Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:07,160
In Germany,
2
00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:12,000
a therapeutic country retreat
commandeered for a disturbing goal.
3
00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:17,560
Gebhardt becomes a credible
contestant for the title of
4
00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,440
The Most Twisted Nazi Doctor.
5
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:25,000
In Malaysia,
6
00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:29,360
an engineering workhorse
drawn into a colonial conflict.
7
00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:34,800
This is a story of conquest,
greed and exploitation,
8
00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:36,040
and it doesn't end well.
9
00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,680
A rural site in Texas that affected
the lives of millions,
10
00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:46,600
for better and for worse.
11
00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:49,760
It wasn't until years later
12
00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,600
that I really understood
what I had participated in.
13
00:00:55,640 --> 00:01:00,600
And a remote Italian community
ravaged by Mother Nature.
14
00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,160
It was a beautiful,
if quiet life here
15
00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:06,000
but little did the residents know
16
00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,520
that disaster
was just around the corner.
17
00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,040
In the sleepy German town of Lychen,
18
00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:23,320
70 miles north of Berlin,
19
00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,680
is a collection of magnificent
buildings
20
00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:28,040
tainted by an unspeakable tragedy.
21
00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:35,240
We're away from the city here.
22
00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,760
We're out in the fresh air
of the countryside.
23
00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:44,120
We've got charming
German-looking buildings.
24
00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:47,320
It could be a boarding school.
25
00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:48,640
It could be a barracks.
26
00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:49,960
It could be a spa.
27
00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:51,920
I mean, you go down to
the lower level
28
00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,400
and there are these big,
sort of, bathing pools.
29
00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:56,760
When you take a closer look,
30
00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,480
you start to see hints
of what this place was.
31
00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,640
We see the tiled floors,
32
00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:06,360
the tiled walls.
33
00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:09,520
This place is designed
34
00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,120
so that whatever splatters
on the walls
35
00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:15,840
can be scrubbed down
and disinfected.
36
00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:21,360
It has all the hallmarks
of an old hospital.
37
00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,440
Under the influence of
a fascist regime,
38
00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,000
this hospital would do
more harm than good.
39
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:30,840
Historically, this site has
many layers,
40
00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,320
but it's the role it played
during World War II
41
00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:35,920
that is particularly chilling.
42
00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:43,360
This was meant to be a place
of healing.
43
00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:47,280
It turned into a place of terror.
44
00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,440
What happened here
is the stuff of nightmares.
45
00:02:58,000 --> 00:02:59,640
The first day I was here in Lychen,
46
00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:01,760
it was the same weather as today.
47
00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:04,440
It's beautiful in the summer here.
48
00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:06,160
It's beautiful in the winter.
49
00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,800
Developer Max Siegmann
bought this property in 2021.
50
00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:13,920
He was drawn to its potential
51
00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:16,680
as a peaceful retreat
for busy Berliners.
52
00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,440
He also understood it as a site
burdened by its past.
53
00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:25,680
For us, it's important that the
history will not be forgotten
54
00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:28,240
and we are responsible
for this place,
55
00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,040
even the dark historic.
56
00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:36,000
In the beginning, its purpose
couldn't have been more different.
57
00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:41,560
The facility was originally founded
in 1902 by the German Red Cross
58
00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:44,680
to treat patients suffering
from tuberculosis.
59
00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,840
People were breathing bad air and
their lungs were becoming infected
60
00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,200
and it was believed
that you had to remove them
61
00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,560
from the urban environment
and get them into a clean place
62
00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:57,240
where they would breathe clean air.
63
00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,160
We have patient rooms with
a lot of windows.
64
00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,160
They have a lot of space compared
to modern hospital buildings.
65
00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:08,840
It was a very famous place.
66
00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:13,440
It was called the
Hohenlychen Sanatorium.
67
00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:17,040
In the decades to come,
it would become infamous.
68
00:04:19,280 --> 00:04:21,200
The history of this site
69
00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:26,400
was transformed by the activities
of Dr Karl Gebhardt.
70
00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:29,360
When he emerges
in the '20s and '30s,
71
00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:31,480
he's seen as a
very innovative surgeon.
72
00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:33,120
He served in the First World War.
73
00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:35,840
He became fascinated
with treating battlefield injuries.
74
00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:39,000
After the First World War,
75
00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,000
there were these militias,
called Freikorps,
76
00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:48,160
of people who were trying
to exert political power
77
00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:49,680
through violence
78
00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,200
and Gebhardt and
79
00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,520
Heinrich Himmler, chief of the SS,
80
00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,280
were buddies from that period
81
00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:06,960
and Gebhardt becomes someone who
earns his credibility with the Nazis
82
00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,680
by having been in
from the beginning.
83
00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:12,600
And so, he's then recognised
84
00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:15,240
as being this leading surgeon
by the Third Reich.
85
00:05:15,280 --> 00:05:19,440
Himmler adopts Dr Karl Gebhardt
as his personal physician.
86
00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:26,560
As Hitler consolidated his grip
on power in the 1930s,
87
00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:30,520
he began removing Jewish people
from positions of authority
88
00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,360
and replaced them
with trusted Nazi allies.
89
00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,800
The Jewish physician that ran
this sanatorium was one of those
90
00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:38,880
stripped of his role.
