All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S08E06.1080p.DSCP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[eng]

Narrator:
THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES
CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY,
THEY UNCOVER NEW

MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA
THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

WAKING THE DEAD
ON DEVIL'S ISLAND.

ONE CAN FEEL
THE HUMAN SUFFERING,

THE SOULS THAT
WERE BEING DESTROYED.

Narrator:
INVASION U.S.A.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
ENEMY TROOPS HAVE BEEN ON

AMERICAN SOIL SINCE

THE BRITISH WERE
IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

Narrator: AND NARCS VERSUS
NARCOS ON THE HIGH SEAS.

Carter: THEY ARE WILLING TO DO
ANYTHING IT TAKES,

AND GOD HELP ANYBODY
THAT GETS IN THEIR WAY.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.
MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

**

**

THE TROPICAL RAINFORESTS OF
EQUATORIAL SOUTH AMERICA.

MARK HORTON IS HEADING FOR
A DESERTED ISLAND OFF

THE FORMER COLONY OF
FRENCH GUIANA TO INVESTIGATE

A MYSTERIOUS SATELLITE IMAGE.

THIS ISLAND, ILE SAINT-JOSEPH,

IS PART OF
THIS WHOLE ARCHIPELAGO,

WHICH IS COLLECTIVELY
KNOWN AS DEVIL'S ISLAND,

ONE OF THE MOST HORRID
PENAL COLONIES

THAT MAN HAS EVER CREATED.

Narrator: THE NOTORIOUS
DEVIL'S ISLAND IS FORMED

OF THREE SEPARATE LAND MASSES.

BETWEEN THE MID-19th
AND 20th CENTURIES,

THE FRENCH-RUN PENITENTIARY
IS HOME TO 80,000

PRISONERS INCARCERATED
IN THE MOST HORRIFIC

CONDITIONS IMAGINABLE.

[ DISTANT SHOUTING ]

SEVEN DECADES
AFTER IT WAS SHUT DOWN,

A FEATURE ON
THE PENAL COLONY HAS CAPTURED

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST'S TRAINED EYE.

Horton: THIS IS A REALLY
RATHER INTRIGUING IMAGE.

WHAT I CAN SEE IS
A SERIES OF THESE SORT OF

RECTANGULAR BLOCKS,

MAYBE 6-, 8-FOOT IN SIZE.

SO I THINK WHAT
WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING

AT HERE IS SOME FORM
OF CEMETERY.

Narrator: WHAT BAFFLES HORTON
IS THAT THE CEMETERY

APPEARS TO CONTAIN
ONLY A FEW HUNDRED GRAVES.

WE HAVE RECORDS -- LITERALLY
THOUSANDS OF PRISONERS

DIED ON THE ISLAND,

SO IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
THE NUMBERS ARE WRONG.

**

Narrator: EIGHT MILES
OF OCEAN SEPARATE

DEVIL'S ISLAND FROM
FRENCH GUIANA'S

VAST JUNGLE INTERIOR.

BONJOUR! HELLO! HI!

**

Narrator: FOR INMATES,
THESE WATERS PROVIDED A STRONGER

DETERRENT AGAINST ESCAPE
THAN ANY PRISON WALL.

SO, YOU'LL GET EATEN ALIVE

IF YOU DIDN'T
DROWN IN THE WAVES.

Silbey: ESCAPE WAS
ESSENTIALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

AS ONE WARDEN PUT IT,
THERE WERE TWO

ETERNAL GUARDIANS --
THE SEA AND THE JUNGLE.

Narrator: THE FRENCH
BEGIN SHIPPING CONVICTS

TO DEVIL'S ISLAND
IN 1852.

IT MARKS THE START OF
A CENTURY-LONG CAMPAIGN TO

RID THEIR COUNTRY OF A HUGE
SPECTRUM OF CRIMINALS

AND UNDESIRABLES.

Morgan: THE ASSORTMENT OF
PEOPLE CONDEMNED

WAS REALLY QUITE UNBELIEVABLE.

Silbey: YOU MIGHT BE A VAGRANT.
YOU MIGHT BE A PETTY CRIMINAL.

YOU MIGHT BE A MURDERER --
THE FRENCH JUST DIDN'T CARE.

Narrator: PACKED LIKE CATTLE
INTO TRANSPORT SHIPS

WITH SERIAL KILLERS
AND PSYCHOPATHS,

MANY PRISONERS DO NOT SURVIVE
THE 4,000-MILE JOURNEY

ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

Bellinger: IT WAS AKIN TO
THE MIDDLE PASSAGE WHERE

AFRICAN SLAVES WERE BROUGHT
TO THE NEW WORLD.

THE BRUTALITY THAT BEGINS ON
THE VOYAGE CONTINUES

ONCE THEY GET
TO FRENCH GUIANA.

**

**

Narrator: UPON ARRIVAL,
THE SURVIVING PRISONERS

FIND THEMSELVES
IN A TROPICAL HELL,

ALIVE WITH PARASITES
AND VENOMOUS INSECTS.

**

UP TO 80% DIE WITHIN THEIR
FIRST YEAR ON THESE ISLANDS.

IT'S THERE --
THIS MUST BE THE CEMETERY

I CAN SEE ON
THE SATELLITE MAP.

[ GRUNTS ]

HERE WE CAN SEE
AN INSCRIPTION.

I CAN ACTUALLY READ...

THIS POOR MAN DIED
ON CHRISTMAS DAY, 1865.

Narrator: WALKING AMONG THE DEAD
CONFIRMS HORTON'S SUSPICION

THAT THIS CANNOT ACCOUNT

FOR THE HUGE NUMBER OF
PRISONERS WHO PERISHED

ON THESE ISLANDS...

...YET REVEALS
ANOTHER MYSTERY.

THE GRAVES SEEM TO
CHANGE CHARACTER AT THIS END,

'CAUSE, LOOK,
THEY'RE A LOT SMALLER.

THEY MUST BE

THE GRAVES OF CHILDREN,
I THINK.

