Jeremy Scahill - Dirty Wars

436 “Anatomy of a Lead”:Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo, “The Man Who Hunted Osama bin Laden,” Associated Press, July 5, 2011. Peter Bergen supplies more details of the memos—the title “Closing In on Usama bin Ladin’s Courier” is also from Bergen, Manhunt, p. 127.

436 “pattern of life” analysis:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 131.

436 “the Pacer”:Bob Woodward, “Death of Osama bin Laden: Phone Call Pointed U.S. to Compound—and to ‘the Pacer,’” Washington Post, May 6, 2011.

436 “First of all, congratulations”:Ibid., pp. 166–167.

436 “McRaven assigned”:Siobhan Gorman and Julian E. Barnes, “Spy, Military Ties Aided bin Laden Raid,” Wall Street Journal , May 23, 2011.

437 “Atlantic City”:Ibid.

437 number of other options:Ibid. Also see Bergen, Manhunt, p. 167.

437 feared Davis could be killed:Gorman and Barnes, “Spy, Military Ties Aided bin Laden Raid.”

437 desert in Nevada:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 184.

438 “wild-goose chase”:Owen, No Easy Day , p. 5.

438 “almost thirty people in the room”:Ibid., p. 147.

438 “some kind of dream team”:Ibid., pp. 147–148.

438 “speculation was rampant”:Ibid., p. 149.

438 “No fucking way”:Ibid., p. 154.

438 chosen for the operation:Details of the team makeup come from ibid., p. 158.

438 “house in amazing detail”:Ibid., p. 160.

438 “Road to Abbottabad”:Ibid., p. 163.

439 “accustomed to hearing helicopters”:Ibid., p. 173.

439 “On this mission”:Ibid., p. 168.

439 “In terms of difficulty”:Bergen, Manhunt, pp. 185–186.

439 “it helps that he’s from central casting”:Ibid., p. 185.

439 “A lawyer from either”:Owen, No Easy Day , p. 177.

440 “What are the odds”:Conversation between Bissonnette and “Jen,” ibid., pp. 182–184.

440 8:20 a.m.:Mark Mazzetti and Helene Cooper, “Detective Work on Courier Led to Breakthrough on Bin Laden,” New York Times, May 2, 2011.

440 “It’s a go”:Tom Donilon, interview for History Channel special, Targeting Bin Laden , broadcast September 6, 2011.

440 “Try not to shoot”:Owen, No Easy Day , p. 192.

440 promoted to SOCOM commander:Ibid., p. 275.

440 “And we’ll get Obama reelected”:Ibid., p. 193.

441 moonless night:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 192.

441 delay the raid:Ibid., p. 208.

441 “I couldn’t have any more confidence”:Jake Tapper, “President Obama to National Security Team: ‘It’s a Go,’” Political Punch (blog), ABCNews.go.com, May 2, 2011.

441 Correspondents’ Dinner:“2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” C-Span video, 1:28:17, coverage of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 30, 2011, www.c-spanvideo.org/program/299256-1.

441 “standing room only”:Owen, No Easy Day , p. 194.

441 “The story was preposterous”:Ibid., p. 195.

442 given them the green light:Ibid., p. 196.

442 around 8:00 a.m.:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 212.

442 Costco:Nicholas Schmidle, “Getting Bin Laden: What Happened That Night in Abbottabad,” New Yorker , August 8, 2011.

442 Multiple pizzerias:Interview with President Barack Obama, “Inside the Situation Room,” Rock Center, NBC, May 2, 2012.

442 At around 1:00 p.m.:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 213.

442 round of golf:Darlene Superville (AP), “Obama’s Golf Shoes a Clue to bin Laden Raid?” NBCnews.com, May 3, 2011.

442 could only seat seven people:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 217.

442 RQ-170 stealth drone, secure communications:Schmidle, “Getting Bin Laden.”

442 told to stay put:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 217.

442 inner circle was arguing:Ibid.

442 “I need to watch this”:Schmidle, “Getting Bin Laden.”

443 “ended up [on a] folding chair”:Interview with President Barack Obama, “Inside the Situation Room.”

443 11:00 p.m. in Abbottabad:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 214.

443 Black Hawks took off:Schmidle, “Getting Bin Laden.”

443 “It was nail-biting time”:Interview with John Brennan, Targeting Bin Laden , History Channel special, broadcast September 6, 2011.

443 rumored to be developing:Christopher Drew, “Attack on Bin Laden Used Stealthy Helicopter That Had Been a Secret,” New York Times, May 5, 2011.

443 “nap of the earth”:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 215.

443 “Any time that you’ve got a mission”:Author interview, General Hugh Shelton, March 2011.

443 Three MH-47 Chinooks:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 216.

443 Kala Dhaka:Schmidle, “Getting Bin Laden.”

443 twenty minutes:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 220.

443 monitored the events:Ibid., p. 216.

444 occasional question:Peter Bergen, Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden—from 9/11 to Abbottabad (New York: Crown Publishers, 2012), p. 218.

444 ten minutes:Mark Owen, with Kevin Maurer, No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden (New York: Dutton, 2012), p. 210.

444 “Several of the houses we passed”:Ibid., pp. 210–211.

444 “Looking down thirty feet into the compound”:Ibid., p. 6.

444 high temperature, weight of the stealth system:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 218.

444 “we’re going in”:Owen, No Easy Day , p. 8.

445 “The helicopter shuddered”:Ibid., p. 214.

445 “If any other part of the helicopter”:Ibid., p. 215.

445 “My heart sank”:Ibid., p. 7.

445 “That wasn’t in the script”:Interview with Barack Obama, History Channel special, Targeting Bin Laden , broadcast September 6, 2011.

445 “Those were really intense moments”:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 219.

445 “everyone went, like, ‘Whoa’”:Interview with Joe Biden, “Inside the Situation Room,” Rock Center, NBC, May 2, 2012.

445 “We will now be amending”:Bergen, Manhunt, p. 220.

446 “His demeanor did not change”:Interview with Ben Rhodes, History Channel special, Targeting Bin Laden , broadcast September 6, 2011.

446 “a cool customer”:Interview with Barack Obama, “Inside the Situation Room,” Rock Center, NBC, May 2, 2012.

446 “We had a sense that”:Interview with Barack Obama, History Channel special, Targeting Bin Laden .

446 “He is dead”:Owen, No Easy Day , p. 222.