Original subtitles

Narrator: THEY'RE WATCHING YOU,

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER

NEW MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

NAZIS AND BLACK MAGIC IN THE FORESTS OF POLAND.

Man: OH, MY GOD, LOOK AT THIS PLACE.

IT'S LIKE SOME SORT OF CEREMONIAL ALTAR.

Narrator: THE 7,000 SQUARE MILE DEAD ZONE,

Woman: HUNDREDS OF DOLPHINS WASHING UP,

DEAD BEACHES COVERED WITH FISH CORPSES,

IT'S MASS CARNAGE.

Narrator: AND THE SWAMP THINGS OF LOUISIANA,

IT LOOKS LIKE A SPIDER WEB.

SOMETHING HAS REALLY DEVASTATED THIS PLACE.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA, MYSTERIES FROM SPACE --

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

MARTIN MORGAN IS TRAVELING

THROUGH THE POLISH REGION OF SILESIA

TO INVESTIGATE A FOREST BUILDING CAPTURED FROM SPACE

ON OCTOBER 12, 2019.

Man: THIS STRUCTURE IS SPECIAL

AND IT'S PROVIDING NOTHING BUT MYSTERY.

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANY OTHER BUILDING

THAT I'VE EVER LAID EYES ON.

Narrator: THE THING THAT INTRIGUES MORGAN

IS THE LOCATION OF THE BUILDING AND ITS PROBABLE DATE.

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT'S OLD ENOUGH

TO BELONG TO THE 19th CENTURY,

IT LOOKS LIKE IT BELONGS TO

THE MIDDLE PART OF THE 20th CENTURY.

I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN BUILT BY THE NAZIS.

Man: YOU'VE GOT TO REMEMBER THAT SILESIA

BEFORE AND DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR WAS PART OF GERMANY.

SO THIS IS EASILY SOMETHING

THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BUILT BY THE GERMANS.

[ SPEAKING GERMAN, CROWD SHOUTING REPLY IN GERMAN ]

Narrator: DURING WORLD WAR II,

HITLER CHOOSES SILESIA TO BE HIS HEADQUARTERS

FOLLOWING WHAT HE WAS CONVINCED WOULD BE A GERMAN VICTORY.

[ BAND PLAYING, SINGING IN GERMAN ]

SOMEWHERE HERE, IT IS RUMORED LIE HIDDEN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

OF NAZI TREASURE STASHED BY THE FUHRER

AND HIS CRONIES TO FUND THEIR POSTWAR LIFESTYLES.

Morgan: THIS PART OF WHAT IS NOW POLAND

WOULD HAVE BEEN GROUND ZERO

FOR NAZI IDEOLOGY GOING BEYOND THE CONFLICT.

I THINK THAT THIS STRUCTURE MIGHT BE EVIDENCE

OF PART OF THAT LONG RANGE PLAN.

Narrator: MORGAN'S JOURNEY TAKES HIM TO AN AREA

NEAR THE TOWN OF VALBRICH.

OKAY, WELL, THIS LOOKS LIKE THE END OF THE LINE.

**

Narrator: GUIDED BY THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

MORGAN STRIKES WEST.

**

IT WAS IN THESE FORESTS THAT THE NAZIS

BEGAN THEIR CAMPAIGN

OF GENOCIDAL TERROR IN SEPTEMBER 1939.

**

OH, MY GOSH, LOOK AT THIS THING.

WOW!

**

Narrator: THE STRUCTURE IS MADE FROM CONCRETE,

YET COVERED IN A LAYER OF CARVED STONE...

IN A VAIN ATTEMPT TO MAKE THE BUILDINGS

SEEM GOTHIC AND MEDIEVAL.

Morgan: THIS IS PURELY ABOUT APPEARANCES.

IT'S NOT ABOUT FUNCTION.

SO WHY WOULD THE NAZIS BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS

IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AND WHAT IS NOW POLAND?

**

Narrator: MORGAN CAN FIND ONLY

ONE SMALL ENTRANCE INTO THE STRUCTURE.

**

OH, MY GOD, LOOK AT THIS PLACE.

**

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

THERE'S A CENTRAL COURT

WITH A CLOISTER THAT GOES ALL AROUND IT.

Narrator: THE LAYOUT HAS RELIGIOUS OVERTONES,

BUT THERE'S NOT ONE SINGLE CHRISTIAN SYMBOL HERE.

IN SOME AREAS THERE IS GRAFFITI,

PRESUMABLY FROM LOCAL YOUTHS WHO HAVE STUMBLED ON THIS PLACE.

**

Morgan: THE WHOLE THING IS ASTONISHING.

OH, LOOK AT THIS!

MOSAIC TILING.

OH, YEAH, THERE'S ONE IN EACH ONE OF THESE ALCOVES.

OH, MY GOD, LOOK AT THAT.

**

IT'S REAL.

IT FEELS LIKE IT'S THE INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE.

**

SOMETHING WAS OUT HERE.

YOU CAN TELL BY THE PRESENCE OF THESE CARVED STONES.

THERE ARE FOUR THREADED MOUNTING BRACKETS,

SO THERE USED TO BE SOMETHING RIGHT HERE.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE THIS WHOLE STRUCTURE

IS SOME SORT OF CEREMONIAL ALTAR.

**

Narrator: MORGAN CONTINUES TO EXPLORE

THE CLOISTERS SURROUNDING THE COURTYARD.

**

THE FLOOR HAS GIVEN WAY.

I'M NOT GOING DOWN THERE.