91
00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:42,040
In 1933,
92
00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,960
Gebhardt was given control
of Hohenlychen.
93
00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:47,000
Under his leadership,
94
00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:50,000
it became the first sports medicine
clinic in Germany.
95
00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:55,240
It was all part of the Nazi vision
to create a superior master race.
96
00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:01,280
So, Karl Gebhardt was
revolutionary in his methods.
97
00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,560
He believed in physiotherapy.
98
00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:09,400
He believed in treating the injured
with open air and physical exercise.
99
00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:12,000
He's a sports scientist.
100
00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:17,280
He's all about taking sports
injuries, like a torn meniscus,
101
00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:23,000
and repairing it and making
excellent sports people
102
00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,200
better sports people.
103
00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:33,280
We are now in the operation rooms
where the surgeries took place
104
00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,000
and as you can see behind me,
105
00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,920
we have a glass window so trainee
doctors could watch the operations.
106
00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,520
At the Berlin Olympics in 1936,
107
00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,320
Gebhardt got the chance to parade
his achievements to the world.
108
00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:52,040
Dr Gebhardt became chief physician
of the Olympic Games
109
00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:56,760
and this facility became the main
hospital for the Olympic athletes.
110
00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:59,520
The site here grows again
in that time period
111
00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:01,320
and they built a swimming hole.
112
00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:03,160
They built a sports hall.
113
00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,040
The controversial games are best
remembered for the American sprinter,
114
00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,720
Jesse Owens, winning a record
of four gold medals.
115
00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:15,280
COMMENTATOR: The Buckeye Bullet
stepped into his destined role
116
00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,680
to win in the phenomenal time
of ten and two-fifths seconds,
117
00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:20,960
breaking all existing world record.
118
00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:26,840
Yet, Owens' triumphs were not enough
119
00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:29,720
to stop the Germans from
winning the most medals
120
00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,440
and Gebhardt was lauded
for the success.
121
00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:34,960
After the Olympic Games,
122
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,240
Dr Gebhardt's position rises.
123
00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:38,680
Next to Heinrich Himmler,
124
00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:42,760
all other high-ranked Nazi persons
got their surgeries here.
125
00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:44,640
Even Hitler visited this place.
126
00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:49,000
But after the outbreak of
the Second World War,
127
00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:53,080
Hohenlychen was turned
into a military hospital
128
00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,320
and the type of operations
carried out here by Gebhardt
129
00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:58,440
would follow a much darker path.
130
00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:01,800
They are the kinds of activities
131
00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:05,040
that are so extraordinarily
abhorrent
132
00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:08,480
that they stand against
the very notion
133
00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:12,400
of what we think a doctor
should be capable of doing.
134
00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,440
Hohenlychen's fall from grace began
135
00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:21,080
when a high-ranking SS official
named Reinhard Heydrich
136
00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:25,040
was badly injured in an assassination
attempt by the Czech resistance.
137
00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:29,640
They chuck a grenade into his car
138
00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:35,840
and Heydrich's body is filled
with bits of springs and dirt
139
00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:40,440
and Heydrich is dying of sepsis.
140
00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:46,120
Who'd better to try to bring him
back to life than Dr Gebhardt?
141
00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:50,200
At the time,
142
00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,120
German doctors had access to
an early antibiotic
143
00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:54,640
called sulphonamide.
144
00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,120
But Gebhardt was sceptical
about its effectiveness
145
00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:00,720
and declined to use it.
146
00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:03,440
And so, Heydrich dies.
147
00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,760
He might have died anyway.
His injuries are pretty severe,
148
00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:08,880
but Gebhardt's rivals
inside the Nazi state start saying,
149
00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:10,800
"Oh, you see, Gebhardt
killed Heydrich
150
00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:12,800
"cos he wouldn't use
sulphonamide on him."
151
00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,480
Gebhardt was facing ruin.
152
00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:17,400
He had to prove that his methods
153
00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:19,840
weren't the reason for
Heydrich's death.
154
00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,400
Himmler advised him to conduct
human experiments
155
00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,800
to prove that sulphonamide
would not have saved Heydrich.
156
00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:35,320
Gebhardt gets women from
Ravensbruck concentration camp,
157
00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:41,120
women who are going to be killed
by the Nazis anyway.
158
00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:43,520
He breaks their legs.
159
00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:50,560
He drives bits of wood and hair
into their bodies.
160
00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,280
These poor victims fester
for days on end
161
00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:58,160
as the infections develop
and gangrene develops.
162
00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:03,520
Gebhardt then administered
sulphonamide to some of the patients,
163
00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:05,600
leaving others as a control group.
164
00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:08,640
But the experiment was rigged
165
00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:11,800
to ensure Gebhardt
got the results he wanted.
166
00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:17,360
Gebhardt creates a house of horrors.
167
00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:22,200
They are tortured to death
with infection.
168
00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:28,000
In total, 84 women were put through
this sickening ordeal.
169
00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,960
21 of them died,
either from infection
170
00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,800
or because they were murdered
to cover up the evidence.
171
00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:39,040
Gebhardt didn't stop there.
172
00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,040
His experiments continued,
173
00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:44,720
this time with amputee soldiers.
