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- [Rudy] The following
program contains
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footage of military operations.
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Viewer discretion is advised.
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00:00:06,370 --> 00:00:10,370
Tonight, on The Proof Is Out
There: Military Mysteries.
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A photo of a doomed
American sub.
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Was it sunk by an enemy torpedo
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or one of its own?
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- The loss of the
Scorpion is one
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of the greatest mysteries
of the 20th century.
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- [Rudy] Breathtaking footage
of a World War II bomber
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exploding in mid-air.
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What brought it down?
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- Was that a friendly fire
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or Japanese
anti-aircraft attack?
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- [Rudy] Yes, it's a real photo
of a nuclear bomb in a tree.
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How close did we come to
nuking North Carolina?
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- One simple low voltage switch
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stood between the United States
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and potential
nuclear annihilation.
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- [Rudy] And our secret
weapon of the week,
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a deadly game changer flying
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at seven times the
speed of sound.
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- This missile would be able
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to reach the US in
a matter of minutes.
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(dramatic music)
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- [Rudy] In the modern history
of war, there are films.
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- Shazam.
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- [Rudy] Photos,
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recordings,
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and documents that
raise questions.
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- So everything
about this story is
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one big mystery.
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- This particular
footage has caused
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a lot of controversy.
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- [Rudy] What's
really happening?
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- [Frederick] There's
so little information.
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- Nothing like this has
been attempted before.
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- [Rudy] That's
where we come in.
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Our mission, investigate
the battlefield's
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strangest images,
sounds, and more.
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- [Tim] This photo
blows my mind.
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- You can imagine how
terrifying it would be.
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- [Rudy] We'll analyze
each with military experts
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and try to come up with answers.
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- I'm Ronnie Adkins,
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former US Army
Intelligence Analyst.
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- I'm Rudy Reyes, Recon
Marine war veteran.
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The proof starts now.
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(dramatic music)
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- Hey everyone, I'm Ronnie.
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He's Rudy.
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And we're locked, loaded,
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and ready to rock
from the battlefields
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to the bottom of the ocean.
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- The USS Scorpion was one
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of only two nuclear submarines
ever lost by the US Navy.
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- That's right.
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It sank in 1968 and
the question is, why?
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- Was it a peacetime accident
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or was it attacked?
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At the bottom of
the Atlantic Ocean,
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500 miles west of
the Azores islands,
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these eerie images
mark the watery grave
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of the USS Scorpion
and her crew.
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In this photo, you can
see the submarine's sail
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ripped from her top side.
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How did the Scorpion
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end up 10,000 feet underwater?
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The mystery begins
on May 27th, 1968,
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in Norfolk, Virginia.
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Wives, friends, and
family members gathered
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at Pier 22 on the
Norfolk Naval Station
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eagerly awaiting the
Scorpion's return.
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But Pier 22 would
remain empty that day
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as the USS Scorpion
never makes it home.
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- No one really knows why.
The Navy doesn't know why.
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The Navy kind of
goes into dither mode
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initially with the families.
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Eventually, pretty
quickly, people realize
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there's a big problem.
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Submariners are
extremely reliable.
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When a submariner says,
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I'm gonna be at a place
at a certain time,
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they're either dead
or they're there.
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- Since our briefing yesterday,
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the search effort has
expanded considerably.
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- [Rudy] Nine days after
the Scorpion was a no-show,
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the United States
Navy declares the sub
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and its 99 crew
members presumed lost.
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They commence a
massive oceanic search
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but it isn't until October
that they locate the Scorpion
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on the ocean floor,
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at least what's left of it.
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What could have caused
such devastation?
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Rumors begin floating
to the surface.
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- When it comes to
why the Scorpion sank,
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there is no shortage of theories
that claim to explain it.
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- The Scorpions is what's known
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as the Skipjack-class
of submarine.
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After being introduced in 1959,
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the Skipjack subs
remain the fastest subs
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in the US Navy,
until the mid '70s.
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- But what made
the Skipjack-class
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truly unique, was its
teardrop hull design.
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It moved the torpedo room
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back a bit from
the bow of the boat,
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which allowed it
to fire torpedoes
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diagonally from the sides.
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Now that made less noise
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to interfere with
the sub's sonar.
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- The Scorpion fired
Mark 37 torpedoes
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that were lethal for almost
all but the biggest of ships.
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So, she was fast, she was
sexy, she was deadly.
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But the question
is, why'd she sink?
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(tense music)
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Almost 25 years after
the USS Scorpion sank,
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the Navy finally declassified
its official explanation.
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According to this report
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from the 1968 Naval
Court of Inquiry,
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the most likely explanation
was the Scorpion was sunk
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by one of its own torpedoes.
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The battery powered Mark 37 is
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somehow activated in its tube.
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Unable to shut it down,
the crew jettisons it,
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but the armed torpedo now hunts
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for the nearest target
and destroys it.
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That would be the Scorpion.
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An interesting theory, but
former submarine commander
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David Marquet doesn't buy it.
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- I think this is
extremely unlikely.
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Scorpion, if she
knew the torpedo was
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coming back after her,
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has depth, she has speed.
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She has a number of ways
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to try and evade
her own torpedo.
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Secondly, the torpedoes
are deliberately
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designed to not do this,
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and the warheads don't arm
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until the torpedo's
sufficiently safe
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away from the submarine.
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- [Rudy] If the torpedo
theory doesn't float,
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then what really happened?
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Could the Soviets have
been behind it all?
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(intense music)
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Headed for home,
the Scorpion gets
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classified orders
to change course.
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Why?
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A suspicious flotilla
of Soviet warships is
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patrolling the Canary Islands
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and the Navy wants eyes on it.
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Author and former
submarine engineer,
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Kenneth Sewell, thinks it was
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all a trap to take
down an American sub.
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- The Soviets knew
we would investigate.
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They knew we'd be sending a sub.
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- [Rudy] Just months
earlier, John Walker,
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a US Naval Chief Warrant
Officer turned spy,
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supplied the Soviets
with secret codes
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that allowed them to
intercept naval messages,
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like the one that
sent the Scorpion
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to the Canary Islands.
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- They were getting
the codes from the spy
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and for the first
time in their history,
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they had the ability to
kind of track and know when
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that submarine was
gonna be there.
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There's no doubt in my mind
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that the Soviet navy attacked
and sank the USS Scorpion.
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- [Rudy] Historian Martin
K.A. Morgan disputes the idea
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of a Russian torpedo
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and suggests the fate of
the Scorpion may have
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been something far more simple.
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- I think the reality is
that the ship was lost
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for much more mundane reasons,
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like there was a fire on board.
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They couldn't extinguish it
and it knocked out power
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and then the submarine just sank
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beyond a depth where
it could be saved.
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- [Rudy] Morgan
points to the photos
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of the Scorpion's
uncrushed bow section
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to support his theory.
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- If there had been an
explosion onboard that ship,
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this wreckage would
not look like this.
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What we would see
would be ripped,
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torn, and rended
wreckage that we largely
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just don't see at
the wreck site.
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The wreck site
photography indicates
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something slightly less
dramatic than an explosion.
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It seems like the better,
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the more appropriate
explanation is one
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in which you have
a cascading series
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of negative events
inside the ship
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that start with a small fire
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that then gets bigger
and the bigger it gets,
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it knocks out power.
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When the ship loses power,
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it loses the ability
to counter pump
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and get rid of any water that
has come inside the hull
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as a result of leaking.
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And that's going to drag it down
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00:08:02,750 --> 00:08:05,200
and the result is the
loss of the ship.
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- [Rudy] But if it was a fire,
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00:08:06,950 --> 00:08:08,660
why would the Navy
release a story
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about a rogue torpedo instead
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of one involving basic
mechanical failure?
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Captain Marquet says it may
tie back to another lost sub.
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00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:19,910
- We've operated
nuclear submarines
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since the '50s with an
unbelievable safety record
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and Thresher and
Scorpion are two tragic
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black marks on the record.
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- [Rudy] The Thresher was
yet another US submarine
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that sank just five years
before the Scorpion.
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00:08:34,700 --> 00:08:36,870
During deep dive
testing near Cape Cod,
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00:08:36,950 --> 00:08:39,540
a leak shorted out the
sub's electrical system
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and its ability to surface.
