOST WANTED TERRORIST.
DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR BEN RHODES
IS THE PRESIDENT'S POINT MAN ON BIN LADEN.
I WORKED WITH THE PRESIDENT
ON A NUMBER OF SPEECHES HE GAVE WHERE HE SAID...
WE WILL KILL BIN LADEN. WE WILL CRUSH AL-QAEDA.
THAT HAS TO BE OUR BIGGEST NATIONAL SECURITY PRIORITY.
Rhodes: HE COMMITTED, AS A CANDIDATE,
THAT HE WOULD GO INTO PAKISTAN IF NECESSARY
AND TAKE ACTION IF WE HAD INTELLIGENCE
ABOUT BIN LADEN'S WHEREABOUTS.
Narrator: PRESIDENT OBAMA MAKES HIS FIRST MAJOR DECISION,
ORDERING CIA DIRECTOR PANETTA
TO LAUNCH THE LARGEST SURVEILLANCE OPERATION
IN U.S. HISTORY...
AN ALL-OUT, INTELLIGENCE-GATHERING EFFORT
TO LEARN EVERYTHING THEY CAN
ABOUT THE OCCUPANTS OF THAT COMPOUND.
HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD,
AN ARMY OF COVERT AGENTS CONVERGE ON ABBOTTABAD.
Gresham: THEY SET UP OBSERVATION POSTS
IN THE HILLS AND ON THE GROUND
AROUND THE ABBOTTABAD COMPOUND.
Narrator: 10 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH,
SATELLITES AND HIGH-TECH STEALTH DRONES
ARE TRAINING POWERFUL LENSES ON THE COMPOUND.
Sanger: THEY HAD SURVEILLANCE FROM AN RQ-170 STEALTH DRONE,
WHICH WAS FLYING OVER ABBOTTABAD BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO BE DETECTED
BY PAKISTANI RADAR.
Narrator: WITHIN WEEKS, THE CIA CAPTURES THEIR FIRST BIG BREAK.
THE DRONE CAPTURES IMAGES OF A MYSTERIOUS MAN
LIVING ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE COMPOUND.
EVERY DAY, HE TAKES A WALK IN THIS COURTYARD
BUT NEVER GOES BEYOND THE COMPOUND'S WALLS.
SURVEILLANCE ANALYSTS CALL HIM "THE PACER."
Flournoy: SOMETHING WE KNEW ABOUT BIN LADEN
IS THAT HE HAS A VERY STRICT SCHEDULE,
VERY STRONG COMMITMENT TO REGULAR EXERCISE,
AND THAT HE WOULD FREQUENTLY,
YOU KNOW, WALK OR PACE WHEREVER HE WAS.
Narrator: WITH SO MUCH RIDING ON I.D.'ing THE PACER,
THE PRESIDENT URGES PANETTA AND HIS AGENTS TO GET CREATIVE.
THE SURVEILLANCE OPERATION CARRIES HUGE RISKS.
Hayden: YOU WANT A LITTLE MORE TIME TO BE SURE,
BUT YOU'RE AFRAID OF GIVING IT TOO MUCH TIME
BECAUSE THEN YOU MAY LOSE THE OPPORTUNITY.
Narrator: THEY KNOW THE CLOSER THEY GET,
THE GREATER THE CHANCE OF TIPPING THEIR HAND
AND ALERTING THE OCCUPANTS.
AND YET, THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY PANETTA CAN BE CERTAIN --
GET SOMEBODY INSIDE THAT COMPOUND.
PRESIDENT OBAMA AUTHORIZES PANETTA
TO TAKE THE BIGGEST RISK YET.
Sanger: THEY HAD AN AGENT, A PAKISTANI DOCTOR,
WHO WAS RUNNING A REAL INOCULATION PROGRAM
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE CONCEPT WAS TO TRY TO GET INSIDE THE COMPOUND,
INOCULATE ALL OF THE OCCUPANTS,
AND USE THE DNA THEY EXTRACTED
TO CONFIRM THAT, IN FACT, IT WAS WHO THEY THOUGHT IT WAS.
Narrator: WHEN THE DOCTOR ARRIVES,
HE'S IMMEDIATELY TURNED AWAY.
THE DARING ATTEMPT TO INFILTRATE THE COMPOUND FAILS.
FOR THE CIA AND THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF,
FRUSTRATION IS MOUNTING, AND THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
FIVE MONTHS INTO THE SURVEILLANCE MISSION
ON THE COMPOUND,
PANETTA TELLS THE PRESIDENT
HIS AGENTS HAVE GONE AS FAR AS THEY CAN.
IF THEY KEEP GOING,
THEY RISK EXPOSING THE OPERATION
AND LOSING THE OCCUPANTS OF THE COMPOUND.
THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE PRESIDENT
TO START PLANNING FOR AN ASSAULT ON THE COMPOUND IN ABBOTTABAD.
Gresham: THEY CAME UP WITH AN ASSESSMENT.
AND THEY TOOK IT BACK TO THE PRESIDENT
AND THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
AND SAID, "OKAY, GUYS. THIS IS WHAT WE'VE GOT.
WE THINK THAT THERE IS A HIGH-VALUE TARGET,
VERY PROBABLY OSAMA BIN LADEN,
RESIDING IN THIS HOUSE
AND HAS BEEN RESIDING FOR A PERIOD OF YEARS.
Narrator: JUST 18 MONTHS INTO HIS YOUNG PRESIDENCY,
BARACK OBAMA FACES ONE OF THE TOUGHEST DECISIONS
FOR ANY COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
IF HE LAUNCHES AN ATTACK ON THE COMPOUND,
AND BIN LADEN IS NOT THERE,
IT WOULD BE THE MOST HUMILIATING FIASCO
SINCE THE BAY OF PIGS INVASION,
A DISASTER THAT COULD COST AMERICAN LIVES
AND DOOM OBAMA'S PRESIDENCY.
IF HE CONTINUES TO PUSH FOR MORE INTEL,
THE WORLD'S MOST WANTED TERRORIST
COULD BECOME SUSPICIOUS
AND SLIP AWAY FOR ANOTHER 10 YEARS --
AN EPIC FAILURE IN THE WAR ON TERROR.
