Anonymous - Chasing Edward Snowden Full Documentary

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Yeah.
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Remember building is a coward is a traitor and he has betrayed this country.
The man who leaks details of a secret time phone and internet surveillance program in the USA has disappeared in Hong Kong if you watched the home tomorrow official feels like he get there so in any time.
Actually you know.
They should use every legal Avenue we have to bring them back to the United States I want to get him caught and brought back for trial I don't have anybody can view this person as anything other than a criminal would be telling get out get out get out get out you're going along with someone's life literally in your hands.
Either.
Our plan.
It worked and we would get on that flight or it wouldn't and.
Just three weeks earlier Edward Snowden a 29 year old analyst for the national security agency in the USA was waiting for journalists he thought he could trust in his backpack.
He had nearly a million top-secret NSA documents there yeah the journalists were traveling across the world from New York to a hotel in hong kong for a secret meeting.
Whose outcome they couldn't predict your hammer because I knew that was waiting there was vitally important but because we didn't know what really was going on we thought there was even a chance i mean every step of the way kind of had all sorts of hazards.
Thank you the ? that hung over us more than anything else was the fact that we had no idea who the person was that we were about to me.
So we were really just kind of rushing into this huge unknown the documents Snowden had with him was so sensitive.
He could be in prison for decades for removing them for all he knew the US authorities could have intercepted the communication to the journalists and he was about to fall into a trap.
I had crossed the Rubicon at that point actually.
You know I think I don't think anybody can reach such a clear turning point in her life without thinking Ali act is to them to himself you know the die is cast.
I had to expect that the most likely scenario was that I would be led out in handcuffs how would we know that we weren't talking to some agent or somebody else.
So the quite ingenious method that he invented was to hold this Rubik's Cube and that was the first thing I look for after getting top secret documents from Snowden the two Guardian journalist published their first stories they did not name the source.
Edward Snowden's identity remained a secret.
At the time I thought it was paranoid.
Once we are in the room he paled pillows up against the door John up I along with sides and along the bottom so if there's a something passing in the hallway just eavesdropping make it more difficult.
The stories began to appear and then there's a period of time before he then self-identifies in that gap there.
It's my understanding that NSA a very good idea who that was what he had done and then it's it's a simple step from there to begin to use all the tools available to the US government system where he might be.
When he wanted to.
I'd say see these laptops and he's a big red hood.
They would go over his head and nobody's computer so that the news put in these passwords he was scared that somebody might be able to see them through the window or maybe there's a hidden camera in the room.
This is the greatest loss of secrets in our nation's history and so that certainly was energizing the other parts of the US government to do everything they could to get him especially the materials back before there was any more harm how far was the u.s. willing to go.
Based on your professional experience in the intelligence community for me it was a question.
Could the government field every copy of this material could be stopped at a single point and if that point had presented itself I don't know what they would have done it was even possible that they might try to kill me using carefully AG he was nervous and I remember there's a fire alarm went off and he wanted resistant typing to get more visual.
Always hovering about everything over everything we're doing was the possibility that at any given moment there could be a knock on the door that would put into our interaction.
The time is extremely tense and every day a self and glad to see Snowden at the mirror we didn't expect them to you to be there we assumed that this guy there must be hunting for him.
What would you do if you were the director of the Central Intelligence Agency the director of the National Security Agency and you know there is an individual out there was about to expose evidence that you had committed serious crimes and you had the resources available to stop this person even if it meant using lethal force what would you do I know for a fact that the u.s. government was very angry at mr. Snowden his his safety and also his life was was put at risk but you know that i dunno.
The idea that you could somehow and evades the US for very much longer seemed inconceivable does and every time we interview them we thought that's the last time we'll see them.
We want to make the most of this because we won't get the chance to speak to him tomorrow he won't be there.
For many years Edward Snowden worked at NSA headquarters near Washington DC just miles from where he grew up.
I saw in the shadow of the National Security Agency literally lives in the area for me.
He was there I picked him up we went out to dinner.
The Snowden family has a long history of military service dating back to colonial times Edward Snowden had an impressive career in America's intelligence community.
By the age of 27 he gained access to its deepest secrets he just seemed almost depressed and I was very concerned about it was not the head that I knew what Snowden couldn't tell his father during that dinner was that he discovered NSA documents that disturbed him one of the key things that actually motivated me was the growing realization that we in the United States government we're increasingly making decisions that departed from the rule of law.