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00:08:41,700 --> 00:08:46,120
The Thresher and its 129
men never came home.
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00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,000
Many suggest that the
isolated torpedo story is
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00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,620
better than revealing a
potential recurring issue
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00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:53,160
the US Navy may have had
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00:08:53,250 --> 00:08:56,450
with the overall maintenance
of its submarines.
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00:08:56,540 --> 00:08:57,700
- We're in the height
of the Cold War.
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For God's sake, it's 1968.
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There's a lot going on.
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The Navy had to keep the loss
of this submarine quiet,
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and that was for no other reason
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00:09:07,370 --> 00:09:09,790
than operational
security concerns.
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00:09:09,870 --> 00:09:12,540
Because if it admits
that it's been lost,
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00:09:12,620 --> 00:09:14,450
there's the possibility
that the Soviet Union
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will be at the
scene of the crime
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00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:18,370
almost immediately trying to
pick through the wreckage.
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(tense music)
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- To this day, the wreck,
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00:09:22,410 --> 00:09:24,660
the USS Scorpion remains buried.
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- And the US Navy
continues to refuse
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all requests to reopen the case,
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00:09:28,870 --> 00:09:30,410
which has only
added to the mystery
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00:09:30,500 --> 00:09:32,700
and prolonged the
anguish of the families
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00:09:32,790 --> 00:09:34,120
who question the official story.
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- One of the most
dangerous places
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to be during World War II
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00:09:39,700 --> 00:09:40,790
was onboard a bomber
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00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,540
during a daytime raid
over enemy territory.
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00:09:43,620 --> 00:09:44,660
- And when the
World War II bomber
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00:09:44,700 --> 00:09:46,370
in our next clip exploded,
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00:09:46,370 --> 00:09:48,330
it left people wondering.
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00:09:48,370 --> 00:09:50,370
What caused a
World War II bomber
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00:09:50,450 --> 00:09:51,950
to explode in mid-air?
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00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:57,160
May 4, 1945, it's the
tail end of World War II
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00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,540
but the fighting is
as intense as ever.
249
00:09:59,620 --> 00:10:02,830
(dramatic music)
(explosions booming)
250
00:10:04,950 --> 00:10:06,830
In the skies over
Palau in the Pacific,
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00:10:06,910 --> 00:10:09,750
22 B-24 Liberators
bombed Japanese
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00:10:09,830 --> 00:10:11,950
military installations
positioned below.
253
00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,080
A film crew has tagged along
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00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,870
and this is the
footage they capture.
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00:10:17,950 --> 00:10:19,750
- [Reporter] Air Force
cameras follow our planes
256
00:10:19,830 --> 00:10:23,000
through layers of overcast as
they draw near the target.
257
00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:26,290
- [Rudy] Seen here
is a B-24 nicknamed,
258
00:10:26,370 --> 00:10:27,700
The Brief, by our crew.
259
00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,160
Everything is going
according to plan.
260
00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,540
Then, (explosion hissing)
261
00:10:33,620 --> 00:10:35,700
her mission is cut short.
262
00:10:35,790 --> 00:10:37,660
- My God, it's painful to watch.
263
00:10:37,830 --> 00:10:40,580
You know that there's a
crew onboard this aircraft
264
00:10:40,700 --> 00:10:42,750
that they're
hopelessly spiraling
265
00:10:42,830 --> 00:10:44,120
down to their deaths.
266
00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:45,870
- [Reporter] With one wing
completely shattered,
267
00:10:45,950 --> 00:10:47,830
the plane plummets groundward.
268
00:10:47,870 --> 00:10:51,120
Our Pacific island
warfare is not cheap.
269
00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,160
(suspenseful music)
270
00:10:53,250 --> 00:10:56,410
- [Rudy] Ten crew members
tragically lose their lives.
271
00:10:56,500 --> 00:10:58,660
And the one lucky
survivor is captured
272
00:10:58,700 --> 00:11:01,370
and executed by the
Japanese 20 days later.
273
00:11:01,500 --> 00:11:04,040
The film, however
lives on an infamy.
274
00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:05,950
It's released as
a news reel story
275
00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,040
and shown in theaters
across the US.
276
00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:10,330
Take another look.
277
00:11:10,450 --> 00:11:13,370
The plane explodes in flames
as the left wing tears off
278
00:11:14,410 --> 00:11:18,500
but it's unclear exactly what
causes the initial explosion.
279
00:11:18,580 --> 00:11:20,660
It's strange that
the plane explodes
280
00:11:20,700 --> 00:11:23,700
just as it's framed
perfectly by the camera.
281
00:11:23,830 --> 00:11:26,370
Did the Japanese really
shoot the plane down?
282
00:11:26,450 --> 00:11:28,160
Was it some kind of accident
283
00:11:28,250 --> 00:11:30,870
or was this whole
incident staged?
284
00:11:32,910 --> 00:11:35,660
Okay, to understand what
happened to this plane,
285
00:11:35,790 --> 00:11:37,580
it's best to get inside it.
286
00:11:37,700 --> 00:11:40,500
The B-24 was a real game
changer from the start.
287
00:11:40,580 --> 00:11:41,830
- That's right, Rudy, it was.
288
00:11:41,870 --> 00:11:44,330
This bomber was crucial
to winning the Pacific
289
00:11:44,410 --> 00:11:47,750
because it could take off
and land on small islands
290
00:11:47,830 --> 00:11:49,660
and that was thanks
to its wing design.
291
00:11:49,700 --> 00:11:51,250
- Its long narrow
wings helped it
292
00:11:51,330 --> 00:11:54,700
get the extra lift it
needed on short runways.
293
00:11:54,790 --> 00:11:57,040
But remember, it
wasn't invulnerable.
294
00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:00,290
So what could have caused such
a terrible explosion here?
295
00:12:00,370 --> 00:12:02,790
(tense music)
296
00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:06,500
Let's tackle the most
outrageous theory first,
297
00:12:06,580 --> 00:12:08,500
posed by some on the internet.
298
00:12:08,620 --> 00:12:10,000
Did the War Department stage
299
00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:12,750
this incident as a
propaganda effort?
300
00:12:12,830 --> 00:12:15,000
After all, the Nazis
had just surrendered
301
00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:17,500
and some on modern social
media have claimed
302
00:12:17,580 --> 00:12:20,700
this was a stunt to keep the
American people committed
303
00:12:20,790 --> 00:12:22,700
to finishing the war with Japan.
304
00:12:22,790 --> 00:12:25,040
- The United States did use this
305
00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:27,450
for a public relations campaign.
306
00:12:28,790 --> 00:12:31,700
It received the big play
in the United States.
307
00:12:31,790 --> 00:12:33,330
- [Rudy] But do we buy that?
308
00:12:33,370 --> 00:12:35,000
Absolutely not.
309
00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,200
There's no way we'd
break down a plane
310
00:12:37,330 --> 00:12:40,080
crewed by 10 of our
own American heroes.
311
00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,450
And plus, there are more
viable theories out there.
312
00:12:43,540 --> 00:12:45,330
Former Naval aviator
Ward Carroll
313
00:12:45,370 --> 00:12:47,830
offers one that's
gotten some traction.
314
00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,330
- There's only one explanation
for what we just saw,
315
00:12:53,370 --> 00:12:55,000
and that is a bomb
316
00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:59,080
from another American airplane
that was located above.
317
00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,750
- [Rudy] It's not
that big a stretch.
318
00:13:02,830 --> 00:13:05,160
Look here, just behind the B-24.
319
00:13:05,250 --> 00:13:08,370
You can see bombs
falling from above.
320
00:13:08,450 --> 00:13:12,200
- I believe because of the
way that the wing collapses
321
00:13:12,290 --> 00:13:16,000
and the flash happens
at the top of the wing,
322
00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:20,790
that this B-24 was hit by a
bomb from another American.
323
00:13:20,870 --> 00:13:22,450
(intense music)
324
00:13:22,540 --> 00:13:26,200
- [Rudy] Historian Martin
K.A. Morgan disagrees.
325
00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,750
He says the footage contradicts
the friendly fire theory.
326
00:13:29,830 --> 00:13:31,040
- When you look at the footage,
327
00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:32,870
you can see what led
people to believe
328
00:13:32,950 --> 00:13:35,040
the possibility that a bomb
329
00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:37,620
from another B-24 above
it caused the incident
330
00:13:37,700 --> 00:13:38,870
that's captured on camera.
