← REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana
REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana
WikiLeaks: The Hacker Who Exposed America's Darkest Secrets
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- [00:01]
Luke Lamanna
Love Unsettling stories. Wondery subscribers can listen to declassified mysteries early and ad free, as well as another twisted tale from Ballin Studios and Wondery called Wartime Stories, also hosted by me early and ad free on Wondery. Start your free trial today. Wondery on April 5, 2010, a slim man with striking white hair stepped up to the pod podium at the US National Press Club in Washington, DC. He looked over the faces in the crowd watching him with mild skepticism. In an Australian accent, he thanked the journalists for coming to such a momentous event. He was about to reveal a video that would change the world. Most of the reporters in the room had no idea who this man was. They didn't even really know why he had brought them here. But by the end of the day, newspapers all over the world would be printing his name. Julian Assange. Julian's pulse quickened as he queued up the video. He warned the crowd that it was disturbing. It had been for him, at least at first, but now he didn't feel anything but excitement for the attention it would bring. The lights in the room dimmed and a grainy black and white video appeared on the screen. It showed a handful of men standing on a Middle Eastern street viewed from a camera mounted on a military helicopter circling above them. Julian watched as the reporters in the room leaned in. The men in the video continued about their business, completely unaware of the danger looming overhead. The helicopter was thousands of feet in the air. A voice on the radio cut through the sound of the rotors. The pilot asked for permission to open fire. Another pilot shouted that one of the men below had an rpg, a rocket propelled grenade. They received confirmation to shoot and bullets began raining down on the street below. Dust scattered into the air as the men ducked for cover. The pilots fired again and again as the supervisor told them to keep going. As the dust cleared, a dozen bodies could be seen laid out in the street, some with flesh torn off them. After a minute, the street was silent. American soldiers on the ground moved in to investigate the scene. Looking over the bodies, they reported that two of them were children. They had been severely wounded. One of the pilots laughed. He scoffed at the men they killed for bringing their children to a war zone. After the video ended, Julian took the podium once again. He told the crowd that this was a classified video from the US army, taken from an infamous airstrike in Baghdad three years earlier. In addition to the children, it had killed two Reuters journalists in. The RPG the pilots thought they spotted was in reality a camera with a long lens. The army had refused to release the footage, meaning it was highly confidential. Julian told the crowd they had just witnessed a war crime. These were some of the most shocking images of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan so far, and surely the public would want to see them. The footage had the power to completely upend the American government's narrative about the wars. Julian leaned into the mic and told the world where they could see it. WikiLeaks.org.
- [03:28]
Charli Webster
Candice Rivera has it all. In just three years, she went from stay at home mom to traveling the world, saving lives and making millions. Anyone would think Candice's charmed life is about as real as unicorns. But sometimes the truth is even harder to believe than the lies. Not true.
- [03:46]
Nick Cannon
There are so many things not true. You gotta believe me.
- [03:50]
Charli Webster
I'm Charli Webster and this is Unicorn Girl, an Apple original podcast produced by Seven Hills. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts. Bombas makes the most comfortable socks, underwear and T shirts.
- [04:04]
Luke Lamanna
Warning. Bombas are so absurdly comfortable, you may throw out all your other clothes.
- [04:07]
Charli Webster
Sorry, do we legally have to say that?
- [04:10]
Luke Lamanna
No, this is just how I talk. And I really love my Bombas.
- [04:12]
Charli Webster
They do feel that good. And they do good too. One item purchased equals one item donated. To feel good and do good, go to Bombas and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O M B A S dot com and use code audio at checkout.
