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>> NARRATOR: They study...
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they stalk...
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and they lie in wait...
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for a chance to kill the
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President of the United States.
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But just who are the assassins?
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Why do they kill?
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>> BILL O'REILLY: He was going
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to eliminate Lincoln and the
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South would rise again.
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>> JOHN KOERNER: This man is
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just totally bizarre and off the
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charts.
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>> NARRATOR: And what are their
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secret reasons for wanting to
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change the world?
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>> O'REILLY: This crazy idiot
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carried it out, and he skated.
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That is disturbing.
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>> NARRATOR: There are those
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who believe in the existence
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of a book.
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A book that contains the most
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highly guarded secrets of the
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United States of America.
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A book... whose very existence
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is known to only a select few.
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But if such a book exists,
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what would it contain?
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Secret profiles?
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Secret connections?
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Secret conspiracies?
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Does there really exist
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America's Book of Secrets?
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January 21, 2013.
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Washington, D.C.
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President Barack Obama makes his
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way to the U.S. Capitol Building
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to take the oath of office for
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a second term.
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The event draws a crowd of
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approximately 800,000
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well-wishers, all eager to get
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a glimpse of the most powerful
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person in the world.
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But there-- placed strategically
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among them-- are the president's
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bodyguards, the men and women
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of the Secret Service.
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>> NORMAN JARVIS: At any
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inauguration, there's an implied
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threat that the president could
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be targeted for assassination.
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>> RONALD KESSLER: The Secret
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Service check out all the
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buildings, weld shut the manhole
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covers on Pennsylvania Avenue so
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that they can't put any
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explosives down there.
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They also remove any mailboxes
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along the route where there
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could be bombs planted.
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>> NARRATOR: President Obama's
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Secret Service code name is
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Renegade.
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He rides to his inauguration in
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a heavily armored Cadillac-style
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limousine, also known as "The
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Beast."
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It is engineered to withstand
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everything from conventional
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explosives and bullets to
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radiation and even biological
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attacks.
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But just how safe is the
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president if someone really
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wants to harm him?
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>> JARVIS: There's a 360-degree
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umbrella of protection that's
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provided to him-- overhead,
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below him, to the sides-- that
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even protects the crowd that's
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attending the inauguration.
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All of the resources available
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to the Secret Service are
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brought to bear to protect that
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environment.
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>> NARRATOR: As he steps to the
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podium, the Commander in Chief
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is further shielded by
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bulletproof glass, a visible
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reminder that the President of
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the United States is the
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ultimate target for political
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radicals, both at home and
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abroad.
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Even at the White House, the
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president is constantly shielded
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by multiple levels of security.
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>> AL CORBI: Typically, you
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want to have a facility
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that's-- we call it "hardened"--
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a facility that's actually built
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to withstand someone shooting
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a rifle at the White House, um,
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someone bringing any kind of
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explosive or any kind of threat
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to the building.
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When you harden a building,
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you need to do it invisibly.
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Materials are put into the
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walls.
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They're not seen.
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The exterior of the building
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looks just as normal as it ever
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did.
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The interior of the building--
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the drywall and all-- looks just
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as normal.
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>> KESSLER: The president has
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the Seal of the President on his
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desk, on various coffee tables,
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and that actually, when turned
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over, sounds an alarm that
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brings Secret Service agents
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running.
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>> DAN EMMETT: There are so many
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threats that come in on a daily
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and weekly basis against all
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presidents that have ever been
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in the Oval Office that it would
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fill The New York Times on a
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daily basis.
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>> ALLAN LICHTMAN: 43 men have
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been president.
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Four of them were assassinated.
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That's almost a ten-percent
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murder rate.
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Four others had attempted
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assassinations.
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Some of them very near misses.
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That's almost a 20% rate of
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attempted assassinations.
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No other job in the history of
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the modern world has led to as
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high a percentage of murders and
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attempted murders as the
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presidency of the United States.
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>> NARRATOR: In the case of
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President Barack Obama, the
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number of threats on his life is
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particularly high.
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>> C. DANIEL SPRIGGS: Whenever
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you're the first, it's very
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historic.
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In this particular case,
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President Obama is the first
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African-American, so therefore
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anything that might come in the
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way of harm to him also becomes
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very historic.
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>> MARK POTOK: When Obama was
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nominated, initially, in the
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summer of 2008 at the Denver
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Democratic National Convention,
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there was a skinhead plot to
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murder him.
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That October, before the
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election occurred, there was
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another skinhead plot in
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Tennessee, uh, that aimed at
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murdering Obama.
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There was a plot by a particular
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man in Maine to set off a dirty
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bomb, uh, at the inaugural
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festivities.
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So there's a very real threat
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of assassination or at least
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attempted assassination.
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>> NARRATOR: But just how does
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the Secret Service deal with
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such a large volume of threats
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on the president's life?
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Are they all treated with the
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same degree of scrutiny?
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Or are some easily dismissed as
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idle threats or hoaxes?
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>> JOE PETRO: When the Secret
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Service receives a threat
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against the president, it's
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evaluated and it's evaluated
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quickly.
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>> SPRIGGS: The Secret Service
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categorizes its levels of
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threat, and so there's a
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delineation, if you will,
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between the levels of threat.
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>> NARRATOR: Class 1 and Class 2
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individuals are considered the
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least likely or least able to
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carry out their plans.
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But a Class 3 is considered the
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most dangerous.
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>> JARVIS: A Class 3 person is
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somebody that has the military
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background, maybe familiarity
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with weapons and the means to
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execute on that threat.
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They have the desire and they
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have the ability to plan and
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execute.
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That person presents an extreme
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danger to the president, and we
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watch them very closely.
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>> NARRATOR: Fort Stewart,
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Georgia-- August 2012.
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Four active and former U.S.
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Army soldiers-- members of a
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terrorist group called FEAR,
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which stands for: Forever
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Enduring Always Ready--
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are apprehended.
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>> TOM DURDEN: The objectives
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and aims of FEAR was the
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overthrow of the government,
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including the assassination of
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the President of the United
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States.
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And from what the evidence has
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shown, it was not an idle
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threat.
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>> ISABEL PAULEY: They had
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acquired and stockpiled $87,000
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worth of military grade assault
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rifles; thousands of rounds of
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ammunition; Tannerite, which
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is an explosive.
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In addition to their military
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training, they were practicing,
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uh, at shooting ranges.
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They had members in their
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organization who were traine
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snipers by the United States
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government.
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>> NARRATOR: The accused
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mastermind behind the anarchist
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group was an active duty U.S.
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Army private by the name of
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Isaac Aguigui.
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>> PAULEY: He recruited members
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from the military post of Fort
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Stewart, Georgia.
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They saw themselves as the true
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patriots should they assassinate
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the president.
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>> ERIC HICKEY: Anarchists want
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to, uh, get rid of governments
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and-and take care of the masses,
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and you feel that you're going
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to be a hero, that you're doing,
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uh, the will of the people
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because everyone else is afraid
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to do it.
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>> NARRATOR: Since Aguigui's
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arrest, five more members of the
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secret militia group have been
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apprehended.
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But does this really mean that
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FEAR no longer poses a threat?
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>> PAULEY: There still could
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be members of this group at
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large.
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The specifics of what we know
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are not of public record yet.
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History has shown us that one
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person who has no training and
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experience can carry out an
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assault on the President of the
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United States.
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When you take United States
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trained soldiers, who are
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intelligent, who have combat
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experience, clearly the-the
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threat, uh, is a very real one.
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>> NARRATOR: Is it really
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possible to protect the
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President of the United States?
288
00:09:35,976 --> 00:09:38,106
Are the Secret Service's methods
289
00:09:38,111 --> 00:09:40,811
so modern and so foolproof that
290
00:09:40,814 --> 00:09:42,924
we can rest easy in the notion
291
00:09:42,916 --> 00:09:44,916
that the Commander in Chief is
292
00:09:44,918 --> 00:09:47,718
not at risk?
293
00:09:47,721 --> 00:09:50,721
Or is it only a matter of time
294
00:09:50,724 --> 00:09:52,994
before an assassin's bullet once
295
00:09:52,993 --> 00:09:54,933
again changes the course of
296
00:09:54,928 --> 00:09:56,858
history?
297
00:10:02,803 --> 00:10:04,873
>> NARRATOR: Chemical weapons,
298
00:10:04,872 --> 00:10:10,142
IEDs, dirty bombs...
299
00:10:10,143 --> 00:10:13,013
in today's war-torn world,
300
00:10:13,013 --> 00:10:14,923
weapons of mass destruction have
301
00:10:14,915 --> 00:10:16,345
become more accessible to
302
00:10:16,349 --> 00:10:18,689
political radicals than at any
303
00:10:18,686 --> 00:10:22,316
time in human history.
304
00:10:22,322 --> 00:10:24,092
But could the biggest threat to
305
00:10:24,091 --> 00:10:25,391
the President of the United
306
00:10:25,392 --> 00:10:27,702
States still be from a lone
307
00:10:27,728 --> 00:10:31,828
gunman?
308
00:10:31,832 --> 00:10:33,072
>> JARVIS: All the things that
309
00:10:33,066 --> 00:10:34,266
the Secret Service addresses to
310
00:10:34,267 --> 00:10:36,297
protect the president surround
311
00:10:36,303 --> 00:10:38,973
the idea that somebody could
312
00:10:38,972 --> 00:10:41,172
netrate a couple of layers of
313
00:10:41,174 --> 00:10:42,384
protection and get to the
314
00:10:42,375 --> 00:10:44,375
president, within handgun range,
315
00:10:44,377 --> 00:10:46,647
and launch a fatal assault.