331
00:13:38,950 --> 00:13:40,330
But if that's what happened,
332
00:13:40,370 --> 00:13:43,580
we would see that bomb
moving very slowly
333
00:13:43,660 --> 00:13:46,500
through the air before
it strikes Brief
334
00:13:46,540 --> 00:13:48,200
and causes the explosion.
335
00:13:48,290 --> 00:13:49,660
We don't see that.
336
00:13:49,700 --> 00:13:52,540
(suspenseful music)
(explosion booming)
337
00:13:52,620 --> 00:13:57,040
- [Rudy] So if it wasn't staged
or friendly fire, then what?
338
00:13:58,870 --> 00:14:00,370
- It was Japanese
anti-aircraft fire
339
00:14:00,450 --> 00:14:02,450
on the ground that brought
this airplane down.
340
00:14:05,870 --> 00:14:09,620
The B-24 is
particularly vulnerable
341
00:14:09,700 --> 00:14:11,000
because of the wing.
342
00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:13,620
It gives the aircraft
a lot of lift
343
00:14:13,700 --> 00:14:14,870
and that's what makes
344
00:14:14,950 --> 00:14:16,500
the B-24 such a
war winning weapon.
345
00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000
But because it has to be long,
346
00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:21,910
it has to be high, and it
has to be lightweight.
347
00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:24,500
That makes the aircraft a
little bit more vulnerable.
348
00:14:25,870 --> 00:14:28,200
- [Rudy] In fact,
the B-24 was known
349
00:14:28,290 --> 00:14:30,450
as something of a widow-maker.
350
00:14:30,540 --> 00:14:33,540
More than 80 of them were
lost to anti-aircraft fire
351
00:14:33,620 --> 00:14:35,250
in a single raid in Europe.
352
00:14:36,450 --> 00:14:39,250
And Morgan, who studies
World War II weaponry, says
353
00:14:39,250 --> 00:14:41,450
what we're seeing
here is exactly
354
00:14:41,540 --> 00:14:44,080
what happens when an
aluminum wing gets
355
00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:46,000
hit with anti-aircraft fire.
356
00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:48,250
- It's clearly an
anti-aircraft hit.
357
00:14:48,330 --> 00:14:50,830
Anti-aircraft shells
come from below
358
00:14:50,910 --> 00:14:52,120
and they strike it.
359
00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,040
And keep in mind what
they're striking.
360
00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,250
Aluminum gives and it
gives very quickly.
361
00:14:57,290 --> 00:14:59,330
It scores a good, direct hit.
362
00:14:59,410 --> 00:15:00,870
On the lower
surface of the wing,
363
00:15:00,870 --> 00:15:02,290
you can see it blow out
364
00:15:02,370 --> 00:15:05,160
and that's all fuel that
begins to spill out of it
365
00:15:05,250 --> 00:15:08,410
which is why you suddenly have
this massive fire that erupts.
366
00:15:12,540 --> 00:15:15,000
(tense music)
367
00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:17,000
- Alright, what do you think?
368
00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:20,500
- Well, Ronnie, the
B-24 has such thin skin,
369
00:15:20,540 --> 00:15:21,790
I'm likely to believe
370
00:15:21,870 --> 00:15:23,830
that this bird was shot
down with AAA fire.
371
00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:25,160
- Yeah, I think that's right.
372
00:15:25,250 --> 00:15:27,290
And because it happened
to take place right
373
00:15:27,370 --> 00:15:29,500
as the camera was
framing it perfectly,
374
00:15:29,660 --> 00:15:30,370
we're still talking about it.
375
00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:35,620
- Ronnie, what's scarier?
376
00:15:35,700 --> 00:15:37,660
The thought of an accident
involving nuclear weapons,
377
00:15:37,750 --> 00:15:40,160
or the fact that there's been
so many of these accidents
378
00:15:40,250 --> 00:15:41,660
that there's a name for it?
379
00:15:41,790 --> 00:15:43,830
- Well, this next story is
about an incident involving
380
00:15:43,830 --> 00:15:44,950
our own nuclear weapons
381
00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:46,620
when they fell over
North Carolina.
382
00:15:46,700 --> 00:15:48,000
It left people asking,
383
00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:51,120
just how close did we
come to nuking ourselves?
384
00:15:53,910 --> 00:15:57,500
1961, Goldsboro, North Carolina.
385
00:15:57,620 --> 00:15:59,450
Here's a terrifying photo.
386
00:15:59,540 --> 00:16:02,330
It's a nuclear bomb
caught in a tree.
387
00:16:02,370 --> 00:16:04,410
We can see the
bomb is tangled up
388
00:16:04,500 --> 00:16:06,040
in its own parachute.
389
00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,500
How did this near
disaster unfold?
390
00:16:08,580 --> 00:16:10,330
Wait 'til you hear this one.
391
00:16:10,410 --> 00:16:13,160
Just before midnight
on January 24th,
392
00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,950
the walls of 17-year-old
Billy Reeve's bedroom
393
00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:17,540
begin to glow red.
394
00:16:17,620 --> 00:16:20,830
- Yeah, I heard this awful
noise and I raised up.
395
00:16:20,870 --> 00:16:23,700
My mother heard it
and she was praying
396
00:16:23,790 --> 00:16:24,950
as hard as she could.
397
00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:27,290
She thought it was
the end of time.
398
00:16:27,370 --> 00:16:29,040
- [Ronnie] Billy
runs to his porch.
399
00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:32,620
In the night sky, he sees flames
plunging toward the earth.
400
00:16:32,700 --> 00:16:36,410
All of Goldsboro, North
Carolina seems to be on fire.
401
00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:48,290
(indistinct radio chatter)
402
00:16:48,370 --> 00:16:50,410
- [Ronnie] Military
units seal off the area
403
00:16:50,500 --> 00:16:53,080
as Billy and his
neighbors flee in fear.
404
00:16:57,870 --> 00:16:59,870
- [Ronnie] We now know
it was an accident
405
00:16:59,950 --> 00:17:02,250
involving a B-52 Stratofortress,
406
00:17:02,330 --> 00:17:04,450
a heavy bomber that
to this day goes
407
00:17:04,540 --> 00:17:08,450
by the nickname B.U.F.F.,
big, ugly, fat fella.
408
00:17:09,450 --> 00:17:12,790
In 1961, these nuclear
strike aircraft
409
00:17:12,870 --> 00:17:16,500
were a key part of something
called Operation Chrome Dome.
410
00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,000
It was a Cold War
insurance policy
411
00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:22,790
that called for a
dozen B-52 bombers
412
00:17:22,870 --> 00:17:26,160
fully armed with nukes to be
airborne 24 hours a day,
413
00:17:26,250 --> 00:17:28,000
seven days a week.
414
00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:30,410
If the Soviets launched
a nuclear attack,
415
00:17:30,500 --> 00:17:32,910
the B-52 would
already be airborne
416
00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:34,540
and able to hit back hard.
417
00:17:35,910 --> 00:17:38,330
- The B-52 bomber is
perfect for this mission
418
00:17:38,410 --> 00:17:41,330
because it has a
payload of 70,000 pounds
419
00:17:41,370 --> 00:17:44,160
so it's able to carry
these heavy nuclear devices
420
00:17:44,250 --> 00:17:47,000
and it's able to fly for
extended periods of time.
421
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,000
- [Ronnie] That night
over North Carolina,
422
00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:53,160
the B-52 bomber loses
over 5,000 gallons of fuel
423
00:17:53,250 --> 00:17:56,000
in just three minutes
and starts to go down.
424
00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:58,330
- The plane starts
to come apart.
425
00:17:58,450 --> 00:18:01,000
The fuel leaking
out on one side is
426
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,290
tearing the aircraft
apart from the inside.
427
00:18:04,370 --> 00:18:05,830
- [Ronnie] Eight men bail out.
428
00:18:05,910 --> 00:18:07,540
Only five survive.
429
00:18:07,540 --> 00:18:08,500
Three are killed.
430
00:18:08,620 --> 00:18:11,250
That's bad enough, but
the plane's payload,
431
00:18:11,250 --> 00:18:12,830
a pair of 3.8 megaton
432
00:18:12,950 --> 00:18:15,410
thermonuclear bombs,
are released.
