The Unknown Known plot
"Why is this man smiling?"
Portrait of Donald Rumsfeld, one of the most important figures during the Iraq War. Rumsfeld takes the stage as a writer and performer of his own life. He reads sections from tens of thousands of memos he drafted as a congressman and as an adviser to four presidents, two of them as defense secretary. His worldview is powerful and confident: "True peace can only come from military strength". Although Rumsfeld has held important positions for half a century, most people know little about him. By the time the startling conclusion is reached, it is clear that Rumsfeld is in some ways as unknown to itself as it is to us.