316
00:10:48,381 --> 00:10:49,821
>> EMMETT: If you go all the
317
00:10:49,817 --> 00:10:51,817
way back to presidential
318
00:10:51,819 --> 00:10:52,949
assassinations, beginning with
319
00:10:52,953 --> 00:10:55,793
the first one: President Abraham
320
00:10:55,789 --> 00:10:57,019
Lincoln was assassinated by a
321
00:10:57,057 --> 00:11:00,057
lone gunman.
322
00:11:00,060 --> 00:11:02,000
(gunshot)
323
00:11:03,964 --> 00:11:05,834
If you look at 22 November, '63,
324
00:11:05,833 --> 00:11:08,073
President Kennedy-- Lee Harvey
325
00:11:08,068 --> 00:11:12,968
Oswald, the lone gunman.
326
00:11:12,973 --> 00:11:14,013
The men and the women who
327
00:11:14,007 --> 00:11:16,407
directly surround the president
328
00:11:16,409 --> 00:11:17,949
are the final defense between
329
00:11:17,945 --> 00:11:19,975
the lone gunman and the
330
00:11:19,980 --> 00:11:21,920
president.
331
00:11:24,952 --> 00:11:26,752
>> NARRATOR: In September of
332
00:11:26,754 --> 00:11:30,264
1975, President Gerald Ford came
333
00:11:30,257 --> 00:11:32,287
close to becoming the fifth U.S.
334
00:11:32,292 --> 00:11:34,932
president to fall victim to a
335
00:11:34,928 --> 00:11:36,328
lone shooter...
336
00:11:36,329 --> 00:11:37,359
(gunshot)
337
00:11:37,364 --> 00:11:40,774
...not once, but twice, over a
338
00:11:40,768 --> 00:11:44,238
two-week period.
339
00:11:44,237 --> 00:11:46,837
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme and
340
00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:48,910
Sarah Jane Moore became the
341
00:11:48,909 --> 00:11:51,779
first two and, to date, only
342
00:11:51,779 --> 00:11:53,849
women in history to try and
343
00:11:53,847 --> 00:11:55,317
take the life of the President
344
00:11:55,315 --> 00:11:57,275
of the United States.
345
00:11:59,052 --> 00:12:00,252
>> LICHTMAN: Gerald Ford is
346
00:12:00,253 --> 00:12:02,263
the only president to have
347
00:12:02,255 --> 00:12:03,915
experienced two assassination
348
00:12:03,924 --> 00:12:05,134
attempts.
349
00:12:05,125 --> 00:12:08,025
Squeaky Fromme was a member of
350
00:12:08,061 --> 00:12:12,801
the murderous Manson Family.
351
00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:14,400
She decided she would try to
352
00:12:14,401 --> 00:12:17,811
shoot President Ford.
353
00:12:17,805 --> 00:12:19,805
However, she did not actually
354
00:12:19,807 --> 00:12:21,407
get off a shot.
355
00:12:21,408 --> 00:12:24,008
she was wrestled down by the
356
00:12:24,011 --> 00:12:25,951
Secret Service.
357
00:12:27,815 --> 00:12:29,815
The other woman, Sara Jane
358
00:12:29,817 --> 00:12:31,317
Moore, actually got a shot
359
00:12:31,318 --> 00:12:33,218
off...
360
00:12:33,220 --> 00:12:35,160
(gunshot)
361
00:12:35,155 --> 00:12:37,185
...at President Ford and missed
362
00:12:37,190 --> 00:12:42,960
him just by about six inches...
363
00:12:42,963 --> 00:12:45,173
and was trying to get off
364
00:12:45,165 --> 00:12:47,065
another shot when a former
365
00:12:47,067 --> 00:12:49,097
Marine, Oliver Sipple, tackled
366
00:12:49,102 --> 00:12:51,372
her and prevented her from
367
00:12:51,371 --> 00:12:53,841
getting off the next shot.
368
00:12:58,846 --> 00:13:00,376
>> NARRATOR: Washington, DC.
369
00:13:00,380 --> 00:13:03,850
March 30, 1981.
370
00:13:03,851 --> 00:13:05,521
After delivering a speech at the
371
00:13:05,518 --> 00:13:07,858
Washington Hilton Hotel,
372
00:13:07,855 --> 00:13:09,055
President Ronald Reagan is
373
00:13:09,056 --> 00:13:10,316
escorted by the Secret Service
374
00:13:10,323 --> 00:13:11,933
to his limousine.
375
00:13:11,925 --> 00:13:13,185
>> SPRIGGS: I preceded the
376
00:13:13,226 --> 00:13:16,126
President as he...
377
00:13:16,129 --> 00:13:17,059
uh, exited the Washington
378
00:13:17,064 --> 00:13:18,834
Hilton Hotel, which was the
379
00:13:18,866 --> 00:13:21,396
VIP entrance and exit.
380
00:13:21,401 --> 00:13:26,011
And as we exited onto the
381
00:13:26,006 --> 00:13:27,876
street, there was a crowd off
382
00:13:27,875 --> 00:13:28,875
to my left.
383
00:13:28,876 --> 00:13:30,076
And as the president makes his
384
00:13:30,077 --> 00:13:33,207
way to the right rear of the
385
00:13:33,213 --> 00:13:35,953
door of the limousine, then the
386
00:13:35,949 --> 00:13:37,119
shots rang out.
387
00:13:37,117 --> 00:13:39,887
(rapid gunshots)
388
00:13:39,887 --> 00:13:41,547
I turned immediately to my left
389
00:13:41,554 --> 00:13:43,164
when I heard the gunshots, and I
390
00:13:43,156 --> 00:13:45,486
drew my weapon, and actually
391
00:13:45,492 --> 00:13:47,032
could see an individual firing
392
00:13:47,027 --> 00:13:50,227
in my direction.
393
00:13:50,230 --> 00:13:51,430
>> NARRATOR: The would-be
394
00:13:51,431 --> 00:13:54,301
assassin is a 25-year-old white
395
00:13:54,301 --> 00:13:57,541
male-- John Hinckley Jr.
396
00:13:57,537 --> 00:13:58,907
>> EMMETT: Special Agent Tim
397
00:13:58,906 --> 00:14:00,366
McCarthy moved between the gun
398
00:14:00,373 --> 00:14:02,513
and the president and took a
399
00:14:02,509 --> 00:14:03,979
bullet directly in the stomach
400
00:14:03,977 --> 00:14:05,177
that could have easily struck
401
00:14:05,178 --> 00:14:06,208
the president.
402
00:14:06,246 --> 00:14:09,016
(gunshot)
403
00:14:09,016 --> 00:14:10,176
>> KESSLER: That is what agents
404
00:14:10,183 --> 00:14:12,153
swear to do.
405
00:14:12,152 --> 00:14:14,292
They're very brave, they're very
406
00:14:14,287 --> 00:14:16,387
patriotic, and they will
407
00:14:16,389 --> 00:14:18,189
actually take a bullor the
408
00:14:18,191 --> 00:14:19,391
president.
409
00:14:19,392 --> 00:14:20,992
>> SPRIGGS: The special agent
410
00:14:20,994 --> 00:14:22,404
in charge, Jerry Parr,
411
00:14:22,395 --> 00:14:24,455
immediately moved to evacuate
412
00:14:24,464 --> 00:14:26,474
the president from the line of
413
00:14:26,466 --> 00:14:28,396
fire, and forced him into the
414
00:14:28,401 --> 00:14:31,001
rear of the vehicle.
415
00:14:31,004 --> 00:14:32,614
(rapid gunshots)
416
00:14:32,605 --> 00:14:34,335
Six shots were fired, and the
417
00:14:34,341 --> 00:14:36,341
round that actually wounded the
418
00:14:36,343 --> 00:14:38,013
president came as a direct
419
00:14:38,011 --> 00:14:41,211
result of a ricochet off of the
420
00:14:41,214 --> 00:14:43,284
limo door.
421
00:14:43,283 --> 00:14:44,953
>> PETRO: Jerry couldn't find
422
00:14:44,952 --> 00:14:46,322
any bullet hole and there was
423
00:14:46,319 --> 00:14:48,189
no blood, but a minute or so
424
00:14:48,188 --> 00:14:50,288
after the car left the hotel,
425
00:14:50,290 --> 00:14:51,960
Jerry noticed there was blood
426
00:14:51,959 --> 00:14:53,029
coming out of the president's
427
00:14:53,026 --> 00:14:54,626
mouth and made the decision to
428
00:14:54,627 --> 00:14:56,297
send the cars to the hospital
429
00:14:56,296 --> 00:14:58,966
and not to the White House.
430
00:14:58,966 --> 00:15:00,166
>> NARRATOR: In addition to
431
00:15:00,167 --> 00:15:01,967
Secret Service Agent Timothy
432
00:15:01,969 --> 00:15:03,569
McCarthy, the other victims of
433
00:15:03,570 --> 00:15:05,570
the attack were police officer
434
00:15:05,572 --> 00:15:07,982
Thomas Delahanty and Reagan
435
00:15:07,975 --> 00:15:10,575
press secretary James Brady,
436
00:15:10,577 --> 00:15:12,247
who suffered a bullet wound to
437
00:15:12,245 --> 00:15:13,545
his head which left him
438
00:15:13,580 --> 00:15:16,520
permanently disabled.
439
00:15:16,516 --> 00:15:19,216
But after the chaos subsided,
440
00:15:19,219 --> 00:15:22,319
two questions remained: Who was
441
00:15:22,322 --> 00:15:24,362
John Hinckley Jr.?
442
00:15:24,357 --> 00:15:26,227
And why did he try to kill the
443
00:15:26,226 --> 00:15:28,096
president?
444
00:15:28,095 --> 00:15:30,195
>> LICHTMAN: John Hinckley was
445
00:15:30,197 --> 00:15:32,997
the son of a Texas oilman, and
446
00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:36,370
Hinckley apparently was obsessed
447
00:15:36,369 --> 00:15:40,409
with the actress Jodie Foster...
