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Throughout time, governments
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and the people who work for them
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have done strange
and even terrible things
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in the name of
national interest.
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Tonight, real-life spy gadgets.
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A giant toy saves a double agent
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the life of one of CIA's
most valuable assets
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rests in the hands
of a pop-up doll.
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A secret message inside a nickel
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brings down a Soviet spymaster
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this tiny coin was
the key to everything.
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And an alien
invasion of balloons.
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Alien spacecraft are
as good a cover as any.
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Sometimes spies need
the right tech for the job.
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Now it's time to bring these
strange innovations to life.
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It's 1953, and a young
kid named Jimmy bozart
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finds an unusual nickel.
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It turns out to contain
secret messages
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from enemy agents
operating a spy ring on us soil.
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So Jimmy bozart is a
paperboy in New York City.
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He's doing his paper route.
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He gets some nickels as
tips from different apartments
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as he delivers the paper.
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He's counting his change.
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One of the nickels opens up.
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It's no normal nickel.
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It's hollowed out in the middle,
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almost like two lids of a jar.
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And inside the nickel is a
thin piece of photo paper.
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And on that paper
is a strange pattern
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that he doesn't understand.
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Jimmy can't figure out
what the patterns mean,
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so he passes the
coin and its contents
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onto a local detective.
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And the police look at it,
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and they also don't
know what to make of it,
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so they take it to the FBI.
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The FBI analyze it through
a microfiche machine.
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They have their best scientists
trying to decode this message,
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but they can never break it.
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The strange nickel
and its message
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remain a mystery for four years.
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Then in may 1957, the
feds catch a lucky break.
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The American government
gets a phone call
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from a guy named hayhanen.
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Reino hayhanen
is a Soviet handler
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that's operating
a ring of sources
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inside the United States.
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He says he's fearful that
he's gonna be executed
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because he has stolen
some of his boss's money.
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So he's now
defecting to america.
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A spy who steals from his bosses
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doesn't sound like the
most reliable source,
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so the FBI want to
verify hayhanen's story.
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They needed to
check his credibility.
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So they went to his house,
and they found all kinds
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of materials that are
very difficult to explain
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if you're not a spy.
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And they also found a nickel
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that matched Jimmy
bozart's nickel.
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When the FBI asks
hayhanen about Jimmy's nickel,
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he knows all about it.
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How?
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Because the nickel
that Jimmy found
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was originally
meant for hayhanen.
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He picked it up in a dead drop.
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But instead of
opening it immediately
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and decoding the message,
hayhanen makes a mistake.
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When hayhanen
picked up the coin,
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he put it in his pocket
with other coins.
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And then he lost
track of which coin
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was actually
carrying the message.
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So he accidentally spent
the coin somewhere.
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Now hayhanen finally
reveals the secret
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to cracking the code.
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The mysterious message
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is simply a welcome
note to hayhanen
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upon his arrival in New York.
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All of this mystery,
all of this effort,
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all of this concern
over a message
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that was nothing more
than a greeting card
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between two Russian agents.
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The FBI knows what the nickel is
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and what the
message inside says.
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But who sent it?
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Hayhanen leads the feds
to a photographic studio
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in Brooklyn he claims
is run by his spy handler.
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The FBI raids this
spy's apartment
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at this photography studio.
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And they discovered
hollowed pencils,
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hollowed nickels, and some
other spy gizmos and gadgets.
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This Soviet spy is captured.
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He tells the FBI,
under interrogation,
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that his real name
is Rudolf Abel.
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He is a colonel in the kgb.
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Using the spy tech as evidence,
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the FBI charges Rudolf Abel
with conspiracy and espionage
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in August 1957.
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The trial reveals Abel has
run a network of kgb agents
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across the us for eight years,
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stealing military
and nuclear secrets
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and sending them
back to mother Russia.
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He becomes the
highest ranking Russian
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ever to be convicted in the us.
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So as a result of
this famous spy case,
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Rudolf Abel gets
sentenced to 30 years,
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Jimmy bozart gets a
commendation from the New York
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police department,
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and hayhanen goes
into witness protection.
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It is amazing that without
Jimmy bozart's nickel,
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none of this would
have happened.
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Like Jimmy's nickel, not
all spy tech is high-end.
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In 1982, when the CIA's top
man in Moscow goes missing,
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the agency turns to a
gag toy to track him down.
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In 1982, Moscow is the center
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of all espionage
activity in the world.
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And inside Moscow we
had one of our best assets,
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someone that we called
the billion dollar spy.
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The billion dollar
spy is Adolf tolkachev,
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a senior Russian electronics
engineer who, since 1977,
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has been a one-man
data mine for the CIA.
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His specialty was in
avionics and aviation,
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working on cruise missiles,
working on airplanes.
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He had been
giving the us secrets
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that had resulted
in billions of dollars
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worth of saved research.
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Suddenly, america's
billion dollar spy falls silent.
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By December 1982, the last five
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scheduled meetings with
tolkachev have been aborted.
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He was missing meetings.
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So we get really,
really concerned.
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Maybe he's sick.
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Maybe he has a security problem.
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Charged with tracking him down
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is his CIA handler, the
operative bill plunkert.
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But locating a double agent in
Moscow is anything but easy.
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There is no way to
overstate how difficult
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an operating environment
Moscow really is.
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Bill knows he's being
watched 24/7 at all times.
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Wherever you were, you
had surveillance in Moscow.