ALL EYES ARE ON THE PRESIDENT.
IT'S TIME FOR HIM TO ACT.
TIME TO MAKE A DECISION THAT WILL PUSH HIM
AND EVERYONE DOWN HIS CHAIN OF COMMAND TO THE BRINK.
Narrator: MARCH 2011 -- PAKISTAN.
THE CIA's MASSIVE SURVEILLANCE OPERATION
FOCUSES ON THE COMPOUND
THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE HIDEOUT
OF OSAMA BIN LADEN.
BACK AT HOME, AN UNTESTED COMMANDER IN CHIEF
TAKES HIS FIRST CAUTIOUS STEPS IN THE WAR ON TERROR.
[ PEOPLE SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY ]
[ CROWD CHEERING ]
Beschloss: YOU HAVE TO ASSUME THAT WHEN BARACK OBAMA BECAME PRESIDENT,
THE CIA AND THE PENTAGON WERE VERY SKEPTICAL
OF THIS ILLINOIS SENATOR
WHO CAME FROM A VERY PROGRESSIVE BACKGROUND
WITH NO FOREIGN-POLICY EXPERIENCE.
AND THEY WERE WATCHING TO SEE WHAT HE WOULD DO.
Narrator: PRESIDENT OBAMA NEEDS OPTIONS --
MULTIPLE ATTACK SCENARIOS AGAINST THE COMPOUND.
THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF GIVES CIA DIRECTOR LEON PANETTA
THE TOP-SECRET ORDER
TO DEVELOP A RANGE OF DIFFERENT BATTLE PLANS.
PANETTA ASSIGNS COMMAND OF THE MISSION
TO VICE ADMIRAL WILLIAM McRAVEN,
COMMANDER OF JOINT SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND,
KNOWN AS JSOC.
SECRECY IS CRITICAL.
McRAVEN SETS UP A WAR ROOM
IN AN UNMARKED OFFICE IN THE BASEMENT
OF CIA HEADQUARTERS.
Gresham: McRAVEN IS GONNA PUT THIS PLAN TOGETHER.
HE'S A CONSUMMATE ARTIST.
Narrator: DAY AND NIGHT, McRAVEN STUDIES A MODEL OF THE COMPOUND,
WORKING OUT EVERY SCENARIO
AND PLANNING FOR EVERY POTENTIAL CONTINGENCY.
McRAVEN'S SIGNATURE IS DETAILS,
AND THERE'S ELEGANCE TO THE MAN'S WORK.
Narrator: IN TWO MONTHS, THIS METICULOUS PREPARATION
WILL SAVE THE MISSION FROM THE BRINK OF TOTAL FAILURE.
THE SITUATION ROOM --
ONLY THE PRESIDENT AND HIS TOP ADVISORS ARE PRESENT.
ADMIRAL McRAVEN LAYS OUT HIS ASSAULT OPTIONS
ON THE COMPOUND FOR THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
OPTION ONE -- A MASSIVE BOMB STRIKE FROM THE AIR.
OPTION TWO -- A LASER-GUIDED MISSILE STRIKE
TARGETING ONLY THE PACER --
MORE PRECISE, BUT UNTESTED IN COMBAT.
OPTION THREE -- A JOINT RAID WITH PAKISTAN.
Flournoy: WELL, THERE WAS A VERY SIGNIFICANT DISCUSSION
ABOUT WHETHER TO UNDERTAKE THE RAID
IN COOPERATION WITH PAKISTAN OR UNILATERALLY.
Sanger: THERE WAS NO ONE ON THE PRESIDENT'S TEAM
WHO THOUGHT THAT YOU COULD TELL THE PAKISTANIS
AND BE ASSURED THAT BIN LADEN WOULD NOT GET ADVANCE WORD.
Narrator: THEN, McRAVEN LAYS OUT A FOURTH OPTION --
FREEZE OUT THE PAKISTANIS, GO IT ALONE.
SENDING IN A SPECIAL-OPS TEAM, SEAL TEAM 6,
IS THE ONLY WAY THE PRESIDENT CAN BE 100% CERTAIN
THAT OSAMA BIN LADEN'S BEEN KILLED.
BUT IT WOULD MEAN HE'S AUTHORIZING A COMMANDO RAID
ON A SOVEREIGN NATION WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS...
INVADING A COUNTRY THAT'S OFFICIALLY AN ALLY,
BUT AN ALLIANCE CHARACTERIZED BY STRAIN AND SUSPICION.
[ ALL SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY ]
Zarate: THE DECISION WAS BEING MADE AT A TIME
OF DEEPENING DISTRUST BETWEEN THE U.S. AND PAKISTAN.
AND SO, AT A MINIMUM,
YOU HAD TO ASSUME THAT THERE COULD BE A CONFLICT
AT THE SITE OF THE RAID.
AND THAT MAY LEAD TO AN INADVERTENT FIREFIGHT.
[ GUNFIRE ECHOING ]
Narrator: THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
THE PRESIDENT IS CAUTIOUS,
UNDECIDED ON WHICH OPTION TO TAKE.
BUT TO THOSE AROUND HIM,
HIS ONE OBJECTIVE IS CRYSTAL CLEAR --
TAKE OUT AL-QAEDA'S LEADER
BEFORE A VIOLENT HISTORY CAN REPEAT ITSELF.
[ SIREN WAILING ]
FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES,
OSAMA BIN LADEN HAS BEEN AT WAR WITH AMERICA --
THE 1993 WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACK...
BOMBING U.S. EMBASSIES IN AFRICA...
AND THE U.S.S. COLE.
Zarate: BIN LADEN HAD A VERY CLEAR POLITICAL GOAL.
[ PEOPLE SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY ]
HE WANTED TO SEE THE UNITED STATES EXPELLED
FROM THE MUSLIM WORLD.
Narrator: BUT ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001,
OSAMA BIN LADEN WOULD SHOCK THE WORLD
WITH THE MOST BRUTAL TERRORIST ATTACK EVER
ON U.S. SOIL.
