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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:11,179 --> 00:00:13,309 >> MARSHALL APPLEWHITE: Your 2 00:00:13,314 --> 00:00:15,054 only chance to evacuate is to 3 00:00:15,049 --> 00:00:16,649 leave with us. 4 00:00:16,650 --> 00:00:17,650 >> NARRATOR: Charismatic 5 00:00:17,651 --> 00:00:18,651 leaders... 6 00:00:18,652 --> 00:00:20,192 >> TIM CARTER: What happened 7 00:00:20,188 --> 00:00:21,518 there was murder. 8 00:00:21,522 --> 00:00:22,522 >> NARRATOR: ...and faithful 9 00:00:22,523 --> 00:00:23,763 followers. 10 00:00:23,757 --> 00:00:25,327 >> JANJA LALICH: Here were these 11 00:00:25,326 --> 00:00:27,226 39 bodies laid out with these 12 00:00:27,228 --> 00:00:28,498 plastic bags. 13 00:00:28,496 --> 00:00:31,226 >> This was a mass suicide. 14 00:00:31,232 --> 00:00:32,272 >> NARRATOR: ...threatening 15 00:00:32,266 --> 00:00:33,496 families... 16 00:00:33,501 --> 00:00:35,271 friends... 17 00:00:35,269 --> 00:00:38,269 and even national security. 18 00:00:38,272 --> 00:00:39,672 >> RICK ROSS: This was the first 19 00:00:39,673 --> 00:00:42,243 act of bioterrorism in the 20 00:00:42,243 --> 00:00:43,683 history of the United States. 21 00:00:43,677 --> 00:00:44,807 >> NARRATOR: Does the American 22 00:00:44,812 --> 00:00:47,252 public have something to fear 23 00:00:47,248 --> 00:00:49,818 from an estimated 5,000 24 00:00:49,817 --> 00:00:52,417 religious, political and satanic 25 00:00:52,420 --> 00:00:54,490 cults? 26 00:00:54,488 --> 00:00:56,158 >> ARTHUR GOLDWAG: If America 27 00:00:56,157 --> 00:00:58,527 has a big secret about cults, 28 00:00:58,526 --> 00:01:00,156 it's that we provide incredibly 29 00:01:00,161 --> 00:01:01,701 fertile ground for them. 30 00:01:01,695 --> 00:01:03,155 >> NARRATOR: Or is it already 31 00:01:03,164 --> 00:01:04,704 too late? 32 00:01:04,698 --> 00:01:05,698 (three gunshots) 33 00:01:05,699 --> 00:01:06,799 >> CLINT VAN ZANDT: The decision 34 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:08,300 was made to go tactical. 35 00:01:08,302 --> 00:01:09,502 That turned out to be a terrible 36 00:01:09,503 --> 00:01:10,803 decision. 37 00:01:10,804 --> 00:01:13,314 And people died because of it. 38 00:01:13,307 --> 00:01:14,577 >> NARRATOR: There are those who 39 00:01:14,575 --> 00:01:16,305 believe in the existence of a 40 00:01:16,310 --> 00:01:18,710 book. 41 00:01:18,712 --> 00:01:20,852 A book that contains the most 42 00:01:20,848 --> 00:01:23,518 highly guarded secrets of the 43 00:01:23,517 --> 00:01:26,717 United States of America. 44 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,590 A book... 45 00:01:29,590 --> 00:01:31,560 whose very existence is known to 46 00:01:31,559 --> 00:01:35,159 only a select few. 47 00:01:35,163 --> 00:01:37,833 But if such a book exists... 48 00:01:37,831 --> 00:01:40,831 what would it contain? 49 00:01:40,834 --> 00:01:43,604 Secret histories? 50 00:01:43,604 --> 00:01:47,344 Secret agendas? 51 00:01:47,341 --> 00:01:50,581 Secret murders? 52 00:01:50,578 --> 00:01:54,178 Does there really exist... 53 00:01:54,182 --> 00:01:57,722 America's Book of Secrets? 54 00:02:04,192 --> 00:02:06,432 >> APPLEWHITE: We came and 55 00:02:06,427 --> 00:02:07,897 incarnated him to these human 56 00:02:07,895 --> 00:02:09,755 bodies, and now we're leaving 57 00:02:09,763 --> 00:02:11,873 these human bodies tonight. 58 00:02:11,865 --> 00:02:13,365 >> NARRATOR: Their names stand 59 00:02:13,367 --> 00:02:15,337 as infamous landmarks in 60 00:02:15,336 --> 00:02:18,206 American culture. 61 00:02:18,206 --> 00:02:19,766 Heaven's Gate, the Branch 62 00:02:19,773 --> 00:02:23,383 Davidians, the Peoples Temple. 63 00:02:23,377 --> 00:02:25,777 But they are only the tip of an 64 00:02:25,779 --> 00:02:28,779 enormous iceberg. 65 00:02:28,782 --> 00:02:30,452 According to government 66 00:02:30,451 --> 00:02:32,391 statistics, there are an 67 00:02:32,386 --> 00:02:34,916 estimated 5,000 cults currently 68 00:02:34,922 --> 00:02:37,432 operating in the United States. 69 00:02:39,627 --> 00:02:41,397 And each year, there are 70 00:02:41,395 --> 00:02:43,625 approximately 200,000 Americans 71 00:02:43,631 --> 00:02:45,531 who serve as secret-- 72 00:02:45,533 --> 00:02:47,603 and for the most part, willing-- 73 00:02:47,601 --> 00:02:49,501 members. 74 00:02:49,503 --> 00:02:51,543 >> Lo, I am come to do thy will, 75 00:02:51,539 --> 00:02:53,409 O, God. 76 00:02:53,407 --> 00:02:55,377 Lo, I am come to do thy will, 77 00:02:55,409 --> 00:02:57,279 O, God. 78 00:02:57,278 --> 00:02:58,678 >> LALICH: The people who are 79 00:02:58,679 --> 00:02:59,909 getting drawn into cults are a 80 00:02:59,913 --> 00:03:02,283 rather different demographic 81 00:03:02,283 --> 00:03:04,293 then we were seeing in the '60s, 82 00:03:04,285 --> 00:03:05,645 '70s and '80s. 83 00:03:05,653 --> 00:03:07,663 Back then, it was mostly young 84 00:03:07,655 --> 00:03:08,815 people who were getting 85 00:03:08,822 --> 00:03:10,922 involved. 86 00:03:10,924 --> 00:03:13,234 So, today, it's people who are 87 00:03:13,227 --> 00:03:15,257 more in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 88 00:03:15,263 --> 00:03:18,773 and that's because I think a lot 89 00:03:18,766 --> 00:03:19,966 of the cults have gotten rather 90 00:03:19,967 --> 00:03:21,967 savvy and they realized that 91 00:03:21,969 --> 00:03:23,299 recruiting young people is a 92 00:03:23,304 --> 00:03:24,574 hassle. 93 00:03:24,572 --> 00:03:25,972 >> ROSS: Many of the cults 94 00:03:25,973 --> 00:03:28,383 deliberately recruit people who 95 00:03:28,376 --> 00:03:30,306 are highly educated, who are 96 00:03:30,311 --> 00:03:32,551 affluent, because they can 97 00:03:32,546 --> 00:03:34,976 exploit them more effectively. 98 00:03:34,982 --> 00:03:37,992 I have met brilliant people-- 99 00:03:37,985 --> 00:03:41,315 absolutely brilliant people-- 100 00:03:41,322 --> 00:03:45,462 who have been pulled into cults. 101 00:03:45,459 --> 00:03:46,589 >> ELIZABETH CLARE PROPHET: The 102 00:03:46,594 --> 00:03:48,304 kingdom of God is the 103 00:03:48,296 --> 00:03:49,296 consciousness of God. 104 00:03:49,297 --> 00:03:50,297 >> NARRATOR: But just what are 105 00:03:50,298 --> 00:03:52,428 these cults? 106 00:03:52,433 --> 00:03:53,973 And what is the secret of their 107 00:03:53,967 --> 00:03:55,467 allure? 108 00:03:55,469 --> 00:03:56,469 >> LALICH: People don't know 109 00:03:56,470 --> 00:03:57,470 they're joining a cult. 110 00:03:57,471 --> 00:03:58,471 I mean, if they knew that, they 111 00:03:58,472 --> 00:03:59,572 probably would never have 112 00:03:59,573 --> 00:04:01,813 joined, so you won't find too 113 00:04:01,809 --> 00:04:02,879 many cult members who identify 114 00:04:02,876 --> 00:04:06,676 themselves as cult members. 115 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:07,880 >> DAVID CUNNINGHAM: Cult 116 00:04:07,881 --> 00:04:09,981 dynamics are all about trying to 117 00:04:09,983 --> 00:04:12,453 get people to have a sense of 118 00:04:12,453 --> 00:04:14,893 self and a sense of identity 119 00:04:14,888 --> 00:04:16,588 that they don't feel that 120 00:04:16,590 --> 00:04:18,590 they're getting from the groups 121 00:04:18,592 --> 00:04:19,792 and opportunities in communities 122 00:04:19,827 --> 00:04:21,827 around them. 123 00:04:21,829 --> 00:04:23,829 >> CARTER: I got out of the 124 00:04:23,831 --> 00:04:25,601 Marine Corps in 1969, and it 125 00:04:25,599 --> 00:04:26,999 wasn't like I was looking for a 126 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,600 group but some place to call a 127 00:04:28,602 --> 00:04:30,042 home, in a sense of making a 128 00:04:30,037 --> 00:04:31,367 commitment. 129 00:04:31,372 --> 00:04:33,472 In January of '73, I found 130 00:04:33,507 --> 00:04:35,977 Peoples Temple. 131 00:04:35,976 --> 00:04:38,046 And as soon as I arrived at the 132 00:04:38,045 --> 00:04:40,005 Temple, it felt like home to me. 133 00:04:40,013 --> 00:04:42,923 I was home. 134 00:04:44,017 --> 00:04:46,017 >> NARRATOR: For those who 135 00:04:46,019 --> 00:04:48,389 join, current U.S. laws provide 136 00:04:48,389 --> 00:04:50,319 little in the way of protection 137 00:04:50,324 --> 00:04:51,864 for individuals that find 138 00:04:51,859 --> 00:04:53,729 themselves drawn into dangerous 139 00:04:53,727 --> 00:04:56,627 and even deadly religious and 140 00:04:56,630 --> 00:04:58,600 political cults. 141 00:04:58,599 --> 00:05:02,039 So how can they be recognized? 142 00:05:02,035 --> 00:05:03,495 >> MITCH HOROWITZ: For a 143 00:05:03,504 --> 00:05:04,744 movement to be a cult, there 144 00:05:04,738 --> 00:05:05,908 has to be a presence of some 145 00:05:05,939 --> 00:05:09,509 kind of abuse or coercion. 146 00:05:09,510 --> 00:05:12,810 Most observers think of four 147 00:05:12,813 --> 00:05:14,683 criteria that defines an 148 00:05:14,682 --> 00:05:16,822 organization as a cult: 149 00:05:16,817 --> 00:05:18,817 behavioral control, 150 00:05:18,819 --> 00:05:20,489 informational control, some sort 151 00:05:20,488 --> 00:05:21,518 of thought control and 152 00:05:21,555 --> 00:05:23,815 emotional control. 153 00:05:23,824 --> 00:05:25,664 People might find such an 154 00:05:25,659 --> 00:05:27,059 organization very easy to fall 155 00:05:27,060 --> 00:05:28,960 into and very difficult to get 156 00:05:28,962 --> 00:05:32,072 out of. 157 00:05:32,065 --> 00:05:33,665 >> ROSS: Cults can become 158 00:05:33,667 --> 00:05:35,397 dangerous and deadly because 159 00:05:35,403 --> 00:05:37,103 there's kind of a formula for 160 00:05:37,104 --> 00:05:39,514 tragedy inherent in the group. 