IT'S ABOUT AN EIGHT FOOT DROP STRAIGHT DOWN,

BUT I CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT THERE IS A PASSAGEWAY BENEATH US.

Narrator: YET THE TUNNEL OFFERS NO CLUES

TO THE PURPOSE OF THE BUILDING

OR THE ALTAR-LIKE STRUCTURE IN ITS CENTER.

Morgan: I'M COMING AWAY WITH MORE QUESTION MARKS

THAN ANYTHING,

SO I NEED SOMETHING TO BRING SOME CLARITY

TO THE PURPOSE OF THIS STRANGE PLACE.

**

Narrator: AS THE NAZIS FLED THE RED ARMY

AT THE END OF THE WAR,

THEY DESTROYED ALL THE RECORDS THEY COULD...

BUT MANY SURVIVE IN THE VAULTS

OF LOCAL POLISH MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES.

Morgan: OKAY, HERE WE GO. THIS IS IT.

THIS IS ABOUT THE BUILDING.

**

Narrator: OFFICIALLY, THE STRUCTURE IS A MEMORIAL

TO THE FALLEN OF WORLD WAR I.

BUT THEN MORGAN FINDS A SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS

TAKEN AT THE SITE.

**

Morgan: LOOK AT THIS BIG BONFIRE TORCH.

IT'S IN THE CENTER COURTYARD.

**

THERE IT IS WITH A FIRE BURNING AT NIGHT.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE MEMBERS

OF THE SCHUTZSTAFFEL, THE SS.

Narrator: THE PRESENCE OF THE FEARED SS

COULD EXPLAIN WHY THE NAZIS BUILT A TORCH-LIT,

TEMPLE-LIKE STRUCTURE IN THE POLISH WOODS.

HEINRICH HIMMLER, THE HEAD OF THE SS,

IS FASCINATED BY THE OCCULT.

Walters: SO WHEN YOU GET A FLAME

IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUILDING LIKE THIS,

IT SMACKS TO ME AS ABSOLUTELY BLUE CHIP NAZI

OCCULTIC BEHAVIOR.

THE PLOT THICKENS WITH THESE PHOTOS --

WHAT THE WORLD WAS THIS THING USED FOR?

**

Narrator: COMING UP,

MARTIN MORGAN JOURNEYS INTO THE HEART OF DARKNESS...

BUT IT MAKES THIS ONE OF THE CREEPIEST,

STRANGEST PLACES I'VE EVER BEEN.

Narrator: AND THE PIRATES WHO TOOK ON AMERICA...

Man: THEY CAME OVERBOARD, A DAGGER IN EACH HAND.

THEY SHOWED ABSOLUTELY NO MERCY.

**

**

Narrator: MARTIN MORGAN IS IN POLAND

INVESTIGATING A STRANGE NAZI STRUCTURE

CAPTURED FROM SPACE.

OFFICIAL GERMAN DOCUMENTS CLAIM IT'S A WAR MEMORIAL,

YET THE DISCOVERY OF THESE 80 YEAR OLD PHOTOS

HINT AT ANOTHER, DARKER PURPOSE.

Morgan: IT LOOKS LIKE A TEMPLE.

BUT WHY ARE THESE MEMBERS OF THE SS HERE?

**

Narrator: MORGAN'S INVESTIGATION LEADS HIM TO A LOCAL HISTORIAN,

JOANNA LAMPARSKA.

-YES? -HI, I'M MARTIN MORGAN.

I THINK WE SPOKE ON THE PHONE...

Narrator: WHO HAS BEEN RESEARCHING

THE NAZI OCCUPATION HERE.

**

DO YOU THINK THAT THIS BUILDING IS MORE THAN

JUST A WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL?

YEAH, FOR SURE -- DURING WORLD WAR II,

THE GUARD OF HONOR STOOD CLOSE TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE BUILDING.

THERE WERE SOME RUMORS THAT THEY GUARDED THIS

BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT TO THEM.

Narrator: EYEWITNESS TESTIMONIES PROVIDE CLUES

AS TO WHY THE STRUCTURE WAS SO HEAVILY DEFENDED.

PEOPLE SAY THAT DURING WORLD WAR II,

GERMAN OFFICERS PERFORMED SOME KIND OF VERY STRANGE RITUALS.

SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT PEOPLE BELIEVE

THAT SS RITUALS HAPPENED HERE?

YEAH.

Narrator: FORMED IN 1925,

THE SS INITIALLY CONSISTED OF JUST EIGHT SOLDIERS

WHO SERVED AS HITLER'S PERSONAL BODYGUARDS.

DURING THE 1930s,

UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF HEINRICH HIMMLER,

IT GROWS TO NUMBER 250,000

AND BECOMES THE MOST FEARED AND POWERFUL DIVISION

OF THE NAZI WAR MACHINE.

THE SS WERE THE ELITE OF THE GERMAN MILITARY.

Man: THEY WERE ESSENTIALLY RESPONSIBLE

FOR UPHOLDING NAZI IDEOLOGY, BOTH IN GERMANY AND WITHOUT.

Narrator: AS THE NAZIS PREPARE FOR WAR,

HIMMLER FORMULATES A NEW RELIGION

TO REINFORCE THIS MURDEROUS IDEOLOGY --

ONE THAT REJECTS CHRISTIAN MERCY

AND EMBRACES ANCIENT PAGAN BELIEFS.

NAZISM WASN'T JUST A POLITICAL MOVEMENT,

IT WAS A RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT, AND AT THE HEART

OF THAT KIND OF RELIGIOUS ELEMENT TO IT WAS THE SS.