- [04:34]
Luke Lamanna
From Ballin Studios and Wondery. I'm Luke lamanna and this is Declassified Mysteries, where each week we shine a light on the shadowy corners of espionage, covert operations and misinformation to reveal the dark secrets our governments tried to hide. This week's episode is called WikiLeaks. The hacker who exposed America's darkest secrets. In the early 2000s, the Internet was rapidly becoming a crucial part of daily life. Companies like Facebook and Google grew into corporate giants, and the ways that everyday people lived, worked and communicated were radically transformed. As the American public progressively moved online, so did their government, including the intelligence community. America's intelligence agencies took great steps after 911 to enhance their surveillance capabilities. They could spy on almost anyone they wanted from virtually anywhere in the world, thanks to a digital network that monitored communications and tracked potential suspects. The government also vastly increased the number of people with top secret security clearances to monitor this new network. Never before did the country have so many secrets or people with access to them. Activists and journalists had to rely on hackers, whistleblowers, and the Internet to combat this level of secrecy. Eventually, a new website called WikiLeaks emerged to bring them all together. The site's charismatic founder, Julian Assange, was a transparency activist with strong opinions and fierce ambition. He was determined to uncover whatever secrets he could get his hands on. He actively encouraged fellow hackers to break into highly classified databases so that he could publish what they found. In 2010, Assange released thousands of US military documents. It was the biggest data leak in history. WikiLeaks went from being a little known Internet archive to a major international power player. Almost overnight, Assange became the face of the information transparency movement. But his empire began to unravel as quickly as it was built. WikiLeaks mission was to fight for transparency at all costs. But in doing so, it raised difficult questions. We are still grappling with about who gets to decide what the public has a right to know, the fine line between transparency and national security, and whether revealing secrets is a safeguard to a representative government or a threat. Just before 7pm On August 1, 2009, the anchor at RUV, the state news channel for Iceland, was at his desk on set. He went over his notes as carefully as he could. Today of all days, he couldn't afford to make a mistake. He was just minutes away from breaking some astonishing news that the whole country had been lied to by one of their own banks. Iceland was a small country that usually saw very little drama, but the last year had been a major exception. In the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, all three of Iceland's primary banks failed and plunged the economy into chaos. Many people lost their jobs and their savings. Afterwards, they protested in the streets on a weekly basis, demanding a government overhaul. But even so, most people assumed the banks had at least done as much as they could to prevent their collapse. Until WikiLeaks, the website, published documents proving that one bank knew it was going to fail and intentionally misled the public. Instead of helping its most vulnerable customers, the bank lent out much more money than was safe, most of it to its own investors. The anchor was furious when he read the report earlier that day. He couldn't wait to get the truth out. The public would surely be as enraged as he was when they heard what the bank had done. Suddenly, the station manager burst onto the set, waving a piece of paper. Out of breath, he told the crew that for the first time in the station's history, they'd received a gag order just minutes before an air A judge had forbidden them to speak about the scandal at all. Silence fell over the entire crew. Then the anchor stood up at his desk, furious. He Yelled that they couldn't take this lying down. It was one thing for the banks to betray the public's trust. Now the government was doing it too. If they were trying to bury the story, that meant it was worth telling. The corruption went all the way to the top. The manager said there was nothing they could do. Their station was owned and operated by the government. A few more crew members tried to protest, but the manager said he just couldn't let them go through with the story. The judge's decision was final. The anchor sat back down, disgusted. He crumpled his notes and tossed them aside. They still had a show to put on, even if they couldn't run the story. As the director started counting down the seconds until broadcast, the anchor closed his eyes. He couldn't just ignore such an important story. His country depended on him to tell the truth. His heart pounded in his throat. He knew he needed to do something, but he had no more time to think. The show was going live. The anchor greeted the audience. He then stared straight into the camera and informed his viewers that he couldn't legally talk about the day's top story. But if they wanted to know why, all they needed to do was go online. To WikiLeaks.org the manager frantically waved for the anchor to stop. But the anchor kept going, repeating himself firmly. Over the next few days, people all over the country continued their protests. They were furious that the government had tried to cover up the bank's corruption. But more than that, they finally felt they had real power for the first time in over a year. They wanted transparency. They wanted the truth. And if their government wasn't going to give it to them, they would turn