161 00:05:39,507 --> 00:05:41,707 That is, you have a group of 162 00:05:41,709 --> 00:05:43,809 people that have in large part 163 00:05:43,811 --> 00:05:46,081 given up their ability to 164 00:05:46,079 --> 00:05:49,349 function autonomously. 165 00:05:52,686 --> 00:05:53,986 >> NARRATOR: San Diego, 166 00:05:53,987 --> 00:05:57,987 California, March 26, 1997. 167 00:05:57,991 --> 00:05:59,861 Police discover a chilling scene 168 00:05:59,860 --> 00:06:01,560 in a large suburban home 169 00:06:01,562 --> 00:06:03,532 occupied by members of a cult 170 00:06:03,531 --> 00:06:06,701 called Heaven's Gate. 171 00:06:06,700 --> 00:06:09,640 39 bodies are discovered. 172 00:06:13,441 --> 00:06:15,141 Later it is learned the cause of 173 00:06:15,142 --> 00:06:17,582 death is the voluntary ingestion 174 00:06:17,578 --> 00:06:19,478 of a deadly cocktail of sleeping 175 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:24,620 pills, vodka and applesauce. 176 00:06:24,618 --> 00:06:26,448 >> All indications are that 177 00:06:26,454 --> 00:06:31,764 this was a mass suicide. 178 00:06:31,759 --> 00:06:33,429 >> LALICH: Here were these 39 179 00:06:33,427 --> 00:06:35,157 bodies laid out with these 180 00:06:35,162 --> 00:06:36,862 plastic bags. 181 00:06:36,864 --> 00:06:39,104 They were completely all on 182 00:06:39,099 --> 00:06:40,899 their back. 183 00:06:40,901 --> 00:06:42,741 They had these purple shrouds 184 00:06:42,736 --> 00:06:43,866 covering them. 185 00:06:43,871 --> 00:06:46,911 They all wore the same outfits. 186 00:06:46,907 --> 00:06:48,837 They had their brand new Nike 187 00:06:48,842 --> 00:06:50,512 shoes. 188 00:06:50,511 --> 00:06:51,851 >> NARRATOR: It was the final 189 00:06:51,845 --> 00:06:53,745 act of devotion to a charismatic 190 00:06:53,747 --> 00:06:55,147 but twisted leader named 191 00:06:55,148 --> 00:06:57,618 Marshall Applewhite. 192 00:06:57,618 --> 00:06:59,648 >> APPLEWHITE: We don't care to 193 00:06:59,653 --> 00:07:02,063 cling to the life of this body. 194 00:07:02,055 --> 00:07:04,755 We're ready to leave this place. 195 00:07:04,758 --> 00:07:07,158 (crickets chirping) 196 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:08,660 >> NARRATOR: On the evening of 197 00:07:08,662 --> 00:07:10,502 the suices, Applewhite 198 00:07:10,498 --> 00:07:12,768 believed a UFO would pass over 199 00:07:12,766 --> 00:07:14,536 the Earth, in the wake of the 200 00:07:14,535 --> 00:07:17,435 Hale-Bopp Comet. 201 00:07:18,806 --> 00:07:21,066 His followers were instructed to 202 00:07:21,074 --> 00:07:23,684 commit suicide in order to have 203 00:07:23,677 --> 00:07:25,647 their souls transported aboard 204 00:07:25,646 --> 00:07:28,176 the flying saucer and out to 205 00:07:28,181 --> 00:07:30,021 deep space. 206 00:07:30,017 --> 00:07:31,617 >> If people would just know 207 00:07:31,619 --> 00:07:33,819 that we're not forced into this 208 00:07:33,821 --> 00:07:35,021 in any way. 209 00:07:35,022 --> 00:07:36,922 It's, you know, our own 210 00:07:36,924 --> 00:07:38,564 choosing to do it, and I'm... 211 00:07:38,559 --> 00:07:40,559 really happy that I made this 212 00:07:40,561 --> 00:07:42,561 choice. 213 00:07:42,563 --> 00:07:44,103 >> (over video): A lot of you 214 00:07:44,097 --> 00:07:45,167 are watching this film... 215 00:07:45,165 --> 00:07:46,765 >> ROSS: The leader says, "It's 216 00:07:46,767 --> 00:07:48,097 the end. 217 00:07:48,101 --> 00:07:50,101 This is absolutely the end. 218 00:07:50,103 --> 00:07:51,843 This is your last chance." 219 00:07:51,839 --> 00:07:54,639 And people, rather than miss 220 00:07:54,642 --> 00:07:57,212 that window, will grab and not 221 00:07:57,210 --> 00:07:59,810 really completely think it 222 00:07:59,813 --> 00:08:00,953 through. 223 00:08:00,948 --> 00:08:03,678 It's a technique of persuasion. 224 00:08:03,684 --> 00:08:05,724 And I think that many cult 225 00:08:05,719 --> 00:08:08,689 leaders understand it very well. 226 00:08:08,689 --> 00:08:10,219 >> APPLEWHITE: Welcome to beyond 227 00:08:10,223 --> 00:08:11,833 human. 228 00:08:11,825 --> 00:08:12,825 >> MARK MIRABELLO: Applewhite 229 00:08:12,826 --> 00:08:14,556 taught the membership that they 230 00:08:14,562 --> 00:08:15,932 should suppress sexual desire, 231 00:08:15,929 --> 00:08:16,899 but if they couldn't, castration 232 00:08:16,930 --> 00:08:18,930 was allowed. 233 00:08:18,932 --> 00:08:20,872 He clearly believed his own 234 00:08:20,868 --> 00:08:22,838 teachings and, in fact, 235 00:08:22,836 --> 00:08:24,966 castrated himself because they 236 00:08:24,972 --> 00:08:26,072 believed that highly evolved 237 00:08:26,073 --> 00:08:27,113 beings would have no sexual 238 00:08:27,140 --> 00:08:29,140 characteristics. 239 00:08:29,142 --> 00:08:31,142 >> APPLEWHITE: We came for the 240 00:08:31,144 --> 00:08:34,754 express purpose, to offer a 241 00:08:34,748 --> 00:08:38,248 doorway to the kingdom of God. 242 00:08:38,251 --> 00:08:39,721 >> CUNNINGHAM: The most extreme 243 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:43,020 kind of claim to legitimacy 244 00:08:43,023 --> 00:08:44,733 that a charismatic leader can 245 00:08:44,725 --> 00:08:46,585 make is that they can dictate 246 00:08:46,594 --> 00:08:49,264 even something like a mass end 247 00:08:49,296 --> 00:08:51,696 of people's lives. 248 00:08:51,699 --> 00:08:54,029 >> VAN ZANDT: All cults need a 249 00:08:54,034 --> 00:08:55,744 very charismatic leader at 250 00:08:55,736 --> 00:08:56,736 the head. 251 00:08:56,737 --> 00:08:58,567 They need someone who is either 252 00:08:58,572 --> 00:09:00,712 representing himself to be some 253 00:09:00,708 --> 00:09:02,838 type of deity figure, 254 00:09:02,843 --> 00:09:05,183 someone who is so far 255 00:09:05,178 --> 00:09:07,618 intellectually superior to any 256 00:09:07,615 --> 00:09:09,775 of the rest of us that we have 257 00:09:09,783 --> 00:09:11,993 to subscribe ourselves to him 258 00:09:12,019 --> 00:09:14,019 and to his will. 259 00:09:14,021 --> 00:09:16,021 When we make a person that 260 00:09:16,023 --> 00:09:18,663 powerful, that one person is 261 00:09:18,659 --> 00:09:20,889 capable of, in some cases, 262 00:09:20,894 --> 00:09:22,904 infinite good, and other times, 263 00:09:22,896 --> 00:09:24,796 infinite evil. 264 00:09:24,798 --> 00:09:26,198 >> ROSS: I can tell you from 265 00:09:26,199 --> 00:09:28,069 30 years of experience that 266 00:09:28,068 --> 00:09:29,998 cult leaders are not exactly 267 00:09:30,003 --> 00:09:32,943 examples of mental health. 268 00:09:32,940 --> 00:09:35,740 So these people are by nature 269 00:09:35,743 --> 00:09:36,943 unstable. 270 00:09:36,944 --> 00:09:38,214 Many have been described by 271 00:09:38,211 --> 00:09:39,351 mental health professionals as 272 00:09:39,346 --> 00:09:41,006 psychopaths. 273 00:09:41,014 --> 00:09:42,884 So here you have a group of 274 00:09:42,883 --> 00:09:46,053 people attached to a disturbed 275 00:09:46,053 --> 00:09:47,823 personality. 276 00:09:47,821 --> 00:09:49,321 And when that personality slips 277 00:09:49,322 --> 00:09:52,692 over the edge, everyone goes 278 00:09:52,693 --> 00:09:55,663 with him or with her. 279 00:09:55,663 --> 00:09:57,333 >> NARRATOR: But not all cult 280 00:09:57,330 --> 00:10:00,070 leaders and their organizations 281 00:10:00,067 --> 00:10:01,967 are motivated by spiritual, 282 00:10:01,969 --> 00:10:04,099 social or-- as in the case of 283 00:10:04,104 --> 00:10:06,244 Marshall Applewhite-- 284 00:10:06,239 --> 00:10:10,109 extraterrestrial agendas. 285 00:10:10,110 --> 00:10:11,710 Many have more financial 286 00:10:11,712 --> 00:10:15,982 incentives. 287 00:10:15,983 --> 00:10:17,653 When registered as religions, 288 00:10:17,651 --> 00:10:20,091 cults can collectively generate 289 00:10:20,087 --> 00:10:23,987 more than $70 billion a year. 290 00:10:23,991 --> 00:10:27,361 And all tax-free. 291 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:29,100 >> LALICH: It's very easy in 292 00:10:29,096 --> 00:10:30,256 America to become a religion. 293 00:10:30,263 --> 00:10:31,403 You fill out a few papers and 294 00:10:31,398 --> 00:10:32,868 you say you have a few members 295 00:10:32,866 --> 00:10:34,326 and whammo, you're a religion. 296 00:10:34,334 --> 00:10:36,804 They don't have to pay taxes. 297 00:10:36,804 --> 00:10:38,844 And so it's to their advantage 298 00:10:38,839 --> 00:10:40,109 to become a religion. 299 00:10:40,107 --> 00:10:41,207 (chanting) 300 00:10:41,208 --> 00:10:42,208 >> HOROWITZ: The most 301 00:10:42,209 --> 00:10:43,279 disturbing thing about certain 302 00:10:43,276 --> 00:10:44,376 cultlike groups today is that 303 00:10:44,377 --> 00:10:45,377 they have a great deal of 304 00:10:45,378 --> 00:10:46,378 financial sophistication, and 305 00:10:46,379 --> 00:10:47,919 that can be used to exploit 306 00:10:47,948 --> 00:10:50,278 membership. 307 00:10:50,283 --> 00:10:52,993 >> NARRATOR: Does a cult's 308 00:10:52,986 --> 00:10:54,686 tax-exempt status raise a 309 00:10:54,688 --> 00:10:56,688 red-flag for government 310 00:10:56,724 --> 00:10:58,734 watchdogs? 311 00:10:58,726 --> 00:11:00,726 Or do authorities actually turn 312 00:11:00,728 --> 00:11:03,028 a blind eye toward their secret, 313 00:11:03,030 --> 00:11:06,030 and perhaps sinister, agendas? 