433
00:18:15,500 --> 00:18:17,790
The term for a nuke
accidentally getting dropped
434
00:18:17,870 --> 00:18:21,200
or going missing, is "broken
arrow" and it's terrifying.
435
00:18:21,330 --> 00:18:23,910
Nuclear historian
Alex Wellerstein.
436
00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,000
- This is a weapon
several hundred times
437
00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:28,580
more powerful than
the Hiroshima bomb,
438
00:18:28,660 --> 00:18:30,500
maybe about 200
times more powerful,
439
00:18:30,620 --> 00:18:34,660
meant for destroying
either entire metro areas
440
00:18:34,660 --> 00:18:37,040
or for destroying
underground bunkers.
441
00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,040
- If one of these
bombs were to detonate,
442
00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:41,910
it would cause
complete destruction
443
00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:43,500
and would basically vaporize
444
00:18:43,620 --> 00:18:47,200
anything within an
8.5 mile radius.
445
00:18:47,330 --> 00:18:49,410
- [Ronnie] One bomb coasts
to the earth on a parachute.
446
00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:52,450
The other is found in
the plane's wreckage.
447
00:18:52,540 --> 00:18:54,330
The Air Force said no one was
448
00:18:54,370 --> 00:18:57,040
ever in real danger in
Goldsboro that night.
449
00:18:57,120 --> 00:18:58,700
But what's the truth?
450
00:18:59,750 --> 00:19:02,750
We want to reinforce with you
that this is the Cold War.
451
00:19:02,830 --> 00:19:04,120
- That's right, Ronnie.
452
00:19:04,120 --> 00:19:06,620
JFK was going toe-to-toe
with Khrushchev
453
00:19:06,700 --> 00:19:08,830
so the government did
not want the Soviets
454
00:19:08,910 --> 00:19:12,370
to know that one of our
nukes got hung up in a tree.
455
00:19:12,500 --> 00:19:15,830
- But now after
more than 50 years,
456
00:19:15,870 --> 00:19:19,250
these government documents
have been declassified.
457
00:19:19,370 --> 00:19:21,450
They lay out three different
versions of the facts.
458
00:19:21,540 --> 00:19:24,000
And our experts are here
to figure out if the truth
459
00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:25,750
can be found in any of them.
460
00:19:25,830 --> 00:19:27,910
(tense music)
461
00:19:28,950 --> 00:19:33,000
Initially, the Air Force said
they recovered both bombs,
462
00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:35,250
except that was a lie.
463
00:19:35,330 --> 00:19:37,120
Over a period of two weeks,
464
00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:38,830
17-year-old Billy Reeves
465
00:19:38,910 --> 00:19:42,120
kept visiting the crash site
to watch the military dig.
466
00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,540
- [Ronnie] The Air Force was
looking for the second bomb,
467
00:19:52,620 --> 00:19:54,580
the one without the parachute
468
00:19:54,660 --> 00:19:57,370
and the swampy earth was
making it hard to find.
469
00:20:11,330 --> 00:20:13,160
- [Ronnie] After five
white-knuckle days
470
00:20:13,250 --> 00:20:16,160
and nights of digging, they
found part of the bomb,
471
00:20:16,250 --> 00:20:17,370
but the rest of it,
472
00:20:17,540 --> 00:20:19,500
which contained the
radioactive uranium,
473
00:20:19,620 --> 00:20:23,160
was so far underground
the Air Force decided
474
00:20:23,250 --> 00:20:25,160
it wasn't worth
trying to recover.
475
00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:26,750
- The conclusion
they came to was
476
00:20:26,830 --> 00:20:28,450
that if the government
couldn't get it,
477
00:20:28,540 --> 00:20:30,540
probably nobody
else could either.
478
00:20:30,620 --> 00:20:32,200
- [Ronnie] So, maybe that bomb,
479
00:20:32,290 --> 00:20:34,950
which is still underground,
isn't dangerous.
480
00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,660
But how close did the nukes come
to exploding when they dropped?
481
00:20:38,750 --> 00:20:40,660
- The fact that
neither of the bombs
482
00:20:40,790 --> 00:20:42,830
detonated is a testament
483
00:20:42,910 --> 00:20:47,200
to the fail safes working
correctly as designed.
484
00:20:47,330 --> 00:20:49,330
- [Ronnie] According
to the Air Force,
485
00:20:49,410 --> 00:20:52,080
to arm the bomb, a crew
member in the cockpit would
486
00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:54,660
first need to throw a switch,
487
00:20:54,700 --> 00:20:57,500
then someone must pull
a lanyard from the bomb
488
00:20:57,620 --> 00:20:59,830
which starts the
arming sequence.
489
00:20:59,870 --> 00:21:01,540
Neither step happened.
490
00:21:01,620 --> 00:21:05,160
But according to another
declassified document,
491
00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:07,910
the bomb had almost
armed anyway.
492
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:09,660
- The plane is heading down.
493
00:21:09,790 --> 00:21:10,950
The same forces that are
494
00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:12,660
breaking apart the
plane in mid-air
495
00:21:12,700 --> 00:21:15,160
also pulled on a
lanyard in the cockpit.
496
00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:18,080
This is the bomb
release mechanism
497
00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:20,750
and one of the bombs
behaves exactly
498
00:21:20,830 --> 00:21:24,000
as if a crew member had
dropped it over a target.
499
00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:26,700
- [Ronnie] As the weapons
dropped over North Carolina,
500
00:21:26,790 --> 00:21:29,540
power starts to switch
on for that bomb.
501
00:21:29,540 --> 00:21:31,620
- The two nuclear
devices that are
502
00:21:31,700 --> 00:21:33,660
hurdling out of this aircraft
503
00:21:33,750 --> 00:21:37,040
as it gets ripped apart
by all these G-forces,
504
00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:39,830
one of them has the
parachute deploy
505
00:21:39,910 --> 00:21:41,830
which you might think,
oh, that's a great thing.
506
00:21:41,870 --> 00:21:44,200
The parachute
successfully deploys
507
00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:45,660
and it's going to safely land.
508
00:21:45,790 --> 00:21:48,910
But in reality,
that's the first step
509
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:50,290
to the arming procedure.
510
00:21:50,370 --> 00:21:51,790
- As it's going down,
511
00:21:51,870 --> 00:21:54,370
its electronics are
sort of checking off
512
00:21:54,500 --> 00:21:56,620
all of the steps it needs to do,
513
00:21:56,700 --> 00:21:58,500
including opening
up a parachute,
514
00:21:58,580 --> 00:22:00,410
checking how high it
is from the ground,
515
00:22:00,500 --> 00:22:02,080
making sure enough
time has gone on.
516
00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:06,160
And then finally it got down
to the second to last check,
517
00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,620
which was, is the bomb
armed to detonate?
518
00:22:09,700 --> 00:22:11,370
- [Ronnie] When the
bomb hit the ground,
519
00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:14,540
it tried to fire but
it didn't detonate.
520
00:22:14,620 --> 00:22:16,450
That's because back
in the cockpit,
521
00:22:16,540 --> 00:22:19,540
nobody ever threw that
switch to arm the bomb.
522
00:22:19,620 --> 00:22:22,160
It's the only safety
mechanism that didn't fail.
523
00:22:22,250 --> 00:22:26,750
- One simple, low voltage switch
stood between the United States
524
00:22:26,830 --> 00:22:29,410
and potential
nuclear annihilation.
525
00:22:29,500 --> 00:22:30,950
- [Ronnie] But here's the thing.
526
00:22:30,950 --> 00:22:34,500
That same arming switch had
failed many times before.
527
00:22:34,580 --> 00:22:36,250
In more than 30 incidents,
528
00:22:36,370 --> 00:22:38,160
crews never even
touched the switch
529
00:22:38,250 --> 00:22:41,750
but the bombs were still
armed due to a wiring glitch.
530
00:22:42,790 --> 00:22:45,160
Engineers had already planned
on replacing the switch
531
00:22:45,290 --> 00:22:47,160
before the Goldsboro accident.
532
00:22:47,250 --> 00:22:48,830
- In many cases, the switch had
533
00:22:48,910 --> 00:22:53,540
spontaneously turned itself to
being armed in other weapons.