WHAT I CAN CONCLUDE FROM THIS

IS THAT THIS PLACE MUST BE

THE CEMETERY FOR THE GUARDS
AND THE FAMILIES

LIVING ON THE ISLAND.

Narrator: GUARDS SENT
TO DEVIL'S ISLAND OFTEN

BRING THEIR WIVES
AND CHILDREN WITH THEM.

THEIR ACCOUNTS LAY BARE
THE GRIM REALITY OF FAMILY LIFE

IN THE MOST
ISOLATED PENITENTIARY

IN THE FRENCH EMPIRE.

THEY WERE LIVING
CHEEK BY CHEEK WITH

THE WORST CRIMINALS
THAT FRANCE COULD OFFER.

THEY WERE PAID TERRIBLY.

THEY TENDED
TOWARDS ALCOHOLISM.

THEIR COMPENSATION
WAS SO LOW THAT

THEIR WIVES OFTEN RESORTED
TO PROSTITUTION.

SO, IT MADE FOR A DARK
EXPERIENCE ON EVERY LEVEL.

I THINK THERE ARE

TWO QUESTIONS, I SUPPOSE,
FROM THIS HAUNTED PLACE.

WHY DID SO MANY FAMILIES
DIE HERE?

BUT ALSO, WHERE ARE
THE GRAVES OF THE CONVICTS?

[ BIRD CALLING ]

Narrator:
HORTON CONTINUES TO EXPLORE

THE ISLAND'S COASTLINE.

[ BIRD CALLING ]

WELL, THERE SEEMS TO BE
SOME FORM OF ENCLOSURE.

ONE CAN SEE THE WALL
CURVING ROUND,

AND ACTUALLY, THE STEPS
COMING DOWN THE SIDE.

Narrator:
HORTON BELIEVES THE ENCLOSURE

IS A COMMUNAL BATHING POOL,

ONE THAT HELPS EXPLAIN
THE NUMBER OF GRAVES

IN THE CEMETERY.

IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY,
I DON'T THINK PEOPLE FULLY

UNDERSTOOD HOW DISEASES COULD
BE TRANSFERRED, AND HERE,

YOU'VE GOT A PLACE WHERE
TRANSMISSION OF DISEASES COULD

TAKE PLACE SO EASILY,

BECAUSE AS THEY'RE BATHING,
THEY'RE INGESTING

INFECTED WATER,

WHICH WOULD THEN JUST PASS
THE DISEASE FROM ONE TO ANOTHER.

Narrator:
19th CENTURY RECORDS CONFIRM

THAT TRAPPED WITH THE PRISONERS
ON THESE TINY ISLANDS,

WAVE AFTER WAVE OF
DISEASE STALKS THE GUARDS

AND THEIR LOVED ONES.

SANITATION IS AWFUL.

THERE ISN'T SUFFICIENT
MEDICAL CARE.

THERE'S ONLY ONE HOSPITAL
FOR EVERYBODY.

AND VERY QUICKLY,
THE CEMETERY BEGINS

TO FILL UP WITH DEAD GUARDS.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALMOST
A DEATH SENTENCE TO COME HERE

AS A FAMILY AS MUCH AS IT WAS

A DEATH SENTENCE
FOR THE PRISONERS THEMSELVES.

[ BIRD CALLING ]

Narrator:
YET THE MYSTERY REMAINS OF

THE WHEREABOUTS OF THESE
THOUSANDS OF PRISONERS.

HORTON TREKS TO
THE CENTER OF THE ISLAND,

SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS.

[ BIRD CALLING ]

AH! I DIDN'T EXPECT THIS
UP HERE.

[ BIRD CALLING ]

Narrator: COMING UP,
THE TRUTH IS MORE TERRIBLE

THAN HORTON COULD
HAVE IMAGINED.

THIS JUST SHOWS YOU
HOW VALUELESS HUMAN LIFE

WAS CONSIDERED.

Narrator: AND THE GHOST
BATTLE OF ALASKA.

ONE OF THE VERY FEW TIMES
IN HISTORY WHERE

AMERICAN TERRITORY HAS BEEN
LOST TO A FOREIGN POWER.

**

**

Narrator: MARK HORTON IS ON
SAINT-JOSEPH'S ISLAND,

PART OF THE INFAMOUS
DEVIL'S ISLAND PENAL COLONY

IN FRENCH GUIANA.

A SATELLITE IMAGE OF
A CEMETERY THERE

HAS CAUGHT
THE ARCHAEOLOGIST'S ATTENTION.

THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH
GRAVES HERE

FOR IT TO BE THE CEMETERY
OF THE PRISONERS.

WE KNOW THAT
THE CONVICTS DIED

IN THE THOUSANDS
ON THESE ISLANDS.

Narrator: HORTON HOPES A GROUP
OF BUILDINGS HIDDEN IN

THE CENTER OF THE ISLAND
COULD HELP SHED SOME LIGHT.

-[ BIRD CALLS LOUDLY ]
-OY!

THIS IS JUST
AN ENORMOUS STRUCTURE.

**

JUST A HUGE COURTYARD

WITH THIS -- APPEARS TO BE
A CELL BLOCK IN THE CENTER.

**

**

Narrator: THE LABYRINTHINE
STRUCTURE IS FORMED

OF SEVERAL CORRIDORS LINED

WITH DOZENS OF SMALL,
ROOFLESS CELLS.

HOW MANY CELLS ARE THERE?
THERE MUST BE

40 OR 50 ALONG HERE.

EACH ONE IS ABSOLUTELY TINY.

**

Narrator: HORTON CAME
LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE

OF WHERE THE INMATES ARE BURIED,

BUT HE'S FOUND SOMETHING
EQUALLY DISTURBING...

...THE FEARED PUNISHMENT BLOCK
OF SAINT-JOSEPH'S ISLAND.

THIS IS ONE OF
THE SEGREGATION CELLS.

10-FOOT ALSO ACROSS
AND ABOUT SIX-FOOT WIDE.

IT DOESN'T HAVE A ROOF.
IT JUST HAS A GRILLE.

SO THAT THE PRISON GUARDS
CAN LOOK DOWN.