174
00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:51,680
He, basically, takes
concentration camp prisoners,
175
00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:54,320
and he says, "Hey, you know,
this German soldier needs an arm.
176
00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:55,960
"Why don't I just take your arm
177
00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,000
"and try to attach it to this
German soldier?"
178
00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:03,880
The German authorities regarded all
of these activities as justifiable,
179
00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,520
because they regarded those
that were being experimented on
180
00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:10,960
as being genetically and racially
inferior.
181
00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,720
The terrible crimes perpetrated here
182
00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,600
continued until Stalin's Red Army
defeated the Nazis
183
00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,520
at the Battle of Berlin in 1945.
184
00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,800
The Soviets then took control
of Hohenlychen
185
00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:26,600
to use as an army hospital...
186
00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:30,760
..but Karl Gebhardt's
shocking experiments
187
00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:32,240
were not forgotten.
188
00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:38,520
Miraculously, many of the poor
concentration camp inmates survived,
189
00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:41,480
and they would testify against him
after the war
190
00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:43,720
when he was brought to justice
at Nuremberg.
191
00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:46,160
JUDGE: Karl Gebhardt.
192
00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:52,400
They lived to see Gebhardt executed.
193
00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:57,000
Their character was stronger
194
00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,680
than the Nazi death machine.
195
00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:05,520
Importantly, the case also led to
the creation of the Nuremberg Code,
196
00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:08,760
a set of principles which
still guides doctors today.
197
00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:13,800
The doctor's trial drew a line
198
00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,160
under what was right and wrong
199
00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:18,480
about human experimentation.
200
00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:22,640
The end does not justify the means
201
00:12:22,680 --> 00:12:24,520
in medical research.
202
00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:34,880
What happened at Hohenlychen
will never be forgotten.
203
00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:39,120
Now, Max Siegmann is working
towards a brighter future.
204
00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:42,000
In the past, we have a dark history,
205
00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:44,400
but because of the
beautiful architecture,
206
00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:46,200
it's worth saving this place.
207
00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:48,720
We will develop a wellness resort.
208
00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:50,000
We have holiday flats.
209
00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:51,800
It's a place for everybody here.
210
00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,120
In the Malaysian state of Perak
211
00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:01,440
is a technological heavyweight
212
00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:03,400
that helped build a nation.
213
00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:14,360
We're in a swampy, tropical area
214
00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:16,320
and this massive structure
215
00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:19,400
is floating in the middle
of this body of water.
216
00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:21,080
It must be 200ft long,
217
00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:22,400
five storeys high.
218
00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:26,600
At first glance, it could be
a giant fishing trawler,
219
00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:28,520
but there's only one problem
with that.
220
00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:30,840
The ocean is over 30 miles away.
221
00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:36,640
In fact, this entire waterway
is landlocked.
222
00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:41,600
How did this hulking beast
get here in the first place
223
00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:43,000
and what was it for?
224
00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:47,720
Inside, the cavernous interior
225
00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:50,840
is lined with an array
of heavy machinery.
226
00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:52,360
There are massive cogs,
227
00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:54,040
thick metal cables.
228
00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:57,440
These are all telltale signs
of a massive industrial enterprise.
229
00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,840
On the front, you've got these
huge, rusting buckets
230
00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:05,640
which seem to be designed for
scooping stuff out of the ground
231
00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:06,920
and you can only assume
232
00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:08,440
that was something valuable.
233
00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,560
It would transform the economy,
234
00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,400
making this place one of the
most profitable countries
235
00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,120
ruled over by the British.
236
00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:20,640
The resources' incredible value
237
00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:22,360
also made it a target.
238
00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,240
We're talking invasion
by the Japanese
239
00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:29,440
and violent attacks
by communist guerrillas,
240
00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,480
all of which played their part
in the downfall
241
00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:34,600
of the world's biggest empire.
242
00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:43,440
If you looked around this region
half a century ago,
243
00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:48,200
you'd have seen over 50 machines
like this dominating the landscape.
244
00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,880
Today, this rusting relic
is one of the last.
245
00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:55,000
What we see here is a great example
246
00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:59,440
of taking an industry that had
been around for over 100 years
247
00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:00,800
in a low-tech way
248
00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:03,880
and then mechanise it and
even supersize it.
249
00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,040
That industry was tin mining
250
00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:09,480
and it was one of the reasons the
British Empire became so powerful
251
00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,000
in the late-19th
and early-20th century.
252
00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:18,120
To understand Britain's complex
relationship with Malaysia,
253
00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:20,920
you have to rewind to the 1700s.
254
00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,560
Back then, Malaysia didn't exist
255
00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,680
and this region was part of the
Malay Peninsula,
256
00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:30,680
which comprised of
multiple regional kingdoms.
257
00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:33,560
This was an era when much of Europe
258
00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:36,000
was trying to establish
different empires.
259
00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:38,840
The British were desperate to get
a foothold in Southeast Asia,
260
00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:41,480
to protect and dominate
trade with China.
261
00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,280
To expand their colonial reach,
262
00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,760
England turned to the services
of the East India Company,
263
00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:51,480
who operated with special
rights and privileges
264
00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:53,120
due to a royal charter.
265
00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:56,760
East India Company was possibly
266
00:15:56,800 --> 00:16:00,280
the most powerful corporation
in history.