to the only source they WikiLeaks. A few months later, in April 2010, Julian Assange peered through the blinds of a rented house in Reykjavik, looking for any signs he was being watched. He saw nothing. Just the quiet street outside. For two weeks, he'd been holed up in this place, which he called the bunker. Satisfied that the street was as empty as it seemed, Julian returned to his desk. Around him, a makeshift office bustled with activity. Digital and free speech activists typed furiously at their computers. There was a visceral sense among them that they were changing the world. From this darkened living room, Julian liked being at the center of so much activity. A few months ago, WikiLeaks only had a staff of two, Julian and his first full time partner, Daniel Domscheid Berg. But since they'd published the Icelandic bank documents, they'd found a new home and workforce. A few politicians and activists had helped Julian set up shop in Iceland. Now they were working together to get more documents out to the public. A few days ago, an anonymous source claiming to know what was going on in Iraq and Afghanistan had reached out to Julian. Julian suspected the source was a soldier from the US Army. Judging by their chats online, the soldier had a guilty conscience and wanted to give WikiLeaks a scoop. The soldier transferred an encrypted video file to Julian, and he and the team had been working around the clock for days to crack it. Julian's concentration suddenly broke as one of the hackers shouted frantically from the corner of the room. Julian, Daniel and the others jumped up from their desks. The hacker announced that he had finally broken through the encryption. Julian felt a rush of adrenaline. His team now had access to a highly classified video leaked from the American military. Julian looked over at Daniel. Neither of them could quite believe this was happening. But their enthusiasm didn't last long. For the next 38 excruciating minutes, the team watched in horror as US soldiers aboard an Apache helicopter fired on a group of civilians on a Baghdad street. Some of the WikiLeaks team members walked away from the computer in disgust. As the soldiers laughed over the corpses lying in the street, Julian was struck by a kind of morbid fascination. The video was disturbing, but exposing this kind of disregard for human life was exactly the thing he wanted to do when he started WikiLeaks. An activist pointed at one of the dead bodies on screen. He identified the man as Namir Noor El Din, a Reuters war photographer. Seeing the man confirmed that this was the video Julian's team had been looking for. The army had justified the killings of the journalists by claiming they were embedded with insurgents who fired on the helicopters. But this video directly contradicted what they'd told the public. Julian couldn't help but feel exhilarated. He had waited for this moment for so long. Everything was about to change. Not just for WikiLeaks, but but for him. He told his team to go back to their desks. Their work wasn't over yet. They needed to edit a shorter version of the video. Julian had been invited to speak to reporters in Washington in just a few days, and he was going to show it to them. In late May 2010, Adrian Lamo started his day the same way that he always did. He rolled off whatever couch he was crashing on, downed an energy drink, and planted himself in front of his computer. But unlike most days today, something strange was waiting for him. Two encrypted files sat in his inbox and someone had left him a few messages. The person wrote, if you had unprecedented access to classified networks 24 hours a day, seven days a week for eight plus months, what would you do? They also wrote that they were an army intelligence analyst deployed to eastern Baghdad. Adrian read the messages several times, his mind racing. His first thought was that this might be some kind of prank. It seemed unlikely someone with top secret access would be bragging about it to strangers online. But considering Adrian's reputation, he figured there was a chance this was for real. Adrian had gained notoriety when he was arrested in 2003 for cracking into the security networks of the New York Times and Microsoft and Yahoo. He became known as the homeless hacker because he didn't have a permanent residence. His criminal record made him a hero to some, including, clearly, the intelligence analyst who had reached out to him. Adrian was curious, so he decided to message the analyst back. The more they talked, the more this anonymous person started opening up. They admitted that they were very close to the Iraq war. They had unfiltered access to classified communication about the war, and the images they saw weighed heavily on them. Eventually, the analyst admitted to leaking the Baghdad airstrike video, as well as massive amounts of other data to Julian Assange. The analyst said they'd made a huge mess. Adrian's heart was in his throat. It seemed this person was coming to him for emotional support. Adrian sensed they thought they were doing the right thing. But now he was involved, and he faced a dilemma. If he kept this information secret, would that mean he was betraying his country? Adrian urged the analyst to keep typing, hoping they'd give him more information. In the meantime, he called his friend Tim Webster, a former army intelligence analyst. He asked Webster what he would do if, hypothetically, someone came to him with leaked government materials. Without hesitation, Tim responded that he would turn them in immediately. Adrian sighed. He knew his friend was right. Even though this person was putting their faith in him, it was all too big a risk, not just for Adrian, but for the whole country.