SAINT-JOSEPH'S IS WHERE
THE WORST OF THE WORST

ARE THROWN INTO
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.

AND THEY'RE FORBIDDEN FROM
TALKING, WHICH GIVES IT

THE NICKNAME
"THE ISLAND OF SILENCE."

Narrator: TRANSGRESSION
AGAINST PRISON RULES

COULD SEE YOU SHACKLED ALONE

INSIDE ONE OF THESE CELLS
FOR FIVE YEARS OR MORE.

OKAY, ON THE WALL,

WE HAVE GRAFFITI

CARVED THERE BY ONE OF
THE PRISONERS WHO WAS HERE.

MAYBE THIS IS
THE ONLY RECORD,

WHAT WE HAVE LEFT OF
HIS EXISTENCE.

Narrator:
EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS,

TORMENTED BY SADISTIC GUARDS,

AND BROKEN BY THE UNSPEAKABLE
HELL OF TOTAL ISOLATION,

THE CELLBLOCK BECOMES KNOWN
AS THE DEVOURER OF MEN.

THERE'S A KIND OF

EMBODIED EVIL HERE.

ONE CAN FEEL THE --
THE HUMAN SUFFERING,

THE SOULS OF THE CONVICTS
THAT WERE BEING DESTROYED.

THIS PLACE JUST SHOWS YOU

HOW VALUELESS
HUMAN LIFE WAS CONSIDERED.

Narrator: FOR OFFENSES SUCH AS
ATTACKING A GUARD,

PRISONERS ARE TAKEN TO
THE GUILLOTINE,

AND THEIR PICKLED HEADS

SENT BACK TO FRANCE
AS PROOF OF EXECUTION.

**

HORTON THINKS THAT THESE
PUNISHMENTS AND THE CONDITIONS

HE HAS WITNESSED OFFER CLUES

AS TO THE WHEREABOUTS
OF THE MISSING DEAD INMATES.

SEEING THE UTTER LACK OF
HUMANITY IN THE CELLS,

THEN ONE MUST ASK,

WHEN THE POOR CONVICTS DIED,

WERE THEY GOING TO BE
GIVEN ANY MORE DIGNITY

IN DEATH AS THEY HAD IN LIFE?

AND I THINK

WHAT I CAN CONCLUDE FROM THIS

IS THAT THE CHEAPEST
AND EASIEST EXPEDIENT

WAS TO TAKE THEM OUT TO SEA

AND DUMP THEIR BODIES.

Narrator: ACCOUNTS FROM
SURVIVING INMATES CONFIRM THAT

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CORPSES

WERE THROWN INTO THESE WATERS
TO BE FEASTED ON BY SHARKS.

AND OVER THE YEARS,
A MACABRE RITUAL

DEVELOPS BETWEEN THE GUARDS
AND THE MARINE PREDATORS.

THE BIZARRE THING IS
THEY ACTUALLY RANG A BELL,

AND THE SHARKS KNEW THAT
THAT MEANT DINNERTIME,

AND SO THEY WOULD GATHER AROUND,
AND THE BODIES WOULD BE

TOSSED OVERBOARD,
AND THE SHARKS WOULD

FEAST ON HUMAN FLESH.

ANOTHER GRUESOME DETAIL
WAS THAT THOSE SHARKS

WERE BEING FISHED
BY LOCALS,

AND THEN THEY WOULD
SELL THEM TO THE PRISON

WHERE THEY WERE USED AS FOOD
TO FEED THE INMATES.

Narrator: IT'S STILL NOT KNOWN
HOW MANY PRISONERS

FELL VICTIM TO THIS
CANNIBALISTIC RECYCLING.

WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT
THE BLEMISH SEEN FROM THE SKIES

IS BOTH A STAIN ON THE HISTORY

OF FRANCE
AND A REMINDER OF MAN'S

INHUMANITY TO FELLOW MAN.

THAT SATELLITE IMAGE

HAS UNLOCKED FOR ME

THE MOST
HORRENDOUS EXPERIENCE,

A BRUTAL PENAL REGIME

IN WHICH EVERYONE SUFFERED --

THE GUARDS, THEIR FAMILIES,
AND THE CONVICTS.

**

Narrator: COMING UP,

BATTLEFIELD USA.

THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA BOMBED

THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA.

Narrator: AND A MYSTERY
RISES FROM THE DEPTHS.

Bellinger:
I CAN'T IMAGINE WHO BUILT IT,

WHEN, OR WHY.

**

**

Narrator:
OCTOBER 4, 2018.

480 MILES ABOVE
THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

IN THE NORTHERN PACIFIC OCEAN,

A SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS THIS.

Morgan:
ON THE ISLAND OF KISKA,

THE SATELLITE HAS CAPTURED
A SERIES OF RECTANGULAR SHAPES.

THEY HAVE A SYMMETRY.

IT SUGGESTS THAT THEY WERE
BUILT BY HUMAN HANDS.

Narrator: KISKA IS PART OF
ALASKA, YET SITS 800 MILES

SOUTHWEST OF THE MAINLAND
IN FREEZING STORMY SEAS.

Merritt: THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
REMOTE PLACES IN THE WORLD,

AND YET THERE DEFINITELY
APPEARS TO BE EVIDENCE

OF SOME SORT OF
HUMAN SETTLEMENT.

Narrator: CLOSER ANALYSIS
REVEALS SOMETHING DISTURBING.

Morgan: THERE ARE
A SERIES OF CRATERS

AMONG THESE
RECTANGULAR STRUCTURES.

THE CRATERS APPEAR
TO HAVE BEEN PRODUCED BY BOMBS.

Narrator:
AN ALASKAN SETTLEMENT,

LARGE ENOUGH TO HOUSE
MANY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE,

HAS BEEN WIPED OUT BY
SUSTAINED HEAVY BOMBARDMENT.

THE SATELLITE IMAGERY
OF THIS ISLAND

IS FASCINATING --
IT'S A WAR ZONE

ON AMERICAN TERRITORY.

Morgan: IT BRINGS UP
THE NEXT BIG QUESTION --

WHO WAS BOMBING
THE UNITED STATES?

