1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:06,560 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,240 [Duchovny] Tonight on "Secrets Declassified"... 3 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,920 government projects so daring or so dangerous, 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,400 they're hidden underground, 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,080 like an experiment to hide a nuclear explosion 6 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:19,840 under a Mississippi forest. 7 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:22,960 - The effects are immediate, and they are dramatic. 8 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:26,800 What did they expect? It's a nuclear bomb. 9 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,200 - Or a high-stakes mission to spy on the Nazis 10 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:33,600 by hiding British soldiers inside the Rock of Gibraltar. 11 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:35,400 - The entrance will be bricked up. 12 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:37,600 No one will be allowed to leave 13 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:39,800 under any circumstances. 14 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:41,800 [David] Even a military experiment 15 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,240 on the New York subway. 16 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,600 - Just five minutes after bacteria are released, 17 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,080 spores are detected at every station 18 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,160 between 14th Street and 59th. 19 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,000 - These are the astonishing and sometimes terrible things 20 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,400 done by governments and the people who work for them. 21 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,880 It's time to bring them to light. 22 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:09,880 ♪ ♪ 23 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,800 The thought of being buried alive in a sealed-off cave 24 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,920 would strike most people with terror. 25 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:18,920 In World War II, six British officers 26 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,360 volunteered to do exactly that on the Rock of Gibraltar. 27 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:27,760 [crowd chanting in German] 28 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,280 [Sami] In 1941, it seems like Hitler is winning the war. 29 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,320 Europe has fallen, but Britain maintains the naval advantage. 30 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:37,720 ♪ ♪ 31 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:39,800 Key to its success is a peninsula 32 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,600 on the southern tip of Spain known as Gibraltar. 33 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:45,600 [David] Although it's small, 34 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:47,400 Gibraltar has been one of Britain's 35 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:49,400 most important overseas outposts 36 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:51,880 for over two centuries. 37 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,200 [James] This is because it's strategically important. 38 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,200 It guards the only gateway 39 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,720 between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic seas. 40 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:01,640 [Martin] From the Rock of Gibraltar, 41 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,360 1,400 feet above the water level, 42 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:06,800 an observer is in a perfect position 43 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,280 to note the comings and goings of ships 44 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,080 entering the Mediterranean or departing the Mediterranean. 45 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:15,560 ♪ ♪ 46 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:17,400 [Duchovny] The rock is so vital, 47 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:19,760 Hitler plans to seize it. 48 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:21,800 For Britain, it's unthinkable. 49 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:25,120 And one naval officer is called to action. 50 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,120 - John Godfrey is Britain's Director of Naval Intelligence. 51 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:29,880 What he realizes is that British forces 52 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,960 are unlikely to repel a German assault on Gibraltar. 53 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:35,720 ♪ ♪ 54 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:37,960 [Duchovny] Losing the rock could mean losing the war. 55 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,400 So Godfrey devises a last-ditch plan, 56 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,600 which will remain classified for over 50 years. 57 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,600 [Sami] He decides to build a secret hiding place 58 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:49,120 inside the Rock of Gibraltar. 59 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:51,000 So, when the Germans attack, 60 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,080 a small crew of officers will seal themselves inside 61 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,800 and continue to monitor the shipping lane, 62 00:02:56,920 --> 00:02:58,960 even after the rest of the British forces 63 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:00,400 have been defeated. 64 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:02,600 [David] It's a truly bold idea. 65 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,840 Godfrey codenames it Operation Tracer. 66 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:08,920 His first challenge-- 67 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:11,360 finding the perfect hiding place. 68 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,600 - Gibraltar has been used as a military outpost 69 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,120 for 250 years. 70 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:22,080 Carved into the rock is a maze of tunnels and chambers. 71 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:23,600 [David] Godfrey's team 72 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:25,760 locate a closed-up section of tunnel 73 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,240 in an abandoned part of the rock. 74 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,400 - It's perfectly positioned-- 75 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:33,160 high up and overlooking both sides of the rock, 76 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,520 east towards the Mediterranean, west towards the Atlantic. 77 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:39,400 So the spies can monitor movements of German shipping 78 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,800 in both directions. 79 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:43,520 [David] It's got a great view. 80 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:45,040 But to make it habitable, 81 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:47,600 they must give it a radical renovation 82 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:49,440 without giving away 83 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,000 the tunnel's secret location to anyone. 84 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:56,200 - Secrecy is paramount, so workers are blindfolded 85 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:57,920 when they're brought to the location 86 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,000 and then shipped back to Great Britain 87 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,360 upon completing the job. 88 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:04,800 [Duchovny] The top secret bunker they carve out 89 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:06,640 is truly remarkable. 90 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:09,800 [O'Keefe] The living quarters include bunk beds, 91 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:13,760 a chemical toilet a 10,000-gallon water tank. 92 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:15,800 [James] There's a small radio room 93 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:19,960 so that they can transmit their intel back to Britain. 94 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:22,000 They actually have a radio antenna 95 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,880 that can be poked through a hole in the rock face 96 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,080 under the cover of night. 97 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:28,840 Now, electricity for the radio 98 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:30,800 will be produced by using a bicycle 99 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,320 rigged with a silent leather belt, 100 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,920 which doubles as the men's only form of exercise. 101 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:39,000 [David] The most extreme feature 102 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,000 of this underground safe house... 103 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:44,800 there's no way out. 104 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:47,440 - The men won't just be hiding in this bunker. 105 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:49,200 The entrance will be bricked up, 106 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,080 and they will be sealed inside. 107 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:55,000 No one will be allowed to leave under any circumstances. 108 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:56,120 ♪ ♪ 109 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:58,000 - Staying inside is so crucial 110 00:04:58,120 --> 00:04:59,880 to the mission's success 111 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,600 that one corner of the bunker 112 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,600 is reserved to be used as a cemetery 113 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:08,440 should any of the officers die on the job. 114 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,880 - For the volunteers, this mission is the end of the line. 115 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:14,200 I think if Gibraltar falls, 116 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:16,120 they're saying goodbye for good. 117 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:20,920 ♪ ♪ 118 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,000 [Duchovny] For Operation Tracer to work, 119 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:25,560 Godfrey needs help finding the right men. 120 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:29,400 So he turns to an expert in extreme survival. 