Original subtitles

Narrator: BY THE MID 1940s,

THE TIDES OF WORLD WAR II WERE TURNING,

AND LEGEND HAS IT THAT DESPERATE JAPANESE SOLDIERS

BURIED A TREASURE OF GOLD AND RELICS IN THE PHILIPPINES.

Picknett: THEY TOOK AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF TREASURE FROM TEMPLES,

FROM BANKS, ANYTHING THEY COULD LAY THEIR HANDS ON.

Gough: IT'S ALLEGED TO HAVE INCLUDED GOLD BARS,

WHICH WERE TAKEN, MELTED DOWN AS BULLION,

RESTAMPED AS JAPANESE GOLD.

Narrator: IS IT TRUE THAT A VAST TREASURE

WAS BURIED UNDER THE PHILIPPINES DURING WORLD WAR II?

AND IS IT STILL THERE,

OR DID ALLIED VICTORS DISCOVER AND TAKE THE VALUABLES

FOR THEMSELVES?

OR IS IT ALL JUST A GREAT STORY?

THE IDEA THAT THERE'S THIS VAST TREASURE UNDER THE SURFACE,

IT'S JUST TOO ATTRACTIVE TO RESIST.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

*

*

*

Narrator: THE SO-CALLED LOST JAPANESE TREASURE

IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.

WHILE THE NAZI LOOTING IN EUROPE TOOK THE SPOTLIGHT,

SOUTHEAST ASIA WAS ALSO BEING SYSTEMATICALLY PLUNDERED.

A VAST COLLECTION OF RELICS, ANTIQUES, ARTWORK,

AND IMPORTANTLY, GOLD

WAS AMASSED OVER THE COURSE OF WORLD WAR II.

WHEN THINGS TOOK A TURN FOR THE WORST FOR JAPANESE FORCES,

THEY WERE SAID TO HAVE DESPERATELY SEARCHED

FOR A LOCATION TO HIDE THEIR PRICELESS TREASURE TROVE.

IS THIS MYTHICAL PLUNDER REAL?

IF SO, WHAT WAS HIDDEN AND WHERE?

AND WHAT, IF ANYTHING, IS LEFT TODAY?

JAPAN EMBARKED ON AN ABSOLUTELY RUTHLESS EFFORT

TO LOOT EVERY COUNTRY THAT THEY OCCUPIED

BEFORE AND DURING WORLD WAR II.

WE'RE TALKING CHINA, KOREA, LAOS, VIETNAM,

CAMBODIA, THE PHILIPPINES.

NOTHING WAS SAFE FROM THEIR SOLDIERS.

Narrator: AND IT'S THE MERE PROSPECT

OF DISCOVERING UNTOLD WEALTH

THAT CONTINUES TO BRING TREASURE HUNTERS TO THE PHILIPPINES.

TO THIS DAY,

INCLUDING KLAUS DONA.

FOUR YEARS AGO,

THE AUSTRIAN RESEARCHER DISAPPEARED OFF THE GRID.

FOR A TIME, NO ONE KNEW WHERE HE WAS.

THEN ONLY A FEW OF HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS AND FAMILY

WERE TOLD WHERE HE HAD GONE --

THE PHILIPPINES, DEEP BELOWGROUND.

*

IN THE TIME HE'S BEEN THERE,

KLAUS AND HIS TEAM OF LOCAL WORKERS

HAVE MANUALLY DUG AND PNEUMATICALLY DRILLED

VERTICAL SHAFTS DEEP INTO THE GROUND,

ABOUT 200 FEET DOWN,

HAVING BEEN GIVEN EXACT DETAILS ON WHERE TO DIG BY HIS CONTACTS.

THEY UNEARTHED AN ALREADY EXISTING NETWORK OF TUNNELS.

*

WHO ORIGINALLY BUILT THEM IS UNKNOWN,

BUT THE FACT THEY EXIST 200 FEET UNDERGROUND

MAKES THIS A VERY REAL TREASURE HUNT.

Dona: WHEN I FOUND OUT HOW DANGEROUS THE JOB HERE IS,

I WAS HIDING FOR A WHILE.

ONLY A FEW GOOD FRIENDS KNOW THAT I AM ON THE INTERNET.

MANY PEOPLE WERE SEARCHING FOR ME,

BUT I DID NOT WANT THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHERE I AM

BECAUSE THAT COULD HAVE BROUGHT ME INTO DANGER.

*

Narrator: KLAUS BELIEVES HE'S VERY CLOSE TO REACHING

THE JAPANESE TREASURE,

BUT IT'S NOT EASY DOWN IN THE TUNNELS,

AND HE ACKNOWLEDGES JUST HOW DANGEROUS IT IS.

Dona: IN THE FIRST YEAR WE WERE DOWN ALREADY IN A BIG HOLE,

30 METERS, AND WE WERE ALREADY VERY CLOSE

TO ONE BIG, BIG BUNKER,

AND THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN CAME DOWN

BECAUSE WHAT I DID NOT KNOW AT THAT TIME,

THERE WAS A HUGE AMOUNT OF CLAY,

AND WHEN THAT MATERIAL GETS DRY,

IT WILL VERY EASY COLLAPSE.

Janulis: THE JAPANESE WERE WELL KNOWN TO USE BOOBY TRAPS

WITHIN THEIR BUNKER SYSTEM COMPLEXES

IN THE DEFENSE OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS.

THE MARINES AND SOLDIERS WERE TERRIFIED OF THESE THINGS.

AND SO USUALLY INSTEAD OF DEALING WITH IT,

THEY WOULD JUST THROW HAND GRENADES IN

AND LET THE GRENADES TAKE CARE OF THE BOOBY TRAPS.

Narrator: THE THREAT OF DEATH IS ALL TOO REAL

AMONG THE TREASURE HUNTERS.

THE DIGS THEY UNDERTAKE ARE DIFFICULT AND SOMETIMES DEADLY.

Dona: THERE ARE MANY STORIES AROUND THIS AREA

THAT PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE THE TUNNEL COLLAPSED

THROUGH A BOOBY TRAP.

LAST YEAR, THREE MEN DIED

BECAUSE THEY ARRIVED AT THE CEMENT AREA.

THEY THOUGHT THIS IS THE FINAL ENTRANCE TO THE ROOM.

AND WHEN THEY STOPPED IT WITH A CHECK ON THE DRILLING,

THEY HIT ONE OF THE POISON PUT IN A GLASS INSIDE THE CEMENT.

THEY HIT IT AND THEY ALL THREE DIED IMMEDIATELY.

McMahon: THERE IS A RECURRING MYTH

THAT THE JAPANESE PLACED CYANIDE BOTTLES,

BROWN BOTTLES FULL OF THIS DEADLY DRUG, INTO THEIR TUNNELS,

THE IDEA BEING THAT IF TREASURE HUNTERS CAME ALONG

AT A LATER DATE AND STUCK THEIR SPADE IN

IT WOULD SMASH THE BOTTLE

AND ALL THE CYANIDE WOULD BE RELEASED, KILLING THEM.

I THINK THIS PROBABLY MISUNDERSTANDS

HOW CYANIDE WORKS.

IT ALSO PROBABLY MISUNDERSTANDS

THE NATURE OF THESE BROWN BOTTLES,

WHICH PROBABLY HELD VERY BASIC MEDICINES

THAT THE JAPANESE NEEDED

TO TREAT ALL KINDS OF EVERYDAY AILMENTS.

*

Narrator: BY 1942,

THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL ARMY HAD INVADED MUCH OF SOUTHEAST ASIA

AND REMOVED MANY TREASURES AS THEY LOOTED THAILAND,

CAMBODIA, LAOS AND WHAT WAS THEN KNOWN AS BURMA...

*

...SIMILAR TO WHAT THE NAZIS

WERE SIMULTANEOUSLY DOING ACROSS EUROPE

BY STEALING PRICELESS VALUABLES EN MASSE.

THIS PRACTICE CONTINUED IN SOUTHEAST ASIA FOR MANY YEARS.

*

AS THE JAPANESE ADVANCED,

THEY MERCILESSLY RANSACKED COUNTRY AFTER COUNTRY,

STEALING ART, GOLD, AND TREASURES ON A MASSIVE SCALE.

THEY ARE REPORTED TO HAVE STOLEN FROM BANKS, MUSEUMS,

TEMPLES, AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS.

IT WAS SAID TO BE UNRIVALED IN MILITARY HISTORY,

POSSIBLY SURPASSING EVEN THE NAZIS' EPIC PLUNDERING.

THIS COVERT OPERATION ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA

WAS CODE-NAMED "GOLDEN LILY"

AND WAS HEADED BY PRINCE CHICHIBU,

THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN'S BROTHER.

Picknett: JAPAN HAD NEVER LOST A WAR

AND NEVER SURRENDERED IN ITS ENTIRE HISTORY.

AND THAT BROUGHT ABOUT THIS EXTRAORDINARY --

BEYOND ARROGANCE -- IN EACH INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER.

McMahon: THIS MASSIVE PLUNDERING OF SOUTHEAST ASIA

WAS INTENDED TO FUND THE JAPANESE WAR EFFORT

AND THE DIRECTION, THE COORDINATION,

OF THIS HUGE THEFT

WENT RIGHT UP TO THE IMPERIAL HOUSEHOLD

AND PRINCE CHICHIBU, WHO WAS THE BROTHER OF EMPEROR HIROHITO,

CODE-NAMES THIS OPERATION "GOLDEN LILY,"

WHICH ACTUALLY COMES FROM A POEM

THAT WAS COMPOSED BY THE EMPEROR.

AND UNDER THIS CODE NAME GOLDEN LILY,

ALL OF JAPAN'S NEIGHBORS WERE BEING PLUNDERED SYSTEMATICALLY

TO FUND JAPANESE RULE IN THE REGION.

Picknett: IF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY

HAD TAKEN ALL OF THEIR PLUNDER

FROM PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, FROM BANKS,

BULLION, GOLD, RELIGIOUS RELICS,

IF THEY'D TAKEN ALL THAT TO THE PHILIPPINES,

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN INCALCULABLE HOARD.

McMahon: THEY WERE GOING INTO TEMPLES

AND MUSEUMS AND PRIVATE RESIDENCES

AND BASICALLY HOOVERING UP THE LOT.

AND THEY WERE TAKING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS' WORTH

OF ALL THIS TREASURE, OF ALL THESE ARTIFACTS,

POSSIBLY DOWN TO THE PHILIPPINES.

*

Narrator: HAVING SCOURED TREASURES FROM ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA,

THE NEXT STEP IN OPERATION GOLDEN LILY

IS TO GET THE TREASURE BACK TO JAPAN.

*

BEFORE THEY CAN DO THAT,

THEY FIRST MELT DOWN THE GOLD INTO EASY-TO-MOVE GOLD BARS

TO ERASE ANY IDENTIFYING FEATURES

AND PREVENT THE VALUABLE METAL

FROM BEING TRACED BACK TO ITS COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.

*

THE GOLD IS THEN TAKEN TO THE PHILIPPINES

TO BE INVENTORIED

BEFORE BEING SHIPPED HOME TO JAPAN

ON THEIR MASSIVE NAVAL FLEET.

BUT BEFORE THEY MAKE IT HOME,

SOME OF THE SHIPS CARRYING THIS TREASURE

ARE SUNK OFF THE COAST OF THE ISLANDS.

THIS PLUNDER WAS MEANT

TO FUND THE JAPANESE MILITARY MACHINE,

AND THEY KNEW THEY WOULD NEED TO WIN WITH TECHNOLOGY,

AND THEY WERE INVESTING HEAVILY

IN SOME OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED MILITARY VESSELS

AND WEAPONS EVER IN HISTORY.

McMahon: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS,

MAYBE EVEN A TRILLION DOLLARS

THAT THE JAPANESE NEEDED TO FUND THEIR WAR EFFORT

AND TO FUND THEIR CONTROL OF THE REGION,

WHICH IS THEIR OVERALL AMBITION.

SO THAT HAD TO FUND THE MASSIVE IMPERIAL NAVY,

THAT HAD TO FUND ALL THOSE KAMIKAZE PILOTS

LAUNCHING THEIR SUICIDE MISSIONS.

IN ORDER TO DO THAT,

THEY HAD TO STEAL ON AN EPIC SCALE

ACROSS ALL THE COUNTRIES IN THE AREA.

Narrator: WHAT CONTINUES TO GIVE TREASURE HUNTERS HOPE

THAT THE GREAT JAPANESE FORTUNE

STILL LIES BURIED BENEATH THE PHILIPPINES

SO MANY DECADES LATER,

AND HOW FAR WILL THEY GO TO FIND IT?

*

*

Narrator: OVER THE COURSE OF WORLD WAR II,

JAPANESE FORCES ACQUIRED A VAST TREASURE

AS THEY PLUNDERED RICHES FROM ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA.

