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>> MARSHALL APPLEWHITE: Your
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only chance to evacuate is to
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leave with us.
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>> NARRATOR: Charismatic
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leaders...
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>> TIM CARTER: What happened
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there was murder.
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>> NARRATOR: ...and faithful
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followers.
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>> JANJA LALICH: Here were these
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39 bodies laid out with these
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plastic bags.
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>> This was a mass suicide.
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>> NARRATOR: ...threatening
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families...
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friends...
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and even national security.
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>> RICK ROSS: This was the first
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act of bioterrorism in the
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history of the United States.
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>> NARRATOR: Does the American
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public have something to fear
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from an estimated 5,000
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religious, political and satanic
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cults?
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>> ARTHUR GOLDWAG: If America
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has a big secret about cults,
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it's that we provide incredibly
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fertile ground for them.
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>> NARRATOR: Or is it already
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too late?
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(three gunshots)
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>> CLINT VAN ZANDT: The decision
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was made to go tactical.
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That turned out to be a terrible
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decision.
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And people died because of it.
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>> NARRATOR: There are those who
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believe in the existence of a
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book.
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A book that contains the most
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highly guarded secrets of the
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United States of America.
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A book...
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whose very existence is known to
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only a select few.
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But if such a book exists...
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what would it contain?
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Secret histories?
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Secret agendas?
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Secret murders?
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Does there really exist...
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America's Book of Secrets?
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>> APPLEWHITE: We came and
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incarnated him to these human
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bodies, and now we're leaving
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these human bodies tonight.
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>> NARRATOR: Their names stand
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as infamous landmarks in
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American culture.
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Heaven's Gate, the Branch
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Davidians, the Peoples Temple.
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But they are only the tip of an
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enormous iceberg.
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According to government
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statistics, there are an
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estimated 5,000 cults currently
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operating in the United States.
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And each year, there are
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approximately 200,000 Americans
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who serve as secret--
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and for the most part, willing--
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members.
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>> Lo, I am come to do thy will,
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O, God.
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Lo, I am come to do thy will,
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O, God.
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>> LALICH: The people who are
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getting drawn into cults are a
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rather different demographic
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then we were seeing in the '60s,
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'70s and '80s.
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Back then, it was mostly young
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people who were getting
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involved.
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So, today, it's people who are
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more in their 30s, 40s, 50s,
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and that's because I think a lot
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of the cults have gotten rather
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savvy and they realized that
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recruiting young people is a
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hassle.
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>> ROSS: Many of the cults
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deliberately recruit people who
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are highly educated, who are
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affluent, because they can
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exploit them more effectively.
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I have met brilliant people--
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absolutely brilliant people--
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who have been pulled into cults.
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>> ELIZABETH CLARE PROPHET: The
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kingdom of God is the
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consciousness of God.
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>> NARRATOR: But just what are
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these cults?
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And what is the secret of their
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allure?
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>> LALICH: People don't know
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they're joining a cult.
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I mean, if they knew that, they
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probably would never have
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joined, so you won't find too
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many cult members who identify
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themselves as cult members.
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>> DAVID CUNNINGHAM: Cult
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dynamics are all about trying to
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get people to have a sense of
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self and a sense of identity
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that they don't feel that
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they're getting from the groups
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and opportunities in communities
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around them.
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>> CARTER: I got out of the
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Marine Corps in 1969, and it
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wasn't like I was looking for a
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group but some place to call a
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home, in a sense of making a
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commitment.
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In January of '73, I found
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Peoples Temple.
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And as soon as I arrived at the
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Temple, it felt like home to me.
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I was home.
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>> NARRATOR: For those who
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join, current U.S. laws provide
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little in the way of protection
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for individuals that find
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themselves drawn into dangerous
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and even deadly religious and
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political cults.
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So how can they be recognized?
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>> MITCH HOROWITZ: For a
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movement to be a cult, there
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has to be a presence of some
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kind of abuse or coercion.
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Most observers think of four
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criteria that defines an
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organization as a cult:
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behavioral control,
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informational control, some sort
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of thought control and
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emotional control.
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People might find such an
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organization very easy to fall
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into and very difficult to get
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out of.
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>> ROSS: Cults can become
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dangerous and deadly because
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there's kind of a formula for
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tragedy inherent in the group.
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That is, you have a group of
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people that have in large part
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given up their ability to
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function autonomously.
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>> NARRATOR: San Diego,
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California, March 26, 1997.
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Police discover a chilling scene
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in a large suburban home
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occupied by members of a cult
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called Heaven's Gate.
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39 bodies are discovered.
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Later it is learned the cause of
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death is the voluntary ingestion
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of a deadly cocktail of sleeping
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pills, vodka and applesauce.