FIRE!

Narrator: SINCE THE DECLARATION
OF INDEPENDENCE,

THE U.S. HAS INVADED
OR HAD A MILITARY PRESENCE IN

ALL BUT THREE
COUNTRIES ON EARTH.

YET ONLY A HANDFUL OF NATIONS
HAVE DARED TO RETURN THE FAVOR.

THE SATELLITE IMAGE
HAS CAPTURED

THE GHOSTLY LEGACY
OF ONE OF THEM.

I THINK THESE CRATERS ARE
EVIDENCE OF ONE OF THE MOST

REMARKABLE BUT FORGOTTEN
CHAPTERS OF WORLD WAR II,

THE JAPANESE INVASION
OF AMERICA.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

Narrator: THE STORY OF JAPAN'S
AUDACIOUS INVASION OF

AMERICA BEGINS
IN EARLY JUNE 1942.

WHILE THE MIGHT
OF THE U.S. NAVY

IS DIVERTED 1700 MILES
SOUTH FOR THE PIVOTAL

BATTLE OF MIDWAY,

A FLEET OF ENEMY WARSHIPS
CREEPS TOWARDS THE ISLAND

IN THE IMAGE.

THE JAPANESE STRATEGY
WAS PARTLY TO DIVERT

AMERICAN STRENGTH
AT A CRITICAL MOMENT

IN THE PACIFIC WAR.

WE KNEW THAT THEY WERE AIMING
AT THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS.

BUT THE WEATHER WAS ROUGH,

AND WE LOSE THIS JAPANESE
INVASION FLEET

AS IT GETS CLOSE.

Narrator: USING THE BAD
WEATHER AS COVER,

ON JUNE 6th,
MORE THAN 500 JAPANESE MARINES

LAUNCH A SURPRISE
ATTACK ON KISKA.

THEY SWIFTLY OVERPOWER
THE 10 U.S. SOLDIERS BASED THERE

AND RAISE THE RISING
SUN FLAG OVER THE ISLAND.

THE JAPANESE KNEW THAT
THEY COULD MAKE A BIG

STATEMENT IN INVADING
A TERRITORY

OF THE UNITED STATES.

THIS IS PSYCHOLOGICALLY
A GREAT SHOCK.

[ SHOUTING ]

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME ENEMY
TROOPS HAVE BEEN

ON AMERICAN SOIL SINCE

THE WAR OF 1812
WHEN THE BRITISH LAND,

AND THEY BURN
THE WHITE HOUSE.

Narrator:
ON JUNE 7th, THE JAPANESE ALSO

CAPTURE NEIGHBORING ATTU ISLAND.

OVER THE FOLLOWING MONTHS,

THEY ESTABLISH NAVAL
AND SUBMARINE BASES ON KISKA

AND STATION
OVER 7,000 MEN THERE.

Albertson: THESE BASES
WERE FAIRLY ADVANCED

AND COULD PROVIDE
A JUMPING OFF POINT AGAINST

THE AMERICAN WEST COAST IF
THE JAPANESE INVASION EVER CAME.

Narrator: IN RESPONSE,
U.S. FORCES BLITZ

THE JAPANESE POSITIONS
WITH 6 MILLION POUNDS

OF BOMBS, PRODUCING
THE CRATERS IN THE IMAGE.

YET THE ISLANDS REMAIN
UNDER ENEMY CONTROL

FOR A FULL NINE MONTHS.

STUNG BY THEIR RESISTANCE,
ON MAY 11, 1943,

THE U.S. LAUNCHES A MASSIVE
AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT ON ATTU.

THE ENEMY VERY INTELLIGENTLY
ALLOWS US TO GET ASHORE

AND THEN OPPOSES US IN
THE CHALLENGING TERRAIN INLAND.

THEY HAVE A TACTICAL
SOPHISTICATION THAT WILL

HAUNT US FOR THE REST
OF THE WAR.

**

Narrator: THE U.S. AND CANADIAN
TROOPS ARE POORLY EQUIPPED FOR

THE FREEZING TERRAIN
AND ILL-PREPARED FOR THE FIERCE

JAPANESE RESISTANCE.

[ GUNSHOTS FIRING ]

Pavelec: IT'S A BLOOD BATH --
THE JAPANESE GARRISON OF

ABOUT 2,500 FIGHT ABSOLUTELY
TO THE DEATH.

IT'S COMPLETE CARNAGE.

Narrator: IT TAKES TWO WEEKS
AND THE LOSS OF HUNDREDS OF

ALLIED SOLDIERS FOR THE U.S.
TO GAIN THE UPPER HAND.

Wawro: ONCE THE JAPANESE ARE
CORNERED AND NEARLY WIPED OUT,

THEY TAKE ALL SURVIVING TROOPS

AND LAUNCH THEM IN A LAST
DITCH BANZAI CHARGE AGAINST

THE ENCROACHING ALLIED TROOPS,

[ SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY ]

AND ALL ARE EITHER
SHOT DOWN OR CAPTURED.

Narrator: WITH ATTU FINALLY
SECURED, THE U.S. UNLEASHES

A 35,000-STRONG ASSAULT
ON KISKA.

U.S. AND CANADIAN FORCES
CAME FAR BETTER PREPARED

AT KISKA THAN
THEY WERE AT ATTU,

BUT THEY SHOW UP TO FIND
NO ENEMY THERE TO FIGHT THEM.

Pavelec: THIS WAS CALLED
THE GHOST BATTLE OF KISKA,

BECAUSE IT TURNED OUT THERE
WASN'T ACTUALLY A BATTLE.

THE JAPANESE HAD ALREADY
ABANDONED THE ISLAND.

Narrator:
BY AUGUST 15, 1943,

BOTH ISLANDS ARE BACK
UNDER U.S. CONTROL.

75 YEARS LATER, THE SCARS
OF THIS BIZARRE PERIOD IN

MILITARY HISTORY
REMAIN FROZEN IN TIME

AND VISIBLE FROM SPACE.

