0:00:03 > 0:00:06It was the scoop of the century.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09WikiLeaks lifts the curtain on the secret communications
0:00:09 > 0:00:13between Washington and the diplomats we have stationed all over the globe.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18I'm not aware of any release of information in human history
0:00:18 > 0:00:23comparable to the amount that was released via WikiLeaks.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27These were cables that showed a superpower's secret thoughts.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30A quarter of a million US diplomatic messages,
0:00:30 > 0:00:34apparently stolen by one of their own soldiers,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38turned into a global sensation by a whistle-blowing website
0:00:38 > 0:00:42and its controversial founder Julian Assange.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44I like crushing bastards.
0:00:44 > 0:00:50We've dug deep into the cables to uncover stories America did not want you to hear -
0:00:50 > 0:00:55the difference between what the US says in public and what it says in private.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00Last time, we revealed from the cables how America treats its allies.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Now, we investigate how it confronts its nightmares.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Like how it struggles with Russian aggression...
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Russia was laying down a marker.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12"We're still the big dog in the neighbourhood and you have to work with us."
0:01:12 > 0:01:16..China's rising economic power...
0:01:16 > 0:01:19The level of the US debt to China
0:01:19 > 0:01:23is a national security concern.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26..its military might...
0:01:26 > 0:01:30They have a targeted approach to identify our vulnerabilities.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34..and the ultimate threat - an Iranian bomb.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38I've had three American presidents saying Iran getting a weapon is unacceptable.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43From our detailed examination of the secrets within the cables,
0:01:43 > 0:01:50we ask if America, in an increasingly defiant world, faces losing its dominance.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53It's not a superpower that can click its fingers
0:01:53 > 0:01:56and expect the rest of the world to come to heel.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12There has never been a country as powerful as the United States.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Tens of thousands of diplomats around the world
0:02:14 > 0:02:18report to Washington on the business of the empire.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23They communicate through secret cables
0:02:23 > 0:02:25that were never meant to be seen by the world.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30Because of the WikiLeaks release, we can all read their private thoughts.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Some of these cables were light-hearted,
0:02:34 > 0:02:40reporting on scandalous rumours and the pursuit of America's ideals in the world.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Others were darker.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58There are secret reports
0:02:58 > 0:03:02of old enemies flexing their muscles.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18And dire warnings of the dangers of Iran with a nuclear weapon.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34The publication of confidential US diplomatic cables by the website WikiLeaks...
0:03:34 > 0:03:38The founder, Julian Assange, is now on Interpol's Most Wanted list.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Russia has dismissed fresh WikiLeaks disclosures.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45Once again, some of the leaks are embarrassing, but some could be dangerous.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48The revelation of all of these documents
0:03:48 > 0:03:51is extraordinarily embarrassing for the US.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55This disclosure is not just an attack
0:03:55 > 0:03:58of America's Foreign Policy interests,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01it is an attack on the international community.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09We've spent months analysing all quarter of a million leaked cables.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Taken together,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15they offer a striking new analysis of the state of the superpower.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18They show a nation struggling to achieve its goals,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21facing defiance around the world,
0:04:21 > 0:04:25and locked into confrontation with old enemies and with new ones.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Reading the cables, there is a fear that has never really gone away -
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Russia.
0:04:39 > 0:04:46The secret documents showing the rise to power of Vladimir Putin in control of a more hostile Kremlin
0:04:46 > 0:04:49gives America sleepless nights.
0:04:49 > 0:04:55Russia's aggression is played out in the former Soviet states at its border.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Bizarrely, one of the people recorded in the secret documents
0:05:01 > 0:05:04pointing this out, is Prince Andrew.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06One cable describes a lunch the Prince attended
0:05:06 > 0:05:10in the tiny Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32But behind the bluster, Andrew had a serious message.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35He referred to a new Great Game,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39a struggle with Russia for control in the region.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04One of Andrew's great concerns, as reported in the secret cables,
0:06:04 > 0:06:09was Russia's increasing efforts to gain influence in Central Asia.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13The Prince's warning that Russia was a growing threat
0:06:13 > 0:06:15is reflected in many cables.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19This cable quotes the Kazakh ambassador to Washington.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23He says the Russians want the Americans out.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33We tracked the ambassador down.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38I'm not saying this is you, but this is what the Americans were telling themselves you said,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42"Russia is now playing a new Great Game for all its worth
0:06:42 > 0:06:45"and wants you totally out of Central Asia."
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Er.. I...
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Of course, this is a quote of me by someone else.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I do not take it as a truth.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56He has interpreted maybe me -
0:06:56 > 0:07:01- It seems very clear, though. - No. What I was trying to say,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05we have a very close and meaningful relationship with Russia,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08but I doubt that I said
0:07:08 > 0:07:12that Russia wants to kick you out, completely out of the region.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16The cables reveal how diplomats work,
0:07:16 > 0:07:21the often large gap that exists between public and private.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27You will say, as part of your job, one thing to me in an interview,
0:07:27 > 0:07:28but behind closed doors,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32you might say something different to somebody from the US.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36No, er... Well, er...