121 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:31,080 ♪ ♪ 122 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:34,000 [James] George Murray Levick is quite the character. 123 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:37,000 He's an explorer who once survived a whole winter 124 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,160 in Antarctica by living in an ice cave 125 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:43,200 and eating penguin meat. 126 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:44,600 - Levick scours the navy 127 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,160 and eventually selects six officers. 128 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:49,400 [Duchovny] To see if they can survive in the bunker, 129 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,360 Levick puts them to the test. 130 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:54,200 - The men live in an isolated hut 131 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:57,720 on a remote marsh for weeks. 132 00:05:57,840 --> 00:05:59,800 [Duchovny] To prepare for life underground, 133 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:02,400 one final sacrifice is required... 134 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:04,240 ♪ ♪ 135 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,360 Surgery. 136 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,680 - All of the men have their tonsils and appendix removed. 137 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:11,720 And this is done to reduce the possibility 138 00:06:11,840 --> 00:06:14,000 of them developing a life-threatening infection 139 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:15,440 during the mission. 140 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:17,200 - Once they pass their training, 141 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:20,480 their reward is to go home, see their families, 142 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:22,000 and say goodbye. 143 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:23,560 ♪ ♪ 144 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:25,800 [Duchovny] In the summer of 1942, 145 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:29,200 six British naval officers are shipped to Gibraltar 146 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,240 with top secret orders. 147 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:33,680 - The men are placed in Gibraltar under cover 148 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:35,880 of regular military postings. 149 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,320 But in secret, they sneak off and run checks 150 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,040 on the secret bunker, 151 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,600 always waiting for that order that will seal them inside. 152 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:45,120 ♪ ♪ 153 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:47,160 [Duchovny] But the order doesn't come. 154 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:50,720 The German march across Europe never reaches Gibraltar. 155 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:54,000 And the secret bunker is permanently sealed up 156 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:55,800 with nobody inside. 157 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:57,520 ♪ ♪ 158 00:06:57,640 --> 00:06:59,320 - The bunker is quickly forgotten about. 159 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,240 It becomes a footnote to World War II history. 160 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,840 [Duchovny] Operation Tracer remains a secret for 50 years, 161 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:09,680 until a chance discovery in 1997. 162 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:10,920 ♪ ♪ 163 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:12,720 [James] A team of cavers 164 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:15,600 exploring Gibraltar's vast underground labyrinths 165 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,920 find a mysterious sealed-off bunker. 166 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:20,600 They believe they've stumbled 167 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:24,640 across the legendary Operation Tracer cave. 168 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:26,480 [O'Keefe] One of the original volunteers 169 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:29,000 confirms that this was really the place 170 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:31,080 that he was prepared to die in. 171 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:32,640 ♪ ♪ 172 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:34,600 [Duchovny] Rumor is, the British government 173 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:37,320 has other stay-behind caves across the world, 174 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:39,040 waiting to be deployed. 175 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:42,160 ♪ ♪ 176 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:45,720 Burying people underground is one thing, 177 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:47,200 but in 1964, 178 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:49,600 the U.S. government tries to bury something 179 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:51,400 a little more ambitious-- 180 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:53,600 a nuclear explosion 181 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,080 right in the middle of America's heartland. 182 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:58,400 ♪ ♪ 183 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,200 [Hakeem] By the early 1960s, 184 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,000 there has been something like 500 nuclear tests 185 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,560 that have taken place in the Earth's atmosphere 186 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:07,360 around the world. 187 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:10,000 And there's been a buildup of public anger and concern 188 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:12,880 about what damage these tests have done. 189 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,560 So the U.S. and the Soviets reached the first agreement 190 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,440 to limit nuclear testing. 191 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:22,920 [Duchovny] But this historic treaty has one giant loophole. 192 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:25,480 It forbids nuclear tests in the atmosphere, 193 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,200 outer space, and underwater... 194 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,000 but not underground. 195 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:31,560 ♪ ♪ 196 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,800 - The reason underground nuclear testing remains legal 197 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:38,320 is simply because no one knows how to detect 198 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:40,240 and therefore police it. 199 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,800 And a ban can only work if you can verify 200 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:44,640 that people are breaking it. 201 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:46,240 - As far as the U.S. is concerned, 202 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:48,920 the Soviets might be exploding nuclear devices 203 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,880 under the Arctic waste, and they are none the wiser. 204 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:53,600 ♪ ♪ 205 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:55,600 [Duchovny] U.S. officials are desperate to know 206 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:58,280 if nukes can be covertly detonated underground. 207 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,120 There's only one way to find out. 208 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,400 - In 1963, the American Atomic Energy Commission 209 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:07,680 decide to conduct a series of underground nuclear explosions 210 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,920 to see if and how they can be monitored. 211 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:12,800 ♪ ♪ 212 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:14,400 [Duchovny] The operation's code name 213 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:17,680 plays down the potential for Armageddon-- 214 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:19,480 Project Dribble. 215 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:21,200 Its first challenge-- 216 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,880 find the best hiding place for a nuclear explosion. 217 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,400 - The scientists working on the project theorize 218 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:29,400 that the most effective environment 219 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,800 to conceal an underground test would be in a salt dome. 220 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:34,640 [Dan] Salt domes are geological formations 221 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,280 deep under the Earth's surface where rock salt 222 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:41,120 has risen up to form a dome-like structure. 223 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:43,520 And those domes of salt 224 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:45,240 can be 6 miles deep. 225 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:47,320 [Martin] The thought was that the salt dome would have 226 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,120 the effect of containing the force of the explosion. 227 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:51,800 And it was also thought then, too, 228 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:54,200 that the fallout, the radioactivity 229 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:56,120 that was produced by these explosions, 230 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:58,000 would remain inside the salt dome 231 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:00,560 and would not be hazardous to people aboveground. 232 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:02,080 ♪ ♪ 233 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,400 [Sasha] And they find this ideal patch 234 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:06,040 underneath a pine forest 235 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,440 in Lamar County in southern Mississippi. 236 00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:11,640 It's called the Tatum Salt Dome, 237 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,400 and it's about 1,500 feet under the surface. 238 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:17,040 ♪ ♪ 239 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:20,000 The one catch is a nuclear test 240 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:24,040 might not go down well with the local population. 