Narrator: HIMMLER'S NAZI RELIGION

REVIVES THE OLD NORDIC AND GERMAN GODS

AND OCCULT SYMBOLS AND OBJECTS.

FOR HIS ELITE SOLDIERS,

HE FORGES TOTENKOPFRINGS, OR DEATH'S HEAD RINGS,

INSCRIBED WITH RUNES OR MAGICAL SYMBOLS

REPRESENTING DEATH AND CONTROL OVER THE UNIVERSE.

WHAT HE BELIEVES, GENUINELY BELIEVES,

IS THAT IF ONE OF HIS SUPER SOLDIERS IS KILLED IN ACTION,

THEN HE CAN DRAW ON THE POWER EXUDING FROM THESE RINGS

AND EFFECTIVELY WILL THE POWER OF ALL THESE SS MEN

THAT HAVE DIED WEARING THEM.

LIKE J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S "LORD OF THE RINGS,"

HIMMLER IS INSPIRED BY A GERMAN EPIC POEM

KNOWN AS THE NIBELUNGENLIED.

[ CLATTERING ]

IT IS THE LEGEND DEPICTED IN WAGNER'S MOST FAMOUS WORK,

THE RING.

[ "RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES" BY WAGNER PLAYING ]

THE NAZIS ARE OBSESSED WITH WAGNER'S RING.

TO THEM, THIS RING OF POWER FORGED BY THE DWARF ALBERICH

REPRESENTS THE DESTINY

OF THE NORDIC ARYAN RACE TO RULE THE WORLD.

**

Narrator: DURING SS INITIATION CEREMONIES,

HIMMLER PRESENTS HIS RECRUITS WITH THEIR DEATH'S HEAD RINGS

AND INDOCTRINATES THEM WITH THE BELIEF

THAT THEY ARE PART OF AN ANCIENT GODLIKE RACE.

IF YOU CAN OBTAIN THE OBJECTS THAT HOLD GREAT SYMBOLIC

MEANING TO ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE,

THAT GIVES YOU PSYCHOLOGICAL POWER OVER THEM.

Man: THE NAZIS DESIRE TO INVOKE THAT SYMBOLISM,

I THINK BRINGS US BACK AROUND TO THE STRUCTURE

THAT WE SEE IN WESTERN POLAND.

SO IT'S LIKE IT STAGED AN INITIATION CEREMONY.

THERE WAS A LOT OF RUMORS ABOUT IT.

SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT DURING WORLD WAR II,

GERMAN OFFICERS PERFORMED SOME KIND OF BLACK MASSES THERE.

Narrator: THE CHILLING CEREMONIES DESCRIBED BY THE LOCALS

COULD SHED LIGHT ON THE PURPOSE OF THE TUNNELS

HIDDEN UNDER THE STRUCTURE.

SOME PEOPLE REMEMBER PEOPLE COMING THERE WITH TORCHES.

THEY WERE PUT IN COFFINS -- COFFINS WERE CLOSED.

AND AFTER A FEW HOURS, IF THEY SURVIVE,

THEY WILL BE WORTHY OF JOINING SS ORDER.

Narrator: BETWEEN 1939 AND 1945,

BRAINWASHED SS RECRUITS,

MANY WEARING THEIR DEATH'S HEAD RINGS,

UNLEASH A WAVE OF RAPE, MURDER AND TERROR

UNPARALLELED IN HUMAN HISTORY.

IF YOU'VE BEEN TOLD OVER AND OVER AND OVER

THAT YOU'RE FROM A RACE OF POWERFUL WARRIORS,

YOU BEGIN TO BELIEVE IT AND THEN YOU ACT ON IT.

THE SS WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR RUNNING THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS

MORE THAN ANY OTHER GROUP,

THE SS WERE THE ONES WHO CARRIED OUT THE HOLOCAUST.

Narrator: HIMMLER'S SS DEATH SQUADS,

INSPIRED BY HIS OCCULT IDEOLOGY,

GO ON TO KILL UPWARDS OF SIX MILLION

CONCENTRATION CAMP INMATES AND INNOCENT CIVILIANS.

UNLIKE THE STRANGE BUILDING REVEALED FROM SPACE,

MORGAN HOPES THEIR HEINOUS ACTS

WILL NOT FADE FROM HISTORY SO EASILY.

Morgan: THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT,

THE MORE I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS WAS SOMEHOW ASSOCIATED

WITH WAFFEN-SS INITIATION RITUALS.

WE STILL DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT IT,

BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW MAKES THIS ONE OF THE CREEPIEST,

STRANGEST PLACES I'VE EVER BEEN.

**

Narrator: COMING UP -- BEAUTIFUL, BUT UTTERLY DEADLY.

WHOA, THAT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE ANY OCEAN I'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE.

Narrator: AND THE ABANDONED ISLAND OF DOOM.

Woman: IT HAS A REALLY DARK PAST.

COULD THIS STRUCTURE BE RELATED TO THAT?

**

**

Narrator: OCTOBER 13, 2018 --

A SATELLITE SCANNING THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES

COASTLINE FINDS THE SEA IS CHANGING COLOR.

WHOA. IT'S LIKE A VAST AMOUNT OF TURQUOISE INK

HAS BEEN SQUIRTED INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.

THIS IS JUST AMAZING.

THERE'S THIS GORGEOUS CLOUD OF THIS STUFF

GOING ALL THE WAY ALONG THE COAST.