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No matter what you did, if you
were walking, they were there.
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If you were driving,
they were there.
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If plunkert is going
to have any chance
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of meeting tolkachev,
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he needs to figure out a
way to lose the kgb agents
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looking over his shoulder.
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The CIA's top engineers come
up with a surprising solution,
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inspired by a kid's toy, a
super-sized Jack-in-the-box.
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The idea behind the
Jack-in-the-box invention
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was that an operative
could leave a car
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that another
operative was driving,
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meaning without
the surveillance team
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realizing anybody had
ever left the car at all.
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When a trailing kgb car
is momentarily out of sight,
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the operative can
put on a disguise
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and slip out of the
car and disappear.
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And then the Jack-in-the-box
pops up to make it look like
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they're still in the seat.
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From the position
of the surveillance,
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it would still look like
there were two people
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driving in the car.
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Bill will be the first
ever CIA officer
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to field test this
piece of spy tech.
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Failure could lead kgb agents
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straight to the
CIA's greatest asset.
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Success hinges on
getting the Jack-in-the-box
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into the car without
the kgb seeing it.
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To do that, bill plunkert
organizes a cover story.
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Before plunkert's next
scheduled meeting
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with tolkachev, the
CIA Moscow office
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deliberately discusses
a fictional birthday party
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on phone lines
bugged by the kgb.
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On the big day, plunkert
and his associates
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walk out of the us embassy,
plunkert carrying a big cake.
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They get into their
car and they drive off.
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And as they do,
they are fully aware
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that the kgb is tailing them.
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That's not a problem.
They have a plan.
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When his car swings
around the corner,
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plunkert leaps out.
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Right away, his
companion takes the cake
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and lays it on top
of the vacated seat.
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With a sudden crack,
the false top of the cake
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flings open and the
Jack-in-the-box passenger
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snaps into position.
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So by the time the
kgb rounds the corner,
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they see a vehicle
filled with Americans
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with the exact same headcount.
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They have no reason
to suspect that plunkert
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is actually the old man
that they're driving right by.
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The Jack-in-the-box gives
plunkert just enough time
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to track down the
CIA's greatest informant.
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Bill plunkert meets
with tolkachev.
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They exchange packages.
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And tolkachev was
able to give the CIA
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new information
that proved invaluable
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to the defense department.
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The full story of
the Jack-in-the-box
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finally comes to light in 2008,
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in a CIA-sanctioned book.
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The trick becomes a key part
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of the CIA's field
operation toolkit.
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During the cold war,
both superpowers
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looked for innovative
ways to spy on each other.
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00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:02,960
But when Soviet missiles
bring down america's
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00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:04,840
spy plane program,
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00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:09,840
the us responds by taking
its cameras to new heights.
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00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:14,640
In 1949, the Russians
tested their first a-bomb.
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00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,960
So the Americans need to see
what else they could be up to.
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Aerial surveillance seems
to be the only answer.
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But the Soviets warn
that they will shoot down
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any NATO aircraft that
enters Russian airspace.
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In 1960, this threat
becomes a reality
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when an American
u-2 is shot down
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and its pilot put on
trial for espionage.
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00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,520
Us intelligence agencies
race to find a new, safer way
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00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:45,040
to get an eye in the sky.
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00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:47,920
So they decide to send a
new camera even higher,
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where they're certain
no Soviet missile
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could ever reach.
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00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:54,320
The Americans come
up with a pretty bold idea.
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What if the overflights
happen from space
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using a
satellite-mounted camera?
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00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:02,880
I mean, that way,
no pilots risk capture.
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00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:04,960
You have no chance
of being shot down
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00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:08,080
and there are no
violations of airspace.
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The audacious mission is
given to the newly formed
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national reconnaissance office,
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00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:18,160
who begin work on a series
of top-secret spy satellites.
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00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:23,080
In 1971, this results
in the kh-9 hexagon,
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a brand new, photographic,
reconnaissance satellite.
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00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,440
And it's as large
as a school bus.
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The technology in the kh
satellite is groundbreaking.
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It has the primary panoramic
camera and a mapping camera.
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And what that gives
you is pinpoint locations
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on the ground.
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This can capture
objects 2 to 3 feet wide
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from a hundred miles in space.
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00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:50,400
It's a cutting-edge space camera
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to snoop on their rivals.
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00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:54,120
But what good is a camera
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if you can't get the
picture back home?
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00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:58,800
Engineers at the
reconnaissance office
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00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:01,200
need to transport the
camera's photographic film
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00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:04,440
from outer space, 95
miles down to earth,
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00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:06,160
to be developed.
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00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:08,880
They devise an
ingenious solution.
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00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,720
Once the photos
are taken in space,
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00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:17,000
the exposed film is stored
in four detachable buckets.
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00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:21,400
Over a period of weeks,
these are ejected into space
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to carefully drop back to earth,
252
00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:25,720
toward the pacific ocean.
253
00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,840
Collecting these buckets
falls to the us air force,
254
00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:36,280
who must play a game of catch
over the entire pacific ocean.
255
00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:40,520
Air force pilots are tasked
with picking up these packages,
256
00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:44,600
falling out of the sky,
before they hit the water.
257
00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:46,480
Nothing like it has
been attempted before.
258
00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:48,760
It's a sight to behold.
259
00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:51,840
Pilots had to fly around
and just keep an eye out
260
00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,640
for the parachute that would
be dropping the film canister
261
00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:56,480
slowly toward the ocean.