267
00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:02,360
The English crown said,
268
00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:06,520
"You can have an exclusive contract
to venture out there,
269
00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,480
"trade with the natives,
subdue them if you have to,
270
00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:11,480
"and bring back anything of value."
271
00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,680
After that, it was only a matter of
time before the Empire's tentacles
272
00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:18,680
spread further across the region,
273
00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:23,200
until eventually, they controlled
all the Malay states and Singapore.
274
00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,800
This was classic colonialism,
275
00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:29,120
and for its time,
it was very, very successful.
276
00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:35,120
At first, the British made their
money through taxation and trade,
277
00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:39,680
but that all changed after
the discovery of large tin deposits
278
00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:41,520
in the mid-1800s.
279
00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:46,280
Tin is valuable partly because
it resists rust very well.
280
00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,320
So, when you hear the phrase
"tin can,"
281
00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:50,280
it's not, actually, a can
made of tin.
282
00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:52,600
It's a steel can coated with tin.
283
00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:56,880
Initially, the British leased the
mining operations to the Chinese,
284
00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:00,800
who had fled from their own country
to escape instability and poverty.
285
00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:03,920
Local museum curator, Jacky Chew,
286
00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:07,520
is an expert on the history of
tin mining in this region.
287
00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:10,400
In the year 1860,
288
00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:13,200
we have about 20,000 Chinese miner
289
00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:15,680
and another ten years down the road,
290
00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:17,680
40,000 Chinese mining.
291
00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:21,120
In the early stage, the Chinese
mining method, basically,
292
00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:23,600
is human, labour-intensive,
293
00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,320
without any help
of the machineries.
294
00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:29,560
Even so, they still produced
a large amount of tin,
295
00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:31,720
which made the British
a small fortune.
296
00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:35,760
About a quarter of the demand came
from the United States of America
297
00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:37,360
in the late-1800s.
298
00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:38,800
The British soon realised
299
00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:41,520
they could get an even bigger share
of the revenue
300
00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:44,240
by taking more control
of the industry,
301
00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:47,600
and they knew that,
in order to maximise profits,
302
00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:49,400
they needed to mechanise.
303
00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:54,160
Central to the British Empire's plans
304
00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:58,040
was the Tanjung Tualang
Tin Dredge No. 5
305
00:17:58,080 --> 00:17:59,800
or TT5 for short.
306
00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:04,360
This one first began operating
in 1938.
307
00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:09,360
The dredge has a long series
of large buckets
308
00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:11,320
connected on a chain
309
00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:14,120
that can roll down into the water,
310
00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:15,280
scoop up the material
311
00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:18,520
and then bring it up and dump it
inside the structure.
312
00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:23,440
This was then transported
along the length of the dredge,
313
00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:27,600
where heavy machinery would separate
out the valuable tin from the waste
314
00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:29,000
which was dumped out the back.
315
00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:36,920
So, the purity of the tin ore
would be as high as 70%.
316
00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:42,360
All this tin ore will be pumped
out from this two outlet
317
00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:45,200
to this big metal bucket.
318
00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:49,160
It was a tough job with long hours
319
00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:52,200
and in return,
the workers were well-paid
320
00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:55,760
and their families received
education and health care.
321
00:18:55,800 --> 00:19:01,360
But soon, the TT5 would grind
to a sudden and dramatic halt.
322
00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:06,600
War was coming and there was
nothing anyone could do to stop it.
323
00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,480
Many people believe that Japan's
first major attack of World War II
324
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:13,520
took place at Pearl Harbour,
325
00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:15,360
but 90 minutes earlier,
326
00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,640
the Japanese launched
a surprise invasion of Malaya.
327
00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:24,560
The British troops were not
remotely prepared for this attack.
328
00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:29,160
The British have, uh, wrong
strategies to defend Malaya
329
00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:33,600
because they always assume the
Japanese will invade from the sea
330
00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:34,680
from Singapore.
331
00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:40,560
Instead, the Japanese launched
simultaneous operations,
332
00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:44,040
invading from the north of
the country near the Thai border.
333
00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:47,760
They then fought their way south,
334
00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:49,840
inflicting heavy losses as they went
335
00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,480
despite their numerical inferiority.
336
00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:54,240
It was a total bloodbath.
337
00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:00,720
In the end,
85,000 troops were captured.
338
00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,800
Churchill described the defeat
as the greatest disaster
339
00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,400
that has ever befallen British arms.
340
00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:10,600
One of the motives for
the Japanese invasion
341
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:12,840
was to take control of
the tin industry,
342
00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:16,080
which they needed for their
war effort and economic
self-sufficiency.
343
00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:19,720
The British knew exactly
what the Japanese were after
344
00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:23,200
and did everything they could
to destroy the tin mining operations
345
00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:24,240
as they retreated.
346
00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:30,280
The Japanese occupation of Malaya
lasted three-and-a-half years
347
00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:33,040
until their surrender in 1945,
348
00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:35,920
after which the British
quickly returned
349
00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:37,400
and rebuilt the mines.
350
00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,520
But there was a much bigger problem
that now had to be faced.
351
00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:44,040
The British Empire
was losing its power
352
00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,520
and its colonies
were growing restless.
