Original subtitles

The Central Intelligence Agency is an institution

defined by the unsung heroes that chart its

course. This is the story of two extraordinary men. John Downey and Richard Fecteau joined

the Agency in 1951 looking for adventure. Shot down on a clandestine flight into Communist 0:00:23.070,0:00:69.700 territory, they survived two decades of hardship in Chinese prisons. They refused to become

victims. They never lost hope, and they knew the Agency would never abandon them.

It's a story that lay in the recesses of institutional memory until it came to the attention of the

Director of Central Intelligence, George Tenet. [Tenet begins speaking] I thought, what better way to give great

incentive by the evidence of what they sacrificed, the heroism that they displayed, what better

way to teach younger officers? [Tenet finishes speaking] In 1998, Tenet brought the men back to Langley

to receive the Director's Medal. . . not in recognition for a mission that succeeded, but rather to

honor the way they coped with a mission that

failed.

[Tenet speaking] "We are forever proud that you are our colleagues. You have been an inspiration to intelligence

officers who served with you and to the generations that have followed you. Your story simply

put, is the most remarkable in the 50 years of the Central Intelligence Agency" [Tenet finishes speaking]

Nicholas Dujmovic, one of the Agency's staff

historians, agrees. In 2006, he undertook an

exhaustive review of the classified record. [Dujmovic speaking] I delved into the archives, uh the actual

operational records, the memoranda, and was able to piece together what really happened. [Dujmovic finishes speaking]

In those files he discovered both men recorded detailed debriefings shortly after they returned. [sound from recorded interview]

The story of Fecteau and Downey opens in 1951

at the height of the Korean War. U.S. tanks crossed

the 38th parallel pushing north. The first engagement of the Cold War had turned red hot.

That summer hundreds of graduating college seniors across America saw the CIA as their

way into the fight. [Downey speaking] Korean War broke out in June of '50 and you

might say my generation, my little narrow, post-war generation uh.. that was our war

and it was uh. . . something that we had to deal with. [Downey finishes speaking]

[Fecteau speaking] We're all gung-ho we thought this was it. We're were gonna get something done, it's something important. [Fecteau finishes speaking]

Both were recruited into an agency born out of the OSS. An agency that turned from fighting

fascism to rolling back the Communist tide. [Dujmovic speaking] The paramilitary function was huge, uh.. and

growing, we sent our men to Fort Benning to learn how to jump out of aircraft, uh. . . we

sent them to the range to learn uh. . . about weapons, uh. . . we sent them to specialized

uhm. . .training courses to learn about the Communist threat. [Dujmovic finishes speaking]

In October, 1949 Chinese Communist forces led by Mao Zedong seized power from the Chinese

Nationalists and established the People's Republic of China. Washington refused to recognize its

legitimacy.Instead the CIA embarked on a course designed to undermine and eventually overthrow

the Chicom regime. [Downing speaking] The Third Force Program-- but it was really

a kind of covert action program, a very ambitious one where we were hoping that we could unite

with a third force in China, that is neither the Communists nor the discredited, we thought

at the time, Nationalists... and try and bring that group uh. . . make them stronger and

possibly bring them into power. [Downing finishes speaking] By the spring of 1952, Jack Downey was in the

Far East area of operations training ethnic Chinese agents to operate in Communist territory. But

from the beginning security was compromised. [Dujmovic speaking] We had these people housed together, training

together, and once they learned of their uhm . . . missions they talked among each other.Uh.

. . so betrayal of one team would lead to betrayal of others unfortunately. [Dujmovic finishes speaking]

The first team parachuted into Mainland China and was never heard from again.The second

unit dropped into Manchuria in July and quickly established radio contact with Downey's CIA

base. Two months later, a Chinese courier was dispatched to gather intelligence.

[Downey speaking] The report from the radio said he- he arrived safely, he was on his mission. The next time

the message was that he'd returned from his mission, had much good news to tell and uh.

. . was waiting extraction. [Downey finishes speaking] The extraction plan called for a plane to

swoop down to pluck the courier off the ground. It was an audacious plan not least because

the Agency had never tried it before operationally. [Fecteau speaking] They asked me if I would fly the mission into

China.I said, "Sure."I didn't object at all.

You come in about 50 feet off the ground with

a pole that's extended from the plane and with a hook on it.Uh. . . and the man that

we picked up would be sitting on the ground, facing the plane, with a cu- cut off ba--

uh. . . parachute harness on.And we'd pick him up.He would be jolted off the ground,

and then we'd- we'd just reel him in. I was