448
00:15:40,407 --> 00:15:42,677
and somehow believed that by
449
00:15:42,675 --> 00:15:44,375
doing something that would make
450
00:15:44,377 --> 00:15:47,147
him famous, like killing a
451
00:15:47,147 --> 00:15:49,377
president, that somehow that
452
00:15:49,382 --> 00:15:51,022
would bring him into a
453
00:15:51,018 --> 00:15:52,548
relationship with this actress.
454
00:15:52,552 --> 00:15:56,162
He was not in his right mind.
455
00:15:56,156 --> 00:15:59,026
>> NARRATOR: On June 21, 1982,
456
00:15:59,026 --> 00:16:00,556
John Hinkley Jr. was found
457
00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:02,400
not guilty by reason of
458
00:16:02,395 --> 00:16:04,425
insanity, a verdict that
459
00:16:04,431 --> 00:16:06,401
confounded the prosecution and
460
00:16:06,399 --> 00:16:09,369
angered the nation.
461
00:16:09,369 --> 00:16:11,269
But was John Hinckley Jr.
462
00:16:11,271 --> 00:16:13,111
really just another mentally
463
00:16:13,106 --> 00:16:15,406
disturbed lone gunman?
464
00:16:15,408 --> 00:16:17,238
Or might he have been-- as some
465
00:16:17,244 --> 00:16:19,454
conspiracy theorists believe--
466
00:16:19,446 --> 00:16:21,546
part of a larger and more
467
00:16:21,581 --> 00:16:25,391
insidious secret plot?
468
00:16:25,385 --> 00:16:26,515
>> WEBSTER TARPLEY: In order to
469
00:16:26,519 --> 00:16:28,519
understand any kind of
470
00:16:28,521 --> 00:16:29,691
terrorism, any kind of
471
00:16:29,689 --> 00:16:31,319
assassination, even
472
00:16:31,324 --> 00:16:33,594
destabilizations, you've got to
473
00:16:33,593 --> 00:16:35,063
have a conceptual framework.
474
00:16:35,062 --> 00:16:36,702
You've got patsies...
475
00:16:36,696 --> 00:16:38,696
moles...
476
00:16:38,698 --> 00:16:41,598
and technicians.
477
00:16:41,601 --> 00:16:43,201
When we say "patsies," these are
478
00:16:43,203 --> 00:16:46,043
typically deranged loners,
479
00:16:46,073 --> 00:16:48,283
disturbed individuals.
480
00:16:48,275 --> 00:16:50,535
Then we have the moles inside
481
00:16:50,543 --> 00:16:53,183
the institutions of government.
482
00:16:53,180 --> 00:16:54,480
And these moles are there to
483
00:16:54,481 --> 00:16:57,081
make sure that, for example,
484
00:16:57,084 --> 00:16:58,494
that patsies are not arrested.
485
00:16:58,485 --> 00:17:00,185
And then you have the ones that
486
00:17:00,187 --> 00:17:02,587
are ve seldom seen, and these
487
00:17:02,589 --> 00:17:03,659
are the technicians.
488
00:17:03,656 --> 00:17:05,526
These are most likely trained
489
00:17:05,525 --> 00:17:08,095
professionals.
490
00:17:08,095 --> 00:17:09,695
At the scene of the shooting of
491
00:17:09,696 --> 00:17:11,356
Reagan, it's quite possible that
492
00:17:11,364 --> 00:17:13,334
there was a patsy, John
493
00:17:13,333 --> 00:17:14,573
Hinckley, who was a psychotic
494
00:17:14,567 --> 00:17:15,697
who probably has very little
495
00:17:15,702 --> 00:17:18,442
idea of what's going on.
496
00:17:18,438 --> 00:17:19,768
>> NARRATOR: But is there
497
00:17:19,772 --> 00:17:22,182
evidence that Hinckley was just
498
00:17:22,175 --> 00:17:24,375
a patsy?
499
00:17:24,377 --> 00:17:26,777
And if so, who else might have
500
00:17:26,779 --> 00:17:30,449
been involved?
501
00:17:30,450 --> 00:17:31,780
>> LICHTMAN: Judy Woodruff,
502
00:17:31,784 --> 00:17:33,124
immediately afterwards, claimed
503
00:17:33,120 --> 00:17:34,490
she heard a shot coming from
504
00:17:34,487 --> 00:17:36,117
elsewhere, from a ledge
505
00:17:36,123 --> 00:17:37,493
overhanging the presidential
506
00:17:37,490 --> 00:17:39,130
limousine, which apparently gave
507
00:17:39,126 --> 00:17:40,526
a better angle at President
508
00:17:40,527 --> 00:17:42,597
Reagan.
509
00:17:42,595 --> 00:17:44,125
But that story seemed to have
510
00:17:44,131 --> 00:17:45,331
disappeared.
511
00:17:45,332 --> 00:17:48,142
It faded away.
512
00:17:48,135 --> 00:17:49,535
>> TARPLEY: The day after Reagan
513
00:17:49,536 --> 00:17:52,766
was, uh, shot, the Houston Post
514
00:17:52,772 --> 00:17:55,542
featured a headline which was:
515
00:17:55,542 --> 00:17:59,352
Bush son was to have dined
516
00:17:59,346 --> 00:18:03,346
with Hinckley's brother.
517
00:18:03,350 --> 00:18:05,150
>> LICHTMAN: The Hinckley and
518
00:18:05,152 --> 00:18:06,352
Bush families knew each other.
519
00:18:06,353 --> 00:18:08,223
They were both involved in the
520
00:18:08,221 --> 00:18:11,391
Texas oil business.
521
00:18:11,391 --> 00:18:13,491
And Scott Hinckley and Neil
522
00:18:13,493 --> 00:18:16,403
Bush, George H.W. Bush's son,
523
00:18:16,396 --> 00:18:18,766
were friends.
524
00:18:18,765 --> 00:18:20,495
Now, these connections have
525
00:18:20,500 --> 00:18:22,840
produced conspiracy theories
526
00:18:22,835 --> 00:18:24,565
that the Bush family was behind
527
00:18:24,571 --> 00:18:26,511
the attempted assassination of
528
00:18:26,506 --> 00:18:28,306
Ronald Reagan.
529
00:18:28,308 --> 00:18:29,778
>> NARRATOR: Was the Hinckley
530
00:18:29,776 --> 00:18:31,176
and Bush family connection
531
00:18:31,178 --> 00:18:34,248
simply a strange coincidence?
532
00:18:34,247 --> 00:18:35,547
Perhaps.
533
00:18:35,548 --> 00:18:37,378
Although George H.W. Bush's
534
00:18:37,384 --> 00:18:39,194
prior involvement as the
535
00:18:39,186 --> 00:18:41,546
Director of the CIA has placed
536
00:18:41,554 --> 00:18:44,594
him-- and his family-- under
537
00:18:44,591 --> 00:18:46,591
greater scrutiny and greater
538
00:18:46,593 --> 00:18:49,433
suspicion than any other U.S.
539
00:18:49,429 --> 00:18:52,799
president.
540
00:18:52,799 --> 00:18:55,799
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme...
541
00:18:55,802 --> 00:18:58,342
Sara Jane Moore...
542
00:18:58,338 --> 00:19:00,568
John Hinckley Jr.--
543
00:19:00,573 --> 00:19:02,343
all judged to be mentally
544
00:19:02,342 --> 00:19:05,212
unstable, and yet each were
545
00:19:05,212 --> 00:19:07,612
capable of penetrating layers of
546
00:19:07,614 --> 00:19:10,624
Secret Service protection.
547
00:19:10,617 --> 00:19:13,417
But how?
548
00:19:13,420 --> 00:19:15,290
Could the notion of a political
549
00:19:15,288 --> 00:19:17,618
conspiracy really be so
550
00:19:17,624 --> 00:19:19,864
farfetched?
551
00:19:19,859 --> 00:19:21,389
Or does the truth lie in the
552
00:19:21,394 --> 00:19:23,404
examination of four previous
553
00:19:23,396 --> 00:19:26,396
assassination attempts...
554
00:19:26,399 --> 00:19:33,869
that didn't fail?
555
00:19:33,873 --> 00:19:37,813
>> NARRATOR: May 30, 2009.
556
00:19:37,810 --> 00:19:39,210
President Barack Obama and his
557
00:19:39,212 --> 00:19:41,352
wife Michelle hop aboard a small
558
00:19:41,348 --> 00:19:43,548
military plane and head to New
559
00:19:43,550 --> 00:19:45,350
York City for what the First
560
00:19:45,352 --> 00:19:47,622
Couple describes as a "date
561
00:19:47,620 --> 00:19:50,290
night."
562
00:19:50,290 --> 00:19:52,630
They dine in Manhattan and then
563
00:19:52,625 --> 00:19:54,255
quietly attend a public
564
00:19:54,261 --> 00:19:55,561
performance of the Broadway
565
00:19:55,562 --> 00:19:57,262
play Joe Turner's Come And
566
00:19:57,264 --> 00:19:58,634
Gone.
567
00:19:58,631 --> 00:20:00,271
A normal evening for most
568
00:20:00,267 --> 00:20:02,637
Americans, but when you're the
569
00:20:02,635 --> 00:20:04,235
President of the United States
570
00:20:04,237 --> 00:20:06,907
it can become a matter of life
571
00:20:06,906 --> 00:20:08,836
and death.
572
00:20:12,912 --> 00:20:14,382
>> EMMETT: Anytime you leave
573
00:20:14,381 --> 00:20:15,651
the White House with the
574
00:20:15,682 --> 00:20:17,982
president, you are vulnerable.
575
00:20:17,984 --> 00:20:19,294
The most vulnerable sites are
576
00:20:19,286 --> 00:20:20,646
the ones that we consider to be
577
00:20:20,653 --> 00:20:21,653
off the record.