534
00:22:53,620 --> 00:22:55,580
And fortunately that
didn't happen in this case.
535
00:22:55,660 --> 00:22:58,500
But had that switch
malfunctioned,
536
00:22:58,540 --> 00:23:00,750
the weapon would've
detonated at full power.
537
00:23:01,700 --> 00:23:03,250
- The US Air Force
kept this secret
538
00:23:03,330 --> 00:23:04,540
because they didn't
want the public
539
00:23:04,620 --> 00:23:07,160
to know that they
had come one hair
540
00:23:07,250 --> 00:23:09,330
away from detonating
a nuclear device
541
00:23:09,450 --> 00:23:10,830
on their own soil.
542
00:23:12,950 --> 00:23:15,290
(tense music)
543
00:23:15,410 --> 00:23:17,080
- One hair away.
544
00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:19,000
But despite that danger,
545
00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:20,830
Operation Chrome Dome continued.
546
00:23:20,870 --> 00:23:23,500
- The program didn't
end until 1968
547
00:23:23,540 --> 00:23:25,660
with another broken
arrow over Greenland
548
00:23:25,700 --> 00:23:27,660
that involved four
hydrogen bombs.
549
00:23:27,790 --> 00:23:29,950
- But that's a mystery
for another day.
550
00:23:33,910 --> 00:23:35,410
- Most people think
of the Vietnam War
551
00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:38,080
as being a guerilla
jungle war on the ground.
552
00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:39,830
- But the North Vietnamese also
553
00:23:39,870 --> 00:23:42,500
used the same guerilla
tactics in the air.
554
00:23:42,580 --> 00:23:45,000
- And to be frank, they
were kicking our butts
555
00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:47,790
until one American
Maverick turned the tables.
556
00:23:47,870 --> 00:23:50,870
- So what was his plan and
how did he pull it off?
557
00:23:55,370 --> 00:23:56,660
You're looking at a photo
558
00:23:56,790 --> 00:23:59,410
of Colonel Robin Olds,
taken on the day
559
00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:01,910
of his most daring
and brilliant mission.
560
00:24:04,370 --> 00:24:06,830
January 2nd, 1967,
561
00:24:06,910 --> 00:24:09,580
a squadron of
state-of-the-art MiG-21s,
562
00:24:09,660 --> 00:24:12,620
the crown jewels of the
North Vietnamese Air Force,
563
00:24:12,700 --> 00:24:16,500
ascend into deep cloud cover
above the Phúc Yên Air Base.
564
00:24:17,790 --> 00:24:21,330
Their target, a group of
American F-105 bombers
565
00:24:21,410 --> 00:24:22,830
that's just been detected.
566
00:24:23,830 --> 00:24:25,660
Preston Stewart is a
former Army lieutenant
567
00:24:25,700 --> 00:24:27,500
and popular podcaster.
568
00:24:27,580 --> 00:24:29,330
He says the specs
of these two planes
569
00:24:29,370 --> 00:24:31,000
are key to this story.
570
00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:33,500
- The MiGs were faster
and more maneuverable
571
00:24:33,580 --> 00:24:36,500
and were used in more
of an ambush setting.
572
00:24:36,540 --> 00:24:37,870
- [Rudy] And these
MiGs are feasting
573
00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,500
on the American
bombers every day.
574
00:24:40,540 --> 00:24:42,790
- At this time, the US
Air Force in Vietnam
575
00:24:42,870 --> 00:24:47,540
is getting destroyed and
the F-105 bombers are laden
576
00:24:47,660 --> 00:24:51,000
with these heavy bombs, so
they're unable to outmaneuver
577
00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:52,750
the MiG-21 over the skies,
578
00:24:52,830 --> 00:24:55,160
easy pickings for the MiG-21.
579
00:24:55,250 --> 00:24:56,830
(intense music)
580
00:24:56,950 --> 00:25:00,790
- [Rudy] In fact, the F-105
was known as the "lead sled."
581
00:25:03,370 --> 00:25:06,950
It was supposed to be protected
by the nimble F-4 fighter,
582
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:10,120
but those planes lacked
radar jamming capability,
583
00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:13,540
making them defenseless
from enemy ground fire.
584
00:25:13,620 --> 00:25:15,700
- They couldn't spend much
time over North Vietnam.
585
00:25:15,790 --> 00:25:17,500
It was just a constant issue
586
00:25:17,580 --> 00:25:19,700
of trying to navigate
these threats.
587
00:25:19,830 --> 00:25:21,160
- [Rudy] But today is different.
588
00:25:21,250 --> 00:25:24,160
As the North Vietnamese pilots
drop out of the clouds
589
00:25:24,250 --> 00:25:25,750
expecting a turkey shoot,
590
00:25:25,830 --> 00:25:27,500
they get hit with incoming.
591
00:25:27,580 --> 00:25:29,830
One by one, they're destroyed.
592
00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:36,950
In just 12 minutes,
half of North Vietnam's
593
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,830
fighter force is
completely destroyed,
594
00:25:39,870 --> 00:25:42,160
all without a
single US casualty.
595
00:25:43,790 --> 00:25:45,700
Another challenge for the US
596
00:25:45,790 --> 00:25:48,660
was that we were fighting
with one arm behind our back.
597
00:25:48,750 --> 00:25:51,000
Our rules of engagement
didn't allow pilots
598
00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,000
to bomb the North
Vietnamese airstrips.
599
00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,160
- It sounds crazy
but here's the thing.
600
00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,580
Chinese and Soviet advisors
are working at these airstrips,
601
00:25:58,700 --> 00:26:00,620
and you had top brass
back in Washington
602
00:26:00,700 --> 00:26:03,000
that's worried about
hitting these communists
603
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,040
and ratcheting up
tensions even further.
604
00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:07,370
These airstrips were
off limits, man.
605
00:26:07,450 --> 00:26:09,830
- So how did we pull
off that comeback?
606
00:26:09,830 --> 00:26:11,580
Let's turn to our experts.
607
00:26:11,660 --> 00:26:13,870
(tense music)
608
00:26:15,750 --> 00:26:18,330
The weapon used to take
out Vietnam's air power
609
00:26:18,410 --> 00:26:20,410
was quite simply the brain
610
00:26:20,500 --> 00:26:23,040
and cajones of
Colonel Robin Olds.
611
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,000
- Robin Olds was straight
out of an action movie.
612
00:26:28,120 --> 00:26:30,790
He graduated from
West Point 1943,
613
00:26:30,870 --> 00:26:32,370
went straight into World War II,
614
00:26:32,370 --> 00:26:33,830
became a "double ace,"
615
00:26:33,910 --> 00:26:35,950
shot down at least 10 aircraft.
616
00:26:37,660 --> 00:26:40,000
- [Rudy] Olds develops
an audacious plan
617
00:26:40,120 --> 00:26:42,200
called Operation Bolo.
618
00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:43,450
The Americans will disguise
619
00:26:43,580 --> 00:26:46,660
their own F-4 Phantoms as 105s,
620
00:26:46,700 --> 00:26:50,330
luring the eager, complacent
enemy into an ambush.
621
00:26:53,500 --> 00:26:55,330
- Commander Olds' plan is to fly
622
00:26:55,450 --> 00:26:58,160
at the same altitude
as a bombing run.
623
00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,660
They're even gonna use
the same call signs
624
00:27:00,750 --> 00:27:03,330
and have the same
radio frequency
625
00:27:03,410 --> 00:27:05,700
that a bombing run would have.
626
00:27:05,790 --> 00:27:08,660
- [Rudy] Remember, the
F-4's a badass fighter jet
627
00:27:08,750 --> 00:27:10,660
but it has that Achilles heel,
628
00:27:10,700 --> 00:27:14,540
it's inability to evade deadly
surface-to-air missiles.
629
00:27:14,620 --> 00:27:16,250
Olds convinces the military
630
00:27:16,250 --> 00:27:19,620
to install some radar
jammers used by the F-105s
631
00:27:19,700 --> 00:27:22,700
to thwart missiles
fired at the F-4s.
632
00:27:22,790 --> 00:27:25,330
Not only does this make
the F-4s less vulnerable
633
00:27:25,410 --> 00:27:27,000
to surface-to-air missiles,
634
00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:29,000
but the electronic
signature put out
635
00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:31,790
by the jammers will
make the F-4s appear
636
00:27:31,790 --> 00:27:34,830
as 105s to the North Vietnamese.
