American Cipher

by Matt Farwell

  Marsano told the audience: Idaho Statesman, “Bob and Jani Bergdahl Press Conference,” YouTube, 19:42, June 1, 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GozpHyxHhEI.

  “Fuck what you heard”: “Soopermexican,” “American Soldier Who Served with Freed POW Casts Doubt on Official Story; Fears Reprisal from Obama Administration,” Independent Journal Review, June 1, 2014, http://ijr.com/2014/06/143437-american-soldier-served-bowe-bergdahl-casts-doubt-official-story-fears-reprisal-obama-administration.

  repeat that claim: “This is fucking bullshit,” said John Mohammad about the claim. Authors’ interview, December 2015.

  was “extremely troubled”: CNN Staff, “Political Divide: ‘Don’t Negotiate with Terrorists’ vs. ‘Leave No Man behind,’” CNN, May 31, 2014, http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/31/political-divide-dont-negotiate-with-terrorists-vs-leave-no-man-behind.

  case of “imprecise wording”: Interview with White House staffer, February 2018.

  McCain advised her: Mark Landler, “Obama Aide Defends Remarks on Bergdahl’s ‘Honor,’” New York Times, June 6, 2014, http://nytimes.com/2014/06/07/world/susan-rice-defends-remarks-on-bowe-bergdahl.html.

  “time to speak the truth”: Interview with Nate Bethea, January 2018.

  “The truth is”: Nathan Bradley Bethea, “We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night,” Daily Beast, June 2, 2014, http://thedailybeast.com/we-lost-soldiers-in-the-hunt-for-bergdahl-a-guy-who-walked-off-in-the-dead-of-night.

  Pentagon spokesman promised: Fox News Politics, “Pentagon to Review Claims US Soldiers Killed during Search for Bergdahl,” Fox News, June 2, 2014, http://foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/02/pentagon-to-look-into-allegations-soldiers-killed-effort-to-recover-bergdahl.html [inactive].

  Bethea learned the extent: See notes 4, 6, 11, and 12 in chapter 9.

  “Knowing what I know now”: Interview with Nate Bethea, January 2018.

  Richard Grenell, a Republican strategist: LSUDVM, “Former State Dept. Spox Rich Grenell: Soldier Who Served with Bowe Says He Deserted,” YouTube video, 1:33, June 1, 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=puG3pVSZBVw.

  (Roger Stone, the veteran): Text messages from Roger Stone.

  Full and Cornelison told: Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, and Charlie Savage, “Bowe Bergdahl’s Vanishing Before Capture Angered His Unit,” New York Times, June 2, 2014.

  With Grenell and Chase working: NBC News, “Not Everyone’s Hero: Soldiers Question Bowe Bergdahl’s Bravery,” NBCNews.com, June 2, 2014, https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/bowe-bergdahl-released/not-everyones-hero-soldiers-question-bowe-bergdahls-bravery-n120051; Mark Thompson, “The 6 Soldiers Who Died Searching for Bowe Bergdahl,” Time, June 2, 2014, http://time.com/2809352/bowe-bergdahl-deserter-army-taliban/; Daniel Bates, “Parents of Officer Who Died Hunting for Bowe Bergdahl Accuse Obama of ‘Cover-up,’” MailOnline, June 3, 2014, http://dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2646345/EXCLUSIVE-Outraged-parents-officer-died-searching-deserter-Bergdahl-hit-Obama-cover-just-like-Benghazi-claiming-told-LIES-hero-son-died.html; David K. Li, “6 Soldiers Killed Searching for ‘Deserter’ POW, Fueling Backlash,” New York Post, June 2, 2014, https://nypost.com/2014/06/02/six-soldiers-died-searching-for-deserter-pow-fueling-backlash/; Michael Warren, “Meet the Six Men Who Died Searching for Bergdahl,” Weekly Standard, June 2, 2014, https://www.weeklystandard.com/michael-warren/meet-the-six-men-who-died-searching-for-bergdahl.