578
00:20:21,654 --> 00:20:22,964
In other words, no one knows the
579
00:20:22,989 --> 00:20:24,989
president's going there.
580
00:20:24,991 --> 00:20:26,331
There might be just that one
581
00:20:26,326 --> 00:20:27,956
person in that venue that
582
00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:29,400
doesn't know the president's
583
00:20:29,396 --> 00:20:30,396
coming, yet they're armed,
584
00:20:30,397 --> 00:20:31,857
and now they see their
585
00:20:31,864 --> 00:20:35,344
opportunity.
586
00:20:35,335 --> 00:20:36,665
>> NARRATOR: Modern history
587
00:20:36,669 --> 00:20:37,869
shows that political figures
588
00:20:37,870 --> 00:20:39,740
across the globe are at the
589
00:20:39,739 --> 00:20:41,309
greatest risk of assassination
590
00:20:41,308 --> 00:20:43,308
before the very people they are
591
00:20:43,310 --> 00:20:46,580
sworn to represent.
592
00:20:46,579 --> 00:20:48,879
And such was the case more than
593
00:20:48,881 --> 00:20:50,821
100 years ago.
594
00:20:53,886 --> 00:20:59,286
Virginia, April 9, 1865.
595
00:20:59,292 --> 00:21:00,892
Confederate General Robert E.
596
00:21:00,893 --> 00:21:02,633
Lee surrenders to Union
597
00:21:02,629 --> 00:21:04,999
officers.
598
00:21:04,997 --> 00:21:07,627
After four years of bloodshed,
599
00:21:07,634 --> 00:21:10,344
and an estimated 750,000
600
00:21:10,337 --> 00:21:12,907
casualties, the American Civil
601
00:21:12,905 --> 00:21:16,375
War is officially over.
602
00:21:16,376 --> 00:21:18,006
But hundreds of Confederate
603
00:21:18,010 --> 00:21:19,710
soldiers and sympathizers
604
00:21:19,712 --> 00:21:22,722
continue to fight on, bitterly
605
00:21:22,715 --> 00:21:24,615
holding on to the idea that the
606
00:21:24,617 --> 00:21:29,057
South will rise again.
607
00:21:29,055 --> 00:21:30,915
And the chief target of their
608
00:21:30,923 --> 00:21:32,593
wrath?
609
00:21:32,592 --> 00:21:34,862
President Abraham Lincoln.
610
00:21:37,029 --> 00:21:38,059
>> O'REILLY: All throughout the
611
00:21:38,064 --> 00:21:39,734
Civil War there were plots to
612
00:21:39,732 --> 00:21:40,932
kill Lincoln.
613
00:21:40,933 --> 00:21:42,033
It was, like, every day there
614
00:21:42,034 --> 00:21:43,604
was another plot.
615
00:21:43,603 --> 00:21:45,343
And so Lincoln did not take it
616
00:21:45,338 --> 00:21:47,338
seriously enough to provide
617
00:21:47,340 --> 00:21:48,740
himself with security;
618
00:21:48,741 --> 00:21:51,341
he didn't have any security.
619
00:21:51,344 --> 00:21:52,554
>> KESSLER: Military people kept
620
00:21:52,545 --> 00:21:53,545
saying, you know, you need
621
00:21:53,546 --> 00:21:54,946
protection, you need at least
622
00:21:54,947 --> 00:21:55,947
police protection.
623
00:21:55,948 --> 00:21:57,618
The Civil War was going on.
624
00:21:57,617 --> 00:21:59,347
No, he didn't want it.
625
00:21:59,352 --> 00:22:01,952
>> SPRIGGS: The idea of one...
626
00:22:01,954 --> 00:22:04,364
person or persons wanting to
627
00:22:04,357 --> 00:22:06,027
assassinate the President of the
628
00:22:06,025 --> 00:22:08,355
United States would just be such
629
00:22:08,361 --> 00:22:12,101
a horrific crime that... the
630
00:22:12,098 --> 00:22:13,798
reity of it just didn't seem
631
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,740
as realistic as it does today.
632
00:22:18,971 --> 00:22:19,971
>> NARRATOR: Despite the
633
00:22:19,972 --> 00:22:21,772
heightened threat, and the fact
634
00:22:21,774 --> 00:22:23,084
that the former Confederate
635
00:22:23,075 --> 00:22:24,975
border is less than three miles
636
00:22:24,977 --> 00:22:28,647
away in Virginia, on April 14,
637
00:22:28,648 --> 00:22:29,848
President Lincoln and his wife
638
00:22:29,849 --> 00:22:31,049
decide to attend a performance
639
00:22:31,050 --> 00:22:35,820
of Our American Cousin a comedy
640
00:22:35,822 --> 00:22:38,832
at the nearby Ford's Theatre.
641
00:22:38,825 --> 00:22:40,985
They are unaware that actor and
642
00:22:40,993 --> 00:22:43,133
Confederate sympathizer John
643
00:22:43,129 --> 00:22:46,099
Wilkes Booth is lying in wait,
644
00:22:46,132 --> 00:22:48,802
plotting the president's demise.
645
00:22:48,801 --> 00:22:50,601
>> LICHTMAN: John Wilkes Booth
646
00:22:50,603 --> 00:22:52,813
hated Lincoln, hated the Union,
647
00:22:52,805 --> 00:22:56,105
hated African-Americans, and had
648
00:22:56,108 --> 00:22:59,008
about, uh, nine or ten other
649
00:22:59,011 --> 00:23:01,811
conspirators assisting him.
650
00:23:01,814 --> 00:23:03,154
And the idea was not only to
651
00:23:03,149 --> 00:23:05,849
kill Lincoln, but also to kill
652
00:23:05,852 --> 00:23:07,892
Vice President Johnson...
653
00:23:07,887 --> 00:23:09,887
(gunshot)
654
00:23:09,889 --> 00:23:11,159
...and Secretary of State
655
00:23:11,157 --> 00:23:12,157
Seward.
656
00:23:12,158 --> 00:23:13,758
(gunshot)
657
00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:15,130
>> KOERNER: The line of
658
00:23:15,127 --> 00:23:16,497
succession-- the president,
659
00:23:16,496 --> 00:23:17,496
the vice president,
660
00:23:17,497 --> 00:23:18,627
and the secretary of state--
661
00:23:18,631 --> 00:23:20,031
kill all of them.
662
00:23:20,032 --> 00:23:21,832
If those three people are dead,
663
00:23:21,834 --> 00:23:23,844
it could revive the war effort.
664
00:23:23,836 --> 00:23:25,636
>> O'REILLY: Booth and his merry
665
00:23:25,638 --> 00:23:26,768
men, they all had their
666
00:23:26,773 --> 00:23:28,713
assignments.
667
00:23:31,043 --> 00:23:32,753
They got to Seward, Secretary
668
00:23:32,745 --> 00:23:35,045
of State, they stabbed him.
669
00:23:35,047 --> 00:23:36,577
It was amazing that he didn't
670
00:23:36,583 --> 00:23:38,053
die.
671
00:23:38,050 --> 00:23:39,850
They didn't get to Johnson.
672
00:23:39,852 --> 00:23:42,622
They blew that entirely.
673
00:23:42,622 --> 00:23:44,062
But then Booth himself got into
674
00:23:44,056 --> 00:23:47,156
the theater.
675
00:23:47,159 --> 00:23:48,759
>> NARRATOR: Lincoln's only
676
00:23:48,761 --> 00:23:50,131
protection outside the
677
00:23:50,129 --> 00:23:52,599
presidential booth is bodyguard
678
00:23:52,599 --> 00:23:54,199
John Parker.
679
00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:55,670
>> LICHTMAN: John Parker was
680
00:23:55,668 --> 00:23:57,738
considered fairly incompetent,
681
00:23:57,737 --> 00:23:59,667
yet somehow he was assigned to
682
00:23:59,672 --> 00:24:02,212
the small detail responsible for
683
00:24:02,208 --> 00:24:05,178
guarding President Abraham
684
00:24:05,177 --> 00:24:09,077
Lincoln.
685
00:24:09,081 --> 00:24:10,621
>> O'REILLY: Lincoln was sitting
686
00:24:10,617 --> 00:24:12,617
up above the stage in a private
687
00:24:12,619 --> 00:24:14,549
booth, and there was a guard
688
00:24:14,554 --> 00:24:15,624
supposed to be outside; he left
689
00:24:15,622 --> 00:24:18,662
his post.
690
00:24:18,658 --> 00:24:20,088
Booth was able to go in with
691
00:24:20,092 --> 00:24:22,932
a little gun, right behind him,
692
00:24:22,929 --> 00:24:24,199
popped him right in the back of
693
00:24:24,196 --> 00:24:25,666
the ear.
694
00:24:25,665 --> 00:24:27,595
(gunshot)
695
00:24:30,970 --> 00:24:32,810
(panicked shouts, screams)
696
00:24:32,805 --> 00:24:35,105
It was so crazy, and that's the
697
00:24:35,107 --> 00:24:36,177
shame of it.
698
00:24:36,175 --> 00:24:38,775
This crazy idiot carried it out
699
00:24:38,778 --> 00:24:40,108
because there was no security,
700
00:24:40,112 --> 00:24:43,082
and that's the bottom line.
701
00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:49,720
>> NARRATOR: Abraham Lincoln
702
00:24:49,722 --> 00:24:51,122
dies from the bullet wound
703
00:24:51,123 --> 00:24:56,933
at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865,
704
00:24:56,929 --> 00:24:58,669
the first President of the
705
00:24:58,665 --> 00:25:00,125
United States to be
706
00:25:00,132 --> 00:25:02,072
assassinated.
707
00:25:04,203 --> 00:25:06,673
Ten days later, John Wilkes
708
00:25:06,673 --> 00:25:08,613
Booth would meet his own death
709
00:25:08,608 --> 00:25:10,678
at the end of a pistol, after
710
00:25:10,677 --> 00:25:12,207
being hunted down and trapped in
711
00:25:12,211 --> 00:25:14,151
a barn in Virginia.
