By now, most of the world has heard of and seen Julian Assange, the man behind WikiLeaks. Assange is responsible for publishing tens of thousands of secret U.S. military reports and diplomatic cables. His supporters say he's a freedom fighter; his detractors call him a dangerous traitor or worse.

Watch part 1 of Steve Kroft's report.

Watch part 2 of Steve Kroft's report.

Naturally, "60 Minutes" wanted to hear from Assange himself. But for producers Tanya Simon and Howard Rosenberg and correspondent Steve Kroft just getting this interview was a story in and of itself.