- [16:35]
Anna Richardson
The town of AGDA in France is famous for sun, sand, sea and sex. But lately, life on the coast is has taken a strange turn. The town's mayor, a respected pillar of the community, has been arrested for corruption. His wife claims he's been bewitched by a beautiful clairvoyant. Then there's the mysterious phone calls that local people have been getting.
- [17:01]
Luke Lamanna
I am the Archangel Michael.
- [17:03]
Anna Richardson
The whole town has been thrown into.
- [17:05]
Luke Lamanna
Chaos as the mayor is unable to carry out his duties. I would like to address you all legal proceedings have been initiated.
- [17:14]
Anna Richardson
Join me, Anna Richardson, and journalist Leo Chic for the mystic and the Mayor, as we investigate a story of power, corruption and magic. Binge all episodes of the mystic and the Mayor, exclusively and ad free right now on Wondery. Start your free trial in Apple podcasts, Spotify or the Wondery app.
- [17:34]
Charli Webster
How do you make an Airbnb a vrbo Picture a vacation rental with a host who's showing you every room like you've never seen a house before. Now get rid of them. There you go. No host ever. Now it's a verbo. Make it a verbo.
- [17:57]
Luke Lamanna
A few weeks later, in late June 2010, Julian Assange sat at a cafe in Brussels, Belgium, sipping orange juice. He was meeting with Nick Davies, an investigative reporter for the Guardian who had been trying to track down Julian for months. He admired what Julian and WikiLeaks were trying to do, but wanted to convince Julian to publish his leaks with the Guardian and other papers so they had the legitimacy and backing of the press. But right now, their meeting was a solemn one. A month earlier, the army arrested the intelligence analyst who would come to be known as Chelsea Manning. She was charged with leaking the Baghdad airstrike video following a tip that came from Adrian Lamo and was being held in solitary confinement in Kuwait, reportedly in a cage. For Julian, Chelsea's arrest was deeply troubling. He and WikiLeaks prided themselves on keeping their sources anonymous. But more than that, it sent Julian's paranoia into overdrive. If the US Government had thrown her in jail, they might try to do the same to him. Or worse. Julian scanned the cafe. Checking to see if anyone was watching him was now a reflex. Nick could tell how agitated he was. He cleared his throat and asked Julian if Chelsea was the source of the military footage, which WikiLeaks had dubbed the Collateral Murder video. Julian shook his head. He said he couldn't confirm it, even if he wanted to. He explained that WikiLeaks worked like an anonymous dead drop by design. There was no way to tell who sent the documents in. Of course, that wasn't exactly true. Julian knew that Chelsea was WikiLeaks source, but he had given her his word that he would keep her identity a secret. Nick pressed him. Surely the Collateral Murder video wasn't the only thing WikiLeaks had gotten from their source, whoever they were. Julian looked around the room again and leaned in close. He said the source that leaked the video had also sent them thousands of military documents. Julian had promised that WikiLeaks would publish all of them. But now, with Chelsea's arrest, he wasn't sure if he could. Nick leaned back, digesting this new information. He had a glimmer in his eye. Julian could tell he was excited by the possibility of a scoop. Then Nick got to the original purpose of the meeting. He asked if WikiLeaks would be open to a partnership. If they published the documents jointly with the Guardian and a coalition of other papers, Julian would have more legal protection. Plus, it could help turn WikiLeaks into a legitimate agent of the press. Julian considered the offer. The Guardian could be just that. Protection against the wrath of the United States government, but it wasn't a guarantee. He could still get charged for leaking classified material, which would challenge the freedom of the press and probably land him in prison. Ultimately, Julian wanted the documents out. He believed that the US Government often acted like a bully, doing whatever they wanted without worrying about who got killed along the way. He wanted to hit them where it hurt. And if the Guardian was equipped to help him, he wasn't going to turn it down. Julian finished his drink and grabbed a napkin off the bar. Then he pushed it toward Nick. Nick asked him what he was doing. Julian said he would create an encrypted website to store all the documents. The logo and name on the napkin would be the username and password. If anyone inspected Nick's