314 00:11:06,033 --> 00:11:07,873 (gunshot) 315 00:11:07,868 --> 00:11:09,298 Agendas that might even include 316 00:11:09,302 --> 00:11:11,972 overthrowing the government 317 00:11:11,972 --> 00:11:14,842 itself? 318 00:11:14,842 --> 00:11:16,382 Coming up... 319 00:11:16,376 --> 00:11:17,746 >> ROSS: Jim Jones was a brutal 320 00:11:17,745 --> 00:11:19,445 leader, and there were rumors 321 00:11:19,446 --> 00:11:21,306 about drug abuse. 322 00:11:21,314 --> 00:11:22,724 >> CARTER: What happened there 323 00:11:22,716 --> 00:11:23,876 was murder. 324 00:11:23,884 --> 00:11:24,894 I saw people that had been 325 00:11:24,885 --> 00:11:26,315 injected in the arms, in the 326 00:11:26,319 --> 00:11:28,959 legs, in the neck. 327 00:11:37,064 --> 00:11:38,734 >> NARRATOR: Indianapolis, 328 00:11:38,732 --> 00:11:39,972 Indiana. 329 00:11:39,967 --> 00:11:41,397 1955. 330 00:11:41,401 --> 00:11:43,741 Self-proclaimed mind reader, 331 00:11:43,737 --> 00:11:45,967 healer and preacher Jim Jones 332 00:11:45,973 --> 00:11:48,383 founded his own church, the 333 00:11:48,408 --> 00:11:50,978 Peoples Temple. 334 00:11:50,978 --> 00:11:52,748 >> ROSS: Jim Jones was an 335 00:11:52,746 --> 00:11:54,376 ordained minister of the 336 00:11:54,381 --> 00:11:56,221 Disciples of Christ, which is a 337 00:11:56,216 --> 00:11:57,416 mainstream, respected 338 00:11:57,417 --> 00:11:58,947 denomination within 339 00:11:58,986 --> 00:12:01,216 Protestantism. 340 00:12:01,221 --> 00:12:03,491 So, the church and Jim Jones and 341 00:12:03,490 --> 00:12:06,730 everything seemed perfectly fine 342 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:08,760 in the beginning. 343 00:12:08,762 --> 00:12:10,762 >> CARTER: Well, Jones's message 344 00:12:10,764 --> 00:12:11,774 was-- "apostolic socialism" is 345 00:12:11,765 --> 00:12:12,765 what he called it. 346 00:12:12,766 --> 00:12:13,766 In other words, feed the 347 00:12:13,767 --> 00:12:14,767 hungry, clothe the naked, 348 00:12:14,768 --> 00:12:15,838 minister unto the sick and 349 00:12:15,869 --> 00:12:17,869 needy. 350 00:12:17,871 --> 00:12:19,871 (rock music playing) 351 00:12:19,873 --> 00:12:21,243 >> NARRATOR: By 1970, as the 352 00:12:21,241 --> 00:12:23,111 nation embraced an era of free 353 00:12:23,110 --> 00:12:25,450 love, social rebellion and 354 00:12:25,445 --> 00:12:27,875 experiments with mind-altering 355 00:12:27,881 --> 00:12:30,321 drugs, Jim Jones moved his 356 00:12:30,317 --> 00:12:32,847 Peoples Temple to the epicenter 357 00:12:32,853 --> 00:12:35,063 of the cultural revolution: 358 00:12:35,055 --> 00:12:38,525 San Francisco, California. 359 00:12:38,525 --> 00:12:40,125 >> ROSS: I think, if there's a 360 00:12:40,127 --> 00:12:42,327 book of secrets about cults, it 361 00:12:42,329 --> 00:12:45,399 would probably be a chapter 362 00:12:45,398 --> 00:12:47,298 about the influence of certain 363 00:12:47,300 --> 00:12:48,800 groups with politicians 364 00:12:48,802 --> 00:12:51,172 that would be very unsettling. 365 00:12:51,171 --> 00:12:54,441 Jim Jones was a very popular 366 00:12:54,441 --> 00:12:57,811 political figure, uh, community 367 00:12:57,811 --> 00:13:00,081 leader and activist. 368 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:01,280 He was greatly respected and 369 00:13:01,281 --> 00:13:03,051 admired. 370 00:13:03,050 --> 00:13:04,820 Mayor Moscone appointed him to 371 00:13:04,818 --> 00:13:06,488 an urban planning commission. 372 00:13:06,486 --> 00:13:08,886 Governor Jerry Brown was good 373 00:13:08,922 --> 00:13:11,062 friends with Jim Jones. 374 00:13:11,058 --> 00:13:12,228 >> LALICH: The reason he 375 00:13:12,225 --> 00:13:13,785 was so important politically 376 00:13:13,827 --> 00:13:16,497 was that he had a huge church. 377 00:13:16,496 --> 00:13:18,826 And he was able to have those 378 00:13:18,832 --> 00:13:20,832 members rally for any political 379 00:13:20,834 --> 00:13:22,844 candidate that he'd so choose. 380 00:13:22,836 --> 00:13:24,496 >> CARTER: The Temple's 381 00:13:24,504 --> 00:13:25,914 mailing list had around between 382 00:13:25,906 --> 00:13:27,506 40,000 and 50,000 addresses 383 00:13:27,507 --> 00:13:28,837 around the country. 384 00:13:28,842 --> 00:13:30,212 Then there was a group which 385 00:13:30,210 --> 00:13:31,440 was simply referred to as 386 00:13:31,444 --> 00:13:33,214 "staff," which I was not a part 387 00:13:33,213 --> 00:13:35,123 of. 388 00:13:42,089 --> 00:13:43,319 And what separated staff from 389 00:13:43,323 --> 00:13:44,363 everybody else, the staff were 390 00:13:44,357 --> 00:13:45,387 the people that knew that the 391 00:13:45,392 --> 00:13:47,092 healings were fake. 392 00:13:50,397 --> 00:13:51,397 (whoops) 393 00:13:51,398 --> 00:13:52,468 (cheering) 394 00:13:52,465 --> 00:13:53,925 So, in terms of what I was 395 00:13:53,934 --> 00:13:55,604 perceiving, it was one thing; 396 00:13:55,602 --> 00:13:56,972 what the reality was, 397 00:13:56,970 --> 00:13:58,510 was something else. 398 00:13:58,505 --> 00:13:59,505 And that's kind of the story of 399 00:13:59,506 --> 00:14:01,206 Peoples Temple. 400 00:14:01,208 --> 00:14:02,978 >> ROSS: In San Francisco, 401 00:14:02,976 --> 00:14:04,536 people started to find out that 402 00:14:04,544 --> 00:14:06,554 Jim Jones was a brutal leader, 403 00:14:06,546 --> 00:14:09,546 highly punitive, and also there 404 00:14:09,549 --> 00:14:11,989 were rumors about drug abuse. 405 00:14:11,985 --> 00:14:15,215 He decided, "I need to leave," 406 00:14:15,222 --> 00:14:17,562 because what destructive cult 407 00:14:17,557 --> 00:14:20,087 leaders want is to keep control 408 00:14:20,093 --> 00:14:23,003 of information. 409 00:14:22,996 --> 00:14:25,166 >> NARRATOR: In 1977, Jones, 410 00:14:25,165 --> 00:14:27,625 with money from donations, had 411 00:14:27,634 --> 00:14:29,444 nearly completed the process of 412 00:14:29,436 --> 00:14:31,166 moving his congregation to a 413 00:14:31,171 --> 00:14:34,641 3,800-acre site he had leased 414 00:14:34,641 --> 00:14:36,111 in the South American country 415 00:14:36,143 --> 00:14:38,153 of Guyana. 416 00:14:38,145 --> 00:14:40,145 >> NANCY AMMERMAN: That created 417 00:14:40,147 --> 00:14:42,017 a sense of really being in a 418 00:14:42,049 --> 00:14:44,419 different place. 419 00:14:44,417 --> 00:14:46,917 Almost as if they had died and 420 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:49,160 gone to Heaven. 421 00:14:49,156 --> 00:14:50,556 >> CARTER: It's beautiful. 422 00:14:50,557 --> 00:14:52,027 I can't-- I-I've never been so 423 00:14:52,025 --> 00:14:54,585 totally happy or fulfilled in my 424 00:14:54,594 --> 00:14:55,934 life. 425 00:14:55,929 --> 00:14:57,059 I can't begin to describe it. 426 00:14:57,064 --> 00:14:59,674 The Temple was full of life; it 427 00:14:59,666 --> 00:15:01,426 really was very much full of 428 00:15:01,434 --> 00:15:04,074 life, um, in the very best sense 429 00:15:04,071 --> 00:15:06,311 of the word. 430 00:15:06,306 --> 00:15:07,536 >> JIM JONES: What a swing. 431 00:15:07,540 --> 00:15:08,940 What liberation brings. 432 00:15:08,942 --> 00:15:10,912 (cheering) 433 00:15:16,083 --> 00:15:17,423 >> NARRATOR: In Guyana, Jim 434 00:15:17,417 --> 00:15:19,417 Jones believed he had built a 435 00:15:19,419 --> 00:15:21,959 socialist utopia, far from the 436 00:15:21,955 --> 00:15:24,015 prying eyes of federal 437 00:15:24,024 --> 00:15:25,494 authorities, who had long 438 00:15:25,492 --> 00:15:27,362 suspected Jones of extorting 439 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:30,600 money from his parishioners and 440 00:15:30,630 --> 00:15:34,200 ultimately enslaving them. 441 00:15:34,201 --> 00:15:36,201 >> GOLDWAG: What Jones was doing 442 00:15:36,203 --> 00:15:37,603 near the end of the cult, he 443 00:15:37,604 --> 00:15:39,614 would gather the people of the 444 00:15:39,606 --> 00:15:40,636 compound together and tell them 445 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:42,340 that forces from the outer world 446 00:15:42,342 --> 00:15:44,212 were moving in on them and they 447 00:15:44,244 --> 00:15:46,254 were going to die. 448 00:15:46,246 --> 00:15:48,246 This terrified the people. 449 00:15:48,248 --> 00:15:49,978 It also kind of sealed his 450 00:15:49,983 --> 00:15:52,653 power. 451 00:15:52,652 --> 00:15:54,392 >> LALICH: Many of these people 452 00:15:54,387 --> 00:15:55,457 were on welfare or on Social 453 00:15:55,455 --> 00:15:56,985 Security, and all of their 454 00:15:56,990 --> 00:15:58,130 checks were being accumulated 455 00:15:58,125 --> 00:15:59,655 by Jones, because once people 456 00:15:59,659 --> 00:16:01,129 got there, their passports were 457 00:16:01,128 --> 00:16:02,128 taken away. 458 00:16:02,129 --> 00:16:03,129 They had no way to leave, and 459 00:16:03,130 --> 00:16:04,130 they had no access to their 460 00:16:04,131 --> 00:16:05,131 money. 461 00:16:05,132 --> 00:16:06,132 >> CARTER: The worst part about 462 00:16:06,133 --> 00:16:07,333 Jonestown was Jim Jones. 463 00:16:07,334 --> 00:16:09,074 The constant meetings, the 464 00:16:09,069 --> 00:16:10,139 constant haranguing. 465 00:16:10,137 --> 00:16:11,367 People were not allowed to 466 00:16:11,371 --> 00:16:12,511 leave once they got there. 467 00:16:12,505 --> 00:16:14,405 If you got to Jonestown and you 468 00:16:14,407 --> 00:16:16,007 did not like it, it was a 469 00:16:16,009 --> 00:16:20,009 prison camp. 470 00:16:20,013 --> 00:16:21,383 >> NARRATOR: In November, 1978, 471 00:16:21,381 --> 00:16:23,681 following reports that Temple 472 00:16:23,683 --> 00:16:25,253 members were being held against 473 00:16:25,252 --> 00:16:27,752 their will, U.S. Congressman 474 00:16:27,754 --> 00:16:29,664 Leo Ryan of San Francisco flew 475 00:16:29,656 --> 00:16:31,686 to Jonestown to investigate. 