241 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:26,760 [Hakeem] Mississippi is not the Nevada desert, 242 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,680 where the U.S. has typically tested their weapons. 243 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:31,400 [Dan] This salt dome is close 244 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:33,640 to the town of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 245 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:38,560 and is by far the most densely populated atomic test site 246 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:40,680 the U.S. has ever chosen. 247 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:42,400 [Duchovny] Fearing local protests, 248 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,200 the government decides to promote the positives 249 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:47,440 of living near a nuclear test site. 250 00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:49,680 - Mississippi's governor assures the residents, 251 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:51,440 everything's gonna be okay. 252 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:53,720 That salt dome, that's going to hold in the radiation. 253 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:55,280 It's going to protect them. 254 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:57,800 And more than that-- it's important to do so. 255 00:10:57,920 --> 00:10:59,960 This is how Mississippi contributes. 256 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,080 It does its small part for Uncle Sam 257 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:03,680 to fight against communism. 258 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:05,560 ♪ ♪ 259 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:07,600 [Duchovny] In the fall of 1964, 260 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:09,600 the operation to explode a nuke 261 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:12,520 under Mississippi begins. 262 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:14,600 - The U.S. atomic scientists create a shaft 263 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:16,200 that's half a mile deep. 264 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,560 And into it, they put down a device 265 00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:21,480 with a yield of 5.3 kilotons. 266 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:24,640 That's about a third the yield of the device 267 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:26,160 that was dropped on Hiroshima. 268 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:28,320 They fill the borehole with concrete, 269 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:31,720 and then they place scientific devices around the area 270 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:34,600 to record seismic waves and measure any radiation 271 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:36,960 that may leak into the atmosphere. 272 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,280 - Nobody really knows how this test will go down. 273 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:45,000 So about 400 people are evacuated as a precaution. 274 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:48,160 Adults are paid 10 bucks for the inconvenience, 275 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:50,720 and kids are paid half. 276 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:52,400 [Duchovny] On October 22nd, 277 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:54,800 the scene is set for the nuclear detonation 278 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:56,280 inside the salt dome. 279 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:58,360 ♪ ♪ 280 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:01,560 Will it be truly undetectable 281 00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:03,680 or split the Earth apart? [siren wailing] 282 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:11,920 - One of the strangest nuclear tests on American soil 283 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:15,800 happens under Mississippi in 1964. 284 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:17,400 Scientists want to know, 285 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:20,160 can you detonate a nuclear bomb underground 286 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:22,200 and hide it from the world? 287 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:23,600 [siren wailing] 288 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,200 On the morning of October 22nd, 289 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:28,720 the local residents find out. 290 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,400 [wailing continues] 291 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,040 [explosion] 292 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:35,800 - The explosion carves out a huge cavity 293 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:37,400 deep inside the salt dome. 294 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:38,840 The ground lifts. 295 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:41,840 A shock wave ripples across the landscape. 296 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:43,240 Small buildings collapse. 297 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,040 Homes are severely damaged. 298 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:47,400 Wells suddenly go dry, 299 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:50,960 and some creeks start to run black with silt. 300 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:53,400 [Duchovny] Locals file hundreds of damage claims 301 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:55,480 almost immediately. 302 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:57,000 But for Project Dribble, 303 00:12:57,120 --> 00:12:59,960 the test results are priceless. 304 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:04,160 - It sends waves, seismic waves out 5,000 miles. 305 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:05,600 Finland picks up the fact 306 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:07,960 that this test was done in Mississippi. 307 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:10,760 Clearly, while the test has done its job, 308 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:12,960 it's demonstrated that, in fact, 309 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,560 there's no way the Soviets are doing any underground testing. 310 00:13:15,680 --> 00:13:17,200 ♪ ♪ 311 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,400 [Duchovny] A happy ending for the U.S. government 312 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:22,000 but not for the locals living near the salt dome. 313 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:23,800 ♪ ♪ 314 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:26,200 - A lot of residents start reporting illnesses. 315 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:30,000 Soon, cancers and birth defects start to show up-- 316 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:32,200 all symptoms that locals believe 317 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:34,600 are caused by nuclear contamination 318 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:36,360 from the salt dome tests. 319 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:38,000 ♪ ♪ 320 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:39,800 [Duchovny] The Atomic Energy Commission 321 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:42,600 claims the site has successfully contained 322 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:44,200 the radiation 323 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,560 and illness rates in the region are normal. 324 00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:49,800 But in 2015, a local journalist 325 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,000 requests official information regarding payouts 326 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,600 made in the aftermath of the nuclear test. 327 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:58,000 - By the early 2000s, 328 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:00,000 the federal government has paid out 329 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,520 about $16 million in settlements 330 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:05,800 to people that were exposed to radioactivity 331 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:07,800 as a result of Project Dribble. 332 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:10,400 [Duchovny] What began as a step towards nuclear control 333 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,520 remains a source of anger for the local community 334 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:15,800 that continues to this day. 335 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:17,480 ♪ ♪ 336 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:21,480 While many Nazi officers end World War II on trial, 337 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:24,080 one German spymaster plans to secure 338 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:25,840 his postwar future 339 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:28,200 by trading a cache of buried secrets 340 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:29,760 for his freedom. 341 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:32,320 ♪ ♪ 342 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:36,360 [Don] In early 1945, the German army is crumbling 343 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:38,280 and outnumbered on all fronts. 344 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,920 The collapse of the Third Reich looks inevitable. 345 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:44,280 So many of the top Nazi commanders 346 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:46,480 shift their focus from winning the war 347 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,400 to surviving the collapse of the Nazi regime. 348 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:51,120 ♪ ♪ 349 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:53,200 [Duchovny] One German fearing for his life 350 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,000 is Reinhard Gehlen. 351 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,600 - Reinhard Gehlen is the Nazi Head of Military Intelligence 352 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:00,000 on the Eastern Front, 353 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,040 where the Germans are fighting the Soviets. 354 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:04,000 He's been running a network of spies 355 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:05,840 in Soviet territory for years. 356 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:07,400 Gehlen has files 357 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,000 on all the Soviet Union's dirty secrets. 358 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,880 And if the invading Russians get a hold of him, 359 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,000 he could be spending the rest of his days 360 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:17,000 in a Siberian gulag. 361 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:18,560 That's if they let him live. 362 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:20,240 ♪ ♪ 363 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:22,800 [Duchovny] Gehlen spots one potential escape route. 