637
00:27:34,910 --> 00:27:36,540
Now, the question becomes,
638
00:27:36,620 --> 00:27:38,080
in a straight up dogfight,
639
00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:41,120
how does the F-4 match
up against a MiG?
640
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,250
- F-4s were much more
of a closer match
641
00:27:43,330 --> 00:27:44,700
to the MiG-21s.
642
00:27:44,790 --> 00:27:46,660
And in a one-on-one fight
643
00:27:46,750 --> 00:27:49,160
on level terms if
that ever exists,
644
00:27:49,250 --> 00:27:51,910
the F-4 had a good chance
of taking the MiG-21s out.
645
00:27:52,950 --> 00:27:56,250
- [Rudy] The F-4 has one
big advantage, fire power.
646
00:27:57,250 --> 00:28:00,160
- The MiG-21 has a 23
millimeter cannon on it
647
00:28:00,250 --> 00:28:04,000
whereas the F-4s, they
have eight missiles,
648
00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:07,000
the Sidewinder missile
and the Sparrow missile.
649
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,500
Having those eight
air-to-air missiles
650
00:28:09,580 --> 00:28:11,830
give the F-4
Phantom an advantage
651
00:28:11,870 --> 00:28:14,910
over the MiG-21 at
the lower altitudes.
652
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,790
- [Rudy] When it all goes down,
653
00:28:16,870 --> 00:28:20,700
the dogfight turns
into a major victory.
654
00:28:20,790 --> 00:28:23,700
- Once they start that
attack, it's game on.
655
00:28:23,790 --> 00:28:25,000
- In under 15 minutes,
656
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,750
they're able to destroy
seven enemy MiGs.
657
00:28:27,830 --> 00:28:29,750
- The North Vietnamese
Air Force, after the war,
658
00:28:29,830 --> 00:28:32,450
said that it was the worst
day for their Air Force.
659
00:28:32,540 --> 00:28:34,790
(tense music)
660
00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,660
- So, a big shout
out to Colonel Olds
661
00:28:38,700 --> 00:28:41,000
for devising Operation Bolo.
662
00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,580
It was an ingenious
plan that took advantage
663
00:28:43,660 --> 00:28:46,160
of the predictability of
the Vietnamese pilots.
664
00:28:46,250 --> 00:28:47,080
- That's right.
665
00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:48,660
Deception works best
when your enemy's
666
00:28:48,790 --> 00:28:49,950
gotten a little bit lazy.
667
00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:51,870
And the moral of this story is,
668
00:28:51,950 --> 00:28:54,000
when you're exploiting
your enemy's weaknesses,
669
00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:55,830
be careful not to
reveal your own.
670
00:28:59,620 --> 00:29:00,700
- Our next intriguing
tale involves
671
00:29:00,790 --> 00:29:02,540
secret nuke tests
on American soil,
672
00:29:02,620 --> 00:29:04,830
spies, and at the
center of it all,
673
00:29:04,910 --> 00:29:07,660
a celebrated soldier
who strangely vanishes
674
00:29:07,750 --> 00:29:09,160
in the middle of the desert.
675
00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:11,620
- It's got all the makings
of a Hitchcock thriller.
676
00:29:11,700 --> 00:29:14,250
There's a lot to unravel
as we try to answer,
677
00:29:14,370 --> 00:29:17,830
what's behind the disappearance
of Lieutenant Paul Whipkey?
678
00:29:19,700 --> 00:29:22,830
The early 1950s,
the Nevada desert,
679
00:29:22,910 --> 00:29:24,830
US Marines hunker
down in a trench
680
00:29:24,910 --> 00:29:26,950
as a nuclear bomb detonates.
681
00:29:28,410 --> 00:29:31,830
Then they start marching
towards the mushroom cloud.
682
00:29:31,910 --> 00:29:33,830
- Here, we can see the blast.
683
00:29:33,910 --> 00:29:36,330
So they're sheltered
from the blast
684
00:29:36,450 --> 00:29:37,830
but then they're coming out
685
00:29:37,870 --> 00:29:41,330
and they're standing
sort of around it.
686
00:29:41,450 --> 00:29:43,500
You can see the formation
of fallout here.
687
00:29:44,540 --> 00:29:46,620
- [Ronnie] These troops,
who would come to be known
688
00:29:46,620 --> 00:29:48,250
as atomic veterans,
689
00:29:48,370 --> 00:29:50,830
were part of a massive
government program.
690
00:29:50,870 --> 00:29:53,660
- These were a series
of exercises intended
691
00:29:53,750 --> 00:29:57,160
to understand, in a
battlefield setting,
692
00:29:57,290 --> 00:30:00,450
what exposure to
radiation would do
693
00:30:00,540 --> 00:30:02,950
to soldiers on the battlefield.
694
00:30:04,700 --> 00:30:06,870
- [Ronnie] But on
July 10th, 1958,
695
00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,290
nine months after another blast,
696
00:30:09,370 --> 00:30:11,250
one of these soldiers
goes missing.
697
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:16,160
26-year-old Army Lieutenant
Paul Byron Whipkey
698
00:30:16,250 --> 00:30:20,450
drives away from his home
base, Fort Ord in California.
699
00:30:20,540 --> 00:30:21,910
He never comes back.
700
00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:28,160
- A few weeks later, Paul's car,
it's this very identifiable
701
00:30:28,250 --> 00:30:31,500
red and white combination,
is found in Death Valley,
702
00:30:31,620 --> 00:30:33,790
some 150 miles away from
703
00:30:33,870 --> 00:30:36,080
where he last was
seen or noticed
704
00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,660
in the Mojave Desert
purchasing gas.
705
00:30:38,750 --> 00:30:39,870
- [Ronnie] Just months earlier,
706
00:30:39,950 --> 00:30:41,200
Paul told his brother Carl
707
00:30:41,290 --> 00:30:43,000
that he was going
on an assignment
708
00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,540
and that he was going to
make a name for himself,
709
00:30:45,620 --> 00:30:47,290
but instead, he goes missing.
710
00:30:47,370 --> 00:30:50,160
And just one day later,
he's declared AWOL.
711
00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:51,870
- When his brother heard
that he was missing,
712
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,040
he called the post and
then they said, "Well,
713
00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:55,200
we're busy packing
up his stuff."
714
00:30:55,290 --> 00:30:59,000
And it was a day after
he had disappeared.
715
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:01,660
It's odd to pack up
somebody's belongings
716
00:31:01,750 --> 00:31:03,450
a day after they've
gone missing.
717
00:31:04,700 --> 00:31:06,870
- If he were just AWOL,
718
00:31:06,950 --> 00:31:09,000
one would think
that there would be
719
00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:12,660
some amount of time
that would be allotted
720
00:31:12,790 --> 00:31:14,330
before there would be, kind of,
721
00:31:14,410 --> 00:31:17,580
this cleaning of hands
and purging of the record
722
00:31:17,660 --> 00:31:19,120
that he was ever there.
723
00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:21,160
- [Ronnie] Just one month
after his disappearance,
724
00:31:21,250 --> 00:31:23,410
the Army makes a
scathing conclusion
725
00:31:23,500 --> 00:31:24,910
that Whipkey was a deserter
726
00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,200
who cracked under the
stress of his assignment,
727
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:30,620
drove off, wandered into
the desert, and died.
728
00:31:30,700 --> 00:31:32,580
But those who knew
Whipkey find it hard
729
00:31:32,660 --> 00:31:34,620
to accept those conclusions.
730
00:31:34,750 --> 00:31:36,870
- Paul Whipkey was
a model officer,
731
00:31:36,950 --> 00:31:39,250
no issues, no problems.
732
00:31:39,330 --> 00:31:41,410
- It's highly
unusual for a soldier
733
00:31:41,540 --> 00:31:44,750
who has a great service record
and track record in the military
734
00:31:44,830 --> 00:31:47,040
to go missing and
then be declared AWOL
735
00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:49,200
after only one day.
736
00:31:49,330 --> 00:31:52,580
- [Ronnie] So, what really
happened to Lieutenant Whipkey?
737
00:31:52,700 --> 00:31:53,870
That's the question that's been
738
00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,620
keeping his family up
at night for decades.