476 00:16:31,691 --> 00:16:34,761 Traveling with him was a small 477 00:16:34,761 --> 00:16:36,661 entourage of reporters and 478 00:16:36,663 --> 00:16:39,273 concerned family members. 479 00:16:39,266 --> 00:16:40,426 >> CARTER: Congressman Ryan got 480 00:16:40,433 --> 00:16:42,043 Jones figured out in less than 481 00:16:42,035 --> 00:16:43,035 24 hours. 482 00:16:43,036 --> 00:16:44,296 Ryan said only a genius could 483 00:16:44,304 --> 00:16:45,544 have built this, then he pointed 484 00:16:45,538 --> 00:16:46,538 to Jones. 485 00:16:46,539 --> 00:16:47,569 He said, but at the same 486 00:16:47,574 --> 00:16:48,684 time, he's the most destructive 487 00:16:48,675 --> 00:16:50,405 force here. 488 00:16:50,410 --> 00:16:52,050 >> NARRATOR: After his tour of 489 00:16:52,045 --> 00:16:53,305 the Peoples Temple settlement, 490 00:16:53,313 --> 00:16:55,423 Congressman Ryan arranged to 491 00:16:55,415 --> 00:16:57,315 fly a handful of defecting cult 492 00:16:57,317 --> 00:16:59,417 members back with him to San 493 00:16:59,419 --> 00:17:01,119 Francisco. 494 00:17:01,121 --> 00:17:03,161 But when the group arrives at 495 00:17:03,156 --> 00:17:04,716 the remote Port Kaituma 496 00:17:04,724 --> 00:17:07,164 airstrip, members of Jones' Red 497 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:09,300 Brigade militia ambush them and 498 00:17:09,296 --> 00:17:11,056 begin to open fire. 499 00:17:11,064 --> 00:17:13,034 (gunshots) 500 00:17:17,070 --> 00:17:19,470 Congressman Ryan and four others 501 00:17:19,472 --> 00:17:22,212 are attacked and killed. 502 00:17:22,209 --> 00:17:24,079 Nine more are injured. 503 00:17:24,077 --> 00:17:26,077 >> GOLDWAG: I think Ryan was 504 00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:27,579 killed because he got in the 505 00:17:27,580 --> 00:17:29,350 middle of a very dangerous 506 00:17:29,349 --> 00:17:33,449 situation and he stirred it up. 507 00:17:33,453 --> 00:17:35,593 >> ROSS: Jones did not want 508 00:17:35,588 --> 00:17:36,588 them to leave. 509 00:17:36,589 --> 00:17:37,819 He knew that they had 510 00:17:37,824 --> 00:17:39,364 information about the armed 511 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:42,299 guards there, the jail and 512 00:17:42,295 --> 00:17:44,325 imprisonment that he had 513 00:17:44,331 --> 00:17:46,731 instituted, the mistreatment of 514 00:17:46,733 --> 00:17:48,603 the people there. 515 00:17:48,601 --> 00:17:50,241 >> NARRATOR: In the chaos, 516 00:17:50,237 --> 00:17:51,767 Temple member Tim Carter was 517 00:17:51,771 --> 00:17:54,371 ordered by Jones to smuggle the 518 00:17:54,374 --> 00:17:56,614 cult's horde of cash out of the 519 00:17:56,609 --> 00:17:58,109 compound. 520 00:17:58,111 --> 00:17:59,481 >> CARTER: When I accepted 521 00:17:59,479 --> 00:18:00,779 this mission, there was a part 522 00:18:00,780 --> 00:18:01,780 of me that said everybody's 523 00:18:01,781 --> 00:18:03,221 gonna die, and there was still 524 00:18:03,216 --> 00:18:05,116 a part of me that said this is 525 00:18:05,118 --> 00:18:07,448 not happening. 526 00:18:07,454 --> 00:18:09,224 >> LALICH: Jones realized that 527 00:18:09,222 --> 00:18:10,322 he had blown it, that this was 528 00:18:10,323 --> 00:18:11,363 gonna be trouble. 529 00:18:11,358 --> 00:18:13,388 And so he decided now is the 530 00:18:13,393 --> 00:18:16,363 time to truly enact what he 531 00:18:16,363 --> 00:18:18,603 called revolutionary suicide. 532 00:18:18,598 --> 00:18:20,228 And so he called everyone 533 00:18:20,233 --> 00:18:21,473 together. 534 00:18:21,468 --> 00:18:23,238 >> NARRATOR: One by one, Temple 535 00:18:23,236 --> 00:18:24,736 members were summoned to swallow 536 00:18:24,737 --> 00:18:26,667 a cup of powdered fruit drink 537 00:18:26,673 --> 00:18:28,643 mixed with cyanide. 538 00:18:35,415 --> 00:18:37,275 Many of the victims were small 539 00:18:37,284 --> 00:18:39,224 children. 540 00:18:42,222 --> 00:18:44,522 But was it mass suicide, or is 541 00:18:44,524 --> 00:18:47,164 there another more secret 542 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,160 explanation? 543 00:18:49,162 --> 00:18:50,162 >> CARTER: What happened there 544 00:18:50,163 --> 00:18:51,303 was murder. 545 00:18:51,298 --> 00:18:54,668 It was not a mass suicide. 546 00:18:54,667 --> 00:18:56,167 The very first body I saw, the 547 00:18:56,169 --> 00:18:57,399 person had been held down, and 548 00:18:57,404 --> 00:18:58,814 I saw people that had been 549 00:18:58,805 --> 00:19:00,505 injected in the arms, in the 550 00:19:00,507 --> 00:19:02,307 legs, in the neck. 551 00:19:02,309 --> 00:19:03,709 Back of the hand. 552 00:19:03,710 --> 00:19:05,850 >> NARRATOR: Jim Jones himself 553 00:19:05,845 --> 00:19:07,775 died of a possibly 554 00:19:07,780 --> 00:19:09,650 self-inflicted gunshot to the 555 00:19:09,649 --> 00:19:10,849 head. 556 00:19:10,850 --> 00:19:12,320 >> CARTER: Jones had said more 557 00:19:12,319 --> 00:19:14,549 than once, "When I die, my name 558 00:19:14,554 --> 00:19:15,824 will be on the lips of every 559 00:19:15,822 --> 00:19:16,862 person in the world," that, 560 00:19:16,856 --> 00:19:18,456 "when I die, I'm gonna take as 561 00:19:18,458 --> 00:19:21,328 many people with mas I can." 562 00:19:23,696 --> 00:19:24,696 >> NARRATOR: In the decades 563 00:19:24,697 --> 00:19:25,927 since the horrific events at 564 00:19:25,932 --> 00:19:29,202 Jonestown, many rumors and myths 565 00:19:29,202 --> 00:19:30,942 have been propagated. 566 00:19:30,937 --> 00:19:33,737 Some cite Jim Jones' known LSD 567 00:19:33,740 --> 00:19:36,210 use as an indication that the 568 00:19:36,209 --> 00:19:37,879 Peoples Temple may have 569 00:19:37,877 --> 00:19:40,877 actually been part of a covert 570 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:43,850 CIA mind control program known 571 00:19:43,850 --> 00:19:46,690 as "Project MK-Ultra," which 572 00:19:46,686 --> 00:19:49,216 reportedly used LSD in its 573 00:19:49,222 --> 00:19:50,692 experiments. 574 00:19:50,690 --> 00:19:52,360 >> CARTER: I realized long ago 575 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:54,889 that too many answers died that 576 00:19:54,894 --> 00:19:56,564 day. 577 00:19:56,563 --> 00:19:58,233 But, ultimately, Jim Jones is 578 00:19:58,231 --> 00:19:59,701 the only one that's actually 579 00:19:59,699 --> 00:20:03,299 going to know what was up. 580 00:20:03,303 --> 00:20:04,473 >> NARRATOR: Although no proof 581 00:20:04,471 --> 00:20:06,311 of a connection between covert 582 00:20:06,306 --> 00:20:08,906 CIA operations and Jonestown has 583 00:20:08,908 --> 00:20:12,348 ever been found, one fact is 584 00:20:12,345 --> 00:20:16,575 certain: 918 people died... 585 00:20:16,583 --> 00:20:18,253 all united in believing the 586 00:20:18,251 --> 00:20:20,891 teachings of a false prophet, 587 00:20:20,887 --> 00:20:22,917 and his promise of a heaven on 588 00:20:22,922 --> 00:20:26,392 Earth. 589 00:20:26,393 --> 00:20:27,493 Coming up... 590 00:20:27,494 --> 00:20:28,504 >> HOROWITZ: The story of 591 00:20:28,495 --> 00:20:29,795 America is the story of 592 00:20:29,796 --> 00:20:31,396 alternative or breakaway 593 00:20:31,398 --> 00:20:32,498 religious movements. 594 00:20:32,499 --> 00:20:33,529 >> GOLDWAG: If America has a 595 00:20:33,533 --> 00:20:35,543 big secret about cults, it's 596 00:20:35,535 --> 00:20:37,635 that we provide incredibly 597 00:20:37,637 --> 00:20:39,267 fertile ground for them. 598 00:20:39,272 --> 00:20:41,312 >> There'll be no excuses! 599 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:48,850 (whooshing) 600 00:20:48,848 --> 00:20:52,488 (military drumbeat plays) 601 00:20:52,485 --> 00:20:53,815 >> NARRATOR: National pride. 602 00:20:53,820 --> 00:20:55,360 (camera shutter clicking) 603 00:20:55,355 --> 00:20:57,815 Political ideology. 604 00:20:57,824 --> 00:21:00,464 Religious devotion. 605 00:21:00,460 --> 00:21:02,760 Even sports fanaticism... 606 00:21:02,762 --> 00:21:06,372 and celebrity idolatry. 607 00:21:06,366 --> 00:21:09,036 In 21st century America, the 608 00:21:09,035 --> 00:21:10,995 fine line drawn between popular 609 00:21:11,003 --> 00:21:13,513 culture and secret, deadly 610 00:21:13,506 --> 00:21:15,606 cult can occasionally be 611 00:21:15,608 --> 00:21:18,878 blurred. 612 00:21:18,878 --> 00:21:20,778 The U.S. Constitution and the 613 00:21:20,780 --> 00:21:22,580 Bill of Rights protects a 614 00:21:22,582 --> 00:21:24,382 citizen's freedoms of speech and 615 00:21:24,384 --> 00:21:26,394 religion, and the right to 616 00:21:26,386 --> 00:21:30,516 assemble as he or she chooses. 617 00:21:30,523 --> 00:21:32,063 But what if the choices aren't 618 00:21:32,058 --> 00:21:34,028 mainstream... or the beliefs 619 00:21:34,026 --> 00:21:35,956 widely held? 620 00:21:38,064 --> 00:21:41,074 Why do otherwise normal citizens 621 00:21:41,067 --> 00:21:42,867 find themselves drawn into 622 00:21:42,869 --> 00:21:45,469 secret, and at times deadly, 623 00:21:45,505 --> 00:21:48,805 cults? 624 00:21:48,808 --> 00:21:50,778 >> ROSS: All of us go through 625 00:21:50,777 --> 00:21:52,777 times that are tough, and when 626 00:21:52,779 --> 00:21:55,049 we're looking for relief from 627 00:21:55,047 --> 00:21:57,877 that distress and answers to our 628 00:21:57,884 --> 00:22:00,494 problems, we are more open and 629 00:22:00,487 --> 00:22:02,557 vulnerable to someone giving us 630 00:22:02,555 --> 00:22:04,415 all the answers. 