Terry Gross

Former FBI agent and interrogator Ali Soufan talks about dysfunction and rivalries inside the government's counterterrorism agencies that led to missed opportunities — as well as the ineffectiveness of enhanced interrogation techniques on collecting intelligence.

Margo Martindale plays Mags Bennett, the leader of a law-defying Appalachian family in the FX series Justified. The Emmy-nominated actress talks about playing Mags — as well as her other roles in Paris, Je T'Aime and Million Dollar Baby.

The Air Force's Bay State Winds Clarinet Quartet joins Terry Gross for a discussion of military ensembles. The group also performs several songs in tribute to the men and women who've served since Sept. 11, 2001.

NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel details what it's like to report from some of the more dangerous war zones on the planet. He also discusses his recent dispatches from Egypt and Libya, where he was subject to tear gas attacks and artillery fire.

Firefighter Ken Haskell was off duty on Sept. 11, 2001, when his two brothers, also firefighters, died in the World Trade Center. Haskell's story of searching the rubble for his brothers' bodies is included in A Decade of Hope: Stories of Grief and Endurance from 9/11 Families and Friends.

Washington Post national security reporter Dana Priest's book Top Secret America looks at the top-secret intelligence and counterterrorism network created after Sept. 11. "No one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, [or] how many programs exist within it," she says.

Hal Needham worked as a Hollywood stuntman for over 40 years. He details some of his most death-defying feats (and why he can't stand modern special effects) in his memoir, Stuntman!

Marilyn and Alan Bergman have been writing irresistible songs together for 50 years, putting words in the mouths of singers like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney and Barbra Streisand. Here, the Bergmans discuss some of their favorite tunes and their many years making music together.

In a 1989 interview, Julia Child describes the first meal she had in France in 1948 — the start of her lifelong love affair with French cooking. With her signature combination of gusto and charm, Child would spend the rest of her career guiding American amateurs through the intricacies of French cuisine.

What's the difference between wooden and plastic cutting boards? When should you throw out frozen fish? Harold McGee, an expert on the science of food and cooking, untangles these kitchen mysteries and more in his Keys to Good Cooking.