739
00:31:57,620 --> 00:31:59,580
Service members go missing.
740
00:31:59,660 --> 00:32:01,160
You've just heard the term AWOL
741
00:32:01,290 --> 00:32:03,330
and it means absent
without leave.
742
00:32:03,450 --> 00:32:05,000
It's a serious crime.
743
00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:06,620
But what we're trying
to figure out is,
744
00:32:06,700 --> 00:32:10,250
did Whipkey suddenly become
a dishonorable deserter,
745
00:32:10,250 --> 00:32:13,620
or is there a more complicated
and sinister explanation
746
00:32:13,700 --> 00:32:15,080
for what happened to him?
747
00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:17,370
Let's see if our experts
can figure this one out.
748
00:32:17,500 --> 00:32:19,410
(tense music)
749
00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:24,910
One rumor swirling has Whipkey
being a top secret CIA recruit.
750
00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,160
A fellow soldier reports
751
00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:29,620
seeing Lieutenant Whipkey
having clandestine meetings
752
00:32:29,700 --> 00:32:32,830
with two Army intelligence
men in civilian clothing.
753
00:32:32,910 --> 00:32:34,830
Paul's brother Carl
believed Paul had
754
00:32:34,870 --> 00:32:36,910
been recruited to join
an intelligence team
755
00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:38,790
involved in the
top secret missions
756
00:32:38,870 --> 00:32:40,700
of the U-2 spy plane.
757
00:32:40,830 --> 00:32:43,500
Did Whipkey just
become a CIA spook?
758
00:32:43,540 --> 00:32:45,450
- There's certainly
plausibility to the idea
759
00:32:45,540 --> 00:32:47,450
that, given the
nature of a mission,
760
00:32:47,540 --> 00:32:49,330
which is going to
be highly secretive,
761
00:32:49,410 --> 00:32:52,080
that he has crossover
with the CIA
762
00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:54,910
and seems to be kind
of a good candidate.
763
00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:56,830
- [Ronnie] And what's
a good spy story
764
00:32:56,870 --> 00:32:59,410
without a mysterious
chain smoking man?
765
00:32:59,500 --> 00:33:02,540
- Paul wasn't a smoker but
somehow his car is found
766
00:33:02,620 --> 00:33:04,160
with a bunch of cigarette
butts outside of it.
767
00:33:04,250 --> 00:33:07,540
It just adds to the confusion
768
00:33:07,620 --> 00:33:08,540
about what happened.
769
00:33:09,750 --> 00:33:12,330
- [Ronnie] But former US
infantryman Chris Capelluto
770
00:33:12,410 --> 00:33:14,370
doesn't buy the
secret agent angle.
771
00:33:14,450 --> 00:33:15,500
- The argument that
he was recruited
772
00:33:15,580 --> 00:33:17,660
by the CIA doesn't
really make any sense.
773
00:33:17,750 --> 00:33:21,370
His teeth were falling out
and he was medically unfit.
774
00:33:21,450 --> 00:33:23,700
- [Ronnie] The teeth
may be a clue.
775
00:33:25,370 --> 00:33:27,080
Whipkey flew an
observation plane
776
00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:29,290
during five atomic bomb missions
777
00:33:29,370 --> 00:33:32,200
and was exposed to high
levels of radiation.
778
00:33:33,370 --> 00:33:35,330
Accounts vary, but
soon after Whipkey's
779
00:33:35,410 --> 00:33:37,120
participation in
these experiments,
780
00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,080
he allegedly
develops black moles
781
00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,040
and plantar warts on his skin.
782
00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:42,160
And a few months later,
783
00:33:42,290 --> 00:33:44,870
he has to have all of
his teeth extracted.
784
00:33:44,950 --> 00:33:46,750
Was it possible that
Whipkey's disappearance
785
00:33:46,830 --> 00:33:50,950
was a cover-up relating to these
horrific human experiments?
786
00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:52,500
- These were military exercises.
787
00:33:52,580 --> 00:33:55,080
They were involved in
highly classified tests
788
00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:58,330
and exposed in ways that
were very, very secretive.
789
00:33:58,410 --> 00:34:00,290
And the US is trying to
keep a tight lid on that
790
00:34:00,370 --> 00:34:02,160
so there's potential
that there was a risk
791
00:34:02,250 --> 00:34:03,950
that he was maybe unstable
792
00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:05,410
and thinking about
sharing that information
793
00:34:05,410 --> 00:34:07,290
or taking that
information elsewhere.
794
00:34:07,370 --> 00:34:11,040
It would've been of great
value to an adversary.
795
00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:13,160
- [Ronnie] Of course, we
also need to consider
796
00:34:13,250 --> 00:34:15,500
the simplest, least
dramatic explanation.
797
00:34:16,870 --> 00:34:18,950
This theory posits that
Lieutenant Whipkey
798
00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:20,660
did indeed go AWOL,
799
00:34:20,750 --> 00:34:22,750
but then his car broke
down in the desert.
800
00:34:22,830 --> 00:34:23,870
And when he went
looking for help,
801
00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,040
he simply died from exposure.
802
00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:27,250
When the search began,
803
00:34:27,370 --> 00:34:29,660
there was nothing left
of his body to find.
804
00:34:29,750 --> 00:34:31,830
- For him to have perished.
805
00:34:31,910 --> 00:34:34,160
I mean, it seems
entirely possible
806
00:34:34,290 --> 00:34:37,330
that someone could
die in the desert.
807
00:34:37,410 --> 00:34:40,500
Death Valley, it's
called that for a reason.
808
00:34:40,540 --> 00:34:42,910
- [Ronnie] The strength
of the accident theory is
809
00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:45,330
that it sounds like
the most plausible.
810
00:34:45,410 --> 00:34:48,160
The weakness is that it leaves
so many loose threads:
811
00:34:48,250 --> 00:34:50,950
the unexplained cigarettes
found by the car,
812
00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:52,370
the message to the brother,
813
00:34:52,540 --> 00:34:55,330
the allegations of strange
meetings with army intelligence,
814
00:34:55,410 --> 00:34:58,540
and the hasty packing
of Whipkey's room.
815
00:34:59,870 --> 00:35:01,200
- The idea that
it was an accident
816
00:35:01,290 --> 00:35:04,330
and he just perished from
that is very convenient
817
00:35:04,370 --> 00:35:06,370
but it doesn't fit
the fact pattern.
818
00:35:06,540 --> 00:35:09,620
- [Ronnie] In 1982, after
decades of persistence,
819
00:35:09,700 --> 00:35:11,910
Paul's brother Carl
got the Army Board
820
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:13,660
for Correction of
Military Records
821
00:35:13,790 --> 00:35:15,290
to hold a three day hearing
822
00:35:15,370 --> 00:35:17,200
into Paul Whipkey's
disappearance.
823
00:35:17,330 --> 00:35:18,660
The board ultimately determined
824
00:35:18,700 --> 00:35:20,580
that Lieutenant Paul
Whipkey died the day
825
00:35:20,660 --> 00:35:22,500
after his disappearance
in the desert.
826
00:35:22,540 --> 00:35:24,160
And that his
unauthorized absence
827
00:35:24,250 --> 00:35:26,120
is excused as unavoidable,
828
00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:28,160
and his death was in
the line of duty,
829
00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:30,200
not due to misconduct.
830
00:35:30,330 --> 00:35:33,330
- It's a big deal regarding
Whipkey's military legacy.
831
00:35:33,410 --> 00:35:37,080
It's much more honorable to
go from unauthorized absence
832
00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:39,250
to died in the line of duty.
833
00:35:39,330 --> 00:35:41,200
- [Ronnie] The
official report says
834
00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:43,000
there's no record
of Whipkey being
835
00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:44,950
involved in
intelligence activities
836
00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:48,160
and suggests it's most
likely he wandered
837
00:35:48,250 --> 00:35:51,000
into the desert by
himself and died,
838
00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:52,250
which still makes you wonder,
839
00:35:52,330 --> 00:35:54,330
how is that in the line of duty?
840
00:35:54,450 --> 00:35:57,500
The report has no answer,
stating only that the events
841
00:35:57,580 --> 00:36:01,620
of Whipkey's disappearance
remain obscured and unexplained.