0:07:36 > 0:07:40In normal life, what you say at home, er,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42sometimes is a bit different
0:07:42 > 0:07:45from what you say outside the home, right?
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Finally, we can go beyond
0:07:48 > 0:07:51the public statements and official platitudes
0:07:51 > 0:07:57and hear what diplomats really say behind closed doors.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Particularly on the subject of Russia.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04This is one of the great stories of the cables.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07The Cold War may be over,
0:08:07 > 0:08:11but America's confrontation with Russia has never really ended.
0:08:21 > 0:08:27"..to transfer the S300 long-range air-defence system to Iran."
0:08:42 > 0:08:44First, I'd like to congratulate President Putin
0:08:44 > 0:08:47for being the only person that caught a fish today.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51- We got one fish, but that was a... - A team effort!
0:08:51 > 0:08:55- The merit goes to the captain. - That's very thoughtful of you!
0:08:55 > 0:08:57In 2007, publically,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01the US was trying to show how close the two countries were,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Bush and Putin acting like the best of friends.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09I've come to the conclusion that when Russia and America speaks along the same lines,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11it tends to have an effect.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16But as they were cosying up for the cameras,
0:09:16 > 0:09:22privately, US diplomats were gathering worrying rumours about the state of Russia.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41"..the elections were not legitimate."
0:09:44 > 0:09:49"The prosecutor considers Russia to be a virtual 'Mafia state'."
0:09:52 > 0:09:56And the cables show these views were held at the highest levels.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Former Defence Secretary Robert Gates
0:09:59 > 0:10:03regularly met the most senior Russian politicians and commanders.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06We can now see his private thoughts.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14"..Gates observed that Russian democracy has disappeared..."
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- Do you stand by that?- I wouldn't say that democracy has disappeared,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25but I would say it's under a real challenge.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Dissidents and spies, politicians and journalists,
0:10:29 > 0:10:35the Americans get their information from anyone who's prepared to talk.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39We've tracked one of the key informants in Moscow.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Sergei Kanev is an investigative reporter
0:10:43 > 0:10:47for one of Russia's independent newspapers.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07Kanev helps us understand how the cables are assembled.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09American diplomats pursue gossip and rumour,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11gathered up by the armful.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14He says he was called by the US Embassy
0:11:14 > 0:11:18and asked to meet an "official" called Sonia.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37She clearly took him seriously.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Kanev's views were wired back to Washington.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51But Kanev says this was low-level intelligence gathering.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54The woman he met appeared almost naive
0:11:54 > 0:11:56and seemed to know little of Russian life.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29"..and he speculated that the suitcases are full of money."
0:12:34 > 0:12:36The cables show increasing concerns
0:12:36 > 0:12:39about Putin's attitude to the West.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43And America's sources don't hold back
0:12:43 > 0:12:46in their descriptions of him.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06The cables show the Americans particularly worried about Putin's attitude
0:13:06 > 0:13:10to the countries around Russia.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Is there a sense that the Russians are trying to exert more influence
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- in countries around their borders? - No question about it.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- Should we be worried about that? - We are worried about it
0:13:21 > 0:13:23and it's why we try to counter it.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27One of the ways they did this
0:13:27 > 0:13:29was to encourage these border countries
0:13:29 > 0:13:33to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36the military alliance of Western countries
0:13:36 > 0:13:40formed to counterbalance Russia during the Cold War.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45The cables report Putin's attitude to NATO.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03For 50 years, NATO had been America's first line of defence against Russia.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06But in recent years, it had expanded
0:14:06 > 0:14:09and former Soviet countries were now part of the alliance
0:14:09 > 0:14:11and to Russia's fury,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14NATO was now at its border.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19Putin being himself, you know, a very aggressive guy,
0:14:19 > 0:14:24he viewed this as a very aggressive act.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29He felt he had to kind of break out of this encirclement
0:14:29 > 0:14:33that he saw NATO as having planned for him.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43The Russians started to behave aggressively to those wanting to join NATO,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47like the small ex-Soviet state of Georgia.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51One cable reports Russia, in an exchange about the supply of gas,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54demonstrating its power.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12By 2008, American advisers were training Georgian troops,
0:15:12 > 0:15:17and negotiations for their country to join NATO were at an advanced stage.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Hold the safety pin... SECOND SOLDIER TRANSLATES
0:15:20 > 0:15:26At that moment, Georgia's tensions with Russia turned to violence.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41The early cables reflect America's horror.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53"..as continued Russian attacks are inflicting terror on the population."