pockets, they wouldn't suspect a crumpled bar napkin as the key to a treasure trove of classified documents. Nick grinned. He folded up the napkin, put it in his pocket and shook Julian's hand. Julian watched him walk out of the bar and glanced around one more time. No one seemed to have noticed their exchange. Julian allowed himself to relax, if only just a little. This partnership would be massive. Not just for WikiLeaks, but for the world. The media would soon have access to the biggest leak of military secrets in history. A month later, in July 2010, Nick Davies sat at a large conference table in the Guardian's London offices. Around him were some of the world's most accomplished journalists from his paper, as well as the New York Times and the German newspaper Der Spiegel. But right now, all eyes were on the one non journalist in the room, Julian Assange. The team had spent days combing through documents and planning stories about the next WikiLeaks release. The amount of material was staggering. Nearly 75,000 documents. The team wanted to go through each of them to redact names, but they kept running into a roadblock. Julian himself, he believed, as with other WikiLeaks releases, this information should go out without any redactions. Now they were in the middle of another drawn out argument. Nick felt like banging his head against the wall. He was the one who had convinced Julian to take part in this coalition and Julian was now undermining the whole thing. If the prospect of this story wasn't so monumental, Nick would have regretted ever bringing Julian in. Nick explained to Julian that this information could put people at risk. The documents included information about soldiers, friendly Afghans and businesses who dealt with the US and coalition forces. They were trying to expose the government, not regular people on the ground in Afghanistan. Julian disagreed loudly. He told the room that when it came to information, transparency, he was an absolutist. Everything should be published as is for the world to see. One of the reporters from Der Spiegel bluntly told Julian that he didn't understand journalistic ethics. They had a responsibility to protect people who might be in harm's way. What if Afghans who helped the US were targeted because they were named in the documents? The Taliban might try to go after them. Julian sneered. He said if an Afghan civilian helped coalition forces, he deserves to die. A few people gasped. Then all at once, the room dissolved into chaos. Julian scoffed and waved them off. Nick's head was swimming. He knew Julian was serious about this mission. But his comments revealed his true feelings. This was more about getting back at the United States than it was about advocating for free speech. Nick was starting to feel like Julian had misled him, even lied to him. Nick stood up and called for everyone to quiet down. As calmly as he could. He told Julian to think about the consequences for WikiLeaks. If people died because of what he published. Not only would he have blood on his hands, but he would lose any political immunity. The United States government would almost certainly come after him like they did Chelsea Manning. Nick reminded Julian how after the Collateral Murder leak, the government had argued WikiLeaks was helping the enemy. If WikiLeaks publications got Afghan citizens killed, Julian would be playing right into the attacks against him. Julian looked away. In the short time Nick had known him, he hadn't seen Julian back down. But this time Julian mumbled that Nick had a point. He reluctantly agreed to allow redactions if they had time. Nick thanked Julian, but knew from this point on, he could never work with him again. It seemed he was right to not trust Julian. In the end, 60,000 of the 75,000 Afghan war logs were published on WikiLeaks unredacted with accompanying pieces by the Guardian, Der Spiegel and the New York Times. Whether Julian ran out of time or just lied to the journalists was unclear. What was clear was that Julian had just poked the bear and it was about to come back to bite him. On the day WikiLeaks released the documents, Julian held a press conference to discuss what they contained. There does appear to be evidence of war crimes in this material. Example is the Task Force 373 high Mars missile strike on a house which killed seven children. Shortly after, Admiral Michael Mullen held a press conference of his own. He was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and knew how to keep his cool in times of crisis. But right now he was fuming in the face of reporters lobbing questions at him. The Afghan War Logs completely