SAID TO BE MADE UP OF RELICS, ARTWORK,

AND MOST INTERESTINGLY, LARGE AMOUNTS OF GOLD BARS,

IT COULD BE WORTH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

LEGEND HAS IT THE PRICELESS HOARD

WAS BURIED IN THE PHILIPPINES AT THE END OF THE WAR.

UNCONFIRMED REPORTS SAY THE JAPANESE FORCES

SECURED THEIR FORTUNES UNDERGROUND

AND PLACED EXPLOSIVES

AND POISONOUS GAS TRAPS WITHIN THE TUNNELS

TO KILL ANYONE WHO DARED COME NEAR.

SUPPOSEDLY IT HAS NEVER BEEN DISCOVERED,

BUT THERE ARE RUMORS OF GOLD AND VALUABLES

HAVING BEEN FOUND IN THE AREA.

MANY TREASURE HUNTERS HAVE DESCENDED ONTO THE ISLANDS

TO FIND IT, BUT SO FAR WITHOUT MUCH SUCCESS.

THE TOTAL TREASURE WAS SAID TO WEIGH AROUND 6,000 TONS

AND BE WORTH $100 BILLION TODAY.

Bellinger: JAPAN'S GOLDEN LILY PROJECT PROBABLY WAS ENTIRELY REAL.

LOOTING SYSTEMATICALLY IS A HUGE PURPOSE

FOR EMBARKING ON WAR IN THE FIRST PLACE.

NATIONS GO TO WAR TO GAIN GEOPOLITICAL POWER AND RICHES.

*

Narrator: JAPAN OFFICIALLY ENTERS WORLD WAR II

ON THE MORNING OF DECEMBER 7, 1941,

WITH ITS ATTACK ON THE UNITED STATES

VAST NAVAL FLEET BASED AT PEARL HARBOR IN HAWAII.

THE BASE WAS STRUCK BY 353 IMPERIAL JAPANESE AIRCRAFT

LAUNCHED FROM SIX AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

THE JAPANESE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED OVER 20 SHIPS

AND KILLED OR WOUNDED

OVER 3,500 AMERICAN NAVAL PERSONNEL.

PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT REFLECTED,

"IT WAS A DATE WHICH WILL LIVE IN INFAMY."

BUT NOT LONG AFTER THE JAPANESE INVASION

AT PEARL HARBOR, THE TIDE TURNED.

YOU'VE GOT TO IMAGINE WHAT A HUGE REVERSAL OF FORTUNE

THIS IS FOR THE JAPANESE.

IN 1941, '42,

THEY WERE CONQUERING THE PACIFIC.

THEY HAD ALMOST TAKEN AUSTRALIA.

THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY WITH HITLER

TO ACHIEVE GLOBAL DOMINATION.

AND YET IN JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS,

THE UNITED STATES WAS PUSHING THEM

ALL THE WAY BACK ACROSS THE PACIFIC,

STRAIGHT BACK TO JAPAN.

*

Narrator: IN JUNE 1942,

JUST SIX MONTHS AFTER BOTH SIDES HAD ENTERED THE WAR,

THE U.S. AND JAPANESE FORCES MEET AGAIN

AT MIDWAY ISLAND IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

OVER THE SPAN OF FOUR DAYS,

THE U.S. SINKS FIVE JAPANESE SHIPS,

DESTROYS 270 AIRCRAFT,

AND KILLS 3,700 MILITARY PERSONNEL.

THE JAPANESE HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE SEAS,

AND THE ONLY WAY BACK TO JAPAN FOR THE SURVIVORS

AND THEIR LOOTED TREASURE IS NOW BLOCKADED BY THE U.S.

IT'S TOO RISKY FOR THEM TO SHIP THE GOLD HOME.

THEY NEED A NEW PLAN.

ALLEGEDLY, THEY SINK A NUMBER OF THEIR OWN SHIPS AT SEA

TO KEEP THE ALLIES FROM INTERCEPTING THEM

AND DECIDE TO BURY MUCH OF THE TREASURE HOARD,

ESPECIALLY THE GOLD, UNDER THE ISLAND OF LUZON

IN THE PHILIPPINES.

THE JAPANESE WERE IN A TIGHT SPOT.

THEY HAD ALL OF THIS PLUNDER.

BUT IF THEY WANTED TO SEND IT, LET'S SAY, TO MAINLAND JAPAN,

THEY HAD TO RISK SENDING A SHIP

WITH THE WEALTH OF THEIR MILITARY OUT INTO OPEN WATERS

RIDDLED WITH AMERICAN WARSHIPS, SUBMARINES.

AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE COMPLEX ISLAND CHAIN

AND ARCHIPELAGO OF THE PHILIPPINES,

THERE ARE LOTS OF LITTLE HIDING SPOTS, LOTS OF LITTLE PLACES

WHERE THEY COULD SAFELY TUCK AWAY SOME TREASURE

WITHOUT IT BEING NOTICED.

AND THAT MAY HAVE BEEN A MUCH SAFER OPTION

THAN PUTTING THAT OUT IN THE OPEN WHERE IT COULD GET SUNK.

Narrator: IN THEIR FINAL EFFORT TO PROTECT THE TREASURE,

THE IMPERIAL FAMILY TURNS

TO ONE OF THEIR MOST EXPERIENCED GENERALS,

TOMOYUKI YAMASHITA.

THE GENERAL IS INSTRUCTED TO HIDE THE GOLD

WITH THE HOPE THAT IT CAN BE RECOVERED AT A LATER TIME

ONCE THE JAPANESE ARE VICTORIOUS.

HE IDENTIFIES OVER 100 UNDERGROUND SITES

ACROSS THE ISLANDS,

MANY OF WHICH ARE PREVIOUSLY EXISTING UNDERGROUND NETWORKS.

*

Janulis: THIS WAS THEIR LAST CHANCE TO TURN THE WAR AROUND.

AND GENERAL YAMASHITA WAS SENT THERE JUST TO DO THAT

BECAUSE OF HIS SKILL, EXPERTISE, AND THE FACT

THAT THE TROOPS UNDER HIM HELD HIM IN HIGH, HIGH REGARD.

McMahon: TO HIDE ALL THIS TREASURE,

IT'S ENTIRELY FEASIBLE THAT THE JAPANESE

MAY HAVE USED PRE-EXISTING TUNNELS

DUG BY PREVIOUS SPANISH COLONIAL POWER OR THE AMERICANS,

AND POSSIBLY DUG THEIR OWN TUNNELS.

BUT ALL OF THIS, OF COURSE,

TO REMAIN OUT OF SIGHT OF THE AMERICANS IN THE AIR

AND LOCAL RESISTANCE.

*

Narrator: YAMASHITA ORDERS DETAILED MAPS

TO BE MADE OF EACH TREASURE VAULT,

WHAT IS STORED THERE AND HOW TO NAVIGATE THE TUNNELS INTO IT,

WHICH IS THEN CAREFULLY ENCODED.

UNLESS YOU KNOW THE COMPLEX CODE,

THESE MAPS ARE MEANINGLESS.

AND THERE ARE EVEN FURTHER LAYERS OF SECURITY

TO DEFEND THE SITES.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE KNOW IS RUTHLESSLY KEPT TO A MINIMUM.

BUT FOR ALL OF YAMASHITA'S WORK,

THE GOLD IS STILL NOT SAFE.

Bellinger: THE JAPANESE PROTECTED

THEIR HIDDEN TREASURE LOCATIONS

BY CREATING A SYSTEM OF TREASURE MAPS

CODED VERY ELABORATELY,

BASED IN ANCIENT JAPANESE SYMBOLS,

WHICH WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR ANYBODY ELSE TO DECIPHER.

IF THEY WERE ABLE TO DO SO, HOWEVER,

THERE WAS A SECOND LINE OF DEFENSE

IN THE HIDING PLACES THEMSELVES

IN THE FORM OF BOOBY TRAPS SUCH AS CYANIDE VIALS

THAT WOULD EXPLODE UPON CONTACT,

BOMBS, OTHER THINGS RIGGED TO KILL ANYBODY

WHO TRIED TO GO AND TAKE WHAT THE JAPANESE THOUGHT WAS THEIRS.

Narrator: WITH TIME RUNNING OUT,

YAMASHITA ORDERS THE ENGINEERS TO SEAL THE TREASURE VAULTS.

YAMASHITA HAS ONE LAST TRICK UP HIS SLEEVE

TO PROTECT THE GOLD.

THE STORY GOES THAT WHILE THE SOLDIERS

ARE CARRYING OUT HIS ORDERS,

YAMASHITA SEALS THE VAULTS HIMSELF...

WITH THE ENGINEERS STILL INSIDE.

NOW THEY WILL BE ITS GUARDIANS FOR ETERNITY.

Janulis: THE JAPANESE SOLDIERS

ALL KNEW HOW TO BASICALLY TUNNEL.

EVERY ISLAND THAT THE MARINES AND ARMY

HAD TO TAKE FROM THE JAPANESE WAS FILLED WITH TUNNELS.

THESE TUNNELS WEREN'T FOR PLUNDER.

THESE TUNNELS WERE DEFENSIVE FORTIFICATIONS.

SO THEY WERE ALREADY EXPERTS, ESSENTIALLY,

AT MINING AND TUNNELING.

McMahon: UNDER SUSTAINED AMERICAN ATTACK,

THE JAPANESE DECIDED TO MAKE THEIR LAST STAND

IN THE VALLEYS AND THE HILLS

AROUND NORTHERN LUZON AND BAGUIO

AND RETREATED THERE WITH THEIR TREASURE,

WHERE IT'S MORE THAN LIKELY THAT THEY BURROWED INTO THOSE HILLS,

CREATING NEW TUNNELS TO HIDE AWAY THE BULLION

THAT THEY'D STOLEN FROM THE REGION.

*

Narrator: WITHIN THREE MONTHS, WORLD WAR II IS OVER.

GENERAL YAMASHITA IS PUT ON TRIAL FOR WAR CRIMES.

HE TAKES THE SECRETS OF THE GOLD TO HIS GRAVE.

THERE IS ALLEGEDLY ONLY ONE OTHER PERSON

WHO KNOWS OF THE GOLD'S WHEREABOUTS --

PRINCE CHICHIBU.

BUT HE HAS ALREADY DIED OF TUBERCULOSIS

BEFORE THE WAR ENDED.

IT SEEMS YAMASHITA'S GOLD IS LOST FOREVER.

YAMASHITA NEVER EVEN HAD THE CHANCE TO CONSIDER

REVEALING THE LOCATIONS OF THE TREASURE AFTER HE WAS CAPTURED

BECAUSE HE WAS EXECUTED BY THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.

*

*

Narrator: KLAUS DONA, AN AUSTRIAN RESEARCHER

DEDICATED TO UNCOVERING THE SPOILS OF OPERATION GOLDEN LILY,

CLAIMS HE HAS FOUND SIGNIFICANT CLUES

THAT THE JAPANESE TREASURE REMAINS IN THE PHILIPPINES

TO THIS DAY.

HE AND HIS TEAM HAVE DUG TUNNELS USING PNEUMATIC DRILLS

AND UNEARTHED CONCRETE WALLS AND UNIQUE MARKERS

INDICATING RICHES ARE BURIED NEARBY.

*

HE SAYS HE'S WORKING WITH INSIDER INFORMATION,

WHICH HAS LED HIM DOWN TO A COMPLEX SYSTEM

OF PREVIOUSLY EXISTING TUNNELS

WHERE THE JAPANESE TREASURE IS STILL BURIED,

OR WHATEVER IS LEFT OF IT.

THIS MODEL IS A MOCKUP.

HERE WE HAVE A SMALLER CHAMBER

INSIDE WITH PRECIOUS STONES,

WHICH -- BUT WE FIRST FINISH THAT ROOM,

THEN WE MAKE THIS ONE AND THEN WE CONTINUE HERE.

SO HERE IN THE CLOSEST AREA,

WE HAVE FOUR CHAMBERS, AND ONCE MORE,

TREASURE'S RIGHT HERE.

Narrator: AND KLAUS HAS HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR WHAT AWAITS

BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A DOCUMENTED CASE

OF TREMENDOUS WEALTH BEING FOUND ON THE ISLAND,

BUT AT GREAT COST.

*

Narrator: THE MYSTERY OF THE SO-CALLED LOST JAPANESE TREASURE

LIVES ON IN THE PHILIPPINES.

IT'S SAID TO BE MADE UP OF PRICELESS VALUABLES,

ARTWORK, AND MOST INTERESTINGLY, GOLD BARS.

IT'S SUPPOSEDLY WORTH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

THERE ARE UNCONFIRMED REPORTS THAT THE JAPANESE BURIED IT

IN UNDERGROUND SITES AND PLACED EXPLOSIVES

AND POISONOUS GAS TRAPS WITHIN THEIR TUNNELS

TO KILL ANYONE WHO DARED TO BREAK IN.

TODAY, DOZENS OF PEOPLE ARE ON THE ISLANDS

TRYING TO DISCOVER THE ELUSIVE TREASURE,

BUT SO FAR, WITHOUT MUCH SUCCESS.