  Gold Star father Andy Andrews: Ibid., MailOnline.

  “I hope you fucking die”: Interview with Hailey resident, December 2015.

  The mayor’s office: City of Hailey press release, June 2, 2014.

  the Drudge Report: “Hero Deserter?” Drudge Report, http://drudgereportarchives.com/data/2014/06/02/20140602_170544.htm.

  O’Reilly opened his show: mediamatters4america, “Fox’s Feelings on Beards: It Depends,” YouTube video, 1:05, June 3, 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0jpImbkR5c.

  Bob had little doubt: Interview with Bob Bergdahl, July 2018.

  CNN’s Jake Tapper reported: Jake Tapper, “Fellow Soldiers Call Bowe Bergdahl a Deserter, Not a Hero,” CNN, June 5, 2014, https://cnn.com/2014/06/01/us/bergdahl-deserter-or-hero/index.html.

  Gunter received calls: Interview with Jeff Gunter, October 2016.

  “interest of public safety”: Hailey City Hall press release, “Bring Bowe Back/Bowe Is Back Event Cancelled,” Hailey, Idaho, June 4, 2014.

  “Bergdahl declared jihad”: James Rosen, “Bergdahl Declared Jihad in Captivity, Secret Documents Show,” Fox News Politics, June 6, 2014, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/06/exclusive-bergdahl-declared-jihad-secret-documents-show.html.

  Kelly dove right in: Michael O’Connell, “Megyn Kelly Scores Rare Ratings Victory Over Bill O’Reilly During Bergdahl Coverage,” Hollywood Reporter, July 5, 2018, http://hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/megyn-kelly-scores-rare-ratings-710470.

  first time Kelly bested: Dominic Patten, “Fox News’ Megyn Kelly Tops Cable Kingpin Bill O’Reilly for First Time for Entire Week,” Deadline, June 9, 2014, http://deadline.com/2014/06/megyn-kelly-beats-bill-oreilly-ratings-fox-news-channel-786809.

  “You’re the problem”: The altercation with Fox News’s Jesse Watters was independently corroborated by Chip Deffé in November 2016 and Bob Bergdahl in July 2018. While the men present at the store had told Watters that Bob was not present, he was in fact hiding behind a wall and heard the conversation clearly.

  “reverse the narrative”: Julian E. Barnes, Jennifer Levitz, and Dion Nissenbaum, “U.S. Official: Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Has Declined to Speak to His Family,” Wall Street Journal, June 8, 2014, https://wsj.com/articles/u-s-official-sgt-bowe-bergdahl-has-declined-to-speak-to-his-family-1402242356.

  CHAPTER TWENTY: DEBRIEFING

  the media gaggle: Manny Fernandez and Eric Schmidt, “No Ceremony for Bowe Bergdahl upon Return to U.S. Soil,” New York Times, June 13, 2014, http://nytimes.com/2014/06/14/us/bergdahl-returns-to-us-for-more-treatment.html.

  On the flight home: Interviews with Amber Dach, December 2017–June 2018.

  program at BAMC: Interview with Terrence Russell, December 2017.

  “I would never wish”: Patricia Zengerle, “Former U.S. Hostages Move Closer to Restitution for Colombia Ordeal,” Reuters, April 27, 2016, http://reuters.com/article/us-usa-colombia-hostages/former-u-s-hostages-move-closer-to-restitution-for-colombia-ordeal-idUSKCN0XO2TO.

  some of his former colleagues: Shawn Vestal, “Fairchild’s Torture Ties Extend Their Reach,” Spokesman-Review, November 18, 2012, http://spokesman.com/stories/2012/nov/18/fairchilds-torture-ties-extend-their-reach.

  for three years to prepare: Interview with Terrence Russell, December 2017.

  Dach and her colleagues: Interviews with Amber Dach, December 2017–June 2018.

  visitors had to be cleared: Ibid.

  private room with a bed: Ibid.

