Today on NPR’s “The Take Away,” Kirk Eichenwald author of “500 Days: Secrets and Lies in the Terror War” was intereviewed. Eichenwald originally was going to write an analysis of the Bush administration’s handling of 9/11. Through his research he determined that within 500 days of the events of September 11, everything of importance took place that determined global policies and decisions regarding that event. Decisions that led to war footing policies and national security planning were laid out. He decided that his focus should, therefore, be that year and a half period.
A good portion of the book is devoted to the mastermind of the terrorist attacks Sheik Mohammed. The author details how he was captured and the treatment he received first in Poland and then at Guantanamo, where he now awaits trial. In Poland he was in a cell with no windows, continual white noise, irregular interrogations and, supposedly, 189 water boarding sessions. These methods led to operational guidelines they were used on other terrorist captives. A large amount of information was gathered. One important result, after comparing the Sheik’s testimony with other captives, was the destruction of the largest Islamic terrorist group in Southeast Asia.
The interview, and obviously the book, bring back all the horror of that day and how our world was changed.