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In Panama, a military base
on the front lines
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against a drug-running tyrant...
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00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:18,800
A ruthless dictator, CIA meddling,
narco kingpins, you name it.
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00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:20,360
This story's got it all.
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00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:27,480
...in Italy, a life cut short
turns a utopian dream
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00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:29,240
into a nightmare...
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Was the death the result
of nefarious activities
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00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:34,960
from a foreign power?
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...in Tunisia, an ancient place
of spectacle
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born out of a bloody
power struggle...
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Emperors were overthrown,
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new emperors were appointed.
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00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:50,400
There was conflict
in the Roman Empire.
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...and in Poland, a grim facility
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caught between the treachery
of two regimes.
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The people held here fought
against the very worst inhumanity
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and were jailed for it.
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Decaying relics...
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...ruins of lost worlds...
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...sights haunted by the past...
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...their secrets waiting
to be revealed.
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In Panama, on the outskirts
of the capital,
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a random collection of buildings
tells a complex story of conquest.
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In the shadow
of the Bridge of Americas
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is what appears to be a public park.
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But have a closer look
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and you'll see some strange remains.
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There's a lot of long,
rectangular buildings.
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They were clearly built
with some purpose in mind.
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But there's very little left
to suggest
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what exactly that might be.
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More structures nearby
point to an official function.
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You see the word "policia",
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and we understand
that this must have been
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a Panamanian police building
of some sort.
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When you look at the pitting here,
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people have been
shooting this place up,
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and you don't shoot up
your own base.
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For many years, this country had
very close ties with the US,
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but in the 1980s, those ties
were stretched to breaking point.
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It is as though Manuel Noriega
wants to force George Bush senior
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into having a war in Panama.
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This place has changed immensely.
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It's not what it used to be.
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The houses were nicely painted.
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Everything was new.
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Grass was green.
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Ricardo Eva was a soldier
and interpreter in the US Army.
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When he was first
stationed here in 1984,
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the country was
a very different place.
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Everything was American,
right here, in the heart of Panama.
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There were a lot of families
living here, a lot of young kids,
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young children playing around,
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grabbing mangoes from the trees.
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Life was idyllic.
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The only reason these buildings
exist at all is because of one thing.
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The Panama Canal.
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The canal was built by the Americans
in the early 1900s,
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and under the terms
of the agreement with Panama,
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they were granted ownership
in perpetuity
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of a 553-square-mile area of land
called the Canal Zone.
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This was America's first step
onto the world stage
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as an imperial great power.
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Unsurprisingly, an investment
of this size needed protecting.
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In 1913, at the end
of this man-made causeway,
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huge gun batteries were installed
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to guard the Pacific entrance
of the Panama Canal.
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And here, administrative
and housing facilities were built.
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It was called Fort Amador.
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The Canal Commission
believed that the US citizens
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within the Canal Zone
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should live in beautiful
communities
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with a high quality of life.
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Whenever you cross from Panama
to the Canal Zone area,
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it's a totally different world.
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We had our own commissaries,
little stores, theatres,
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bowling alleys, swimming pools,
you name it.
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We had everything here.
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A country inside another country,
if you will.
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Amongst Panamanians,
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especially as we moved
into the 1960s,
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there was resentment that started
to grow at this American presence.
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So the United States used to guard
this area very jealously,
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to a point where it became a problem
for Panamanian citizens
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to cross the Panama Canal
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to go to the other side
of their own country,
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because we had
Canal Zone police officers
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that could stop you at will.
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On the 9th of January 1964,
tensions boiled over
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when a group of angry
Panamanian students
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marched into the Canal Zone
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and tried to raise
their national flag
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next to the Stars and Stripes.
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They're met by a crowd of
American students who surround them
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and grab the Panamanian flag,
tear it down.
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And that is a gross insult
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to the Panamanian people.
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And it leads to this riot
between the two groups.
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Over 20 people killed
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and several hundred injured
in this fighting.
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That was the spark that ignited
the nationalism in Panama.
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PROTESTERS CLAMOUR
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The rising wave
of anti-American sentiment
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eventually forced the US
back to the negotiating table.
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In 1977, a historic new canal treaty
was agreed upon.
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There is going to be
a phased withdrawal
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of American armed forces
from the Panama Canal Zone.
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And on the last day of 1999,
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the Panama Canal itself
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will become sovereign
Panamanian territory.
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Fort Amador became
a jointly operated base,
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with the north side
remaining as US housing,
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and much of the south side
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was turned over
to the Panamanian forces.