0:15:56 > 0:15:58At the start of the crisis,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02the US was careful to condemn the violence on both sides.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06The situation can be resolved peacefully.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12We've been in contact with leaders in both Georgia and Russia, at all levels of government.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17We have urged an immediate halt to the violence and a stand-down by all troops.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23But the secret cables show that even though Georgia made the first strike,
0:16:23 > 0:16:30from the start, US diplomats were seeing the confrontation through Georgia's eyes.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Many felt the idea of Russian tanks rolling into a neighbouring country
0:16:46 > 0:16:49had been banished with the end of the Cold War.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- What were the US saying? - They were furious.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55And they, er, believed
0:16:55 > 0:17:00that this was a bad reversion to Cold War-style politics.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08Many Russians believed there was more to this than a mere border dispute.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Sergey Karagonov was an adviser to the Kremlin.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14In political terms, we were stopping their,
0:17:14 > 0:17:19er, the logic of, er, indefinite NATO expansion.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24It was a confrontation with NATO, er, which we won. That's it.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Russia was laying down a marker and saying,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32"We're still the big dog in the neighbourhood."
0:17:33 > 0:17:35There were very, very high tensions.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Famously, the Russian Foreign Minister
0:17:38 > 0:17:42used some expletives to me in a phone call
0:17:42 > 0:17:44at the time of the crisis.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46So it was a very charged atmosphere.
0:17:46 > 0:17:52And the spectre was of real... conflict,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54not of a military kind,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57but of a diplomatic, ongoing diplomatic conflict.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Those tensions between the West and Russia were plain to see.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05But the cables allow us to go inside the room,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08to see the extraordinary personal nature
0:18:08 > 0:18:11of the confrontation between the West and Russia.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18The Americans report that when the French President Nicolas Sarkozy
0:18:18 > 0:18:21meets the Russians to talk about a peace plan for Georgia,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24he ends up attacking the Russian Foreign Minister.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33"..and at times became openly hostile."
0:18:43 > 0:18:48Russia routed Georgia's army, and America was powerless to stop it.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53The cables show how other countries around Russia reacted to the war.
0:19:02 > 0:19:08For the first time, we can see the dramatic effect.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11This cable reflects the fear
0:19:11 > 0:19:14felt in the former Soviet state of Estonia.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Any country that was formerly part of the Soviet Union,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31that was a former republic of the Soviet Union,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35would've looked what happened to Georgia and thought "This is a real worry."
0:19:35 > 0:19:38They're small countries next to a very big country,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40and that always induces feelings of fear.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44I think there's no question that the Georgia crisis exacerbated that.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Estonia was already a member of the NATO alliance.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55But in 2008, after the war in Georgia,
0:19:55 > 0:20:00that was no longer enough to make it feel safe.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03What the Baltic states wanted was a plan.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05They'd been in NATO for four years,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08but, unbelievably, there was no strategy in place
0:20:08 > 0:20:11to protect Estonia from attack.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Kurt Volker was the US ambassador to NATO.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19I came at this from having worked on NATO issues for 20 years
0:20:19 > 0:20:24and my instinctive reaction was, what they're asking for is normal.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26It's a defensive alliance.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Our obligation, by treaty, is to defend each other if attacked
0:20:30 > 0:20:34and the prudent and responsible thing to do is therefore make plans.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37There was initially a murmur or wave
0:20:37 > 0:20:39that said, "Oh, no, that would be provocative!"
0:20:41 > 0:20:46And for the first time, the cables allow us to see into this secret crisis
0:20:46 > 0:20:49at the heart of the Western Alliance.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54Throughout 2009, attempts were made to come up with a plan.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56But it's clear from the cables
0:20:56 > 0:21:00in private, America's allies in Europe were nervous.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03They didn't want to do or say anything
0:21:03 > 0:21:06that might suggest confrontation with Russia.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17"..that the Alliance and Russia are on course toward a new Cold War."
0:21:26 > 0:21:28This is now a serious issue for the West.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33If NATO can't agree on a plan to protect the nervous Baltic states from Russia,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35then NATO itself is threatened.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38So this is a kind of Cold War-style crisis
0:21:38 > 0:21:42happening in the 21st century, and happening in secret,
0:21:42 > 0:21:47the issue being how the West protects itself from Russian aggression.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06These were very sensitive times.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10At the end of 2009, NATO made a public approach to Russia
0:22:10 > 0:22:13for help in Afghanistan.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18In private, they were concluding plans, known as Eagle Guardian,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21to protect the Baltic states from any Russian threat.
0:22:22 > 0:22:28The plans made clear where NATO units were to be deployed in the event of an attack.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34But it was decided to keep the plan secret,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36and not just from the Russians.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41We've found a cable that suggests the secrecy was essential to the unity of NATO itself.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06An American nightmare was coming true.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11Rumours of the Eagle Guardian plan had already been around before the cable release,
0:23:11 > 0:23:16but through WikiLeaks, the Russians could now see the detail.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28And some in Russia believed the deal, and the secrecy,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31showed how weak NATO had become.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36It showed us, er, simply that
0:23:36 > 0:23:39the obvious fact that NATO is not a very unified alliance.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Nobody in Europe wants the return of the Cold War
0:23:43 > 0:23:47like, er, some weird persons in White House
0:23:47 > 0:23:49or, er, in the state department.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53I dare to say to my military commanders
0:23:53 > 0:23:56that if we wish, we could attack.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58NATO would, er, collapse.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00After the whole cable release,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02there was fury in the Russian Government
0:24:02 > 0:24:05at the way their country had been portrayed,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08and with the people who had helped the Americans.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45The cable leak affected relations at the highest levels.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49What do you think it did to the relationship between the United States and Russia?