changed the Pentagon's narrative about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The civilian casualty rate was much higher than previously reported. Pakistan was taking military aid from the US but turning around and supporting the Taliban. There were allegations of war crimes for killing civilians, including thousands of children. The American public wanted answers, but Admiral Mullen's job was to shift the focus onto WikiLeaks. A reporter from the Washington Post asked why the American people had been misled. How could they trust the government when there were so many secrets being kept from them? Mullen said that in any war situation, secrecy was needed to maintain operational security. If the public had access to classified information, so would America's enemies. Their top priority was to protect the soldiers they sent out into the field. By exposing so many documents, WikiLeaks had endangered American troops, allies and Afghan partners. Another reporter asked if Mullen was really trying to justify the deaths of innocent civilians. Mullen exhaled, brimming with anger that he even had to answer these questions. He adjusted his wireframe glasses and said the military still had a mission to do. And if something bad happened because this sensitive information was made public, it would be on WikiLeaks. Mullen walked out of the press conference unsure of whether he would be able to shift the blame. But ultimately, it didn't matter. One way or another, they were going to find Julian Assange and stop him. Two months later, in early September 2010, Julian Assange was once again holed up in the bunker in Iceland, just as the Pentagon intended. Mullin's press conference successfully put a target on his back and he felt the whole world was watching him. He had become an international celebrity after the War Logs drop, traveling around Europe, attending parties and high level tech conferences. Everyone wanted a piece of the man who had exposed the US Government. And Julian was more than happy to oblige them. But then things started going south. First, the United States had labeled Julian an enemy of the state using the Espionage Act. They were pursuing charges against him. And two weeks earlier, Julian was accused of rape in Sweden, where WikiLeaks servers were located. As he saw it, he had had consensual sex with two women. But they said he had coerced them into it so he'd return to the security of his bunker in Iceland. But even surrounded by his team, he was feeling more and more like he was on his own. As Julian mulled over his situation, his partner Daniel walked over. He asked about raising money for WikiLeaks administrative costs, but Julian wasn't interested. He cut Daniel off, and he said he had far more important things to worry about. He began ranting about the rape accusation. He told Daniel it must be a plot to smear him. He wouldn't put it past the US Government to do something like that. Sweden was demanding that he return to be questioned, but he knew if he did, they would extradite him to the United States and he'd likely end up in Guantanamo Bay. Daniel told Julian to take a break. He'd been stewing over his laptop for hours and he could probably use some fresh air. Julian felt his face flush with rage. He looked up with a scene. He said Daniel shouldn't tell him what to do, especially since he was a traitor. Daniel took a step back, shocked. Julian looked at his friend's face with utter disdain. Someone who knew everything about Julian had been talking to Newsweek. They had a leaker inside WikiLeaks. And there was no one who knew more about Julian than Daniel. Daniel was usually quiet and soft spoken, a perfect German gentleman. Julian had never seen him get angry before. Not even when they uncovered the United States worst offenses in Afghanistan. But now Daniel's face was turning bright red. Daniel fired back that WikiLeaks had lost its mission. It was supposed to be greater than either one of them. But now Julian was syncing the website with his ego. If Julian didn't get himself in line, Daniel was going to quit. Julian couldn't believe Daniel was talking to him like this. It didn't matter that they'd built WikiLeaks together. Julian was the face of the company and the reason they had gotten to this point. With venom in his voice, he threatened to suspend Daniel permanently if necessary. Daniel turned around and stormed out of the room without another word. Julian slumped back at his desk. He should have known that Daniel was going to betray him. Everyone else had. The whole world was trying to silence him because they were scared of what he had to say.