Morgan: AND SO, IN THIS
SATELLITE IMAGE,

WE'RE SEEING EVIDENCE WHERE
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

BOMBED THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA.

**

Narrator: COMING UP,
UNIDENTIFIED FLOATING OBJECTS.

IT LOOKS LIKE A BUNCH OF
DRUNKEN SPIDERS RUNNING

ALL ACROSS THE SCREEN.

Narrator:
AND CODE OF THE ANCIENTS.

WHATEVER IT IS, IT COULD BE
THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD.

**

**

Narrator: SATELLITES SCAN
THE EARTH'S OCEANS 24/7,

TRACKING THE GPS SIGNALS
TRANSMITTED BY SEAGOING VESSELS.

ALL MODERN SHIPS,
BOTH MILITARY AND CIVILIAN,

ARE OUTFITTED WITH SATELLITE AND
LINK SYSTEMS THAT CAN PROVIDE

THE LOCATION OF ANY SHIP
ANYWHERE AROUND THE WORLD.

Narrator: ON OCTOBER 5,
2016, GPS DATA

EMERGES THAT APPEARS
TO MAKE NO SENSE.

THIS IS THE MOST CONFUSING
TRACKING IMAGE I'VE EVER SEEN.

THERE'S NO RHYME
OR REASON TO THIS.

IT'S INCREDIBLE,
WHAT LOOKS LIKE A BUNCH

OF DRUNKEN SPIDERS RUNNING
ALL ACROSS THE SCREEN.

FORMER CIA OPERATIVE
LINDSAY MORAN

STUDIES THE WEIRD SIGNALS

AND DISCOVERS
SOMETHING STRANGE.

THERE ARE
U.S. COAST GUARD REPORTS

OF GPS BLIPS

IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN

MOVING IN THE SAME KIND
OF ERRATIC WAY

THAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.

Narrator: IN 2017,
DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENTS

INVESTIGATE A GROUP OF
MYSTERY OBJECTS

WEAVING THROUGH THE WATERS
OFF EL SALVADOR.

WHAT THEY FIND
ARE THESE LARGE BUOYS

SCATTERED THROUGH
THE OCEAN.

BUT WHAT THEY'RE SHOCKED
TO DISCOVER

IS THAT THEY'RE PACKED
WITH HARD DRUGS.

Narrator:
AGENTS BELIEVE THAT NARCOS

LOADED THE GPS-FITTED BUOYS
WITH 1,000 POUNDS OF COCAINE

AND USED CURRENTS
TO SMUGGLE THEM

ACROSS VAST TRACTS OF OCEAN.

USING THESE NARCO BUOYS IS
ACTUALLY A VERY CLEVER PLOY,

BECAUSE THEY DON'T DRAW
ANYBODY'S ATTENTION,

AND THROUGH GPS,
YOU CAN ALWAYS TRACK THEM

AND PICK THEM UP WHEN YOU WANT.

Narrator: THE GPS BUOYS
REPRESENT THE CARTEL'S

LATEST ATTEMPT
TO RETAIN CONTROL

OF THE $400 BILLION
GLOBAL DRUG TRADE.

ONE THING THE CARTELS ARE,
IT'S INGENIOUS.

THEY ALWAYS FIND A WAY
TO GET THEIR DRUGS

FROM POINT A TO POINT B,

AND GOD HELP ANYBODY
THAT GETS IN THEIR WAY.

Narrator:
IN RECENT YEARS, THE U.S.

HAS INTERCEPTED SEVERAL
CUSTOM-BUILT SUBMARINES,

SEIZING BOTH THE NARCOTICS
AND TRAFFICKERS TRAPPED INSIDE.

BUT THE DRUG BUOYS
ENABLE THE CARTELS

TO STAY ONE STEP
AHEAD OF THE LAW.

Moran: THE REASON THIS IS
A PARTICULARLY CUNNING PLOY IS

THAT WHEN THE AUTHORITIES
GET THERE,

THERE'S NOBODY THERE
TO ARREST.

Carter: SO COULD THIS BE WHAT
WE'RE SEEING IN THESE IMAGES,

THESE BUOYS JUST RANDOMLY
BOBBING ABOUT ALONG THE SEA?

ZOOLOGIST
ROLAND KAYS INVESTIGATES.

HE THINKS THE PATTERN IS NOT
TYPICAL OF MARINE VESSELS.

THEY'RE ALL HEADED TOWARDS
SOME SORT OF SIMILAR GOAL

AND MOVING MORE OR LESS
AT THE SAME SPEED.

IT REMINDS ME OF PATTERNS
I'VE SEEN WHERE YOU PUT

A DEVICE ON AN ANIMAL
TO LEARN ABOUT

THEIR MOVEMENTS AND MIGRATIONS.

Narrator: IT APPEARS THAT
SATELLITES HAVE CAPTURED ONE OF

THE MOST MYSTERIOUS
AND SPECTACULAR EVENTS

IN THE NATURAL WORLD.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS ONE
OF THE GREATEST MIGRATIONS

ON EARTH, MILLIONS
AND MILLIONS OF EUROPEAN EELS

STARTING IN THE FRESHWATER
LAKES AND RIVERS

OF EUROPE AND HEADING
OUT TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

Narrator: THE EUROPEAN EEL
IS A SNAKE-LIKE FISH

WHOSE LIFECYCLE HAS LONG
BAFFLED SCIENTISTS.

FOR MILLENNIA, IT WAS
BELIEVED THAT THEY

WERE MAGICAL CREATURES THAT
MATERIALIZED OUT OF NOTHING.

THE EUROPEAN EEL HAS A LONG
HISTORY IN MYTH AND LEGEND.

ARISTOTLE THOUGHT THAT EELS
JUST SPONTANEOUSLY APPEARED,

BECAUSE NO ONE HAD EVER
SEEN THEM BREED.

Narrator: IT WASN'T UNTIL
THE 20th CENTURY THAT SCIENTISTS

DISCOVERED EELS
BEGIN THEIR LIVES

3,000 MILES FROM EUROPE
IN THE SARGASSO SEA.

YET THEIR EPIC MIGRATION THERE
REMAINS SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.

