‘Top Secret America’: the hidden side of government after 9/11

We’re talking about the tenth anniversary of 9/11 all this week. And while we’re remembering those we’ve lost, we’re also analyzing the tragedy’s aftermath. A new Frontline documentary and investigative book chronicle the proliferation of covert operations and government organizations that began cropping up in the wake of 9/11. Funding for counter-terrorism programs grew exponentially after 9/11. In the documentary, then-White House counter terrorism czar Richard Clarke remembers: “President Bush said to us, in the basement of the White House on the night of 9/11, you have everything you need. And that was true, because as soon as we went to the Congress, they said ‘just tell us what you need.’ Blank check.” Dana Priest has investigated this post-9/11 government boom for the Washington Post. She describes it all in “Top Secret America,” the new book she co-authored with William Arkin. Her book is also part of the new Frontline documentary, airing tonight on PBS.  Michael Kirk is the producer of that documentary.