353
00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:51,360
The image of the British,
the mighty British,
354
00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:56,480
start to crumble after the
Japanese occupation in Malaya.
355
00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:58,280
In 1947,
356
00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:00,840
India gains independence
from the British
357
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:04,160
and this sets off a chain reaction
all over the empire.
358
00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:10,240
Tensions in Malaya's multicultural
population had reached breaking point
359
00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:12,760
and the tin-mining industry would,
yet again,
360
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:14,360
be caught in the crossfire.
361
00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:19,800
So, 37% of the country
was the Chinese
362
00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:21,880
and they lived in the
poorest conditions
363
00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:24,520
and had the fewest civil rights.
364
00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,480
The Communist Party of Malaya
and their armed wing,
365
00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,080
the Malayan National
Liberation Army,
366
00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:33,560
took advantage of their discontent
to start a rebellion.
367
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,680
On the 16th of June 1948,
368
00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:40,200
the first shots were fired.
369
00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:44,640
The Malayan National Liberation Army
fighters, known as the MNLA,
370
00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,720
killed three British
rubber plantation managers.
371
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,480
What followed became known
as the Malayan Emergency.
372
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,560
The MNLA targeted police stations,
derailed trains
373
00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:00,680
and attacked rubber plantations
and tin mines,
374
00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:02,800
including tin dredges like this.
375
00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,280
The use of tin in canned goods
376
00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:08,680
generated so much money
for Britain's struggling economy,
377
00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:10,920
the government had to do
everything in their power
378
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:12,200
to protect the industry.
379
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,800
As these insurrections
got more violent,
380
00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:20,560
Britain decided to bring in troops
to defend its operations.
381
00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:23,840
By around 1955,
382
00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:27,080
many of the insurgents
had been killed or captured,
383
00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:29,760
but the MNLA refused to give up.
384
00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:34,680
The British command realised that
they needed to win hearts and minds
385
00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:37,000
and so promised to grant
independence to the country
386
00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:38,760
once the guerrillas were defeated.
387
00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:42,560
The plan worked.
388
00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:47,240
With the support of Malay battalions,
the insurgency was crushed
389
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,400
and on the 31st of August 1957,
390
00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:53,160
Britain granted Malaya
its independence.
391
00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:55,760
In 1960,
392
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,800
the new Malaysian government
declared the Emergency
393
00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:00,120
officially over.
394
00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:05,840
Throughout the conflict,
the TT5 remained operational.
395
00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:10,760
In 1976,
396
00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:13,200
almost 20 years after independence,
397
00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:17,560
a Malaysian-owned mining corporation
took control for the first time.
398
00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:21,560
This was a significant and
symbolic step for the country.
399
00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:25,880
But this new era of Malaysian-run
mining
400
00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:27,760
didn't last long.
401
00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:33,360
In the 1980s, a perfect storm
of reduced demand and rising costs
402
00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,680
led to the complete collapse
of the global tin industry.
403
00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:43,560
In 1982, the owners of the TT5
ceased all tin-mining operations
404
00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:45,680
and retired the dredge.
405
00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:49,040
The effect was devastating
for the local community.
406
00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:53,080
For so many years,
it had been such a stable employer.
407
00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:56,120
When we have tin industry,
408
00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:59,120
Perak is the richest state.
409
00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:01,080
After 1985,
410
00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:04,600
we are the second poorest state
in the country.
411
00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:12,200
After the collapse of
the tin industry,
412
00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:16,840
most of the Malaysian tin dredges
were dismantled and sold for scrap,
413
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:18,600
but not the TT5.
414
00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:19,800
That survived.
415
00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:23,920
Then in 1997, it was donated
to the state government
416
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,640
so it could be turned into
a historical site,
417
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,440
a way to preserve some of
the history of this region.
418
00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:38,160
In West Texas,
near the city of El Paso,
419
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,000
is a dilapidated ruin
420
00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:42,640
where hope and hardship collided.
421
00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:49,560
Right on the edge of town
422
00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:52,720
is a strange compound of
single-storey adobe buildings.
423
00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,480
Initially, you're thinking
this might be some kind of ranch
424
00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:01,320
with the central space used
for horses or other farm animals,
425
00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:05,200
but there's something odd,
almost prison-like,
426
00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:06,360
about the layout.
427
00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:14,200
Over time, the role of this site
would change from a place of shelter
428
00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,920
to a den of exploitation.
429
00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:22,040
One structure in particular
symbolises the level of mistreatment.
430
00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,440
It looks like you would have
been forced to walk
431
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,760
through this long,
windowless metal tube.
432
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,560
Hundreds of thousands
of people came.
433
00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:34,360
They didn't know what to expect.
434
00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,240
They were often very young.
They were scared.
435
00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:41,480
Those who arrived here
did so by choice.
436
00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,880
For some, it was a decision
they lived to regret.
437
00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,040
This was the start of
a national programme
438
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,440
that changed the face
of America forever.
439
00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:55,760
However, many of the people
were treated like animals
440
00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:59,640
and faced racism from the very
people they were here to help.
441
00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:10,040
Yolanda Leyva is a historian
at the University of Texas.
442
00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:14,560
She grew up near this dusty border
site with a complex past.
