Documentarians Ray Nowosielski and John Duffy joined me this week to discuss their new book, The Watchdogs Didn’t Bark: The CIA, NSA, and the Crimes of the War on Terror. Ray and John talked about their earlier work covering 9/11. They discussed how they first got involved, and the subsequent hurdles that this sort of journalism presented. They spoke about the CIA’s threats against them after completing their second documentary Who is Rich Blee? John and Ray talked about why they decided to write The Watchdogs Didn’t Bark and what separates this from the numerous books on 9/11 already out there. They spoke about about the legacy of the 9/11 and some of the major figures involved in the cover up who went on to more prominent positions within the government. We touched on CIA director Gina Haspels career which took off when she oversaw the infamous black site known as Cat’s Eye. We also spoke at length about the impact that Michael Scheuer has had on the war on terror. We talked about his role setting up Alec Station and the cult like devotion that his staff had for him.
In the second hour we dive into some of the minutia of the 9/11 attacks. We looked at the strange case of Abu Zubaydah and his interrogation. John and Ray discussed the information that Zubaydah allegedly gave up which linked him to several members of the Saudi Royal family. John and Ray also spoke about the odd deaths of Saudi Prince’s Ahmed, Sultan, and Fahd all within days of one another. We also touched on the role that the NSA played in in covering up key information related to the 9/11 hijackers. We finish off the episode by looking at the current state of the 9/11 research movement.
9/11 activist and researcher Jon Gold joins me once again to discuss his new book We Were Lied To About 9/11: The Interviews. Jon explains what the book includes and why he decided to compile the book and make it freely available. Jon and I discuss the current state of the 9/11 truth movement and then move onto a few under-reported aspects of 9/11. We look at the strange contradictions and facts about what was happening in San Diego just before September 11th. Jon and I talk about the activities of hijackers Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi in San Diego. We talk about the reports that they entered the country before the FBI claimed they did, and the allegations that Prince Bandar was funneling money to them. Jon elaborates on this by describing Omar al-Bayoumi and his possible role as their Saudi intelligence handler. We also touch on their landlord and FBI informant Abdussattar Shaikh. I briefly talk about how this connects to several strange people in Denver Colorado connected to the 9/11 attacks.
Later Jon and I talk about Gina Haspel’s confirmation as CIA head and her legacy as a torturer. We talk about her role destroying CIA torture tapes and why Kahlid Sheik Mohammad wanted to offer his analysis of Haspel. We discuss the idea that this is the CIA’s way of telling the world that they will continue to torture. Jon and I also rant about Rudy Guliani and Michael Scheuer’s role in the 9/11 cover-up.
Robbie Martin is our final guest for this season as we dissect the 2012 docudrama Zero Dark Thirty. We discussed the difficulty in defining what kind of film this is – somewhere between a spy thriller, a documentary and a dry European art house movie. We get into the well-documented CIA support for the film and ask why this is the only major movie about the Abbottabad raid to get ‘Bin Laden’ and why it wasn’t particularly successful. Was the film meant to serve as a substitute for any real evidence of what happened in Abbottabad in 2011? Did the filmmakers even care whether what they were portraying was true or were they blinded by the excitement of the special access they were granted?
After summarizing the role of senior CIA and DOD intelligence officer Michael Vickers (who is portrayed in Charlie Wilson’s War) we discuss why so many CIA agents are portrayed in movies and TV. The conversation then zeroes in on ‘Maya’ – based on the real life CIA officer Alfreda Frances Bikowsky, who was critically involved in the 9/11 intelligence breakdown and the post-9/11 torture program. Getting back to the film we talk about the raid sequence itself which is very dry and realistic but we never actually see Bin Laden. We conclude that Zero Dark Thirty is like a rorschach test where you can bring your own expectations and prejudices to your experience of watching the movie. We round off talking about the portrayal of torture in the film and ask whether the controversies around the film were created as a smokescreen to avoid people asking the question: was it really Bin Laden?
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am no longer associated with Sibel Edmond, or BoilingFrogs/Newsbud. I think she is a con-artist and a petty and vindictive individual. If you want to know more about why I broke off all ties with Sibel you can find out more here:
On this edition of Traces of Reality Radio: Guillermo is joined by Sibel Edmonds, editor and publisher of Boiling Frogs Post, and Pearse Redmond, host of Porkins Policy Radio, to discuss the new media venture Newsbud. Sibel, Pearse, and Guillermo explain what sets Newsbud apart from the rest of the alternative media, and why a 100 percent reader-supported outlet is vitally necessary in today’s media landscape.
Also on the program: the curious case of Michael Scheuer and his marriage to the CIA’s “Queen of Torture” Alfreda Frances Bikowsky, the media’s overall silence on the issue, and why it matters.
Porkins Policy Review 