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But the US maintained the right
to defend the canal,
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which basically meant
that they could come in
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any time they wanted
if they felt it was under threat.
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Relations were strained
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but hadn't yet reached
a breaking point.
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That time came in the 1980s,
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when a power-hungry military leader
seized control of Panama.
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Manuel Noriega was
absolutely ruthless
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and someone who was determined
to retain power at all costs.
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So he creates the PDF,
the Panamanian Defense Force.
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And this is going to be, you know,
under his personal control.
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During this time,
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areas of Fort Amador became
a dangerous place for Americans.
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The PDF were pretty much
under orders
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to harass us Americans
that were here in Panama.
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He put his strategic buildings
and headquarters
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all throughout this area,
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and that's what converted it
pretty much into a no-go zone.
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It was one of Noriega's ways
of thumbing his nose at the US.
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"Look, you used to be here.
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"Now I'm here, and you're not
allowed here any longer."
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But Noriega's relationship with
the United States was complicated.
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Their connection dated back
to around 1958.
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Allegedly, he was recruited
by the CIA initially
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whilst studying
at a military academy in Peru,
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and from there, he went on
to forge close ties with Washington.
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Noriega was a very useful client,
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because Panama was a place
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where the United States could,
you know,
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base a lot of its anti-communist
activity in Central America.
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Noriega also provided the CIA
valuable information
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on drug cartel activity.
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But the Americans became aware
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that Noriega wasn't working
against the cartels.
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In fact, he was working
with the cartels
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and making big profits
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by shipping drugs
into the United States.
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He was playing everyone.
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It is said that Pablo Escobar paid
Noriega many millions of dollars
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to allow him to process cocaine
in Darien,
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in the Panamanian side
of the jungle.
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By this point,
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Washington's relationship
with Noriega was over,
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and they wanted him out.
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In 1988, Noriega was indicted
by courts in Florida
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on drug trafficking charges.
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The United States demanded
that he step down from office,
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but the dictator remained defiant
and refused to leave Panama.
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On December 15th, 1989,
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Noriega even went
as far as declaring
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that a state of war existed
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between America and Panama.
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The day after,
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a marine is killed
by Noriega's people.
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That incident was one
of the breaking points.
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The United States said,
"You know what? This is it.
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"We can no longer deal with this."
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At 1am on the 20th of December,
Operation Just Cause begins.
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The objectives of the US invasion
are clear.
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Protect American lives,
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preserve the integrity
of the Panama Canal,
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and apprehend Manuel Noriega.
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Fort Amador is a key battleground.
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This was one of Noriega's
main headquarters.
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Operationally,
we had to take this building.
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We had a couple of Apache
helicopters flying around,
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and they shot off the roofs,
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while ground troops, 82nd Airborne,
surrounded this whole area.
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00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:08,880
And then they're pinned down
for a while by snipers,
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but then they start
moving into Fort Amador.
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You're scared. They're scared.
What's going to happen?
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There's bullets
flying all over the place.
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After issuing warnings to surrender,
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the US military
bring out the big guns,
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and start shelling the PDF barracks
with 105mm howitzers.
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The Panamanian National Guard
hasn't got a chance.
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It is a decisive victory
for the United States
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in record time.
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In about three hours
we had everything under control.
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People who were in this building,
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we detained them,
and we had them sitting here,
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of course, with their hands tied
and all that.
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But Noriega was nowhere to be found.
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A few days later, he turned up,
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hiding out at the Vatican embassy
in Panama City.
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And what happened next
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was one of the most bizarre scenes
of the invasion.
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The Americans pull up
some loudspeakers
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mounted on the back of vehicles,
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and they blast the loudest
rock music they can find.
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Noriega, believe it or not,
actually likes classical music.
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00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:33,000
And then after some time,
Noriega says, "I'm done."
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And he comes out with his hands up
and surrenders to American forces.
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In 1992, the fallen dictator
was found guilty of drug trafficking
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and sentenced to 40 years
in a federal prison.
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Seven years later, in December 1999,
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the now democratic country took
full control of the Panama Canal.
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When the Americans left,
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00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:03,040
Fort Amador, no longer needed,
fell into complete disrepair.
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00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:06,320
But the ghosts of American
imperialism live on.
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00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,440
Noriega served 17 years
in a US prison
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00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,720
and was eventually extradited
back to Panama
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to face charges there.
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He died in 2017.
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00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:30,680
But ultimately,
it was not without cost,
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00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:32,480
this American intervention
against him.
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00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:38,400
Official estimates suggest
around 500 civilians were killed
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00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,360
during Operation Just Cause.