BARACK OBAMA, A YOUNG LAWYER AND ILLINOIS STATE SENATOR,
WATCHED THE HORRIFIC ACTS UNFOLD FROM HIS CHICAGO OFFICE.
[ PEOPLE SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY ]
NOW PRESIDENT OBAMA IS DETERMINED
NOT TO REPEAT THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST.
A TOP-SECRET MEETING AT THE WHITE HOUSE,
PRESIDENT OBAMA BRINGS IN KEY ADVISORS
TO DEBATE MILITARY OPTIONS.
ADMIRAL BILL McRAVEN WALKS THE PRESIDENT AND HIS TEAM
THROUGH THE DIFFERENT ATTACK SCENARIOS IN DETAIL.
UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE MICHèLE FLOURNOY
WAS AT THAT BRIEFING.
Flournoy: THERE WERE THREE MAIN OPTIONS.
ALL OF THOSE WERE FULLY DEVELOPED, FULLY PRESENTED,
FULLY DEBATED,
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY,
THERE WAS STILL A DIVIDED NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL.
Narrator: THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF IS BOMBARDED
WITH CONFLICTING ADVICE.
DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES AND VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
RECOMMEND THE MASSIVE BOMBING RUN.
THEY TELL THE PRESIDENT A GROUND OPERATION CARRIES TOO MUCH RISK.
OBAMA KNEW THAT THERE WAS A GREAT POLITICAL DANGER HERE.
IT WAS MY DECISION TO ATTEMPT THE RESCUE OPERATION.
Narrator: IN 1980,
PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER ATTEMPTED TO RESCUE AMERICAN HOSTAGES
BEING HELD IN IRAN.
WHEN ONE OF THE HELICOPTERS CRASHED,
EIGHT SPECIAL-OPS SOLDIERS WERE KILLED,
DOOMING CARTER'S PRESIDENCY.
DESPITE THE ENORMOUS RISK,
CIA DIRECTOR LEON PANETTA,
SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON,
AND JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN MIKE MULLEN
PUSHED TO GAMBLE ON THE RAID.
FOR THE PRESIDENT, A SPECIAL-OPS RAID
COMBINES THE KEY ELEMENTS HE IS LOOKING FOR --
STEALTH AND MINIMUM COLLATERAL DAMAGE.
PRESIDENT OBAMA CAME TO THE IDEA
THAT A RAID, BOOTS ON THE GROUND,
IS GOING TO BE THE BEST WAY TO GO AHEAD AND PROSECUTE THIS.
[ MEN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]
Gresham: THERE'S A POTENTIAL TREASURE TROVE
OF INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION IN THAT BUILDING.
AND YOU CAN ALSO COLLECT MUCH BETTER FORENSICS
SO THAT YOU CAN BE SURE YOU ACTUALLY GOT BIN LADEN.
Narrator: FOR THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF,
THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY BIN LADEN IS CRUCIAL.
PRESIDENT OBAMA IS NOW LEANING TOWARDS THE RAID.
BUT BEFORE HE'S WILLING
TO SIGN OFF ON McRAVEN'S BATTLE PLAN,
THE PRESIDENT INSISTS ON A CRITICAL OPERATIONAL DETAIL.
HE REFUSES TO SEND U.S. FORCES INTO HARM'S WAY
WITHOUT ADEQUATE BACKUP.
Sanger: PRESIDENT OBAMA INSISTED
THAT, IN FACT, THEY SEND IN TWO BACKUP HELICOPTERS,
HAVE THEM WITHIN EASY REACH
IN CASE THE SEAL TEAM NEEDED TO BE EXTRACTED.
Narrator: NEITHER McRAVEN NOR OBAMA KNOWS AT THE TIME
THAT THE PRESIDENT'S INSISTING ON BACKUP WILL PROVE CRITICAL
TO THE SUCCESS OF THE MISSION.
DEEP IN THE NEVADA DESERT,
TWO STATE-OF-THE-ART STEALTH HELICOPTERS
HOVER OVER A FULL-SIZE REPLICA OF THE COMPOUND IN PAKISTAN.
TWO TEAMS OF NAVY SEALs FAST-ROPE OUT OF THE CHOPPERS.
THESE ARE McRAVEN'S
HAND-SELECTED SPECIAL-OPS COMMANDOS,
SEAL TEAM 6, THE BEST OF THE BEST,
REHEARSING THE RAID HUNDREDS OF TIMES
IN A LOCATION THAT REPLICATES PAKISTAN'S CLIMATE AND ALTITUDE.
Greitens: SEALs BELIEVE IN RELENTLESS PRACTICE.
THESE WERE ALL EXPERIENCED OPERATORS
WHO HAD BEEN THROUGH THE HARDEST MILITARY TRAINING IN THE WORLD,
BEEN SELECTED TO WHAT WAS ESSENTIALLY THE ALL-STAR TEAM
OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS.
SO, ADMIRAL McRAVEN KNEW
THAT HE COULD HAVE TREMENDOUS CONFIDENCE IN THIS TEAM.
Narrator: McRAVEN SENDS THE PRESIDENT
THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGES AND WEATHER MAPS.
THEY SHOW A MOONLESS NIGHT SKY OVER ABBOTTABAD IN 11 DAYS --
IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR A COVERT RAID.
AFTER THAT, THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY WON'T COME FOR ANOTHER MONTH.
THE PRESIDENT GIVES McRAVEN HIS CONDITIONAL APPROVAL
FOR THE MISSION.
THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF IS DIALED IN.
HIS OBJECTIVE IS CLEAR.
BUT THE NEXT DECISION HE MAKES
COULD BRING THE MISSION TO A GRINDING HALT.
Narrator: EIGHT DAYS BEFORE THE MOST DARING RAID
IN U.S. MILITARY HISTORY,
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
IS STILL LOOKING FOR DEFINITIVE PROOF
THAT OSAMA BIN LADEN IS HIDING OUT
IN THE PAKISTAN COMPOUND
THEY'VE BEEN WATCHING FOR MONTHS.
IT STILL WASN'T CLEAR THAT THIS WAS BIN LADEN.