631 00:22:04,424 --> 00:22:06,764 And that's the appeal of many 632 00:22:06,759 --> 00:22:09,059 destructive cults. 633 00:22:09,061 --> 00:22:10,761 >> LALICH: We had the '60s era, 634 00:22:10,763 --> 00:22:12,433 where people were seeking and 635 00:22:12,432 --> 00:22:14,932 exploring and trying new things, 636 00:22:14,934 --> 00:22:16,844 and then that kind of led into 637 00:22:16,836 --> 00:22:18,406 what we call the New Age 638 00:22:18,438 --> 00:22:20,638 Movement. 639 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:22,510 It's become part of our society 640 00:22:22,509 --> 00:22:23,939 at this point. 641 00:22:23,943 --> 00:22:25,583 So that today we have people 642 00:22:25,578 --> 00:22:26,808 taking all kinds of supplements 643 00:22:26,813 --> 00:22:28,823 and potions, we have just about 644 00:22:28,815 --> 00:22:30,115 everybody doing yoga, we have 645 00:22:30,116 --> 00:22:32,686 people meditating, we have 646 00:22:32,685 --> 00:22:34,585 people going to sweat lodges and 647 00:22:34,587 --> 00:22:36,457 glomming onto the Native 648 00:22:36,456 --> 00:22:37,856 American traditions, and all of 649 00:22:37,857 --> 00:22:39,827 this is seen as quite 650 00:22:39,826 --> 00:22:40,986 acceptable. 651 00:22:40,993 --> 00:22:42,533 >> NARRATOR: But perhaps one of 652 00:22:42,529 --> 00:22:44,459 the biggest secrets about cults 653 00:22:44,464 --> 00:22:46,874 is that they have always existed 654 00:22:46,866 --> 00:22:49,396 as part of American culture, 655 00:22:49,402 --> 00:22:53,572 even before the Revolution. 656 00:22:53,573 --> 00:22:55,843 As the 19th century dawned, the 657 00:22:55,842 --> 00:22:57,882 United States was undergoing a 658 00:22:57,877 --> 00:23:00,007 population explosion. 659 00:23:00,012 --> 00:23:01,852 Waves of immigrants were 660 00:23:01,848 --> 00:23:04,148 arriving from Europe, many 661 00:23:04,150 --> 00:23:06,390 seeking economic opportunity 662 00:23:06,419 --> 00:23:08,819 and religious freedom. 663 00:23:08,821 --> 00:23:09,991 >> AMMERMAN: The United States 664 00:23:09,989 --> 00:23:12,119 has been, from its very 665 00:23:12,124 --> 00:23:14,564 inception-- when Europeans first 666 00:23:14,561 --> 00:23:15,961 arrived on these shores, they 667 00:23:15,962 --> 00:23:17,602 were arriving here because they 668 00:23:17,597 --> 00:23:18,767 wanted to have the freedom to 669 00:23:18,765 --> 00:23:19,895 exercise their religious 670 00:23:19,899 --> 00:23:21,499 beliefs. 671 00:23:21,501 --> 00:23:23,641 And what that has meant over our 672 00:23:23,636 --> 00:23:26,766 long history is that people have 673 00:23:26,773 --> 00:23:28,173 not only had the freedom to 674 00:23:28,174 --> 00:23:30,444 practice religious beliefs but 675 00:23:30,443 --> 00:23:31,983 also to invent new religions. 676 00:23:31,978 --> 00:23:33,648 >> HOROWITZ: The story of 677 00:23:33,646 --> 00:23:35,146 America is the story of 678 00:23:35,147 --> 00:23:37,017 alternative religious movements. 679 00:23:37,016 --> 00:23:39,416 America has always been a kind 680 00:23:39,452 --> 00:23:42,152 of safe harbor. 681 00:23:42,154 --> 00:23:43,594 >> NARRATOR: One area that 682 00:23:43,590 --> 00:23:45,160 became a haven for numerous 683 00:23:45,157 --> 00:23:47,187 political, social and religious 684 00:23:47,193 --> 00:23:49,603 cults was located on the edge of 685 00:23:49,596 --> 00:23:51,126 what was once the American 686 00:23:51,130 --> 00:23:53,670 frontier-- known as the 687 00:23:53,666 --> 00:23:55,736 "Burned-Over District." 688 00:23:55,735 --> 00:23:56,835 >> HOROWITZ: The Burned-Over 689 00:23:56,836 --> 00:23:58,196 District was a section of 690 00:23:58,204 --> 00:24:00,014 Central New York State that, in 691 00:24:00,006 --> 00:24:02,806 the first decades of the 1800s, 692 00:24:02,809 --> 00:24:05,549 was a scene of tremendous 693 00:24:05,545 --> 00:24:07,545 religious passion and 694 00:24:07,547 --> 00:24:08,777 innovation. 695 00:24:08,781 --> 00:24:09,951 In many respects, it was the 696 00:24:09,949 --> 00:24:11,549 Mount Sinai of American 697 00:24:11,551 --> 00:24:14,951 mysticism. 698 00:24:14,954 --> 00:24:16,194 >> NARRATOR: With the completion 699 00:24:16,188 --> 00:24:19,628 of the Erie Canal in 1825, the 700 00:24:19,626 --> 00:24:21,556 central region of New York State 701 00:24:21,561 --> 00:24:23,701 became a gateway for those 702 00:24:23,696 --> 00:24:25,566 seeking political and social 703 00:24:25,565 --> 00:24:27,665 freedom, and an exchange of what 704 00:24:27,667 --> 00:24:29,567 were then considered radical 705 00:24:29,569 --> 00:24:31,699 ideas. 706 00:24:31,704 --> 00:24:33,844 Here, the early Women's Rights 707 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:36,040 movement, Abolitionism and 708 00:24:36,042 --> 00:24:39,582 Transcendentalism flourished. 709 00:24:39,579 --> 00:24:40,979 And it was also here that 710 00:24:40,980 --> 00:24:42,520 numerous religious groups, like 711 00:24:42,515 --> 00:24:44,975 the Quakers and the Shakers, 712 00:24:44,984 --> 00:24:47,224 first put down roots in America. 713 00:24:47,219 --> 00:24:49,189 But even during this era of 714 00:24:49,188 --> 00:24:51,088 religious and spiritual 715 00:24:51,090 --> 00:24:53,790 reawakening, some groups, like 716 00:24:53,793 --> 00:24:55,863 the Mormons, were considered too 717 00:24:55,862 --> 00:24:58,732 outrageous and cultlike to 718 00:24:58,731 --> 00:25:01,731 find mainstream acceptance. 719 00:25:01,734 --> 00:25:03,074 >> AMMERMAN: The Mormons have 720 00:25:03,069 --> 00:25:04,969 been one of the most visible of 721 00:25:04,971 --> 00:25:08,111 the groups that have had those 722 00:25:08,107 --> 00:25:10,107 kinds of practices that the rest 723 00:25:10,109 --> 00:25:11,609 of society found quite 724 00:25:11,611 --> 00:25:12,751 repugnant. 725 00:25:12,745 --> 00:25:14,705 The notion of one man having 726 00:25:14,714 --> 00:25:16,724 multiple wives was something 727 00:25:16,716 --> 00:25:17,946 that in the 19th century, when 728 00:25:17,950 --> 00:25:19,690 Mormons did practice this, got 729 00:25:19,686 --> 00:25:22,986 them run out of town. 730 00:25:22,989 --> 00:25:24,159 >> NARRATOR: But the Mormons 731 00:25:24,156 --> 00:25:25,986 were by no means alone in their 732 00:25:25,992 --> 00:25:28,562 advocacy of multiple marriages. 733 00:25:28,561 --> 00:25:29,901 Some of these so-called 734 00:25:29,896 --> 00:25:32,156 religions suggested "free love" 735 00:25:32,164 --> 00:25:34,634 and an even more communal 736 00:25:34,634 --> 00:25:36,044 approach to living. 737 00:25:36,035 --> 00:25:37,265 >> HOROWITZ: The Oneida 738 00:25:37,269 --> 00:25:39,139 community was a communal 739 00:25:39,138 --> 00:25:41,038 experiment that grew up in the 740 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:42,140 Burned-Over District starting 741 00:25:42,141 --> 00:25:43,711 around 1848. 742 00:25:43,710 --> 00:25:45,110 They existed for a little over 743 00:25:45,111 --> 00:25:47,751 30 years, and their aim was to 744 00:25:47,747 --> 00:25:50,977 practice biblical communism, 745 00:25:50,983 --> 00:25:53,053 to experiment with alternative 746 00:25:53,052 --> 00:25:54,722 family structures, where 747 00:25:54,721 --> 00:25:56,161 children might have been raised 748 00:25:56,155 --> 00:25:57,885 by the community rather than by 749 00:25:57,890 --> 00:25:59,330 what we would consider a nuclear 750 00:25:59,325 --> 00:26:01,755 household. 751 00:26:01,761 --> 00:26:02,761 >> NARRATOR: New York's 752 00:26:02,762 --> 00:26:04,062 Burned-Over District also 753 00:26:04,063 --> 00:26:05,803 spawned cults whose names 754 00:26:05,798 --> 00:26:08,938 are now long forgotten. 755 00:26:08,935 --> 00:26:10,995 The leader of the Millerites 756 00:26:11,003 --> 00:26:12,913 predicted the world would end in 757 00:26:12,905 --> 00:26:14,935 1844. 758 00:26:14,941 --> 00:26:16,881 And the rituals performed by the 759 00:26:16,876 --> 00:26:19,306 so-called Spiritualists were 760 00:26:19,311 --> 00:26:22,821 considered perverse, blasphemous 761 00:26:22,815 --> 00:26:25,215 and downright bizarre. 762 00:26:25,217 --> 00:26:27,187 >> HOROWITZ: When people began 763 00:26:27,186 --> 00:26:28,956 to form sรƒยฉance circles and talk 764 00:26:28,955 --> 00:26:30,285 to the dead within the movement 765 00:26:30,289 --> 00:26:32,089 of Spiritualism that grew out of 766 00:26:32,091 --> 00:26:33,291 the Burned-Over District-- these 767 00:26:33,292 --> 00:26:35,702 were supernatural activities 768 00:26:35,695 --> 00:26:38,055 that cut very sharply against 769 00:26:38,064 --> 00:26:40,174 the standards of the day. 770 00:26:40,166 --> 00:26:42,096 >> NARRATOR: But what was it 771 00:26:42,101 --> 00:26:43,771 about this particular region of 772 00:26:43,770 --> 00:26:45,770 upstate New York that made it 773 00:26:45,772 --> 00:26:46,912 such fertile ground for 774 00:26:46,906 --> 00:26:48,936 religious cults? 775 00:26:48,941 --> 00:26:50,811 Could it be-- as some believe-- 776 00:26:50,810 --> 00:26:52,210 the strong influence of the 777 00:26:52,211 --> 00:26:54,651 region's Native American tribes, 778 00:26:54,647 --> 00:26:56,847 who believed in the supernatural 779 00:26:56,849 --> 00:27:00,249 and practiced communal living? 780 00:27:00,252 --> 00:27:02,392 Or was there another, perhaps 781 00:27:02,388 --> 00:27:05,088 even more logical, reason? 