712
00:25:14,146 --> 00:25:15,146
(gunshot)
713
00:25:15,147 --> 00:25:17,147
But with the assassin dead,
714
00:25:17,149 --> 00:25:19,689
serious questions remained.
715
00:25:19,686 --> 00:25:21,746
Were Booth and his fellow
716
00:25:21,754 --> 00:25:23,724
conspirators really just
717
00:25:23,723 --> 00:25:26,033
Confederate sympathizers?
718
00:25:26,025 --> 00:25:28,625
Or were they part of a bigger
719
00:25:28,628 --> 00:25:30,598
plot?
720
00:25:32,164 --> 00:25:33,174
>> LICHTMAN: The bigger
721
00:25:33,165 --> 00:25:34,625
question in the plot
722
00:25:34,634 --> 00:25:37,974
involving Lincoln is whether
723
00:25:37,970 --> 00:25:39,970
there was a bigger conspiracy
724
00:25:39,972 --> 00:25:42,612
involving the Confederate
725
00:25:42,609 --> 00:25:44,009
Government, the Confederate
726
00:25:44,010 --> 00:25:46,580
Secret Service, and perhaps even
727
00:25:46,579 --> 00:25:48,719
President Jefferson Davis of the
728
00:25:48,715 --> 00:25:50,575
Confederacy.
729
00:25:50,583 --> 00:25:51,753
>> KOERNER: John Wilkes Booth
730
00:25:51,751 --> 00:25:53,191
has a number of connections to
731
00:25:53,185 --> 00:25:55,045
the Confederacy that are just
732
00:25:55,054 --> 00:25:56,064
undeniable.
733
00:25:56,055 --> 00:25:57,785
He visits the St. Lawrence Hotel
734
00:25:57,790 --> 00:26:00,630
in Montreal, Quebec, a known
735
00:26:00,627 --> 00:26:01,787
hangout for the Confederate
736
00:26:01,794 --> 00:26:02,934
Secret Service.
737
00:26:02,929 --> 00:26:04,199
When the shooting takes place,
738
00:26:04,196 --> 00:26:05,766
he leaves by the back door,
739
00:26:05,765 --> 00:26:07,065
goes on to Virginia, escapes,
740
00:26:07,066 --> 00:26:09,066
he meets with members of the
741
00:26:09,068 --> 00:26:10,598
Confederate Secret Service, like
742
00:26:10,603 --> 00:26:12,203
Samuel Mudd and other people.
743
00:26:12,204 --> 00:26:13,774
>> NARRATOR: But if there was
744
00:26:13,773 --> 00:26:15,813
a Confederate conspiracy to
745
00:26:15,808 --> 00:26:18,078
overthrow the government, why,
746
00:26:18,077 --> 00:26:19,747
then, was Secretary of War
747
00:26:19,746 --> 00:26:21,776
Edwin Stanton, the second most
748
00:26:21,781 --> 00:26:24,081
powerful man in Washington,
749
00:26:24,083 --> 00:26:25,823
not targeted?
750
00:26:25,818 --> 00:26:27,088
>> KOERNER: Stanton does a
751
00:26:27,086 --> 00:26:28,216
number of unusual things that
752
00:26:28,220 --> 00:26:30,690
point to his complicity in the
753
00:26:30,690 --> 00:26:32,220
assassination.
754
00:26:32,224 --> 00:26:34,364
Lincoln asks for two different
755
00:26:34,360 --> 00:26:36,630
people to help guard him that
756
00:26:36,629 --> 00:26:39,029
night, and Stanton denies both
757
00:26:39,031 --> 00:26:41,231
of them access to the president.
758
00:26:41,233 --> 00:26:42,943
>> O'REILLY: The thing that's
759
00:26:42,935 --> 00:26:44,665
disturbing in the Stanton story,
760
00:26:44,671 --> 00:26:46,111
Booth had a diary.
761
00:26:46,105 --> 00:26:49,235
That diary was given to Stanton.
762
00:26:49,241 --> 00:26:51,241
17 pages were removed from the
763
00:26:51,243 --> 00:26:52,953
diary.
764
00:26:52,945 --> 00:26:55,845
Now maybe... maybe Booth did it.
765
00:26:55,848 --> 00:26:58,048
I would love to know... what
766
00:26:58,050 --> 00:26:59,720
happened to those 17 pages
767
00:26:59,719 --> 00:27:00,789
and what they said,
768
00:27:00,787 --> 00:27:05,117
in John Wilkes Booth's diary.
769
00:27:05,124 --> 00:27:07,794
If there were an American Book
770
00:27:07,794 --> 00:27:11,934
of Secrets, why didn't Parker,
771
00:27:11,931 --> 00:27:14,001
the guy who left his post, who
772
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:15,700
was supposed to guard Abraham
773
00:27:15,702 --> 00:27:17,872
Lincoln, who went down to the
774
00:27:17,870 --> 00:27:19,140
bar to drink...
775
00:27:19,138 --> 00:27:23,278
why was he not prosecuted?
776
00:27:23,275 --> 00:27:24,735
Why?
777
00:27:24,744 --> 00:27:26,954
He skated.
778
00:27:26,946 --> 00:27:31,016
That is disturbing.
779
00:27:31,017 --> 00:27:32,277
>> NARRATOR: Might the
780
00:27:32,284 --> 00:27:33,994
assassination of Abraham Lincoln
781
00:27:33,986 --> 00:27:36,016
have been more than a plot by
782
00:27:36,022 --> 00:27:37,422
disgruntled Confederate
783
00:27:37,423 --> 00:27:39,763
sympathizers?
784
00:27:39,759 --> 00:27:41,429
Could it have been an attempted
785
00:27:41,427 --> 00:27:43,897
coup engineered by a prominent
786
00:27:43,896 --> 00:27:47,396
member of his own cabinet...
787
00:27:47,399 --> 00:27:48,969
one that would ensure that the
788
00:27:48,968 --> 00:27:51,438
South would be harshly punished
789
00:27:51,437 --> 00:27:55,167
during the years after the war?
790
00:27:55,174 --> 00:27:57,714
If so, does that mean John
791
00:27:57,710 --> 00:27:59,910
Wilkes Booth was little more
792
00:27:59,912 --> 00:28:01,852
than a patsy...
793
00:28:01,848 --> 00:28:04,118
a pawn in a much larger
794
00:28:04,116 --> 00:28:06,186
political game?
795
00:28:06,185 --> 00:28:08,045
Such was the claim by another
796
00:28:08,054 --> 00:28:10,064
alleged presidential assassin
797
00:28:10,056 --> 00:28:13,056
nearly 100 years later--
798
00:28:13,059 --> 00:28:16,929
a man named Lee Harvey Oswald.
799
00:28:16,929 --> 00:28:22,999
(gunshot)
800
00:28:23,002 --> 00:28:24,402
>> NARRATOR: Originally founded
801
00:28:24,403 --> 00:28:26,013
three months after the
802
00:28:26,005 --> 00:28:28,775
assassination of Abraham Lincoln
803
00:28:28,775 --> 00:28:30,205
to fight the looming threat
804
00:28:30,209 --> 00:28:32,809
posed by counterfeit currency,
805
00:28:32,812 --> 00:28:34,912
the Secret Service operated as
806
00:28:34,914 --> 00:28:36,824
part of the U.S. Department of
807
00:28:36,816 --> 00:28:38,176
the easury.
808
00:28:38,217 --> 00:28:42,487
That is, until July 2, 1881.
809
00:28:42,488 --> 00:28:43,818
>> KOERNER: James Garfield, the
810
00:28:43,823 --> 00:28:45,323
president, is at the Baltimore &
811
00:28:45,324 --> 00:28:46,834
Potomac railroad station in
812
00:28:46,826 --> 00:28:48,796
Washington, and he's waiting for
813
00:28:48,795 --> 00:28:49,925
the car to take him to New
814
00:28:49,929 --> 00:28:51,899
England, and in approaches this
815
00:28:51,898 --> 00:28:53,898
man, Charles Guiteau, who has
816
00:28:53,900 --> 00:28:55,030
been stalking the president for
817
00:28:55,067 --> 00:28:57,067
weeks.
818
00:28:57,069 --> 00:28:58,069
And he shoots the president
819
00:28:58,070 --> 00:28:59,070
twice-- once in the back...
820
00:28:59,071 --> 00:29:00,071
(gunshot)
821
00:29:00,072 --> 00:29:01,072
...once in the shoulder.
822
00:29:01,073 --> 00:29:03,013
(gunshot)
823
00:29:06,378 --> 00:29:07,848
>> NARRATOR: Unlike John Wilkes
824
00:29:07,847 --> 00:29:10,117
Booth before him, the assassin
825
00:29:10,116 --> 00:29:12,376
Charles Guiteau supposedly acted
826
00:29:12,384 --> 00:29:15,924
alone in killing the president.
827
00:29:15,922 --> 00:29:17,262
But while Booth may have had
828
00:29:17,256 --> 00:29:19,926
delusions of grandeur, Guiteau
829
00:29:19,926 --> 00:29:22,796
was criminally insane.
830
00:29:22,795 --> 00:29:23,925
>> KOERNER: Even when Guiteau
831
00:29:23,930 --> 00:29:25,260
was on trial for the
832
00:29:25,264 --> 00:29:26,874
assassination, he was joking
833
00:29:26,866 --> 00:29:28,266
with the media, he dances
834
00:29:28,267 --> 00:29:29,997
to his own hangman's noose,
835
00:29:30,002 --> 00:29:31,342
singing and trying to perform
836
00:29:31,337 --> 00:29:32,497
for the crowd.
837
00:29:32,504 --> 00:29:34,074
I mean, this man is just totally
838
00:29:34,073 --> 00:29:37,283
bizarre and off the charts.