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Without any question, individual relationships are harmed
0:24:53 > 0:24:56and many ambassadors will tell you they were harmed,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59that relationships they had spent a long time building,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02you know, there is a real chill.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07America's alliances weren't strong enough
0:25:07 > 0:25:10to contain its old enemy, Russia.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14But the cables show the US also has a difficult relationship
0:25:14 > 0:25:18with the world's rising power - China.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27The United States has to tread carefully when it deals with China.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31No other nation comes as near to the United States economically
0:25:31 > 0:25:35and China continues to develop its military machine.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42The cables reveal a major military confrontation with China
0:25:42 > 0:25:45that happened largely in secret.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49It started in January 2007, when, without warning,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53the Chinese Army shot down one of their own satellites.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58They know how dependent we are on satellites
0:25:58 > 0:26:00for intelligence communications and so on,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04thus, their development of an anti-satellite capability.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07They have a sophisticated and targeted approach
0:26:07 > 0:26:10to identify our vulnerabilities.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Privately, the Americans registered their anger at the Chinese move,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19but they were determined to keep public relations warm.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24We don't want to see a situation where there is any militarisation of space.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27I believe there is reason to be optimistic
0:26:27 > 0:26:29about the US-China relationship.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Behind the scenes, things were very different.
0:26:35 > 0:26:41The two powers were now locked into a confrontation about military power in space
0:26:41 > 0:26:44and the tone of the cables was direct and angry.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59And what's interesting, in contrast to the public pleasantries,
0:26:59 > 0:27:04is the open aggression in the cables sent to the Chinese.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08In one cable, sent from the then-US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11the familiar, tactful language has gone.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22"..with a wide range of options, from diplomatic to military."
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill
0:27:25 > 0:27:30was one of those taking the lead in America's diplomacy with the Chinese.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Condoleezza Rice, she sends a very robust cable.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37It even raises the prospect of the use of force.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40That's an amazing sense of aggression and tension.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44She was obviously, angry with the Chinese, as we all were.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47She really did let them have it and I think they deserved it.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52This is the cables at their most revealing.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57The language now being traded between the US and China is fierce.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59The Chinese response to the American cables
0:27:59 > 0:28:01is just as aggressive.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Certainly, we put down a marker with the Chinese
0:28:15 > 0:28:18and made it very clear that we care about this.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21The Chinese are not going to say, "Goodness, we're sorry,
0:28:21 > 0:28:22"we'll never do it again."
0:28:22 > 0:28:25Instead they came back with a very, uh,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29you know, nasty statement of their own.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33The next message from America was not diplomatic.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35This is the USS Lake Erie,
0:28:35 > 0:28:40operating in the Pacific in the spring of 2008.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44The Americans are about to shoot down one of their own satellites.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50In public, America said that the satellite was out of control.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53But from the cables, we know the background
0:28:53 > 0:28:56and the message to China wasn't subtle.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00- You shot down one of your satellites?- That's right.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- Was that to teach them a lesson?- No.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07It was to prevent the satellite from falling to earth.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10But it clearly had the, uh,
0:29:10 > 0:29:13the ancillary benefit
0:29:13 > 0:29:16of demonstrating an important capability.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19The more you dig into the cables,
0:29:19 > 0:29:24the more the complexity of America's relationship with China is revealed.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29Despite China being their closest rival,
0:29:29 > 0:29:34the cables show the lengths America will go to to make the Chinese happy.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39This became dramatically clear in 2008,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42when China hosted the Olympic Games.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47REPORTER: Someone has tried to grab the torch from Konnie Huq,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49the Blue Peter presenter!
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Someone, a man...
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Protesters, angry at China's human rights record,
0:29:54 > 0:29:58tried to disrupt the journey of the Olympic Torch around the globe.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03This seemed to be the perfect moment for America to take a stand.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06We believe in human rights and human dignity.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09We believe in the human condition,
0:30:09 > 0:30:13we believe in freedom and we're willing to take the lead.
0:30:15 > 0:30:20I remember when the Torch Runners came to San Francisco,
0:30:20 > 0:30:24we wanted to try and avoid some of the same incidents
0:30:24 > 0:30:27that, if I remember correctly, occurred in Europe
0:30:27 > 0:30:30where they had been prevented from getting to their destination.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35On the day the torch was to be paraded through San Francisco,
0:30:35 > 0:30:40the route was shortened and changed at the last moment.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43It was one of the few places in the world
0:30:43 > 0:30:47where the journey of the torch was not interrupted by protesters.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51America betrayed one of its own ideals -
0:30:51 > 0:30:55the right to protest - to appease the Chinese.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58And a cable from the American Embassy in China
0:30:58 > 0:31:01suggests the gamble paid off.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Some world leaders decided not to attend the games themselves
0:31:15 > 0:31:18because of China's human rights record,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21but America chose to go.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24It was another US attempt to show support for China.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27I'm going to the Olympics. I view it as a sporting event.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31I'm not going to...use the Olympics
0:31:31 > 0:31:35as an opportunity to express my opinions to the Chinese people in a public way,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38because I do it all the time with the president.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42It was an important statement by George W Bush -
0:31:42 > 0:31:43"We value the relationship,
0:31:43 > 0:31:48"we understand the importance of this issue to you."