262
00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:00,160
Once they saw it, their
mission was to fly over top of it
263
00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:05,320
and snag the parachute with a
hook hanging under their plane.
264
00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,200
You're dropping a
1,500-pound metal canister
265
00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:09,880
from earth's orbit,
266
00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,280
and then calculating
its re-entry point
267
00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:15,600
with pinpoint precision.
268
00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:18,320
It's an extraordinary
airborne mission.
269
00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:22,120
But when the pictures come
in, they're worth all the effort.
270
00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:24,840
When the first batch
of film is developed
271
00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:28,720
from the kh-9 satellite,
one of the officers exclaims,
272
00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:30,680
they never thought
it would be so good.
273
00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:35,400
The imagery gathered
from this bucket
274
00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:39,800
covered 2/3 of all of
the Soviet missile bases.
275
00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:42,520
Hexagon is one of the
most effective programs
276
00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:44,040
of the cold war.
277
00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:48,080
Over 15 years, 19
hexagon satellites image
278
00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:51,920
over 877 million
square miles of earth.
279
00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:54,440
Film canisters dropped
from the sky proved to be
280
00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:58,040
a great way to spy,
but it's far from perfect,
281
00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:00,240
as the us finds out in 1971
282
00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,360
when pilots lose one
after a malfunction.
283
00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:07,040
The answer could be another
incredible piece of technology.
284
00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:11,600
July 10, 1971.
285
00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:13,960
The recovery team
realize they have a problem
286
00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:15,880
with one of the canisters.
287
00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:18,480
The parachute failed.
288
00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:25,120
And it smashes into the ocean,
going 400 feet per second.
289
00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:29,480
So suddenly,
there's this canister
290
00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,160
just full of top-secret
information
291
00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,040
stuck at the
bottom of the ocean.
292
00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:38,416
This film is
critically important
293
00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:42,000
because it reveals
just how high resolution
294
00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,360
our early generation
spy satellites were
295
00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:47,560
at a critical time
in the cold war.
296
00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:50,200
We just can't take the
risk of allowing this material
297
00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:53,320
to fall into Soviet hands.
298
00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:55,320
The us government
decide to launch
299
00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:58,720
an unprecedented
deep-sea rescue mission.
300
00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:02,120
This lost film
canister is 5 by 7 feet,
301
00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:05,520
and it's buried under
16,000 feet of water.
302
00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,400
That depth is equivalent
to 10 times the height
303
00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:10,800
of the empire state building.
304
00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:13,920
In order to rescue this pod,
the Americans have to turn
305
00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:15,960
to another
cutting-edge technology,
306
00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:19,600
a submersible named trieste ii.
307
00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:22,160
For this mission,
trieste ii is armed with
308
00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:25,280
a custom-built
articulating claw arm
309
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:27,880
that can retrieve the canister.
310
00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,760
And its nearly
4-inch-thick steel hull
311
00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:33,960
can carry a three-man
crew to the sea floor.
312
00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:36,160
But it's never gone this deep.
313
00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:38,680
Even so, the
Navy sail the trieste
314
00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:41,800
to where they think the
canister splashed down.
315
00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:44,720
Using the bucket's trajectory
and the wind speeds,
316
00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:47,480
they're able to narrow
down the search region
317
00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:50,680
to a location 350
miles north of Hawaii.
318
00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,720
It's a strip about a
mile and a half wide
319
00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:55,280
and eight miles long.
320
00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:59,000
Starboard ahead one
third. Come left 30 degrees.
321
00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,280
However, trieste ii still
has a vast area to scour
322
00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:04,560
on the pitch-black sea floor.
323
00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:05,880
Starboard ahead one third.
324
00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,880
Coming left 30 degrees.
325
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:10,080
The trieste ii is
effectively looking
326
00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:11,400
for a needle in a haystack.
327
00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:16,800
The trieste launches
two unsuccessful dives.
328
00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:19,320
These are incredibly
challenging and dangerous.
329
00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:21,800
And there is a question
of how many more dives
330
00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:24,240
are even possible.
331
00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:27,000
Finding the small film
bucket on the pacific floor
332
00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:30,200
starts to look like
an impossible task.
333
00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:32,560
Nearly a year after
the bucket is lost,
334
00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:34,840
the trieste ii
makes its third dive.
335
00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:38,760
It's basically do or die time.
336
00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:41,656
Roger.
337
00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:43,240
We passed a large rock.
338
00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,000
After descending over
the course of two hours,
339
00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:51,480
trieste ii reaches the sea
floor and begins searching.
340
00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:54,680
Three and a half hours
later, they don't have anything.
341
00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:58,560
And then, within
minutes of having to begin
342
00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,280
their long, arduous
ascent back to the surface,
343
00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:03,880
they spot it.
344
00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:09,640
Against all odds,
they've found the canister.
345
00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,880
Using the trieste's
articulating claw arm,
346
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,240
they reach out,
grab it, recover it,
347
00:17:17,360 --> 00:17:20,120
and then begin their
return to the surface.
348
00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:28,720
The crew of trieste ii are
ultimately commended
349
00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:31,080
for having completed the
deepest navigation search
350
00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:33,240
and recovery
mission in the world.
351
00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:35,560
The trieste recovers
the photos of critical
352
00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:38,280
intelligence from the sea floor.
