The surveillance state didn't build itself — and this is who did.
Journalist Dana Priest traces the battle against terrorism in the United States, from Sept. 11 to the April 15, 2013 bombings at the Boston Marathon.
Direction
Frontline's signature unflinching access to officials who probably regret talking.
Editing
Seamlessly stitches 12 years of chaos into coherent institutional nightmare.
Director
Michael Kirk
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This aired months before Snowden's leaks, making it a time capsule of pre-revelation institutional confidence.
William Arkin later became a divisive figure for leaking Pentagon docs in 2021 — rewatch his segments with that context.
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