I assumed that maybe there was something going on between him and his long-term partner Lindsay Mills which really concerned me because I knew that he loved her very much and i gave my Hawk and it was you know I love you dad I love you son.
What Snowden disclosed wasn't information.
He disclosed how we collected information in other words he didn't reveal a bucket of water he revealed the plumbing he revealed how we gather process and distribute water and therefore that's going to have it a really harmful effect on American intelligence for a very long time.
Mr. president thank you for those kind words and for the confidence that you and ambassador negra party no one played a more important role in creating the NSA we know today than General Michael Hayden he was given the job by george w bush with a mandate to stop at nothing to stop terrorism when I returned from Korea 1999 to take the position that NSA Michael Hayden former director of the NSA and CIA ran a program called stellar wind where the communications of anyone in America could be collected on mass under the pretext of preventing terrorism.
If you're asking me to delve into my deepest emotions it was the arrogance of an individual who looked on the activity of the National Security Agency and believes that is legal and ethical judgment trumped the judgment of his co-workers his leadership the American president the American Congress and the American court system I thought to myself what kind of man is this how can someone justify the violation of the rights of an entire nation without even a law to lean on how do we come back.
From a situation in which the most senior officials in a democracy are acting against the interests of the public in secret.
Snowden would have to believed his judgment trumped all of those in order to create the kind of moral righteousness that he claims that's pretty arrogant my name's and Snowden I'm 29 years old I work for Booz Allen Hamilton as an.
Infrastructure analyst for a while Chico en I don't pack for adult we build massive NSA surveillance programs that collect phone records and internet data on a scale of many people never imagined i don't i don't welcome leaks journalists have been searching far and wide across where is it is almost certain that he is still here in Hong Kong hits from the US intelligence services this is the most serious hemorrhaging of legitimate american secrets in the history of my country.
We've never seen anything like this before it's in the frozen hong kong's with three or four in the morning.
It was a couple hours sleep then we woke up in this pandemonium where the world is edward stone tell my boss called me she said something urgent happen of India come to the office immediately as soon as edward snowden revealed himself as the whistle blow one.
He set off a catch me if you can hunt by the US government and where is he now guessing game for the media the whole world now had a name and face too attached to the revelations but so did the FBI I'm sure they're going to be a very busy for the next week.
I've been in the interview Snowden posted on the Guardian website.
There was a clue as to where he might be staying a view out of a hotel window from this video we can tell there were two pylons of cheesebridge so from this view this one is the one on the left is bigger than the one on the right.
So I want to on google map and use the google earth trying to figure out from which perspective can choose which look like that.
The consequences of if if the media have known where mr. Snowden was from that time onward.
It would have been a direct link for the NSA the US government any any of the US government agencies to identify where my client was at the time he was alarmed is upset that any time the CIA could come crashing through that door.
Everyone was chasing after the story.
Everyone was so desperate everyone was desperately hoping to find Snowden.
I think the chase is on the league that amount of material that sensitive and then stand up in front of the whole world and say this is who I am and here's what i did is a virtual guarantee that you're going to end up in in a cage for the next several decades if not longer you can come forward against the world's most powerful intelligence agencies and be completely free from risk because there's such powerful adversaries that this was the biggest media story on the planet at the time.
There's the likelihood that media would arrive there he needs to leave the hotel immediately and just to leave everything behind.
When I went to Hong I didn't intend to get out of this safely you know this wasn't about me I didn't care what happened to me I part of the job was finished the journalists were probably going to be there in a matter of minutes and they just occupied the lobby and they were hunting saying there was thought there was more than that looked like a bright sire and you know declaring everybody out here's here's the mariner of interest ten thousand kilometers away in London.
There was one thing the US government might be happy about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was not involved in the Snowden revelations by setting my desk certainly have the authorities to to wiretap anyone from you massage has been confined to the ecuadorian embassy in london since jun 2012 the US government saw him is out of commission let's look at the situation to Edward Snowden 29 year old young man in a foreign jurisdiction that he had no experience with the subject of the largest intelligence manhunt the world has ever seen and the realities were for it with Snowden he was going to be smashed our the news today and the man who leaks details of a secret telephone and internet surveillance program in the USA has disappeared in Hong Kong Snowden had fled the hotel and was now hiding in the apartment of local supporters the whereabouts are now unknown of Edward Snowden who was a contract work of the CIA he's not been seen and at that moment he reached out and asked us for help.