ONE OF THOSE WHO HAS DEDICATED THEIR LIFE

TO FINDING THE GOLD AND TREASURES

IS AUSTRIAN HISTORIAN AND RESEARCHER KLAUS DONA.

BASED ON INSIDER INFORMATION FROM THE LOCALS,

HE AND HIS TEAM HAVE TARGETED

ONE VILLAGE OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE.

ACROSS THE SITE, THEY HAVE DUG FOUR VERTICAL SHAFTS

DEEP INTO THE EARTH, SOME NEARLY 200 FEET.

WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO REVEAL THE LOCATIONS OF THESE SHAFTS,

NOR THE INFORMATION HE HAS GLEANED FROM THE LOCALS.

BUT HE IS SURE HE'S CLOSE.

IT'S DARK AND TREACHEROUS.

THE THREAT OF DEATH IS ALL TOO REAL.

Dona: THE MOST DANGEROUS MOMENT IS COMING

WHEN WE OPEN ONE OF THE CHAMBERS,

BECAUSE IF THERE WOULD BE SOME DEAD PEOPLE INSIDE,

WE HAVE TO EXPECT GAS,

WHICH WOULD HIT OUR WORKERS AND OF COURSE, ME, TOO.

SO BE PREPARED. ALREADY GAS MASKS.

AND THEN WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL

BECAUSE I'M SURE THAT IN THE ROOMS, YOU WILL FIND EXPLOSIVES.

*

IF WE FIND GOLD BARS, WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL

BECAUSE I GOT INFORMATION THAT SOME OF THE GOLD BARS

HAVE A POISON ON TOP OF THE GOLD BARS.

THAT MEANS IF YOU WOULD TOUCH THEM WITH YOUR PLAIN HANDS,

YOU WOULD DIE.

SO WE PREPARED ALREADY LONG RUBBER GLOVES

AND BE PREPARED ALSO PROTECTION CLOTHES

FOR THE MOMENT WE GO INSIDE THE ROOM.

AND IF WE HAVE EXPLOSIVES INSIDE,

I GET SPECIAL BOMB SQUAD TO CHECK IT.

WITH THOUSANDS OF TREASURE HUNTERS

ALL OVER THE PHILIPPINES TAKING GREAT RISK,

TUNNELING, EXCAVATING,

SO FAR, WHAT'S BEEN FOUND? VERY LITTLE.

BUT MAYBE SOMEDAY IN THE FUTURE,

SOMEBODY WILL FIND THE HOARD, THE BIG ONE.

*

Narrator: ALTHOUGH KLAUS HASN'T MADE A GREAT DISCOVERY YET,

THERE WAS ONE INFAMOUS FINDING BY A LOCAL

THAT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED.

IN 1970, FILIPINO LOCKSMITH AND AMATEUR TREASURE HUNTER

ROGELIO ROXAS OBTAINED A PERMIT

TO EXCAVATE A PARTICULAR SITE IN BAGUIO,

IN THE NORTH OF THE COUNTRY.

WHY HE CHOSE THAT SITE IS UNCLEAR,

BUT HE WAS REPORTED TO HAVE DUG UNDERGROUND FOR MANY MONTHS

BEFORE UNCOVERING AN EXISTING NETWORK OF TUNNELS.

*

AS HE DUG FURTHER, THERE WERE REPORTS OF HIM FINDING WEAPONS,

A WIRELESS RADIO,

AND THE SKELETAL REMAINS OF JAPANESE SOLDIERS.

AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS, HE BROKE THROUGH A CONCRETE FLOOR

TO A LOWER LEVEL CHAMBER, WHERE IT SAID

HE DISCOVERED A LARGE QUANTITY OF WOODEN BOXES,

EACH ONE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A BEER CRATE.

WHEN HE OPENED ONE OF THE CRATES,

HE FOUND 24 GOLD BULLION BARS.

ROXAS HAS ALSO CLAIMED TO HAVE DISCOVERED A GOLDEN BUDDHA

WHOSE HEAD TILTED BACK

TO REVEAL SEVERAL HANDFULS OF UNCUT DIAMONDS.

NOW, IMAGINE THAT YOU'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THIS FOR YEARS.

THIS IS YOUR PASSION, AND YOU FINALLY FIND THIS.

THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EPIC FIND.

HE JUST HIT THE JACKPOT. HIS BUCKET LIST WAS COMPLETE.

YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW ECSTATIC HE WOULD HAVE BEEN.

McMahon: AFTER ALL THE DIGGING IN DUSTY TUNNELS,

TUNNELING HIS WAY IN THE DARK,

ROGELIO ROXAS HAS THAT MOMENT OF WONDER

WHERE HE FINDS THOSE 24 GOLD BARS AND THE GOLD BUDDHA.

YOU KNOW, HE'S FINALLY FOUND THE ENIGMATIC TREASURE

BURIED BY THE JAPANESE ALL THOSE YEARS AGO.

*

Narrator: ROXAS MADE NO EFFORT TO CONCEAL

WHAT HE CLAIMS WAS A MAJOR FIND.

HE POSED WITH THE GOLDEN BUDDHA

FOR AT LEAST ONE NEWSPAPER PHOTOGRAPHER,

AND IT'S REPORTED THAT HE SHOWED IT TO SEVERAL POTENTIAL BUYERS.

DURING THE FOLLOWING WEEKS,

ROXAS IS SAID TO HAVE SOLD SEVEN OF THE 24 GOLD BARS.

*

HE DID THIS DURING A TIME WHEN FERDINAND MARCOS

WAS DICTATOR OF THE PHILIPPINES,

AND MARCOS HAD ISSUED AN EDICT

STATING THAT ALL TREASURE HUNTERS

NEEDED TO GET PERMISSION FROM HIM IN ORDER TO GO SEARCHING.

WELL, ROXAS HAD NOT DONE THIS.

FERDINAND MARCOS SENT HIS HENCHMEN

TO KNOCK ON THIS GUY'S DOOR AND HAULED HIM OFF TO PRISON.

Narrator: ON APRIL 5, 1971,

MEN IN UNIFORM CAME TO ROXAS' HOUSE.

THEY SHOWED A SIGNED SEARCH WARRANT

ISSUED BY THE LOCAL JUDGE, A MEMBER OF THE MARCOS FAMILY,

AND THEY INSPECTED HIS HOUSE.

THEY ATTACKED HIS BROTHER WITH THEIR RIFLES

AND TERRORIZED HIS FAMILY.

Roxas: THEY CAME TO OUR HOUSE IN AURORA HILL.

THEY RAIDED OUR PLACE.

THEY GET OUR PERSONAL THINGS PHILIPPINE MONEY,

THE GOLDEN BUDDHA, AND THE GOLD BARS.

THEY TAKE EVERYTHING.

WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY BEFORE,

AND AFTER, THEY DESTROYED OUR FAMILY CIRCLE.

MY DAD THAT TOLD US THAT EVERYONE OF OUR FAMILY,

THEY WILL KILL.

WE RUN AWAY, ALMOST HALF DAY TO WALK,

TO GO TO THE MOUNTAIN.

I STAY AT THE MOUNTAIN ALMOST SEVEN YEARS.

I'M SIX YEARS OLD THAT TIME.

WE DON'T HAVE ANY PARENTS BECAUSE MY DAD,

THEY PUT IN JAIL ALMOST TWO YEARS.

Narrator: HE WAS HELD CAPTIVE AND TOLD TO SIGN

AN AFFIDAVIT THAT THE RAID ON HIS HOME

WAS PERFORMED IN A PEACEFUL MANNER.

Roxas: THERE IS A PAPER THEY WANT TO SIGN.

MY DAD DON'T LIKE TO SIGN THE PAPER.

THEY TORTURED MY DAD.

THEY PUT THE ELECTRIC SHOCK INSIDE THE BODY,

AND THEY HIT MY DAD.

MY DAD, HE SAY -- HAVE A BIG BLACK EYE.

THEY BEAT HIM SO BADLY ABOUT THE FACE

THAT HE LOST HIS EYESIGHT IN ONE EYE,

AND HE WAS JUST A COMPLETELY BROKEN MAN.

EVERYTHING FOR YEARS AND YEARS, HE HAD STRIVED FOR,

HE HAD FINALLY ACHIEVED SUCCESS,

AND NOW HE WAS JUST COMPLETELY PHYSICALLY

AND EMOTIONALLY DEMORALIZED.

Narrator: IS THERE EVIDENCE THAT THESE RICHES

WERE ACTUALLY PART OF THE JAPANESE TREASURE?

AND IF SO, IS THERE MORE TO BE FOUND?

AND IF FERDINAND MARCOS REALLY STOLE THE RICHES FROM ROXAS,

WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?

*

Narrator: IT'S ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT MYSTERIES...

THE LEGEND OF THE LOST JAPANESE TREASURE.

IT'S SAID TO BE A VAST QUANTITY OF GOLD, RELICS,

AND OTHER VALUABLE OBJECTS THAT WAS SECRETLY HIDDEN

BY THE JAPANESE IN THE PHILIPPINES

DURING THE FINAL MONTHS OF WORLD WAR II.

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY STORIES OF INDIVIDUAL VALUABLES

COMING TO LIGHT,

BUT NOTHING AS MASSIVE AS WHAT IS RUMORED TO HAVE BEEN BURIED.

YET EVERYTHING SEEMS TO POINT TO THE EXISTENCE

OF A LARGE JAPANESE TREASURE ON THE ISLANDS.

IS IT STILL THERE, OR IS IT A GREAT STORY AND NOTHING MORE?

THIS MYTH OF BURIED TREASURE EVIDENTLY GOT AROUND.

THERE WERE LOCAL PEOPLE IN THE PHILIPPINES

WHO LOOKED FOR THIS TREASURE,

AND THERE IS AT LEAST EVIDENCE OF ONE INDIVIDUAL

WHO FOUND SOMETHING.

ROGER ROXAS WAS DIGGING IN THE AREA.

HE FOUND A CAVE.

IT CONTAINED APPARENTLY A FABULOUS GOLD BUDDHA

FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH DIAMONDS,

AND SOME GOLD BARS, WHICH HE TOOK,

AND HE ATTEMPTED TO SELL.

*

McMahon: ONCE THE AUTHORITIES GOT WIND OF HIS DISCOVERY,

HIS WHOLE LIFE WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.

HIS HOUSE WAS RAIDED.

IT WAS CLEARED BY THE AUTHORITIES.

HE WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. HE WAS IMPRISONED BY THE STATE.

AND, YOU KNOW, HE WAS LEFT VERY MUCH

AS A BROKEN MAN AS A RESULT OF FINDING THIS TREASURE.

Narrator: IT IS ALLEGED THAT FERDINAND MARCOS

HIRED SOME EXPERIENCED MINING OPERATIVES

TO SEARCH FOR AND FIND THE LOST JAPANESE TREASURE,

AND ESPECIALLY THE GOLD BARS.

MARCOS CLEARLY WANTED IN ON THIS TREASURE.

HE HIRED AN INDIVIDUAL CALLED BOB CURTIS,

WHO CLAIMED TO BE VERY EXPERIENCED

AT THIS SORT OF THING, WHO WENT OUT

AND CAME BACK AND SAID, "LOOK, I FOUND GOLD BARS,

I FOUND GEMSTONES, I FOUND STATUARY."

BOB CURTIS AND CHARLES McDOUGALD

ARE VERY INTERESTING CHARACTERS, VERY CREDIBLE CHARACTERS.

THEY CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE SEEN THE TREASURE

AND THEY PUT A VERY CONVINCING CASE FORWARD.

THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THEY DON'T PRODUCE

ANY PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE, AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE

THE QUESTION MARK IS LEFT HANGING IN THERE.

INTERESTINGLY, THE CASE OF ROGER ROXAS IS PERHAPS

THE ONE PIECE OF THIS STORY

WHICH IS DOCUMENTED IN LEGITIMATE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE,

AND THEN THAT IS IN THE RECORDS OF A TRIAL

THAT WAS HELD IN THE HAWAIIAN SUPREME COURT

20 YEARS AFTER ROXAS FOUND HIS TREASURE,

WHEN HE BROUGHT SUIT AGAINST THE MARCOSES

FOR VIOLATION OF HIS HUMAN RIGHTS FOR THE TORTURE

THAT HE WAS SUBJECTED TO WHEN HE WAS IMPRISONED.

Narrator: IN FEBRUARY 1986, FERDINAND MARCOS WAS DEPOSED

AND FLED WITH HIS WIFE, IMELDA, TO HAWAII UNDER U.S. PROTECTION.

HE ALLEGEDLY CARRIED SUITCASES FULL OF GOLD BULLION BARS

AND MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF BULLION CERTIFICATES.

DURING PRESIDENT MARCOS' TRIAL IN 1993,

AMERICAN MINING EXPERTS TESTIFIED THAT FERDINAND MARCOS

HAD SHOWN THEM A SOLID GOLD BUDDHA STATUE

WITH A REMOVABLE HEAD,

AS ROGELIO ROXAS HAD DESCRIBED.