Narrator: YET ACCOUNTS FROM GULF FISHERMEN REVEALED THAT

THIS BEAUTY CONCEALS DANGER.

THERE ARE REPORTS OF MASS DIE-OFFS

OF MARINE LIFE ALONG THIS COAST.

Woman: HUNDREDS OF DOLPHINS WASHING UP DEAD,

BEACHES COVERED WITH FISH CORPSES, IT'S MASS CARNAGE.

Narrator: SOMETHING IN THE WATER HERE

IS KILLING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TONS OF MARINE LIFE

AND TURNING THE OCEAN INTO A 7,000 SQUARE MILE DEAD ZONE.

LINDSAY MORAN STUDIES THE IMAGE FOR CLUES.

WHAT REALLY JUMPS OUT IS THIS MASSIVE AMOUNT OF

SINISTER-LOOKING DISCHARGE

THAT'S COMING FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA.

IF YOU TRAVEL UP THE RIVER JUST BEYOND NEW ORLEANS,

YOU SEE THIS ENORMOUS BELT OF FACTORIES.

THIS COULD BE WHAT'S FUELING THE DEAD ZONE

IF THEY'RE DISCHARGING TOXIC MATERIAL

INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

Narrator: THE SNAKING BELT OF 150 GIANT PLANTS AND FACTORIES

EXTENDS FOR OVER 85 MILES ALONG THE BANKS OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

LOCALS CALL IT "CANCER ALLEY."

CANCER ALLEY IS WHERE ABOUT

A FIFTH OF AMERICA'S PETROCHEMICALS ARE PRODUCED.

CANCER ALLEY IS BASICALLY ONE BIG TOXIC BELCHING HELLHOLE.

Narrator: EACH YEAR, THE PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS

OF CANCER ALLEY PUMP TENS OF MILLIONS OF TONS OF POLLUTANTS

INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

AT NIGHT, THESE EMISSIONS FORM OF YELLOW, NOXIOUS MIST

THAT RAINS DOWN ONTO SURROUNDING AREAS.

EMISSIONS FROM THE PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY

ARE LINKED TO EVERYTHING FROM CANCER TO CARDIOVASCULAR

AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES,

EVEN REPRODUCTIVE DISORDERS.

Narrator: IN 2015, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES FIND THAT

THE RISK OF CONTRACTING CANCER

IN THE WORST-HIT PARTS OF CANCER ALLEY

ARE 50 TIMES HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.

Moran: YOU'VE GOT TO WONDER IF PETROCHEMICAL WASTE

IS WASHING OUT OF THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA

AND KILLING ALL OF THE MARINE LIFE IN THE DEAD ZONE.

Narrator: YET WHEN SCIENTISTS STUDY SAMPLES

FROM THE MISSISSIPPI'S MURKY WATERS,

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.

WHATEVER THE CONSEQUENCES OF ALL OF THIS INDUSTRIAL WASTE

BEING DUMPED HERE, THERE'S MORE GOING ON.

WHEN THE WATER IS TESTED,

WE FIND OUT THAT IT'S FULL OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS.

Narrator: DEVIN DENNIE THINKS THE ORIGIN OF THESE POLLUTANTS

LIES UPRIVER FROM CANCER ALLEY

IN THE 30 OR SO STATES THAT FEED THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI.

THE CENTRAL PART OF THE UNITED STATES

IS KNOWN AS THE BREADBASKET OF THE WORLD.

IT'S AN INTENSELY AGRICULTURAL AREA,

AND A PART OF AGRICULTURE IS THE USE OF

THINGS LIKE NITRATES AND PHOSPHATES.

Narrator: THE MIDWEST BREADBASKET IS THE HEART

OF AMERICA'S COLOSSAL AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY,

AN INDUSTRY WHOSE FARMS COVER

MORE THAN 900 MILLION ACRES OF LAND,

AN AREA LARGER THAN INDIA.

EACH YEAR, IT PRODUCES OVER 90 MILLION TONS OF SOYBEANS

AND HUGE AMOUNTS OF OTHER CROPS, FROM ALFALFA TO ZUCCHINI.

Dennie: YOU NAME IT, WE GROW IT.

FOUR OUT OF EVERY 10 EARS OF CORN

THAT ARE GROWN IN THE ENTIRE WORLD

ARE GROWN RIGHT HERE IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN.

Narrator: WHEN FARMING SPREADS ACROSS THE MIDWEST

IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY,

AGRICULTURE EMPLOYS OVER 80 PERCENT

OF THE ENTIRE AMERICAN WORKFORCE.

BETWEEN 1850 AND NINETEEN HUNDRED,

THE U.S. POPULATION TRIPLES IN SIZE,

RATCHETING UP THE PRESSURE ON ITS FARMLANDS

TO PRODUCE MORE AND MORE FOOD.

Dennie: THERE'S A CONSTANT BATTLE WITH NATURE.

WE NEED TO CREATE AS MUCH FOOD AS WE CAN

FOR EVERY ACRE OF GROUND THAT WE PLANT AND GROW.

Narrator: TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY.

FARMERS TURNED TO CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS

RICH IN NITRATES AND PHOSPHATES --

20 MILLION TONS OF THEM EVERY YEAR.

Dennie: OVER TIME, THOSE NITRATES AND PHOSPHATES

FLOW INTO CREEKS AND STREAMS AND RIVERS,

AND ULTIMATELY THOSE RIVERS DUMP INTO THE MISSISSIPPI.