  Brigadier General Richard Mustion: See page 364 note, “Sergeant Bergdahl’s weeklong escape.”

  more trusting of women: Bowe’s high regard for women, and trust in them, was described by multiple sources who knew him prior to his Army enlistment and after his return.

  echoes of his guards’ voices: During court-martial sentencing hearings, an audio recording from Bergdahl’s interviews at Landstuhl was submitted as defense evidence and played in the courtroom.

  “an Afghan minute”: Interviews with Amber Dach, December 2017–June 2018.

  an arcane symbol: Interview with Terrence Russell, December 2017.

  dozen new intelligence reports: Ibid.

  “freedom to operate”: CNN, State of the Union with Candy Crowley, June 8, 2014, http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2014/06/08/gen-mattis-we-no-longer-have-that-concern-that-they-have-this-pawn-that-they-can-then-play-against-us-on-cnns-state-of-the-union.

  CIA resumed its drone campaign: NBC News, “10 More
Killed in Second Suspected U.S. Drone Attack in Pakistan,” NBCNews.com, http://nbcnews.com/news/world/10-more-killed-second-suspected-u-s-drone-attack-pakistan-n129181.

  first attack killed several Uzbek and Pakistani: Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Haji Mujtaba, “Drones Hit Taliban Hideouts in ‘Joint Pakistan-U.S.’ Raid, Say Officials,” Reuters, June 12, 2014, http://reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-drones/drones-hit-taliban-hideouts-in-joint-pakistan-u-s-raid-say-officials-idUSKBN0EN0TP20140612.

  killed roughly four dozen more: “Pakistan: Reported US Strikes 2014,” Bureau of Investigative Journalism, http://thebureauinvestigates.com/drone-war/data/obama-2014-pakistan-drone-strikes.

  “exemplary conduct, efficiency, and fidelity”: Code of Federal Regulations: Title 32 § 578.37(a), www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2007-title32-vol3/xml/CFR-2007-title32-vol3-sec578-37.xml.

  In San Antonio, he adapted: The interviewers and witnesses included the team of intel analysts and SERE psychologists who had started the reintegration process in Germany; intelligence officers; two or three FBI agents; multiple intelligence analysts; two noncommissioned officer investigators from U.S. Army South; and two Pentagon lawyers.

  “organized disinformation campaign”: Interview with Terrence Russell, December 2017; for Mattis quote, see page 369 note, “freedom to operate.”

  Bob was an easy mark: On May 28, 2014, three days before the exchange that he did not know was coming, Bob tweeted, “I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen!”

  Time published exclusive: Aryn Baker, “Behind the Scenes of Bowe Bergdahl’s Release,” Time, June 5, 2014, http://time.com/2826534/bowe-bergdahl-taliban-captors.

  Glenn Beck replayed: Alcohollica2000, “Marcus Luttrell on Bowe Bergdahl,” YouTube, 15:26, June 4, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HuJP2MnnTs.

  Sean Hannity answered: Fox News, “Bergdahl’s Former Platoon Leader Sets the Record Straight,” Hannity, June 4, 2014, http://video.foxnews.com/v/3606109856001/#sp=show-clips.

  Rosen explained that: Michele Richinick, “What Republicans Have Said about Bergdahl,” MSNBC, June 10, 2014, http://msnbc.com/msnbc/what-republicans-have-said-about-bowe-bergdahl.

  According to polls: Gregory Korte, “USA Today Poll: Obama Mishandled Bergdahl Exchange,” USA Today, June 9, 2014. http://usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/09/obama-bergdahl-opinion-poll/10234425.

  twice as many Americans: Meredith Dost, “Public Has Doubts about Bergdahl Prisoner Exchange,” Pew Research Center, June 9, 2014, http://people-press.org/2014/06/09/public-has-doubts-about-bergdahl-prisoner-exchange.

  Gallup tallied Obama’s disapproval: “Presidential Approval Ratings—Barack Obama,” Gallup, http://news.gallup.com/poll/116479/barack-obama-presidential-job-approval.aspx.

  “Was He Worth It?”: Time cover,” Was He Worth It?: The Cost of Bringing Sgt. Bergdahl Home,” Time, June 16, 2014, http://time.com/3758604/bergdahl-sentence-2014-cover-story/.; David von Drehle, “No Soldier Left Behind,” Time, June 5, 2014.

  “FUCK BERGDAHL” T-shirts: “F***K BERGDAHL BIKER SHIRT,” Teespring, http://teespring.com/shop/Burgd#pid=2&cid=2397&sid=back.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: SQUARED AWAY

  Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow: Mike Fleming, “UPDATE: Todd Field, Searchlight Jump into Bowe Bergdahl Fray After ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Filmmakers Stake Out Pic,” Deadline, June 17, 2015, https://deadline.com/2014/06/bowe-bergdahl-movie-kathryn-bigelow-mark-boal-zero-dark-thirty-791048.

  General Dahl’s inquest: Department of Defense News Release, “Statement by U.S. Army on Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Investigation,” United States Army, June 16, 2014, www.army.mil/article/128101.

  “I pretty much saw”: “Record of Preliminary Hearing Under Article 32 for Sergeant Robert Bowdrie Bergdahl,” Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, September 17–18, 2015, p. 264.

  He added nine officers: Dahl Report Executive Summary, p. 02447.

  In August 2009, Major General Scaparrotti: Dahl Report, p. 02451.

  Sarver was ordered to pay: Matthew Belloni, “Iraq War Vet Ordered to Pay $187,000 in Failed Lawsuit Against ‘Hurt Locker’ Producers,” Hollywood Reporter, December 8, 2011, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/hurt-locker-lawsuit-jeremy-renner-jeffrey-sarver-271605.

  “perpetuating the myth”: Senators Feinstein, Levin, McCain to Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton, December 19, 2012.

  Peter King, wrote a letter: Rep. Peter King to Inspectors General Heddel and Buckley, August 10, 2011, https://homeland.house.gov/document/king-letter-dodcia-bin-laden-mission-film/ [inactive].

  weeks immediately following bin Laden’s death: Jason Leopold and Ky Henderson, “Tequila, Painted Pearls, and Prada—How the CIA Helped Produce ‘Zero Dark Thirty,’” Vice News, September 9, 2015, http://news.vice.com/article/tequila-painted-pearls-and-prada-how-the-cia-helped-produce-zero-dark-thirty.

  Troves of agency documents: At one point in his research, Boal offered a CIA officer a Prada handbag and tickets to the designer’s fashion show (she declined). After the movie’s premiere, Bigelow and Boal gave the same officer a set of black Tahitian pearl earrings, which a CIA-contracted appraiser later determined were fake.

  Boal and Bigelow flew east: Leopold and Henderson, Vice News, September 2015.

  Boal denied that: THR Staff, “THR’s Writers Roundtable: Mark Boal Breaks Silence on CIA’s Role in ‘Zero Dark Thirty,” Hollywood Reporter, video, November 14, 2012, https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/zero-dark-thirty-mark-boal-390327.

  “nothing to suggest”: Central Intelligence Agency Office of Inspector General, “Report of Audit: CIA Processes for Engaging with the Entertainment Industry,” p. 5.

  “shouldn’t be too confusing”: Ben Child, “Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal Respond to Zero Dark Thirty Torture Row,” Guardian, January 8, 2013, https:/theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/08/bigelow-zero-dark-thirty-torture.

  historic Fort Sam Houston: 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs, “Quadrangle at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston a Popular Destination,” May 25, 2018, http://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/1532187/quadrangle-at-jbsa-fort-sam-houston-a-popular-destination/.

  Before the execution: Bowe Bergdahl statement, Fort Bragg Courthouse, October 3, 2017.

  he was steady: Audry Ellingson courtroom testimony, Fort Bragg, October 31, 2017.

  His dreams filled: Bowe Bergdahl interview conducted by Sean Langan, December 2016.

  string around the doorknob: Courtroom testimony, Fort Bragg, October 30, 2017.

  spoke for about eight hours: Interview with Bergdahl defense team source.

  intended to return: Dahl Report, p. 02483

  sufficient basis for a desertion charge: Ibid., p. 2447.

  he advised the Pentagon: Ibid., p. 2482.

  Desertion charges are common: Lolita C. Baldor, “Army Data Shows Rarity of Desertion Prosecutions,” Associated Press, December 24, 2014, www.military.com/daily-news/2014/12/26/army-data-shows-rarity-of-desertion-prosecutions.html.

  Shaffer, along with Fox: Fox News Insider,” O’Reilly Slams Admin’s ‘5 Years of Calculated Deception’ on Bergdahl,” Fox News, April 8, 2015, http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/04/07/oreilly-5-years-calculated-deception-obama-admin-bergdahl.

  Audible, MailChimp, and Squarespace: Carl Swanson, “Inside the Making of Serial Season Two,” Vulture, December 23, 2015, www.vulture.com/2015/12/inside-serial-season-two.html.

  Serial gave Boal editorial control: Interviews with Bob and Jani Bergdahl, July–August 2018.

  native New Yorker: “Eugene R. Fidell,” Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, http://feldesmantucker.com/attorneys/eugene-r-fidell.

  lecturer at Yale Law School: “Eugene R. Fidell,” Yale Law School, Florence Rogatz Visiting Lecturer in Law and Senior Research Scholar in Law, http://law.yale.edu/eugene-r-fidell#biography.

  as an archaic system: April Siese,
“Who Is Bowe Bergdahl’s Lawyer, Eugene Fidell?” Bustle, March 25, 2015, http://bustle.com/articles/72156-who-is-bowe-bergdahls-lawyer-eugene-fidell-he-has-a-history-in-military-law-high.

  a punishment that Fidell noted: Neil A. Lewis and Thom Shanker, “As Chaplain’s Spy Case Nears, Some Ask Why It Went So Far,” New York Times, January 4, 2004, http://nytimes.com/2004/01/04/us/as-chaplain-s-spy-case-nears-some-ask-why-it-went-so-far.html.

  Yee had been engaged in espionage: James Polk and Bob Franken, “Muslim Chaplain Proposes to Resign,” CNN, May 5, 2004, https://cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/11/muslim.chaplain.resigns/index.html.

  “The government should”: “Record of Preliminary Hearing Under Article 32 for Sergeant Robert Bowdrie Bergdahl,” Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, September 17–18, 2015, p. 17.

  “If anyone in the halls of government”: Reporter notes, San Antonio, Texas, September 18, 2015.

  “a public act”: Hearst Newspapers, et al. v. Robert B. Abrams, General, U.S. Army, et. al., p. 2, https://ccrjustice.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/Hearst%20Petition.pdf.

  Army turned the media companies down: Army reply to media: https://ccrjustice.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/12/Writ%20Appeal%20Disposition%20Order.pdf.

  his partners at Serial: Serial staffers errantly left several dozen pages of the confidential Army documents on top of a soda vending machine in a Brooklyn, New York, copy and print shop.

  Baker replied that the DUSTWUN: “Record of Preliminary Hearing Under Article 32 for Sergeant Robert Bowdrie Bergdahl,” Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, September 17–18, 2015, p. 214.

  special court-martial: Army Memorandum—Subject: Article 32 Preliminary Hearing Report, United States vs. Sgt. Robert Bowe Bergdahl, October 5, 2015, https://bergdahldocket.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/article203220preliminary20hearing20report.pdf.

  Fox News anchors were outraged: Questioned on Fox News’s methods on the case, one Fox producer replied, “Don’t you get it? No one takes Fox News seriously.”

  aid and comfort: Fox & Friends, October 11, 2015.