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00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,800
Unofficial estimates say
the death toll was much higher.
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Part of my job
was to gather evidence
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00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:56,200
and interview the claimants
of the damages
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00:13:56,200 --> 00:13:59,400
after the Panamanian invasion.
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I had to go out
with the other assessors,
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00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,360
and I saw that first-hand.
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The damage was... was huge.
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00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:09,680
Actually, I felt sad
seeing all of that.
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00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:12,200
Uh, because being a US soldier,
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00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:16,080
we were of the idea
that such force wasn't necessary.
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00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:19,040
I don't believe the ends
justify the means.
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00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:22,040
I don't. I don't believe it.
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00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,280
In Warsaw, Poland,
is a secretive facility
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00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,840
that struck fear into the hearts
of the city's residents.
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00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:47,120
We see this complex of buildings
behind a tall wall.
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00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:48,800
There's not that much
to distinguish them
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00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:50,200
from the rest of the city,
240
00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:51,480
but the other buildings
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00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,000
don't have barbed wire around them
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or bars on the windows.
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00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:59,480
There are multiple housing blocks,
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00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:03,120
some of them connected
by sky bridges.
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00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:08,480
Inside, the function of this
compound quickly becomes clear.
246
00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:11,640
But all is not as it seems.
247
00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:17,000
The prison was built
to house common criminals,
248
00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:21,520
but almost from the start,
it took on a political dimension.
249
00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,040
The cells look really sparse
and dank, like literal hellholes.
250
00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:29,840
And there's a spooky corridor
that leads into a boiler room.
251
00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:33,720
But you have this very eerie sense
when you walk in
252
00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:36,600
that something, you know, far worse
was going on here.
253
00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:43,000
These rooms hide the stories
of innocent victims
254
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,760
considered inconvenient
by the government.
255
00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:49,280
In a different set of circumstances,
256
00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:52,600
many of the Polish inmates
would be revered national heroes.
257
00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:56,160
I can only imagine
258
00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:59,440
what it must have felt like,
being taken prisoner,
259
00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,240
not knowing what was
going to happen.
260
00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:02,560
Were they going to be killed?
261
00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:05,440
Were they going to be tortured?
Would they ever return?
262
00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:17,680
Historian Dr Alexandra Richie
is an expert
263
00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:20,840
on this prison's dark history.
264
00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:24,800
Her interest goes much deeper
than just scholarly curiosity.
265
00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:32,240
This cell was inhabited
by my father-in-law,
266
00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:33,720
Wladyslaw Bartoszewski.
267
00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:37,280
He spent almost six years
of his life in this prison.
268
00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:42,360
His only crime was fighting
to save his country.
269
00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:44,720
He was only 23 years old,
270
00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:48,000
and the things that happened here
were absolutely terrible.
271
00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,880
This is Mokotow Prison.
272
00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:57,640
The events that tied Wladyslaw's
fate to this cruel facility
273
00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,360
began with the outbreak
of World War II.
274
00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:04,000
At the start of the conflict,
275
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,640
the Soviet Union,
not yet fighting with the Allies,
276
00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,240
made a side deal with Nazi Germany.
277
00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:16,400
Poland was kind of in the crosshairs
of this pact,
278
00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:18,520
not only not to go to war
with each other,
279
00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:22,040
but to essentially kind of
split up the spoils of Europe.
280
00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:26,560
So the Nazis invaded Poland
from the West,
281
00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:29,280
the Soviets invaded from the east.
282
00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:35,000
Hitler's forces,
vastly outnumbering Poland's,
283
00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,240
quickly took the capital, Warsaw.
284
00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:41,280
But the Polish people
didn't give up the fight.
285
00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,120
They create an underground army
and military.
286
00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:46,840
The Home Army eventually it's called
287
00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:52,920
was a very sophisticated group of
around about 300,000 men and women.
288
00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:59,400
They did not want to be dominated
by these totalitarian systems.
289
00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:02,000
They were fighting for
a free Poland.
290
00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,360
These people are priests.
They're army officers.
291
00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:08,240
They're schoolteachers.
They're college professors.
292
00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:11,040
And, you know, they're seated
throughout Polish society.
293
00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:17,800
Alex's father-in-law, Wladyslaw,
joined the Polish Home Army in 1942.
294
00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,320
For the next two years,
he risked his life
295
00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,960
fighting in a guerilla war
against the Nazi occupiers.
296
00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:29,920
By 1944, the tide
seemed to be turning.
297
00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:34,560
It was becoming obvious
that Germany was losing control
298
00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,760
over the territories
it had occupied.