Narrator: THE MISSISSIPPI'S CATCHMENT AREA IS SO VAST

THAT FERTILIZER FROM 40% OF THE ENTIRE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES

ENDS UP BEING DUMPED IN THE GULF OF MEXICO.

BIOLOGIST GREG SZULGIT THINKS THIS EXPLAINS

THE SWIRLING LETHAL VORTEX REVEALED FROM SPACE.

Szulgit: I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY ALGAE --

THEY'RE FEEDING ON NUTRIENTS

THAT ARE BEING WASHED OUT OF THE RIVER,

AND THAT'S CAUSING THIS IMMENSE BLOOM.

Narrator: ALGAE ARE SINGLE-CELLED ORGANISMS

THAT THRIVE ON THE CHEMICALS FOUND IN FERTILIZERS.

AND WHILE THEY ARE TINY,

IN LARGE NUMBERS, THEY ARE MASS KILLERS.

Szulgit: HOW THAT WORKS IS THAT ALGAE HAVE A VERY SHORT LIFE SPAN.

SO AS THEY DIE, THEY SINK LIKE SNOWFLAKES

DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN

AND THERE, THEY'RE DEVOURED BY BACTERIA.

Narrator: ONE POPULATION EXPLOSION HAS LED TO A SECOND,

THIS TIME OF BACTERIA IN TRULY GIGANTIC QUANTITIES,

AND THEY'RE SUCKING EVERY LAST BIT OF OXYGEN FROM THE WATER.

THAT OXYGEN IS WHAT'S SUPPORTING THE WHOLE SYSTEM,

SO WHEN THAT GOES, EVERYTHING SUFFERS AND DIES.

SO WHILE FERTILIZERS ARE VERY MUCH NEEDED,

THAT CAN CAUSE THE OCEAN ENVIRONMENT

TO BE COMPLETELY WIPED OUT.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, THE ISLAND THAT TIME FORGOT...

YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW TERRIFYING

A PLACE LIKE THIS WOULD BE.

Narrator: AND SOMETHING BIG IS STIRRING IN THE SWAMP,

THEY ALL RADIATE OUTWARDS LIKE A SPIDER WEB.

**

Narrator: APRIL 30, 2016 --

MOVING AT ALMOST FIVE MILES PER SECOND

ABOVE THE ATLANTIC OCEAN,

A SATELLITE CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

THIS CLEARLY DEPICTS SOME SORT OF DESOLATE ISLAND,

AND THERE'S THIS THING WHICH LOOKS LIKE SOME KIND OF BEETLE

OR TRILOBITE FOSSIL POINTING TOWARDS THE SHORE.

Narrator: THE WEIRD PATTERN SITS ON A DESERTED ISLAND

ON THE REMOTE ARCHIPELAGO OF CAPE VERDE.

ANALYSTS TURN TO THE ISLAND NATION'S HISTORY FOR CLUES.

Woman: SO CAPE VERDE IS THIS SPECK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

IT HAS A REALLY DARK PAST, THOUGH,

AND IT'S TIED INTO THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE.

COULD THIS STRUCTURE BE RELATED TO THAT?

Narrator: CAPE VERDE'S ROLE IN THE HORRORS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

BEGINS WITH ITS DISCOVERY BY THE PORTUGUESE IN 1456.

THE ISLANDS' STRATEGIC POSITION ON THE TRADE WINDS

SOON MAKES THEM INVALUABLE TO SLAVERS.

THE CAPE VERDES BECAME PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT

BECAUSE THEY WERE PLACES

WHERE SHIPS COULD GET FRESH FOOD,

THEY COULD GET FRESH WATER.

Narrator: OVER THE NEXT 400 YEARS,

ALMOST SIX MILLION CAPTIVES PASS THROUGH CAPE VERDE'S PORTS

ON THEIR WAY TO A LIFE OF BONDAGE.

Bellinger: THEY BEGAN TO FUNNEL 38 TO 45 PERCENT

OF ALL AFRICAN SLAVES

THROUGH THESE TINY ISLANDS.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY STRUCTURE'S FORTIFIED WALLS

YIELD CLUES TO ITS POSSIBLE ROLE IN THIS SICKENING TRADE.

THE PORTUGUESE HAD TO BUILD A LARGE NUMBER OF SLAVE FORTS

TO ENSURE THAT SLAVES DID NOT ESCAPE.

SO PERHAPS THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE.

YET WHEN NEW AERIAL IMAGES EMERGE,

THEY REVEAL THE STRUCTURE SERVED A DIFFERENT PURPOSE.

Man: THIS LOOKS LIKE A 19TH CENTURY FORT TO ME.

Man: BY THAT TIME, THE DWINDLING SLAVE TRADE

IS ALREADY BEING ABOLISHED.

SO THIS STRUCTURE CAN'T BE A SLAVE FORT.

Narrator: PATRICK HUNT THINKS THE FORT'S CANNONS

ARE DEFENDING AGAINST AN OCEAN-BORNE THREAT.

WHY WOULD YOU NEED A FORT IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD?

SOMETHING ELSE IMMEDIATELY COMES TO MIND: PIRATES.

Narrator: MARITIME RECORDS CONFIRM THAT,

DURING THE 19TH CENTURY,

THE ISLANDS IN THE IMAGE BECOME A TARGET

FOR THE MOST FEARED PIRATES IN HISTORY.

Hunt: ONE KNOWN SCOURGE OF THE REGION,

WRITTEN ABOUT WITH FEARSOME DETAIL,

ARE THE NOTORIOUS BARBARY PIRATES.