HE'D NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED. HIS DNA HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN.
NOBODY HAD TAKEN A PICTURE OF HIM.
THE INDIVIDUAL WAS TALL,
HAD BEEN SEEN FROM SATELLITE PICTURES IN THE COURTYARD,
BUT HE WAS NOT IDENTIFIED.
Narrator: THE PRESIDENT HOLDS AN EMERGENCY BRIEFING
FOR MICHAEL LEITER,
DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER.
LEITER IS HEARING ABOUT THE ABBOTTABAD COMPOUND
FOR THE FIRST TIME.
IMMEDIATELY, HE HAS DOUBTS THAT BIN LADEN IS EVEN THERE.
Man: ...EXCEPT TO TRAIN NEW RECRUITS.
...FAR MORE COMPLEX...
Narrator: LEITER SUGGESTS THEY BRING IN A RED TEAM,
AN INTELLIGENCE-COMMUNITY TERM FOR INDEPENDENT ANALYSTS
WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT AN OPERATION,
FOR A TOTALLY OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT.
Rhodes: THE NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER TAKES A TEAM OF ANALYSTS
WHO ARE NOT READ INTO THIS,
PRESENTS THEM WITH THE INTELLIGENCE CASE,
AND THEY GIVE THEIR OWN ASSESSMENT
OF THEIR CONFIDENCE THAT OSAMA BIN LADEN
IS AT THIS COMPOUND IN ABBOTTABAD.
Narrator: THE PRESIDENT GIVES THE TEAM 48 HOURS
TO STUDY MONTHS OF INTELLIGENCE DATA
AND REPORT BACK.
IS IT BIN LADEN OR NOT?
WHAT WERE THE OTHER THEORIES?
THAT IT WAS SOME DUBAI PRINCE
WHO WAS HIDING HIS BUSINESS OPERATIONS,
WHO WAS HIDING HIS GIRLFRIEND.
WHO KNEW WHAT HE WAS HIDING?
THAT BIN LADEN MIGHT HAVE USED THIS PREVIOUSLY,
MIGHT HAVE USED IT PERIODICALLY.
BUT THERE WAS NO ASSURANCE THAT HE WOULD BE THERE
AT THE TIME THE RAID HAPPENED.
Narrator: WITH FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE RAID UNDER WAY,
THE RED TEAM DROPS A BOMBSHELL.
THE RED TEAM CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS, AT BEST,
A 40% OR 50% CHANCE
THAT THE PERSON INSIDE THE COMPOUND
WAS, IN FACT, BIN LADEN.
Narrator: 40% IS A STAGGERING DROP IN CONFIDENCE.
EARLIER REPORTS CAME IN AS HIGH AS 90%.
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS ADVISORS ARE STUNNED.
Gresham: IN THE END, HE MIGHT BE THERE.
HE MIGHT NOT BE THERE.
IT'S A QUESTION OF, "DO YOU WANT TO GO
"AND PUT YOUR MONEY ON THE TABLE
AND THROW THE DICE, MR. PRESIDENT?"
Narrator: THE COUNTDOWN TO THE RAID HAS ALREADY BEGUN.
ADMIRAL McRAVEN AND THE SPECIAL-OPS TEAM
ARE READY IN JALALABAD, WAITING FOR THE SIGNAL TO GO.
WITH THE CLOCK WINDING DOWN,
SHOULD THE PRESIDENT CALL IT OFF?
THE PRESIDENT, IN THE MEETING,
KIND OF WAVED OFF THIS DISCUSSION OF PERCENTAGES.
AND HE SAID, "LOOK, GUYS,
ULTIMATELY THIS IS A 50/50 BET THAT BIN LADEN IS THERE."
Narrator: IT'S THE LAST CHANCE
FOR THE COUNTRY'S TOP NATIONAL-SECURITY EXPERTS
TO INFLUENCE HIS DECISION.
THE PRESIDENT ESSENTIALLY SAID, "OKAY,
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT EVERYBODY'S RECOMMENDATION IS."
WE WENT AROUND THE ROOM, AND EVERYBODY AROUND THE TABLE,
ALL OF HIS SENIOR-MOST NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM,
GAVE THEIR JUDGMENT.
Narrator: THERE'S STILL NO CONSENSUS IN THE ROOM.
OPINIONS REMAIN SHARPLY DIVIDED.
Rhodes: 50% OF THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM
WANTED TO GO FORWARD WITH THE RAID.
50% EITHER WANTED TO TAKE THE SHOT FROM AFAR
OR WANTED TO WAIT AND GATHER MORE INTELLIGENCE.
Narrator: CIA DIRECTOR LEON PANETTA
TELLS THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF IT'S TIME TO DECIDE.
Sanger: DIRECTOR PANETTA SAID, "YOU KNOW,
"I THINK WE'RE AT THE POINT
"WHERE WE'RE NOT GONNA GET ANY NEW EVIDENCE,
"THAT WE SORT OF HAVE TO MAKE THE DECISION
BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE NOW."
Narrator: JUST BEFORE 7:00 P.M.,
PRESIDENT OBAMA THANKS EACH OF HIS ADVISORS
AND TELLS THEM HE'LL HAVE A DECISION IN THE MORNING.
PRESIDENT OBAMA CLIMBS THE STAIRS
TO THE PRIVATE RESIDENCE
ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE WHITE HOUSE.
ALONE IN THE TREATY ROOM,
HE CONTINUES TO CONTEMPLATE THE DECISION
THAT WILL PUT AMERICAN LIVES AT RISK,
A HUGE GAMBLE THAT COULD DEFINE HIS PRESIDENCY...
...OR DESTROY IT.
THE NEXT MORNING,
THE PRESIDENT'S ADVISORS ANXIOUSLY AWAIT HIS DECISION.
WITH MARINE ONE IDLING ON THE SOUTH LAWN,
PRESIDENT OBAMA MEETS BRIEFLY
WITH FOUR MEMBERS OF HIS NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM.
Sanger: HE GATHERED IN THE DIPLOMATIC ROOM
AND BASICALLY SAID, "I'VE DECIDED IT'S A GO.