299
00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:41,440
The Warsaw Uprising broke out
on the 1st of August 1944,
300
00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,800
and the main aim for the Poles
was to try and take over
301
00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:48,360
as many important buildings,
bridges, airports
302
00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:49,640
as they possibly could.
303
00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:52,520
It was a gamble,
304
00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:55,120
and they threw everything that
they had into taking the city back.
305
00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,640
But the Polish resistance
was no match for the Germans.
306
00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:05,760
One hope was that the Soviet army,
now siding with the Allies,
307
00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:09,120
was nearing Warsaw,
and would come to Poland's aid.
308
00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:12,760
The Poles had allied themselves
309
00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,240
to the British
and to the Western Allies,
310
00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:17,800
but of course, by definition,
to the Soviets as well.
311
00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:21,800
And so they went and fought
thinking that they were allies.
312
00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:24,160
But Poland hadn't banked on
the treachery
313
00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:29,000
of one of history's most notorious
dictators, Joseph Stalin.
314
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,520
The Soviet leader
had his own plan for Poland.
315
00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:35,680
The Soviets made no effort
to intervene
316
00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:39,360
and help the Poles
and get the Germans out of there
317
00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:41,400
and save the city of Warsaw.
318
00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:45,600
85% of Warsaw is destroyed
during the rising,
319
00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:48,120
while the Soviets are sitting
on the hulls of their tanks
320
00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:50,800
on the outskirts of the city,
just, like, watching.
321
00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:53,880
Stalin always had
an ulterior motive,
322
00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:55,720
and that was political control.
323
00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:58,040
He wanted to create a buffer zone
324
00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:00,240
between Russia
and the rest of Europe,
325
00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:03,720
and he also wanted to control
large swathes of territory.
326
00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:06,480
The Soviets were happy to see
327
00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:08,800
the Germans do their dirty work
for them,
328
00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:10,640
kill all these Polish nationalists.
329
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:12,720
Then the Soviets roll in
330
00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,880
so they can take over
this passive, defeated population
331
00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:19,720
and easily bring them
into the Soviet empire.
332
00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:24,720
When the Red Army
entered the ruined city,
333
00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:28,520
Mokotow Prison was one of
the few buildings left standing.
334
00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,920
It was quickly transformed
into a sinister tool
335
00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:34,400
of communist repression.
336
00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,320
The first thing that, you know,
the Soviets do
337
00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:42,560
is they create a ministry
of public security.
338
00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:44,560
You know, very Orwellian name.
339
00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:46,480
It has nothing to do with
public security.
340
00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:48,760
It has to do with
public persecution.
341
00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:52,640
They want to find every remnant
of the Polish nationalist movement.
342
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,280
They either want to, like, kill them
or they want to convert them
343
00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:58,920
to, you know, passive pawns
of the Soviet state.
344
00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:03,440
The Home Army represented
a huge threat for Stalin
345
00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:09,600
because they represented
Western democratic values
346
00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:11,160
in the sense of freedom,
347
00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:13,080
freedom of speech,
freedom of religion.
348
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:16,360
Tens of thousands of Poles
349
00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:20,360
were incarcerated, were tortured,
and many of them were executed.
350
00:21:22,120 --> 00:21:25,840
Alex's father-in-law, Wladyslaw,
was one of those rounded up
351
00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:29,960
and imprisoned without trial
during Stalin's violent purge.
352
00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:35,560
The sort of box-like area
at the end here
353
00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:37,440
was a punishment cell.
354
00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:41,320
At the time, there was a wall here
and a tiny kind of trap door,
355
00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,920
and prisoners were pushed in
as a sort of solitary confinement.
356
00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,000
From this cell, my father-in-law
357
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,240
remembers hearing people
being executed.
358
00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:55,040
So they didn't know
what was going on, had no idea,
359
00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:58,600
and then all of a sudden would hear
this loud shot ringing out.
360
00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,160
You didn't know
if you were going to be next.
361
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:05,600
And this was all part of the fear
that was generated in this prison.
362
00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:09,320
The torture didn't end there.
363
00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:13,000
One of the most disgusting ironies
of this Soviet conquest
364
00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:16,040
is that they then take
Polish nationalists
365
00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:18,720
who'd been fighting so bravely
against the Nazis
366
00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:19,960
to free their country,
367
00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:22,360
and they put these
Polish nationalists
368
00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:25,120
in cells with German Nazis
369
00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:29,280
in Mokotow Prison,
as if they're just as bad.