Narrator: THE BARBARY PIRATES OPERATE OUT OF NORTH AFRICA.

THEY PREY ON SHIPS THROUGHOUT THE MEDITERRANEAN AND ATLANTIC,

CAPTURING CHRISTIAN SLAVES TO SELL IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

WHILE AFRICA HAD BEEN ENSLAVED BY EUROPEANS

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,

NOW THE TIDE HAS TURNED.

THESE ARE AFRICANS WHO ARE OVERWHELMING EUROPEANS

AND ENSLAVING THEM.

Narrator: SOME GIRLS ARE PRESSED INTO SEXUAL SLAVERY;

THE MEN FORCED TO WORK IN QUARRIES

OR TO ROW PIRATE GALLEYS IN PURSUIT OF YET MORE CAPTIVES.

WEALTHY FAMILIES MUST PAY A RANSOM

TO GET THEIR CHILDREN BACK.

THEY WERE ESSENTIALLY STATE-SPONSORED PIRATES,

AND IT WAS A WAY OF THESE NORTH AFRICAN LOCALES

TO RAISE MONEY FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE STATES.

Narrator: HISTORIANS ESTIMATE

THAT BETWEEN THE 16th AND 18th CENTURIES,

THE PIRATES TAKE UP TO ONE AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE HOSTAGE.

IN THE 1780s, THEY BEGIN TARGETING

AMERICAN MERCHANT SHIPS.

BY 1800, RANSOMS AND EXTORTION PAYMENTS

TO THE PIRATES ACCOUNT FOR

A FIFTH OF THE ENTIRE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S

ANNUAL EXPENDITURE.

Hunt: THOMAS JEFFERSON DESCRIBES

HOW THEY SURROUNDED YOUR SHIP

AND CAME OVERBOARD,

A DAGGER IN EACH HAND,

AND A DAGGER IN THE MOUTH.

THEY SHOWED ABSOLUTELY NO MERCY.

Narrator: THE NEWLY INDEPENDENT UNITED STATES

BUILDS A NAVY AND WAGES WAR ON THE PIRATES IN 1801 AND 1815.

DURING THESE CONFLICTS, A GROUP OF PIRATES HEADS

TO CAPE VERDE SEEKING PLUNDER IN A TOWN

TO THE EAST OF THE ISLAND IN THE IMAGE.

Hunt: THE TOWN OF SAL REI WAS A SALT PRODUCTION CENTER

AND MADE A GREAT DEAL OF WEALTH, AND IN 1815,

THE CITY WAS ATTACKED BY PIRATES,

SO THE LOCALS DECIDED TO BUILD A FORTIFICATION

TO DEFEND AGAINST SUCH ATTACKS IN THE FUTURE.

Narrator: THE FORT BECOMES OPERATIONAL IN 1820,

BUT IT NEVER SEES ACTION --

FOR THE ONCE-FEARED BARBARY PIRATE FLEET

IS SOON DEFEATED BY EUROPEAN NAVIES.

OVER THE FOLLOWING TWO CENTURIES,

THE STRUCTURE SLOWLY FADES TO RUIN AND BECOMES A MONUMENT

TO A TIME WHEN TERROR THREATENED THESE DISTANT SHORES.

**

COMING UP, ATTACK OF THE SWAMPERS.

THIS IS PLUNDER ON A TRULY HORRIFIC SCALE.

Narrator: AND THE SECRET NUCLEAR CITY.

IF THERE IS A WORLD WAR III,

MORE THAN LIKELY IT'LL START RIGHT THERE.

**

Narrator: SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 --

EYES IN THE SKY SCAN SOUTHERN LOUISIANA.

THERE IS SOMETHING UNUSUAL GOING ON HERE.

IT'S A VERY ODD SET OF PATTERNS.

Man: THEY ALL COME FROM A CENTRAL POINT

AND RADIATE OUTWARDS, SORT OF LIKE A SPIDERWEB.

Narrator: MILITARY ANALYSTS HAVE A THEORY...

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN ONLY REALLY BE SPOTTED FROM ABOVE.

SO IT LEADS ME TO WONDER,

COULD THIS BE SOME KIND OF TARGET?

Woman: IF THESE ARE TARGETS,

WHY ARE THEY IN THE MIDDLE OF A LOUISIANA SWAMP?

THERE'S ONLY ONE POSSIBLE EXPLANATION,

WHICH IS THE LOUISIANA MANEUVERS.

Narrator: THE LOUISIANA MANEUVERS

WERE A SERIES OF MASSIVE WAR GAMES

IN THESE SWAMPS

DESIGNED TO READY AMERICAN SOLDIERS

FOR THE INVASION OF NAZI OCCUPIED EUROPE.

Moran: IN THE BUILD UP TO WORLD WAR II,

THE U.S. ARMY REALLY WASN'T QUITE UP TO SPEED.

I MEAN, THEY WERE STILL USING TECHNOLOGY AND WEAPONRY

THAT WERE HOLDOVERS FROM WORLD WAR I.

Narrator: IN 1939, THE U.S. HAS FEWER THAN 200,000 SOLDIERS,

A SMALLER ARMY THAN PORTUGAL'S,

AND USES CAVALRY TO PULL ITS ARTILLERY.

HAS GLOBAL CONFLICT LOOMS, 19 DIVISIONS OF FRESH RECRUITS

WAGE A FAKE WAR IN THE LOUISIANA SWAMPS

TO WORK OUT HOW TO DEFEAT THE NAZIS' BLITZKRIEG TACTICS.