With WikiLeaks Snowden hoped he had found a team that was a match for the NSA.
He knew the US was investigating WikiLeaks for espionage and terrorism years of surveillance had left WikiLeaks no option but to protect the communications through encryption something Snowden considered vital Assange and his colleagues only agreed to appear in this film on condition.
WikiLeaks lawyers be permitted to that their interviews Sarah Harrison a journalist at WikiLeaks was busy running an election campaign in Australia when she got a call from London I speak to people from work and they said have you seen this thing about Snowden and has her what's wrong with the mountain and wales and then let's look online look on life so I look since yeah and he he'd gone public at that stage video had gone out in the garden at that moment when when I first heard his name i didn't for a moment imagine I would be spending four months with him.
Go to the outside world like a hurricane the statements from the White House and stories appearing in the newspaper and a lot of interest about what he was doing and I knew that that actually this was the , moment and that the real storm was just about to come and he would be sucked into this vortex within two weeks of imprisonment arrest I'd seen chelsea manning go through a similar experience after three years of solitary confinement without trial the US military's most famous whistleblower private first class Bradley Manning fun until Snowden chelsea manning was leaked of American government documents had been the biggest loss of secrets in American history.
WikiLeaks had published the documents that had to stand by and watch as many was caught and held in conditions characterized by the UN as cruel inhuman and degrading us tried very hard to make sure Manning a general to turret is incredibly abusive treatment of him.
Psychological torture and simply for communicating to the media I knew about chelsea manning you know going into it there was there was never any question about how that case was going to be settled and you're willing to put yourself in the same position.
That's tough to vocalize home three days after Snowden went underground.
Sarah Harrison landed in Hong Kong she took charge of what was to become operational silent that there was a person by the name of Edward Snowden we checked in and out but it's still not clear whether or not don't you be a portion that don't sell me short.
I control what was particularly extraordinary thing was well all of these news organizations around the world all of these publishers were trying to get a piece of the story.
There's only one publisher that actually said we want to help the source.
We want to make sure he's okay we want to make sure that no matter what happens you know he has somebody on his side and that was WikiLeaks.
The one thing I could change and it would've beaten whether we could have done more for Snowden I didn't have a discussion with the editor hour richer and the yeses are getting Gibson about what we could do for Snowden whether we should be paying as a tail bells and whether we should be getting a legal advice I wish we thought it through and maybe for the more time we could have come up with something you know it was the US government versus WikiLeaks and not just in the grand jury court but right there on the ground in Hong Kong and blue to wear for an American effort to spying on innocent citizens today we all blow the whistle.
Private US government has filed criminal charges against Edward Snowden.
I think it was probably on my birthday when the presence I got from doing a government was that the unsealed your indictment against me Edward Snowden has been charged with espionage theft and conversion of government property and what was extraordinary about the indictment was the faculty including espionage charges now they knew that I wasn't working for any foreign government that was clear from the beginning they knew that I was working with journalists and the recipient of the information was the public at large Washington now once help from hong kong officials because Snowden's been hiding in the chinese territory since unleashing the revelations about the National Security Agency the charge of espionage increase the pressure on the Hong Kong authorities to act and made Snowden's position even more dangerous.
It meant that if Snowden was caught he could face the death penalty back home in the US Snowden took the risk of leaving his hideout and met his lawyer who warned him sooner or later hong kong would hand him over to the US where you could expect the same treatment as private Manning terms of private Manning situation clearly had been subjected to cruel and inhuman degrading treatment or punishment as such.
This raised grave concerns about what would happen to mr. Snowden if he was returned to the United States Snowden could not be sure if the Hong Kong authorities would do is the US was demanding and arrest him right away Hong Kong citizens were on the streets calling him a hero but the Hong Kong authorities were in an unpredictable situation Snowden knew there was always the possibility the central government in Beijing would intervene and sacrifice him and a deal with the US the things that hold to ask is that the feeling within the government was that they just wanted the hong kong government that they just want to stick on he was a hot potato they just didn't want to have to deal with it they really going to upset the people of Hong Kong or they were going to upset aging and it was just too problematic the hong kong government decided to play for time rather than arrest Snowden they decided to wait for the proper paperwork to arrive but Snowden was still in danger with the nature of the disclosures he made.