370
00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:32,480
My father-in-law was in Auschwitz,
371
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:34,760
and for him,
the experience of Auschwitz
372
00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:39,040
was by far the worst that
he ever experienced in his life.
373
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:45,480
Just two doors down
was the prison cell of Hoess,
374
00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:47,360
who was the commandant of Auschwitz.
375
00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:51,960
And this was to humiliate
and demean the Polish prisoners.
376
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:53,600
In other words,
they were made to think
377
00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:57,040
that they were even below
Nazi criminals.
378
00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:01,200
It isn't known exactly how many
political prisoners
379
00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:02,960
were killed by the Soviets,
380
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,640
but their intention was clear.
381
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,400
They wanted to completely rewrite
the story
382
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:10,400
of the Second World War in Poland.
383
00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:14,720
Their bodies were just taken
and disappeared somewhere.
384
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:16,440
And this was a deliberate attempt
385
00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:20,000
to erase, to eradicate these people
from history.
386
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:24,360
Mention of the heroic stance
of the Polish Home Army
387
00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:26,880
against the Nazis
was completely forbidden.
388
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,080
There was, under Stalinism,
no Holocaust.
389
00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,080
Everybody who was killed
in the Second World War
390
00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:34,760
was simply a victim of fascism.
391
00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:39,800
When Wladyslaw was released in 1954,
392
00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:41,960
he defied the communist authorities
393
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:46,280
by dedicating himself to keeping
the story of the Home Army alive.
394
00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:51,120
He wrote books about
what had happened during the war.
395
00:23:51,120 --> 00:23:55,200
Many of the things he wrote
were either censored heavily
396
00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:56,720
or not published at all.
397
00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:02,880
This facility continued to house
perceived enemies of the regime
398
00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,120
until communism collapsed in 1989.
399
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:12,120
Finally, people were free
to actually talk about these things
400
00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:13,720
and go into archives
401
00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:16,160
and interview survivors,
for example,
402
00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:20,440
and actually put together a story
that, in a way, had been frozen
403
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,640
by the Soviet system since 1945.
404
00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:30,640
After the Democratic Republic
of Poland was established in 1990,
405
00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,520
Mokotow Prison still continued
to operate.
406
00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,840
In 2016, it closed for good.
407
00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:46,560
Meanwhile, Wladyslaw spent
his final years
408
00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,320
building a brighter future for Poland
409
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:53,080
as part of the newly
democratic government.
410
00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:54,760
So he had an incredible career.
411
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:58,120
I mean, going from a young man
in a Soviet prison
412
00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:01,360
and then ending up in a free Poland
as foreign minister
413
00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:03,520
and a minister of high office
414
00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:06,680
until the day he died,
so it was an extraordinary life.
415
00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:20,000
In Italy, the town of Ivrea
hides pockets of revolutionary zeal.
416
00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,800
It looks like any other
normal Italian town.
417
00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:30,240
That is, until you notice
418
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,560
the modern architecture
that's in the middle of it.
419
00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:36,800
Miles of glass dot the landscape.
420
00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:38,640
And there's this mishmash
of buildings
421
00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:40,200
spread throughout the town.
422
00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,400
One of the structures
looks like a typewriter.
423
00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:45,800
Who would build a building
424
00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:47,160
to look like a typewriter?
425
00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:50,520
You can tell that a lot
of work went on right here,
426
00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:52,520
but you can't really tell
what it was.
427
00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:55,400
Below the surface,
428
00:25:55,400 --> 00:26:00,720
rumours still swirl
of ruthless espionage...
429
00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:05,360
...and a death
under mysterious circumstances.
430
00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:10,400
What's strange is that an autopsy
was never requested or carried out.
431
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:15,160
Some people think that the CIA
was involved.
432
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,440
What was it about this
sleepy country town
433
00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:21,040
that might have been
worth killing for?
434
00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:31,200
Matteo Olivetti is part
of the centuries-old family
435
00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,720
that transformed the town of Ivrea.
436
00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:40,160
I came here in 1972,
437
00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:42,200
and all these buildings,
438
00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,920
when I was small,
they were full of people.
439
00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,960
It's all part of a utopian community
440
00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:54,520
created by Matteo's ancestors.
441
00:26:56,720 --> 00:27:00,680
The Olivetti family
is a corporate dynasty
442
00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:02,600
that is associated with
the development
443
00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:04,520
of cutting-edge technologies,
444
00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:05,680
reaching all the way back
445
00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,320
to the era of innovation
in the mid-19th century.
446
00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:16,000
Back then, Matteo's great-grandfather
was a visionary electrical engineer.