THE THINKING WAS, IF YOU CAN SURVIVE IN LOUISIANA SWAMPLAND,

YOU CAN CERTAINLY MAKE IT IN EUROPE.

Narrator: THE WAR GAMES COVER 3,400 SQUARE MILES

AND INVOLVE 470,000 SOLDIERS, 50,000 VEHICLES

AND 1,000 PLANES.

WHEN YOU SEE FROM ABOVE THESE CIRCULAR PATTERNS

WITH ALMOST A TARGET IN THE MIDDLE,

IT MAKES YOU WONDER.

IS THIS PART OF THE LOUISIANA MANEUVERS?

Narrator: LOUISIANA NATIVE MARTIN MORGAN

RECOGNIZES THE PATTERNS.

HE REVEALS THAT RATHER THAN BEING A LEGACY OF WORLD WAR II,

THEY'RE AN EXTRAORDINARY RELIC OF THE STATE'S INDUSTRIAL PAST.

SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN VERY IMPORTANT

TO THE ECONOMY OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA HAS BEEN LOGGING.

I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING TODAY ARE THE SCARS THAT WERE CREATED

WHEN THE LOGGERS DRAG CYPRESS LOGS ACROSS THE SWAMP.

Narrator: LOUISIANA'S SWAMPS WERE ONCE FILLED WITH CYPRESS TREES,

A VAST FOREST THAT COVERED ONE AND A HALF MILLION ACRES.

BETWEEN THE EARLY 18TH AND 20TH CENTURIES,

THEY ATTRACT GROUPS OF PIONEERING LOGGERS

KNOWN AS SWAMPERS.

Morgan: SWAMPERS WERE A TOUGH FRONTIER TYPE PERSON.

THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT LIVED IN THE SWAMP,

BRINGING DOWN CYPRESS TREES, BEING ON THE LOOKOUT CONSTANTLY

FOR LOUISIANA BLACK BEAR AND FOR SNAKES AND ALLIGATORS.

THIS IS HARD, PHYSICALLY TRYING WORK,

Narrator: GROWING IN A SWAMP,

CYPRESS WOOD IS EXCELLENT AT WITHSTANDING WATER,

SO IT IS HIGHLY PRIZED BY SHIP AND HOUSE BUILDERS.

BUT THE TREES ARE HUGE,

MORE THAN 100 FEET TALL WITH TRUNKS EIGHT FEET WIDE.

AND GETTING THEM TO THE LUMBER MILLS WAS TOUGH.

Morgan: THEY WERE PAID BY THE LOG,

AND THAT WAS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK

UNDER VERY HARSH CONDITIONS FOR A VERY SMALL PAYCHECK.

Narrator: IN 1891, THE INVENTION OF A NEW MACHINE

CHANGES ALL THAT.

Morgan: THE INVENTION OF THE PULL BOAT

REVOLUTIONIZED THE PROCESS OF SWAMP LOGGING.

THESE PROVIDE A SOLUTION TO HOW DO YOU HARVEST

THE CYPRESS LOGS OUT OF A CYPRESS SWAMP?

Narrator: PULL BOATS USE STEAM-DRIVEN WINCHES

TO DRAG CYPRESS TREES

THOUSANDS OF FEET FROM INACCESSIBLE PARTS OF THE SWAMP.

IN SOME PLACES, THE PULL BOATS DON'T EVEN MOVE,

THEY JUST DRAG LOGS FROM ALL DIRECTIONS

THAT CREATES THESE DISTINCTIVE STAR SHAPES

THAT WE SEE SO CLEARLY IN THE SATELLITE PHOTOS.

Narrator: USING PULL BOATS,

SWAMPERS CAN ASSEMBLE RAFTS OF 500 GIANT LOGS

FOR LOUISIANA'S LUMBER MILLS.

BY THE EARLY 1900s, THESE MILLS ARE PRODUCING

A BILLION BOARD FEET OF WOOD A YEAR,

ENOUGH TO CREATE A CYPRESS BOARDWALK

FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON.

Morgan: IT BRINGS MONEY, IT BRINGS PEOPLE,

IT BRINGS ECONOMIC VITALITY --

AND IT ALSO BRINGS DESTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

Narrator: THE PULL BOATS RAVAGE LOUISIANA,

FELLING TREES THAT WERE ALREADY 500 YEARS OLD

WHEN COLUMBUS VISITED THE AMERICAS.

WITHIN 35 YEARS,

THE STATE'S MAGNIFICENT CYPRESS FORESTS

HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO A FETID WASTELAND --

SUITABLE FOR ARMY WAR GAMES,

BUT LITTLE ELSE.

BY THE 1920s, JUST ABOUT EVERY CYPRESS IN LOUISIANA

HAS BEEN CUT DOWN.

THIS IS THE PLUNDER OF A PRICELESS ANCIENT FOREST

ON A TRULY HORRIFIC SCALE.

Narrator: TODAY, ALL THAT REMAINS OF

LOUISIANA'S CYPRESS GOLD RUSH

ARE THE STRANGE SCARS REVEALED FROM THE SKIES.

**

COMING UP, THE MEGASTRUCTURE THAT DISAPPEARED.

Woman: SOMEBODY DOESN'T WANT THIS FACILITY

SHOWING UP ON THE PUBLIC RECORD.

**

Narrator: APRIL 30, 2016 --

AS THE WORLDVIEW-3 SATELLITE

PASSES OVER THE HISTORIC STATE OF KARNATAKA, INDIA,

IT CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A GIANT PARCEL OF LAND

THAT'S BEEN CASED IN SOME SORT OF A BARRIER.

