1 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:03,680 [beeping] 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:06,920 [dramatic music] 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:09,040 [Duchovny] Tonight on "Secrets Declassified," 4 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,480 Black ops, secret missions so daring and dangerous, 5 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:14,720 they were hidden for decades. 6 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:17,880 Sabotage leaves a New York City icon scarred. 7 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:19,680 [explosion booming] 8 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,560 - The blast was so powerful that it leaves its mark 9 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:24,680 on the Statue of Liberty. 10 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:27,600 - Ukraine mounts a modern-day Trojan horse attack. 11 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,000 - It's the single worst day for Russian air power 12 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:33,120 since World War II. 13 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:35,800 - And the Allies cook up a daring black op 14 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,120 inside a Nazi munitions factory. 15 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,000 - He is all alone with a pile of baguette bombs. 16 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:42,080 ♪ ♪ 17 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:43,760 - These are the astonishing 18 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:46,480 and sometimes terrible missions done by governments 19 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:48,200 and the people who work for them. 20 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,040 It's time to bring them to light. 21 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:57,120 ♪ ♪ 22 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:00,360 World War II created no shortage 23 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,960 of allied heroes, people who did 24 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,080 unbelievable things to help defeat the Nazis. 25 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,120 But one U.S. officer's black op is so extraordinary, 26 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,640 the government kept it secret for over 60 years. 27 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,520 [tense music] 28 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:17,880 ♪ ♪ 29 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:19,160 [Sami] At the height of World War II, 30 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:20,600 the Brenner Pass is 31 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:22,720 a vital supply route for Europe. 32 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,760 It's a 77-mile-long railway line 33 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,040 that carves through the Italian Alps. 34 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:28,480 ♪ ♪ 35 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,120 - Over 24,000 tons of material per day 36 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:33,680 comes across Brenner Pass. 37 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,600 Absolutely critical for maintaining 38 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:38,560 a German force presence in Italy. 39 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:39,680 ♪ ♪ 40 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,280 - The Allies try again and again 41 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,960 to bomb key railway bridges and tunnels 42 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:46,200 to shut down the pass. 43 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:47,800 ♪ ♪ 44 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:50,960 But every time they get close, 45 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,240 their planes face a torrent of anti-aircraft fire, 46 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,040 making this an incredibly costly mission. 47 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:58,520 ♪ ♪ 48 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:00,640 [Duchovny] The enemy trains thunder on 49 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,040 until one man proposes a different solution. 50 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:07,360 - Roderick "Steve" Hall is a U.S. Army officer 51 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,840 in the 270th Engineer Combat Battalion. 52 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,800 - He has a unique knowledge of the Brenner Pass 53 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:16,560 that no one else in American uniform does. 54 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,760 Hall spent the 1930s exploring the Italian Alps, 55 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:21,960 skiing ravines, climbing glaciers, 56 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,120 and mapping out trails that even locals didn't know about. 57 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:26,680 ♪ ♪ 58 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:28,160 [Duchovny] Hall believes his unique knowledge 59 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:30,720 of the Brenner could help the Allies. 60 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:32,760 - Hall writes to the OSS, 61 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:34,840 who are the predecessor of the CIA, 62 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:36,960 and makes a bold pitch. 63 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,040 He will parachute in and take out the bridges 64 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:42,360 that keep the German supplied in Italy. 65 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,520 - The OSS is initially reluctant to accept 66 00:02:45,640 --> 00:02:47,920 because they have no means of extracting him. 67 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:49,640 He then offers the checkmate of all, 68 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:51,480 which is that, well, if you drop me in, 69 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:52,800 you don't have to extract me. 70 00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:54,280 I can live in hiding 71 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:55,840 until the war is over. 72 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,080 - It's this promise that convinces the OSS 73 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,000 to back his plan. 74 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,880 [Duchovny] The mission is codenamed Operation Mercury. 75 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,640 And his first target under the Brenner Pass, 76 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,280 a key railway bridge near Tolmezzo. 77 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,640 [suspenseful music] 78 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,680 Things get off to a rocky start. 79 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,320 - On August 2, 1944, Hall and his team 80 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:24,080 board a Halifax bomber bound for northern Italy. 81 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:26,520 Due to the heavily defended 82 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:28,560 airspace around Brenner Pass, 83 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:30,080 the plane is only able 84 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,200 to get within 85 miles 85 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:34,000 of the target bridge. 86 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,120 [O'Keefe] Hall and his men have to cross 87 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,600 one of the most rugged, heavily patrolled terrains 88 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:40,480 in Western Europe on foot 89 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,000 with limited supplies and no room for error. 90 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,680 [Duchovny] Hall's bad luck doesn't end there. 91 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,560 - When Hall jumps, his parachute lines get twisted, 92 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:53,040 sending him into a death roll. 93 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:54,440 [dramatic music] 94 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:55,800 He fights to untangle them. 95 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,400 And at the last second, they snap free. 96 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:00,600 ♪ ♪ 97 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,240 [Duchovny] Hall survives and finds his comrades. 98 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:04,920 ♪ ♪ 99 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:06,720 Stranded deep in Northern Italy 100 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,640 with no way back, they push forward on foot. 101 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:12,560 ♪ ♪ 102 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,280 After a brutal trek of nearly 100 miles, 103 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:19,800 Hall and his team finally reach their first target. 104 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,800 [tense music] 105 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:24,720 ♪ ♪ 106 00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:27,160 - Hall scouts the bridge for weak points. 107 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:29,800 And the team packs in 150 pounds of dynamite, 108 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:31,960 plus 25 pounds of plastique, 109 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:33,880 wiring it all to the load-bearing columns 110 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:35,960 for maximum devastation. 111 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,400 - At 1:30 a.m., Hall triggers the explosion. 112 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:43,880 [explosion booming] 113 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,760 Stone, steel, and wood go flying in every direction. 114 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,880 And Hall and his team disappear into the night. 115 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:52,400 ♪ ♪ 116 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:53,960 - In a matter of seconds, 117 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:57,040 a vital German supply route is wiped out. 118 00:04:57,160 --> 00:04:58,360 But Hall isn't finished. 