IT ALSO MATCHED THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE BUDDHA

WITH ROXAS IN 1971.

THEY ALSO TESTIFIED THAT THEY WERE ASKED TO HELP

WITH THE RE-MELTING OF GOLD BULLION

AND REMOVING ANY TRACE ELEMENTS

THAT MIGHT REVEAL THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.

WAS THIS THE TREASURE THAT ROXAS HAD FOUND?

*

ROXAS AGAIN TRIED TO PRESS CHARGES OF BODILY HARM

AND THE THEFT OF HIS GOLD, DIAMONDS, AND THE BUDDHA.

A SERIES OF LEGAL ACTIONS FOLLOWED IN HAWAII,

CULMINATING IN A STAGGERING JURY VERDICT IN 1996

AWARDING ROXAS $22 BILLION.

A HAWAIIAN COURT CONCLUSIVELY DECIDED

THAT ROXAS HAD DISCOVERED GOLD TREASURE

BURIED IN A CAVE IN THE PHILIPPINES,

AND THAT THE MARCOSES HAD TAKEN IT FROM HIM WRONGLY.

Narrator: BUT NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN PAID

TO EITHER ROXAS OR HIS FAMILY.

WE'RE WAITING FOR THE JUSTICE SINCE 1986 UNTIL NOW.

Narrator: ROGELIO ROXAS DIED A BROKEN MAN IN 1993.

TOLD MY DAD, EVEN THOUGH YOU DIED,

YOU'RE DEAD ALREADY, THAT I WILL CONTINUE THE CASE,

AND I WILL CONTINUE THE TREASURE-HUNTING ABILITIES NOW.

*

*

Narrator: KLAUS DONA HAS NOW SPENT OVER FOUR YEARS

ON HIS HUNT FOR THE JAPANESE TREASURE

FUNDED BY HIS OWN MONEY AND RESEARCH EFFORTS.

*

HE AND HIS TEAM HAVE EXCAVATED FOUR LARGE VERTICAL SHAFTS

DOWN TO ABOUT 200 FEET INTO THE EARTH.

*

HE CLAIMS THAT HE WAS GIVEN EXACT DETAILS ON WHERE TO DIG,

AND THEY UNCOVERED A LARGE TUNNEL NETWORK.

*

WHO BUILT THEM AND WHY IS UNKNOWN,

BUT THE FACT THAT THE SYSTEM EXISTS 200 FEET BELOWGROUND

MAKES THIS A VERY REAL TREASURE HUNT.

HE STILL BELIEVES IN ABSOLUTE SECRECY

AND MAINTAINING SECURITY.

OF COURSE, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY QUIET.

YOU CAN ONLY TALK WITH REALLY TRUSTED PEOPLE

BECAUSE ONCE YOU OPEN THE POSSIBILITY

THAT PEOPLE MIGHT TRY TO ROB WHAT YOU'VE FOUND

OR EVEN TO KILL YOU,

THAT POSSIBILITY, OF COURSE, IS THERE.

-HELLO! -HI! HOW YOU DOING?

GOOD TO SEE YOU. OH, MAN! IT'S BEEN A WHILE.

HOW ARE YOU? -FINE, THANK YOU.

Narrator: RESEARCHER AND WRITER ANDREW GOUGH

IS A SELF-CONFESSED MYSTERY ENTHUSIAST.

HE HAS SPENT YEARS INVESTIGATING THE MYSTERY

OF THE JAPANESE GOLD.

HE BELIEVES THAT MUCH OF THE TREASURE IS STILL HIDDEN

UNDERNEATH THE PHILIPPINES.

HE'S A FRIEND OF KLAUS DONA

AND HAS VISITED HIM AT HIS EXCAVATION SITE BEFORE.

Gough: I'VE BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES

AND THE LEGEND OF THE JAPANESE

WHO LOOTED TWELVE ASIAN COUNTRIES.

THE QUESTION BEING,

DID THEY TAKE THAT LOOT AND BURY IT IN THE PHILIPPINES?

IS THAT FACT OR IS THAT FANTASY?

SO, OVER THE COURSE OF A NUMBER OF YEARS,

I HAD REACHED OUT TO KLAUS DONA.

HE'D COMPLETELY GONE OFF GRID.

NOBODY HAD HEARD FROM HIM OTHER THAN THE RUMOR

THAT HE WAS SOMEPLACE

SO SPECTACULAR THAT HE COULDN'T LEAVE.

THERE'S DIFFERENT KINDS OF SITES, RIGHT?

THERE'S SITES THAT HAVE

JUST FOOTBALL PITCH CHAMBER FULL OF GOLD BARS,

BUT THERE'S ALSO SOMETHING CALLED IMPERIAL TREASURE.

WHAT'S THAT? AND WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE CLOSE TO?

I'M SURE THAT WE ARE WORKING ON TWO IMPERIAL TREASURE SITES

BECAUSE ON THE WAY, WE HAD A LOT OF BOOBY TRAPS.

THE MOST DANGEROUS WAS ALWAYS THE CYANIDE.

CYANIDE.

THEY WOULD PUT THE CYANIDE IN GLASS,

AND THEY PUT THE GLASS INSIDE THE CEMENT.

I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING BECAUSE TO BE 70 YEARS,

I WOULD NOT BE FOUR YEARS HERE DIGGING IN,

KNOWING THAT I'M SPENDING MY TIME ON NOTHING.

I HOPE FOR ME THAT WE FIND ALSO

MANY INTERESTING VERY OLD ARTIFACTS.

NOW WE ARE REALLY CLOSE AND NOW WE ARE BREAKING.

Narrator: BUT SOME BELIEVE THAT THE TREASURE

HAS ALREADY BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ISLANDS

BY ONE OF THE GREATEST SUPERPOWERS IN THE WORLD.

*

Narrator: THE MYTH OF THE SO-CALLED LOST JAPANESE TREASURE

IS VERY MUCH ALIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

IT'S SAID TO BE MADE UP OF PRICELESS RELICS, ARTWORK,

AND VAST QUANTITIES OF GOLD BARS WORTH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

SUPPOSEDLY, AFTER WORLD WAR II, JAPANESE FORCES BURIED IT

IN SECRET UNDERGROUND SITES AND PLACED EXPLOSIVES

AND POISONOUS GAS TRAPS WITHIN THEIR TUNNELS

TO KILL ANYONE WHO DARED TO BREAK IN.

*

THE JAPANESE GENERAL TASKED WITH HIDING

AND BOOBY-TRAPPING THE LOOT,

TOMOYUKI YAMASHITA, WAS TRIED AND HANGED

BY AN AMERICAN MILITARY TRIBUNAL IN FEBRUARY 1946.

HE TOOK MANY SECRETS TO HIS GRAVE,

INCLUDING THE MAPS AND SPECIFIC CONTENTS OF THE TREASURE.

*

EVEN TODAY, DOZENS OF PEOPLE ARE ON THE ISLANDS

TRYING TO UNCOVER IT.

BUT SO FAR, FEW DISCOVERIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED.

SKEPTICS HAVE QUESTIONED IF THE PLUNDER

IS STILL LOCATED WITHIN THE PHILIPPINES.

PERHAPS THE VICTORIOUS AMERICAN FORCES

DISCOVERED THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS

AND TOOK EVERYTHING FOR THEMSELVES.

OR IS IT JUST A FANTASTIC STORY

WITH NO PROOF TO BACK IT UP?

IT SAID THAT 175 OR MORE SITES WERE CREATED.

JAPANESE SOLDIERS, PRISONERS OF WAR WERE CONSCRIPTED

TO DIG THESE THINGS, TO MOVE ALL THE TREASURE IN,

AND THEN TO CLIMB IN AFTER IT, TO FACE THEIR DEATH

BECAUSE THEY KNEW TOO MUCH ABOUT WHAT WAS HIDDEN THERE.

*

Narrator: EVENTUALLY, GENERAL YAMASHITA'S DRIVER

AND RIGHT-HAND MAN, MAJOR KOJIMA, WAS TORTURED

AND ALLEGEDLY REVEALED 176 TREASURE SITES

IN THE PHILIPPINES.

McMahon: THERE IS A FASCINATING STORY

THAT MAJOR KOJIMA WAS INTERROGATED

BY A FILIPINO CALLED SANTA ROMANA,

AND SANTA ROMANA GOES IN VERY HARD ON KOJIMA.

HE'S REALLY ROUGH WITH HIM.

HE'S TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE THOSE TUNNELS,

WHERE THAT TREASURE IS.

AT SOME POINT,

SOMEBODY CALLED EDWARD LANSDALE,

WHO'S WORKING FOR U.S. INTELLIGENCE,

COMES INTO THE ROOM AND TRIES A DIFFERENT TACK.

SANTA ROMANA'S STRONG-ARM TACTICS HAVEN'T WORKED.

EDWARD LANSDALE SIMPLY OFFERS KOJIMA

A CUT OF THE ACTION, A COMMISSION,

IF THE TREASURE CAN BE REVEALED.

WELL, THAT SEEMS TO CHANGE THE WHOLE ATMOSPHERE,

AND KOJIMA STARTS TALKING.

YOU KNOW, ONE MIGHT SAY THAT LOYALTY WOULD HAVE PREVENTED

KOJIMA FROM REVEALING WHERE THE TREASURE WAS,

BUT IF KOJIMA KNEW THAT THE WORK WAS BASICALLY DONE,

AND HE WAS SORT OF LOOKING

TO WHAT'S WHAT LIES NEXT ON THE HORIZON

FOR HIM PERSONALLY.

IF I WAS IN HIS SHOES,

I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE TOLD WHERE THE TREASURE WAS.

I WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE CUT, AS THEY SAY.

*

THERE IS A STRONG BELIEF THAT THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS

DID FIND OUT ABOUT THE HIDDEN TREASURE IN THE PHILIPPINES

AND THAT THROUGH TORTURE AND TUNNELING,

THEY MANAGED TO FIND IT.

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, THE TREASURE TURNED OUT

TO BE WORTH AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE.

THE CLAIMS ARE THAT A SECRET FUND

WAS SET UP BY THE AMERICANS CALLED THE BLACK EAGLE TRUST.

IT PROVIDED VERY SECRET, BUT VERY SUBSTANTIAL FUNDING

TO ALL MANNER OF COVERT PROJECTS OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

THESE ARE ALLEGED TO HAVE INCLUDED CAMPAIGNS

AGAINST THE RUSSIANS IN THE COLD WAR,

THE DRUG BARONS IN SOUTH AMERICA,

MORE RECENTLY, AL-QAEDA AND THE WARS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ.

BUT THERE IS NO CONCRETE PROOF THIS TRUST REALLY EXISTED.

Bellinger: THERE'S A VERY WELL-ESTABLISHED CONSPIRACY

THAT THE AMERICAN CIA OPERATIVES SET UP AN EPIC SLUSH FUND

CALLED THE BLACK EAGLE TRUST

TO BE USED TO FUND COVERT ACTIVITIES

IN SUPPORT OF ANTI-COMMUNISM

AND THE COLD WAR GENERALLY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD,

BEGINNING IN THE 1950s, SUPPORTING THE KOREAN WAR,

IN THE 1980s, SUPPORTING

RONALD REAGAN'S IRAN CONTRA CRISIS.

AND ACCORDING TO THESE THEORISTS, THEY DO NOT SPECIFY,

BUT IT'S ENOUGH FURTHER ACTION TO FILL SEVERAL VOLUMES.

IF THE STORY IS TRUE THAT THE AMERICANS USED

ALL THESE ASSETS TO FUND COVERT ANTI-COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES

AROUND THE WORLD. THE QUESTION HAS TO BE ASKED,

WAS THERE ANYTHING LEFT FOR THE MARCOSES?

Narrator: WHILE THE BLACK EAGLE TRUST

MAY OR MAY NOT BE REAL,

IN THE PHILIPPINES,

KLAUS DONA FIRMLY BELIEVES THE TREASURE IS STILL THERE

AND THAT HE IS ON THE VERGE OF DISCOVERING IT.

*

*

Narrator: IT'S ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT MYSTERIES.

THE LEGEND OF THE LOST JAPANESE TREASURE

IS SAID TO BE A VAST QUANTITY OF GOLD, RELICS,

AND OTHER VALUABLE OBJECTS

THAT WERE STOLEN DURING WORLD WAR II.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE JAPANESE FORCES

WERE LOOTING SOUTHEAST ASIA,

THEIR AXIS PARTNERS, THE NAZIS, SYSTEMATICALLY PLUNDERED EUROPE.

THEY HOARDED LARGE AMOUNTS OF RELICS, ARTWORK, AND GOLD BARS.

IT EVENTUALLY TOOK A TEAM OF ALLIED MILITARY INVESTIGATORS

CALLED THE MONUMENTS MEN TO FIND AND RECOVER THE STOLEN GOODS.