839
00:29:37,276 --> 00:29:38,336
>> NARRATOR: Following the
840
00:29:38,344 --> 00:29:39,884
assassination of President
841
00:29:39,879 --> 00:29:42,079
Garfield, the Secret Service was
842
00:29:42,081 --> 00:29:43,551
officially ordered to protect
843
00:29:43,549 --> 00:29:44,979
the life of the commander
844
00:29:44,984 --> 00:29:48,824
in chief, but only part-time.
845
00:29:48,821 --> 00:29:50,361
That is, until two decades
846
00:29:50,356 --> 00:29:53,486
later, in 1901, when another
847
00:29:53,492 --> 00:29:55,492
U.S. president would become
848
00:29:55,494 --> 00:29:58,434
the target of a secret plot.
849
00:30:01,300 --> 00:30:03,500
On September 6, President
850
00:30:03,502 --> 00:30:05,302
William McKinley traveled to
851
00:30:05,304 --> 00:30:07,174
Buffalo, New York, to attend the
852
00:30:07,173 --> 00:30:09,513
Pan-American Exposition,
853
00:30:09,508 --> 00:30:11,908
a World's Fair that attracted
854
00:30:11,911 --> 00:30:14,851
tens of thousands of Americans.
855
00:30:14,847 --> 00:30:16,447
At a gathering inside the Temple
856
00:30:16,448 --> 00:30:18,918
of Music, McKinley greeted the
857
00:30:18,918 --> 00:30:20,988
public as three Secret Service
858
00:30:21,020 --> 00:30:23,320
agents stood by his side.
859
00:30:23,322 --> 00:30:25,322
>> LICHTMAN: A man named Leon
860
00:30:25,324 --> 00:30:26,994
Czolgosz approached the
861
00:30:26,993 --> 00:30:28,863
president with his hand wrapped
862
00:30:28,861 --> 00:30:30,961
in a handkerchief, concealing
863
00:30:30,997 --> 00:30:33,127
a pistol.
864
00:30:33,132 --> 00:30:35,072
And Czolgosz fired two shots at
865
00:30:35,067 --> 00:30:36,167
the president...
866
00:30:36,168 --> 00:30:37,868
(gunshots)
867
00:30:37,870 --> 00:30:39,340
...one of which penetrated his
868
00:30:39,338 --> 00:30:41,338
abdomen.
869
00:30:41,340 --> 00:30:42,880
>> NARRATOR: Some historians
870
00:30:42,875 --> 00:30:45,075
claim the plot to kill McKinley
871
00:30:45,077 --> 00:30:47,177
involved a mysterious accomplice
872
00:30:47,179 --> 00:30:51,219
known only as "the Italian."
873
00:30:51,217 --> 00:30:52,547
>> KOERNER: Once the Italian
874
00:30:52,551 --> 00:30:54,051
reaches the president, he takes
875
00:30:54,053 --> 00:30:55,553
the president's hand and just
876
00:30:55,554 --> 00:30:57,964
does not let go of it.
877
00:30:57,957 --> 00:30:59,557
The agents evacuate him from the
878
00:30:59,558 --> 00:31:01,088
scene, and it leaves the
879
00:31:01,093 --> 00:31:02,563
president completely open to be
880
00:31:02,561 --> 00:31:05,031
shot without any protection from
881
00:31:05,031 --> 00:31:06,171
the Secret Service.
882
00:31:06,165 --> 00:31:09,095
(gunshots, panicked shouts)
883
00:31:11,203 --> 00:31:12,243
>> NARRATOR: According to the
884
00:31:12,238 --> 00:31:14,508
anarchist theory, "the Italian"
885
00:31:14,506 --> 00:31:17,106
fled the scene, but not before
886
00:31:17,109 --> 00:31:19,109
being accidentally photographed
887
00:31:19,111 --> 00:31:21,051
by an Edison motion picture
888
00:31:21,047 --> 00:31:22,977
camera that had been set up to
889
00:31:22,982 --> 00:31:25,082
film the president.
890
00:31:25,084 --> 00:31:26,094
>> KOERNER: Very strangely,
891
00:31:26,085 --> 00:31:27,515
this one man looks right into
892
00:31:27,519 --> 00:31:30,389
the lens.
893
00:31:30,389 --> 00:31:32,189
He's got this mustache, the hat,
894
00:31:32,191 --> 00:31:33,231
dark appearance.
895
00:31:33,225 --> 00:31:34,225
It fits the description the
896
00:31:34,226 --> 00:31:35,256
Secret Service gave.
897
00:31:35,261 --> 00:31:37,101
So it may have been him...
898
00:31:37,096 --> 00:31:39,126
that looked into the camera
899
00:31:39,131 --> 00:31:41,001
with this knowing smile...
900
00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:42,500
that just got away with
901
00:31:42,501 --> 00:31:47,411
murder.
902
00:31:47,406 --> 00:31:48,536
>> NARRATOR: Could this smiling
903
00:31:48,540 --> 00:31:50,610
man really be one of the
904
00:31:50,609 --> 00:31:53,679
president's secret assassins?
905
00:31:53,679 --> 00:31:55,509
And does that indicate that
906
00:31:55,514 --> 00:31:57,984
McKinley's death was part of a
907
00:31:57,984 --> 00:32:01,254
larger political conspiracy?
908
00:32:01,253 --> 00:32:02,693
As the country mourned the loss
909
00:32:02,688 --> 00:32:04,958
of its third martyred president
910
00:32:04,957 --> 00:32:07,257
in just over three decades,
911
00:32:07,259 --> 00:32:09,259
Congress finally took decisive
912
00:32:09,261 --> 00:32:11,161
action.
913
00:32:11,163 --> 00:32:13,273
The Secret Service would now
914
00:32:13,265 --> 00:32:15,165
guard all future American
915
00:32:15,167 --> 00:32:18,167
presidents 24 hours a day,
916
00:32:18,170 --> 00:32:20,170
seven days a week.
917
00:32:20,172 --> 00:32:21,972
But would even that degree of
918
00:32:21,974 --> 00:32:25,214
full-time protection be enough?
919
00:32:27,579 --> 00:32:30,579
November 22, 1963.
920
00:32:30,582 --> 00:32:33,152
Dallas, Texas.
921
00:32:33,152 --> 00:32:34,652
President John F. Kennedy
922
00:32:34,653 --> 00:32:37,163
arrives at Love Field to a crowd
923
00:32:37,156 --> 00:32:39,656
of enthusiastic supporters.
924
00:32:39,658 --> 00:32:41,458
He climbs into the presidential
925
00:32:41,460 --> 00:32:43,200
limousine, headed for a luncheon
926
00:32:43,195 --> 00:32:45,195
with local leaders.
927
00:32:45,197 --> 00:32:47,597
The motorcade route, published
928
00:32:47,599 --> 00:32:49,299
in the morning papers, will
929
00:32:49,301 --> 00:32:50,701
take the president through
930
00:32:50,702 --> 00:32:52,642
Dealey Plaza.
931
00:32:55,574 --> 00:32:58,484
(gunshot)
932
00:32:58,477 --> 00:33:01,477
(gunshot)
933
00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:06,090
(gunshot, panicked shouts)
934
00:33:06,085 --> 00:33:07,485
>> WALTER CRONKITE: We just have
935
00:33:07,486 --> 00:33:09,186
a report from our correspondent
936
00:33:09,188 --> 00:33:11,018
Dan Rather in Dallas that he has
937
00:33:11,023 --> 00:33:13,063
confirmed that President
938
00:33:13,059 --> 00:33:16,329
Kennedy is dead.
939
00:33:16,328 --> 00:33:17,498
>> NARRATOR: Within hours, the
940
00:33:17,496 --> 00:33:19,296
killer is identified as Lee
941
00:33:19,298 --> 00:33:22,298
Harvey Oswald, an employee at
942
00:33:22,301 --> 00:33:23,771
the Texas School Book
943
00:33:23,769 --> 00:33:26,609
Depository, from where the fatal
944
00:33:26,605 --> 00:33:28,605
shots were fired.
945
00:33:28,607 --> 00:33:30,637
He is 24 years old, married to a
946
00:33:30,642 --> 00:33:32,782
young Soviet citizen, and
947
00:33:32,778 --> 00:33:35,248
thought to be a pro-Soviet and
948
00:33:35,247 --> 00:33:39,047
pro-Castro sympathizer.
949
00:33:39,051 --> 00:33:40,221
>> LICHTMAN: The official story
950
00:33:40,219 --> 00:33:42,649
says Oswald was the lone gunman.
951
00:33:42,654 --> 00:33:44,724
A very disturbed individual,
952
00:33:44,723 --> 00:33:47,133
kind of a loner, who had been
953
00:33:47,126 --> 00:33:49,396
influenced by Communism in
954
00:33:49,395 --> 00:33:52,255
Russia and decided that he would
955
00:33:52,264 --> 00:33:54,734
assassinate the great capitalist
956
00:33:54,733 --> 00:33:56,373
leader John F. Kennedy,
957
00:33:56,368 --> 00:33:57,398
the President of the
958
00:33:57,403 --> 00:33:59,343
United States.
959
00:33:59,338 --> 00:34:02,138
He did so by firing three shots
960
00:34:02,141 --> 00:34:05,211
from a window at the Texas Book
961
00:34:05,211 --> 00:34:06,681
Depository overlooking the
962
00:34:06,678 --> 00:34:09,548
presidential motorcade.
963
00:34:09,548 --> 00:34:12,348
As a result, one shot shattered
964
00:34:12,351 --> 00:34:13,521
the president's skull and killed
965
00:34:13,552 --> 00:34:15,552
him.