GO WRITE THE ORDERS."
Narrator: THE PRESIDENT DECIDES
THE BENEFITS FAR OUTWEIGH THE RISKS.
HE HAS TO TRY TO TAKE DOWN AMERICA'S NUMBER-ONE ENEMY.
Rhodes: AS SOON AS HE SAID, "WE'RE GONNA GO,"
SUDDENLY, IT'S A REALITY.
IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
YOU KNOW THAT IN THE NEXT 48 TO 72 HOURS,
WE'RE GONNA BE LAUNCHING A VERY AMBITIOUS
AND POTENTIALLY FRAUGHT MILITARY OPERATION.
Narrator: BAD WEATHER IN PAKISTAN CAUSES A 24-HOUR DELAY.
IT MEANS THE PRESIDENT AND HIS TOP STAFF WILL ATTEND
THE ANNUAL WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER,
WITH THE RAID JUST HOURS AWAY AND ON THEIR MINDS EVERY SECOND.
Flournoy: HAD IT BEEN UP TO THE WHITE HOUSE
WHEN THE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER WOULD BE,
I THINK THAT THEY WOULD HAVE WISHED IT WERE ON ANOTHER DATE.
BUT THEY ALSO DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE THE PRESIDENT PULL OUT
AND ALL THESE OTHER FOLKS PULL OUT
AND SORT OF SIGNAL THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING ON.
Narrator: FOR THE PRESIDENT, THIS SHOULD BE A FUN EVENING,
A TIME TO RELAX, TO POKE FUN AT HIS OPPONENTS AND HIMSELF.
ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE IN THE ROOM
KNOW WHAT'S REALLY ON HIS MIND.
DESPITE THE ENORMOUS PRESSURE,
PRESIDENT OBAMA MUST DO HIS BEST TO ACT NATURAL.
IT'S AN IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE,
ESPECIALLY WHEN COMEDIAN SETH MEYERS
MENTIONS THE AL-QAEDA LEADER.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
PEOPLE THINK BIN LADEN IS HIDING IN THE HINDU KUSH,
BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT EVERY DAY FROM 4:00 TO 5:00,
HE HOSTS A SHOW ON C-SPAN?
[ LAUGHTER ]
Narrator: THE DAY OF THE RAID.
FOR EIGHT MONTHS,
IT'S BEEN THE MOST CLOSELY GUARDED SECRET SINCE D-DAY.
THE WHITE HOUSE GOES TO EXTREMES TO MAINTAIN TOTAL SECRECY.
TOURS ARE CANCELED, ALL VISITORS TURNED AWAY.
NONE OF THE PRESIDENT'S ADVISORS
DRIVE THEMSELVES TO THE WHITE HOUSE
SO THEIR PARKED CARS AREN'T A CLUE
THAT SOMETHING IMPORTANT IS HAPPENING.
JUST ONE SLIP NOW, HOWEVER SUBTLE,
COULD BLOW THE WHOLE OPERATION.
THE NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM GATHERS IN THE SITUATION ROOM.
Flournoy: THE MOOD WAS VERY SERIOUS, VERY SOMBER.
Narrator: FOR MANY IN THE ROOM,
THERE'S A HAUNTING SENSE THEY'RE ABOUT TO MAKE AN EPIC MISTAKE.
LIVES ARE ON THE LINE, A NATION'S SECURITY IS AT STAKE,
AND FOR PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, HIS ROLE AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF
IS ABOUT TO BE PUT TO THE ULTIMATE TEST.
Flournoy: THE WAITING WAS TERRIBLE.
SECONDS SEEMED LIKE HOURS.
Narrator: ADMIRAL McRAVEN IS MONITORING THE MISSION
FROM THE AIRFIELD BASE IN JALALABAD, AFGHANISTAN,
AND REPORTING TO THE PRESIDENT VIA SECURE COMMUNICATIONS.
AND ADMIRAL McRAVEN REALLY WAS THE ONE REPORTING BACK TO US
WHAT WAS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE RAID,
ESSENTIALLY GIVING THE IMPORTANT PLAY-BY-PLAY MOMENTS OF IT.
Narrator: WITH THE RAID ABOUT TO LAUNCH HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD,
PRESIDENT OBAMA HEADS STRAIGHT TO THE SITUATION ROOM.
Rhodes: AND SO, SUDDENLY,
IT'S NOT A HYPOTHETICAL, IT'S NOT A DISCUSSION.
Narrator: THE CHOPPERS ARE ON THE TARMAC IN AFGHANISTAN,
LOADED, FUELED, READY TO GO.
Narrator: MAY 1, 2011.
THE DAY OF THE RAID ON WHAT THEY HOPE
IS OSAMA BIN LADEN'S COMPOUND IN PAKISTAN.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA GATHERS
HIS TOP MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE ADVISORS
IN THE SITUATION ROOM.
ONE OF THE MOST DARING BLACK-OPS MISSIONS IN HISTORY
IS NOW JUST MINUTES AWAY.
AT JALALABAD AIR BASE IN AFGHANISTAN,
TWO SPECIALLY MODIFIED UD-60 BLACK HAWK HELICOPTERS
ARE ON THE TARMAC,
EQUIPPED WITH CLASSIFIED STEALTH TECHNOLOGY,
MAKING THEM INVISIBLE TO PAKISTANI RADAR.
FLYING THEM, THE 160th SPECIAL-OPS AVIATION REGIMEN,
KNOWN AS "THE NIGHT STALKERS."
THE SEAL TEAM 6 STRIKE FORCE CONSISTS OF 23 COMMANDOS,
A BOMB-SQUAD TECH, AN INTERPRETER,
AND A SPECIALLY TRAINED DOG NAMED CAIRO.
AS ORDERED BY THE PRESIDENT, TWO CH-47 CHINOOK HELICOPTERS,
CARRYING BACKUP TROOPS AND EXTRA FUEL,
ARE READY TO RESPOND IF NEEDED.
ONE WILL REMAIN IN AFGHANISTAN
JUST SHORT OF THE PAKISTANI BORDER,
THE OTHER JUST NORTH OF ABBOTTABAD, INSIDE PAKISTAN.