443
00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,320
It feels intensely sad to me
444
00:26:18,360 --> 00:26:22,040
because I just think of all
the stories of
445
00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:24,560
the men that came with such hope
446
00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:29,800
and then they found this
very humiliating system.
447
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,600
They went through very extensive
medical tests while they were here.
448
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:37,800
When first conceived,
449
00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,760
it was part of the solution to
an unprecedented state crisis.
450
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,560
The original reason
this place exists
451
00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:48,000
dates back to the Civil War era.
452
00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:52,560
Of the 70,000 or so Texans
that served,
453
00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:55,080
about 24,000 were killed outright.
454
00:26:55,120 --> 00:27:00,360
Suddenly, Texas had more widows
and orphans than ever before
455
00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:04,680
and this was well before any type
of social programme
456
00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:06,280
like Social Security.
457
00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:10,960
So, counties would set up what were
called poor farms for poor people,
458
00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,120
and basically, it provided them
room and board,
459
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:15,680
but they would have to work.
460
00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,280
This poor farm,
which opened in 1915,
461
00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:23,000
catered to elderly people
and children
462
00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:25,640
and it was run by the O'Shea family.
463
00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:29,440
They called it the Rio Vista Farm.
464
00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:32,160
Life was tough,
465
00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:35,080
but for many,
it was their best shot at survival.
466
00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,920
Helen O'Shea Keleher would
go to El Paso every Monday
467
00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:41,320
and go to court
468
00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:44,680
and see what children were
being taken from their mothers,
469
00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:49,280
usually because the mothers were
not able to provide for their kids
470
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:51,200
and she would bring them here.
471
00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:54,600
So, several thousand children
went through this place.
472
00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:57,960
Helen O'Shea Keleher's kindness
473
00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:02,120
meant Rio Vista became a beacon
of hope for those that needed it.
474
00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:07,120
But in the early 1940s,
475
00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:09,840
America's involvement
in a global conflict
476
00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:14,080
began the process of turning it into
something far more ominous.
477
00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:19,760
With the onslaught of World War II,
there were new challenges
478
00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:23,520
and one of those was related
to labour.
479
00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:27,840
Thousands of young men
were shipping abroad to fight
480
00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:32,120
and American farms were facing
a desperate shortage of workers.
481
00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:36,800
The US was in danger
of running low on food
482
00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:40,600
and the government was forced to
turn to a former rival for help.
483
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,520
Mexico agreed to assist with
a temporary worker programme.
484
00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:49,400
They saw this as a way
to assist the war effort
485
00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:51,200
and boost their own economy.
486
00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:54,600
It became known as the
Bracero Programme,
487
00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:57,800
a Spanish term meaning
manual labourer.
488
00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:00,040
They worked on farms
throughout the country,
489
00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:03,360
making it possible for the US
economy to face the challenges
490
00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:05,200
imposed upon it by the war.
491
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,760
When the Bracero Programme
first started in 1942,
492
00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:10,160
it was very celebrated.
493
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,520
There were parades for the braceros
494
00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:15,240
and they called them
"soldiers of the fields."
495
00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:17,480
The programme was so successful,
496
00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:20,360
it continued even after
World War II ended.
497
00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:23,200
By 1951,
498
00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:26,960
a new site was needed
to house the US headquarters,
499
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,000
and Rio Vista's location
next to the border
500
00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:31,560
made it the perfect base.
501
00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:36,840
Celia Castro Berton was a secretary
here when it first opened.
502
00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:41,840
When I started working at Rio Vista,
I was 19 years old
503
00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:45,640
and we were asked to
ask questions of the braceros
504
00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:47,960
and type the contract up.
505
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:52,360
The contract included, like,
the name, the address, age
506
00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:55,760
and where they wanted
their money to be sent.
507
00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:01,960
This agreement included basic
provisions for living conditions
508
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:06,400
and wages, specifically 30 cents
an hour for agricultural workers.
509
00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:11,520
People waited by the thousands
at these recruitment centres,
510
00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:14,200
hoping for a chance to
cross the border.
511
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:18,800
It's estimated that some
880,000 Mexican workers
512
00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:20,520
were processed through this farm.
513
00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:24,560
But none could have predicted
the hardship and trauma
514
00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:26,840
that awaited at their arrival.
515
00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:30,440
It was an ordeal that began
when the programme first started
516
00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:32,920
during the Second World War.
517
00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:38,720
This hut is the most important
building here because
518
00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:41,360
this is what the men remember.
519
00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:43,240
When they talk about it, they cry.
520
00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:47,520
In this purpose-built metal hut,
521
00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:50,120
they were fumigated with
toxic chemicals.
522
00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:52,440
This was supposedly to
de-lice the men.
523
00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:55,680
The government had the men sprayed
524
00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:59,480
because there's been
this long stereotype
525
00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:03,000
that Mexicans who come
or immigrants who come
526
00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:04,760
are dirty and infected.
527
00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:08,360
The men who sprayed them
were instructed to spray them
528
00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:13,040
in their hair, to spray in their
ears, to spray in their genitals.
529
00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:18,840
There's one story of a man
who came as a first-time bracero,
530
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:19,880
an 18-year-old,
531
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:23,400
and he came with his father,
who had been a bracero for years.