364 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,400 - Gehlen sees what many others don't, 365 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:27,200 which is that after the war, 366 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:28,800 the Soviets and the United States 367 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:31,280 will be rivals, not allies. 368 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:33,000 - He knows that the Americans 369 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:36,320 are going to be interested in what he knows about Russia. 370 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:38,200 [Duchovny] Key to Gehlen's survival 371 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:40,680 is his archive of Soviet secrets. 372 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:42,240 - This is his bargaining chip. 373 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:44,520 This is his get-out-of-jail-free card. 374 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:46,000 ♪ ♪ 375 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:48,000 [Duchovny] Gehlen has to think fast. 376 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:49,800 His solution... 377 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:52,240 hiding his files underground. 378 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,360 - He's going to go bury his treasure like a pirate 379 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:59,800 and then go work out his deal with the Americans. 380 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:01,800 [Duchovny] Burying an entire archive 381 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:03,400 is no easy task, 382 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,680 especially in the dying days of a global war. 383 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,840 - First, Gehlen asks his staff to begin the mammoth task 384 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,680 of transferring his files onto microfilm 385 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:17,480 and then storing them in watertight steel cases. 386 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:22,120 Over 4 days, they fill 50 cases with priceless treasure. 387 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:24,600 - But he realizes that the best place to secure these documents 388 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:26,400 would actually be all the way down 389 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:28,600 by the border between Germany and Austria, 390 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:31,040 down in the Bavarian Alps. 391 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:34,600 So he's going to travel 300 miles 392 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,680 to bury his documents 393 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:41,240 and hopefully hash out a deal with the Americans. 394 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:42,520 ♪ ♪ 395 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:44,600 [Duchovny] In early May 1945, 396 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:46,600 Gehlen and his staff skip town 397 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:48,800 in a truck loaded with secrets 398 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:51,240 and head for the Alps. 399 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,800 - Gehlen and his party reach this isolated forest hut 400 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:56,120 in a remote valley. 401 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:57,760 ♪ ♪ 402 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,400 He decides to bury his cases here 403 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:02,400 before the Americans can catch him. 404 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:03,960 ♪ ♪ 405 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:06,200 - To avoid the possibility that the entire archive 406 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:08,880 is discovered or destroyed, he splits the cases 407 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,600 and buries them in eight different spots. 408 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:13,600 ♪ ♪ 409 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,600 [Don] Then Gehlen waits... 410 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:19,080 for a month in the Bavarian wilderness, 411 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:22,880 until American forces arrive in full and he can surrender. 412 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:24,880 [camera shutter clicks] 413 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:26,680 ♪ ♪ 414 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:28,600 [Duchovny] Gehlen is sent to an interrogation center, 415 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,440 where he is questioned by a U.S. Army officer 416 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,800 named Captain John Boker. 417 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:38,080 [Sami] The meeting with Boker is a make-or-break moment. 418 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,000 Gehlen has just one opportunity to play his hand. 419 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:43,600 And luckily for him, Boker shares his view 420 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,480 that the Soviets are a threat to the United States, 421 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:50,720 and he wants to know everything that Gehlen knows. 422 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:55,400 - The United States didn't have a lot of information 423 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:58,240 about the Soviet military. 424 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:00,400 Someone like Gehlen was the goose 425 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:02,400 that could lay golden eggs. 426 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:04,200 ♪ ♪ 427 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:06,400 - Captain Boker can't just strike a deal 428 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:08,600 with a high-ranking Nazi official, 429 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,240 at least not without knowing he's for real. 430 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:15,200 He needs to dig up Gehlen's buried secrets. 431 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:18,000 - So he assembles a team that's going to essentially follow 432 00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:19,600 the treasure map, if you will, 433 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:21,280 and head on out to the cabin. 434 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:23,360 And they find exactly what Gehlen's described. 435 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:25,440 They are able to dig up in the spots 436 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:27,200 where he said he buried the documents, 437 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:30,200 and they find seven out of eight of the deposits. 438 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:33,280 [Duchovny] Gehlen delivers on his word. 439 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:38,000 In return, Boker removes Gehlen's name from the system. 440 00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:41,800 - Gehlen is not listed officially as being a POW. 441 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,680 - Gehlen has played his cards perfectly. 442 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,240 The Americans aren't going to arrest him. 443 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:49,920 They're gonna use him as an asset. 444 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:52,960 [Greg] So Gehlen flies out to Washington, D.C. 445 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,400 And working with the Americans, 446 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:58,320 he strikes an astonishing deal. 447 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:00,680 He's going to return to Germany 448 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,720 to lead a covert agency that's spying on the Russians. 449 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:06,200 [Duchovny] While other Nazi leaders face trial 450 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:07,600 for war crimes, 451 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,760 Reinhard Gehlen returns to West Germany. 452 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,400 He reconnects with his old network of spies, 453 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:15,640 and they continue their operation, 454 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:17,800 not for Nazi Germany 455 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,840 but for the United States. 456 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:24,480 - For the next 23 years, Gehlen's organization 457 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:28,400 is the number-one supplier of Soviet secrets. 458 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:30,200 [Duchovny] Gehlen's vital importance 459 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:33,400 to U.S. intelligence agencies stays classified, 460 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:35,600 until the year 2000. 461 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:37,080 ♪ ♪ 462 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,760 55 years after the Nazis were defeated, 463 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,800 the CIA releases thousands of files 464 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:46,000 detailing their relationship with Gehlen... 465 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:49,120 a partnership that grew from a trove of secrets 466 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:50,720 buried in the mountains. 467 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:51,280 ♪ ♪ 468 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:57,080 - For millions of New Yorkers, 469 00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,280 heading underground is part of everyday life. 470 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:02,880 But in 1966, what seems like a regular morning commute 471 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,200 is actually part of a secret military experiment, 472 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:09,680 where passengers catch more than a ride to work. 473 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:11,280 ♪ ♪ 474 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:13,680 [Dan] In the 1960s, New York City's subway 475 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,440 is the busiest transport system in the United States. 476 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:18,680 At rush hour, millions of Americans 477 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:20,480 are using it to crisscross the city. 478 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:21,800 The U.S. military is worried 479 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:24,160 that this incredible feat of engineering 480 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:27,160 is also an Achilles' heel in the nation's infrastructure. 