0:31:48 > 0:31:52"And so, when we have issues that we say are important to us,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55"we hope you will also pay attention." That's the message.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03But did the strategy work?
0:32:03 > 0:32:05One of the issues America often raised
0:32:05 > 0:32:09was the human rights of Chinese citizens.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42We raised specific cases,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45uh, in particular,
0:32:45 > 0:32:49an individual, noted individual who's being detained,
0:32:49 > 0:32:53who we would urge that they release.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58We tried to do it more in private than in public,
0:32:58 > 0:33:04just in terms of, uh, not antagonising, uh, the Chinese.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07This is always a very delicate balance.
0:33:07 > 0:33:08Now, thanks to the cables,
0:33:08 > 0:33:12we can see who America was trying to help behind closed doors
0:33:12 > 0:33:14and how they did it.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33Individual cases were raised at the highest level.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35We've tracked this couple down.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40Hu Jia and his wife Zeng Jinyan are human rights campaigners
0:33:40 > 0:33:44and have been in conflict with the authorities for six years.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47This video, shot by the couple themselves,
0:33:47 > 0:33:52shows the sort of intimidation they have faced over those years.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56Zeng confronts the secret police, who follow her every move.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02We could only reach her by video phone.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21In desperation, Zeng appealed to the American Embassy for help.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25What did you think they would go and do?
0:34:36 > 0:34:40What did they say to you? What did they say they would do?
0:34:44 > 0:34:49And now, thanks to the cables, we can see the Americans did raise the case.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03But there are accusations that this effort was half-hearted.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Sophie Richardson is a human rights expert
0:35:22 > 0:35:24who monitors China.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28I think one of the things that the cables reveal
0:35:28 > 0:35:34is a gap between what people knew, which was quite a bit,
0:35:34 > 0:35:38and what they were doing about it, which was not nearly enough.
0:35:40 > 0:35:46We can see America struggling to influence China in the way it would like.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50One of the reasons for this is China's new economic strength,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53a truth captured in one revelatory cable.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55Hillary Clinton is talking about China
0:35:55 > 0:35:58with her team from the State Department.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17After the financial crisis of 2008,
0:36:17 > 0:36:21America went cap-in-hand to China.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25By effectively lending the US billions of dollars,
0:36:25 > 0:36:27China saved the superpower's finances.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32The Chinese became the America's largest foreign creditor.
0:36:32 > 0:36:37It marked a seismic shift in the balance of power between the two nations.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43The level of the US debt to China
0:36:43 > 0:36:46is a national security concern.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49It gives China leverage
0:36:49 > 0:36:52that has significant policy implications.
0:36:52 > 0:36:57We are... We understand that, intellectually,
0:36:57 > 0:37:02we, as a government, continue to wrestle with "what do we do about that?"
0:37:03 > 0:37:06In the months after the financial crisis,
0:37:06 > 0:37:12America bent over backwards to emphasise the warmth in its relationship with China.
0:37:12 > 0:37:17I appreciate greatly the Chinese Government's continuing confidence
0:37:17 > 0:37:21in the United States treasuries.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25But in private, American diplomats were watching China change,
0:37:25 > 0:37:29developing a new arrogance in its diplomacy.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31And in secret cables they thought we would never read,
0:37:31 > 0:37:35they make increasingly undiplomatic comments.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47And America realises its influence over China is diminishing.
0:37:47 > 0:37:53Diplomats secretly acknowledge that China is no longer listening.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02The cables report
0:38:02 > 0:38:05that China is even turning the arguments about human rights
0:38:05 > 0:38:07against America.
0:38:18 > 0:38:23The Chinese do not shy away from, um, you know, using anger
0:38:23 > 0:38:28and from speaking very, very plainly on these things.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30Not all diplomatic engagements are decisive.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
0:38:33 > 0:38:36and then sometimes it just, it doesn't change.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42In the end, the cables track a failing strategy.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46A strong China chose to ignore a weakened America
0:38:46 > 0:38:49and repression has worsened.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53The reality is, that we are eight or nine months into...
0:38:53 > 0:38:57..the worst crackdown we've seen in China in about 15 years.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02And though the US raised her case at the highest levels,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05little has changed for Zeng Jinyan.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10So, what we see in that film, is that still going on?
0:39:14 > 0:39:18So, there are people outside your house right now?
0:39:20 > 0:39:23And, if anything, the WikiLeaks cable release
0:39:23 > 0:39:26has only served to harden the conviction of some in China
0:39:26 > 0:39:30that the Americans can't be trusted.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34I think the cables, I think were...
