As with all complex stories the valuable discoveries come with time.

We now have a pretty good understanding of who, what, where, and why surrounding the 9/11/12 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi Libya.  We are also better positioned to understand why, or perhaps more importantly why not, certain actions were taken before, during, and in the immediate aftermath of the attack itself.

We know from the Bret Baier interview with Hillary Clinton that she was physically located at her 7th floor office in Washington DC on the night of the attack.   Unfortunately we also know during the November 2012 Thanksgiving holiday a mysterious fire took place in that building.  Well, actually directly above her exact office – cause undetermined.
A “fire” which preceded an unfortunate slip and fall for the Secretary, resulting in a concussion, which led to the discovery of a blood clot, that ultimately delayed her congressional testimony before a Senate Hearing into the events of the night in question.
We know the Libyan uprising began on February 10th of 2011, and we also know that sometime around the end of February 2011 President Obama signed a presidential directive authorizing the State Dept and CIA to begin a covert operation to arm the Libyan “rebels”.
We know the “rebels” were positioned in two strategic places.  Benghazi, and the port city of Darnah, both located in Eastern Libya.
We know this covert operation came to be known as “Operation Zero Footprint“, and fell under the military command authority of NATO not (important to repeat), NOT, the U.S. Military.
We know by the time operation “Zero Footprint” began, AFRICOM commander General Carter Ham was removed from OPSEC oversight in the Libyan campaign and NATO commander Admiral James G. Stavridis was in charge.  
Stavridis was the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) at the time of the Libyan uprising.  He retired as SACEUR in 2013
In 2011, 57-year-old Stavridis was the perfect pick for NATO Libyan intervention considering he is the son of Turkish immigrants.   Turkey played a key role in what might be the most politically dangerous aspect of the events to the White House once the goals changed to redirection of the weapons from Operation Zero Footprint.
We know Operation Zero Footprint was the covert transfer of weapons from the U.S to the Libyan “rebels”.   We also know the operation avoided the concerns with congressional funding, and potential for public scrutiny, through financing by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
We also know that officials within the government of Qatar served as the intermediaries for the actual transfer of the weapons, thereby removing the footprint of the U.S. intervention.
We know the entire operation was coordinated and controlled by the State Department and CIA.  We also know (from the Senate Foreign Relations Benghazi hearings) that “Zero Footprint” was unknown to the Pentagon and/or DoD commanders who would have been tasked with any military response to the 9/11/12 attack – namely AFRICOM General Carter Ham.
However, it would be implausible to think that Leon Panetta or Joint Chiefs Chair Admiral McMullen would be unaware of the operation; this aspect remains murky.   However, they did have knowledge, at least by the time we reach Sept 2012 because they were then briefing President Obama in the oval office.
We know the White House appears to have followed “The Intelligence Oversight Act of 1980” in informing the congressional “Gang of Eight” of Zero Footprint.
The Gang of Eight in 2011 would have included:  Speaker – John Boehner, Minority Leader – Nancy Pelosi;  House Permanent Select Committee on Intel Chairman – Mike Rogers, and his Democrat counterpart Charles  Ruppersberger;  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; along with Senate Intel Chair Diane Feinstein and her Republican counterpart, Saxby Chambliss.
From Hillary interviews we also know the White House liaison for Secretary Clinton and David Petraeus during Operation Zero Footprint was National Security Advisor To the President, Tom Donilon.
With this information we can assemble a cast of people “IN THE KNOW” of Operation Zero Footprint on two specific dates.   March 2011 through Pre 9/11/12 attack – and – Post 9/11/12 attack forward.

March 2011 through Pre 9/11/12 attack: Who knew of Operation “Zero Footprint”?:

• President Obama and Vice President Biden  (both Dems)
• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (Dem)
• CIA Head General David Petraeus
• NATO Commander, James G Stavridis
• White House National Security Advisor Tom Donilon  (Dem)
• Speaker of the House John Boehner  (Rep)
• Minority Leader – Nancy Pelosi (Dem)
• House Permanent Select Committee on Intel Chairman – Mike Rogers (Rep)
• Minority House Intel Committee – Charles  Ruppersberger (Dem)
• Senate Minority Leader – Mitch McConnell  (Rep)
• Senate Majority Leader – Harry Reid (Dem)
• Senate Intel Chair – Diane Feinstein (Dem)
• Minority Senate Intel Committee – Saxby Chambliss (Rep)
• [State Dept] U.S. Libyan Ambassador – Chris Stevens
• [State Dept] U.S. Asst Secretary of State – Andrew Shapiro
• [State Dept] Senior Head of U.S. Weapons Office – Mark Adams

Along with whomever inside each nation’s state government that was involved in either the finance (UAE), or the logistics (Qatar).
Obviously the “know” crowd would include the ultimate end destination users, “The Libyan Rebel Commanders”:

• Rebel Leader (Islamic Fighting Force) Abu Sufian Ibriham Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu  – Darnah Brigade – Ansar Al Sharia
• Rebel Leader (Islamic Fighting Force) Abu Khattala  – Commander of an Islamist militia group called the Abu Obaida bin Jarrah Brigade (17th Feb Brigade) Benghazi –  Ansar Al Sharia

*NOTE* Both of these individuals were labeled as officially recognized State Dept. terrorists in December of 2013.   Khattala recently having been arrested.

In addition, the “political face” of the Libyan Transitional Government Justice Minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil, should also be included in this list of people who knew of operation Zero Footprint while it was underway.
Justice Abdel Jalil served as the international face of, and spokesperson for, “the rebels” in 2011/12.  He worked closely with Chris Stevens and highly visibly with Secretary Hillary Clinton – However, in my opinion – after extensive research- Jalil was a total patsy.  He was paid well to present a comfortable face of the movement, but once Gaddaffi was killed Jalil was quickly dispatched.

This Brings us to who knew about “Operation Zero Footprint” post Benghazi 9/11/12 attack:

To wit you can easily add:

• Adjunct, and Interim, CIA Director – Mike Morrel
• U.S. Attorney General – Eric Holder
• President Obama Advisor and now Chief of Staff – Denis McDonough
• President Obama Advisor and now Treasury Sec – Jack Lew
• President Obama Advisor and now National Security Advisor – Tony Blinkin
• Former UN Ambassador and now Senior Nat Sec Advisor – Susan Rice
• Chief White House Communications Director – Ben Rhodes

This research outline is going to extend well beyond several thousand words.   In the interests of absorption I will cut it off here and begin again below with the next update in approximately 12 hour increments.
Readers have shared their preference for this process as the best for being able to read, understand and analyze the complexity within rather challenging research discussions.
The goal of update #2 will be to show what happened to both groups of people, and what actions are known to have occurred inside the government as a direct result of Operation Zero Footprint.
Following along that process….  update #3 will begin to dive into the buy back and then redeployment of weapons from Zero Footprint.    The “buy back” effort explains the missing $6 billion in State Dept funds (2011/2012/2013).   The redeployment to Syria (via Turkey) explains the political and geo-political risk to then Secretary Clinton and President Obama.   It was during this “buy-back phase” that Ambassador Stevens and three brave Americans were killed.   We’ll even be able to name the registration of the Turkish vessel carrying the weapons to Syria – along with dates of interest and the players who were involved.