*

BUT WHILE MUCH OF THE NAZI PLUNDER HAS BEEN FOUND,

THE ALLEGED JAPANESE TREASURE IS STILL MISSING,

SAID TO BE BURIED UNDERNEATH THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

SO IS THE LEGENDARY JAPANESE FORTUNE

STILL THERE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS,

OR IS IT ALL A GREAT STORY AND NOTHING MORE?

MANY TREASURE HUNTERS HAVE DESCENDED ON THE ISLANDS

TO TRY AND FIND IT, BUT SO FAR, WITHOUT MUCH SUCCESS.

Janulis: THIS TREASURE WOULD MAKE YOU WEALTHY

BEYOND YOUR DREAMS BACK HOME.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE A NUMBER OF EXAMPLES

OF ALLIED SOLDIERS

FINDING PLUNDERED TREASURE AND LOOT

THROUGHOUT BOTH THE PACIFIC AND EUROPE,

BRINGING IT HOME WITH THEM.

SO IT'S NOT IMPLAUSIBLE

THAT SOME OF THESE TUNNELS WERE FOUND.

AND WE'VE GOT SOME FOLKS RUNNING AROUND EITHER ENGLAND

OR AMERICA, VERY WEALTHY TODAY.

NOBODY KNOWS WHY OR HOW.

*

Narrator: KLAUS DONA IS AN AUSTRIAN RESEARCHER

WHO HAS DEDICATED THE PAST FEW YEARS OF HIS LIFE

TO FINDING THE JAPANESE GOLD.

FOUR YEARS AGO, HE SEEMED TO DISAPPEAR.

FOR A TIME, NO ONE COULD FIND HIM.

THEN ONLY A FEW OF HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS AND FAMILY

WERE TOLD ABOUT WHERE HE HAD GONE.

THE PHILIPPINES.

Dona: I KNOW SOME PEOPLE WHO REALLY FOUND SOME TREASURES,

SOME GOLD BARS,

A SMALL JAR WITH SOME DIAMONDS.

AND I WAS SHOCKED.

Gough: THE JAPANESE ALLEGEDLY HID THEIR TREASURE HOARDS

IN PLACES THEY'D REMEMBER, SO MOUNTAINS...

MILITARY BASES, SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS --

PLACES THAT WILL BE AROUND IN 50 YEARS,

OR AT LEAST THERE'LL BE A GEOGRAPHIC MEMORY OF THEM.

WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THEY CREATED THREE LEVELS OF MAPS.

HERE'S A MAP OF ALL THE SITES WHERE WE'VE DEPOSITED TREASURE.

HERE'S A MAP OF THE SITE THAT HAS SYMBOLS IN THE LANDSCAPE.

AND THEN THERE'S THE ENGINEERING MAP,

THE THIRD MAP, THAT TELLS YOU ABOUT THE TUNNEL.

IT GOES 40 METERS THIS WAY, THEN IT GOES DOWN,

THEN IT GOES LEFT, ET CETERA.

THOSE ARE ALL GONE NOW.

*

Narrator: KLAUS CLAIMS THAT HE WAS GIVEN

ALL SORTS OF IMPORTANT INFORMATION BY PEOPLE

WHO KNEW WHAT WAS HIDDEN

AND WHERE THE JAPANESE PUT THEIR TREASURE.

*

-HORSEHEAD, SIR. -THIS IS HERE?

YES, SIR.

AND THEN THE EAGLE.

THAT'S AMAZING.

IT DOES LOOK LIKE A HORSE'S HEAD, DOESN'T IT?

THERE'S THE EYE. THERE'S SORT OF THE NOSE.

AND ANOTHER ONE YOU HAVE OVER THERE

THAT LOOKS FOR ME LIKE A GEOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE AREA HERE,

THAT WHEN THEY CAME BACK, THEY WOULD HAVE THE MAP.

THEY WOULD KNOW EXACTLY WHICH DIRECTION MEANS

WHAT -- -MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.

...FIND THE NEXT THE MARKERS.

Gough: THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT KLAUS ARE HIS METHODS.

THEY'RE A COMBINATION OF MANY DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES.

HE USES MAPS.

HE RESEARCHES AREAS THAT ARE MORE LIKELY THAN NOT

TO HAVE BEEN PLACES WHERE THE JAPANESE

COULD HAVE HIDDEN THINGS.

HE ALSO INTERVIEWS PEOPLE, TALKS TO THE ELDERS TO UNDERSTAND,

YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU SEEN SOMETHING?

CAN I FIND AN EYEWITNESS?

I MET ALSO ANOTHER EYEWITNESS WHEN HE WAS 16 YEARS OLD.

HE WAS WORKING FOR HIS FATHER ON THE FIELD,

AND THEN SOME JAPANESE SOLDIERS CAME.

THEY JUST TOOK ALL THE CORN ON THE FLOOR,

AND THEY LOADED HEAVY BOXES ON THAT SMALL CART

AND THEY FORCED THE YOUNG GUY TO BRING THOSE PIECES

UP TO ONE OF THE PLACES WHERE WE ARE NOW WORKING.

AND HE SAW HOW THEY BROUGHT THE HEAVY BOXES UP

TO THE SMALL HILL.

THAT'S EXACTLY THE PLACE WHERE WE WERE DIGGING.

*

Gough: KLAUS, YOU'VE TOLD ME BEFORE THAT THESE SITES

CAN'T BE DISCOVERED BY JUST ANYONE,

THEY'RE SPIRITUALLY PROTECTED.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME EXAMPLES?

WE HAVE A LOT OF EXAMPLES,

BUT FOR THIS PLACE,

CHUBI CAN PROVE THE JAPANESE --

THEY SAW JAPANESE SOLDIERS,

GHOSTS... -GHOSTS?

MARCHING UP HERE WITH COMBAT BOOTS

AND HELMETS AND EVERYTHING.

-MARCHING UP HERE? -MARCHING UP HERE.

-DID YOU SEE THAT? -YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

THAT'S AMAZING.

-IN THE NIGHT. -YEAH. IN THE NIGHT.

EVEN THE DAY.

EVEN ON THE DAY?

YEAH. SOME CHILDREN ARE PLAYING AROUND.

THEY SAW THE JAPANESE.

YEAH. HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?

I MEAN, NOBODY WOULD BELIEVE YOU ANYWAYS.

THAT'S CRAZY.

Gough: THERE'S ALSO STORIES OF A LITTLE BIT OF PARANORMAL

WHERE SOME OF THE ELDERS AND SOME OF THE LOCALS

SEE A MARCHING JAPANESE ARMY THAT ISN'T THERE

IN THE ACTUAL EXCAVATION SITE IN THE TUNNELS.

HE'S STARTING TO SEE SYMBOLS.

HE FOUND THIS HUGE HEART WITH AN ARTERY

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TUNNEL.

KEEP IN MIND, THE TUNNEL IS CLOSED.

YOU HAVE TO BREAK IT WITH A CHISEL.

AND IN WHAT FELL OUT WAS THIS HUGE HEART,

A KNOWN JAPANESE SYMBOL

THAT MEANS YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE WHAT'S BELOW.

*

McMahon: KLAUS ISN'T SHORT OF DETERMINATION AND ENTHUSIASM,

AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM HIM,

AND HE'S -- HE'S USED TECHNIQUES LIKE DOWSING

TO TRY AND FIND THE TREASURE, TO WARN OF THE BOOBY TRAPS.

HE'S DUG HIS OWN TUNNELS.

HE'S IDENTIFIED WHAT HE BELIEVES ARE MARKERS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

THAT INDICATE WHERE THOSE TUNNELS ARE.

BUT ARE THESE MARKERS REAL?

Dona: LOOK HERE, FOR EXAMPLE,

YOU SEE NOT A TYPICAL MARKER BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE

THAT THIS AND THIS IS A DIFFERENT MATERIAL.

AND HERE. -RIGHT.

IT LOOKS LIKE A BIG TUNNEL AND SIDE TUNNELS,

AND WE KNOW THAT HERE ARE TUNNELS WITH SIDE TUNNELS.

*

Narrator: IN THE VILLAGE WHERE KLAUS IS DIGGING,

THE JAPANESE COME REPEATEDLY ASKING ABOUT A PARTICULAR TREE.

I'VE SEEN THAT TREE. OF COURSE, EVERYONE SAYS, "NO.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

THERE'S NO SUCH TREE, NOT HERE."

SO THERE'S A MEMORY OR SOME COPIES OF THESE MAPS THAT HAVE,

YOU KNOW, TREES THAT AREN'T INDIGENOUS,

STONES THAT ARE CARVED TO LOOK A CERTAIN WAY.

AND THIS GETS INTO THE REALM OF, "ARE YOU SEEING THINGS,

OR IS TH-- ARE THESE REALLY MARKERS?"

I THINK IF WE HAD THE ORIGINAL MAPS

THAT HAD THE LOCATION OF WHERE THESE SYMBOLS ARE,

THEN IT WOULD BE A LOT MORE BELIEVABLE.

Narrator: AS KLAUS AND HIS TEAM BURROW FURTHER INTO THE GROUND,

THEIR JOURNEY WILL BECOME EVEN MORE PERILOUS.

Janulis: THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS TYPES OF DIGGING

OR EXCAVATING YOU CAN DO,

AND THIS CAN KILL WITHIN MINUTES.

*

Narrator: IT'S ONE OF THE GREAT QUESTIONS

IN THE PHILIPPINES TODAY --

THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST JAPANESE TREASURE.

IT'S SAID TO BE A HUGE AMOUNT OF GOLD BARS, SACRED RELICS,

AND OTHER VALUABLE OBJECTS THAT WERE SECRETLY HIDDEN

BY THE JAPANESE IN THE PHILIPPINES

AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II.

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY STORIES

OF PARTS OF THE TREASURE BEING FOUND,

BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN PROVEN.

AND YET ALL THE STORIES SEEM TO POINT TO A LARGE AMOUNT

OF GOLD BURIED IN THE PHILIPPINES.

BUT IS IT STILL THERE?

DID THE AMERICAN FORCES DISCOVER THE UNDERGROUND VAULTS

AND REMOVE IT?

OR IS IT ALL A GREAT TALE, BUT NOTHING MORE?

McMahon: SKEPTICS WILL SAY,

"WELL, NO TREASURE HAS EVER BEEN FOUND, SO THERE IS NONE."

BUT, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT HUMAN NATURE.

IT'S MORE THAN LIKELY THAT THERE HAVE BEEN TREASURE HUNTERS

OUT THERE LOOKING FOR ALL THIS LOOT.

AND IF THEY'VE FOUND IT, WHY WOULD THEY GO PUBLIC?

ISN'T IT MORE LIKELY THEY JUST KEEP IT PRIVATELY TO THEMSELVES?

Narrator: AUSTRIAN RESEARCHER KLAUS DONA

HAS SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS

DIGGING DOWN INTO THE PHILIPPINES,

LOOKING FOR THE JAPANESE TREASURE.

HE BELIEVES HE'S CLOSE AND THAT HE WILL UNEARTH A GREAT FIND.

Gough: THERE ARE MANY FACTORS THAT LEAD KLAUS TO BE

SO RESOLUTE THAT HE HAS FOUND A JAPANESE TREASURE SITE.

FOR INSTANCE, HE'S WORKING ON A FORMER JAPANESE MILITARY BASE.

HE'S WORKING AT A SITE WHERE THE ELDERS HAVE TOLD THEM

THAT NOT ONLY HAVE THEY SEEN

JAPANESE COMING AND BURYING BIG HEAVY BOXES,

BUT THAT MARCOS, THE THEN-PRESIDENT,

VISITED AND SAID,

THIS IS THE SITE THAT I WANT TO EXCAVATE NEXT.

*

Bellinger: KLAUS DONA IS TAKING PERHAPS

A DIFFERENT APPROACH FROM SOME TREASURE HUNTERS.

HE'S USING THE ANCIENT TECHNIQUE OF DOWSING.

NOW, DOWSING IS SOMETHING WHICH HAS ABSOLUTELY ZERO CREDIBILITY

IN TERMS OF SCIENTIFIC PROOF,

BUT THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF BELIEF IN ITS POWER

AS AN INTUITIVE APPROACH WHERE ONE HOLDS A STICK OF SOME KIND,

WALKS AROUND OVER A VERY CAREFULLY CONSIDERED LOCATION

THAT'S BEEN CHOSEN FOR VERY SPECIFIC REASONS,

AND HENCE, YOU MIGHT FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR

WHEN YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH,

WHETHER YOU DO IT BY DOWSING OR JUST OPENING YOUR EYES.

Picknett: YOU CAN USE DOWSING TO FIND, FOR EXAMPLE,

REMAINS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIGS,

AND MOST ARCHAEOLOGISTS WOULD DIE RATHER THAN ADMIT

THAT THEY EMPLOY THE DOWSER, BUT THEY HAVE OVER THE YEARS.