532
00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:27,800
And when they got to the point where
they had to take off their clothes,
533
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:31,320
he remembered how ashamed he was.
534
00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:33,840
But his father told him,
535
00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:36,960
"Don't worry. Today you became a man
536
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,880
"because you were willing to do this
for the betterment of your family."
537
00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:44,600
This process was not just
humiliating for the men,
538
00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:46,240
but extremely dangerous.
539
00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:50,160
While the officials wore masks,
540
00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:54,120
the workers were offered
no such protections.
541
00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:56,760
We know that it was DDT,
542
00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:02,320
which in the '70s was banned
because it's carcinogenic.
543
00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:06,400
What the men always remember
is that that was the beginning
544
00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:08,800
of feeling like they were treated
like animals.
545
00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:14,640
At the time, the effects of DDT
were not well recognised.
546
00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:16,720
Even so, much of what happened
547
00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:20,320
was kept hidden from the women
working in the contract rooms.
548
00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:24,640
I don't believe that
this was part of
549
00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:28,680
what they wanted
to be known to the public.
550
00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:34,840
It wasn't until years later that I
really understood and knew
what was going on
551
00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:37,520
or what I had participated in.
552
00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:41,400
After being processed and fumigated,
553
00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:45,920
the braceros were relocated to farms
across the United States.
554
00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:50,600
Even when the men left Rio Vista,
their mistreatment continued.
555
00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:55,600
While this programme offered
certain protections,
556
00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:58,520
the cracks would soon begin to show.
557
00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:04,240
The working conditions were often
cruel and inhumane.
558
00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:06,760
Many came to see the
Bracero Programme
559
00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,160
as a form of legalised slavery.
560
00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:14,320
Despite the regulations, many
farmers tried to get around them,
561
00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:16,880
providing crowded, slum-like housing
562
00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:21,160
or even charging people rent for
lodgings that should have been free.
563
00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:26,400
So, I have actually seen a paycheque
of a bracero that was one cent
564
00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:29,320
after they took away
all those charges
565
00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:31,960
that the employer charged them for.
566
00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:35,760
Over time, the programme
began to come under fire,
567
00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:39,040
drawing more and more criticism
for worker exploitation.
568
00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:44,000
It would take a tragic accident
to draw national attention
569
00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:46,440
to the abusive Bracero Programme.
570
00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,080
In September 1963,
571
00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:56,520
58 workers were riding on their
employer's crudely-made bus
572
00:33:56,560 --> 00:33:58,480
in Chualar, California.
573
00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:02,200
When crossing a set of
railroad tracks,
574
00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:04,880
the makeshift bus was hit
by a freight train.
575
00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:08,160
32 people were killed
and 25 more were injured.
576
00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:12,520
It's said to be the most fatal car
accident in all of US history.
577
00:34:14,160 --> 00:34:19,240
The Chualar bus crash shone a light
on the poor treatment of braceros,
578
00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:23,160
proving that their employers
did not care about their well-being,
579
00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:25,680
even to the point of providing
safe transport.
580
00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:30,400
Under pressure from unions
and other social welfare groups,
581
00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:34,080
the programme was discontinued
in 1964.
582
00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:40,440
After this, the Rio Vista Farm
was no longer needed.
583
00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:43,440
It first passed into the hands
of the local county
584
00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:45,400
and then to the city of Socorro.
585
00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:50,280
Throughout those years,
the old poor farm fell into ruin.
586
00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:56,040
But many of the men remained,
and in the 1980s,
587
00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:58,560
where there was
an amnesty programme,
588
00:34:58,600 --> 00:35:01,960
many of the men were able to
legalise their status
589
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:06,280
and that was 20 years of
being here without papers.
590
00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:16,000
In 2023,
591
00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:21,200
Rio Vista Farm was designated
as a National Historic Landmark,
592
00:35:21,240 --> 00:35:25,600
ensuring that its story
will be told for future generations.
593
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:33,520
The Bracero Programme had
a very important legacy
for the United States.
594
00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:37,960
It saved our economy
during World War II,
595
00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:42,480
but also, the men who stayed
became US citizens
596
00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:44,600
and their children were born here.
597
00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:48,000
They have contributed so much
to their communities.
598
00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:54,320
In northeast Italy,
599
00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:57,280
in the shadow of
towering mountain peaks,
600
00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:01,120
lies the devastating outcome
of Mother Nature's fury.
601
00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:07,080
In the foothills of the Alps,
602
00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:09,920
as beautiful and dramatic
as the scene is,
603
00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:12,200
hidden among the vegetation,
604
00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:14,480
eerie remains begin to appear.
605
00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:17,960
Sat high above the town
606
00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:21,280
is what was once
quite a grand church.
607
00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:25,960
But the roof is missing and entire
walls have come crashing down.
608
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:27,240
So, what happened?
609
00:36:28,240 --> 00:36:30,320
Inside the town's buildings
610
00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:33,480
it's evident that whatever
misfortune struck here
611
00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:36,800
occurred quickly
and with phenomenal force.
612
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:41,720
You start to see the scraps
of people's lives
613
00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:46,480
as furniture, shoes, clothes
and children's workbooks,
614
00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:49,200
open, as though they've
just finished their homework,
615
00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:52,280
which suggests they could have been
running for their lives.