447
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,720
Camillo Olivetti saw
great potential in typewriters
448
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:21,560
and decided to capitalise on it.
449
00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:25,120
Everything starts here in Ivrea,
450
00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:27,440
and in 1908,
451
00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:31,920
Camillo puts up
the Olivetti factory of typewriters.
452
00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:37,080
Camillo Olivetti designed
the first Olivetti typewriter.
453
00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:38,200
It was known for the fact
454
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,200
that it was composed
of over 3,000 parts,
455
00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:42,320
and yet it weighed only 40lb.
456
00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:49,200
In 1933, Camillo brought in his son
Adriano to manage the firm.
457
00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,280
Under his leadership,
when he took over the company,
458
00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:55,720
the company's productivity soared.
459
00:27:55,720 --> 00:28:00,680
And by 1933, Olivetti was producing
half of Italy's typewriters.
460
00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:06,400
But the rise of a brutal dictator
threatened to destroy
461
00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:08,400
everything he had built.
462
00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:12,640
As the Second World War loomed,
463
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:17,320
Benito Mussolini ruled Italy
with an iron fist.
464
00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:20,720
The Olivetti family was
in a precarious position
465
00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:23,440
under the fascist dictatorship
of Benito Mussolini,
466
00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:26,680
and that's because they were Jewish
467
00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:28,800
and the dictatorship
was anti-Semitic.
468
00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:32,520
But typewriters were as important
then as computers are today,
469
00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:34,760
and Olivetti offered
Mussolini's government
470
00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:36,400
an Italian-made typewriter,
471
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:38,120
and they needed them
in large quantities.
472
00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:43,400
The Olivetti factory produced
typewriters throughout the war,
473
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:46,680
but secretly,
Adriano was participating
474
00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:49,640
in the underground
anti-fascist movement.
475
00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:53,560
He was imprisoned by Mussolini
in 1944.
476
00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:57,760
Adriano had to do a daring escape
from jail to Switzerland.
477
00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:02,840
He stayed in neutral Switzerland
until the end of the war,
478
00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:06,040
returning to Italy in 1945.
479
00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:12,280
When he came back, he decided
to transform his company,
480
00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:16,200
and he really put in place
democratic ideals
481
00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:17,240
and used that
482
00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:19,960
as a way to change how his workers
483
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,160
lived and operated and worked.
484
00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:24,200
He commissioned
485
00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:26,880
some of the brightest
architectural minds in Europe
486
00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:29,720
to design a city for his company.
487
00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,040
He wanted to make it
a wonderful place to be,
488
00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:35,280
a wonderful place to work,
489
00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:38,120
a wonderful place to be
a member of a community.
490
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:41,080
Employees were promised
flexible working hours,
491
00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:42,520
free childcare,
492
00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:46,040
cultural activities,
perks and bonuses.
493
00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:47,920
Who wouldn't want to work here?
494
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:54,520
This complex is Adriano Olivetti's
vision for a new way of life.
495
00:29:56,120 --> 00:30:00,160
Matteo remembers Ivrea's
social services building,
496
00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,000
the beating heart
of his uncle's utopia.
497
00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:09,840
We needed a real space
for all the welfare
498
00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:13,600
of all the people that worked for us
and for the factory.
499
00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:18,960
This building was the epitome
of Adriano's philosophy.
500
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,040
It housed a library, a nursery,
healthcare centres
501
00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:24,240
and an auditorium.
502
00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:28,400
There was the "infermeria",
503
00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,880
and I remember when we knew
all the doctors.
504
00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:35,360
This was the library,
505
00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:39,080
and I remember
when I was a little kid
506
00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:42,320
that we'd come here and get books.
507
00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:47,320
There was an idea to elevate
the cultural part
508
00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:51,160
of the people that worked
for Olivetti.
509
00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:55,480
To fund his idealistic vision,
510
00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:58,200
Adriano continued to push
the boundaries
511
00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:00,200
of technological innovation.
512
00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:04,160
He decides that computers
are the future.
513
00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:07,760
He ventured into electronics,
514
00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:11,080
collaborating with Chinese-Italian
chief engineer Mario Tchou.
515
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:15,920
Olivetti was soon
outstripping the competition.
516
00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:20,080
In 1959, Adriano unveiled
517
00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:23,360
one of the world's first
mainframe computers.
518
00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:29,520
With all revolutionary,
brilliant ideas,
519
00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:32,520
there's always someone out there
who wants to steal them.
520
00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:37,120
There was a lot of communists
in Italy.
521
00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:39,640
And so this was a big problem.