353
00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:41,440
But more importantly,
thanks to the trieste ii,
354
00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:44,440
the incredible power
of the us spy satellites
355
00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:46,480
remains top secret.
356
00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:49,520
And the rescue operation
will remain secret
357
00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:53,720
until the CIA declassify the
astonishing details in 2012.
358
00:17:57,840 --> 00:17:59,056
The spy tech you
see in the movies
359
00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:00,096
and the rescue operation
will remain secret
360
00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:01,800
is often inspired
by real life events.
361
00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:04,840
But in the '70s, when
the CIA in Moscow needs
362
00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:09,240
the ultimate disguise to tap
into a trove of Soviet secrets,
363
00:18:09,360 --> 00:18:11,440
the agency goes Hollywood.
364
00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:20,440
In the late 1970s, the
CIA is actively monitoring
365
00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:22,960
what's happening in
Moscow through satellite.
366
00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:25,160
And they identify
a suspicious trench
367
00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:27,640
that's being dug between
the ministry of defense
368
00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:30,760
and the nuclear weapons
research institute.
369
00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,080
They realize they're laying
communication cables.
370
00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:36,600
So this was a golden
opportunity for the CIA.
371
00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,280
If you could tap into the
line that's being created
372
00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:40,920
between these two locations,
373
00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:42,936
then that is an information
line that's carrying
374
00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,200
some really valuable secrets.
375
00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,120
Closer inspection of the route
376
00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:49,600
reveals a series of manholes.
377
00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:52,320
Maybe they could enter
and hack into this stream
378
00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:53,760
of classified information.
379
00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:57,560
Identifying a secret
cable is one thing,
380
00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:00,880
but getting inside a
manhole undetected to tap it
381
00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,360
is another thing entirely.
382
00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:05,800
Moscow is a very
difficult place to operate.
383
00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:07,880
It's one of the most
heavily-surveilled locations
384
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:09,600
on the planet.
385
00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:12,280
CIA agents know they
are probably being followed
386
00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:14,240
24 hours a day.
387
00:19:14,360 --> 00:19:17,360
From the moment you
set foot, as an American,
388
00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:20,440
inside of Russia, you
are target number one,
389
00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:22,560
enemy number one.
390
00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:24,800
To avoid kgb scrutiny,
391
00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:27,720
the CIA needs a
creative solution.
392
00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,800
They turn to
legendary CIA master
393
00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:34,360
of disguise, Tony Mendez.
394
00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:36,200
My husband, Tony Mendez,
395
00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:38,080
had been at the CIA for a while.
396
00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,320
Best-known for
the argo operation.
397
00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,600
He smuggled six American
civilians out of Tehran
398
00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:47,240
at the height of the
Iranian revolution.
399
00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:52,400
Tony wonders if CIA
operatives could lose
400
00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:56,720
their kgb tails by totally
altering their appearances
401
00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:58,040
in the blink of an eye.
402
00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,240
Tony Mendez was
really a revolutionary.
403
00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:08,040
He devised a suit,
a quick-change suit.
404
00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,560
A simple pull of a velcro
tab releases the new outfit.
405
00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:13,080
It's really clever.
406
00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,320
He also sews some vital
tools into the disguise.
407
00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:19,480
But a change of clothes
alone won't be enough
408
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:21,440
to give the kgb the slip.
409
00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:26,040
Tony wants to make agents
impossible to recognize.
410
00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:29,040
Tony knew that out in
Moscow, they were very aware
411
00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:31,720
of what our faces looked like.
412
00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:34,040
They had photographs
of everyone that came in
413
00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:36,200
and was working for the embassy.
414
00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:38,840
You can change your
clothes very, very easily.
415
00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,480
But you really can't
change your facial features.
416
00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:46,040
For that, Tony needs a
cutting-edge spy mask,
417
00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:48,840
and turns to the
unlikeliest of places
418
00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,320
to someone he thinks can help.
419
00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:54,200
Tony Mendez's background
was in Hollywood.
420
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:55,960
He had quite a network.
421
00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,880
So Tony pays a visit to master
mask maker John chambers.
422
00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:04,400
John chambers was a
makeup artist out in Hollywood.
423
00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:09,000
He won an Oscar for the
"planet of the apes" masks.
424
00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:12,480
It soon becomes clear,
John's award-winning masks
425
00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:17,040
need two big changes if
they're gonna work for spies.
426
00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:19,056
These masks that were
used in "planet of the apes"
427
00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,000
would take three hours to apply.
428
00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:23,200
Well, in a life or
death situation,
429
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:24,680
when you're doing
a CIA operation,
430
00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:26,800
you don't have three hours.
431
00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:31,280
Also, at this point in time,
facial masks didn't move
432
00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,000
and they were very easy
to tell that they were fake.
433
00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:37,200
So Tony has to develop a
mask that can be taken on
434
00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:38,600
and off very quickly.
435
00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:42,800
The mask also has to
stand up to kgb scrutiny.
436
00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,920
After months of work,
the disguise is ready.
437
00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,320
The mask can be
put on in a flash
438
00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,600
and molds to the face perfectly.
439
00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:53,000
You can pop them on,
440
00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:56,000
and they fit in a almost
vacuum-sealed kind of way
441
00:21:56,120 --> 00:21:58,760
to people's faces
so that they moved.
442
00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:02,200
So you were having
masks that showed smiles,
443
00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:04,400
that showed laughs,
444
00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:06,080
that showed a little
bit more emotions,
445
00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,400
and it became a more
believable disguise.