Narrator: THE WALL ENCIRCLES A 15 SQUARE MILE PROPERTY.

IT SEEMS IT'S ERODED AWAY, SO THERE'S REALLY NO TELLING

HOW LONG THIS THING HAS BEEN OUT THERE FOR.

Narrator: IF THE GIANT WALL IS ERODING AWAY,

IT COULD BE A RELIC OF INDIA'S ARISTOCRATIC PAST.

SUCH A MASSIVE PROJECT LIKE THIS REMINDS US

OF THE OVER-THE-TOP CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE MAHARAJ.

Narrator: THE MAHARAJAH'S ARE THE HISTORIC KINGS

AND RULERS OF INDIA.

BEFORE THE COUNTRY'S INDEPENDENCE IN 1947,

THEY COMMAND AN ALMOST GODLIKE STATUS...

AND ACCUMULATE VAST FORTUNES THROUGH TRADE AND TAXATION.

Hunt: IT STAGGERS THE IMAGINATION

TO THINK OF HOW WEALTHY A MAHARAJAHS WERE

AND HOW THEY SPENT

TO MAINTAIN THEIR STATUS.

Narrator: SUCH WAS THEIR WEALTH THAT SOME MAHARAJAHS ARE KNOWN

TO HAVE USED ROLLS-ROYCES FOR GARBAGE COLLECTION

AND DIAMONDS FOR PAPERWEIGHTS.

THEY CONSTRUCT VAST PALACES, SOME WITH UPWARDS OF 300 ROOMS,

MANY OF WHICH STILL PEPPER THE INDIAN COUNTRYSIDE.

Hunt: THE LANDSCAPE OF INDIA IS FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL FOLLIES

BUILT AT ENORMOUS EXPENSE BY THE MAHARAJAHS.

Narrator: BRONWYN AGRIOS USES SATELLITE IMAGERY

TO TRACK BACK THROUGH TIME.

Agrios: WHAT GETS REVEALED ACTUALLY IS THIS HAS ONLY BEEN

AROUND FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS.

SO THIS HAS TO BE A NEW FACILITY.

Narrator: AGRIOS'S INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS SOMETHING STRANGE

ABOUT THE MYSTERY FACILITY.

Agrios: WHAT'S INTERESTING IS,

WHEN I GO TO THE MAP OF THIS AREA,

IT'S JUST BLANK -- SOMEBODY DOESN'T WANT

THIS FACILITY SHOWING UP ON THE PUBLIC RECORD.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGES REVEAL CONSTRUCTION

ON THE SITE BEGINS IN 2009.

LOCAL VILLAGERS WHO ACTUALLY LOST THEIR OWN LAND

TO HELP BUILD THIS FACILITY

ACTUALLY SUED THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT

TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON.

Woman: WHAT THEY DISCOVERED WAS THAT HALF OF THE FACILITY

WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE USED TO STUDY ATOMIC ENERGY

AND NUCLEAR REACTORS.

Narrator: THE GOVERNMENT CLAIMS

THE SITE WILL BE USED TO ENRICH URANIUM

TO FUEL NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND SUBMARINES,

YET HAD STRUCTURES TO THE NORTH SUGGEST

THIS IS LIKELY NOT THE CASE.

Moran: THIS FACILITY HAS WHAT'S CALLED A RARE MATERIALS PLANT

AND THAT IS USED TO PRODUCE HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM,

WHICH, AS WE ALL KNOW,

IS A KEY COMPONENT TO MAKING NUCLEAR BOMBS.

Narrator: INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS BELIEVE INDIA CURRENTLY

POSSESSES AROUND 140 THERMONUCLEAR WEAPONS,

FEWER THAN ITS NEIGHBORS AND ADVERSARIES, CHINA AND PAKISTAN.

THE SCALE OF THE NUCLEAR CITY REVEALED FROM SPACE SUGGESTS

IT COULD ADD HUNDREDS OF WARHEADS

TO ITS STOCKPILE OVER THE NEXT DECADE.

Moran: THE FACILITY HAS BEEN UPGRADED

WITH CUTTING EDGE EQUIPMENT AND CENTRIFUGES,

WHICH MAKE IT CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HUNDREDS OF POUNDS

OF WEAPONS-GRADE URANIUM EVERY YEAR.

Munoz: WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE COULD BE INDIA'S EFFORT

TO BRING BALANCE BACK TO THE REGION IN INDIA'S FAVOR

TO MAKE ITS WARHEAD ARSENAL COMPETE

WITH THESE OTHER COUNTRIES.

Narrator: INDIA'S SPENDING ON ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM

IS NOW MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT OF PAKISTAN'S.

INDIA'S INTENTIONS HERE ARE REALLY

TO ESSENTIALLY STRONG ARM ITS NEIGHBORS

AND TO SOLIDIFY ITS POSITION AS A POWERHOUSE IN THE REGION.

Narrator: TENSIONS BETWEEN INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBORS,

PAKISTAN AND CHINA,

HAVE DRAMATICALLY ESCALATED IN RECENT YEARS,

WITH BORDER SKIRMISHES CLAIMING HUNDREDS OF LIVES.

SATELLITES CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION AS IT UNFOLDS.

YOU THINK OF GEOPOLITICAL TENSIONS BEING STRONGEST

BETWEEN THE WORLD'S SUPERPOWERS,

BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA,

BUT THIS IS A POWDER KEG WAITING TO BLOW.

**