0:39:34 > 0:39:38..became grist for a very conservative
0:39:38 > 0:39:41kind of hard-line element in China
0:39:41 > 0:39:47whose entire modus operandi, modus vivendi is,
0:39:47 > 0:39:49"You must avoid talking to foreigners.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53"You must be very careful dealing with foreigners."
0:39:55 > 0:39:58The story of China, told through the cables,
0:39:58 > 0:40:02is a clear illustration of America's declining power.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07What we've found is the United States struggling to deal with its new rival.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09But there are other nations that America sees
0:40:09 > 0:40:12as a far more direct threat.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14And going through the cables,
0:40:14 > 0:40:18we tracked one crisis as it grew ever deeper.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22America's ultimate nightmare is Iran, armed with a nuclear weapon.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32The start of 2012
0:40:32 > 0:40:35has seen tensions rise between Iran and the West.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40The world's nuclear watchdog
0:40:40 > 0:40:45says it thinks Iran could be moving even closer to a nuclear weapon.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50The cables show how America tries and fails
0:40:50 > 0:40:53to stop its worst fear.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16"It may be well-suited, however, for a military purpose."
0:41:17 > 0:41:21It is possible that Iran could have this capability
0:41:21 > 0:41:24and we need to take it seriously. Now.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33But despite America's fears and the President's strong words,
0:41:33 > 0:41:36the US has a weakness when it comes to Iran.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40Since the siege of their embassy in 1979,
0:41:40 > 0:41:44the US has never re-established diplomatic relations.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48It's one of the few places on the planet
0:41:48 > 0:41:51where there are no Americans sending cables.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56The vital flow of gossip was cut off.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02From my view, we never know enough about what's going on inside,
0:42:02 > 0:42:07particularly inside the circles of power in Iran.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13But by 2006,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17fresh Iranian nuclear plans meant that had to change.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20The US Government created a web of informers,
0:42:20 > 0:42:23called the Iran Watchers.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25We tracked down a state department official
0:42:25 > 0:42:28who monitored their cables.
0:42:28 > 0:42:33They started out in a handful of countries and European capitals in Istanbul and Dubai.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35They would talk to Iranian businessmen,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38former Iranian diplomats, former government officials,
0:42:38 > 0:42:44academics, activists, students, intellectuals.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47They were what they call Iran Watchers.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51The Iran Watchers are an extraordinary group.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Not quite spies, but crucial in the gathering of intelligence.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57CHANTING
0:42:59 > 0:43:04The activities and identities of the Iran Watchers were supposed to be confidential.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08Now, thanks to WikiLeaks, those secrets are out.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15"An Iranian law professor, well known in Iran-Watcher circles,
0:43:15 > 0:43:20"offered his views on his 'childhood friend', President Ahmadinejad."
0:43:47 > 0:43:50As ever with the cables,
0:43:50 > 0:43:52it's the detail that's extraordinary.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54It's clear from the flow of information
0:43:54 > 0:43:57that one of Washington's key sources was based in London.
0:44:07 > 0:44:12He provided the Iran Watchers, based in the UK, with crucial information.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14We've tracked him down.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26They contact me, "Alireza, I am so and so,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29"I'm an American diplomat working for this office."
0:44:29 > 0:44:34I don't like to go to embassies or sit in a coffee shop outside,
0:44:34 > 0:44:41then somebody say, "I saw Alireza talking to this American spy."
0:44:41 > 0:44:44So they come to my office. We sit, we talk.
0:44:47 > 0:44:53Now we can read the secret intelligence he was passing on in the cables.
0:44:54 > 0:44:59I had a very reliable source in Iraq.
0:44:59 > 0:45:06He gave me a lot of information about the Iranian agents in Iraq.
0:45:06 > 0:45:11I met an American diplomat. We talked about it.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16That information was sent to Washington in a cable.
0:45:29 > 0:45:34They are very happy that at least somebody else, beside them,
0:45:34 > 0:45:36is confirming that.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41The cables dealt with a range of issues and, as ever,
0:45:41 > 0:45:43any gossip or information was coveted.
0:45:46 > 0:45:51In mid-2009, accusations of a rigged election in Iran
0:45:51 > 0:45:54led to violent protests on the streets.
0:45:54 > 0:45:59The Iran Watchers picked up rumours of what was going on within the regime.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03Amongst them, reports of an astonishing account
0:46:03 > 0:46:07of a confrontation between Iranian President Ahmadinejad
0:46:07 > 0:46:10and the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40It's one of the most shocking revelations in the cables,
0:46:40 > 0:46:43the sort of rumour the Americans were desperate for.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47That was absolutely true.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50The knowledge about that event
0:46:50 > 0:46:54was only between...
0:46:54 > 0:46:58..a bunch of people, only about seven, eight people.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00And when it came out
0:47:00 > 0:47:02everybody was shocked.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08When you get a cable like that, that's a big deal.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11If it ends up being true,
0:47:11 > 0:47:15it demonstrates significant fissures within the Iranian Government
0:47:15 > 0:47:17that could potentially be irreparable
0:47:17 > 0:47:21and the consequences and the repercussions of that potentially endless.