AT PRECISELY 11:00 P.M.,
NINE HOURS AHEAD OF WASHINGTON TIME,
THE STRIKE TEAM LIFTS OFF.
THE MISSION IS OFFICIALLY UNDER WAY.
IT SHOULD TAKE THEM 90 MINUTES TO REACH ABBOTTABAD.
IN WASHINGTON, ALL THE PRESIDENT AND HIS ADVISORS CAN DO IS WAIT.
OBAMA RETREATS TO THE OVAL OFFICE.
THE PRESIDENT WANTED TO BOTH BE AS PLUGGED IN
TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING AS POSSIBLE
BUT ALSO TO BE ABLE TO GO AND HAVE HIS OWN SPACE.
IN THE PERIOD OF TIME WHEN THEY'RE FLYING TO ABBOTTABAD,
HE WAS ALONE UP IN THE OVAL OFFICE
WITH HIS THOUGHTS.
Narrator: OBAMA IS GAMBLING EVERYTHING
THAT THE MAN LIVING IN THAT COMPOUND
IS OSAMA BIN LADEN.
THERE'S NO TURNING BACK NOW.
AS THE BLACK HAWKS APPROACH ABBOTTABAD,
THE PRESIDENT MOVES HIS TEAM INTO A SMALL CONFERENCE ROOM
WHERE THEY CAN WATCH THE LIVE VIDEO FEEDS FROM PAKISTAN.
AN RQ-170 SENTINEL DRONE
CAPTURES FOOTAGE OF THE RAID FROM 2 MILES ABOVE.
ON A SECOND MONITOR,
LEON PANETTA AND ADMIRAL McRAVEN APPEAR IN SPLIT SCREEN,
READY TO RELAY REAL-TIME PLAY-BY-PLAY
AS THE MISSION UNFOLDS.
Zarate: THE PRESIDENT, IN AN OPERATION LIKE THIS,
IS NOT JUST THE PRESIDENT.
HE'S THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
HE'S WHERE NOT ONLY THE BUCK STOPS,
BUT HE ACTUALLY HAS OPERATIONAL CONTROL
OVER WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE GROUND.
THE PRESIDENT COULD GIVE ORDERS
TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE OPERATION.
Narrator: 4:30 P.M.
THE FIRST BLACK HAWK APPEARS ON THE FEED
FROM THE DRONE CIRCLING ABOVE THE COMPOUND.
Gresham: THE ORIGINAL PLAN HAD ONE HELICOPTER
UNLOADING ON THE ROOF OF THE BUILDING IN THE COMPOUND
AND THE SECOND HELICOPTER LANDING IN THE COURTYARD
AND THEN FIGHTING FROM THE ROOF AND THE GROUND FLOOR
AND MEETING IN THE MIDDLE.
Narrator: BUT SUDDENLY, THE CHOPPER STRUGGLES,
REVVING HARD TO MAINTAIN LIFT.
THE TAIL LUNGES TO THE RIGHT,
THEN SLAMS DOWN HARD ONTO THE COMPOUND WALL.
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS TEAM WATCH IN HORROR
AS THE STATE-OF-THE-ART BLACK HAWK DROPS LIKE A STONE.
[ HEART BEATING ]
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]
Gresham: THE PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON
HAD TO BE JUST TERRIFIED WATCHING THIS.
YOU DON'T CRASH A HELICOPTER IN COMBAT AND WALK AWAY.
EVERYBODY HAS SEEN THE PICTURE
OF MRS. CLINTON WITH HER HAND OVER HER MOUTH
AND EVERYBODY JUST LOOKING WITH, "OH, GOD.
DON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN," EYES.
Narrator: MEMORIES OF DESERT ONE,
JIMMY CARTER'S DISASTROUS ATTEMPT
TO RESCUE AMERICAN HOSTAGES IN IRAN,
RUN THROUGH EVERYONE'S MIND,
ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO ADVISED THE PRESIDENT
AGAINST A HELICOPTER RAID.
Sanger: VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN,
WHO HAD WARNED THAT HELICOPTERS CREATED THE MURPHY'S LAW,
LOOKED AROUND AND SAID UNDER HIS BREATH,
"MURPHY JUST SHOWED UP."
[ RADIO CHATTER ]
AN EXTRAORDINARILY WELL-TRAINED AND FAST-THINKING PILOT,
WHO HAD LOST CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER AT THAT POINT,
WAS ABLE TO DO A CONTROLLED CRASH LANDING THOUGH
AND PUT THE NOSE OF THE HELICOPTER DOWN
SO THAT NO ONE IN THE HELICOPTER WAS HURT.
Narrator: THE BLACK HAWK COMES TO A STANDSTILL,
ITS ROTORS STILL BEATING HARD.
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS ADVISORS
CAN ONLY WAIT FOR WORD FROM ADMIRAL McRAVEN.
Gresham: AND THEN, OVER THE FEED,
YOU HEAR THE VOICE OF THE RAID COMMANDER.
Narrator: McRAVEN IS MATTER-OF-FACT,
PREPARED FOR ANYTHING THAT COULD GO WRONG.
HE CALMLY TELLS THE PRESIDENT,
"WE WILL NOW BE AMENDING THE MISSION.
"MY MEN ARE PREPARED FOR THIS CONTINGENCY,
AND THEY WILL DEAL WITH IT."
McRAVEN WAS INCREDIBLY CALM, COOL, AND COLLECTED
THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS,
REASSURING PEOPLE THAT PLAN "B" IS KICKING IN,
AND THE MISSION IS STILL ON TRACK.
Narrator: FOR THE MOMENT, TOTAL DISASTER HAS BEEN AVERTED.
McRAVEN'S EXHAUSTIVE PLANNING GETS THE MISSION BACK ON TRACK,
BUT THE CRASH HAS COST THE SEALs
THE CRITICAL ELEMENT OF SURPRISE.
IF THE OCCUPANTS OF THE COMPOUND
DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE MISSION BEFORE,
THEY CERTAINLY DO NOW.
Narrator: MAY 1, 2011.