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>> All indications are that
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this was a mass suicide.
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>> LALICH: Here were these 39
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bodies laid out with these
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plastic bags.
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They were completely all on
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their back.
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They had these purple shrouds
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covering them.
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They all wore the same outfits.
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They had their brand new Nike
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shoes.
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>> NARRATOR: It was the final
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act of devotion to a charismatic
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but twisted leader named
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Marshall Applewhite.
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>> APPLEWHITE: We don't care to
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cling to the life of this body.
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We're ready to leave this place.
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(crickets chirping)
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>> NARRATOR: On the evening of
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the suices, Applewhite
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believed a UFO would pass over
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the Earth, in the wake of the
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Hale-Bopp Comet.
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His followers were instructed to
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commit suicide in order to have
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their souls transported aboard
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the flying saucer and out to
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deep space.
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>> If people would just know
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that we're not forced into this
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in any way.
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It's, you know, our own
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choosing to do it, and I'm...
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really happy that I made this
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choice.
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>> (over video): A lot of you
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are watching this film...
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>> ROSS: The leader says, "It's
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the end.
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This is absolutely the end.
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This is your last chance."
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And people, rather than miss
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that window, will grab and not
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really completely think it
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through.
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It's a technique of persuasion.
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And I think that many cult
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leaders understand it very well.
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>> APPLEWHITE: Welcome to beyond
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human.
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>> MARK MIRABELLO: Applewhite
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taught the membership that they
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should suppress sexual desire,
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but if they couldn't, castration
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was allowed.
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He clearly believed his own
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teachings and, in fact,
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castrated himself because they
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believed that highly evolved
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beings would have no sexual
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characteristics.
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>> APPLEWHITE: We came for the
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express purpose, to offer a
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doorway to the kingdom of God.
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>> CUNNINGHAM: The most extreme
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kind of claim to legitimacy
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that a charismatic leader can
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make is that they can dictate
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even something like a mass end
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of people's lives.
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>> VAN ZANDT: All cults need a
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very charismatic leader at
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the head.
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They need someone who is either
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representing himself to be some
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type of deity figure,
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someone who is so far
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intellectually superior to any
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of the rest of us that we have
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to subscribe ourselves to him
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and to his will.
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When we make a person that
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powerful, that one person is
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capable of, in some cases,
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infinite good, and other times,
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infinite evil.
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>> ROSS: I can tell you from
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30 years of experience that
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cult leaders are not exactly
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examples of mental health.
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So these people are by nature
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unstable.
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Many have been described by
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mental health professionals as
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psychopaths.
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So here you have a group of
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people attached to a disturbed
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personality.
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And when that personality slips
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over the edge, everyone goes
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with him or with her.
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>> NARRATOR: But not all cult
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leaders and their organizations
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are motivated by spiritual,
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social or-- as in the case of
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Marshall Applewhite--
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extraterrestrial agendas.
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Many have more financial
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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 sรยฉance 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
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00:40:24,790 --> 00:40:27,190
compound, in Pune, India, but
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00:40:27,192 --> 00:40:30,202
eventually he decided to move
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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
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00:40:35,667 --> 00:40:37,667
Rajneeshpuram.
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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.
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00:40:41,740 --> 00:40:43,510
He was not happy with the way
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00:40:43,509 --> 00:40:45,779
things were being handled by
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government in his area.
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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.
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00:40:50,682 --> 00:40:51,822
>> NARRATOR: To guard and
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expand their growing influence,
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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
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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.
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Then they nominated cult members
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as candidates in the county
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election.
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>> ROSS: It was a very scary
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period for the people of
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Oregon-- the idea that this guru
1167
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could move in and basically
1168
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take over their town and try to
1169
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take over their government.
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>> NARRATOR: But in order to
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guarantee a favorable turnout,
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Rajneesh's cult followers--
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also called "Sannyasin" or
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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
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bacteria and sprinkled it on
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00:41:44,870 --> 00:41:47,110
salad bars and into coffee
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creamers at ten local
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restaurants.
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>> GOLDWAG: They came up with
1181
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the idea that they could
1182
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influence the school board
1183
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elections if they made people
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sick.
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00:41:58,884 --> 00:42:00,894
>> NARRATOR: It didn't work.
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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)
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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
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00:42:22,874 --> 00:42:25,014
India.
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America's first documented case
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00:42:27,312 --> 00:42:30,022
of bioterrorism had been
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00:42:30,015 --> 00:42:32,575
thwarted.
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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
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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...
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00:43:40,251 --> 00:43:41,851
>> APPLEWHITE: Leave with us.
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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.
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00:43:49,394 --> 00:43:50,404
Captioning sponsored by
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00:43:50,395 --> 00:43:53,395
A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS
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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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