119 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:00,200 There are more bridges on the list. 120 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,200 And after that blast, he's now got 121 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,040 every Nazi in the area on his tail. 122 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,840 [tense music] 123 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,080 - German troops begin hunting them. 124 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:12,480 ♪ ♪ 125 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:14,280 They're burning villages 126 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:16,320 trying to find this team. 127 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:17,880 ♪ ♪ 128 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:19,920 [Duchovny] Hall stays one step ahead, 129 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:22,560 relentless in his mission. 130 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:25,880 Over six months, the team destroyed five more bridges 131 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,640 and cut off three Nazi supply routes. 132 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:32,120 ♪ ♪ 133 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,880 Now another threat closes in-- 134 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:37,600 the deadly Alpine winter. 135 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,880 - By January 1945, Hall has been 136 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,120 living outdoors for months. 137 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,600 Temperatures are regularly dropping below freezing, 138 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:50,040 and Hall now has frostbite on his feet. 139 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:51,800 - His comrades are telling him that 140 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:53,640 he needs to rest, he needs to recover 141 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:54,920 from his exhaustion. 142 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:57,200 But he just won't stop. 143 00:05:57,320 --> 00:05:59,000 [Duchovny] Hall straps on his skis 144 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:01,240 and heads off to the next target. 145 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:02,680 [solemn music] 146 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,920 This time, he doesn't return. 147 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,720 - He's captured, tortured during interrogation, 148 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:11,000 and dies in captivity. 149 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:13,600 [tense music] 150 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:15,160 [Duchovny] For over 60 years, 151 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:18,280 Hall's remarkable story stays buried. 152 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:23,480 Then in 2008, OSS historian Patrick K. O'Donnell 153 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,080 unearths it from a cache of newly declassified files. 154 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:28,920 ♪ ♪ 155 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,600 He hunts down Hall's surviving comrades 156 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,280 and, piece by piece, rebuilds the story 157 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:37,600 of Roderick "Steve" Hall, 158 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,880 an unknown hero whose valor and sacrifice 159 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,320 is finally revealed. 160 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:46,680 Some black ops go boom. 161 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:49,000 Others barely make a sound. 162 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,920 To help end the Vietnam War, the CIA greenlights a mission 163 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:57,720 to wiretap a military hotline using a helicopter so quiet, 164 00:06:57,840 --> 00:06:59,880 the enemy never hears it coming. 165 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,880 [explosions booming] 166 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:04,520 [tense music] 167 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:08,360 - It's 1971, and the Vietnam War has been going on 168 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:10,760 full-tilt for six years. 169 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,160 The American public is now putting pressure 170 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,360 on the government to end the war, 171 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,840 and troops are actually starting to come home. 172 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:20,680 [Sami] Peace talks are underway. 173 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,000 But President Nixon finds himself 174 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:24,680 in the middle of a diplomatic deadlock 175 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:27,800 that is just so absurd that-- and this is no joke-- 176 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:32,880 after 10 weeks, the only thing negotiators have agreed on 177 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,840 is the shape of the conference table. 178 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:39,680 [Martin] Henry Kissinger is Richard Nixon's 179 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:41,560 national security advisor. 180 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:44,640 Kissinger feels a concern that the North Vietnamese 181 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:46,800 are not negotiating in good faith. 182 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:50,280 He turns to the CIA in the interests of 183 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:52,960 developing a more accurate intelligence picture. 184 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:54,360 [dramatic music] 185 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:55,760 [Sami] The CIA has learned 186 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:57,520 that about 15 miles from the city 187 00:07:57,640 --> 00:07:59,800 of Vinh, a single phone line carries 188 00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:02,960 the North Vietnamese military's most senior communications. 189 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:04,680 ♪ ♪ 190 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,360 [Duchovny] Laying a tap on this line could hand Nixon 191 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:09,680 Hanoi's playbook in real time. 192 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:10,960 ♪ ♪ 193 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:12,960 But there's a catch. 194 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:18,560 - The phone line runs about 150 miles into enemy territory. 195 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:20,840 Reaching it means flying a helicopter 196 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:22,600 deep behind enemy lines. 197 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:23,840 And this is further 198 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,040 than any covert flight of the war. 199 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:27,840 ♪ ♪ 200 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,760 [Duchovny] Very little about a helicopter is stealthy. 201 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,240 - A conventional helicopter can be heard for several miles. 202 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:37,120 Using one will blow the mission's cover 203 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:39,200 and also get the team shot down. 204 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:42,480 Somehow, the team need to source a helicopter 205 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:44,760 that the enemy won't hear coming. 206 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:47,280 [tense music] 207 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:51,040 - Enter the Quiet One, a stealth helicopter 208 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:54,280 in the works at the Pentagon's top research lab. 209 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,440 [suspenseful music] 210 00:08:56,560 --> 00:09:00,440 - Instead of four rotor blades, it runs five. 211 00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:02,280 It cuts down on the thump 212 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,240 that these rotor blades tend to make. 213 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:07,720 They also use oversized mufflers, 214 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:12,160 which soften the entire exhaust signature. 215 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:15,960 [Duchovny] At 400 feet, it registers just 71 decibels, 216 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:17,360 earning its title 217 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:19,600 as the world's quietest helicopter. 218 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:21,080 ♪ ♪ 219 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:24,560 But quiet isn't the same as combat-ready. 220 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:27,600 - Landing in North Vietnam would be catastrophic. 221 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,520 So the Quiet One needs to make a 300-mile 222 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:32,840 round trip without stopping. 223 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:36,840 - The CIA modifies it with a 500 horsepower engine, 224 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:38,600 twice the standard, 225 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,400 so it can fly long haul without refueling. 226 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:42,640 - They also give the air crew 227 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:44,680 forward-looking infrared screens, 228 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,360 allowing these crews to fly in complete darkness. 229 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,440 - To top it off, the whole chopper is coated 230 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:56,600 head to toe in experimental radar-absorbing black paint. 231 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,760 - By October of 1971, two prototypes are ready 232 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:02,800 and shipped to a secret air base in Taiwan. 233 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:04,360 [dramatic music] 234 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,440 [Duchovny] Now Kissinger just needs 235 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:08,560 the right team for this black op. 236 00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:10,880 - The CIA wants to keep this mission deniable 237 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:12,360 for the U.S. government. 238 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:15,480 So they sent in two American helicopter pilots 239 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:19,640 to train the Taiwanese on how to fly the stealth helicopter. 240 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:21,480 ♪ ♪ 241 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:23,960 [Hakeem] Training turns out to be a disaster. 