YOU HAVE MAP DOWSERS WHO ACTUALLY HAVE A MAP,

AND THEY HOLD A PENDULUM OR DOWSING ROD OVER IT,

AND THEY LOCATE WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR ON A MAP,

WHICH SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE, WHICH SOUNDS RIDICULOUS,

BUT ACTUALLY, MOST TIMES IT WORKS.

Felix: DOWSING CAN WORK FOR WHATEVER YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT.

YOU COULD FIND GRANDMA'S LOST WEDDING RING IN THE BACK GARDEN.

IF YOU WANDER ALONG WITH A PAIR OF BENT COAT HANGERS,

THINKING "GRANNY'S LOST WEDDING RING," IT'S REAL.

THAT'S WHY WHEN PEOPLE THINK, "WATER," "OIL"...

URI GELLER EARNED HIS MILLIONS BY DOWSING FOR OIL IN TEXAS.

Dona: I STOPPED DEAD AND I FOUND OUT WHERE THE ROOMS ARE

AND WHERE THERE MIGHT BE ROOMS,

AND THEN I STARTED ASKING MORE SO IF I COULD FIND SOME CYANIDE

OR IF I CAN FIND SOME DANGEROUS SITES.

AND IT WAS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER.

Gough: I MUST HAVE BEEN I WAS SKEPTICAL ABOUT DOWSING

FOR THINGS OTHER THAN WATER.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ASK YES/NO QUESTIONS?

WHO IS RESPONDING? HOW CAN YOU TRUST THAT?

BUT I HAVE SEEN HIM NOW OVER THE COURSE OF TWO OR THREE YEARS.

HE SUCCEEDS EVERY TIME. I MEAN,

THIS IS ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY TAKEN TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

*

WHAT'S OVER THAT DIRECTION?

THAT'S CYANIDE OVER THERE.

-THAT'S CYANIDE? -YEAH.

ABOUT THE LEVEL THAT WE ARE NOW, VERY DEEP,

THAT MEANS IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE,

YOU'LL NEVER GET THE TREASURE.

I'VE LEARNED TO THE FACT THAT FIVE OR SIX PEOPLE DIE

EVERY WEEK IN THE PHILIPPINES FROM CYANIDE.

I'VE GONE TO THE PHILIPPINES TO TREASURE SITES

AND HAD PEOPLE SHOW ME.

"IT'S OVER THERE BENEATH THE WATERFALL."

"I WENT IN THERE AND I FELT MY FOOT BURNING.

I LOOK AT MY FOOT NOW. I HAVE NO TOES

I'M MISSING FINGERS ON MY HAND

BECAUSE I'VE GONE IN TOO CLOSE TO THE CYANIDE,

AND IT WAS RELEASED."

SO AS SPECTACULAR AND UNBELIEVABLE AS IT SOUNDS

TO THINK THAT THERE'S CYANIDE JUST BEYOND THE WALLS

THAT -- THAT KLAUS IS TRANSVERSING, UM...

I ACTUALLY THINK IT'S TRUE

BECAUSE I'VE SEEN THE FIRSTHAND EVIDENCE OF PEOPLE

WHO HAVE LOST LIMBS FROM THE CYANIDE

AND ARE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.

*

SO TO GET AROUND THAT,

HE DOWSES IN EACH SITE TWICE A DAY

TO MAKE SURE THAT, "IS IT SAFE TO GO FORWARD?"

"NO, IT'S NOT." "IS IT SAFE TO GO LEFT?"

"NO, IT'S NOT." "IS IT SAFE TO GO RIGHT?"

OKAY, "IT'S SAFE TO GO RIGHT. HERE WE GO, GUYS. YOU GO THERE.

I'LL GO CHECK THE OTHER SITES."

SO THAT'S HOW HE DOES IT.

THERE'S AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF DANGER.

*

Narrator: HOW CLOSE IS KLAUS TO REACHING THE JAPANESE TREASURE?

HOW ACCURATE ARE THE SIGNS AND MARKERS

THAT HIS TEAM ARE FOLLOWING,

OR IS IT ALL JUST A CHASE AFTER FOOL'S GOLD?

THAT'S AMAZING. IT DOES LOOK LIKE A HORSE'S HEAD, DOESN'T IT?

*

Narrator: THE LEGEND OF A HIDDEN JAPANESE TREASURE

BURIED UNDER THE PHILIPPINES

IN THE CLOSING MONTHS OF WORLD WAR II

HAS BECOME SOMETHING OF A LEGEND.

IT SUPPOSEDLY INCLUDES VAST AMOUNTS OF GOLD BARS,

TREASURE, AND RELICS, BUT IS IT ACTUALLY THERE?

McMahon: TREASURE HUNTERS ARE SUPPOSED TO GO

AND GET A LICENSE, A PERMIT TO OPERATE.

THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO SPECIFY WHERE THEY'RE DIGGING.

BUT IN REALITY, YOU KNOW,

IF YOU'RE A TREASURE HUNTER IN THE PHILIPPINES,

YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO GO LOOKING FOR THIS TREASURE.

IF YOU FIND ANY, WELL,

YOU'RE GONNA KEEP IT A SECRET TO YOURSELF.

Narrator: AUSTRIAN EXPLORER KLAUS DONA

HAS SPENT OVER FOUR YEARS

DIGGING HIS WAY DOWN INTO THE PHILIPPINES.

HE SAYS HE'S FOLLOWING VERY DETAILED INFORMATION

GIVEN TO HIM BY THE LOCALS.

HE'S BURROWED INTO PREVIOUSLY EXISTING TUNNELS

200 FEET BELOWGROUND, USING A PNEUMATIC DRILL.

HE BELIEVES HE'S CLOSE.

Dona: I'M QUITE SURE ON OUR FOUR PLACES NOW

WE ARE VERY, VERY CLOSE

BECAUSE FIRST WAS THE WHITE CERAMIC.

THE NEXT LAYER HAD SOME LEAVES IN FRONT,

GOLD DUST AND DIAMOND DUST,

AND WE HAVE A BIG ECHO ON EACH OF THE PLACES

IN FRONT AND SOMETIMES ALSO ON THIS SIDE.

THAT MEANS THE ENTRANCE

AND THEN THE ROOM GOING AROUND THE CORNER OF THE CHAMBER.

*

Gough: THE INCREDIBLE THING IS THAT KLAUS

DIDN'T JUST OPEN A HATCH AND FIND THE OPEN TUNNELS.

HE FOUND THE SITE AND IDENTIFIED WHERE THE TUNNELS USED TO BE.

SO THEY'RE FILLED WITH CEMENT.

THE JAPANESE CREATED THE TUNNELS,

PUT SOMETHING AT THE END OF THEM.

THEN SEALED THAT WITH CEMENT.

AND THAT'S WHAT HE'S DIGGING THROUGH,

A FEW INCHES EVERY DAY.

KLAUS IS EXCAVATING VERTICALLY.

HE'S DIGGING TUNNELS STRAIGHT DOWN,

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS TYPES OF DIGGING

OR EXCAVATING YOU CAN DO.

IN THIS AREA, PARTICULARLY WITH THE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY,

YOU GET INSTABILITIES WITHIN THE ROCKS,

BUT YOU ALSO GET GAS IS COMING OUT

FROM THE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY SUCH AS SULFUR,

AND THIS CAN KILL WITHIN MINUTES.

*

I'M REALLY NOT A SQUEAMISH GUY. I'M NOT CLAUSTROPHOBIC.

I'VE CRAWLED THROUGH MASTABAS AND PYRAMIDS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

NO PROBLEM, BUT THESE TUNNELS ARE DIFFERENT.

YOU'RE TAKING YOUR LIFE INTO YOUR OWN HAND.

AS YOU DESCEND DOWN, THE LADDER IS COMPLETELY VERTICAL

AND MADE OF BAMBOO.

SO THE THE STEPS WHERE YOU PUT YOUR FEET,

YOU GET ABOUT THAT MUCH OF YOUR FOOT SECURED,

AND IT'S COMPLETELY WET.

I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER, WHAT AM I DOING?

I COULD DIE. I COULD FALL.

IT TAKES ALL OF YOUR FOCUS AND ALL OF YOUR ATTENTION

TO JUST GET DOWN TO THE POINT

WHERE NOW YOU HAVE TO WALK ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES.

YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT EVERY DAY

YOU DESCEND DOWN INTO A TUNNEL SHAFT LACED WITH CYANIDE.

THAT'S VERY PAINFUL.

YOU THINK, "OKAY, FINE, I'M CRAWLING TO SOMEPLACE

THAT IS GOING TO LEAD TO A REVEAL."

NO, IT'S GOING TO LEAD TO ANOTHER BAMBOO STAIRCASE

THAT'S GOING TO GO DOWN ANOTHER 60 FEET.

IT COULDN'T BE ANY MORE INHOSPITABLE.

AND THE WORKERS KNOW WHAT I'M LIKE.

THEY KNOW THAT THERE'S COBRAS ALL AROUND.

I DON'T LIKE SNAKES.

AND THERE WERE SNAKES IN THE TUNNEL.

WHEN YOU FINALLY GET DOWN THERE AND REALIZE

THIS IS WHERE THEY'RE WORKING EVERY SINGLE DAY,

KNOCKING WITH A HAMMER AND CHISEL A FEW INCHES OFF,

HAULING IT BACK UP.

I-IT'S THE MOST INCREDIBLE FEAT.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WORKING DOWN HERE AT ANY TIME?

THREE IN THIS TUNNEL, THREE IN THAT TUNNEL,

AND THE OTHERS BRINGING THE MATERIAL UP FROM TOP.

THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE. THAT'S A LOT TO COORDINATE.

OH, YEAH.

IT'S WEIRD BECAUSE HERE YOU HAVE CYANIDE.

AND ON THAT SIDE, YOU HAVE MORE CYANIDE.

SO IT WE WOULD NOT HAVE FIND THE ENTRANCE,

WE WOULD HAVE HAD A BIG PROBLEM.

WE WOULD HAVE LOST OUR LIFE.

WELL, I'LL TELL YOU ONE THING.

THAT'S THE CLOSEST I'VE BEEN TO DEATH.

I THINK IT'S VERY CLOSE.

THAT'S WHY I AM EVERY DAY DOWN HERE CHECKING

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO LOSE ONE OF MY FRIENDS.

DEFINITELY NOT. -YEAH.

BECAUSE...

ALL THE GOLD OF THIS WORLD,

IT WOULD NOT BE FOR ONE HUMAN LIFE.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY.

THE REALLY INTERESTING THING IS YOU FINALLY REACH THE BOTTOM.

HE HASN'T GONE ANY FURTHER.

YOU'RE AT THE VERY END OF WHERE HE HAS GOTTEN TO,

AND YOU WOULD THINK, "ALL I WANT TO DO IS SIT HERE,

EXPLORE, CONTEMPLATE."

NO. YOU WANT TO GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE

BECAUSE YOU FEAR -- NOT THAT IT'S GOING TO COLLAPSE ON YOU,

BUT YOU CAN'T IMAGINE HOW IT FEELS TO BE THAT DEEP

IN SUCH A TINY SPACE.

YOU JUST WANNA LEAVE.

THIS IS NOT EASY. THIS IS NOT --

OH, NO.

HEALTH AND SAFETY WALK IN THE PARK.

IT'S DOWN DANGEROUS,

BUT THE REWARD IS GOING TO BE HUGE.

HOPEFULLY YOU FIND A LOT OF ANCIENT ARCHITECTS

AND HOPEFULLY ALSO GOLD

BECAUSE WITH THAT WE CAN TAKE AGAIN OTHER PEOPLE.

I PAID FOR THE OTHER EXCAVATIONS.

AND CONTINUE, OF COURSE.

Narrator: BUT SOME LOCALS ARE SKEPTICAL

THAT ANYTHING IS LEFT TO BE FOUND.

WHATEVER VALUABLES WERE IN THE BANKS AT THAT TIME,

THEY WERE SYSTEMATICALLY LOOTED.

*

*

Narrator: THE LEGEND OF THE JAPANESE GOLD

IS VERY MUCH ALIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

IT'S SAID TO BE MADE UP PRIMARILY

OF LARGE AMOUNTS OF GOLD BARS,

AND IT'S SAID TO BE WORTH BILLIONS.

THERE ARE UNCONFIRMED REPORTS THAT THE JAPANESE ARMY

BURIED THIS TREASURE IN SEVERAL UNDERGROUND SITES,

WHICH THEY THEN BOOBY-TRAPPED TO KILL ANYONE

WHO DARED TO BREAK IN.

THE MASSIVE TREASURE

HAS SUPPOSEDLY NEVER BEEN DISCOVERED,

ALTHOUGH GOLD AND VALUABLES

HAVE REPORTEDLY BEEN FOUND IN THE PHILIPPINES BEFORE.