There was a real and immediate risk that he could be arrested in Hong Kong.
One of the reasons Snowden was so vulnerable was at a White House Task Force was working the phones and putting pressure on decision makers in home call since we learned that mr. Snowden was in Hong Kong US authorities have been in continual contact with their hong kong counterparts at the working and senior levels the US was certain if the hong kong government decided to arrest Snowden they would not have problems locating him look the Chinese have a wonderful intelligence service I would lose all respect for my Chinese colleagues if they did not have very good knowledge as to what was going on.
Although our analysis was that it would be a serious consequences and should immediately leave Hong Kong he was reluctant to do that and to it seemed like there was no other choice because he wanted to explore different options and so on and this was driving us mad.
Helix have been working out various options of where he would be safe where it could go different peoples opinions around the world but I mean it was his decision that's his life the border is open.
We got a guard now there's a chance the borders open click close at eight.
Ok.
Then something happened that narrow the options for Snowden the request for his extradition arrived from the United States on a friday night with the hong kong Justice Ministry wait until Monday to issue a warrant who could know they would make a decision and then they would act upon that decision.
We need to move time that the clock was ticking very definitely then mr. Snowden was in a difficult position where he could be arrested at any time whatever was concerned about his knowing the exact status of the border.
So he agreed that he should leave.
But as soon as he went to possible control maybe he would be arrested so he was very reluctant to actually leave because that would cut short his last time these last hours of freedom.
Attorney General Eric Holder place the phone call stressing the importance of the matter and urging hong kong to honor our request for Snowden's arrest it was the end it's he couldn't wait to continue to assess the situation he had to.
Make a decision.
That was the moment where it all came together or didn't either our plan worked and negotiations had worked and we would get on that flight or it wouldn't we over the weekend the United States has been in touch via diplomatic and law enforcement channels with the number of countries which mr. stone my translator that could serve as a final destinations.
This was the largest.
Has ever seen so the US was throwing everything all the resources at this.
So we needed some way of splitting those resources because we didn't want more focused on on his flight out we boarded to go to India as cover was booked using his credit card for two days after the actual asylum play in all WikiLeaks bought more than a dozen tickets in Snowden's name I'm flights leaving Hong Kong they hope the u.s. wouldn't figure out which flight he and harrison were aiming for I was worried about missing the flight we're running late basically due to the fact that i have been printing all about airline tickets and there was an issue with the printer and just sort of these stupid that we're advising these governments that mr. stone is wanted on serious felony charges - such he should not be allowed to proceed any further international travel.
I spoke to it would therefore I told him that the highest risk is an airport.
He was getting very nervous and his lawyer kept calling I think he worried to that the whole thing would class I don't think the US would assassinating the vehicle I don't think that would happen but they might kind of make a fast and lean on airport authority under Holman and detain him and then the State Department could bring all its facets to bear.
There have been repeated engagements by the u.s. Department of State and US consulate general in Hong Kong engagement by the FBI with their law enforcement counterpart you could also be racing to getting captured and I mean you are so yeah.
Running to go through yeah yeah i mean i'm quite sure that that Airport has been watched so.
Ultimately as I walked up to the the checkpoint counter the only thing i was thinking is that i should remember to smile the guide you have passports which is obviously the normal thing to do so - define and then Nathan's one sort of took a while and again reaching for the phone and and a little bit confusing and the computer made a funny sound so yeah again i'm not quite sure what's going on there but I was getting very nervous.
His lawyer did sort of start stepping forward sort of see what was going on on jun 17 Hong Kong authorities acknowledge receipt of our request despite repeated inquiries Hong Kong authorities did not respond with any requests for additional documents or information stating only that the matter was under review and refusing to elaborate what was under review was that there was a mistake in the American paperwork in the rush to prevent him from leaving Hong Kong the State Department got Edward Snowden's middle name wrong.
It is not Edward James noted it is edward joseph snowed all people are meticulous in processing Eagles oculars they have to double-check the spelling make sure that they are catching the right person sorts by the US authorities I don't think our authorities deliberately held up the arrest but um we need to take maybe a few days but a few days was not good enough for the u.s. you and apparently snow that make use of the DD that a few days available to work out his escape as it happened we were rushing our paperwork forward as Snowden's trying to leave Hong Kong.