242 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:27,240 The Taiwanese pilots are told to push the aircraft 243 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:29,640 beyond what they're capable of. 244 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:33,400 One of the helicopters crashes and is damaged beyond repair. 245 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:35,040 ♪ ♪ 246 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,080 [Duchovny] Down to their last Quiet One, 247 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:40,280 the CIA upends its original plan. 248 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,280 - By late 1972, the CIA has no choice. 249 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:45,960 The U.S. pilots will have to fly the mission themselves. 250 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:47,640 ♪ ♪ 251 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:50,480 So on December 6th, they give the green light 252 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:55,040 for the most covert flight of the entire Vietnam War. 253 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:58,600 [Martin] The aircraft delivers the team to the bluff. 254 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:00,080 The team scramble off of it. 255 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:02,280 The aircraft then quietly returned to the air. 256 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:04,080 ♪ ♪ 257 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,400 [Duchovny] Placing the wiretap should be the easy part. 258 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:09,880 But there's a problem. 259 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:13,080 - The telegraph poles are not made of wood 260 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:15,800 like they expected, but they're of concrete. 261 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,640 The special climbing gear they bought won't bite. 262 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:20,400 ♪ ♪ 263 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:23,040 - The commandos muscle their way up the pole 264 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:25,320 by hand, which wastes precious time. 265 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:26,880 ♪ ♪ 266 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,200 [Martin] Undeterred, they reach that spot, 267 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:32,440 install the wiretap, scramble back down. 268 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:33,960 ♪ ♪ 269 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:36,080 [Sami] The Quiet One descends in silence, 270 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:38,000 the commandos climb back aboard, 271 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:39,400 and they head for base. 272 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:41,320 ♪ ♪ 273 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:43,600 [Duchovny] A few weeks later, the Vietnam War 274 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:47,640 comes to an end when the Paris Peace Accords are signed. 275 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,360 [Hakeem] Many believe that the intercept by the Quiet One 276 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:53,040 gave Kissinger the leverage that 277 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:54,920 he needed to close the deal. 278 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:57,680 [Duchovny] While Kissinger takes the spotlight, 279 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:01,880 the Quiet One disappears into CIA silence, 280 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,520 and its black ops mission is buried. 281 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:05,640 ♪ ♪ 282 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:07,920 Then in 1982, historians 283 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:11,360 Ken Conboy and James Morrison 284 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:13,400 start to piece together the truth 285 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,040 through hundreds of interviews with those involved. 286 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:17,360 ♪ ♪ 287 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:18,960 Over a decade later, 288 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:21,880 they reveal the full story to the world. 289 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:22,720 ♪ ♪ 290 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:28,280 - In the lead up to D-Day, the Allies are scrambling 291 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,480 to knock out a Nazi armament factory in France. 292 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:32,880 That's when they mix together 293 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,760 the perfect recipe for victory-- 294 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,480 3 cups flour, 2 cups water, 295 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,000 and 40 pounds of plastic explosive. 296 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:44,000 [tense music] 297 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:45,440 ♪ ♪ 298 00:12:45,560 --> 00:12:47,480 [Hakeem] It's April of 1944, 299 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:49,280 and D-Day is just weeks away. 300 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:52,320 The Allied Commanders are working overtime 301 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,200 to weaken the German defenses that they're going to face 302 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:57,720 when they invade Normandy. 303 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,320 - An important target is the National Munitions Factory 304 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:04,000 that's located in Saint-Médard-en-Jalle, 305 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:06,000 just outside of Bordeaux. 306 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:07,600 ♪ ♪ 307 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:11,640 [Duchovny] The Allies drop 268 tons of bombs 308 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:15,120 in an attempt to raze it to the ground. 309 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:17,400 But it's back up within days. 310 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:19,960 - Knocking out a factory is not as simple 311 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:22,440 as it seems from the air. 312 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:24,760 [Sami] So Britain's wartime sabotage unit, 313 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:27,920 the SOE, devise a black op-- 314 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:32,640 send someone behind enemy lines to blow it sky high. 315 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:35,280 [Duchovny] It's a black op at its boldest, 316 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,200 high reward and high risk, 317 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:42,880 which is why Britain calls on an unlikely recruit, 318 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,400 a 20-year-old French Aristocrat. 319 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:48,080 [Hakeem] Robert de La Rochefoucauld 320 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:50,360 is a young count from one of France's 321 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,640 oldest noble families. 322 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:54,800 He flees to Britain once his father 323 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,640 is imprisoned by the Germans. 324 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,680 While in Britain, he learns of a new covert unit 325 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:02,480 known as the SOE, 326 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:04,440 or the Special Operations Executive. 327 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:06,800 They were formed by Churchill for the purpose 328 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:11,920 of carrying out sabotage missions in occupied Europe. 329 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:13,840 [Sami] Robert arrives in Britain 330 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:15,600 at the perfect time for the SOE. 331 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:17,080 Their operatives on the continent 332 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:18,440 keep getting caught, because they're given away 333 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:20,000 by their schoolboy French. 334 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,000 So they're looking to recruit eager French exiles 335 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:24,800 to carry out sabotage missions. 336 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:26,680 ♪ ♪ 337 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:29,720 [Duchovny] Rochefoucauld is the perfect fit-- 338 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:32,320 gung-ho, willing, French, 339 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,080 and desperate to avenge his family. 340 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:36,480 ♪ ♪ 341 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:38,160 He's given the mission to take out 342 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:41,520 the munitions factory at Saint-Médard-en-Jalle. 343 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:44,520 [suspenseful music] 344 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,000 ♪ ♪ 345 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,200 [Hakeem] On May 7, 1944, 346 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:51,480 Rochefoucauld and another SOE agent 347 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:55,200 head to southwestern France in two Halifax bombers 348 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:59,560 loaded with weapons, ammunition, and explosives. 349 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:01,960 [Sami] The two men parachute into the countryside, 350 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:03,840 where they link up with the local resistance 351 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,760 and begin plotting how to take down the Saint-Medard plant. 352 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:09,720 [Duchovny] Early surveillance reveals 353 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:11,880 the scale of the challenge. 354 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,640 - The place is crawling with guards who run regular patrols, 355 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,120 and they stop the workers at random 356 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:22,640 to make sure that none of them are smuggling in explosives. 