IF THE JAPANESE HAD BROUGHT TREASURE

FROM ALL THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

INTO THE PHILIPPINES,

AS MANY PEOPLE HAVE SUGGESTED OVER THE YEARS,

THEN THE VALUE OF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN INCALCULABLE.

Gough: THE TUNNELS THE JAPANESE USED TO BURY THE GOLD

AND THE TREASURE AND WHATEVER ELSE THEY HAD,

A LOT OF THOSE WERE PRE-EXISTING.

NOW, KLAUS'S IS OVER 200 FEET DEEP

IN FOUR DIFFERENT SITES.

IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THOSE ARE TUNNELS

THAT WERE CONSTRUCTED PURPOSELY BY THE JAPANESE

'CAUSE IT WAS ON THEIR MILITARY BASE NEAR THE OCEAN,

NEAR A HARBOR WHERE A SHIP COULD COME UP AND THEY COULD UNLOAD.

SO THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME SMUGGLERS' TUNNELS

THAT GAVE THEM A HEAD START,

BUT IT DOES APPEAR DEEP TUNNELS WERE MANMADE

AND FILLED UP BY THE JAPANESE.

Narrator: BUT DESPITE THEIR BELIEF

THAT THEY ARE ON THE HUNT FOR AND VERY NEAR TO FIND

THE SO-CALLED LOST JAPANESE TREASURE,

NOT EVERYONE BELIEVES THAT IT'S THERE.

Walters: TUNNELING IS REALLY ADVANTAGEOUS

TO THE JAPANESE AS A FORM OF DEFENSE.

YOU CAN GET THE KIND OF SMALL, WIRY LITTLE JAPANESE GUY

DOWN A TUNNEL, BUT YOU CAN'T GET A GREAT BIG U.S. MARINE DOWN IT.

AND WE SEE THAT IN VIETNAM 20, 30 YEARS LATER.

SO ACTUALLY, TUNNELS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR JAPANESE DEFENSE.

THEY'RE ESSENTIAL FOR HOLDING FAR MORE USEFUL THINGS,

SUCH AS FOOD, AMMUNITION, AND OTHER SOURCES OF SUPPLIES.

YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY, BOOTY AND PLUNDER AND BARS OF GOLD

ARE PRETTY FAR DOWN THE LIST.

AND ACTUALLY, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA STORE THEM

IN A PLACE WHERE ENEMIES ARE GOING TO TRY AND ATTACK.

YOU GONNA PROBABLY WANT TO STORE THEM

IN THE SAFEST PLACE POSSIBLE, AND THAT'S BACK HOME.

NOW, FOR ME, AS SOMEBODY WHO UNDERSTANDS

THE LOGISTICS OF MILITARY OPERATIONS,

THIS DOESN'T HOLD A LOT OF WATER.

THE REASON IS, IMAGINE ALL THE LOGISTICS

THE JAPANESE NEEDED TO GET THOSE GOODS UP THE MOUNTAIN.

YOU WOULD HAVE NEEDED A SIMILAR,

IF NOT GREATER LOGISTICAL TRAIL OR CHAIN

TO DO THE SAME THING,

GETTING IT DOWN THE MOUNTAIN AND OUT INTO THE SYSTEM.

NOW, SOLDIERS TALK,

AND THE RUMOR MILL AMONG SOLDIERS RUNS RAMPANT,

AND THE FACT THAT THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY REAL CREDIBLE REPORTS

FROM SOLDIERS OR FILIPINOS WHO SAID,

"I ACTUALLY CARRIED SOME OF THIS PLUNDER,

THIS TREASURE DOWN FROM THE CAVE OR FROM THE MOUNTAIN,"

TELLS ME THAT IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE

TO PULL OFF AN OPERATION LIKE THAT WITH SUCH SECRECY

THAT THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE OF.

McMahon: IT'S OFTEN SAID THAT THE JAPANESE MAY HAVE

DYNAMITED AND BOOBY-TRAPPED THEIR OWN TUNNELS.

THERE'S EVEN ONE STORY THAT GENERAL YAMASHITA HIMSELF

EVEN BLEW UP ONE OF THE TUNNELS,

KNOWING THAT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF HIS OWN SOLDIERS

INSIDE, AND HE ENTOMBED THEM DELIBERATELY.

CONVERSELY, IF WE LOOK AT THE WAY

THE AMERICANS CONDUCTED THEIR WARFARE

IN THE REGION AT THAT TIME,

THEY COULD HAVE EASILY DYNAMITED THOSE TUNNELS AS WELL.

THEY WOULD HAVE BELIEVED THERE WERE JAPANESE SOLDIERS

IN A NETWORK OF TUNNELS WAITING TO SPRING OUT.

WHY WOULD THEY BOTHER TO ENGAGE THEM UNDERGROUND?

WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER TO JUST DYNAMITE THEM

AND ENCLOSE THEM THERE AND MOVE ON?

THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL ARMY SEEMED TO BELIEVE

THAT THEY COULD HIDE THIS VAST HOARD,

SO-CALLED GOLDEN LILY HOARD, IN TUNNELS

DUG DEEP INTO THE HILLS AS THEY RETREATED.

*

Narrator: BUT NOT ALL FILIPINOS ARE CONVINCED

THAT THE TREASURE IS REAL.

DR. RICARDO JOSE IS AN EXPERT

ON THE HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES.

HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANY GOLD

OR TREASURE BURIED ON THE ISLAND

AND DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT KLAUS WILL DISCOVER ANYTHING.

Jose: I DON'T SEE THE LOGIC OF BURYING TREASURE

IN THE PHILIPPINES, PARTICULARLY IN 1944,

BECAUSE FIRST, THE GUERRILLAS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE.

THE GUERRILLAS WERE WATCHING.

THEY HAD EYES AND EARS EVERYWHERE.

THEY WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT WAS GOING ON.

THEY WOULDN'T HAVE REPORTED THIS.

AND THEN SECONDLY, THE JAPANESE COULD HAVE USED OTHER AREAS

TO SHIP THE GOLD OR THE OTHER TREASURES.

THEY COULD HAVE USED VIETNAM, TAIWAN, KOREA,

WHICH WERE THEIRS ANYWAY.

Narrator: HE BELIEVES THAT THE TREASURE WAS LOOTED BY THE JAPANESE ARMY,

BUT THAT THE GOLD AND BULLION HAD ALREADY BEEN TAKEN

OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES BY THE AMERICANS.

SOME OF THE TREASURES LOOTED FROM PHILIPPINE BANKS,

MAY BE GOLD BULLION, WAS TAKEN BY THE JAPANESE IN THESE TRUCKS.

IT WAS TAKEN OUT IN FEBRUARY 1942,

WHEN THE AMERICANS FELT

THAT EVENTUALLY THE FORTRESS OF CORREGIDOR WOULD FALL.

SO THEY MADE AN EMERGENCY PLAN

TO TAKE ALL THE PHILIPPINE GOLD OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES.

WHAT WE DO KNOW IS WAS IN DECEMBER OF 1944,

THE JAPANESE WOULD BEGIN SYSTEMATICALLY LOOKING

AT EACH BANK

AND SIGNING RECEIPTS FOR WHATEVER VALUABLES

WERE IN EACH OF THE BANKS.

AFTER THE WAR, IN FACT,

THE BANKERS WOULD SAY THE JAPANESE TOOK THIS FROM US,

AND THIS WOULD INVOLVE PAPER MONEY FROM BEFORE THE WAR.

IT WOULD INVOLVE COINS

THAT HAD BEEN PUT IN SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES.

WHATEVER VALUABLES WERE IN THE BANKS AT THAT TIME.

THEY WERE SYSTEMATICALLY LOOTED.

*

Narrator: BUT MODERN-DAY TREASURE HUNTERS

AREN'T DETERRED BY THIS HARSH REALITY.

THEY FIRMLY BELIEVE

THERE ARE STILL PRICELESS VALUABLES TO BE FOUND.

Gough: IF YOU'RE A TREASURE HUNTER TODAY, DO YOU THINK,

"HEY, I'M GONNA GO BUY THE BOOK AND GET A PERMIT

AND FIND THE TREASURE?" NO, YOU DON'T.

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW YOU'RE PUTTING UP A SIGNAL

TO THE GOVERNMENT THAT YOU'VE GOT A TREASURE SITE,

AND THEY'LL PROBABLY KILL YOU LIKE THEY KILLED ROGER ROXAS.

SO NOBODY ASKS FOR A PERMIT.

PLUS, THEY DON'T WANT TO GIVE AWAY 30%

OF WHAT THEY FIND TO THE GOVERNMENT,

AND THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T HEAR ABOUT DISCOVERIES,

BECAUSE IT'S ALL ON THE LOWDOWN.

THERE'S PLACES IN MANILA THAT WILL MELT DOWN GOLD

AND PUT IT INTO A MODERN STANDARD.

THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON.

Bellinger: TREASURE HAS BEEN FOUND IN THE PHILIPPINES,

AND NO DOUBT TREASURE WILL BE FOUND AGAIN IN THE PHILIPPINES.

IS IT GOING TO BE PROOF OF THE YAMASHITA'S GOLD MYSTERY?

I NEED SOME REAL PROOF,

AND I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY SO FAR THAT IT IS REAL.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH KLAUS BELIEVES HIS SEARCH

IS NEARING COMPLETION, CHALLENGES LIE AHEAD.

Dona: THE CLOSER YOU GET,

THE MORE UNEXPECTED TROUBLE ARE SHOWING UP.

*

Narrator: LEGEND HAS IT THAT THE SO-CALLED LOST JAPANESE TREASURE

IS BURIED WITHIN THE ISLAND OF LUZON IN THE PHILIPPINES.

IT'S SAID TO BE MADE UP OF ANCIENT RELICS,

ARTWORK, AND MOST INTERESTINGLY, LARGE AMOUNTS OF GOLD BARS.

IT'S SUPPOSEDLY WORTH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

THERE ARE UNCONFIRMED REPORTS THAT AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II,

THE JAPANESE FORCES CONSTRUCTED VERY SECURE TREASURE SITES.

THE ARMY BURIED IT ALL IN NUMEROUS UNDERGROUND TUNNELS

AND PLACED EXPLOSIVES AND POISONOUS GAS TRAPS

WITHIN THESE TUNNELS TO KILL ANY INTRUDERS.

MANY PEOPLE, BOTH LOCALS AND FOREIGNERS,

ARE IN THE PHILIPPINES TRYING TO DISCOVER IT,

BUT SO FAR WITHOUT MUCH SUCCESS.

McMahon: THE THING ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES IS IT'S LONG

BEEN TREASURE CENTRAL, YOU KNOW, WAY BEFORE YAMASHITA.

YOU HAD RUMORS OF AMERICAN BULLION BEING LOCATED

IN THE REGION, BUT EVEN MORE ATTRACTIVE,

THE SPANISH RULED THE PHILIPPINES FOR 400 YEARS.

THINK OF ALL THOSE GALLEONS LOADED WITH SILVER AND GOLD

COMING FROM THE NEW WORLD THAT WERE SHIPWRECKED.

AND SOME OF THESE SHIPWRECKS UNDOUBTEDLY EXIST.

SO THE PHILIPPINES HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MAGNET

FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR TREASURE.

Narrator: AT THEIR UNDISCLOSED EXCAVATION SITE

IN THE PHILIPPINES, KLAUS AND ANDREW GO UNDERGROUND.

THEY HAVE DUG TWO TUNNELS AT THIS SITE,

BUT DUE TO EXCESSIVE RAINFALL,

ONLY ONE OF THEM IS STABLE ENOUGH TO ENTER.

Dona: THREE TO FOUR WEEKS AGO.

WE HAD THREE WEEKS CONTINUING HEAVY RAIN.

ONE TYPHOON, ONE MONSOON HIT US,

AND WE HAD A BIG PROBLEM IN THE TUNNELS

BECAUSE IT WAS TOO MUCH WATER.

WE HAVE HERE WATER.

THE LADDER IS VERY SLIPPERY.

HERE WE HAVE A ROUND BORDER AND MARKER

THAT WE SAW THAT WE ARE ON THE RIGHT WAY

DOWN INSIDE THE AIR SHAFT.

AND I CAN SEE ALREADY

THAT THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WATER IN THE TUNNEL.

Narrator: RESEARCHER AND WRITER ANDREW GOUGH

IS A SELF-CONFESSED MYSTERY ENTHUSIAST.

HE HAS INVESTIGATED ALL MANNER OF STORIES

AND HAS SPENT YEARS RESEARCHING THE LEGEND OF THE JAPANESE GOLD.

Dona: YOU DID IT, ANDREW.

Gough: THANK YOU, GUYS.

I'M PROUD OF YOU.

SO, THAT WASN'T SO BAD. VERY EXCITING.

SO...ANDREW, THIS -- THAT'S RIGHT.

THAT IS OUR HEAT HOLE. THAT'S THE...

AND NOW WE GO. WE ARE FOCUSING.

AND WE GO -- YEAH. YEAH.