To fly on to Russian we made it easier for the Chinese people in Hong Kong to make the decision they made because of the delay because you know we've now done everything you know you've checked in you've got through security used in the bag check the passport check you know you bought it onto the plane and then I was like you're still not gay.
I need to schedule with the fighters and to leave and I was just watching that the hong kong airport register to see as the fight that has a black that has apply lift and it was late with 20 minutes late so I was quite concerned.
Well then the other thing that made me very nervous was when we were waiting to take off we came from the gate and then we go up a bit and then we just stop.
I'm just waiting and waiting and waiting.
And a straight to our breaking news for you this hour Chinese sources have alleged that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is enroute to Moscow from hong kong if so the whistleblower would have departed hours after Washington threatened the chinese city state with repercussions if they didn't arrest him.
Hong Kong authorities requested additional information concerning the u.s. charges and evidence.
The US had been in communication with Hong Kong and we were in the process of responding when we learned that Hong Kong that allowed the fugitive to leave what is clear is that some at the time he left a State Department did not cancel his possible.
Maybe you should have canceled they should have cared for his passport.
They canceled his passport after his departure then.
So when he left Hong Kong he was holding a valid you as possible it is very clear to me that the Hong Kong authorities knew the United States wanted to extradite Snowden from Hong Kong to the United States when Snowden is trying to leave the country and some made-up pretext misspelling of his middle name or something in the documents that we give to the hong kong place they allowed him to leave and to fly on to Russian is the administration embarrassed now that you can't track of allottees this cat and mouse game that's going on for all the world to see I think we've been very clear about the actions we've taken.
We have known where he is and i believe we know where he is now and and there are ongoing conversations about that we both sort of just SAT there like we didn't really didn't say much until that moment where it actually we were out of the air space and there was a visible and then that's when we first like to have like any real conversation.
And what did he yes when he asked you where I pretty much his first question was why did you do this.
Why did you risk everything just to help me.
I was so to say and give you what you were wanting help with something he said yeah I was wanting help and advice I didn't think that he could send like a ninja written to get me out and which was funny enough but then about two minutes later like a fly buzzes past and I just have never done it before in my life not probably never do it again but I just know that's annoying and literally plucked it out of the air.
He was like you really are a ninja there is probably the most incredibly brave woman and I know she's somebody who is there through the hardest times uh but in a period of incredible risk and she put her life on the line for somebody who is a complete stranger to her there's a lot of information and floating around here organize it all for us tell us what's exactly going on.
We led to believe that Edward Snowden has safely left Hong Kong and is currently in the sky somewhere over the Russian city of Homs get an a330 he's due to arrive here we are led to believe at Sheremetyevo Airport later on Sunday.
That's our that's all rumor and hearsay at the moment but it's thought that his final destination will not be ma scope that moment there was a race for the interpretation of what had happened.
So had he lived as a fugitive busted through the hong kong airport whatever it so you had a fugitive on an airplane that was one possible spinning that we would see from the media machine and it was very important to counter that spinning because his whole flight path would have been closed down because countries and airlines we are all we can accept this fugitive on our flight.
So we put out as soon as he was in safe air space that no he left Hong Kong the left Hong Kong legally that he was accompanied by legal advisors so this flight path wouldn't be closed down.
: that's possible animals have enough that you see on this map of light that has also reportedly has snow in the voice all mature adult reach its destination here in Moscow scheduled to land in the Russian capital within minutes the plane believed to be carrying Edward Snowden touching down in Moscow he's on the run but where will he end up.
He's not thought to have permission to stay the expectation is that tomorrow he'll get on a plane to Latin America the exact route will take is unclear.
Breaking news this hour WikiLeaks claims one of its legal advisers accompanying Snowden after the whistle blowing organization secured papers are safe exit an asylum quote in an unnamed democratic state even if he does find a country willing to offer him asylum.
There's no guarantee you actually arrive at his desired destination.
You're the first woman she's just some normal check-in woman you know she's like your passport doesn't work sorry I can issue your boarding pass we managed to get a marathon calm when he landed in Moscow Airport the American government and castle.
It's possible and now they now the Americans bed a lot of pressure.
The country talking you know it was actually really surprising to me to discover that the u.s. cancel my passport they tried to freeze me in place when I was in jurisdictions which wouldn't be considered particularly friendly to eunice's cover them that always positive me.