446
00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:13,520
Those masks could radically
change the way you looked.
447
00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,680
Now the CIA needs
to find someone
448
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:17,360
to wear their new spy mask
449
00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:20,640
and tap into the Russians'
nuclear communications.
450
00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:25,720
They pick a 38-year-old
CIA officer, Jim Olson.
451
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:29,080
Jim Olson thinks is a
joke, because how on earth
452
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:31,280
am I gonna get a mask
on and off in three seconds,
453
00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:33,560
get into a manhole
cover, tap into wires,
454
00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:34,800
and then get out undetected?
455
00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,360
He soon discovers
they're deadly serious.
456
00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,720
Olson accepts the mission
and travels to Moscow.
457
00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:48,560
To lose his
ever-present kgb tail,
458
00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:51,240
he will need the
perfect cover scenario.
459
00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:56,560
Olson's mission begins
in 1979 with a picnic.
460
00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:59,720
He and his wife know
that they are under constant
461
00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:02,680
kgb surveillance.
462
00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:07,880
They took some sandwiches,
some wine, a little blanket.
463
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,240
And then Jim, dressed
like an American diplomat,
464
00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:14,920
decided to take a
little stroll into the trees.
465
00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:18,640
Jim steps around
the back of a bush.
466
00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:20,480
He knows he only
has a few seconds
467
00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:23,760
to transform into his disguise.
468
00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:26,960
He put on this mask.
469
00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:29,160
He emerges from the park
470
00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:33,720
this older, not so well-off man.
471
00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:37,680
Once Olson emerges,
he makes sure
472
00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,400
that he has no
agents surveilling him.
473
00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:42,000
And when he realizes
that he doesn't,
474
00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:44,880
he knows that it's safe
to go to this manhole.
475
00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:54,960
Jim Olson slips
underground and photographs
476
00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:59,640
the communications cable,
allowing a second team
477
00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:02,440
to develop a tech to hack it.
478
00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,480
Sure enough, they
also use Tony's disguise
479
00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:08,560
to get into the hole
to lay down their tap.
480
00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:13,240
For six years, the
CIA is able to collect
481
00:24:13,360 --> 00:24:16,200
defense information,
nuclear secrets
482
00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:19,040
from the Russian government.
483
00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:23,120
It is not until a defector
lets the kgb know
484
00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:24,600
what the CIA is doing,
485
00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:26,960
that the lines are
eventually cut.
486
00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:28,920
Details of this quick
change mission
487
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:30,920
don't come out for
another 40 years,
488
00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:33,560
when Tony Mendez
makes a dying request
489
00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:36,160
to share his story
with the world.
490
00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:38,760
The CIA give the green light.
491
00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,520
And to this day, Tony's
disguise technology
492
00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:43,840
is still used by agents in
need of a quick change.
493
00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:51,520
Intelligence services
are often willing
494
00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:54,320
to recruit dubious agents.
495
00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:58,760
But in 1967, the CIA
takes that a step too far,
496
00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:01,520
when it enlists
a four-legged spy
497
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:03,760
with an embedded
listening device.
498
00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:06,960
The mission is
called acoustic kitty.
499
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:13,040
It's the '60s,
500
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,760
and kgb agents working
in Washington know
501
00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:17,840
that their offices
are often bugged,
502
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,200
and the CIA suspect
that they're conducting
503
00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:22,440
their top meetings outside.
504
00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:27,000
So the CIA turn
to biotechnology.
505
00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:29,120
In 1961, the R&D department
506
00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:33,280
of the central intelligence
agency wants to utilize cats
507
00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:35,560
as an intelligence-gathering
mechanism
508
00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:40,080
to deploy them against
our Soviet adversaries.
509
00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:42,840
Household companion
animals have been militarized
510
00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:44,440
at various points
in our history.
511
00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:45,760
Dogs have certainly been that.
512
00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:47,720
Cats have, too.
513
00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:51,720
The idea is that nobody
really pays attention to cats.
514
00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,160
They're essentially unnoticed.
515
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,520
What they want to
do is have the cat
516
00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:00,800
wander through sensitive areas,
517
00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:04,080
where it will just collect
intelligence as it goes.
518
00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:06,080
Unfortunately for the cat,
519
00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:08,520
turning it into an
intelligence collector
520
00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:10,840
involves surgery.
521
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:14,360
It has a power pack
implanted in its abdomen,
522
00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,440
a microphone in its ear canal,
523
00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:20,000
and a 3/4-inch transmitter
at the base of the skull
524
00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:22,480
with wires running
to its ears and tail,
525
00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,240
which acts as an antenna.
526
00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:30,880
Basically, you end up
getting half cat, half cyborg.
527
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,400
In Washington in 1967,
528
00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:38,400
the CIA's cyborg cat
gets its first deployment,
529
00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:43,440
to discover if it really
is the future of spying.
530
00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,000
On that day in 1967,
531
00:26:46,120 --> 00:26:48,560
two CIA operatives arrive
at the rendezvous point
532
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,120
of their kgb targets,
533
00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,640
carrying with them the
result of six years of R&D
534
00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,880
and a reported $15
million of investment.
535
00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,080
This is the first example
of cats being used
536
00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:01,920
to carry out an
espionage operation.
537
00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:08,360
The cat is released
from the CIA Van.