WE KNOW THEY START IN EUROPE,

AND WE KNOW THEY END UP
IN THE SARGASSO SEA,

BUT HOW THEY GET THERE,
WHAT THEIR ROUTES ARE,

IS COMPLETELY UNKNOWN.

Narrator: WHEN SCIENTISTS
TAGGED A NUMBER OF EELS,

SATELLITES CAPTURED
THEIR EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

THOUGH THEY CAN REACH AGES OF
80 YEARS OR MORE,

EUROPEAN EELS MIGRATE
ONLY ONCE IN THEIR LIVES.

THE TRACKING DATA REVEALS

ALMOST ALL PERISH AS THEY
BATTLE TO CROSS THE ATLANTIC.

THESE EELS
HAVE TO RUN THE GAUNTLET.

THEY'VE GOT HUMAN PREDATORS.

THEY'VE GOT ANIMAL PREDATORS.

THEY HAVE ALL KINDS OF
BARRIERS TO PASS THROUGH

TO MAKE IT TO
THIS BREEDING GROUND.

Narrator:
EVEN FOR THOSE THAT SURVIVE,

IT'S A ONE-WAY TICKET --
AFTER THEY MATE, THEY DIE.

THE LOVE LIFE OF AN EEL IS
ONE OF THE SORT OF ROMANTIC,

TRAGIC STORIES WHERE
THEY HAVE ONE CHANCE TO BREED

SO THEY'VE GOT TO
MAKE THE MOST OF IT.

Narrator:
ONCE THEIR EGGS HATCH,

THE LARVA ARE CARRIED BACK ON
OCEAN CURRENTS TOWARDS EUROPE,

A VOYAGE THAT TAKES
UP TO THREE YEARS.

SWARMS OF JUVENILES,
CALLED ELVERS,

THEN MOVE UPRIVER BEFORE
THE PERILOUS CYCLE

BEGINS ONCE AGAIN.

BUT THEIR NUMBERS
ARE IN SHARP DECLINE.

AND BIZARRELY, THIS, IN PART,
IS DUE TO THE NARCOS.

AS IF NATURAL PREDATORS
AND THE USUAL OBSTACLES

THESE EUROPEAN EELS FACE
ARE NOT ENOUGH, COCAINE USE

FROM MAJOR CITIES IS
LEACHING INTO THE WATER

AND IS BECOMING A PROBLEM
FOR THE EELS.

Narrator: RIVER SAMPLES TAKEN
NEAR LONDON'S HOUSES OF

PARLIAMENT REVEAL HIGH LEVELS
OF THE NARCOTIC,

RESIDUE FROM
COCAINE USERS' URINE

BEING FLUSHED INTO
THE WATER SUPPLY.

AS THE EELS INGEST
THIS DRUG-LACED WATER,

IT DISORIENTS THEM AND AFFECTS
THEIR ABILITY TO NAVIGATE TO

THE DISTANT BREEDING GROUNDS
OF THE SARGASSO SEA.

SO I SUPPOSE THAT, IN SOME
WAYS, DRUGS ARE AT LEAST

PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE ERRATIC NATURE

THAT WE'RE SEEING IN THESE
EELS' SATELLITE TRACKING PATHS.

**

Narrator: COMING UP,
THE CIRCLE OF DEATH.

THERE ARE STORIES OF
CARCASSES ROTTING IN THE SUN.

Narrator: AND THE MYSTERY
DESERT BLACK SITE.

Carter: ALMOST ANYTHING CAN
HAPPEN IN THIS FACILITY,

AND, MORE THAN LIKELY,
WE WOULD NEVER KNOW.

**

**

Narrator:
NOVEMBER 1, 2015.

AS ENGINEERS
DRAIN A BODY OF WATER

ON THE CANADIAN
SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR,

A MYSTERY RISES
FROM ITS DEPTHS.

Paul: WHAT WE SEE HERE IS
A CIRCULAR STRUCTURE.

IT APPEARS TO BE
MADE OUT OF STONE.

IT'S REALLY STRANGE.

I CAN'T IMAGINE WHO BUILT IT,
WHEN, OR WHY.

Narrator:
LOCAL HISTORIC RECORDS REVEAL

THE LAKE IS MANMADE,
CREATED IN 1901.

CLEARLY, WHATEVER IT WAS
WAS BUILT BEFORE

THIS LAKE WAS HERE.

THAT MEANS THAT THIS STRUCTURE
IS FAIRLY ANCIENT.

IN FACT, IT COULD BE
THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD.

Narrator: FOR SCHOLARS OF
NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY,

THE ANCIENT CIRCLE
IS A RARE AND HIGHLY

SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY.

ONE OF THE CHALLENGES
WITH DOING NATIVE AMERICAN

ARCHAEOLOGY IS THAT THERE IS NOT
A LOT OF PHYSICAL MATERIAL.

HOWEVER, ONE THING THEY DID
LEAVE BEHIND WERE TIPI CIRCLES.

Narrator: RINGS OF STONE WERE
ONCE USED TO SECURE TIPIS

AGAINST THE VICIOUS WINDS
THAT SWEEP ACROSS THE PLAINS.

WHEN THE FIRST EUROPEAN
SETTLERS MOVED WEST,

THEY FIND THE LANDSCAPE
LITTERED WITH THEM,

FOOTPRINTS OF THE NOMADIC
TRIBES' MOVEMENTS

ACROSS HISTORY.

BUT KAREN BELLINGER
DOES NOT THINK

THE STRUCTURE IN THE IMAGE
SERVED THE SAME PURPOSE.

IF THIS WAS A TIPI RING,
IT WAS A TIPI FOR GIANTS.

YOUR TYPICAL RING WAS EIGHT
TO MAYBE 25 FEET IN DIAMETER.

THIS IS NEARLY 100.

ITS SIZE MAKES ME WONDER,

WAS THIS PERHAPS
A CEREMONIAL STRUCTURE

FOR A FIRST
NATIONS GROUP?