481 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,680 It might be a weak point vulnerable to attack 482 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:32,120 from America's enemies. 483 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:33,680 ♪ ♪ 484 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:35,880 [Duchovny] There's one specific kind of warfare 485 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:38,480 that has the U.S. Army on high alert. 486 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:40,480 - At this point, both the United States 487 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:42,920 and the Soviet Union have bioweapons programs. 488 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,880 American officials are worried that the New York subway system 489 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:47,880 would be a prime target for an attack. 490 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,560 Not only does it move millions of people every day, 491 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:52,280 it moves them throughout the city, 492 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:54,320 potentially spreading a virus easily 493 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:56,360 throughout the whole population. 494 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:58,080 [Duchovny] It's a doomsday scenario 495 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,040 the U.S. Army wants to prepare for. 496 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,880 So they decide to conduct a chillingly named 497 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,560 "vulnerability assessment." 498 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,680 [Don] In 1966, U.S. Army scientists 499 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:15,480 conduct a mock bioweapon attack on the New York subway system. 500 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:18,480 Their plan is to release an airborne bacteria 501 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:20,680 named Bacillus subtilis 502 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,280 that is considered harmless to humans, 503 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:26,160 then monitor its spread through the subway. 504 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:27,680 ♪ ♪ 505 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:29,680 [Duchovny] Safe or not, New York commuters 506 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,800 might object to inhaling unknown bacteria. 507 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:36,640 So, to sidestep the thorny issue of consent, 508 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:41,480 the U.S. Army decides to run this experiment in secret. 509 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,880 - At the time, the Army decided to just go forward anyways. 510 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,800 And they didn't tell anybody, no local authorities, 511 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,680 not even the transit police. 512 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:52,480 [Duchovny] On June 6th, 513 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,640 21 Army scientists disguised as everyday commuters 514 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:57,320 head underground 515 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:01,760 to stations along the 7th and 8th Avenue lines. 516 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:03,760 - To deploy the bio agent secretly, 517 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:07,480 each operative carries special light bulbs 518 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,920 hidden inside boring-looking paper bags. 519 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:12,880 Packed inside each of those light bulbs 520 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:16,360 is a gas inoculated with 175 grams 521 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:19,280 of Bacillus subtilis bacteria. 522 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:22,680 That's about 87 trillion organisms 523 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:24,840 in each bulb. 524 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:26,680 - The scientists wait on the platform 525 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:28,080 for the train to come. 526 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:30,520 When the doors open, they walk inside, 527 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,560 and they discreetly drop the light bulbs 528 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:37,000 in between the train and the platform. 529 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:39,040 The glass shatters on the tracks, 530 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:41,880 and the bulb releases its contents. 531 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:43,880 And with each passing train, 532 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:46,680 the bacteria gets pulled through the tunnel 533 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:48,440 to the next station. 534 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:50,160 [Dan] From what's been pieced together, 535 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:53,080 it appears that some commuters did notice clouds of gas 536 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:54,680 rising up from the tracks. 537 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,480 But there are no descriptions of widespread panic. 538 00:22:57,600 --> 00:22:59,320 These people just brushed off their clothes 539 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:01,360 and went on with whatever they were doing that day. 540 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,080 For millions of commuters, 541 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:05,680 it just felt like a normal Monday morning. 542 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:07,280 [Duchovny] With the bacteria 543 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:09,880 now silently passing through Manhattan, 544 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:11,880 the scientists secretly track it 545 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,040 through dozens of miles of underground tunnels. 546 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:17,920 - To monitor the air and trace the bacterium, 547 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:21,440 the scientists have devised these clever covert gadgets 548 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:25,480 that can take readings without passengers noticing-- 549 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:28,280 air samplers disguised as cameras, 550 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,360 detection devices hidden in pocketbooks. 551 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:32,600 ♪ ♪ 552 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:34,680 - For five days, millions of commuters 553 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,800 remain completely unaware of the experiment. 554 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:42,080 When results are tallied, the conclusion is horrifying. 555 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:43,760 ♪ ♪ 556 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:46,400 [Don] They show that just five minutes 557 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,720 after bacteria are released at the 23rd Street Station, 558 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:52,160 spores are detected at every station 559 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:56,240 between 14th Street and 59th. 560 00:23:56,360 --> 00:23:58,280 - According to military calculations, 561 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,200 more than one million Americans were exposed to the bacteria. 562 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:06,440 So, if that had been anthrax, with a million people exposed, 563 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:08,080 the math is not complicated. 564 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:10,920 Anthrax is 90% to 97% lethal. 565 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:14,160 It would have been an unmitigated disaster. 566 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:16,640 - The Army's conclusion is stark. 567 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:19,080 The subway system cannot be safeguarded 568 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:20,640 against this type of attack. 569 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:24,160 It would put New York out of commission. 570 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:26,080 [Duchovny] For nine years, 571 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:28,480 New Yorkers remain unaware they have been subjected 572 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:30,680 to a bioweapon experiment. 573 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:33,640 ♪ ♪ 574 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:36,280 Then in 1975, the U.S. military 575 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,480 is dragged in front of the Church Committee 576 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:42,280 to answer questions on illegal or unethical activities. 577 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:43,960 ♪ ♪ 578 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,440 One of the skeletons they bring out of the closet 579 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,680 is the New York subway vulnerability test. 580 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,320 ♪ ♪ 581 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:56,040 The most frightening revelation is still to come. 582 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:59,320 - The bacterium the scientists used, Bacillus subtilis, 583 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:01,440 isn't as benign as they thought. 584 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:03,080 It can be a harmful pathogen. 585 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,080 It can cause lung infections, meningitis, even death. 586 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:08,040 And people with weakened immune systems 587 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:09,640 are especially vulnerable. 588 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:12,280 - At the time, the scientists don't do any research 589 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:14,880 into the physiological effects of the test 590 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:16,840 because they assumed it was safe. 591 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:20,440 But it's highly likely this attack wasn't just unethical 592 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:21,520 but physically harmful, too. 593 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:29,600 - When German bombs rained down during World War II, 594 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,680 London's most vulnerable residents are rushed to safety. 595 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,000 Children are sent to the country, 596 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:40,560 while priceless works of art are sent underground. 