538
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,800
The cat starts moving
toward its target.
539
00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:14,160
But after walking
a short distance,
540
00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:19,880
it suddenly veers off course
and is squashed by a taxi.
541
00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:23,480
It couldn't have
gone more wrong.
542
00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:27,840
It's only discovered in 2001,
543
00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:30,080
when the CIA declassify a series
544
00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,560
of heavily-redacted documents.
545
00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:36,800
Among them, one details
the plans for a cat project.
546
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:41,800
Believe it or not, there's a
memo that emerges from the CIA
547
00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:44,400
entitled, views on trained cats,
548
00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:48,320
that lays out why this is not
actually a practical solution
549
00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:51,000
to collect intelligence
from the Soviets.
550
00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:54,120
The CIA learns the hard
way that cats may not
551
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,360
have what it takes to be spies.
552
00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:01,280
It doesn't stop the agency's
hunt for animal agents.
553
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:04,440
Their next recruits
don't live on land,
554
00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:06,600
but have brains
larger than humans.
555
00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:14,160
In the 1960s, as the
newly-released film "flipper"
556
00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:15,960
explodes in popularity,
557
00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:19,000
the public has no idea
that america is looking
558
00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:21,840
to the real-life flippers
to give them an edge
559
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:24,560
in the escalating cold war.
560
00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:26,800
The clandestine dolphin project,
561
00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:31,840
known as oxygas,
only surfaces in 2019.
562
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:33,600
The CIA wanted
to use their dolphins
563
00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:36,880
to conduct surveillance
of enemy harbors.
564
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:39,600
Initially to the CIA,
the dolphins provide
565
00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:41,440
very promising results.
566
00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:45,920
But by the late 1960s,
the CIA is plowing
567
00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:48,720
the modern equivalent
of $50 million a year
568
00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:50,080
into the project.
569
00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:51,640
And they're just
not seeing enough
570
00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:55,360
spying potential to justify
their huge investment,
571
00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:56,520
so they pull funding.
572
00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:00,200
While the CIA
dolphin's project fails
573
00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,000
to make the grade,
the us Navy also has
574
00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:05,600
their own
dolphin-training program.
575
00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:11,880
Well, you see, whatever
the dolphin lacks in size,
576
00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:13,520
it makes up in brains.
577
00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:16,080
The department of
defense makes a movie
578
00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:18,680
titled, "the dolphins
that joined the Navy."
579
00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:21,240
And it's all about how
we are experiencing
580
00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:26,680
great success at bringing
these dolphins into Navy service.
581
00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:29,320
Whereas the CIA was asking
the dolphin to do something
582
00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:30,880
that it really wasn't good at,
583
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,080
the Navy only asked the dolphin
584
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:35,720
to do things that it
was naturally great at.
585
00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:38,800
Echolocation and
performing tasks
586
00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:40,680
to receive an immediate reward,
587
00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:42,320
dolphins are terrific at that.
588
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:47,160
The program
continues for decades.
589
00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:50,080
The Navy takes advantage
of dolphins' incredible
590
00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:53,040
natural sonar to find mines.
591
00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:56,200
Emitting clicks from its
head, a dolphin can detect
592
00:29:56,320 --> 00:30:00,280
a tennis-ball-sized mine
from two football fields away,
593
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:02,680
even when they're
buried under sand.
594
00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:05,280
The dolphin training
program has its finest hour
595
00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:07,680
in Iraq in 2003.
596
00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:11,840
Operation Iraqi
freedom is underway.
597
00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:13,960
Iraq doesn't have
a lot of coastline.
598
00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,600
And the only way to
essentially transport
599
00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:20,880
heavy military
equipment is over water.
600
00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:25,080
The port at umm qasr, which
is Iraq's only deep-sea port,
601
00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:28,400
suddenly became very important.
602
00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:30,640
The Navy needed to
clear the port of umm qasr.
603
00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:31,960
It had been mined heavily,
604
00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:34,320
and now the Navy
needed this port
605
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:35,920
for the delivery of supplies.
606
00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:40,040
The Navy decides
that now is the time.
607
00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:42,480
They will take a team
of dolphins trained
608
00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:45,040
at the marine mammal
research facility in San Diego
609
00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:47,880
and send them in.
610
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:49,920
This crack team
of eight dolphins
611
00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:52,680
zipped through the water
hunting for enemy mines.
612
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:56,040
They're trained to alert their
handlers when they find one,
613
00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:59,040
but also to Mark it with
an acoustic transponder.
614
00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:01,880
This allows divers
to disarm it later on.
615
00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:07,000
That job would have taken
an enormous amount of time
616
00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:08,640
were it not for the dolphins.
617
00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:10,480
The dolphins
cut the job in half.
618
00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:15,120
They very successfully
cleared the port
619
00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:16,800
of about a hundred mines.
620
00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,120
Everybody loves dolphins.
621
00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:20,720
It's the logo of the
submarine force.
622
00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,480
In a remote desert location,
623
00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:29,200
a team of military engineers
624
00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:32,240
are testing a piece
of advanced spy tech.
625
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,720
This highly-classified
tech program
626
00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:38,520
will accidentally inspire
a long-running mystery.
627
00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:47,920
This is a very technologically
advanced program.
628
00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:50,680
So secret that the
individuals working on it
629
00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,480
don't know what
they're working on.
630
00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:56,520
Nearly everyone on
this program are told
631
00:31:56,640 --> 00:31:59,760
that they're working on
meteorological equipment.