357 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:24,560 [Duchovny] Then the team spots a way 358 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:29,520 for a native Frenchman like Robert to just walk right in. 359 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:31,280 [Martin] Rochefoucauld observes that 360 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:32,760 the workforce in the factory, 361 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:34,400 they're French civilians, 362 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,760 and what that means is that he has an opportunity now 363 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:39,280 to blend in. 364 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:42,640 He can pass for French because he is French. 365 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:44,480 [Sami] To convince the guards at the gate, 366 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:47,120 Robert has to look like a real employee. 367 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,640 So the team scour the workers and eventually find 368 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,440 a close match, who, 369 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,920 desperate to stop the Nazis, hands over his ID. 370 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:57,640 It's a major risk for both men, to be sure, 371 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:01,240 because being caught would almost certainly mean death. 372 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:03,520 - Getting Robert inside is one thing. 373 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,560 40 pounds of explosives is a much bigger problem. 374 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:10,160 So the team looks for a cover no guard would question. 375 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:11,560 [tense music] 376 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:13,520 - They noticed that most workers 377 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:15,360 coming to the plant each morning-- 378 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:17,800 carrying a baguette. 379 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:19,760 [Martin] It might be possible to smuggle 380 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,720 small amounts of plastic explosive inside baguettes. 381 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:26,360 [Duchovny] In France, nothing raises less suspicion 382 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:28,480 than the humble baguette. 383 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:33,040 But how can you engineer it into the perfect secret bomb? 384 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:35,120 [Sami] Robert needs a baguette with the right structure 385 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:36,440 for concealing explosives. 386 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:38,080 So it's not as simple as just popping 387 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:39,480 over to the local bakery. 388 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:41,160 Any ordinary baguette 389 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:42,680 might be too dense to hollow out, 390 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:44,200 too brittle to hold a charge, 391 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:46,560 or too dry to seal up convincingly. 392 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:48,560 - The team starts baking. 393 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:50,880 They shape dough around the cavity, 394 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:52,800 make it firm but make it pliable, 395 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:55,400 and then load it with plastic explosives 396 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:58,920 and seal it with a flour and water paste. 397 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:01,440 ♪ ♪ 398 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,200 [Duchovny] It's black ops by baking. 399 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:06,400 ♪ ♪ 400 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:08,320 Now it just needs to fool the guards. 401 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:11,000 [dramatic music] 402 00:17:11,120 --> 00:17:13,520 [Hakeem] Robert starts out with a small amount 403 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:15,280 of plastic explosives, 404 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:17,080 which he smuggles past the guards, 405 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:19,640 knowing that if anything looks out of place, 406 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,320 the entire operation is over. 407 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:24,240 ♪ ♪ 408 00:17:24,360 --> 00:17:26,040 [Sami] He slips away just long enough 409 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:27,800 to plant the explosives at critical points 410 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:30,480 around the factory, including fuel tanks 411 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:32,880 and munition stores. 412 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,240 [Paul] Once one artillery shell gets detonated, 413 00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:38,600 it has enough explosive power to detonate 414 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,040 all of the shells around it. 415 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:42,840 [Duchovny] To trigger this chain reaction, 416 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:44,360 Robert needs to plant 417 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,560 a network of hidden explosives. 418 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:49,960 This means returning to the factory every day 419 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,200 for an entire week. 420 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:53,840 [Sami] Each baguette can only hold 421 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:55,120 a limited amount of explosives. 422 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:57,120 So Robert repeats the mission 423 00:17:57,240 --> 00:17:58,640 over and over again. 424 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,440 And each visit carries the very real risk 425 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:02,720 of being caught. 426 00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:04,360 By the end of the week, he's planted 427 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:06,080 eight baguette bombs in total, 428 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,600 enough to blow the factory to pieces. 429 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,240 [whistle blows] 430 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:14,640 [Martin] It's May 20, 1944. 431 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,000 As thousands of workers begin to exit the factory, 432 00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:20,800 Rochefoucauld hides under a piece of machinery. 433 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:22,120 [suspenseful music] 434 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,120 [Hakeem] Robert moves quickly, 435 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,320 and he begins attaching timers to the bombs. 436 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,200 But he knows that this is incredibly dangerous, 437 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:33,520 because these devices don't always work as predicted, 438 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:37,160 and they sometimes set off the bombs early. 439 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:39,240 [ticking] 440 00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:41,160 - By 7:30, the last charge is armed, 441 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:44,160 leaving Robert less than 10 minutes to escape. 442 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,720 - Robert finds himself trapped inside the factory grounds 443 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:50,360 by an 18-foot wall, 444 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:52,840 but the resistance throws him a ladder. 445 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:57,080 He climbs up over the wall and disappears into the night. 446 00:18:57,200 --> 00:18:59,080 ♪ ♪ 447 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:01,440 [ticking] 448 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:03,920 [Duchovny] At 8:00... 449 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,480 [explosion booming] 450 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:08,240 The explosions begin... 451 00:19:08,360 --> 00:19:11,480 [explosions booming] 452 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:14,000 Stripping the Germans of crucial munitions 453 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:15,760 in the run up to D-Day. 454 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:17,000 ♪ ♪ 455 00:19:17,120 --> 00:19:19,840 - The secret mission remains secret 456 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:21,960 for decades after the war. 457 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,040 It's not until 2017, 458 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:27,720 when a journalist named Paul Kix publishes a book 459 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:31,040 that describes the baguette bomb incident. 460 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:34,560 [Duchovny] The full story is finally revealed, 461 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:36,240 how a young Frenchman pulled off 462 00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:38,840 one of World War II's boldest black ops 463 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:42,400 with nothing more than nerve, ingenuity, 464 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:44,560 and a handful of baguettes. 465 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:46,360 ♪ ♪ 466 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:51,520 - The Trojan horse is the original black op. 467 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:53,120 Back then, it was a wooden decoy 468 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:55,160 hiding elite Greek warriors. 469 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:57,400 Today, that kind of mission comes with something 470 00:19:57,520 --> 00:19:58,920 just as deadly-- 471 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,080 GPS and a swarm of killer drones. 472 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,200 [booming] 473 00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:11,520 - It's December of 2023, and Russia's ground invasion 474 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:14,760 into Ukraine has come to a bloody stalemate. 475 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,560 But in the skies, it's a different story. 476 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:22,480 Russia's Tu-95s and Tu-22M3 bomber planes 477 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:25,360 are raining missiles on Ukrainian cities 478 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:27,160 night after night, 479 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:29,320 terrifying the civilian population. 