782 00:27:05,091 --> 00:27:06,191 >> GOLDWAG: America's a country 783 00:27:06,192 --> 00:27:08,262 that was founded by religious 784 00:27:08,260 --> 00:27:11,800 rebels and seekers, and one of 785 00:27:11,798 --> 00:27:13,328 the things that goes along with 786 00:27:13,332 --> 00:27:14,972 that is the susceptibility to 787 00:27:14,967 --> 00:27:18,237 cults and powerful religious 788 00:27:18,237 --> 00:27:20,207 leaders. 789 00:27:20,206 --> 00:27:22,406 If America has a big secret 790 00:27:22,408 --> 00:27:24,808 about cults, it's that we 791 00:27:24,811 --> 00:27:26,281 provide incredibly fertile 792 00:27:26,278 --> 00:27:27,348 ground for them. 793 00:27:27,346 --> 00:27:29,116 >> NARRATOR: Is there something 794 00:27:29,115 --> 00:27:31,145 unique to the American 795 00:27:31,150 --> 00:27:33,390 experience that gives rise to 796 00:27:33,385 --> 00:27:35,245 cults? 797 00:27:35,254 --> 00:27:36,994 Could it be the very freedoms 798 00:27:36,989 --> 00:27:40,889 Americans hold dear? 799 00:27:40,893 --> 00:27:42,133 And could a dangerous mix of 800 00:27:42,128 --> 00:27:46,368 power, profit and paranoia 801 00:27:46,365 --> 00:27:49,135 explain how a cult can go from 802 00:27:49,135 --> 00:27:51,765 being dangerous... 803 00:27:51,771 --> 00:27:54,141 to deadly? 804 00:27:54,140 --> 00:27:55,140 Coming up... 805 00:27:55,141 --> 00:27:56,781 >> RICK ROSS: What you had was a 806 00:27:56,776 --> 00:27:59,176 group of people controlled by a 807 00:27:59,178 --> 00:28:00,878 psychopath. 808 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:02,280 >> VAN ZANDT: This was going to 809 00:28:02,281 --> 00:28:04,381 be the end of David Koresh, and 810 00:28:04,383 --> 00:28:06,023 he was going to take all of his 811 00:28:06,018 --> 00:28:08,758 followers with him. 812 00:28:17,129 --> 00:28:18,299 >> ...and the cosmic cross of 813 00:28:18,297 --> 00:28:19,927 white fire shall be... 814 00:28:19,932 --> 00:28:21,072 >> NARRATOR: Over the past 30 815 00:28:21,067 --> 00:28:23,137 years, cults in America have 816 00:28:23,135 --> 00:28:26,765 grown at an alarming rate. 817 00:28:26,773 --> 00:28:29,043 And fueling their growth is 818 00:28:29,041 --> 00:28:32,041 money. 819 00:28:32,044 --> 00:28:34,014 Money that allows their leaders 820 00:28:34,013 --> 00:28:36,083 to buy property, often with the 821 00:28:36,082 --> 00:28:38,182 intention of isolating their 822 00:28:38,217 --> 00:28:41,087 group from society. 823 00:28:41,087 --> 00:28:43,087 >> LALICH: If a group is living 824 00:28:43,089 --> 00:28:45,319 together on a piece of land, 825 00:28:45,324 --> 00:28:47,234 which, you know, we tend to then 826 00:28:47,226 --> 00:28:49,896 call a compound, it's easier for 827 00:28:49,896 --> 00:28:51,426 the cult leader and his or her 828 00:28:51,430 --> 00:28:52,500 lieutenants to control 829 00:28:52,498 --> 00:28:55,428 everybody. 830 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:03,940 >> NARRATOR: 1935. 831 00:29:03,943 --> 00:29:06,253 A stretch of open land in Waco, 832 00:29:06,245 --> 00:29:08,305 Texas, becomes home to a 833 00:29:08,314 --> 00:29:10,984 religious sect known as the 834 00:29:10,983 --> 00:29:14,853 Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists. 835 00:29:14,854 --> 00:29:17,264 Within 20 years, the group, now 836 00:29:17,256 --> 00:29:19,386 known as the Branch Davidians, 837 00:29:19,391 --> 00:29:21,131 has built a sprawling compound 838 00:29:21,127 --> 00:29:22,957 on the site they name Mount 839 00:29:22,962 --> 00:29:25,802 Carmel, to house its members. 840 00:29:25,798 --> 00:29:26,828 >> AMMERMAN: The Branch 841 00:29:26,833 --> 00:29:28,533 Davidians at Waco were people 842 00:29:28,534 --> 00:29:30,274 who thought they had a new kind 843 00:29:30,269 --> 00:29:32,269 of revelation about how people 844 00:29:32,271 --> 00:29:33,811 should live their lives and what 845 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:35,840 the Bible meant. 846 00:29:35,842 --> 00:29:37,142 >> ROSS: You might say it was a 847 00:29:37,143 --> 00:29:38,413 cult group, but it was a 848 00:29:38,410 --> 00:29:40,980 relatively benign cult that did 849 00:29:40,980 --> 00:29:42,550 no harm, and they lived there 850 00:29:42,548 --> 00:29:44,818 for decades. 851 00:29:44,817 --> 00:29:47,547 Then came David Koresh. 852 00:29:51,423 --> 00:29:52,893 >> NARRATOR: Born in Houston in 853 00:29:52,892 --> 00:29:55,562 1959, David Koresh was a 854 00:29:55,561 --> 00:29:58,001 part-time musician who also 855 00:29:57,997 --> 00:30:00,967 claimed to be a prophet. 856 00:30:00,967 --> 00:30:02,527 (thunder crackling) 857 00:30:02,534 --> 00:30:05,304 He moved to Waco in 1981 to join 858 00:30:05,304 --> 00:30:07,014 the Branch Davidians, and by 859 00:30:07,006 --> 00:30:09,306 1989, after a vicious power 860 00:30:09,308 --> 00:30:11,308 struggle within the group, 861 00:30:11,310 --> 00:30:13,310 ominously had declared himself 862 00:30:13,312 --> 00:30:16,522 to be the final prophet. 863 00:30:16,515 --> 00:30:18,245 >> AMMERMAN: One of the things 864 00:30:18,250 --> 00:30:19,320 that made David Koresh such a 865 00:30:19,318 --> 00:30:21,448 powerful figure for the group 866 00:30:21,453 --> 00:30:23,263 was that he seemed to be such an 867 00:30:23,255 --> 00:30:25,155 amazing commentator on the Book 868 00:30:25,157 --> 00:30:26,157 of Revelation. 869 00:30:26,158 --> 00:30:27,858 >> KORESH: His tongue is the pit 870 00:30:27,860 --> 00:30:28,860 of a...? 871 00:30:28,861 --> 00:30:29,861 (crowd speaking) 872 00:30:29,862 --> 00:30:31,002 >> KORESH: So how's God gonna 873 00:30:30,997 --> 00:30:32,397 talk to me in the latter days? 874 00:30:32,398 --> 00:30:33,398 (overlapping crowd responses) 875 00:30:33,399 --> 00:30:34,469 >> KORESH: And who's gonna bring 876 00:30:34,466 --> 00:30:35,466 that book? 877 00:30:35,467 --> 00:30:36,467 (indistinct chatter) 878 00:30:36,468 --> 00:30:37,598 >> KORESH: So there'll be no 879 00:30:37,603 --> 00:30:38,603 excuses! 880 00:30:38,604 --> 00:30:40,414 >> ROSS: So, what you had was a 881 00:30:40,406 --> 00:30:43,206 group of people in a bubble, 882 00:30:43,209 --> 00:30:45,209 completely controlled by a 883 00:30:45,211 --> 00:30:47,451 psychopath, and they were led 884 00:30:47,446 --> 00:30:50,046 to believe, some would say 885 00:30:50,049 --> 00:30:51,949 brainwashed to believe, that he 886 00:30:51,951 --> 00:30:56,491 was the messiah. 887 00:30:56,488 --> 00:30:58,088 >> NARRATOR: Law enforcement 888 00:30:58,090 --> 00:31:00,030 largely ignored the reclusive 889 00:31:00,026 --> 00:31:02,626 group at Mount Carmel until the 890 00:31:02,628 --> 00:31:04,298 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and 891 00:31:04,296 --> 00:31:06,926 Firearms became aware that the 892 00:31:06,933 --> 00:31:09,103 cult had been amassing a large 893 00:31:09,101 --> 00:31:10,471 stockpile of military-style 894 00:31:10,502 --> 00:31:13,612 firearms. 895 00:31:13,605 --> 00:31:14,935 >> DICK J. REAVIS: The Branch 896 00:31:14,941 --> 00:31:16,081 Davidians were under 897 00:31:16,075 --> 00:31:17,205 surveillance for about nine 898 00:31:17,209 --> 00:31:18,379 months. 899 00:31:18,377 --> 00:31:21,177 It started with computer checks 900 00:31:21,180 --> 00:31:23,050 to see what gun parts they may 901 00:31:23,049 --> 00:31:25,049 have been ordering. 902 00:31:25,051 --> 00:31:26,051 >> GOLDWAG: The Branch 903 00:31:26,052 --> 00:31:28,492 Davidians, unfortunately, made 904 00:31:28,487 --> 00:31:30,517 themselves known to the federal 905 00:31:30,522 --> 00:31:32,392 government, because they were 906 00:31:32,391 --> 00:31:35,131 selling weapons at gun shows. 907 00:31:35,127 --> 00:31:38,097 They weren't paying taxes on it. 908 00:31:44,136 --> 00:31:45,466 (garbled radio transmission) 909 00:31:45,471 --> 00:31:46,471 >> NARRATOR: 76 ATF agents 910 00:31:46,472 --> 00:31:49,012 surround the Branch Davidians' 911 00:31:49,008 --> 00:31:51,408 Texas headquarters, intending to 912 00:31:51,410 --> 00:31:53,010 search the premises for illegal 913 00:31:53,012 --> 00:31:55,682 firearms. 914 00:31:55,681 --> 00:31:58,281 Suddenly, shots ring out from 915 00:31:58,284 --> 00:32:00,294 inside the compound. 916 00:32:00,286 --> 00:32:04,486 (gunfire) 917 00:32:08,427 --> 00:32:11,957 An intense gun battle erupts... 918 00:32:16,035 --> 00:32:17,395 ...leaving four agents and six 919 00:32:17,436 --> 00:32:20,106 Branch Davidians dead. 920 00:32:20,106 --> 00:32:22,106 >> VAN ZANDT: At that time, the 921 00:32:22,108 --> 00:32:23,378 federal government made a 922 00:32:23,375 --> 00:32:25,135 decision that the FBI would come 923 00:32:25,144 --> 00:32:27,984 in and take over all control, 924 00:32:27,980 --> 00:32:29,180 trying to resolve this 925 00:32:29,181 --> 00:32:32,021 situation. 926 00:32:32,018 --> 00:32:33,448 >> NARRATOR: With the FBI now in 927 00:32:33,452 --> 00:32:36,192 command, water, power and food 928 00:32:36,188 --> 00:32:38,288 are cut off to the compound, and 929 00:32:38,290 --> 00:32:40,290 negotiations are initiated with 930 00:32:40,292 --> 00:32:43,162 Branch Davidian leader David 931 00:32:43,162 --> 00:32:44,462 Koresh. 