966
00:34:15,554 --> 00:34:17,364
>> EMMETT: It was insane, taking
967
00:34:17,356 --> 00:34:19,156
an open-top limo, putting the
968
00:34:19,158 --> 00:34:20,428
sitting President of the United
969
00:34:20,426 --> 00:34:22,226
States in it and driving him
970
00:34:22,228 --> 00:34:23,798
through a major metropolitan
971
00:34:23,795 --> 00:34:26,225
city with high-rise buildings
972
00:34:26,232 --> 00:34:28,372
and open windows on all sides.
973
00:34:28,367 --> 00:34:29,797
If you were to speak with any
974
00:34:29,801 --> 00:34:31,571
agent today, who was there that
975
00:34:31,570 --> 00:34:32,840
day, they'll tell you they
976
00:34:32,838 --> 00:34:36,108
failed, and failed miserably.
977
00:34:36,108 --> 00:34:37,578
>> PETRO: We learned a lot of
978
00:34:37,576 --> 00:34:38,636
things from the assassination of
979
00:34:38,644 --> 00:34:39,654
President Kennedy.
980
00:34:39,645 --> 00:34:40,805
I think we lost our innocence as
981
00:34:40,812 --> 00:34:41,812
a country.
982
00:34:41,813 --> 00:34:43,123
I became an agent eight years
983
00:34:43,115 --> 00:34:44,115
after the assassination of
984
00:34:44,116 --> 00:34:45,116
President Kennedy.
985
00:34:45,117 --> 00:34:46,147
It was still very fresh in
986
00:34:46,185 --> 00:34:48,185
everybody's minds.
987
00:34:48,187 --> 00:34:49,817
I think we all recognized the
988
00:34:49,821 --> 00:34:51,321
importance of what we were doing
989
00:34:51,323 --> 00:34:53,133
and never let that happen again.
990
00:34:53,125 --> 00:34:54,655
The lessons learned in Dallas
991
00:34:54,660 --> 00:34:56,660
were that the perimeters were
992
00:34:56,662 --> 00:34:59,872
not just arm's reach
993
00:34:59,865 --> 00:35:02,425
or a handgun away-- that the
994
00:35:02,434 --> 00:35:06,214
perimeters were wider.
995
00:35:06,205 --> 00:35:07,435
>> NARRATOR: Of America's four
996
00:35:07,439 --> 00:35:09,409
presidential assassins, three
997
00:35:09,408 --> 00:35:10,838
are believed to have acted
998
00:35:10,842 --> 00:35:12,182
alone.
999
00:35:12,178 --> 00:35:13,648
But in the months and years
1000
00:35:13,645 --> 00:35:15,345
following the death of President
1001
00:35:15,347 --> 00:35:17,417
John F. Kennedy, literally
1002
00:35:17,416 --> 00:35:19,616
dozens of conspiracy theories
1003
00:35:19,618 --> 00:35:21,148
have found sympathetic
1004
00:35:21,153 --> 00:35:22,623
audiences.
1005
00:35:22,621 --> 00:35:24,891
Many are farfetched, some are
1006
00:35:24,890 --> 00:35:28,490
disturbingly credible, but none
1007
00:35:28,494 --> 00:35:29,734
have been able to prove
1008
00:35:29,728 --> 00:35:31,458
decisively that the official
1009
00:35:31,463 --> 00:35:33,503
report, as issued by the Warren
1010
00:35:33,499 --> 00:35:36,239
Commission in 1964, does not
1011
00:35:36,235 --> 00:35:38,365
provide an accurate account of
1012
00:35:38,370 --> 00:35:39,910
events.
1013
00:35:39,905 --> 00:35:41,305
>> LICHTMAN: People have
1014
00:35:41,307 --> 00:35:42,507
proposed all kinds of
1015
00:35:42,508 --> 00:35:43,738
conspiracies.
1016
00:35:43,742 --> 00:35:45,642
The military killed him because
1017
00:35:45,644 --> 00:35:48,254
they didn't want to wind down
1018
00:35:48,247 --> 00:35:50,877
the war in Vietnam.
1019
00:35:50,882 --> 00:35:53,252
Castro killed him because this
1020
00:35:53,252 --> 00:35:55,652
was revenge for attempts to kill
1021
00:35:55,654 --> 00:35:57,524
Castro.
1022
00:35:57,523 --> 00:35:59,893
The Russians killed him because
1023
00:35:59,891 --> 00:36:01,791
of his victory in the Cuban
1024
00:36:01,793 --> 00:36:02,933
Missile Crisis.
1025
00:36:02,928 --> 00:36:04,798
Lyndon Johnson killed him so
1026
00:36:04,796 --> 00:36:06,396
that he could become President
1027
00:36:06,398 --> 00:36:08,198
of the United States.
1028
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:09,440
>> O'REILLY: The assassination
1029
00:36:09,468 --> 00:36:12,198
of JFK-- Oswald drove that.
1030
00:36:12,204 --> 00:36:14,674
Oswald was just a low-life
1031
00:36:14,673 --> 00:36:15,713
creep.
1032
00:36:15,741 --> 00:36:19,411
You don't hire guys like that.
1033
00:36:19,411 --> 00:36:21,211
>> NARRATOR: But if that is the
1034
00:36:21,213 --> 00:36:23,423
case, then why do the conspiracy
1035
00:36:23,415 --> 00:36:24,875
theories persist?
1036
00:36:24,883 --> 00:36:25,883
(crowd cheering)
1037
00:36:25,884 --> 00:36:26,894
>> PRESIDENT REAGAN: God bless
1038
00:36:26,885 --> 00:36:28,885
America.
1039
00:36:28,887 --> 00:36:30,217
>> LICHTMAN: The president has
1040
00:36:30,222 --> 00:36:31,692
this special mystical bond with
1041
00:36:31,690 --> 00:36:33,430
the American people, and it's
1042
00:36:33,425 --> 00:36:34,885
very difficult to believe a lone
1043
00:36:34,893 --> 00:36:37,233
assassin, particularly ordinary
1044
00:36:37,229 --> 00:36:39,399
people, could bring down the
1045
00:36:39,398 --> 00:36:41,568
most powerful person in the
1046
00:36:41,567 --> 00:36:42,567
country.
1047
00:36:42,568 --> 00:36:44,768
It makes us feel very vulnerable
1048
00:36:44,770 --> 00:36:46,770
if presidents, with all their
1049
00:36:46,772 --> 00:36:48,442
power, all their prestige, all
1050
00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:49,910
the people responsible for
1051
00:36:49,908 --> 00:36:51,908
guarding them, could be brought
1052
00:36:51,910 --> 00:36:53,850
down so easily.
1053
00:36:55,247 --> 00:36:56,547
>> NARRATOR: In the nearly 50
1054
00:36:56,548 --> 00:36:57,918
years since the assassination of
1055
00:36:57,916 --> 00:37:00,516
President Kennedy, the Secret
1056
00:37:00,519 --> 00:37:01,989
Service has successfully
1057
00:37:01,987 --> 00:37:03,787
protected each of the nine
1058
00:37:03,789 --> 00:37:06,589
succeeding presidents.
1059
00:37:06,592 --> 00:37:08,862
But could emerging technologies
1060
00:37:08,860 --> 00:37:11,430
pose new threats?
1061
00:37:11,430 --> 00:37:13,730
And is it possible that even the
1062
00:37:13,732 --> 00:37:16,272
Secret Service could be
1063
00:37:16,268 --> 00:37:17,738
infiltrated by someone looking
1064
00:37:17,736 --> 00:37:19,536
to kill...
1065
00:37:19,538 --> 00:37:21,338
the most powerful person in the
1066
00:37:21,340 --> 00:37:22,970
world?
1067
00:37:22,974 --> 00:37:24,414
(gunshot)
1068
00:37:27,713 --> 00:37:29,453
>> NARRATOR: Ironically, among
1069
00:37:29,448 --> 00:37:30,778
the most valuable tools in
1070
00:37:30,782 --> 00:37:32,282
protecting the current as well
1071
00:37:32,284 --> 00:37:34,324
as future presidents of the
1072
00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:36,520
United States are the lessons
1073
00:37:36,522 --> 00:37:38,462
learned from the past four
1074
00:37:38,457 --> 00:37:41,457
presidential assassinations...
1075
00:37:41,460 --> 00:37:42,760
and the nearly two dozen failed
1076
00:37:42,794 --> 00:37:44,804
attempts.
1077
00:37:44,796 --> 00:37:45,996
>> EMMETT: With all
1078
00:37:45,997 --> 00:37:47,967
assassinations or attempts, the
1079
00:37:47,966 --> 00:37:50,336
Secret Service goes back and
1080
00:37:50,336 --> 00:37:52,466
then completely dissects the
1081
00:37:52,471 --> 00:37:54,611
situation, looks at every
1082
00:37:54,606 --> 00:37:56,576
possible angle and tries to
1083
00:37:56,575 --> 00:37:58,475
determine what went wrong and
1084
00:37:58,477 --> 00:37:59,877
how can we fix it so that it
1085
00:37:59,878 --> 00:38:02,678
never happens again.
1086
00:38:02,681 --> 00:38:03,821
>> JARVIS: A number of things
1087
00:38:03,815 --> 00:38:04,945
have been instituted that you
1088
00:38:04,950 --> 00:38:06,490
can actually see: more
1089
00:38:06,485 --> 00:38:08,645
magnetometers in use,
1090
00:38:08,687 --> 00:38:11,687
the press pool being escorted.
1091
00:38:11,690 --> 00:38:13,020
>> NARRATOR: But while these new
1092
00:38:13,024 --> 00:38:14,764
measures will hopefully keep
1093
00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:16,500
past mistakes from being
1094
00:38:16,495 --> 00:38:19,495
repeated, can the Secret Service
1095
00:38:19,498 --> 00:38:21,768
ever be fully prepared for new
1096
00:38:21,767 --> 00:38:24,037
and emerging dangers?
1097
00:38:26,104 --> 00:38:29,784
November 1, 2012.