- [31:02]
Nick Cannon
It's your man, Nick Cannon and I'm here to bring you my new podcast, Nick Cannon at Night. I've heard y' all been needing some advice in the love department, so who better to help than yours truly? Nah, I'm serious. Every week I'm bringing out some of my celebrity friends and the best experts in the business to answer your most intimate relationship questions. Having problems with your man? We got you catching feelings for your sneaky link. Let's make sure it's the real deal first. Ready to bring toys into the bedroom? Let's talk about it. Consider this a non judgment zone to ask your questions when it comes to sex and modern dating in relationships, friendships, situationships and everything in between, it's going to be sexy, freaky, messy. And you know what? You'll just have to watch the show. So don't be shy, join the conversation and head over to YouTube to watch Nick Cannon at Night or subscribe on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast. Want to watch episodes early and ad free? Join Wondery right now.
- [31:59]
Lindsey Graham
In 1925, 18 year old Howard Hughes inherited a fortune and he wasted no time putting it to use. With a million dollars burning a hole in his pocket, he headed west, determined to conquer America's booming new capital of entertainment, Hollywood. Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, host of Wondery Show Business Movers. We tell the true stories of business leaders who risked it all, the critical moments that define their journey, and the ideas that transform the way we live our lives. In our latest series, Howard Hughes clashes with Hollywood's power players as he fights to see his name in lights. But Howard has deep pockets and even deeper ambitions, and he revolutionizes the movie business by breaking rules and spending big. Because for Howard, the best way to level Hollywood's playing field is is to explode the entire industry. Follow Business Movers on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Business Movers early and ad free right now by joining Wondery.
- [33:01]
Luke Lamanna
A year and a half later. In the early morning on January 19, 2012, Julian Assange lingered at the door of Ellingham Hall, a manor house just north of London. He'd been living here thanks to the generosity of a WikiLeaks donor, and he was sad to have to leave such a beautiful place. But he knew if he didn't get out now, he'd be forced out in handcuffs. By this point, Most of the WikiLeaks staffers had left the organization. But Julian hadn't slowed down in his crusade against the US Government. He continued dropping leaks, including the Iraq War Logs and Cablegate, thousands of cables from US diplomats that revealed embarrassing gossip and even illegal spying on world leaders. Technically, the American government hadn't yet filed any charges against Julian, but he knew they wanted to lock him up and throw away the key, just like they had done to Chelsea Manning, who had been held in solitary confinement for nearly a year, first in a cage in Kuwait, then in Quantico, Virginia, all without going to trial. In the year he had lived at Ellingham Hall, Julian spent long days waiting to see if the UK would extradite him to Sweden. But he wasn't going to wait around any longer to get shipped off to a gulag. He had on a simple disguise, a work outfit and a helmet. Maybe it was the fact that the danger around him was so real. Maybe it was the hope that he could escape his fate. But for once in his life, Julian wasn't feeling paranoid. He felt a strange sense of peace as he got on his motorcycle and rode off toward London. As he raced through the rain slick streets, a flicker of regret about what he'd done crossed his mind. But Julian knew deep down that he would do it all over again if he could. If his work had changed some people's minds and gotten them to push back against their government, it was all worth it. Eventually, he pulled up to his destination, the Ecuadorian Embassy. He bluffed his way through security by telling them he was a motorcycle courier. And soon he approached a bleary eyed diplomat. The man seemed to recognize Julian immediately. Julian had many contacts in the Ecuadorian government and had even interviewed the President on his Russian state TV show. Julian gave the man a soft smile and said he was there to seek asylum. The diplomat welcomed Julian and told him to wait while he made a few calls. As Julian eased himself into a chair, he looked around the embassy. The place was nice, if a bit cramped. It would be a challenge to live here full time, but Julian was