932 00:32:44,463 --> 00:32:45,703 >> KORESH: They started firing 933 00:32:45,697 --> 00:32:46,697 at me. 934 00:32:46,698 --> 00:32:48,468 I fell back in the door. 935 00:32:48,467 --> 00:32:49,467 Then bullets started coming 936 00:32:49,468 --> 00:32:50,468 through the door. 937 00:32:50,469 --> 00:32:52,069 Some of the young men and stuff 938 00:32:52,071 --> 00:32:53,071 started firing on them. 939 00:32:53,072 --> 00:32:54,212 I was already hollering, "Go 940 00:32:54,206 --> 00:32:55,206 away. 941 00:32:55,207 --> 00:32:56,477 There's women and children here. 942 00:32:56,475 --> 00:32:58,475 Let's talk." 943 00:32:58,477 --> 00:32:59,677 >> VAN ZANDT: Our goal was to 944 00:32:59,678 --> 00:33:01,078 come to a solution where the 945 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:02,580 Branch Davidians would lay down 946 00:33:02,581 --> 00:33:04,281 their arms and come out of the 947 00:33:04,283 --> 00:33:05,723 compound, and this could be 948 00:33:05,717 --> 00:33:08,647 resolved in a nonviolent way. 949 00:33:11,723 --> 00:33:14,233 >> NARRATOR: On April 19, after 950 00:33:14,226 --> 00:33:16,596 a 51-day standoff, and under 951 00:33:16,595 --> 00:33:18,225 orders from U.S. Attorney 952 00:33:18,230 --> 00:33:22,100 General Janet Reno, helicopters, 953 00:33:22,101 --> 00:33:24,371 tanks and armored vehicles 954 00:33:24,370 --> 00:33:26,370 arrive at the Branch Davidians' 955 00:33:26,372 --> 00:33:29,442 compound at 6:00 a.m. 956 00:33:29,441 --> 00:33:30,641 >> VAN ZANDT: The decision was 957 00:33:30,642 --> 00:33:32,712 made to go tactical. 958 00:33:32,711 --> 00:33:34,251 That turned out to be a terrible 959 00:33:34,246 --> 00:33:36,216 decision, and people died 960 00:33:36,215 --> 00:33:38,075 because of it. 961 00:33:38,084 --> 00:33:39,224 >> REAVIS: Well, the people at 962 00:33:39,218 --> 00:33:41,188 Mount Carmel fired on the tanks 963 00:33:41,187 --> 00:33:43,787 that the FBI sent in within 964 00:33:43,789 --> 00:33:45,759 about two minutes of the tanks' 965 00:33:45,757 --> 00:33:47,527 arrival. 966 00:33:47,526 --> 00:33:50,126 So, immediately, the FBI starts 967 00:33:50,129 --> 00:33:51,659 shooting CS gas into the 968 00:33:51,663 --> 00:33:53,773 building. 969 00:33:53,765 --> 00:33:57,735 >> NARRATOR: 7.30 a.m. 970 00:33:57,736 --> 00:33:59,406 An armored vehicle breaks 971 00:33:59,405 --> 00:34:00,605 through the front wall of the 972 00:34:00,639 --> 00:34:02,669 main building. 973 00:34:02,674 --> 00:34:03,814 >> VAN ZANDT: There were those 974 00:34:03,809 --> 00:34:05,279 in the FBI and the federal 975 00:34:05,277 --> 00:34:06,547 government believed we had tried 976 00:34:06,545 --> 00:34:08,145 everything we could, and that 977 00:34:08,147 --> 00:34:10,477 the way to force the Davidians 978 00:34:10,482 --> 00:34:12,622 out was to put a massive amount 979 00:34:12,618 --> 00:34:14,348 of gas inside the compound and 980 00:34:14,353 --> 00:34:16,693 drive them out. 981 00:34:16,688 --> 00:34:18,658 >> ROSS: David Koresh came to a 982 00:34:18,657 --> 00:34:21,627 point where he realized, "If I 983 00:34:21,627 --> 00:34:24,757 leave this compound, I'm going 984 00:34:24,763 --> 00:34:27,573 to prison, I will no longer be 985 00:34:27,566 --> 00:34:29,836 the king, I will not rule over 986 00:34:29,835 --> 00:34:32,095 my group and my people, and I 987 00:34:32,104 --> 00:34:34,414 will simply be a prisoner on a 988 00:34:34,406 --> 00:34:36,776 cellblock." 989 00:34:36,775 --> 00:34:38,175 He decided that he would rather 990 00:34:38,177 --> 00:34:41,147 die. 991 00:34:41,147 --> 00:34:42,577 >> VAN ZANDT: This was going to 992 00:34:42,581 --> 00:34:44,581 be the end of David Koresh, and 993 00:34:44,583 --> 00:34:46,693 he was going to take all of his 994 00:34:46,685 --> 00:34:48,615 followers with him. 995 00:34:50,189 --> 00:34:53,189 >> NARRATOR: 12:07 p.m.-- 996 00:34:53,192 --> 00:34:54,592 fires are reported in three 997 00:34:54,593 --> 00:34:57,563 locations inside the compound. 998 00:34:59,865 --> 00:35:00,865 (wind rushing) 999 00:35:00,866 --> 00:35:02,696 Gusty winds quickly fan the 1000 00:35:02,701 --> 00:35:06,441 flames through the building. 1001 00:35:06,438 --> 00:35:08,468 Within minutes, part of the roof 1002 00:35:08,474 --> 00:35:10,714 collapses, followed by several 1003 00:35:10,709 --> 00:35:12,309 explosions. 1004 00:35:12,311 --> 00:35:15,181 (explosion) 1005 00:35:15,181 --> 00:35:16,451 >> REAVIS: If there was a book 1006 00:35:16,448 --> 00:35:18,448 about the secrets of Waco, we 1007 00:35:18,450 --> 00:35:20,420 would know whether or not 1008 00:35:20,419 --> 00:35:22,219 David Koresh ordered his 1009 00:35:22,221 --> 00:35:23,721 followers to set that building 1010 00:35:23,722 --> 00:35:26,862 on fire, or if it caught fire 1011 00:35:26,858 --> 00:35:28,758 because the FBI had pumped in 1012 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:31,730 that CS gas. 1013 00:35:31,730 --> 00:35:33,230 >> JANET RENO: The FBI did not 1014 00:35:33,232 --> 00:35:34,372 set that fire. 1015 00:35:34,366 --> 00:35:35,726 That fire was set by David 1016 00:35:35,734 --> 00:35:37,344 Koresh and the people in that 1017 00:35:37,336 --> 00:35:38,436 building. 1018 00:35:38,437 --> 00:35:39,867 I let the facts speak for 1019 00:35:39,871 --> 00:35:41,471 themselves, and I'm going to 1020 00:35:41,473 --> 00:35:43,443 continue to pursue the truth. 1021 00:35:46,212 --> 00:35:47,452 >> NARRATOR: The inferno that 1022 00:35:47,446 --> 00:35:48,876 consumed the Branch Davidians' 1023 00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:51,220 compound lasted 30 minutes and 1024 00:35:51,217 --> 00:35:53,517 burned David Koresh and 75 1025 00:35:53,519 --> 00:35:55,889 of his followers, many of them 1026 00:35:55,887 --> 00:35:58,387 children, to their deaths. 1027 00:36:01,193 --> 00:36:02,733 As the smoke cleared, the 1028 00:36:02,728 --> 00:36:04,658 tragedy seemed to validate the 1029 00:36:04,663 --> 00:36:06,733 paranoia that had fueled much of 1030 00:36:06,732 --> 00:36:07,932 the Branch Davidians' 1031 00:36:07,933 --> 00:36:10,673 antigovernment ideology-- 1032 00:36:10,669 --> 00:36:13,269 an ideology that now would grow 1033 00:36:13,272 --> 00:36:15,772 and spread like a disease, and 1034 00:36:15,774 --> 00:36:17,284 eventually become linked to 1035 00:36:17,276 --> 00:36:21,276 another American tragedy... 1036 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:23,480 the Oklahoma City bombing. 1037 00:36:26,252 --> 00:36:27,692 >> AMMERMAN: Many new religious 1038 00:36:27,686 --> 00:36:30,416 groups see all of the existing 1039 00:36:30,422 --> 00:36:31,792 authorities in society as 1040 00:36:31,790 --> 00:36:34,430 potentially enemies. 1041 00:36:34,426 --> 00:36:37,296 They quite naturally are afraid 1042 00:36:37,296 --> 00:36:39,496 that something about the way 1043 00:36:39,498 --> 00:36:41,268 they want to live is something 1044 00:36:41,267 --> 00:36:42,827 that other people will find so 1045 00:36:42,834 --> 00:36:44,544 offensive that they'll "send in 1046 00:36:44,536 --> 00:36:47,966 the Feds," as we say. 1047 00:36:47,973 --> 00:36:49,513 >> NARRATOR: But were the U.S. 1048 00:36:49,508 --> 00:36:51,278 government's actions at Waco 1049 00:36:51,277 --> 00:36:53,277 merely the result of a law 1050 00:36:53,279 --> 00:36:55,249 enforcement effort gone terribly 1051 00:36:55,247 --> 00:36:56,417 wrong? 1052 00:36:56,415 --> 00:36:58,575 Or were they, as some conspiracy 1053 00:36:58,584 --> 00:37:00,794 theorists believe, something 1054 00:37:00,819 --> 00:37:03,919 much more... deliberate? 1055 00:37:03,922 --> 00:37:05,822 >> REAVIS: The U.S. Army was 1056 00:37:05,824 --> 00:37:08,694 involved in at least one way 1057 00:37:08,727 --> 00:37:10,857 in the raid on Mount Carmel. 1058 00:37:10,862 --> 00:37:12,432 When things went wrong, it 1059 00:37:12,431 --> 00:37:14,831 provided tanks to the FBI. 1060 00:37:14,833 --> 00:37:16,673 There are people who say it 1061 00:37:16,668 --> 00:37:19,738 provided Delta Force troops-- 1062 00:37:19,738 --> 00:37:21,808 troops whose use can only be 1063 00:37:21,807 --> 00:37:25,577 authorized by the president. 1064 00:37:25,577 --> 00:37:26,747 >> NARRATOR: Did President Bill 1065 00:37:26,745 --> 00:37:28,745 Clinton personally authorize the 1066 00:37:28,747 --> 00:37:31,477 use of military force against 1067 00:37:31,483 --> 00:37:33,753 the Branch Davidians? 1068 00:37:33,752 --> 00:37:36,022 But if so, why? 1069 00:37:36,021 --> 00:37:38,461 Did the cult really pose a 1070 00:37:38,457 --> 00:37:42,027 threat to national security? 1071 00:37:42,027 --> 00:37:44,357 Or was there another, perhaps 1072 00:37:44,363 --> 00:37:48,433 more secret reason? 1073 00:37:48,434 --> 00:37:49,504 Coming Up... 1074 00:37:49,501 --> 00:37:50,701 >> ROSS: It was a very scary 1075 00:37:50,702 --> 00:37:52,002 period for the people of 1076 00:37:52,003 --> 00:37:53,973 Oregon-- the idea that this 1077 00:37:53,972 --> 00:37:56,342 guru could move in and basically 1078 00:37:56,342 --> 00:37:59,042 take over their town and try to 1079 00:37:59,044 --> 00:38:00,654 take over their government. 1080 00:38:00,646 --> 00:38:02,576 (camera shutter clicking) 1081 00:38:08,053 --> 00:38:10,023 (whooshing) 1082 00:38:12,358 --> 00:38:13,858 >> NARRATOR: Facebook. 1083 00:38:13,859 --> 00:38:15,389 Craigslist. 1084 00:38:15,394 --> 00:38:16,904 Twitter. 1085 00:38:16,895 --> 00:38:18,655 Google. 1086 00:38:18,664 --> 00:38:20,674 In America, and throughout the 1087 00:38:20,666 --> 00:38:22,766 world, people are connected to 1088 00:38:22,768 --> 00:38:25,668 each other as never before. 1089 00:38:25,671 --> 00:38:28,771 Shoppers can find items to buy, 1090 00:38:28,774 --> 00:38:31,644 singles can find dates, and 1091 00:38:31,643 --> 00:38:34,413 cults... can find new and 1092 00:38:34,413 --> 00:38:36,383 willing members. 