The Words The SEAL Killing Osama bin Laden Radioed Home

Rhodes said: 'They knew he had staked his presidency on this. He knew they staked their lives on it.'

Obama told them: 'Our intelligence professionals did some amazing work. I had fifty-fifty confidence that bin Laden was there, but I had 100 per cent confidence in you guys. You are, literally, the finest small-fighting force that has ever existed in the world.'

He listened intently to James's briefing, and was particularly interested in Cairo's role. He interrupted him, saying: 'There was a dog?'

When James told him Cairo was next door - muzzled, at the request of the Secret Service - Obama said: 'I want to meet that dog.'

James joked: 'If you want to meet the dog, Mr President, I advise you to bring treats.'

But while he spoke to each of them in turn, he never asked them who pulled the trigger - and they didn't tell him. Instead, he settled for a flag, taken from one the Chinooks, which the team had framed, signed, and inscribed. The message read:'From the Joint Task Force Operation Neptune’s Spear, 01 May 2011: For God and country. Geronimo.'