Canceling Snowden's passport was the first step in an FBI plan B now they would just need to pick him up in a small airfield in Manassas Virginia far from prying eyes.
A former CIA rendition plane prepared for takeoff.
Its mission to transport a fugitive back to the United States.
But at Moscow Airport Snowden's escape to Cuba still seem the game had not yet closed Julian Assange had asked a diplomat from the ecuadorian embassy in london to accompany Snowden on the flight and protect him.
Enroute to secure asylum the diplomat just needed to find Snowden at the gate and explained that he now enjoyed diplomatic protection from Ecuador the Ecuadorean ambassador visited the sheremetyevo airport on sunday and but a terminal F the presence of hundreds of media people had created pandemonium the diplomat couldn't find Snowden Julian Assange began to play switchboard.
He tried to bring Snowden and Sarah Harrison together with the diplomat without alerting the press go to the information desk or help desk and ask them to put out an announcement asking that Sarah Harrison.
Come come to see you.
No they finally managed to meet the diplomat could not help Edward Snowden without a valid passport he was not allowed to board the plane.
The flight to Cuba left without sending positive sign as far as the US government's concerned that mr. stone did not get on it has not gotten in here in the air . if you.
We have communicated to the Russians are hope that they will look at all like the options available to them to expel mr. Snowden back to the United States just a few hours after Edward Snowden landed in Moscow the u.s. prisoner transportation plane landed in Copenhagen waiting on standby on was its mission to transport Edward Snowden back to America almost as soon as he arrived in Moscow the FBI contacted me I chose to speak to them for four hours.
As a matter fact one of the agents were starting to dos I you know nothing you know I i shared everything I I possibly could.
I wanted to help.
Back in terminal F the Russian authorities offered Snowden a secret deal.
He could leave the airport right away on one condition that he agreed to work with the FSB the Russian intelligence service they asked once they had approached I mean it's kind of unimaginable to think that they wouldn't he didn't give anything to the Russians at all and he certainly didn't cooperate with them or give them anything in any way whatsoever.
And how do you know that I was within the whole time say i would stake my entire life on the fact that he did not give anything to anybody.
Russian president vladimir putin refused snowed in entry into Russia be in Harrison would have to fend for themselves in the airport's transit zone and then we were in this room for a month should have a wind a shower.
These were representatives from the FBI from the DC area who I suspect working very closely at that point with the State Department and you know they they just wanted to talk and they said would you be interested in.
Would you consider traveling to Moscow flying to Moscow to meet with your son and I said absolutely.
They had mentioned at one point we were talking about the details and I'm not going to get into it and too far into specifics.
They had mentioned to me that well you you understand that once we get there.
We're going to need to check your son out and make sure he's okay medically and I laughed I said you've got to be kidding it concerns me to hear the things that I've heard about the activities of the FBI at that time whether it was their plan to get my father onto an airplane at the Moscow Airport and then use him to sort of lure me onto the plane in this wacky strategy and then sort of slams shut the door the airplane and you know fly back to DC new revelations based on Snowden's documents were appearing every day throughout Western Europe there was popular support for Edward Snowden and the drama of his flight was on the nightly news.
Yes if you know the answer to this one you will be the subject of true for many in Europe Snowden deserve protection not a prison cell hopeful that he could harness public opinion and get out of Russia Snowden filed asylum applications to Western European democracies 21 of them is the State Department was making the phones ringing every government office in every European government agency where they had a phone number you know anywhere they had a business card that was sitting in a Rolodex that person got a call and they said this man will not receive asylum in Europe but you would not deny that there have been conversations and discussions about mr. Snowden his whereabouts in the consequences.
I don't think we have it all tonight that we've been in contact through a raid with my channel so i think poland was the first to deny followed by france italy said they weren't likely to respond or simply didn't respond.
The vast majority of European governments did something which i think was particularly illustrated which is they took no position at all.
All right listen but you you would just object to the characterization that it's bullying or two arm twisting that that is correct.
Yes I think that's Claire a glimmer of hope after living in limbo for weeks.
Venezuela and Bolivia offered the NSA leaker asylum after European countries registered as an official request.
Venezuela came out very strongly we couldn't actually get there because all the Western countries were saying no we're not offering any help there was no possibility for safe passage and also like physically get to Latin America safely.
There were several plans getting out of Moscow we looked at private jets people to presidential jet.
