''The Spymasters: CIA In the Crosshairs'' is a 2015 documentary film which covers the experience of the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

as seen through the eyes of the twelve living CIA directors, all of whom were interviewed for the film. Directed and produced by Jules Naudet, Gedeon Naudet, and Chris Whipple, the documentary was aired on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

in the United States November 28, 2015. The project involved interviews which took more than a year and a half to conduct, beginning with former

Director of Central Intelligence The director of central intelligence (DCI) was the head of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1946 to 2004, acting as the principal intelligence advisor to the president of the United States and the United States National Se ...

and 41st president

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

and ending with

George Tenet George John Tenet (born January 5, 1953) is an American intelligence official and academic who served as the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, as well as a Distinguished Professor in the Pr ...

. The film also contains interviews with numerous other government figures and addresses the September 11 attacks,

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, and

weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a Biological agent, biological, chemical weapon, chemical, Radiological weapon, radiological, nuclear weapon, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great dam ...

controversies, as well as

drone strikes Drone warfare is a form of warfare using military drones or military robots. The robots may be remote controlled or have varying levels of autonomy during their mission. Types of robots include unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) or weaponi ...

. The disagreements among the former directors underscore the issues confronting the Agency, political leaders, and the American people. The former directors and the current director, however, seem to agree when it comes to War on Terror: "You cannot kill your way out of this."

References

External links

*
Showtime ''Spymasters'' pageReview in ''The Guardian''Review in ''The Wall Street Journal''''Fresh Air'' Interview
2015 television films 2015 films Documentary films about the Central Intelligence Agency American documentary television films 2010s American films Films directed by Jules and Gédéon Naudet {{2010s-US-documentary-film-stub

See also

References

External links