Narrator: THE GREAT LAKES ARE
THE HOMELAND OF THE ANISHINAABE

GROUP OF PEOPLES, WHO MIGRATE
HERE IN THE 16th CENTURY.

MANY ARE MEMBERS
OF AN ANCIENT,

SECRETIVE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY
CALLED THE MIDEWIWIN.

THE MIDEWIWIN VISION
OF THE UNIVERSE

IS ONE OF A SERIES OF CIRCLES
POPULATED BY MANIDOOG,

OR SPIRITS THAT OFTEN
TAKE ANIMAL FORM.

Bellinger: THERE WERE INITIATION
RITES AND OTHER CEREMONIES,

BUT THE DETAILS OF
THE MIDEWIWIN REMAINS SHROUDED

IN SECRECY
FOR ANYONE WHO'S NOT

AN INITIATED MEMBER
OF THE TRIBE.

Narrator: AS EUROPEANS SPREAD
INTO ANISHINAABE LANDS,

THEY BECOME SUSPICIOUS OF
THE MIDEWIWIN AND ATTEMPT

TO ERASE THEM FROM HISTORY.

THERE IS FEAR
ABOUT MYSTERIOUS

OR UNKNOWN SYSTEMS
OF BELIEF,

AND THE MIDEWIWIN WAS
A CASUALTY OF THIS KIND OF

CONSERVATIVE BACKLASH.

IT COULD BE THE REMAINS
OF A MIDEWIWIN LODGE.

Narrator:
JOE WATKINS SPECIALIZES IN

NATIVE AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY.

RATHER THAN
A SPIRITUAL STRUCTURE,

HE THINKS
THIS COULD HAVE ONCE

BEEN THE SCENE OF
MASS SLAUGHTER.

BISON HUNTERS USED TO
CREATE STRUCTURES

THAT THEY WOULD CHANNEL
BISON INTO.

THIS CIRCULAR STRUCTURE WITH
A FAIRLY LARGE OPENING,

VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE ARE
SEEING IN THE IMAGE.

Narrator:
HUNTING BISON WAS SO VITAL

TO NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLES
THAT MANY WORSHIPPED

THE ANIMALS AND BELIEVED THEIR
MIGRATIONS ACROSS THE PLAINS

WERE CONTROLLED BY
CELESTIAL POWERS,

MIGRATIONS THAT,
AT ONE POINT, NUMBERED

IN THE TENS OF MILLIONS
OF ANIMALS.

IT IS SAID THAT IF YOU TOOK
ALL THE BISON AND SPREAD THEM

NOSE TO TAIL,

THEY WOULD HAVE GONE
AROUND THE EQUATOR

NEARLY 1.5 TIMES.

Narrator: FOR HUNTERS,
A SINGLE BULL

COULD PROVIDE
800 POUNDS OF MEAT

AND MORE THAN
45 SQUARE FEET OF HIDE.

BUT THIS BOUNTY
DID NOT COME EASY.

HUNTING BISON WAS
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

BISON ARE ABOUT
SIX FOOT TALL AT THE SHOULDER.

THEY CAN WEIGH TWO TONS.

THEY CAN RUN
UP TO 30 MILES AN HOUR.

Narrator: TO STALK AND LURE
THE GIANT BEASTS,

HUNTERS MIMIC WILD ANIMALS
AND LURE THEM USING SO-CALLED

BUFFALO STONES,
FOSSILS WHICH THEY BELIEVED

WERE IMBUED
WITH MAGICAL POWERS.

Watkins: THERE WERE DIFFERENT
WAYS TO HUNT BISON.

ONE WAY WAS
ACTUALLY TO STAMPEDE

THE BISON OFF OF A CLIFF,

WHAT'S CALLED A BUFFALO JUMP,

OR THEY WOULD CONSTRUCT
THESE POUNDS

TO DISPATCH THE ANIMALS
ONE BY ONE.

Narrator:
USING THESE HUNTING METHODS,

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
AND THE ANIMALS THEY REVERE

AND RELY ON COEXIST
FOR COUNTLESS GENERATIONS.

BUT AROUND 1830, FRONTIERSMEN
BEGIN SLAUGHTERING THE BEASTS

AT THE RATE OF UP TO
TWO MILLION A YEAR.

BY 1884,
ONLY 325 WILD BISON

REMAIN IN EXISTENCE.

THERE ARE STORIES
OF BISON CARCASSES

ON THE GREAT PLAINS
ROTTING IN THE SUN.

ONCE THE BISON DISAPPEARED,

THE PLAINS WAY OF LIFE
DISAPPEARED ALSO.

Narrator: AS THE ANIMALS THEY
SO DESPERATELY RELY ON

VANISH FROM THE PLAINS,

SO DO MANY OF THE TRIBES'
BELIEFS AND TRADITIONS.

SUCH IS THE DECIMATION OF
THEIR HISTORY THAT WATKINS

REMAINS UNSURE
AS TO WHAT PURPOSE

THE STRANGE CIRCLE FULFILLED
FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY

PEOPLE THAT ONCE RULED
THESE LANDS.

IT'S A LITTLE FAR EAST TO BE

PRIME BUFFALO AREAS.

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RELY
ON FUTURE RESEARCH TO GIVE US

BETTER EVIDENCE ABOUT
WHAT THIS STRUCTURE REALLY IS.

Narrator: COMING UP,
THE SECRET DESERT WAR.

THAT USUALLY MEANS ONE THING --
SPECIAL FORCES.

**

**

Narrator:
SEPTEMBER 20, 2017.

A SATELLITE SCANNING
THE COASTLINE OF ERITREA ON

THE HORN OF AFRICA
CAPTURES SOMETHING

THAT SEEMS OUT OF PLACE.

Mosher:
WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS

A DESERT FACILITY FAR AWAY
FROM ANY CIVILIZATION.

Patel: THIS IS SOME PRETTY
SERIOUS INFRASTRUCTURE.

WHY WOULD YOU NEED TO
BUILD SOMETHING

OF THIS KIND OF MAGNITUDE
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT?