1098
00:38:29,775 --> 00:38:31,605
One week before President Barack
1099
00:38:31,610 --> 00:38:34,050
Obama's reelection, Florida
1100
00:38:34,045 --> 00:38:35,845
resident Christopher Castillo
1101
00:38:35,847 --> 00:38:37,577
posts a chilling message on
1102
00:38:37,583 --> 00:38:39,053
Facebook.
1103
00:38:39,050 --> 00:38:41,790
It reads: "If he gets reelected
1104
00:38:41,787 --> 00:38:43,757
I'm going to hunt him down and
1105
00:38:43,755 --> 00:38:45,855
kill him-- watch the life
1106
00:38:45,857 --> 00:38:49,127
disappear from his eyes."
1107
00:38:49,127 --> 00:38:51,127
Seven days after his post,
1108
00:38:51,129 --> 00:38:53,399
Castillo is arrested.
1109
00:38:53,399 --> 00:38:55,529
Three months later, on February
1110
00:38:55,534 --> 00:38:58,404
6, 2013, he is convicted of
1111
00:38:58,404 --> 00:38:59,774
threatening to kill the
1112
00:38:59,771 --> 00:39:02,641
president.
1113
00:39:02,641 --> 00:39:03,811
>> EMMETT: The social media
1114
00:39:03,809 --> 00:39:05,539
absolutely presents a threat to
1115
00:39:05,544 --> 00:39:06,554
the President of the United
1116
00:39:06,545 --> 00:39:07,945
States.
1117
00:39:07,946 --> 00:39:10,016
Any assassination attempt begins
1118
00:39:10,015 --> 00:39:12,375
with intelligence gathering, and
1119
00:39:12,384 --> 00:39:14,624
where that is going to generally
1120
00:39:14,620 --> 00:39:15,820
start is open-source
1121
00:39:15,821 --> 00:39:17,561
information.
1122
00:39:17,556 --> 00:39:19,056
In today's world, the lone
1123
00:39:19,057 --> 00:39:20,927
gunman can simply go online and
1124
00:39:20,926 --> 00:39:22,886
they can review a number of
1125
00:39:22,894 --> 00:39:25,104
programs which outline, in very
1126
00:39:25,096 --> 00:39:26,826
great detail, how the Secret
1127
00:39:26,832 --> 00:39:28,102
Service operates and how it
1128
00:39:28,099 --> 00:39:31,069
protects the president.
1129
00:39:31,069 --> 00:39:32,769
Social networking has made it
1130
00:39:32,771 --> 00:39:34,571
much more difficult to keep the
1131
00:39:34,573 --> 00:39:36,943
president safe.
1132
00:39:36,942 --> 00:39:38,182
>> NARRATOR: But of all the
1133
00:39:38,176 --> 00:39:39,646
plots against the president's
1134
00:39:39,645 --> 00:39:41,705
life, the most dangerous are
1135
00:39:41,713 --> 00:39:44,783
those that remain unknown...
1136
00:39:44,783 --> 00:39:46,823
until they are carried out.
1137
00:39:46,852 --> 00:39:50,062
(gunshot)
1138
00:39:50,055 --> 00:39:51,055
>> HICKEY: We've never had
1139
00:39:51,056 --> 00:39:53,586
anyone ever openly threaten a
1140
00:39:53,592 --> 00:39:55,692
President of the United States
1141
00:39:55,694 --> 00:39:57,664
and then go out and try to kill
1142
00:39:57,663 --> 00:40:00,133
him... because it's too much
1143
00:40:00,131 --> 00:40:01,471
of a challenge, it's too
1144
00:40:01,467 --> 00:40:02,467
difficult.
1145
00:40:02,468 --> 00:40:03,468
They don't want to draw
1146
00:40:03,469 --> 00:40:04,469
attention to themselves
1147
00:40:04,470 --> 00:40:06,070
beforehand.
1148
00:40:06,071 --> 00:40:07,741
>> NARRATOR: Of course, there is
1149
00:40:07,739 --> 00:40:09,739
always one other-- perhaps the
1150
00:40:09,741 --> 00:40:12,481
most frightening-- scenario.
1151
00:40:12,478 --> 00:40:13,748
What if the president were
1152
00:40:13,745 --> 00:40:15,845
attacked not from the outside
1153
00:40:15,847 --> 00:40:18,817
but from within?
1154
00:40:18,817 --> 00:40:20,617
What if his assassin was
1155
00:40:20,619 --> 00:40:22,619
standing close to him every day
1156
00:40:22,621 --> 00:40:24,891
as a member of the Secret
1157
00:40:24,890 --> 00:40:26,630
Service?
1158
00:40:26,625 --> 00:40:27,625
>> KESSLER: I think the Secret
1159
00:40:27,626 --> 00:40:28,826
Service definitely is vulnerable
1160
00:40:28,827 --> 00:40:30,997
to someone becoming an agent and
1161
00:40:30,996 --> 00:40:35,626
then engaging in assassination.
1162
00:40:35,634 --> 00:40:36,974
The Secret Service does not
1163
00:40:36,968 --> 00:40:38,738
polygraph its own agents.
1164
00:40:38,737 --> 00:40:40,837
They polygraph applicants before
1165
00:40:40,839 --> 00:40:42,839
they're hired, but after that,
1166
00:40:42,841 --> 00:40:44,641
no more polygraphing.
1167
00:40:44,643 --> 00:40:46,653
That is a big problem,
1168
00:40:46,645 --> 00:40:48,005
because you could have someone
1169
00:40:48,013 --> 00:40:49,523
who joins the Secret Service as
1170
00:40:49,515 --> 00:40:51,775
a mole in order to assassinate
1171
00:40:51,783 --> 00:40:53,653
the president.
1172
00:40:53,652 --> 00:40:55,192
>> TARPLEY: We have the moles
1173
00:40:55,186 --> 00:40:57,156
inside the institutions of
1174
00:40:57,188 --> 00:40:59,528
government.
1175
00:40:59,525 --> 00:41:00,925
Essentially it's a network of
1176
00:41:00,926 --> 00:41:03,656
people who are not following law
1177
00:41:03,662 --> 00:41:06,672
or constitution or policies of a
1178
00:41:06,665 --> 00:41:07,995
government, but they're marching
1179
00:41:07,999 --> 00:41:09,539
to the tune of a different
1180
00:41:09,535 --> 00:41:10,535
drummer.
1181
00:41:10,536 --> 00:41:12,036
Double agents, criminal
1182
00:41:12,037 --> 00:41:14,167
elements-- these are people
1183
00:41:14,172 --> 00:41:15,912
that can be maneuvered from
1184
00:41:15,907 --> 00:41:17,877
behind the scenes in order to
1185
00:41:17,876 --> 00:41:20,806
accomplish certain goals.
1186
00:41:23,281 --> 00:41:24,751
>> NARRATOR: Is it simply a
1187
00:41:24,750 --> 00:41:26,890
matter of time before another
1188
00:41:26,885 --> 00:41:28,685
American president is caught in
1189
00:41:28,687 --> 00:41:30,687
the crosshairs of an assassin's
1190
00:41:30,689 --> 00:41:32,959
political-- or even personal--
1191
00:41:32,958 --> 00:41:35,228
objectives?
1192
00:41:35,226 --> 00:41:38,896
Can they ever be 100% safe?
1193
00:41:38,897 --> 00:41:40,697
>> KESSLER: Protecting the
1194
00:41:40,699 --> 00:41:42,169
president is an impossible job,
1195
00:41:42,167 --> 00:41:43,697
because presidents, in the end,
1196
00:41:43,702 --> 00:41:45,802
decide what protection they
1197
00:41:45,804 --> 00:41:48,214
want, and if an agent says don't
1198
00:41:48,206 --> 00:41:50,036
go out in this crowd, the
1199
00:41:50,041 --> 00:41:51,711
president can just ignore that,
1200
00:41:51,710 --> 00:41:53,910
of course.
1201
00:41:53,912 --> 00:41:55,112
>> NARRATOR: Does the
1202
00:41:55,113 --> 00:41:57,583
president's need to campaign,
1203
00:41:57,583 --> 00:42:00,323
give speeches, shake hands,
1204
00:42:00,318 --> 00:42:02,118
and perform public duties
1205
00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:04,790
really pose the greatest threat
1206
00:42:04,790 --> 00:42:06,860
to the highest office?
1207
00:42:06,858 --> 00:42:08,928
And if so, does that mean that
1208
00:42:08,927 --> 00:42:11,057
the ultimate secret concerning
1209
00:42:11,062 --> 00:42:13,002
presidential assassinations is
1210
00:42:12,998 --> 00:42:14,928
that those constitutional
1211
00:42:14,933 --> 00:42:17,943
freedoms which guarantee
1212
00:42:17,936 --> 00:42:19,736
speech...
1213
00:42:19,738 --> 00:42:21,138
privacy...
1214
00:42:21,139 --> 00:42:23,739
and the right to bear arms...
1215
00:42:23,742 --> 00:42:26,752
are equally dangerous?
1216
00:42:26,745 --> 00:42:28,145
Perhaps.
1217
00:42:28,146 --> 00:42:30,016
Or perhaps the greatest threat
1218
00:42:30,015 --> 00:42:31,745
to the president is the
1219
00:42:31,750 --> 00:42:34,290
misconception that ending the
1220
00:42:34,285 --> 00:42:37,015
life of one person could change
1221
00:42:37,022 --> 00:42:39,122
the course of a nation...
1222
00:42:39,124 --> 00:42:40,134
or its destiny.
1223
00:42:40,125 --> 00:42:41,085
Captioning sponsored by
1224
00:42:41,092 --> 00:42:42,132
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1225
00:42:42,127 --> 00:42:42,757
Captioned by
1226
00:42:42,761 --> 00:42:43,901
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1227
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access.wgbh.org
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