632
00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:03,400
Even the code name,
mogul, is classified.
633
00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:09,400
Project mogul is being built
to keep the us in the lead
634
00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:11,640
of the nuclear arms race.
635
00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:15,200
As far as the Americans know,
636
00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:17,040
the Soviets don't
have the technology
637
00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:18,720
to build the atomic bomb.
638
00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:20,776
But they also know that
it's only a matter of time
639
00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:23,400
before they do.
640
00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:26,840
The Soviet union is filled
with these vast wildernesses.
641
00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:29,200
The Americans are concerned
that they're gonna be able
642
00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:31,640
to test these weapons
in total secrecy.
643
00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:35,560
This is in an age where
644
00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:38,040
we can't get over the
Soviet union undetected.
645
00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:39,800
So they have to
come up with an idea
646
00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,440
on how to monitor the Soviets
as they test nuclear weapons.
647
00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:49,560
The answer comes from a
renowned us geophysicist
648
00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:52,560
and oceanographer, who
claims he can make tech
649
00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,760
that can listen for
the Soviet tests.
650
00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:59,920
Dr. W. Maurice ewing is
convinced sound channels exist
651
00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:02,360
at high altitudes,
which could be used
652
00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:04,120
to detect nuclear explosions.
653
00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:11,920
His idea gets the attention
of us air force officials,
654
00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:14,880
who authorize a
top-secret research effort
655
00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:18,040
called project mogul.
656
00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:21,280
The concept is simple,
to place microphones
657
00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:23,080
eight and a half
miles in the air
658
00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:25,120
in the aerial sound channel
659
00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:28,600
to listen for
nuclear detonations.
660
00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:34,640
The idea may be simple,
but the execution is not.
661
00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:36,536
The Americans have to
figure out how to get these
662
00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:40,120
microphones up to altitude,
70,000, 100,000 feet,
663
00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:43,280
and stay up there
for a very long time.
664
00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,200
Dr. Ewing thinks the
answer is to float them
665
00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:48,920
using helium balloons.
666
00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:51,120
Helium balloons
don't make any sound.
667
00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:53,760
They can stay aloft
for days at a time.
668
00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:56,040
And they don't need
any fuel or a crew.
669
00:33:56,160 --> 00:33:58,960
They're basically the
perfect autonomous vehicle.
670
00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,320
In 1947, the mogul
team head into the desert
671
00:34:03,440 --> 00:34:06,200
to begin the secret
testing of these balloons
672
00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:09,880
and the cutting-edge audio
spy tech they will carry.
673
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:12,920
The payload equipment,
sound monitors,
674
00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:15,680
ballast, and batteries,
they all hung below.
675
00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:19,800
This stretches up to
600 feet from tip to tail,
676
00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:23,960
which is twice as tall
as the statue of Liberty.
677
00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:26,960
Rising to 45,000 feet,
balloons can withstand
678
00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:30,440
temperature fluctuations of
up to 160 degrees fahrenheit
679
00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:33,880
and winds of over
30 miles per hour.
680
00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:37,360
It takes just one accident
681
00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:38,920
for this top-secret program
682
00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:41,560
to ignite an enduring mystery.
683
00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:44,560
There's one problem.
684
00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:48,120
These balloons cannot
always be controlled.
685
00:34:48,240 --> 00:34:50,040
They don't always go
where you want them to.
686
00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:51,800
And sometimes they crash.
687
00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:01,160
In June 1947, a rancher
stumbles upon strange,
688
00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:04,680
mangled, high-tech
metallic debris.
689
00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:06,960
The rancher brings a
sample of the wreckage
690
00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:09,640
to a nearby army airfield.
691
00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:11,520
When the airfield
public affairs officer
692
00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:13,160
releases a statement
about the debris,
693
00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:16,960
he has no idea about the
air force's mogul program.
694
00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:20,120
He says there is a flying
disk among the debris
695
00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:23,200
now being analyzed
at a nearby airfield.
696
00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:25,280
It is called roswell.
697
00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:29,240
Headlines around
the world appear,
698
00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:31,160
"ufo, roswell, new Mexico."
699
00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:36,080
The air force is thrilled.
700
00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:38,000
It needs a cover
for these balloons,
701
00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:41,040
and alien spacecraft are
as good a cover as any.
702
00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:43,360
As a result,
roswell, new Mexico,
703
00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:48,080
has become synonymous
with ufos, and still is today.
704
00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:52,760
No one connects the dots
for nearly five decades.
705
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:56,160
The truth is only
revealed in 1995,
706
00:35:56,280 --> 00:35:59,760
when an investigation
into the roswell ufo incident
707
00:35:59,880 --> 00:36:04,360
makes the link to the
top-secret balloon program.
708
00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:08,200
For the military, the
alien invasion cover story
709
00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:12,800
is a huge success,
but the project is not.
710
00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:15,280
Mogul's use of balloons
to detect a-bombs
711
00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:17,320
proves a failure.
712
00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:25,000
In the new millennium,
713
00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:27,480
British agents
face an old problem
714
00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:31,280
how to communicate with
Russian assets in Moscow.
715
00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:33,920
They devise a new
piece of spy tech,
716
00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:38,280
placing it in something so dull
no one would look at it twice.
717
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:43,920
In the mid-2000s, the British
were still running assets
718
00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:46,880
in Russia to keep
tabs on military,
719
00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,600
nuclear, and geopolitical
developments out there.