1093 00:38:38,917 --> 00:38:41,417 Like a moderday Erie Canal, 1094 00:38:41,420 --> 00:38:43,560 the Internet offers a gateway 1095 00:38:43,555 --> 00:38:45,485 for individuals with uniquely 1096 00:38:45,491 --> 00:38:47,831 held beliefs to find others with 1097 00:38:47,826 --> 00:38:50,396 whom they can bond and later 1098 00:38:50,396 --> 00:38:52,096 congregate. 1099 00:38:52,097 --> 00:38:54,827 And it's all perfectly legal... 1100 00:38:54,833 --> 00:38:58,103 and anonymous. 1101 00:38:58,103 --> 00:39:00,513 In the 21st century, cults not 1102 00:39:00,506 --> 00:39:03,106 only focus on religion, but 1103 00:39:03,108 --> 00:39:05,508 more and more on political and 1104 00:39:05,544 --> 00:39:09,454 social change. 1105 00:39:09,448 --> 00:39:11,418 >> LALICH: We tend to overlook 1106 00:39:11,417 --> 00:39:13,077 the kinds of groups that aren't 1107 00:39:13,118 --> 00:39:15,118 religious. 1108 00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:16,790 And I know when I got out of the 1109 00:39:16,788 --> 00:39:18,718 group that I was in, which was a 1110 00:39:18,724 --> 00:39:20,664 political cult, it took me quite 1111 00:39:20,659 --> 00:39:22,059 a while to figure out what it 1112 00:39:22,060 --> 00:39:24,600 was, and I kept thinking, well, 1113 00:39:24,596 --> 00:39:25,826 it couldn't have been a cult 1114 00:39:25,831 --> 00:39:27,401 because we weren't religious. 1115 00:39:27,399 --> 00:39:28,669 And then the more I started 1116 00:39:28,667 --> 00:39:29,797 reading and studying and 1117 00:39:29,801 --> 00:39:31,541 understanding the psychodynamics 1118 00:39:31,537 --> 00:39:32,837 of these groups, I thought, oh, 1119 00:39:32,838 --> 00:39:33,938 wait a minute, it doesn't have 1120 00:39:33,939 --> 00:39:35,709 anything to do with religion. 1121 00:39:35,707 --> 00:39:37,007 >> NARRATOR: The larger and more 1122 00:39:37,008 --> 00:39:39,948 powerful organizations often try 1123 00:39:39,945 --> 00:39:44,145 to exert political influence. 1124 00:39:44,149 --> 00:39:45,749 But in an age of global 1125 00:39:45,751 --> 00:39:48,421 terrorism, it isn't ballots... 1126 00:39:48,420 --> 00:39:51,490 but bullets and even biological 1127 00:39:51,490 --> 00:39:54,030 weapons that can turn an 1128 00:39:54,025 --> 00:39:56,695 otherwise harmless cult into a 1129 00:39:56,695 --> 00:40:00,895 national security nightmare. 1130 00:40:00,899 --> 00:40:03,499 Fall, 1984. 1131 00:40:03,502 --> 00:40:04,902 Followers of the cult leader 1132 00:40:04,903 --> 00:40:07,613 Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh suspend 1133 00:40:07,606 --> 00:40:09,036 their regular pursuits of 1134 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:11,580 meditation and guilt-free sex 1135 00:40:11,577 --> 00:40:13,507 to unleash the first 1136 00:40:13,512 --> 00:40:15,512 bioterrorist attack in United 1137 00:40:15,514 --> 00:40:18,624 States history... 90 miles east 1138 00:40:18,650 --> 00:40:20,750 of Portland, Oregon. 1139 00:40:20,752 --> 00:40:22,192 >> ROSS: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh 1140 00:40:22,187 --> 00:40:24,787 originally had a ashram, or a 1141 00:40:24,790 --> 00:40:27,190 compound, in Pune, India, but 1142 00:40:27,192 --> 00:40:30,202 eventually he decided to move 1143 00:40:30,195 --> 00:40:33,195 to Oregon, and he created a very 1144 00:40:33,198 --> 00:40:35,628 expansive compound called 1145 00:40:35,667 --> 00:40:37,667 Rajneeshpuram. 1146 00:40:37,669 --> 00:40:40,069 He actually tried to take over 1147 00:40:40,071 --> 00:40:41,741 local government. 1148 00:40:41,740 --> 00:40:43,510 He was not happy with the way 1149 00:40:43,509 --> 00:40:45,779 things were being handled by 1150 00:40:45,777 --> 00:40:47,207 government in his area. 1151 00:40:47,212 --> 00:40:48,912 He felt that it would be better 1152 00:40:48,914 --> 00:40:50,684 if he had more control. 1153 00:40:50,682 --> 00:40:51,822 >> NARRATOR: To guard and 1154 00:40:51,817 --> 00:40:53,817 expand their growing influence, 1155 00:40:53,819 --> 00:40:56,049 the 1,200-member cult secretly 1156 00:40:56,054 --> 00:40:57,794 amassed an arsenal of 1157 00:40:57,789 --> 00:41:00,689 semiautomatic rifles, handguns 1158 00:41:00,692 --> 00:41:02,762 and tear gas at their 1159 00:41:02,761 --> 00:41:05,231 $30 million compound outside 1160 00:41:05,230 --> 00:41:08,970 the rural town of The Dalles. 1161 00:41:08,967 --> 00:41:11,567 Then they nominated cult members 1162 00:41:11,570 --> 00:41:13,570 as candidates in the county 1163 00:41:13,572 --> 00:41:15,572 election. 1164 00:41:15,574 --> 00:41:16,844 >> ROSS: It was a very scary 1165 00:41:16,842 --> 00:41:18,112 period for the people of 1166 00:41:18,109 --> 00:41:21,109 Oregon-- the idea that this guru 1167 00:41:21,112 --> 00:41:23,682 could move in and basically 1168 00:41:23,682 --> 00:41:26,082 take over their town and try to 1169 00:41:26,084 --> 00:41:28,594 take over their government. 1170 00:41:28,587 --> 00:41:29,817 >> NARRATOR: But in order to 1171 00:41:29,821 --> 00:41:32,261 guarantee a favorable turnout, 1172 00:41:32,257 --> 00:41:34,257 Rajneesh's cult followers-- 1173 00:41:34,259 --> 00:41:36,829 also called "Sannyasin" or 1174 00:41:36,828 --> 00:41:39,598 "Truth Seekers"-- began brewing 1175 00:41:39,598 --> 00:41:41,828 a toxic cocktail of salmonella 1176 00:41:41,833 --> 00:41:44,873 bacteria and sprinkled it on 1177 00:41:44,870 --> 00:41:47,110 salad bars and into coffee 1178 00:41:47,105 --> 00:41:48,705 creamers at ten local 1179 00:41:48,740 --> 00:41:51,280 restaurants. 1180 00:41:51,276 --> 00:41:52,876 >> GOLDWAG: They came up with 1181 00:41:52,878 --> 00:41:54,148 the idea that they could 1182 00:41:54,145 --> 00:41:55,605 influence the school board 1183 00:41:55,614 --> 00:41:56,854 elections if they made people 1184 00:41:56,882 --> 00:41:58,882 sick. 1185 00:41:58,884 --> 00:42:00,894 >> NARRATOR: It didn't work. 1186 00:42:00,886 --> 00:42:02,286 Although the assault on the 1187 00:42:02,287 --> 00:42:04,717 town's voters sickened over 750 1188 00:42:04,723 --> 00:42:07,093 people, it was not enough to 1189 00:42:07,092 --> 00:42:10,102 keep them away from the polls. 1190 00:42:10,095 --> 00:42:12,225 Bhagwan Rajneesh's bacterial 1191 00:42:12,230 --> 00:42:14,900 coup ended in defeat... 1192 00:42:14,900 --> 00:42:15,900 and arrests. 1193 00:42:15,901 --> 00:42:17,571 (sirens wailing) 1194 00:42:17,569 --> 00:42:19,569 And Rajneesh-- also known as 1195 00:42:19,571 --> 00:42:22,871 Osho-- was deported back to 1196 00:42:22,874 --> 00:42:25,014 India. 1197 00:42:25,010 --> 00:42:27,310 America's first documented case 1198 00:42:27,312 --> 00:42:30,022 of bioterrorism had been 1199 00:42:30,015 --> 00:42:32,575 thwarted. 1200 00:42:32,584 --> 00:42:35,324 But could it happen again? 1201 00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:37,190 And could there be other secret 1202 00:42:37,188 --> 00:42:39,888 cults in America hiding in 1203 00:42:39,891 --> 00:42:42,631 plain sight? 1204 00:42:42,628 --> 00:42:43,858 >> ROSS: The United States 1205 00:42:43,862 --> 00:42:46,032 really in many ways is a haven 1206 00:42:46,031 --> 00:42:48,131 for destructive cult activity, 1207 00:42:48,133 --> 00:42:49,673 and that's the way it's been for 1208 00:42:49,668 --> 00:42:52,138 some time. 1209 00:42:52,137 --> 00:42:53,337 >> LALICH: Today there are more 1210 00:42:53,338 --> 00:42:54,868 cults than ever before. 1211 00:42:54,873 --> 00:42:56,013 There are more cults in America 1212 00:42:56,007 --> 00:42:57,037 than we ever could have 1213 00:42:57,075 --> 00:42:59,075 imagined. 1214 00:42:59,077 --> 00:43:00,277 >> VAN ZANDT: If tre was an 1215 00:43:00,278 --> 00:43:01,908 America's Book of Secrets on 1216 00:43:01,913 --> 00:43:04,353 cults, one secret we would learn 1217 00:43:04,349 --> 00:43:07,089 is that anyone is susceptible, 1218 00:43:07,085 --> 00:43:08,685 no matter what your background, 1219 00:43:08,687 --> 00:43:10,617 to being negatively influenced 1220 00:43:10,656 --> 00:43:13,056 by a cult. 1221 00:43:13,058 --> 00:43:14,058 >> NARRATOR: Charismatic 1222 00:43:14,059 --> 00:43:15,829 leaders... 1223 00:43:15,827 --> 00:43:17,927 a devout membership... 1224 00:43:17,929 --> 00:43:19,799 and the tempting promise of a 1225 00:43:19,798 --> 00:43:22,368 heaven on Earth. 1226 00:43:22,367 --> 00:43:24,097 Perhaps a nation that prizes 1227 00:43:24,102 --> 00:43:25,972 religious freedom and individual 1228 00:43:25,971 --> 00:43:28,371 responsibility will always be at 1229 00:43:28,373 --> 00:43:32,083 risk. 1230 00:43:32,077 --> 00:43:33,977 Reason enough to remain guarded 1231 00:43:33,979 --> 00:43:35,909 against the dangerous mix of 1232 00:43:35,914 --> 00:43:37,824 power... 1233 00:43:37,816 --> 00:43:39,246 profit... 1234 00:43:39,250 --> 00:43:40,250 and paranoia... 1235 00:43:40,251 --> 00:43:41,851 >> APPLEWHITE: Leave with us. 1236 00:43:41,853 --> 00:43:42,953 >> NARRATOR: ...that can turn a 1237 00:43:42,954 --> 00:43:44,824 seemingly well-intentioned group 1238 00:43:44,823 --> 00:43:48,233 of individuals into a dangerous 1239 00:43:48,226 --> 00:43:49,386 and deadly... cult. 1240 00:43:49,394 --> 00:43:50,404 Captioning sponsored by 1241 00:43:50,395 --> 00:43:53,395 A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS 1242 00:43:53,398 --> 00:43:54,398 Captioned by 1243 00:43:54,399 --> 00:43:55,399 Media Access Group at WGBH 1244 00:43:55,400 --> 00:43:57,770 access.wgbh.org 81351

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