480 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:31,160 [dramatic music] 481 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:34,840 [Jesse] These Cold War bombers are almost impossible 482 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,280 for the Ukrainian air defenses to stop. 483 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,640 They're actually operating inside Russian territory 484 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:44,360 and firing long-range missiles into Ukraine. 485 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,600 [somber music] 486 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:50,640 [Duchovny] To protect its citizens and infrastructure, 487 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:53,520 Ukraine needs these planes destroyed. 488 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:54,760 ♪ ♪ 489 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:57,560 So its security service, the SBU, 490 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:02,040 hatches an extraordinary plan to wipe out the whole fleet. 491 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:05,600 Its name, Operation Spiderweb. 492 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:08,480 - Ukraine's plan is simple but bold-- 493 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,200 destroy Russia's bombers-- not in the air, 494 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:13,560 but on the ground at their air bases. 495 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,280 The planes are parked in neat rows on the tarmac. 496 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:18,920 They're minimally defended. 497 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:22,120 They are sitting ducks out there. 498 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:24,560 - The problem is, these bombers are 499 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,880 thousands of miles inside Russian territory. 500 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,240 So Ukraine has to find a way 501 00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:32,680 to get to them and destroy them, 502 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:34,960 all undetected. 503 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:38,600 [Duchovny] To do this, Ukraine plays to its strength. 504 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:40,960 Instead of using soldiers or missiles 505 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:45,840 to strike these planes, it's going to use drones. 506 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:47,800 - Since the start of the war, 507 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,680 the SBU has been turning $500 drones-- 508 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:52,840 you know, the ones that you might buy in a store-- 509 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:54,440 into lethal weapons. 510 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,080 [explosions booming] 511 00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,520 So now they're planning to take this idea to a whole new level 512 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:02,800 using a swarm of drones laden with explosives 513 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:05,360 to attack the Russian bombers. 514 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:08,280 [Hakeem] The problem is that regular store-bought drones 515 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:11,720 only work reliably over very short distances. 516 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:13,880 If the SBU attempts to operate them 517 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,640 from thousands of miles away inside of Ukraine, 518 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:18,160 the battery would die, 519 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:21,240 the signals would be lost, and they would crash. 520 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:25,160 [Jesse] The SBU doesn't want to send its own operatives 521 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:27,520 thousands of miles into enemy territory 522 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:30,040 to pilot the drones, because if they're caught, 523 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,200 they will be executed. 524 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:36,160 - That's when Operation Spider Web spins a new threat. 525 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:37,840 If pilots are a problem, 526 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:40,080 why not build a drone that doesn't need one? 527 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:41,280 ♪ ♪ 528 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:43,040 [Sasha] Ukraine's AI industry is 529 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,400 one of the most advanced in the world. 530 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:49,200 So the SBU turns to its top engineers 531 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:52,600 to develop a drone that can fly without a remote signal. 532 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:54,320 [dramatic music] 533 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:57,640 [Duchovny] By early 2025, they've cracked it-- 534 00:22:57,760 --> 00:22:59,880 an AI drone that can fly itself 535 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,240 without needing a human operator. 536 00:23:02,360 --> 00:23:05,120 But to hit its target, this smart drone has to learn 537 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,600 to recognize a Russian bomber. 538 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:09,880 ♪ ♪ 539 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:12,560 [Sami] The breakthrough comes when the SBU finds 540 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:16,280 old Soviet bombers in a museum near central Ukraine 541 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:18,040 they can use to train the AI 542 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:20,080 without ever setting foot in Russia. 543 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:23,080 They photograph every panel, every rivet, 544 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,000 and every weak spot on the planes. 545 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:26,320 ♪ ♪ 546 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:27,680 [Duchovny] Hundreds of these photos 547 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:29,840 are fed into the AI's database... 548 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,360 ♪ ♪ 549 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:34,200 Teaching the drones to recognize 550 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:36,080 the bombers from every angle. 551 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,200 ♪ ♪ 552 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:40,480 Now the SBU has a fleet of killer 553 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:43,160 smart drones ready to fly. 554 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:46,520 But it still needs to get them into Russian territory. 555 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:48,720 - To pull this mission off, the SBU needs 556 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:51,920 to get nearly 120 drones, each carrying 557 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:54,400 roughly 1.6 kilos of explosive, 558 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:57,800 and they have to smuggle them into Russia. 559 00:23:57,920 --> 00:23:59,760 [tense music] 560 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:02,480 [Sami] The drones are broken down into parts 561 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:05,440 and smuggled into Russia by Ukrainian sleeper agents. 562 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:07,960 - Here's where the real ingenuity comes in. 563 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:10,920 The drones are disguised in wooden sheds, 564 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:12,640 but not just any wooden sheds. 565 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:13,960 They're robotic. 566 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:16,240 They have remote-controlled roofs, 567 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:19,200 specially engineered by Ukrainian operatives 568 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,320 in a top-secret warehouse. 569 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:23,960 [Duchovny] With the push of a button, 570 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:25,360 the roof can slide back, 571 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:27,720 releasing the deadly swarm. 572 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:29,880 In an instant, this classified mission 573 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:34,080 would be revealed to the enemy and the entire world. 574 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:36,040 ♪ ♪ 575 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:40,400 [Jesse] It's May 31, 2025, and the Ukrainian agents 576 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:44,240 hire four unsuspecting Russian truck drivers 577 00:24:44,360 --> 00:24:48,000 to deliver what they think are ordinary wooden sheds 578 00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:50,240 to different parts of the country. 579 00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:53,360 - The SBU tracks the trucks with GPS. 580 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:57,080 And when the drivers get close to the Russian air bases, 581 00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:59,520 suddenly, the drivers get these calls 582 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,760 telling them to stop. 583 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:03,840 - Seconds later, the retractable roofs 584 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:06,320 of the sheds open, and the AI-guided drones 585 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:08,600 take off into the air and lock onto their targets, 586 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:09,960 the bombers. 587 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:12,600 [explosion booming] 588 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:15,320 [Duchovny] That's when all hell breaks loose. 589 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:17,560 Bystanders filming have no idea 590 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,120 they're witnessing a coordinated attack. 591 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:22,720 [Sasha] This extraordinary drone footage 592 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:24,680 beams back into Ukraine, 593 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:27,560 and suddenly, social media goes wild, 594 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:29,920 with videos of truck drivers 595 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:32,120 trying to catch these drones 596 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:36,400 and black smoke billowing from Russian air bases. 