0:47:22 > 0:47:27Whether the rumour is true or not is impossible to test,
0:47:27 > 0:47:31but it's clear the Iran Watchers have plugged an intelligence hole for the US.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34Their significance is beyond doubt.
0:47:34 > 0:47:39Since this process of the Iran Watchers has been institutionalised,
0:47:39 > 0:47:42it's improved the understanding of Iran
0:47:42 > 0:47:45within the US Government exponentially.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53Their importance was also not lost on the regime in Tehran.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56Worrying cables started to filter back to Washington.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00It seemed the watchers and their sources were now targets.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18"..and friends in Iran suffer harassment, intimidation,
0:48:18 > 0:48:20"detention and worse."
0:48:24 > 0:48:29And Ali Nourizadeh claims he was one of the sources targeted.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33They tried to kill me.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35They sent, uh, the agent,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39a young man, who came and showed too much interest in me,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42and he followed me for a while.
0:48:42 > 0:48:46I went to United States because he was an American citizen,
0:48:46 > 0:48:48so he just came back from Iran
0:48:48 > 0:48:51and met me in United States.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55Nourizadeh's claim is supported by a secret cable
0:48:55 > 0:49:00which identifies the young man as an Iranian named Sadeqinia.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04The FBI was already secretly tracking him.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18When he was arrested, he was trying to hire a killer
0:49:18 > 0:49:22and the American arrested him and he confessed.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25So one day, people from the authority here,
0:49:25 > 0:49:29they came to my office, they talked to me and they said,
0:49:29 > 0:49:32"We are very concerned. Once again, you were a target."
0:49:32 > 0:49:36And this time, by this man.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40He wanted to poison me.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42I was shocked.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46I had to be vigilant and to be a bit more careful.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52Sadeqinia confessed to being an Iranian agent.
0:49:53 > 0:49:59Iran denies all allegations of an overseas assassination programme.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04But such stories, together with Iran's continuing nuclear development,
0:50:04 > 0:50:07revealed a new, more aggressive Iran.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10It's clear there was a growing concern in the Middle East
0:50:10 > 0:50:14at the prospect of Iran with a nuclear bomb.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18Some countries urged the United States
0:50:18 > 0:50:21to take military action.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25How vociferously were you being urged to attack Iran?
0:50:25 > 0:50:28Um, people were pretty, um,
0:50:28 > 0:50:32some people were pretty aggressive in pushing it.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36- Who was it? What were they saying? - I'm not going to go there!
0:50:37 > 0:50:41But now we know, thanks to the cables.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43Many of the calls, perhaps not surprisingly,
0:50:43 > 0:50:46came from Israeli politicians,
0:50:46 > 0:50:49like cabinet minister Yuval Steinitz.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00What we did, and we are still doing,
0:51:00 > 0:51:06is trying to encourage the Western World
0:51:06 > 0:51:10to handle this threat and to prevent it,
0:51:10 > 0:51:14because it's extremely dangerous threat,
0:51:14 > 0:51:17not just to Jews or to Israel or to the Middle East,
0:51:17 > 0:51:23but to the rest of the Western democratic civilisation all together.
0:51:26 > 0:51:31But the cables also contained a much bigger revelation...
0:51:31 > 0:51:34It wasn't only Israel that was calling for action.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36It was Iran's Arab neighbours, too,
0:51:36 > 0:51:38places like Saudi Arabia.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42In public, Saudi diplomats acted
0:51:42 > 0:51:45as though they wanted warm relations with Iran.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47Now, through the cables,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50we can read what the Saudis were saying in private,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53including their ambassador to the US, Adel al-Jubeir.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56The difference is striking.
0:52:09 > 0:52:15In public, the Americans didn't distance themselves from military action.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19They made clear all options against Iran were on the table.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22Our message to the leaders of Iran is also clear.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26America will confront those who threaten our troops,
0:52:26 > 0:52:28we will stand by our allies
0:52:28 > 0:52:31and we will defend our vital interests in the Persian Gulf.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44The enemy has made his intentions clear.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48The US strategy was to talk tough.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52But the cables show what they're were actually thinking.
0:52:52 > 0:52:57For years, the Americans were quite clear - they didn't want another war.
0:53:00 > 0:53:06"..wants to find an option - other than military confrontation."
0:53:08 > 0:53:10So, what could America do?
0:53:10 > 0:53:14It didn't want a fight, and Iran didn't seem keen to talk.
0:53:14 > 0:53:19Faced with such limited options, they chose a different path -
0:53:19 > 0:53:23to try and strangle the Iranian regime with sanctions.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31But the cables show this policy failed.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35There wasn't enough international support.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38The documents show that in America's opinion,
0:53:38 > 0:53:43countries like Germany said one thing in public, but another in private.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00In the end, only limited sanctions were introduced
0:54:00 > 0:54:03and these made little difference.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07The US is still faced with its worst nightmare.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11Let me give you a very dark scenario and I hope we never get there.