522
00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:43,400
With Cold War tensions growing,
523
00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:47,240
there were some global powers
that felt threatened by Olivetti.
524
00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:51,840
The United States
is already concerned
525
00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:53,800
that Italy might ultimately
go communist,
526
00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:58,560
and that concern reaches
a higher level of escalation
527
00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:01,080
when they realise
that the Olivettis have
528
00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,720
this high-end computer technology.
529
00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:09,360
In February 1960, Adriano boarded
a train to Switzerland,
530
00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:11,560
but he would never
make it to his destination,
531
00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:13,040
for he died suddenly en route.
532
00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:18,000
What's strange is that an autopsy
was never requested or carried out.
533
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:20,440
His official cause of death
is a stroke.
534
00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:26,280
Yet many believed there was more
to Adriano Olivetti's death
535
00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:27,680
than meets the eye.
536
00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:33,880
It doesn't seem to me to be
an absurd stretch of possibility
537
00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:36,200
that the CIA may have carried out
538
00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:38,760
a pointed assassination
against Adriano Olivetti
539
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:42,320
over this issue of
this critical technology
540
00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:45,760
becoming something that provides
an advantage for the communists.
541
00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:50,600
But the sinister occurrences
were far from over.
542
00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:56,200
A year later, Mario Tchou,
his chief engineer,
543
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:58,560
dies in a tragic car accident.
544
00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:01,720
It came out that somebody said
545
00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:06,800
that there was the smell of alcohol
in the car, but he didn't drink.
546
00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,960
And it's a lot of little things
that make you think,
547
00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:16,480
"Hm, maybe something happened
more than just a car accident."
548
00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:18,880
There's no proof,
549
00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,760
but when you look closely at
the circumstances of that accident,
550
00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:23,440
it certainly does look suspicious.
551
00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:26,880
The double tragedy marked
552
00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:29,240
a turning point
for the Olivetti family.
553
00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:35,960
In 1963, a financial crisis
hit Italy,
554
00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:40,480
and a year later, the Olivettis
sold off their computer division
555
00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:41,840
to General Electric.
556
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:44,680
The next year,
557
00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:47,240
the company reveals
a world-changing invention
558
00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:49,880
that it had heretofore kept secret.
559
00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:54,800
In 1965, at the New York
World's Fair,
560
00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:57,800
the Programma 101 made its debut.
561
00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:03,520
Programma 101 is considered by many
to be the first desktop computer.
562
00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:08,240
40,000 of these P101s were sold,
563
00:34:08,240 --> 00:34:11,760
and it was even used
in the Apollo 11 mission of NASA.
564
00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:15,360
But by the 1980s,
565
00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,480
as computer technology
ultimately takes over,
566
00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:21,160
people need typewriters less.
567
00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:24,680
The company eventually stops
manufacturing them altogether.
568
00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:30,840
In 1978, we were more or less
90,000 people in the world,
569
00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:32,160
and now it's 500.
570
00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:36,840
Ivrea is abandoned by 2003,
571
00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,200
but its name has been immortalised
by its pioneering design
572
00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:41,640
and its visionary family.
573
00:34:48,240 --> 00:34:54,240
Today, Matteo is determined to keep
his family's unique experiment alive.
574
00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:00,080
I try to keep up this history
of the family.
575
00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:02,600
That's the important thing.
576
00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:04,280
It was one of the most successful
577
00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:08,160
commercial industrial towns
in the world,
578
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:10,640
and it becomes eventually
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
579
00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:20,880
In Northeast Africa,
in the Tunisian town of El Jem,
580
00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:24,920
a colossal building bears witness
to ancient rivalries.
581
00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:37,920
Right in the middle of town,
we have a massive Roman structure.
582
00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:40,840
You pass through these outer walls
583
00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:46,160
and enter this vast oval floor
surrounded by stadium seating.
584
00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:49,200
This was a place to put on a show.
585
00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:51,600
And what entertainment
did the Romans enjoy more
586
00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:53,520
than gladiatorial games?
587
00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:59,400
But this was much more than just
an arena for savage Roman spectacle.
588
00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:04,800
Its remarkable size
hints at its intended purpose.
589
00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:09,440
This is one of the biggest,
grandest amphitheatres
590
00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:12,560
in the entire Roman world.
591
00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:17,520
Why do we have this here in Africa?
592
00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:23,280
The answer may lie
in one of the most violent periods
593
00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:24,400
of Roman history.
594
00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:28,240
It became known as the year
of the Six Emperors.
595
00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:31,960
There was murder, there was ruin,
596
00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:36,760
and it was all happening
right here in El Jem.