We had a tip-off inside the US administration that they would be fairly confident about taking down a private jet that the a little bit less confident in relation to commercial airliners and they were not very confident at all in relation to a with Snowden still stuck in the transit zone be watched on Russian TV as one of the few presidents of the world prepared to offer him asylum landed in Moscow President Evo Morales of Bolivia had arrived for an international summit of gas exported countries.
Just before leaving Moscow evo morales left no doubt that his country would welcome snows even teaching literacy Mitchell if Snowden asks for political will you give it to him yes you know why not given what president Morales said there is a strong suspicion and within my government that there is at least a possibility.
The Morales would be happy to take Snowden with easels when president Morales left for the airport the FBI thought Snowden might be with him they believe Snowden was escaping on the presidential jet according to the Vienna Convention a presidential plane enjoys a special diplomatic status.
It's like a flying piece of territory from the home country with an official said friends and Portugal wouldn't let the Bolivian president's plane land and refuel on their territories because of rumors that Snowden could have been on board that plane.
Government to government express your concern express your belief why you think this man may be on that plane express that to a friend how serious you do the situation and then you ask a friend to take a course of action and apparently they did you know when I think they are 118 them.
Well they they said I you don't have permission to enter the fresh air space and we tell the control in this is the Diplomatic Security number and they said well the other one was canceled.
My government went to the European governments and because of their control over airspace forced president's plane to land now again this is absolutely unprecedented.
I was in my room I was looking at my laptop and I was reading the news and at first I didn't believe it.
His jet was ultimately forced to land and underwent at sad / rumors whistleblower Edward Snowden was on board.
I couldn't believe that the United States government would go so far as to ground the diplomatic jet carrying a head of state to search it for for somebody like me.
Latin america united states condemnation social media erupted with claims the US was behind the move and Europe a puppet and that was something was so physical and so obvious it was like the tide going out on the power relations between Western Europe and the United States you could see the underlying power structure the rocks on the shore that represented the true nature of the relationship because you could see that actually Western year wasn't going into battle him at all in fact Western Europe was playing on the other on the other side.
We consciously laid false trails in relation to the Morales flight.
Sometimes it would be you know there would be calls two ambassadors on open telephone lines with them including from this embassy.
You know we're trying to split up the surveillance resources force united states to consider the Morales flight.
Do you think that the one could imagine this information that's that's an in-depth an interesting question.
I must admit I hadn't considered it before but it's always always a possibility.
Sure I didn't know that that diversion would end up in such a story outcome.
No more on the side also kind of help.
The Russian giving him asylum and it did and it did it reinforced the the image of Snowden's victim.
Snowden as the pursued yeah so if you were sitting on the other side of the fins to trap the Americans would have been involved wise move again I hadn't thought of it until you raised it but it's incredibly clever.
Yeah yeah it was I think a crystallizing moment where for everybody even those people like myself more inclined to believe that the United States government is a fundamentally good force but when we saw that happen I think everybody went is this the kind of action that good guys take it ended up to be a huge embarrassment.
Yes not as big as the original embarrassment losing all the secrets but yes.
What.
Federal Migration Service has confirmed publicly that they have issued mr. Snowden temporary asylum for one year and allowed him to leave the airport.
We are explained the lights physically have my eyes and I remember actually standing and staring out of the window there are being like almost able to see the sky.
You know and it seems suddenly extraordinary amazing beautiful to see what the sky.
We are extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step despite our very clear and lawful requests in public and in private to have mr. Snowden expelled to the United States to face the charges against him.
Mr. Snowden is not a.
Whistleblower Russian and American relations already strained dropped to their lowest level in years.
The lack of cooperation between the two great powers wants the world until today.
So many people like me would not contemplate amnesty or plea bargaining or anything else to bring Snowden back there are a hundred thousand people and the American intelligence community who didn't violate their oath of office if my government participates in any kind of welcome home for mr. Snowden that even even smells of that kind of approach it would alienate this body of people unknown both the safety and the liberty of my nation depends that's not a good idea anybody who's ever embarrassed a great power is never going to be safe.
I mean as long as people feel a sense of retaliation as long as people feel like they have to send messages and set examples not to mess with us.
Dissenters are going to be at risk to be leaving the airport under those circumstances to have seen everything that had transpired in those two months and then just to be struck with what was a completely perfect warm and bright day you know seasonable day normal life outside you know you you hear the birds take that simple things like that.


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