597 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:42,560 [dramatic music] 598 00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:44,000 [bell tolling] 599 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:45,960 [Don] At the start of World War II, 600 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,360 the UK's National Gallery holds one 601 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:50,760 of the world's greatest collections of art, 602 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:53,840 including over 2,000 masterpieces. 603 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:57,040 This is not just a collection of cultural significance. 604 00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:00,680 We're talking tens of billions of dollars. 605 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:02,160 [Duchovny] The gallery's director, 606 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:04,560 esteemed art historian Kenneth Clark, 607 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:06,560 is determined to save these paintings 608 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:10,400 from the incoming blitz of German bombs. 609 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:13,160 - Clark's first priority is to get all the paintings 610 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:16,200 out of London as quickly as possible. 611 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:18,520 And he does this in an ingenious way. 612 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:20,400 They're hidden in post office vans 613 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:22,560 and Cadbury's Chocolate delivery trucks, 614 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:23,960 and they're transported 615 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:26,960 to a number of remote buildings in Wales. 616 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:28,800 Now, the government believes 617 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:30,760 that it's here in western Britain that they're gonna be 618 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,600 safely out of range of Luftwaffe bombers. 619 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:36,720 [explosions, sirens wailing] 620 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:38,680 [Duchovny] But they are wrong. 621 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:42,320 [O'Keefe] In September 1940, the Blitz begins. 622 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:44,240 By November, the German Luftwaffe 623 00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:46,760 have hit targets in Liverpool, which is north of Wales. 624 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:48,200 It becomes apparent 625 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:50,360 that the Germans can hit any target 626 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:52,280 throughout mainland Britain. 627 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:53,960 [Duchovny] These priceless paintings 628 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:55,760 could be erased in a moment. 629 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:57,960 They have to be moved. 630 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:00,760 - Churchill wants to keep them in Britain, announcing... 631 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:02,560 [imitating Churchill] "Not one picture shall leave 632 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:04,240 this island." 633 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:07,200 [normal voice] So Clark must find a bomb-proof solution. 634 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:10,120 And he decides the safest place is underground. 635 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:13,840 - It must be remote and secure, accessible by road and rail, 636 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:18,520 and, most importantly, suitable for housing delicate artworks. 637 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:20,520 [Duchovny] The National Gallery 638 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:22,560 launches a covert sweep across Britain 639 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,360 to find the ideal underground vault. 640 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,160 And in late 1940, they strike gold-- 641 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:29,680 or rather slate. 642 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:31,320 [Greg] In a windswept valley 643 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:33,480 near one of Britain's tallest mountains out in Wales, 644 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:35,000 they find Manod Quarry, 645 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:38,360 which was a slate mine back in the 1800s. 646 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:40,080 It's no longer in use, 647 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:41,960 but it's got all these carved-out chambers 648 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:45,640 deep down underneath hundreds of feet of slate... 649 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:47,560 natural defenses that should be able to keep 650 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:49,760 this art safe and sound. 651 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:51,360 [Duchovny] With the clock ticking, 652 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:54,840 the UK government secretly rents the mine. 653 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:57,680 But the art collection can't be rushed in overnight. 654 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:00,360 - You can't just stick paintings in a wooden crate 655 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:02,760 and bury them in an old mine. 656 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:04,360 They are highly sensitive 657 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:06,440 to all sorts of environmental damage. 658 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:08,480 - If they're going to keep these paintings safe, 659 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:10,640 they're going to need to manage the environment. 660 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:13,320 Otherwise, one of the greatest art collections in the world 661 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:17,680 won't be destroyed by bombs, it'll be destroyed by mold. 662 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,360 [Duchovny] Deep inside Manod Quarry, 663 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:22,680 a state-of-the-art storage facility 664 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:24,360 is constructed. 665 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,760 [Amy] Six airtight brick bungalows are built 666 00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:30,600 right in the heart of the mine to protect the paintings. 667 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:32,640 To protect them against dust and damp, 668 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:35,720 a series of electric fans are installed. 669 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,760 These fans pass air over trays of silica gel 670 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:41,560 that absorb all of the ambient moisture. 671 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:44,960 This keeps the moisture level in the mine in check. 672 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:47,840 - After a six-month breakneck renovation, 673 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:49,560 the secret vault is ready 674 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:51,800 to welcome its first masterpieces. 675 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:53,240 ♪ ♪ 676 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:55,160 [Don] The collection is transported 677 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:57,720 by covert convoy deep into this Welsh mountain, 678 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:00,000 all in total secrecy. 679 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,760 Only a handful of officials know where it's gone. 680 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:07,320 [Duchovny] There's just one slight oversight. 681 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:09,280 - Some of this art is enormous. 682 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,560 Van Dyck's painting of Charles I 683 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:14,200 measures 12 feet in length. 684 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:15,760 So, as the truck carrying it 685 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:17,800 is winding through these small roads, 686 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:21,800 there's a low bridge that these trucks have to pass under. 687 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:25,800 Well, Charles I is too big to make it underneath. 688 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:27,880 They have to lower the road that's going 689 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,040 underneath this bridge just to get Charles to safety. 690 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:34,480 [explosions, sirens blaring] 691 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:36,080 [James] Back in London, 692 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:38,880 the Blitz continues to cause carnage. 693 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,960 The National Gallery ends up being hit nine times, 694 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:44,560 but its prized assets-- 695 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:48,720 well, they're safely tucked away under a mountain. 696 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:50,760 ♪ ♪ 697 00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:53,400 [Duchovny] One of the world's most important art collections 698 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,600 narrowly dodges incineration. 699 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:59,960 But Manod Quarry doesn't just protect the paintings, 700 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,320 it improves them. 701 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:04,760 - The conditions in the mine are so good, 702 00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:07,160 the paintings actually fare better than if they'd been left 703 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:08,640 in the National Gallery. 704 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:10,760 - When the war is over, when it's finally time 705 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:12,840 to return this art back to the National Gallery, 706 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:14,480 they actually bring with them 707 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:16,560 what they've discovered and learned 708 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:18,640 about painting preservation. 709 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:20,560 [Duchovny] The National Gallery 710 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:24,400 reopens to the public on May 17, 1945. 