616
00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:03,880
The threat was always hanging
over here.
617
00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:05,840
It was part of daily life,
618
00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:07,200
but eventually,
619
00:37:07,240 --> 00:37:09,080
some would pay the ultimate price.
620
00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:37,600
Giuseppe Bulfon was born
in this rural town in 1936.
621
00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:40,840
For 40 years, it was the place
he called home.
622
00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:50,920
This is the town of Portis.
623
00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:53,040
For centuries, it stood proud
624
00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:56,200
with a small yet thriving community.
625
00:37:56,240 --> 00:37:57,920
So, this town is really
626
00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:00,680
what you would think of
when you think of rural Italy.
627
00:38:00,720 --> 00:38:02,000
On saints days,
628
00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:06,040
people would march through the town
and have celebrations and festivals.
629
00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:11,120
It was a beautiful,
if quiet life here,
630
00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:12,880
but little did the residents know
631
00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:15,400
that disaster was just
around the corner.
632
00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:21,040
At nine pm on the 6th of May 1976,
633
00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:25,200
the ground beneath Giuseppe's feet
began to violently shift.
634
00:38:35,240 --> 00:38:39,360
It was a massive 6.5 magnitude
earthquake
635
00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:43,080
and Portis was a little over
five miles from the epicentre.
636
00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:47,960
Very quickly, giant cracks start
to appear in the buildings.
637
00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:52,240
It is obvious that the place is
unsafe and people are really scared.
638
00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:14,520
Giuseppe and his family
were fortunate to survive.
639
00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:19,120
Other members of the community
were not so lucky.
640
00:39:19,160 --> 00:39:22,760
Unfortunately, six people were
killed as they were trying
to escape,
641
00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:24,880
running through those
narrow streets,
642
00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:27,880
when an old house
collapsed right on top of them.
643
00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:31,120
In addition to the town of Portis
that was destroyed,
644
00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:33,960
over 150,000 people
across the region
645
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:35,400
were homeless overnight.
646
00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:37,480
In the aftermath,
647
00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:41,200
the town's residents were forced to
move into temporary accommodation.
648
00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:44,920
When the immediate danger had passed,
649
00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:47,600
they returned to assess the damage.
650
00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:53,040
They bury the dead and
try to figure out what to do next.
651
00:39:53,080 --> 00:39:54,640
Many hoped they could rebuild,
652
00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:57,960
forget the terrible event
and return to life at Portis,
653
00:39:58,000 --> 00:39:59,960
as it had been before
the earthquake.
654
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:04,400
The government brought in geologists
to study the space.
655
00:40:04,440 --> 00:40:08,520
They knew the people wanted to
continue to live there but
unfortunately,
656
00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:11,720
the geologists knew that the town
would never be safe again.
657
00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:16,240
The cause of the danger was
a steep-sided cliff
658
00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:18,000
that overshadowed Portis.
659
00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:23,280
There was this gigantic overhang
of rock and the scientists found
660
00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:26,360
that it had been fractured
by the first earthquake
661
00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:28,040
and feared that if
there was another one,
662
00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:30,600
the whole thing could
come crashing down,
663
00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:32,880
right on top of Portis.
664
00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:37,640
But the residents did not want to
give up their homes without a fight.
665
00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,480
Tensions get very high
with the government saying,
666
00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:42,120
"You can't come home again,"
667
00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:45,800
and the people of the town saying,
"No, we're coming home again,"
668
00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:48,440
to the point of putting giant signs
up saying,
669
00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:51,600
"Portis must be reborn here."
670
00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:53,760
But just four months later,
671
00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:57,360
the residents worst nightmares
became a reality.
672
00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,280
On September 15th 1976,
673
00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:03,200
disaster struck yet again.
674
00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:07,400
At the time, Giuseppe was
in the neighbouring town,
675
00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:09,240
catching up with old friends.
676
00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:29,440
Thousands of tons of rock
sheared off the mountain
677
00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:33,960
and hurtled towards the town below
with a deafening roar.
678
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:37,520
The landslide smashed into
the church cemetery
679
00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:41,280
and made it as far as the road
that lies next to the town.
680
00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:46,440
The town is declared completely
unsafe and the line is drawn.
681
00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:48,640
You will never go
back to your homes again.
682
00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:55,520
Giuseppe Bulfon and all
the residents of Portis
683
00:41:55,560 --> 00:42:00,080
had no choice but to abandon their
homes and move to a nearby city.
684
00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:05,480
Eventually, on December the 15th,
1978,
685
00:42:05,520 --> 00:42:08,440
the authorities announced that
they would found a new town,
686
00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:10,880
Portis Nuova, a new Portis,
687
00:42:10,920 --> 00:42:12,560
less than a mile up the road.
688
00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:32,520
Some of the people that grew
up there or loved old Portis
689
00:42:32,560 --> 00:42:35,640
still have that connection,
still want to be a part of it.
690
00:42:35,680 --> 00:42:39,200
And while many of the homes
are deemed too unsafe to enter,
691
00:42:39,240 --> 00:42:42,400
the gardens are still tended
by some,
692
00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:45,920
keeping the connections
to their ancestral homes alive.
693
00:42:48,760 --> 00:42:51,760
Subtitles by Red Bee Media
57554
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.