ONE OF THE MOST DARING COVERT RAIDS IN U.S. MILITARY HISTORY
IS JUST UNDER WAY, AND DISASTER HAS ALREADY STRUCK.
A BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER CARRYING 12 MEMBERS OF SEAL TEAM 6
CRASHED INTO A COMPOUND IN PAKISTAN
WHERE THE U.S. BELIEVES OSAMA BIN LADEN
HAS BEEN HIDING FOR YEARS.
PEOPLE ON THE GROUND, MIRACULOUSLY,
ALL 23 OF THE PASSENGERS UNHURT, AS IS THE CREW.
Narrator: BACK IN WASHINGTON,
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS ADVISORS WATCH A VIDEO FEED
FROM AN ARMY DRONE.
THE SEALs BOLT OUT OF THE DOWNED CHOPPER
AND QUICKLY RECON THE COMPOUND.
THEY NEED TO MOVE FAST.
WE KNEW WHAT THE RESPONSE TIME
OF THE PAKISTANI AIR-DEFENSE SYSTEM WAS.
THE MOMENT THAT THE EXPLOSIONS IN ABBOTTABAD STARTED,
THAT STARTED A CLOCK.
Narrator: THE SEALs NEED TO COMPLETE THEIR MISSION
AND BE BACK IN THE AIR
BEFORE THE PAKISTANI MILITARY REACH THE COMPOUND.
THE SECOND BLACK HAWK PILOT TAKES NO CHANCES.
HE LANDS HIS ASSAULT TEAM OUTSIDE THE COMPOUND WALLS.
IN THE SITUATION ROOM,
WHITE FLASHES CAN BE SEEN ON THE SCREEN
AS THE SEALs BREACH THE NEAREST GATE
WITH C-4 EXPLOSIVES.
IT'S A MOONLESS NIGHT.
THEY CUT THE POWER TO THE COMPOUND,
GIVING THEIR TEAM A HUGE EDGE.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES FOR THE SEAL TEAMS
WHO OPERATE WITH NIGHT-VISION GOGGLES
IS THAT THEY DO BETTER WHEN THERE'S NO LIGHT.
Narrator: RIGHT AWAY, SHOTS RING OUT FROM THE GUESTHOUSE.
[ GUNFIRE ]
THE SEALs RETURN FIRE.
McRAVEN REPORTS THE RESULTS OF THE FIRST CLASH IN PAKISTAN.
THE COURIER, AL KUWAITI, IS DEAD.
A CRASHED CHOPPER AND A FIREFIGHT AT THE GUESTHOUSE
BARELY SLOW THE SEALs DOWN,
BUT THEY HAVEN'T REACHED THE MAIN BUILDING YET,
WHERE THEY HOPE OSAMA BIN LADEN IS PINNED DOWN,
THIS TIME FOR GOOD.
YOU SEE THAT LOOK OF SILENCE ON PEOPLE'S FACES.
IT'S PEOPLE KIND OF WAITING WITH BATED BREATH
TO SEE AND HEAR WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
Narrator: PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS ADVISORS
HAVE BEEN WATCHING EVERYTHING THROUGH A DRONE FEED.
BUT WHEN THE SEALs ENTER THE MAIN BUILDING,
THE SITUATION ROOM IS BLIND.
THE PRESIDENT MUST NOW RELY SOLELY
ON McRAVEN'S PLAY-BY-PLAY OF THE MISSION.
IMMEDIATELY INSIDE THE MAIN BUILDING,
THE SEALs KILL AL KUWAITI'S BROTHER.
[ GUNSHOTS ]
WHEN HIS WIFE TRIES TO SHIELD HIM...
SHE'S TAKEN DOWN, AS WELL.
Greitens: IF THE SEALs TURN TO ENGAGE,
THEY'RE DOING SO BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE
THAT THAT PERSON ACTUALLY REPRESENTS A THREAT TO THEM
AND TO OTHERS ON THEIR TEAM.
Narrator: EXTENSIVE INTELLIGENCE
PREDICTS THEY'LL ENCOUNTER FOUR ADULT MALES,
BIN LADEN AND HIS INNER CIRCLE.
ON THE SECOND FLOOR, THEY TAKE DOWN THE THIRD.
[ GUNSHOTS ]
IT'S KHALID, BIN LADEN'S OLDEST SON.
McRAVEN REPORTS TO THE PRESIDENT.
CONFIDENCE IS NOW HIGH.
THERE'S ONLY ONE MORE POTENTIAL TARGET IN THE COMPOUND.
EITHER IT'S OSAMA BIN LADEN, OR THE ENTIRE MISSION IS A BUST.
Greitens: ALL THE SEALs WOULD HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON
WAS ACCOMPLISHING THE MISSION THAT NIGHT.
AND THEIR MISSION WAS TO GET OSAMA BIN LADEN.
Narrator: THE SEALs CONTINUE UP THE DARK STAIRS
WHEN A FACE APPEARS IN A DOORWAY ON THE THIRD FLOOR.
THE POINT MAN TRAINS HIS INFRARED LASER
ON HIS TARGET AND FIRES.
[ GUNSHOTS ]
IT'S THE MAN THE CIA HAS BEEN TRYING TO I.D. FOR EIGHT MONTHS,
THE MAN ON THE THIRD FLOOR...
THE PACER.
Greitens: THEY WERE ABLE TO POSITIVELY IDENTIFY
THAT THIS WAS OSAMA BIN LADEN,
AND THEY KNEW THEN THAT THEY SHOULD
AND COULD TAKE THAT SHOT.
[ GUNSHOTS ]
Narrator: THE SEALS FIRE TWO MORE SHOTS.
THE TEAM LEADER RADIOS ADMIRAL McRAVEN,
WHO PASSES ALONG THE MESSAGE
AMERICA HAS BEEN WAITING 10 YEARS TO HEAR.
"GERONIMO -- E.K.I.A."
"GERONIMO" IS THEIR CODE NAME FOR BIN LADEN.
"E.K.I.A." -- ENEMY KILLED IN ACTION.