720
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:54,920
The problem is they're
living in a city covered in cctv.
721
00:36:56,360 --> 00:37:00,720
Moscow now is a 24-hour,
7-day-a-week cctv city.
722
00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:02,480
And so the British
secret service
723
00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:07,440
need to figure out a more
covert way to communicate.
724
00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:10,560
If anything goes wrong, it
could put their Russian assets
725
00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:11,800
in mortal danger.
726
00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:17,720
The answer is a simple
but brilliantly effective
727
00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:21,320
piece of spy tech that
can hide in plain sight
728
00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:23,840
a fake, hollowed-out rock.
729
00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:26,280
The spy rock is designed to be
730
00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:30,000
a modern upgrade of the
classic espionage technique,
731
00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:32,080
the dead letter drop.
732
00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:33,800
The dead letter drop
was always a tool
733
00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:36,560
that spies could use to
keep themselves safe.
734
00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:39,720
It allowed one officer to
drop a letter in a secret place
735
00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:42,200
and another officer to
pick it up at a different time,
736
00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:45,200
essentially separating
the two officers.
737
00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:48,920
With the spy rock, it
completely changed the game.
738
00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:51,560
Costing several million
dollars to develop,
739
00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:54,600
with a state of the art
radio transmitter receiver,
740
00:37:54,720 --> 00:37:57,160
which has a range
of up to 65 feet.
741
00:37:57,280 --> 00:38:00,280
It's also got a battery
lifespan of up to three months
742
00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:02,200
and is strong enough
to withstand a fall
743
00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:05,160
from a building
nine stories high.
744
00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:08,200
It's the dead letter
drop of the digital age.
745
00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:10,800
The way it works is
an agent for the British
746
00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,920
will walk past the rock
and remotely upload data
747
00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:16,280
to the device within
it, and then disappear
748
00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:17,760
into the streets of Moscow.
749
00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:20,760
Later on, that
agent's handler will
750
00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:22,400
download the data remotely.
751
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:24,280
Meaning, they
never have to leave
752
00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:28,080
incriminating material that
could be found by the Russians.
753
00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:32,720
So the program is rolled
out and it's a success.
754
00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:34,880
Information is exchanged.
755
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:38,000
The secrecy of the
program is maintained,
756
00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:41,080
until disaster strikes.
757
00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:45,880
In January 2006,
the Russian state TV
758
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:47,640
broadcasts a news report
759
00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:50,800
that the British secret
service have been dreading.
760
00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:54,560
There's a report showing a
video of a man in Moscow.
761
00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:56,960
He walks down a street, slows,
762
00:38:57,080 --> 00:39:01,160
and glances down at a
rock before walking away.
763
00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:03,920
A while later, another man
walks by and picks it up.
764
00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:08,040
The Russians were
actively surveilling
765
00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:09,400
people of interest.
766
00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:10,960
And what they
found was a pattern
767
00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:12,856
where these individuals
would behave a certain way
768
00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:14,640
around a rock on the streets.
769
00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:16,480
So the Russians
put a hidden camera
770
00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:18,320
to observe anyone walking past.
771
00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:20,400
And that's how they
discovered the evidence
772
00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:22,960
that the rock was, in
fact, a technical dead drop.
773
00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:27,720
They are identified as
British embassy staff.
774
00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:32,600
And this video is pointed
to as evidence of espionage.
775
00:39:32,720 --> 00:39:36,880
Britain's ambassador in
Moscow denies any wrongdoing.
776
00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:40,360
This severely challenges
diplomatic relations
777
00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:42,200
between Russia and the UK.
778
00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:44,880
But in an unexpected twist,
779
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:48,400
putin doesn't kick the
guilty agents out of Russia.
780
00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:50,760
Putin makes a public
joke that he doesn't want
781
00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:52,240
to expel them,
because if he did,
782
00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:53,600
the British might send smarter,
783
00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,920
more capable
officers in their place.
784
00:39:57,040 --> 00:39:59,480
The British government
maintains its innocence
785
00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:01,120
until 2012.
786
00:40:01,240 --> 00:40:03,520
In a TV interview with the BBC,
787
00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:06,440
a former government
chief of staff admits
788
00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:08,720
the spy rock allegations.
789
00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:10,120
The spy rock was embarrassing.
790
00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:11,896
They... i mean, they
had us bang to rights.
791
00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:13,456
Clearly, they'd known
about it for some time
792
00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:15,640
and had been saving it
up for a political purpose.
793
00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:18,960
Despite Russia's public
outrage at the spy rock,
794
00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:21,760
it seems that, at
least, some of its spies
795
00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:24,840
were impressed with
the British ingenuity.
796
00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:28,840
In 2021, despite its outrage
at the spy rock incident,
797
00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:32,920
Russia unveils its own
version of the same technology.
798
00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:37,200
It's revealed to the
world just months
799
00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:39,520
before the full-scale
invasion of Ukraine.
800
00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:47,560
Opening files on the
secret world of spy tech
801
00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:50,200
reveals that cutting-edge
innovation is always
802
00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:53,120
a crucial part of
intelligence gathering,
803
00:40:53,240 --> 00:40:56,000
one that can be
the key to success.
804
00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:57,720
I'm David duchovny.
805
00:40:57,840 --> 00:41:01,040
Thanks for watching
"secrets declassified."
63905
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