711 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:26,760 But the mountain vault is kept secret 712 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:29,000 long after the war is over. 713 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:33,760 The full story of Manod Quarry is buried for 78 years. 714 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:35,280 ♪ ♪ 715 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:37,360 [Don] Back in 2018, the National Gallery 716 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:40,320 mounted an exhibition revealing photos and documents 717 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,040 from inside the quarry for the first time, 718 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,560 unveiling the extraordinary tale 719 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:47,880 of ingenuity and secrecy 720 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,360 that saved this priceless collection 721 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:51,640 from obliteration. 722 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:57,800 - It's the Cold War, 723 00:30:57,920 --> 00:30:59,880 and underground nuke-proof bunkers are all the rage. 724 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:01,680 Every world leader has one. 725 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:04,560 For Stalin, though, protecting his government is not enough. 726 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:08,440 He wants a shelter big enough for his submarines. 727 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:11,440 [tense music] 728 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:13,280 ♪ ♪ 729 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:17,280 [Hakeem] By 1953, Stalin is growing incredibly concerned 730 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,200 by America's increasing nuclear arsenal. 731 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:22,280 And he fears that a single strike 732 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:25,200 could knock out a large part of his military, 733 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:27,680 in particular his submarines. 734 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:29,280 ♪ ♪ 735 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:31,280 At this time, the Soviet submarine fleet 736 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:34,840 is the largest in the world, boasting over 300 vessels. 737 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:37,360 And each one of these submarines 738 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:41,320 is worth over $10 million. 739 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:43,880 [Duchovny] Stalin wants his billion-dollar fleet 740 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,680 hidden away from prying eyes and safe from falling bombs. 741 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:49,080 [O'Keefe] Stalin orders something 742 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,280 that has never been attempted before-- 743 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:53,880 a nuclear-proof underground stronghold 744 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,480 with a secret gate to let subs pass 745 00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:01,000 into and from the ocean in total secrecy. 746 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,680 [Duchovny] To find a location for his super base, 747 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:06,480 Stalin turns to one of the few people he trusts-- 748 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:08,280 Lavrentiy Beria. 749 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:10,640 ♪ ♪ 750 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:14,240 - Lavrentiy Beria is the head of the Soviet KGB. 751 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:18,360 He's in a position of great authority and power 752 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:21,320 and a confidant of Stalin's. 753 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:24,360 Stalin turns to Beria to identify a place 754 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:27,480 for a reinforced submarine base 755 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:31,200 that can survive a thermonuclear attack. 756 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:33,000 ♪ ♪ 757 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:35,480 [Hakeem] Beria and his team spend months 758 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:37,440 scouring the coastlines, 759 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:39,080 looking for an ideal location 760 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:41,880 that will afford maximum security 761 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,680 and natural protection. 762 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:47,840 They find a remote bay on the Black Sea 763 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:49,960 called Balaklava. 764 00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:52,920 [Don] Balaklava is home to a twisting inlet 765 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:55,000 around 200 meters deep. 766 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:57,560 It's sheltered from storms, with a narrow entrance 767 00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:00,040 that's impossible to spot from the open sea. 768 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:01,880 It's also just 9 miles 769 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:04,280 from the Soviet naval port at Sevastopol, 770 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:07,480 which houses Stalin's Black Sea fleet. 771 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:09,840 [Duchovny] The sheltered cove is perfect. 772 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:11,880 Now Stalin's team must dig out 773 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:15,080 one of the world's biggest nuclear bunkers 774 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:16,960 in secret. 775 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:18,560 - It's gonna take years to build. 776 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:20,280 And it's happening right around the corner 777 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:22,000 from a regular old fishing town. 778 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:25,920 So keeping it secret is gonna be a huge challenge. 779 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:29,280 - The Soviets immediately declare Balaklava is closed 780 00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:31,680 and effectively remove it from the map. 781 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,120 Then they secretly bus in workers 782 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:37,040 to start building the facility. 783 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,080 [Greg] During the night, materials are brought in. 784 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:43,360 And during the night, debris that is being created 785 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:46,680 as they tunnel out a mountain is taken out. 786 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,280 Meanwhile, any entrances and ventilation shafts 787 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:51,040 are covered with netting. 788 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:53,880 This will protect the Soviets from any flyover surveillance 789 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:55,880 that might see what's going on. 790 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:57,800 ♪ ♪ 791 00:33:57,920 --> 00:33:59,680 [Duchovny] It takes eight years 792 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:03,280 to extract nearly 120,000 tons of rock from the mountain, 793 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:07,320 carving out a Cold War marvel in the process. 794 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:10,520 - The finished base can hide 10 submarines, 795 00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:13,280 including 7 in one central channel 796 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:15,520 that's 500 meters long. 797 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:18,080 It also includes a dry dock, 798 00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:20,720 missile storage, command rooms, 799 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:23,440 and a power infiltration system-- 800 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,360 all of it under 130 meters of rock 801 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:29,480 with 4.5-meter-thick concrete walls. 802 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:33,480 It's designed to withstand a direct nuclear-bomb strike 803 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:35,960 of up to 100 kilotons. 804 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:39,480 That's 6 to 7 times that of the Hiroshima bomb. 805 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:41,640 ♪ ♪ 806 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:43,280 [Don] It can be completely sealed 807 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:45,840 with a set of colossal underwater gates 808 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,880 made from 150 tons of solid steel. 809 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:51,760 They are 7 meters high, 10 meters wide, 810 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:54,400 and provide the final line of defense, 811 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,720 guaranteeing protection for the submarines inside. 812 00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:00,000 - The most secure room in the heart of the complex 813 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:02,920 is where the nuclear warheads are stored. 814 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:06,040 The base isn't just designed to withstand an atomic blast. 815 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:08,520 It's fully prepared for retaliation. 816 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:10,400 - In the event of a nuclear war, 817 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:14,000 3,000 people can hide in here for up to 30 days. 818 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:15,360 ♪ ♪ 819 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:18,160 This place is virtually indestructible. 820 00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:21,440 - Basically, it's something out of a Bond film. 821 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:24,480 [Duchovny] Despite extreme efforts to avoid detection, 822 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:27,840 rumors about the Balaklava base start to leak out. 823 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,600 - The area around Sevastopol is photographed. 824 00:35:30,720 --> 00:35:32,920 The area of Balaklava is photographed. 825 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:35,200 [Duchovny] U.S. spies piece together 826 00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:37,080 small fragments of intel, 827 00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:39,280 but the base is so effectively hidden 828 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:42,560 that its full nature remains shrouded in mystery. 