0:54:11 > 0:54:15We're speeding along a highway, the Iranian Nuclear Programme Highway,
0:54:15 > 0:54:19and a lot of off-ramps are starting to show up in our rear-view mirror,
0:54:19 > 0:54:22you know, the off-ramp about sanctioning,
0:54:22 > 0:54:24and we're speeding towards...
0:54:24 > 0:54:26And I can make out there's a fork in the road
0:54:26 > 0:54:29and I can even make out the signs,
0:54:29 > 0:54:33and the fork in the road says "Do something or do nothing."
0:54:33 > 0:54:35That's a horrible place to be.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38I've had three American presidents, three successive presidents,
0:54:38 > 0:54:41saying Iran getting a weapon is unacceptable.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43As a native speaker, I think I know what that means.
0:54:45 > 0:54:50The recent announcement from the UN's nuclear watchdog that Iran is enriching uranium
0:54:50 > 0:54:54has moved the unacceptable much nearer the reality.
0:54:54 > 0:55:00Years of effort have failed to stop Iran's desire to get a nuclear bomb,
0:55:00 > 0:55:04an event the Americans believe would have grave consequences.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08Iran will use the possession of nuclear weapons
0:55:08 > 0:55:10to intimidate its neighbours.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12I think it also is very likely
0:55:12 > 0:55:16to spark a nuclear arms race in the region.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18At least one or two other countries
0:55:18 > 0:55:23probably feeling compelled to have nuclear weapons if Iran does...
0:55:23 > 0:55:26I think it's incredibly destabilising,
0:55:26 > 0:55:30just as a war would be.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33If we've learned anything from Iraq and from Afghanistan,
0:55:33 > 0:55:37it's how unpredictable war is once it's started.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41WikiLeaks exposed the uncomfortable reality
0:55:41 > 0:55:45of America's relations with Iran, China and Russia.
0:55:45 > 0:55:50But a year on, the impact of the cables hasn't finished yet.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54Bradley Manning, the man accused of leaking the cables,
0:55:54 > 0:55:57is still held in US military custody.
0:55:57 > 0:55:59He's due to go before a court martial,
0:55:59 > 0:56:02but no longer faces the death penalty.
0:56:03 > 0:56:09Julian Assange is appealing against his extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12He currently faces no charges in the US,
0:56:12 > 0:56:16though a grand jury continues to consider his case.
0:56:16 > 0:56:22And the website he founded has been subject to an unprecedented global financial blockade
0:56:22 > 0:56:26by companies including MasterCard, Visa and PayPal.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28Assange recently announced that the blockade
0:56:28 > 0:56:32had cut off 95 percent of WikiLeaks' revenues
0:56:32 > 0:56:35and that it was suspending publishing.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38The website now carries this message...
0:56:43 > 0:56:47The WikiLeaks cables allowed us a glimpse behind the door,
0:56:47 > 0:56:50to see a superpower's secrets.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53That door has now slammed shut.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Many Americans believe long-term,
0:56:55 > 0:56:57the leaks will not cause significant damage
0:56:57 > 0:57:01and the US remains the world leader.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06The US is still the indispensible power.
0:57:06 > 0:57:12Nothing in the international environment gets done in a constructive way
0:57:12 > 0:57:16unless the United States plays a central role.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20And so what I saw as Secretary of Defence is,
0:57:20 > 0:57:23WikiLeaks not withstanding and everything else,
0:57:23 > 0:57:27the vast majority of countries in the world
0:57:27 > 0:57:30want a better, stronger relationship with the United States,
0:57:30 > 0:57:35and where there is still...
0:57:35 > 0:57:38..enormous respect for all kinds of our power,
0:57:38 > 0:57:41political, economic and military.
0:57:42 > 0:57:48But others believe the cables show America is a declining power.
0:57:48 > 0:57:50People were a bit disturbed
0:57:50 > 0:57:54how ineffective the United States were,
0:57:54 > 0:57:58that they allowed these leaks.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02That came on the background of other failures
0:58:02 > 0:58:05of the US Government,
0:58:05 > 0:58:08starting with Iraq, through Afghanistan,
0:58:08 > 0:58:12to their internal debt crisis.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14So that diminished
0:58:14 > 0:58:18the weight and the respect towards the United States,
0:58:18 > 0:58:20which is unfortunate.
0:58:25 > 0:58:28I think the cables show the changing shape of power in the world.
0:58:28 > 0:58:31American remains the one global superpower,
0:58:31 > 0:58:34politically, economically, militarily,
0:58:34 > 0:58:38but it's not a superpower that can click its fingers
0:58:38 > 0:58:42and expect the rest of the world to come to heel.
0:58:44 > 0:58:49Hidden in these secret documents are American dreams that died
0:58:49 > 0:58:51and nightmares that came true.
0:58:51 > 0:58:55They show the ambition, the scale and, at times, the honesty
0:58:55 > 0:58:58of a superpower's secret life.
0:58:58 > 0:59:01And they also may reveal the places and problems
0:59:01 > 0:59:06that, in the end, might weaken US power for good.
0:59:07 > 0:59:11Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd