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The War on Terror: The American Home Front

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    A rare look inside the Department of Homeland Security

  • Duration 9:12
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This transcript is automatically generated

Good evening I'm Oliver North and that's lady liberty right behind.

Shining a light for all to see.

Welcome to this special edition of war stories we're here at historic New York Harbor aboard the 173.

-- circle lines seven.

Well before this vessel started carrying tourists around Manhattan.

It was -- guy won 91 and amphibious assault craft that -- American troops ashore during the today we're at war again pitted against terrorists who strike without warning it's a war that started here three years ago yesterday.

When nineteen men hijacked four airplanes and killed nearly 3000 feet here in New York Washington DC and Pennsylvania.

The attack on 9/11 01 but the surprise assault on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Stunned America.

But it also -- this action.

Conduits for an unprecedented look inside the Department of Homeland Security.

The agency responsible for mobilizing and protecting us against -- -- deadly and elusive enemy.

It's a battle that we must win.

And we've done it before.

The -- part of that but god rose above the United States.

Big big which will live in infamy.

Thousands -- struck fear in the hearts and when an explosion -- -- place.

Rebuild -- city.

And to bring to justice those who did this you.

-- itself was attacked this morning thank you -- power.

We use our adversary.

-- -- -- The Haitian.

Some sophisticated.

Patient.

Lethal.

Within weeks of the 9/11 attacks former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge was sworn in as our nation's first director of the office of Homeland Security.

An army veteran who served in Vietnam was awarded the bronze star for valor in 1970.

I can't figure any association which -- more proud to have -- wouldn't -- Tonight you'll meet some of the men and women who are leading the fight in the war on terror here in the American -- Many are veterans of Vietnam the gulf wars -- and -- Iraq and Afghanistan.

Others have joined -- trenches of law enforcement and intelligence services.

You have enormous responsibilities.

And everything from ports and airports integrations -- trying to bring in what 22 different federal agencies and underneath.

By and large.

I have wandered around.

An -- we have to be right over a million times here.

-- -- -- -- During the American revolution we usually some terroristic attacks.

Because we did not have formal army -- for the most part laughing for -- individuals were not under government command.

-- it was Maxwell -- research technicians for fairness and his new book Homeland Security.

A documentary history.

And if the actions being taken by government today in response to Homeland Security threats very similar to actions taken back to American history.

From the moment the colonies declared themselves free and independent the founding fathers recognized the freedom would always require safeguarding by its citizens.

-- -- Sedition -- in -- 1798.

Give the president the authority to.

Prison and report any millions and He -- -- for the country.

The public response to quite similar to the response to the Patriot Act passed in October 2001.

The Patriot Act broaden the government's authority to better control our borders and detain or remove those deemed a threat critics say the act goes too far.

Supporters say it doesn't go far enough.

But laws like the Patriot Act are nothing new in time of war.

-- -- -- Of the civil war and if you 61 president Abraham Lincoln started issuing proclamations.

From the universe of habeas corpus the -- those -- prisoner.

Has the right to challenge his imprisonment in court before it.

And I continued until the end of the war.

President Woodrow Wilson if the proclamation.

Monitoring the movements of aliens with the United States has basic concern with the aliens might be here conditions plans and that's exactly.

But what happened in 1916 on the eve of World War I German agents -- munitions -- -- and black -- island near the statue of liberty.

After that attack 6000 European enemy aliens in America.

We're in turn by the war department for the duration of World War I.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor.

President Franklin Roosevelt signed executive order 96.

Six He would personally read hundreds of intercepted and -- -- Japanese cables indicating a vast spy network operating in the United States.

As a result.

4121000.

Ethnic Japanese and 31000.

Enemy aliens from the axis nations.

Replaced an internment camps around.

We'll watch them -- -- coast to coast citizens were told to prepare for attacks and look out for the enemy.

-- -- And -- the lives.

Nearly four dozen German spies and seven tourists were infiltrated into the United States all of them more law.

But his World War II -- the American homeland faced a new threats.

And I couldn't -- and immigrant.

During the 1950s and the fear was that congress within the government work for murdering US policy.

Currently the fears of al-Qaeda cells.

Plotted attacks the United States.

So here's -- -- -- the people.

Unknown origin unknown background.

In the country and then they were doing -- detriment.

And another.

Many of my generation remember growing up at the height that the Cold War.

Hiding under dance during civil defense drills in case the Communist tactics.

It's Obama duck and cover.

Today duck and cover may seem ridiculous to some but the threat of nuclear attack by the Soviet Union was very real.

They'll film reveal the presence on Cuban soil.

-- offensive Russian nuclear weapons.

Fallout shelters in civil defense -- became part of American life.

In 1967.

Is -- no word about how.

Vietnam War for -- national convention -- the FBI.

Conducted surveillance on your anti war groups and individual program.

The confirmed what these people might be radical enough try to overthrow the government.

The many anti war protesters were peaceful -- more radical and violent organizations like the weathermen and the city's liberation army.

Up until 9/11 much of our attention was harmful effects on the homeland where.

Worried about terrorist attacks against American voters.

In the 1970s.

Were terrorists overseas hijacked American airplanes took Americans hostage murdered him.

And blue airplanes out of -- -- US servicemen and government facilities were attacked with a relative impunity.

It until February.

The thousand plus.

Dollars in damage -- terrible they did not get through that the success.

April 1995.

Oklahoma City.

Radical Islamic terrorists were initially suspected in the bombing of the Alfred P.

Murrah Federal Building.

-- 168.

People -- But the man behind it we're all American terrorists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

The -- -- did -- -- from 1993 attack on the World Trade Center with the help I would come.

Back to finish off any projects.

-- We woke up on.

On 9/11 would -- -- water interface.

Admiral James lawyers the former commandant of the US Coast Guard Vietnam veteran with 38 years of highly decorated government service and he's now the deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

This is -- Didn't He respects what were fourth and first of all we must hold on a sense of urgency.

-- already seen.

On occasion.

In the waning.

-- concern that so.

Dramatically expressed as Americans immediately.

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