829 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:45,080 Only after the collapse of the Soviet Union 830 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:47,560 is this secret site deactivated. 831 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:49,880 - In 2003, this Cold War labyrinth 832 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:52,720 is open to the public as a museum. 833 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:54,120 For several years, 834 00:35:54,240 --> 00:35:56,680 its tunnels echo with the footsteps of tourists 835 00:35:56,800 --> 00:35:59,840 rather than military officers. 836 00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:02,640 [Duchovny] But after Putin's invasion of Ukraine, 837 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:05,880 the base is back in the conversation. 838 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:09,280 And the rumors are, it's being reactivated. 839 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:15,480 - When the U.S. comes under attack on 9/11, 840 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:17,880 the government relocates to an emergency bunker 841 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:20,040 for the first time in history. 842 00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:24,160 The only problem is, it's 50 years out of date. 843 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:26,920 [dramatic music] 844 00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:28,760 ♪ ♪ 845 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:31,080 - In 1950, the White House is undergoing 846 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:32,880 a massive expansion. 847 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:37,080 President Truman is overseeing renovations of the East Wing. 848 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:39,400 Truman decides that in the atomic age, 849 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:40,880 the White House 850 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:42,760 needs a nuke-proof emergency shelter-- 851 00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:46,680 one to be used in the event of a Soviet attack on D.C. 852 00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:49,960 [Duchovny] The $11 million investment under the East Wing 853 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:53,520 is called the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. 854 00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:57,680 - The P-E-O-C, or PEOC, is an underground bunker 855 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,960 meant to protect the president and key personnel, 856 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:04,240 meant to ensure continuity of government 857 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:08,080 and also meant to act as a command and control center 858 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:10,880 in a time of crisis. 859 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,000 [Sami] It's accessible from an elevator in the East Wing. 860 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:15,880 Behind these heavy steel doors, 861 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:17,280 there's a shower room 862 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:19,160 for washing off any nuclear fallout. 863 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:21,680 This then leads to a number of rooms, 864 00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:23,400 including a food store, 865 00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:25,680 living quarters for the President and the First Lady, 866 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:28,120 and, most importantly, the communications center, 867 00:37:28,240 --> 00:37:31,760 which has direct telephone lines to the Pentagon. 868 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:35,720 [Duchovny] Truman's PEOC is a cutting-edge hideaway, 869 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:39,280 ready and waiting for a threat to the White House. 870 00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:41,480 But the threat never comes. 871 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:45,520 And for 50 years, it lies dormant... 872 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:47,320 until 2001. 873 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:49,720 - Oh, my God. Oh, my God. 874 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:52,280 ♪ ♪ 875 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:54,080 [Sami] When the Twin Towers are hit 876 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,080 and the United States is under attack, 877 00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:57,960 President Bush is in Florida. 878 00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:01,280 But the First Lady, Laura Bush, is in D.C. 879 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:02,360 ♪ ♪ 880 00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:05,400 - Laura Bush was at the Congress. 881 00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:07,080 She was at the Capitol. 882 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:08,880 [sirens wailing] 883 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:13,000 The Secret Service-- they sent her to the PEOC. 884 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:14,520 ♪ ♪ 885 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:16,280 [Duchovny] The secret bunker is called on 886 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:18,240 for the very first time. 887 00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:21,800 ♪ ♪ 888 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:25,920 [Tim] Laura Bush had never been to the PEOC before. 889 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:29,200 She describes walking through a tunnel... 890 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:30,880 ♪ ♪ 891 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:35,360 going through these metal doors into the secure facility. 892 00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:36,880 ♪ ♪ 893 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:40,000 Who was there but Vice President Cheney 894 00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:41,720 and Mrs. Cheney. 895 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:44,080 - President Bush is in the air, flying back to Washington. 896 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:46,200 So the vice president is running things 897 00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:47,960 from underground. 898 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:49,680 [Duchovny] The PEOC is suddenly 899 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:52,480 the most important room on Earth. 900 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:54,080 ♪ ♪ 901 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:57,080 - Immediately things start going wrong. 902 00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:00,680 - Cheney can't get through to key personnel. 903 00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:02,960 And there's another problem. 904 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:07,680 The TV screens can play live news programming, 905 00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:09,280 but then they can't hear 906 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:12,040 the internal video teleconferencing. 907 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:13,520 ♪ ♪ 908 00:39:13,640 --> 00:39:15,280 [Duchovny] It's not just the communications 909 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:16,640 that are failing. 910 00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:18,480 [Sasha] There is an air problem. 911 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:20,920 The room is sealed, it's crowded, 912 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:23,480 and carbon dioxide levels are rising. 913 00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:26,080 [Duchovny] With CO2 levels rising, 914 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:28,920 the evacuated staff start to feel the pressure. 915 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:31,440 [Sasha] The vice president has to choose. 916 00:39:31,560 --> 00:39:33,280 He can either stay in the safety 917 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:36,720 of this subterranean bomb-proof shelter, 918 00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:39,080 or he can go upstairs 919 00:39:39,200 --> 00:39:42,480 into the unfolding chaos and take control. 920 00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:44,160 ♪ ♪ 921 00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:46,760 [Sami] Cheney is instructed to stay underground. 922 00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:49,480 So he's in the failing operations center 923 00:39:49,600 --> 00:39:52,280 for the whole day. 924 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:54,680 [Tim] The Bushes were asked by the Secret Service 925 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:56,960 if they wanted to spend the night there. 926 00:39:57,080 --> 00:39:58,840 Neither one wanted to. 927 00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:00,240 ♪ ♪ 928 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:01,680 It was a pretty crammed 929 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:04,960 and not terribly inviting place to be. 930 00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:08,280 [Duchovny] The PEOC turns out to be a Cold War relic, 931 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:11,240 no longer fit for purpose. 932 00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:14,280 The details of what happened down there are kept hidden 933 00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:16,640 for nearly a decade. 934 00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:19,560 [Sami] In 2010, Laura Bush publishes her memoir, 935 00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:21,880 in which she reveals her experience 936 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:23,800 in the outdated bunker. 937 00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:26,680 ♪ ♪ 938 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:28,280 [Duchovny] Just months later, 939 00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:31,120 diggers start pulling up the White House lawn. 940 00:40:31,240 --> 00:40:33,280 In the wake of the PEOC's failings, 941 00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:37,080 a massive renovation project takes place underground. 942 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:38,680 ♪ ♪ 943 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:41,280 - A new and improved 21st-century operations center 944 00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:43,840 is installed five stories below the White House, 945 00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:47,080 so hopefully something like this never happens again. 946 00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:50,000 ♪ ♪ 947 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:52,840 - From hidden experiments to buried bunkers, 948 00:40:52,960 --> 00:40:56,880 governments have long concealed secrets deep under the Earth. 949 00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:59,640 But no secret stays buried forever, 950 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:01,880 even the most surprising. 951 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:04,000 ♪ ♪