597
00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:47,800
Archaeologist Rached Hamdi
decodes this site
598
00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:53,280
to piece together what was happening
almost 2,000 years ago.
599
00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,680
It had three levels of galleries
which could fit
600
00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:15,200
35,000 people.
601
00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:19,560
It's thought that
the mighty structure
602
00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:23,400
was adorned with statues
of Roman gods,
603
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:30,000
had 64 arches,
120ft-high red limestone walls,
604
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,160
and might even have had
a fabric awning as a roof.
605
00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:37,720
The town it towers over offers a clue
606
00:37:37,720 --> 00:37:40,440
as to why this iconic structure
is here.
607
00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:44,880
Today it's known as El Jem,
608
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:46,080
but under the Romans
609
00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:47,760
it was known as Thysdrus.
610
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:51,400
This was one of the wealthiest
611
00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:54,960
and most thriving parts
of the empire.
612
00:37:56,400 --> 00:38:00,760
El Jem sat in the province
the Romans called Africa.
613
00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:04,160
It allowed vital access
614
00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:05,920
to the strategically important
615
00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:07,600
Mediterranean coast.
616
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:19,480
At the time of El Jem's construction,
617
00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:22,200
treacherous rivalries
were sending shock waves
618
00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:24,080
across the Roman Empire.
619
00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:31,760
This amphitheatre was built
in the year 238 CE.
620
00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:38,040
This was a very important
and dangerous year
621
00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:39,200
for the Roman Empire.
622
00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:45,520
When the Emperor in Rome decided
to fund his warring campaigns
623
00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:48,440
by taxing the people of El Jem,
624
00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:52,480
they rebelled and demanded
their governor, Gordian I,
625
00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:55,440
be put on the imperial throne.
626
00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:58,360
At 80 years old,
he reluctantly agreed,
627
00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:01,800
but only on the condition that
his son would rule alongside him.
628
00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:05,680
But when his son
was killed in battle,
629
00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:07,640
Gordian took his own life.
630
00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:14,360
Gordian hanged himself with a belt
just 22 days into his reign,
631
00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:17,000
the shortest reign in Roman history.
632
00:39:18,480 --> 00:39:21,680
This was one of six changes
in rule that year.
633
00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:25,120
From the ashes of this chaos,
634
00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:28,320
Gordian's grandson
rose to take the throne.
635
00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:31,720
It's thought by some that Gordian III
636
00:39:31,720 --> 00:39:34,520
may have constructed
the mammoth amphitheatre
637
00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:36,320
to immortalise his family.
638
00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:40,520
It wasn't until the turn
of the 20th century
639
00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:41,880
that archaeologists discovered
640
00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:44,560
the true extent
of the dynastic monument.
641
00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:57,680
What they found
was an intact basement level
642
00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:00,920
that covered the entire footprint
of the arena.
643
00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:07,960
Nearby, ancient mosaics suggest
why this basement was so big.
644
00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:13,040
In Gordian's time,
El Jem was at the centre
645
00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:16,360
of a highly lucrative
and well organised trade
646
00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:18,280
in wild animals
647
00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:22,200
caught by professional hunters
in the interior of Africa.
648
00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:30,920
Many thousands of leopards,
elephants and other African animals
649
00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:32,200
would have passed through
650
00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:35,160
the subterranean corridors of El Jem.
651
00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:42,160
You came here to watch gladiators
and wild animals killing each other.
652
00:40:44,240 --> 00:40:47,480
The basement was designed
to ensure the games ran
653
00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:49,240
with chilling efficiency.
654
00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:06,320
We have all of the hidden chambers
necessary
655
00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:11,920
to create the very best
in Roman spectacle.
656
00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:20,040
Below the arena floor, Rached Hamdi
finds evidence of how it worked.
657
00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:51,760
The El Jem amphitheatre stood
as a symbol of Roman dominance
658
00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:53,240
over this region
659
00:41:53,240 --> 00:41:56,760
until they lost power
two centuries later.
660
00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:00,840
By the Middle Ages, Rome's influence
in North Africa had ceased
661
00:42:00,840 --> 00:42:02,560
and the empire had fallen.
662
00:42:04,240 --> 00:42:08,640
Once this was no longer
a provincial capital,
663
00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:10,080
it was abandoned.
664
00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:14,960
Over the coming centuries,
the people of El Jem
665
00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:18,560
plundered the stones
of the mighty Colosseum,
666
00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:20,120
leaving it to crumble.
667
00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:31,560
Today, the residents of El Jem make
full use of the ancient monument.
668
00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:49,600
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