[ WATER DRIPPING ]

THE THING ABOUT KLAUS' WORK

IS THAT YOU WOULD THINK AFTER THREE YEARS,

HE WOULD HAVE FOUND IT, BUT THE FACT IS,

THE REALITY IS THESE CHAMBERS ARE INCREDIBLY DEEP,

AND THAT'S WHY NOBODY HAS FOUND THEM.

THEY'RE FROM A HISTORICAL RECORD OF PEOPLE

AROUND THE TIME WHEN THE FIRST CHAMBERS WERE EXCAVATED

INDICATE THAT THEY WERE ABOUT 220 TO 230 FEET DEEP.

NOW, KLAUS IS JUST ABOUT THERE.

HE'S PROBABLY WITHIN 10 OR 15 FEET OF THAT LEVEL.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY HUMBLING TO BE DOWN HERE

AND TO REALIZE THE EFFORT

THAT GOES INTO THESE INHOSPITABLE CONDITIONS.

I MEAN, I KNOW THERE'S USUALLY NOT WATER IN HERE,

BUT, KLAUS, THIS IS EXTREME.

Dona: IT WAS -- IT WAS A HORRIBLE TIME SOMETIMES,

BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU ARE NOT --

YOU CANNOT SLEEP IN THE NIGHT.

YOU WAKE UP SWEATING.

YOU THINK, "ARE YOU ON THE RIGHT WAY?

IS ALL THE TIME AND THE MONEY YOU HAD TO SPEND FOR NOTHING?

DO YOU REALLY FIND SOMETHING?"

BUT THANKS TO THAT GIFT, WE WOULD WITHOUT THAT,

WE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND THOSE PERFECT MARKERS,

THE CERAMIC WALL AND ALL THIS,

WHICH GIVES ME THE KNOWLEDGE THAT NOW WE ARE REALLY CLOSE.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, THE CLOSER YOU GET,

THE MORE UNEXPECTED TROUBLE ARE SHOWING UP.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY WOULD TEST YOU.

"IS HE REALLY ABLE TO GET IT?"

IS HE THE RIGHT ONE TO GET IT?

SO LET HIM GET A LOT OF WATER.

LET HIM BLOW OFF THE GENERATOR THAT BURN OUT THE PUMP,

AND THEN YOU HAVE TO COUNT. CAN I BUY A NEW PUMP?

IT'S GETTING ALREADY TIGHT WITH MY BUDGET.

WE WOULD BE LONG ALREADY FINISHED.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO PROGRESS NEXT?

WE GO -- WE BREAK THE CEMENT WITH THE LEAVES,

AND THE ECHO SHOWS ME THAT WE ARE CLOSE.

AND THEN WE SHOULD BE IN THE FIRST ROW.

AMAZING. SO YOU'RE TALKING MAYBE A WEEK OR TWO WEEKS OF WORK.

ONE, TWO, THREE WEEKS.

I DON'T KNOW HOW THICK IS THE WATER.

AMAZING WORK. AMAZING WORK.

*

ON THE WAY DOWN, WE ALWAYS FOUND SPECIAL MARKERS

THAT GAVE US THE SECURITY

THAT WE ARE REALLY ON THE RIGHT WAY.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE'VE FOUND TRIANGULAR STONES.

WE FOUND ROUND STONE WITH A HOLE INSIDE,

WHICH MEANS ALSO CORRECT DESTINATION.

WE'VE FOUND INCENSE,

BIG PARTS OF INCENSE IN THE HARD MATERIAL.

HERE YOU HAD -- WE HAD ALSO WHITE -- A WHITE LAYER

SHOWING US THAT THAT'S ANOTHER WAY TO A TUNNEL.

SO WE ARE HERE ON A CROSSING POINT OF

ONE...

TWO...

THREE TREASURE SITES.

WHEN YOU FIND WHITE CEMENT,

THAT MEANS YOU ARE VERY, VERY CLOSE,

AND WE WE GOT ALREADY ON ALL FOUR OF OUR SITES,

WHITE LAYERS.

SO THAT'S MAKE ME SURE THAT WE ARE NOW REALLY CLOSE.

AND ALSO WE FOUND CLOSE TO THE WHITE,

WE GOT SOME LAYERS WITH GOLD DUST.

WE GOT SOME LAYERS WITH DIAMOND DUST.

SO THAT MEANS WE ARE DEFINITELY ON THE RIGHT WAY.

I'M ASTONISHED AT THE COMMITMENT

THAT AN EFFORT LIKE THIS REQUIRES.

I MEAN, JUST LOOK AT THIS.

YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY HAVE MORE ARDUOUS CONDITIONS.

BUT EVERYTHING THAT HE SAYS IS TRUE.

THIS IS ALL MAN-MADE. IT'S ARTIFICIAL.

AND BY ALL ACCOUNTS, HE'S REALLY CLOSE.

Narrator: DESPITE FUNDING DIFFICULTIES AND TORRENTIAL FLOODING,

KLAUS AND HIS TEAM REMAIN DEDICATED

TO THEIR MISSION OF FINDING THE LOST TREASURE.

THE FACT THAT WE'RE ON THE CUSP OF SUCCESS,

I'M VERY EXCITED.

*

Narrator: THE LEGEND OF A HUGE TREASURE

OF GOLD BARS AND VALUABLES

BURIED DEEP UNDERNEATH THE PHILIPPINES

BY THE JAPANESE FORCES AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II

IS STILL BEING SOUGHT TODAY.

IS THERE ANY TRUTH TO THE MYTH?

AND IF SO, IS THERE ANYTHING LEFT OF THE FORTUNE?

McMahon: IF WE ASSUME THAT THE JAPANESE

TOOK SOME OF THAT TREASURE OUT ON HOSPITAL SHIPS,

THAT THE AMERICANS USED A BIG CHUNK OF IT

TO FUND COVERT ANTI-COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE COLD WAR,

AND THAT THE MARCOSES GOT THEIR FINGERS ALL OVER IT AS WELL,

WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES, "HOW MUCH OF IT IS LEFT?"

*

Narrator: PERHAPS THE MOST INTERESTING STORY

WAS THAT OF ROGELIO ROXAS, A LOCAL CARPENTER

WHO CLAIMED TO HAVE DISCOVERED A FORTUNE UNDERGROUND,

INCLUDING TREASURES AND VAST AMOUNTS OF GOLD BULLION.

HE SAYS THAT THE FORMER PHILIPPINES LEADER,

FERDINAND MARCOS,

SENT HIS HENCHMEN TO STEAL WHAT ROXAS HAD FOUND.

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]

AT A SUBSEQUENT COURT CASE IN HAWAII,

ROGELIO ROXAS

WAS AWARDED BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN COMPENSATION.

WHAT ROXAS FOUND WAS FASCINATING.

HE FOUND THE SKELETON REMAINS OF A JAPANESE OFFICER.

HE FOUND VARIOUS WEAPONS, SAMURAI SWORDS.

HE FOUND 24 GOLD BARS AND A GOLDEN BUDDHA.

THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE UNDER MARCOS

IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE HAD TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS OF GOLD,

INCLUDING ROXAS' GOLD BUDDHA.

BUT THERE WAS ALSO GOLD BARS PUT BETWEEN PLASTER WALLS.

EVERYTHING WAS LAID IN IN GOLD.

IT'S AS THOUGH THEY HAD COME IN TO LARGE AMOUNTS OF GOLD

AND WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNEW IT.

Narrator: DESPITE NUMEROUS THEORIES

ABOUT WHERE THE VALUABLES MIGHT HAVE GONE OVER THE DECADES,

KLAUS DONA IS ONE OF THE MANY TREASURE HUNTERS

WHO BELIEVE IT'S STILL VERY DEEP UNDERGROUND.

WE ARE ON THE BUNKER BORDER.

VERY, VERY HARD TO GO THROUGH BECAUSE AS I HEARD,

THE BUNKER BOARDS ARE BETWEEN 3 AND 5 FEET THICK

OF THESE VERY, VERY HARD TO BEND.

WE HAD A BIG PROBLEM IN THE TUNNELS

BECAUSE THEY WERE FILLED WITH WATER.

SO WE HAD TO BUY ADDITIONAL PUMPS TO PUMP OUT THE WATER.

ALL THE TUNNELS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE.

NO DANGER FOR THE PEOPLE, SO WE CAN FINALLY CONTINUE.

AND I'M QUITE SURE WE ARE VERY, VERY CLOSE TO SUCCESS.

KLAUS HAS EXPENDED HUGE EFFORT IN THE PHILIPPINES

AND REALLY TAPPED INTO THAT BELIEF THAT THERE

IS TREASURE UNDERNEATH THE GROUND IN THAT COUNTRY,

AND HE'S FOUND MARKERS WHICH HE CLAIMS

THAT THE JAPANESE PUT THERE LOCATING THE TUNNELS.

HE'S DUG HIS OWN TUNNELS.

HE'S USED DOWSING TO TRY AND FIND THIS TREASURE.

BUT, YOU KNOW, AFTER YEARS OF EFFORT

AND YEARS OF DETERMINATION

AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM KLAUS,

UNFORTUNATELY, HE'S FOUND NOTHING.

Narrator: KLAUS, AFTER YEARS OF SUPPORTING A LONG AND DEEP DIG,

IS VERY LOW ON FUNDS.

Gough: IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO GET YOUR HEAD AROUND

HOW EXPENSIVE THIS OPERATION IS.

KLAUS IS A 70-YEAR-OLD AUSTRIAN. HE'S RETIRED.

HE'S NOW HAVING TO EMPLOY OVER A DOZEN PEOPLE.

I'VE STAYED WITH KLAUS IN HIS HOME EVERY NIGHT.

THE WORKERS COME OVER,

AND KLAUS' PARTNER FEEDS THEM EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.

AND WHEN I ASK THE CORE MEMBERS OF HIS TEAM, DO YOU THINK

YOU'RE ABOUT TO DISCOVER A JAPANESE TREASURE HOARD?

THEY SAY, YES, OF COURSE.

I SAY, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN YOU GET YOUR SHARE

OF ALL THOSE MILLIONS?

"I'M GOING TO OPEN UP A RICE FARM."

IT'S AS THOUGH THE QUEST IS WHAT KEEPS THEM GOING,

NOT SO MUCH THE MONEY AT THE OTHER END.

Narrator: PATRICK NICHOLAS HAS WORKED WITH KLAUS'S TEAM

FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS.

HE'S A FORMER AIRCRAFT TECHNICIAN

AND HELPS LOCATE THE TUNNELS.

Nicholas: I MEAN, THERE ARE MANY TIMES THAT I'VE SEEN HIM

GO THROUGH HIS CHALLENGES,

AND I'M THINKING TO MYSELF, YOU KNOW WHAT?

I WOULD HAVE QUIT A LONG TIME AGO.

HOWEVER, THE FOCUS AND DEVOTION THAT HE HAS OF WHAT HE'S DOING

IS SOMETHING THAT I'D LIKE TO REALLY GET CLOSE TO.

THE FACT THAT WE'RE ON THE CUSP OF SUCCESS,

I'M VERY EXCITED.

YOU KNOW, AND I ALSO UNDERSTAND

THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CLOSER WE GET TO SUCCESS,

THE MORE OBSTACLES THAT WE ALL HAVE,

THE MORE CHALLENGES WE HAVE.

BUT WE JUST HAVE TO STAY FOCUSED, YOU KNOW?

THANK YOU. -SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.

OKAY. HAVE A GOOD ONE.

OKAY. -BYE. HAVE A SAFE TRIP.

BYE. -BYE.

Gough: KLAUS IS ABSOLUTELY RESOLUTE.

NOT ONE IOTA OF DOUBT THAT HE'S GOING TO FIND THE TREASURE.

HIS MOTTO IS, "WE DIG IT. NO WORRY. IT WILL HAPPEN."

Janulis: WITH ALL OF THESE TREASURE HUNTERS AND ALL THE LABOR HOURS

THAT HAVE GONE INTO DIGGING, TUNNELING, EXCAVATING,

WHAT HAS BEEN FOUND SO FAR, AT THE VERY BEST,

MAYBE WE KNOW THE GEOLOGY A LITTLE BIT BETTER,

BUT IN TERMS OF TREASURE, NOT A SINGLE THING.

Bellinger: KLAUS DONA IS UTTERLY CONVINCED

HE'S GOING TO FIND THIS TREASURE.

DOES THAT MEAN HE WILL?

THE HARDER YOU TRY, THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE

TO SUCCEED AT ANYTHING, SO I SAY, "GO, KLAUS."

McMahon: SOMETIMES THESE THINGS ARE ALL-CONSUMING.

YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR TREASURE BECOMES A HOBBY

RATHER THAN AN END IN ITSELF, SO GOOD LUCK TO THE MAN.

I'LL BUY HIM A DRINK IF HE FINDS £20 MILLION' WORTH OF GOLD,

YOU KNOW, OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME, YOU SHOULD JUST ENJOY THE JUNGLE.