It’s the biggest intelligence breach in U.S. history—the leaking of more than half-a-million classified documents on the WikiLeaks website in the spring of 2010.
Bradley Manning's Facebook Page
This presentation is an edited version of Manning's wall, annotated by FRONTLINE, beginning when he opened the account in July 2007 and concluding in June 2010. It includes only posts authored by Manning (with the exception of the first, from his aunt) -- status updates, articles, pictures and "likes" -- and the responses of his Facebook friends. Find out what three years of postings reveal about a man at the center of the scandal.
Updates
June 18, 2013: Speed of Bradley Manning Trial Masks Prosecutors’ Struggles - Prosecutors have struggled to show that Manning was following directions from WikiLeaks, which could be key in establishing the charge of “aiding the enemy.” Read more updates
Behind it all stand two very different men: Julian Assange, the Internet activist and hacker who published the documents, and an Army intelligence analyst named Bradley E. Manning, who’s currently charged with handing them over.
Private Manning allegedly leaked the secret cables—along with a controversial video—in the hope of inciting “worldwide discussion, debates and reforms.” Assange’s stated mission has been to force the U.S. and other governments into maximum transparency through his whistleblowing website.
In "Wikisecrets," through in-depth interviews with Manning’s father, Assange and others close to the case, veteran FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith tells the full story behind the leaks. He also reports on the U.S. government’s struggle to protect national security information in a post 9/11 world.
This episode originally aired in 2011.
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Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.
Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.
Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.