597 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:38,520 [Duchovny] The cat's out of the bag. 598 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:40,440 ♪ ♪ 599 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,200 Operation Spiderweb is seen by millions on social media 600 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:49,480 everywhere, a daring mission declassified in real time. 601 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:51,720 [Hakeem] More than a third of Russia's bomber fleet 602 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,080 is damaged or destroyed. 603 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:59,440 This cost the Russians $7 billion or more. 604 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,360 It's clearly the worst day for Russian aviation 605 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:04,160 since World War II. 606 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:05,200 ♪ ♪ 607 00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:10,760 - For generations, the Statue of Liberty 608 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,120 has stood as a symbol of hope and freedom. 609 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:16,000 But few know that, to this day, 610 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:18,280 Lady Liberty bears battle wounds 611 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:20,400 from one of the most devastating black ops 612 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:22,840 ever pulled off on U.S. soil. 613 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:25,760 [suspenseful music] 614 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:28,200 ♪ ♪ 615 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:33,080 - It's 1915, and World War I is raging in Europe. 616 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:35,160 The U.S. is officially neutral. 617 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,600 But in reality, a British naval blockade 618 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:40,720 is cutting Germany off from American factories. 619 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:42,800 They keep churning out weapons, 620 00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:44,840 but the only ships leaving U.S. ports 621 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:46,920 are bound for Britain and France. 622 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:49,040 ♪ ♪ 623 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:52,840 [Duchovny] To even the field, Berlin turns to sabotage. 624 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:54,560 ♪ ♪ 625 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:58,040 - The Germans decide that, since they can't buy U.S. arms, 626 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:00,120 they're going to destroy them. 627 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:03,560 But this is a risky plan, because if they're caught, 628 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,760 this could cause the U.S. to declare war. 629 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:08,720 ♪ ♪ 630 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:11,200 [Duchovny] Berlin needs saboteurs on the ground. 631 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:14,920 So it sends two agents to New York, 632 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:17,960 Kurt Jahnke and Lothar Witzke. 633 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,720 - Their first job is to identify a target. 634 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:25,520 And there is one standout option-- 635 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:27,600 Black Tom Island in Jersey City. 636 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:32,280 It's one of the largest munitions depots in the world. 637 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,280 - The explosives are already in place. 638 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:37,520 The fuse just needs to be lit, 639 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:40,880 and a critical weapon stockpile will be wiped out. 640 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:42,480 The only problem? 641 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,320 Pulling this off in the city that never sleeps. 642 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:46,840 [tense music] 643 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:48,840 [Martin] Black Tom sits opposite Manhattan, 644 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:50,920 just a stone's throw from crowded piers 645 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:52,240 and the Statue of Liberty. 646 00:27:52,360 --> 00:27:54,040 ♪ ♪ 647 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,920 It's also lit day and night, and it has guards on patrol. 648 00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,280 ♪ ♪ 649 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:03,760 [Duchovny] So the saboteurs wait in the shadows, 650 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:06,120 until luck finally intervenes. 651 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:07,600 ♪ ♪ 652 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:09,280 [Sami] In July of 1916, 653 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:12,200 a dock strike erupts in Jersey City. 654 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:14,440 So security is stretched thin, 655 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,440 which means that Black Tom is back in play. 656 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:18,880 ♪ ♪ 657 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,000 [Duchovny] On the night of July 29th, 658 00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:24,360 the German spies finally make their move. 659 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,480 What happens next doesn't become public 660 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:29,200 for over two decades. 661 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:31,920 [Paul] Jahnke and Witzke head out on their mission. 662 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,200 They sneak across the harbor out to Black Tom Island. 663 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:37,560 And when they get there, they realize that 664 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,720 this is quite a labyrinth of railcars 665 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:43,520 packed with highly explosive munitions. 666 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:45,000 [Sami] It's summer, 667 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:46,760 and the air is just filled with mosquitoes. 668 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:49,480 So guards huddle around smoking oil pots 669 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:50,680 to fight them off. 670 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,440 It's the perfect distraction. 671 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:55,040 [Hakeem] Jahnke and Witzke move 672 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:56,640 silently through the site, 673 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,240 lighting small fires as they go. 674 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:02,160 The plan is simple but devastating, 675 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:04,680 and that is to light enough points 676 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:06,680 to set off a chain reaction 677 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:09,320 that would tear through the entire depot. 678 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:11,520 ♪ ♪ 679 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:13,560 [Paul] At midnight, they're actually able 680 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:15,480 to climb back aboard their rowboat 681 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:17,480 and slip away undetected. 682 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:19,720 ♪ ♪ 683 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:22,320 [dramatic music] 684 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:24,160 - At 2:08 a.m... 685 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:27,640 [explosions booming] 686 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:29,960 Black Tom erupts. 687 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:32,960 [explosions booming] 688 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:38,280 ♪ ♪ 689 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:40,920 The blast sends a shock wave racing 690 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:43,800 at 24,000 feet per second. 691 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:46,040 [Paul] Buildings suffered devastating damage 692 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:47,560 all along the harbor, 693 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:50,440 windows are blown out miles away, 694 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:55,200 and the explosion registers a 5.0 on the Richter scale. 695 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:57,920 [Duchovny] No one knows who's behind it. 696 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:01,440 The case stays unsolved for years, 697 00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:04,640 until investigators catch an unexpected break. 698 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:06,760 [suspenseful music] 699 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:10,680 - In the 1930s, multiple German intelligence agents 700 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:12,840 are captured by the United States. 701 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:15,880 And in an effort to gain leniency for themselves, 702 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:17,920 they actually reveal the story 703 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:21,200 of the covert assault on Black Tom Island. 704 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:24,600 ♪ ♪ 705 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:27,800 [Duchovny] Despite this, the German saboteurs 706 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:30,800 are never punished by the U.S. government 707 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:32,680 or at home. 708 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:37,280 And Lady Liberty, well, she still bears the scars. 709 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,200 [Sami] The blast was so powerful 710 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:41,760 that it mangled the Statue of Liberty's arm. 711 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,880 And it did it so badly that the torch 712 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:46,880 that the statue's arm is holding 713 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:50,120 has remained off limits to tourists ever since. 714 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:55,680 - In most spy stories, the bug is hidden in a lamp 715 00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:58,240 or a phone, maybe a potted plant. 716 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:01,480 In this one, the bug is the entire building. 