Rhodes: THE ONLY THING I REMEMBER AS AN AUDIBLE REACTION
TO BIN LADEN BEING KILLED
WAS JUST THE PRESIDENT SAYING, "LOOKS LIKE WE GOT HIM."
Narrator: BUT THE MISSION IS FAR FROM OVER.
NEIGHBORS BEGIN SHOWING UP OUTSIDE THE COMPOUND
ASKING QUESTIONS.
THE PRESIDENT'S PRIMARY OBJECTIVE AT THIS POINT --
GET EVERY TEAM MEMBER OUT ALIVE.
THERE'S NO TIME TO WASTE.
TWO OF THE SEALs TAKE PICTURES OF BIN LADEN'S BODY
AND EXTRACT DNA SAMPLES.
ANOTHER TEAM RACES THROUGH THE COMPOUND,
GATHERING BIN LADEN'S COMPUTERS, PHONES, AND NOTEBOOKS.
THE PAKISTANI MILITARY GETS WORD OF THE RAID
AND LAUNCH TWO F-16s.
AFTER NEARLY 20 MINUTES IN THE DARK,
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS TEAM SUDDENLY SEE THE SEALs
RACING OUT OF THE COMPOUND'S MAIN BUILDING.
ONE CRUCIAL TASK REMAINS.
THE DAMAGED BLACK HAWK MUST BE DESTROYED
TO PREVENT ITS TOP-SECRET TECHNOLOGY
FROM FALLING INTO THE WRONG HANDS.
THE SEALs' EXPLOSIVES EXPERT RIGS THE CHOPPER TO BLOW.
THE FIRST SEAL TEAM HAS ONLY SECONDS
TO LOAD BIN LADEN'S BODY INTO THE OTHER BLACK HAWK
AND TAKE OFF.
[ RADIO CHATTER ]
Greitens: KEEP IN MIND,
YOU'VE STILL GOT A BUNCH OF NAVY SEALS ON THE COMPOUND
WHO DON'T HAVE A RIDE OUT.
THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
HOW THEY'RE GONNA GET OUT OF THE COMPOUND,
AND FOR THIS TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MISSION,
EVERYBODY HAD TO GET HOME ALIVE.
Narrator: McRAVEN ESTIMATES THE PAKISTANI FIGHTER JETS
ARE SIX MINUTES AWAY,
AND NOW THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO INSIST ON BACKUP CHOPPERS
COMES INTO PLAY.
ONE OF THE CHINOOKS ARRIVES.
THE SECOND TEAM PILES IN
WITH THEIR HUGE CACHE OF INTEL AND TAKES OFF.
[ RADIO CHATTER ]
6:30 P.M.
PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS ADVISORS
GET WORD THAT THE HELICOPTERS HAVE EVADED PAKISTANI RADAR
AND ARE SAFELY BACK IN JALALABAD.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
McRAVEN REPORTS FACIAL-RECOGNITION SOFTWARE
SHOWS A MATCH TO BIN LADEN.
DNA TESTS ARE ALSO POSITIVE.
THE MATCH IS CONFIRMED.
AT THE WHITE HOUSE, THE MOOD IS PROFOUND RELIEF.
IN THIS CANDID, BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE SHOT
BY WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHERS
JUST MINUTES AFTER THE MISSION COMES TO AN END
AND BEFORE IT'S ANNOUNCED TO THE WORLD,
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS TEAM CAN RELAX
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN WEEKS.
[ SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]
YOUR GUYS DID A GREAT JOB.
THEY DID.
GOOD JOB. IT'S HIM.
THIS WAS HIM.
SOON AFTER, PRESIDENT OBAMA CALLS FORMER PRESIDENTS
BILL CLINTON AND GEORGE W. BUSH TO GIVE THEM THE NEWS FIRST.
NEARLY SEVEN HOURS AFTER THE SEALs
PULLED THE TRIGGER THAT TOOK DOWN
THE MOST WANTED MAN IN THE WORLD,
PRESIDENT OBAMA ANNOUNCES IT TO THE WORLD.
President Obama: TONIGHT, I CAN REPORT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
AND TO THE WORLD
THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS CONDUCTED AN OPERATION
THAT KILLED OSAMA BIN LADEN, THE LEADER OF AL-QAEDA.
Woman: OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD.
Man: THE IMPACT IN AMERICA IS HUGE.
[ CROWD CHANTING "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" ]
Narrator: FIVE DAYS LATER,
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA MEETS WITH SEAL TEAM 6
IN A PRIVATE, CLOSED-DOOR SESSION.
THEY WALK HIM THROUGH THE MISSION STEP BY STEP.
THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF ASKS WHO PULLED THE TRIGGER.
THEY REPLY, "WE ALL DID."
FEW COMMANDERS IN CHIEF EVER MADE A BIGGER DECISION
WITH HIGHER STAKES OR GREATER RISKS.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ANALYZED THE INTEL,
POLLED HIS TRUSTED ADVISORS,
BUT IN THE END, THE DECISION AND THE RESPONSIBILITY
WERE ALL HIS.
NOW BATTLE-TESTED,
HE'S THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF WHO TOOK DOWN OSAMA BIN LADEN.
President Obama: THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
DID NOT CHOOSE THIS FIGHT.
IT CAME TO OUR SHORES
AND STARTED WITH THE SENSELESS SLAUGHTER OF OUR CITIZENS.
AFTER NEARLY 10 YEARS OF SERVICE, STRUGGLE,
AND SACRIFICE, WE KNOW WELL THE COSTS OF WAR.
THESE EFFORTS WEIGH ON ME EVERY TIME I, AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF,
HAVE TO SIGN A LETTER TO A FAMILY
THAT HAS LOST A LOVED ONE.
YET, AS A COUNTRY,
WE WILL NEVER TOLERATE OUR SECURITY BEING THREATENED.
WE WILL BE RELENTLESS IN DEFENSE OF OUR CITIZENS
AND OUR FRIENDS AND ALLIES.
WE WILL BE TRUE TO THE VALUES THAT MAKE US WHO WE ARE.
AND ON NIGHTS LIKE THIS ONE,
WE CAN SAY TO THOSE FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES
TO AL-QAEDA'S TERROR, JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE.