In the aftermath of September 11th 2001, America suddenly realized its intelligence services weren’t up to the task. The CIA is on the verge of being declared clinically dead. How could this have happened? How did the CIA operate for over fifty years, then become the center of a conflict with implications that stretch far beyond its own doors? How did crisis and human error gradually undermine the CIA and bring the agency to its knees? This three-part documentary series takes an in-depth look at the anatomy and functioning of the CIA, recounting its “successes” (overthrowing Mossadegh in Iran, Lumumba in Congo and Allende in Chile), its failures (the Bay of Pigs, ousting Castro) and its chronic shortsightedness (inability to foresee the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism, the fall of the USSR, or the Sept. 11th attacks). The film identifies and dissects the CIA’s true power base, as several main players give us a rare inside glimpse at the inner workings of the US intelligence agency. William Karel has interviewed twenty-seven CIA insiders. Looking back over past errors, key witnesses and direct participants reexamine the history of the United States from a viewpoint that they could not, or would not, consider at the time of the actual events. Episode 1 : 1947-1977. Undercover Operations. Episode 2 : 1977-1989. Lost Illusions. Episode 3 : 1990-2001. One War Begets Another.