Narrator: A
100-MILLION-SQUARE-FOOT FACILITY

WITH A TWO-MILE-LONG RUNWAY

HAS QUICKLY RISEN OUT OF
THE DESERT IN ONE OF

THE POOREST COUNTRIES ON EARTH.

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

WHEN ANALYSTS UNCOVER LAND
RECORDS, THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.

Mosher:
EVEN THOUGH IT'S IN ERITREA,

THE SITE IS ACTUALLY FUNDED
BY THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.

WHAT ARE THE U.A.E. DOING THAT

NEEDS TO BE SEQUESTERED
AWAY FROM HABITATION?

Narrator: ASTROPHYSICIST
ATHENA BRENSBERGER HAS A THEORY.

THE U.A.E. IS ACTUALLY

PURSUING A VERY AMBITIOUS
SPACE MISSION,

AND THERE'S NUMEROUS
PARTS OF THIS IMAGE

THAT LOOKS SIMILAR
TO HOW SPACEPORTS LOOK.

Narrator: MONEY MADE FROM
PRODUCING OIL IS FUNDING

A SPACE MISSION
TO UNDERSTAND THE CAUSE

OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON MARS.

Mosher:
THE U.A.E. WANTS TO UNDERSTAND,

IN PART, WHY THE PLANET
LOST MOST OF ITS AIR.

THE MORE DATA WE HAVE
OUT THERE,

THE BETTER WE CAN UNDERSTAND
MARS AND IMPROVE OUR PROSPECTS

OF MAYBE TURNING THE PLANET
INTO A HABITABLE ONE.

Brensberger: THERE'S BUILDINGS
WHERE THEY COULD BE BUILDING

ROCKET PARTS, MAYBE EVEN
THE SPACECRAFT ITSELF.

Narrator: INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS
STUDY THE IMAGE.

THEY DISMISS
THE SPACEPORT THEORY.

I START TO SEE
SEVERAL THINGS THAT ARE

INDICATORS TO ME THAT THIS IS
A MILITARY OPERATION.

CARGO PLANES
AND FIGHTER JETS,

I SEE CHINOOK HELICOPTERS
IN THESE IMAGES,

AND THAT USUALLY MEANS
ONE THING --

SPECIAL FORCES.

Narrator: SARA CARTER THINKS
THE SATELLITE HAS UNCOVERED

A CLANDESTINE MILITARY
FACILITY BUILT

BY THE U.A.E.
ON FOREIGN SOIL.

ITS LOCATION ON THE RED SEA
OFFERS MORE CLUES.

LOOKING AT THIS IMAGE

ACROSS FROM IT,
WE HAVE YEMEN,

AND U.A.E. ARE IN A PROXY WAR
WITH IRAN OVER YEMEN.

Narrator: SINCE 2015, YEMEN
HAS BEEN SUFFERING FROM

A BRUTAL CIVIL WAR,

WHICH HAS CLAIMED OVER
100,000 LIVES AND DISPLACED

THREE MILLION PEOPLE.

THE VIOLENT TURMOIL HAS
ALLOWED TERRORIST GROUPS,

INCLUDING ISIS AND AL QAEDA,
TO INFILTRATE THE COUNTRY.

Albertson: BOTH GROUPS ARE
REALLY CAPITALIZING ON

THE DISAFFECTION AND CHAOS

IN YEMEN BY SETTING UP
SHOP THERE.

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]

[ LOUD GUNFIRE ]

Narrator: IN RECENT YEARS, ISIS
AND AL QAEDA HAVE SUFFERED

A SERIES OF DEFEATS ELSEWHERE
IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

THE FEAR IS THE TURMOIL
IN YEMEN IS ALLOWING

THE JIHADISTS TO REGROUP
AND RECOVER THEIR STRENGTH,

READY TO LAUNCH YET MORE
ATTACKS IN THE WEST.

Carter: YOU HAVE THE WORST OF
THE WORST, RIGHT?

YOU HAVE A BROKEN SYSTEM,

A COUNTRY THAT'S FAILING,
AND A DIVIDED NATION.

[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]

Narrator: SEVERAL ARAB STATES
CLAIM IRAN

IS FUNDING THE TERRORISTS,
MORE EVIDENCE,

THEY BELIEVE, OF A POWER GRAB
BY TEHRAN IN THE REGION.

IT PROMPTS THE U.A.E. TO JOIN
FORCES WITH SAUDI ARABIA

AND CONDUCT SECRET
AIR STRIKES ON YEMEN.

Albertson: IT WOULD MAKE SENSE
FOR THE U.A.E. TO HAVE

A BASE HERE, BECAUSE IT IS
THE INTEREST OF THE U.A.E.

TO STOP WHAT'S
GOING ON IN YEMEN

AND TO ROLL BACK THE INFLUENCE
OF IRAN IN THE REGION.

Narrator: THE U.A.E. AIRSTRIKES
HAVE KILLED COUNTLESS

INNOCENT CIVILIANS,
INCLUDING YOUNG CHILDREN,

AND CARTER DISCOVERS THAT
THE SITE IN THE IMAGE ALSO

SERVES A SECONDARY,
EQUALLY TROUBLING PURPOSE.

I HAVE TALKED TO U.S.
INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS

ABOUT THIS --
WHAT THE SUSPICION IS NOW

IS THAT THERE ARE BLACK SITES

WHERE HIGH LEVEL TARGETS
COULD BE CAPTURED

AND TRANSPORTED TO
UNDERGO QUESTIONING.

Narrator: THE UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES AND SAUDI ARABIA,

BOTH, IN THEORY,
ALLIES OF THE U.S.,

MAY BE EXTRACTING SUSPECTS
FROM YEMEN AND TORTURING THEM

AT THE SITE IN THE IMAGE.

AND THE LATEST INVESTIGATIONS
SUGGEST THIS IS JUST

ONE OF 18 SECRET TORTURE
CENTERS IN ERITREA.

Carter: JOURNALISTS JUST
DON'T OPERATE IN THE REGION,

SO ALMOST ANYTHING CAN
HAPPEN IN THIS FACILITY,

AND, MORE THAN LIKELY,
WE WOULD NEVER KNOW.