717 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:04,480 [tense music] 718 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:05,560 ♪ ♪ 719 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:07,360 [Hakeem] In the 1970s, 720 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:10,280 the Cold War tensions are beginning to ease up a bit. 721 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:13,360 And so, as a gesture of goodwill and cooperation, 722 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:16,360 the United States and the Soviet Union agree 723 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:21,080 that the U.S. can rebuild its outdated Moscow embassy. 724 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:22,680 ♪ ♪ 725 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:24,440 [Sami] It's the largest construction project 726 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:26,600 the U.S. has ever attempted overseas, 727 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,520 an 8-story complex spread across 10 acres 728 00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:32,680 and boasting everything from an auditorium 729 00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:35,400 and classrooms to a garage, gym, 730 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:38,400 apartments, and 11 townhouses. 731 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:40,640 [Duchovny] Washington sees an opportunity 732 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:44,440 to project power in the heart of the Soviet Union. 733 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:46,360 But the Kremlin sees an opportunity 734 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:50,480 to spy on its biggest rival in their own backyard. 735 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:53,400 - Any project this big is chaos. 736 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:57,600 And chaos means opportunity for the KGB. 737 00:31:57,720 --> 00:31:59,600 They see it as the perfect chance 738 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:01,040 to bug the U.S. embassy 739 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:04,680 and turn it into a giant eavesdropping device. 740 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:08,200 [Duchovny] So the KGB plants covert workers on the job. 741 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:10,240 But how do you bug an embassy in a way 742 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:13,000 that's impossible for the U.S. to detect? 743 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:14,640 [tense music] 744 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:18,240 [Jesse] The Soviets build a full-scale mockup 745 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:21,120 of the U.S. embassy in a classified site 746 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:23,160 outside of Moscow. 747 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:26,680 [Duchovny] Here, they rehearse the entire operation, 748 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:29,600 every bug perfected in private. 749 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:33,040 This is where their bugging transforms. 750 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:35,640 - The Soviets decide that they're not going to plant 751 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:38,120 their surveillance devices in the normal places, 752 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:41,600 like in lamps and phones and picture frames and such. 753 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:43,520 Instead, they're going to build it 754 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:45,840 into the very structure of the building-- 755 00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:48,640 inside the beams, inside the bricks. 756 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:51,560 Consider it architectural sabotage. 757 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:52,920 ♪ ♪ 758 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:54,160 [Duchovny] The result is that the Soviets 759 00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:57,000 can hear you wherever you are. 760 00:32:57,120 --> 00:32:58,600 [Mark] It may be the walls listening to you. 761 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:00,240 It might be the floor listening to you. 762 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:01,920 It might be the door frame listening to you. 763 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:04,160 Or perhaps it's all of the above. 764 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:08,880 There's no private, safe space in the U.S. embassy. 765 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:11,200 [Sami] Once they've perfected the operation, 766 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:14,040 the replica is dismantled piece by piece. 767 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:15,640 Bugged door frames, pillars, 768 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:17,920 even entire sections of hallway 769 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:20,360 are packed up and shipped to Moscow, 770 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:23,840 ready to be slotted into the real embassy. 771 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:30,160 [Duchovny] November 22, 1979, construction begins. 772 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:34,080 - Ideally, this process will be closely supervised. 773 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:35,800 But in practice, there's only, like, 774 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:38,160 20 or 30 Naval personnel who are there 775 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:40,480 observing what's going on. 776 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:44,000 - As construction progresses, the U.S. runs inspections. 777 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:45,560 They find nothing. 778 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:48,560 Then in 1980, for the Soviets, at least, 779 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:50,000 disaster strikes. 780 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:52,040 ♪ ♪ 781 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,640 [Hakeem] In 1980, a KGB major 782 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:56,400 named Victor Sheymov 783 00:33:56,520 --> 00:33:58,040 defects to the United States. 784 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:00,560 He brings with him a wealth of intelligence 785 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:02,680 about Soviet surveillance ops, 786 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:05,600 including the bugging of the U.S. embassy. 787 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:09,760 [Sami] Sheymov warns the CIA that the Soviets are embedding 788 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:12,560 sophisticated, nearly undetectable bugs 789 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:13,960 during construction. 790 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:16,120 He actually gives them a chilling message. 791 00:34:16,240 --> 00:34:17,320 He tells them, 792 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:19,920 "You won't have a single secret 793 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:22,680 in the building." 794 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:24,440 [Duchovny] A KGB major is warning that 795 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,560 their brand-new embassy is wired from top to bottom. 796 00:34:27,680 --> 00:34:30,920 The CIA hears them out and then does nothing, 797 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:33,200 convinced their inspections have it covered. 798 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:34,400 ♪ ♪ 799 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:36,120 [Sami] The U.S. is so sure of 800 00:34:36,240 --> 00:34:38,200 their own counter-surveillance technology 801 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:40,680 that they think they'll spot any bug 802 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,720 the Soviets try to slip past them. 803 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:45,200 [Duchovny] Construction in Moscow 804 00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:47,200 continues for another five years. 805 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:51,640 And by 1985, the embassy is 2/3 complete. 806 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:54,080 The U.S. continues with routine inspections. 807 00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:56,520 But with time comes better technology, 808 00:34:56,640 --> 00:34:58,840 and suddenly, something shows up. 809 00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:00,240 [dramatic music] 810 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:04,240 - U.S. security teams notice radio waves 811 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:05,880 emanating out of the U.S. embassy. 812 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:07,280 And they're not quite sure what this is, 813 00:35:07,400 --> 00:35:09,360 but it doesn't look good. 814 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:10,880 And what they discover is 815 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:13,840 a remarkably sophisticated bugging system. 816 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:16,000 ♪ ♪ 817 00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:17,680 [Duchovny] The U.S. finally realizes 818 00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:21,480 it's been duped by its Soviet builders. 819 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:24,680 And the real kicker-- it paid them $55 million 820 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:27,040 for the privilege. 821 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:29,360 For years, the embassy is frozen in limbo, 822 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:31,560 and inspections drag on. 823 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:33,800 ♪ ♪ 824 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:36,920 Then in 1990, Victor Sheymov goes public 825 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:40,400 with one of the Cold War's biggest "I told you so's." 826 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:42,320 [Reporter] You worked in signals intelligence. 827 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:44,720 Can you tell us a little bit about those operations? 828 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:46,280 [tense music] 829 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:49,240 [Duchovny] Sheymov tells "The Washington Post" 830 00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:52,240 the CIA had been warned 10 years earlier 831 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:54,920 but did nothing. 832 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:56,760 And more expense lies ahead. 833 00:35:56,880 --> 00:36:00,480 - Congress approves $240 million 834 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:02,760 to strip the building to its skeleton 835 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:04,240 and rebuild it, 836 00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:07,840 but this time with secured American labor. 