willing to do whatever it took to be free. After entering the Ecuadorian embassy in June 2012, Julian wouldn't walk outside again for seven years. During that time, he continued publishing leaked materials, but his motivations became increasingly political. In 2016, after WikiLeaks released documents from the Democratic National Committee, it was revealed that he had colluded with members of Donald Trump's campaign during the election. The Ecuadorian embassy eventually grew tired of shielding Julian. After cutting off his Internet access multiple times, they finally ousted him in 2019. After that, he was immediately arrested by London police for avoiding bail. By this point, the rape charges in Sweden had lapsed, although one of his accusers maintained that Julian was guilty. The US Government had also formally charged Julian with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, but after a lengthy trial, the UK refused to extradite him to the US in 2024, Julian reached a plea bargain with the United States under the condition of time served, and he was returned to his native Australia. Chelsea Manning was ultimately convicted of several charges related to stealing files, but was not found to be aiding the enemy. She was sentenced to 35 years. In January 2017, before leaving office, President Obama commuted Chelsea's sentence. She went free on May 17th of that year. Two years later, in 2019, she was jailed again for her refusal to respond to a subpoena ordering her to testify about Julian Assange. Chelsea remains a controversial figure. Some see her as a hero for transparency and others a traitor for potentially putting troops at risk. She also became a symbol for the trans community when she publicly came out in 2013 and went on a hunger strike in prison to get gender affirming care. WikiLeaks continued publishing until 2021, but in recent years many of its documents have become inaccessible. WikiLeaks publications did change public opinion on the wars in the Middle East. They also embarrassed the US Government on the national stage. But it remains unclear if the leaks aided any US Enemies or directly put soldiers or allies at risk. Julian Assange's work with WikiLeaks began with a radical to expose the inner workings of powerful institutions and hold governments accountable. At its best, WikiLeaks revealed abuses and sparked global debates about war, surveillance and secrecy. But over time, Julian's grip on the organization and his willingness to publish unredacted documents regardless of the potential harm blurred the line between whistleblowing and recklessness. It's left some of us wondering whether WikiLeaks was focused on serving the public or simply its founder. Ultimately, the story of WikiLeaks offers a cautionary tale about the limits of transparency, the dangers of unchecked power even in the name of accountability, and the enduring tension between the public's right to know and the need to protect national security. From Ballin Studios and Wondery, this is Declassified Mysteries, hosted by me, Luke Lamanna. A quick note about our stories. We do a lot of research, but some details and scenes are dramatized. We used many different sources for our show, but we especially recommend the documentary We Steal Secrets. The story of WikiLeaks the article Julian Assange A Man Without a Country by Rafi Khachadourian for the New Yorker and WikiLeaks coverage by the Guardian. This episode was written by Jake Natureman. Sound designed by Andre Plews. Our producers are Christopher B. Dunn and John Reed. Our associate producers are Ines Renike and Molly Quintlin. Artwick Fact checking by Sheila Patterson for Ballin Studios. Our head of production is Zach Levitt. Script editing by Scott Allen and Luke Baratz. Our coordinating producer is Samantha Collins Production support by Avery SIEGEL Produced by me, Luke Lamanna. Executive producers are Mr. Ballin and Nick Witters. For Wondery, our senior producers are Laura, Donna Palavotta, Dave Schilling and Rachel Engelman. Senior managing producer is Nick Ryan. Managing producer is Olivia Fonti. Executive producers are Aaron o' Flaherty and Marshall Louie. For Wondery, follow redacted Declassified Mysteries, hosted by me, Luke lamanna on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're looking to dive into more gripping stories from Ballin Studios and Wondery, you can also listen to my other podcast, Wartime Stories, early and ad free with Wondery. Plus, start your free trial in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify today. 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