837 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,600 Steel is melted, walls are torn down, 838 00:36:10,720 --> 00:36:15,400 and the Soviet spy maze is dismantled piece by piece. 839 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:17,080 [dramatic music] 840 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:21,680 [Duchovny] By 2000, 21 years after work first began, 841 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:24,920 the new embassy finally opens-- 842 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:28,320 bug-free, as far as we can tell. 843 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:29,120 ♪ ♪ 844 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:34,280 - The Cold War's biggest booby trap 845 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:36,080 isn't hidden in a suitcase or a duffel bag. 846 00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:39,440 It's buried in a few lines of stolen software. 847 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:41,760 And when it goes off, it triggers 848 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:43,800 a devastating explosion. 849 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:46,800 [suspenseful music] 850 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:48,560 ♪ ♪ 851 00:36:48,680 --> 00:36:52,800 - In the 1980s, the U.S. is the world leader in technology. 852 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:55,800 From advanced computers to cutting-edge software, 853 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:58,440 no other nation comes close. 854 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:00,520 [Hakeem] The Soviets have been struggling 855 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:02,560 for years to keep up with United States 856 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:04,160 technology developments. 857 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:07,600 And the solution that they come up with is espionage. 858 00:37:07,720 --> 00:37:11,360 They're stealing Western tech on a scale that is massive. 859 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:13,280 ♪ ♪ 860 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:15,280 [Duchovny] This dependence on stolen tech 861 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:17,640 has left them lagging behind, 862 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:19,880 and now the Soviets are missing some key software 863 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:22,560 to build a major gas pipeline. 864 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:25,320 [Hakeem] The new pipeline is desperately needed, 865 00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:26,880 because falling oil prices 866 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,240 has wiped out the Soviets' main source of income. 867 00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:35,200 So they really need to develop new sources of revenue. 868 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:39,040 [Mark] The Soviet economy is very reliant on oil and gas. 869 00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:40,520 But prices have been dropping 870 00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:43,400 over their very high levels from the 1970s. 871 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:46,120 And at the same time, the Soviets are running out 872 00:37:46,240 --> 00:37:48,920 of new sources of oil and gas. 873 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:51,200 So they're looking for, like, where can we find more? 874 00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:54,040 Where is their natural gas that we haven't tapped yet? 875 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:56,000 ♪ ♪ 876 00:37:56,120 --> 00:37:58,600 [Duchovny] The Soviets decide to build a 3,000-mile-long 877 00:37:58,720 --> 00:38:00,920 pipeline to bring natural gas 878 00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:03,400 from Siberia to Czechoslovakia. 879 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:05,320 ♪ ♪ 880 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:06,800 [Mark] The export of this gas 881 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:09,560 is extraordinarily important to Moscow. 882 00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:12,400 It may be worth upwards of $30 billion to them. 883 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:13,400 And that's U.S. dollars. 884 00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:14,680 That's hard currency. 885 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:16,160 ♪ ♪ 886 00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:18,480 [Hakeem] The Soviets need special software 887 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:21,160 to run the pipeline's pumping stations. 888 00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:23,280 Without it, the system fails. 889 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:26,840 And of course, it's technology that they don't have. 890 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:28,760 ♪ ♪ 891 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:31,760 [Duchovny] So naturally, they look to the U.S. 892 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:33,920 and a plan to steal it. 893 00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:36,360 What they don't realize is that this mission 894 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:40,080 has been leaked to the White House. 895 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:42,000 [Andrew] Newly-elected President Ronald Reagan 896 00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:44,560 is handed a intelligence report 897 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,600 that's coming from a recent Soviet defector. 898 00:38:47,720 --> 00:38:50,720 The report is 4,000 pages long, 899 00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:53,600 and it starts to detail this Soviet operation 900 00:38:53,720 --> 00:38:55,720 targeting U.S. technology. 901 00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:57,600 ♪ ♪ 902 00:38:57,720 --> 00:38:59,800 - Known as the Farewell Dossier, 903 00:38:59,920 --> 00:39:02,640 the report even includes a list of U.S. technologies 904 00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:04,840 the Soviets still need, 905 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:07,360 including the gas pipeline software. 906 00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:09,000 Reagan's first instinct 907 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:11,560 is to expose the whole operation, 908 00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:14,160 but one advisor sees an opportunity. 909 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:15,200 ♪ ♪ 910 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:16,240 [Jesse] Gus Weiss is 911 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:18,120 a national security advisor. 912 00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:20,440 He's worked with four presidents 913 00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:22,680 as well as the CIA and NASA. 914 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:26,360 And his specialty is strategic deception. 915 00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:30,320 Instead of shutting down the flow of stolen secrets, 916 00:39:30,440 --> 00:39:33,400 what if the U.S. turned the tables on the Soviets 917 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:37,600 and fed them doctored software that could wreak havoc? 918 00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:40,800 [Duchovny] It's the perfect booby trap. 919 00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:42,840 One stolen program could sabotage 920 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:45,760 the entire gas pipeline. 921 00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:48,440 So Reagan uses the Farewell Dossier 922 00:39:48,560 --> 00:39:51,440 to set the plan in motion. 923 00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:53,280 - The dossier reveals that the Soviets 924 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:55,120 planned to steal the software 925 00:39:55,240 --> 00:39:57,760 from a single company in Canada. 926 00:39:57,880 --> 00:39:59,760 - With help from Canadian intelligence, 927 00:39:59,880 --> 00:40:02,920 the U.S. is able to plant bugs in the pipeline software 928 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:04,480 before the Soviets steal it. 929 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:07,280 ♪ ♪ 930 00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:09,960 [Duchovny] The Soviets install the code, 931 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:12,240 unaware it's been doctored. 932 00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:15,680 [suspenseful music] 933 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:18,880 - Over time, it slowly corrupts the pressure controls 934 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:22,080 of the pipeline, causing havoc. 935 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:26,120 [Duchovny] What happens next is still fiercely debated. 936 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:28,480 ♪ ♪ 937 00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:32,040 [explosion booming] 938 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:34,000 [dramatic music] 939 00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:37,800 - In June of 1982, a section of the Siberian pipeline 940 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:41,040 explodes in a massive ball of flames. 941 00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:44,160 [explosion booming] 942 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:46,720 Millions of dollars' worth of Soviet infrastructure 943 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:48,560 is destroyed in an instant. 944 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:50,760 ♪ ♪ 945 00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:52,400 [Duchovny] The truth stays hidden 946 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:54,680 for more than a decade... 947 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:56,320 [solemn music] 948 00:40:56,440 --> 00:41:00,000 Until 2004, when former U.S. Air Force Secretary 949 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:01,800 Thomas C. Reed makes 950 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:05,160 an explosive claim in his memoir. 951 00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:07,960 Reed alleges the CIA weaponized 952 00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:12,040 stolen Soviet software, lines of code, 953 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:14,800 the stuff of spreadsheets and keyboards, 954 00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:18,200 triggering a fireball visible from space. 955 00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:19,560 ♪ ♪ 956 00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:20,880 From baguette bombs 957 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:23,600 to drones hidden in backyard sheds, 958 00:41:23,720 --> 00:41:26,240 black ops evolve with every era. 959 00:41:26,360 --> 00:41:30,160 But even the darkest missions ultimately get revealed.