842
00:36:02,870 --> 00:36:04,580
(explosion booming)
843
00:36:04,700 --> 00:36:06,700
(tense music)
844
00:36:07,870 --> 00:36:10,750
- Ronnie, what do you think
of a soldier going AWOL?
845
00:36:10,830 --> 00:36:13,410
- Well, I've never had
anybody in my units go AWOL.
846
00:36:13,500 --> 00:36:15,580
As far as Lieutenant Whipkey,
847
00:36:15,660 --> 00:36:17,330
I'm inclined to
believe that this is
848
00:36:17,410 --> 00:36:18,660
more accidental than that.
849
00:36:18,700 --> 00:36:21,000
His car broke down,
he goes to get help,
850
00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:22,830
and just dies in the process.
851
00:36:22,870 --> 00:36:24,330
- I'm of the same mind.
852
00:36:24,370 --> 00:36:27,160
He got lost, broke down,
could not find help.
853
00:36:27,250 --> 00:36:29,410
He probably died accidentally.
854
00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:35,450
- It's time for this week's
secret weapons segment, Rudy.
855
00:36:35,540 --> 00:36:37,250
And this one's a
potential game changer.
856
00:36:37,330 --> 00:36:38,790
- You got that right, brother.
857
00:36:38,870 --> 00:36:41,660
There's been a lot of hype
over the last couple of years
858
00:36:41,700 --> 00:36:43,410
about these muldoons.
859
00:36:43,500 --> 00:36:46,330
- Rudy's talking about
Russia's hypersonic missiles.
860
00:36:46,410 --> 00:36:48,700
Now, they were top secret
until this next video.
861
00:36:48,700 --> 00:36:50,290
And now our question is,
862
00:36:50,370 --> 00:36:53,580
how dangerous are top
secret hypersonic missiles?
863
00:36:54,910 --> 00:36:57,500
October 6th, 2021,
the Barents Sea,
864
00:36:57,540 --> 00:37:00,540
the Russian Navy's northern
fleet is anchored here
865
00:37:00,660 --> 00:37:04,160
and on this day, the site
becomes Putin's launching pad
866
00:37:04,250 --> 00:37:05,750
for a weapon that'll become
867
00:37:05,830 --> 00:37:08,200
one of the fastest
objects to ever fly.
868
00:37:08,330 --> 00:37:11,330
(dramatic music)
(explosions booming)
869
00:37:12,370 --> 00:37:14,160
- There's gonna
be the first stage
870
00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:16,660
of the explosion goes off.
871
00:37:16,750 --> 00:37:18,450
That's the first
stage of the rocket.
872
00:37:18,540 --> 00:37:21,080
And then the nose
cone fires off,
873
00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:23,750
stabilizing rockets
on the side there.
874
00:37:26,540 --> 00:37:28,700
- Immediately, it
goes straight up
875
00:37:28,700 --> 00:37:31,500
and then pitches over, which
puts it on its trajectory
876
00:37:31,580 --> 00:37:33,620
to whatever its target is.
877
00:37:33,700 --> 00:37:36,620
This tiny missile
just rockets away
878
00:37:36,700 --> 00:37:39,370
and gains speed and
it just disappears
879
00:37:39,450 --> 00:37:42,000
into the sky in a
matter of seconds.
880
00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:44,200
- [Ronnie] You're looking at
a hypersonic missile, people.
881
00:37:44,290 --> 00:37:46,370
And get this, they're so fast,
882
00:37:46,450 --> 00:37:48,330
they can destroy a
building or target
883
00:37:48,370 --> 00:37:50,660
without even having a
warhead attached to 'em,
884
00:37:50,700 --> 00:37:52,870
purely based on the
force of impact.
885
00:37:56,700 --> 00:37:58,700
Author and space
historian Amy Teitel
886
00:37:58,790 --> 00:38:00,750
talks about why it's
got folks worried.
887
00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,000
- So, if Russia
were to launch one
888
00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:05,870
against the continental
United States,
889
00:38:05,950 --> 00:38:09,330
there would be very little
we could do to react in time.
890
00:38:09,410 --> 00:38:10,580
This missile would be able
891
00:38:10,660 --> 00:38:12,750
to reach the US in
a matter of minutes.
892
00:38:16,450 --> 00:38:19,160
- Okay, so that's a
scary proposition.
893
00:38:19,250 --> 00:38:20,910
Well, we asked our
weapons dream team
894
00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:23,620
to spell out what this thing
can do in more detail.
895
00:38:23,700 --> 00:38:25,790
(tense music)
896
00:38:27,290 --> 00:38:28,750
- [Ronnie] For
starters, we asked them
897
00:38:28,870 --> 00:38:32,160
to contextualize just how
fast these suckers are.
898
00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:33,750
- The difference
between supersonic
899
00:38:33,830 --> 00:38:35,500
and hypersonic is speed.
900
00:38:35,620 --> 00:38:38,660
Something going at the
speed of sound is Mach 1
901
00:38:38,750 --> 00:38:41,790
and that's about
760 miles per hour.
902
00:38:44,580 --> 00:38:46,790
Something going Mach 5 or up,
903
00:38:46,790 --> 00:38:48,950
which is more than five
times the speed of sound,
904
00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:50,660
is going hypersonic.
905
00:38:50,750 --> 00:38:52,410
- [Ronnie] Okay,
we told you that,
906
00:38:52,500 --> 00:38:54,040
but it gets scarier.
907
00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:56,580
- These missiles
are going at Mach 7,
908
00:38:56,660 --> 00:38:58,500
so more than seven
times the speed
909
00:38:58,540 --> 00:39:01,910
of sound or more than
5,000 miles per hour.
910
00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:06,080
- "Popular Mechanics"
journalist Joe Pappalardo says
911
00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:08,200
that's why Russia
released the video.
912
00:39:08,290 --> 00:39:10,330
- Frame by frame, you can tell
913
00:39:10,450 --> 00:39:14,250
that the state is
sending a message.
914
00:39:14,250 --> 00:39:16,250
And the message here
is fairly clear.
915
00:39:16,330 --> 00:39:18,120
(suspenseful music)
916
00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:19,290
They're saying the
world is small,
917
00:39:19,370 --> 00:39:20,660
and we can hit targets
918
00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:23,330
that are farther away
as if they were close,
919
00:39:23,370 --> 00:39:24,450
so don't mess with us.
920
00:39:24,540 --> 00:39:26,620
You don't have to know anything
921
00:39:26,700 --> 00:39:28,700
about the weapon system
to get that message.
922
00:39:30,870 --> 00:39:32,540
- [Ronnie] And if
that doesn't have you
923
00:39:32,620 --> 00:39:33,830
chewing your fingernails,
924
00:39:33,950 --> 00:39:36,830
China tested its own
hypersonic missile in 2021.
925
00:39:37,950 --> 00:39:39,700
Why the race?
926
00:39:39,790 --> 00:39:41,620
It's because these
weapons can move
927
00:39:41,700 --> 00:39:44,500
around our current missile
defenses, literally.
928
00:39:44,540 --> 00:39:47,450
They can zig and zag,
making it nearly impossible
929
00:39:47,540 --> 00:39:48,950
for us to intercept them.
930
00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:52,000
And they can fly low
enough to avoid detection.
931
00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:54,500
Nobody really knows how to
defend against them yet.
932
00:39:56,540 --> 00:39:58,700
But the US isn't gonna
sit on the sidelines
933
00:39:58,790 --> 00:40:00,950
when it comes to
new military tech.
934
00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:03,830
In fact, the United
States has successfully
935
00:40:03,910 --> 00:40:07,330
tested two Lockheed
Martin hypersonic missiles
936
00:40:07,450 --> 00:40:10,580
amid growing concerns
of a new arms race.
937
00:40:11,540 --> 00:40:12,910
- The I-have-a-pony syndrome
938
00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,830
is extremely strong
in military circles.
939
00:40:15,950 --> 00:40:18,500
If there's a lot of
money being pumped in
940
00:40:18,540 --> 00:40:22,250
to a program in China or the
United States or Russia,
941
00:40:22,330 --> 00:40:24,660
the other players are
gonna get involved
942
00:40:24,700 --> 00:40:26,450
because they don't
want to be left behind.
943
00:40:26,540 --> 00:40:29,410
(explosions booming)
(dramatic music)
944
00:40:29,500 --> 00:40:31,910
(tense muisic)
945
00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:34,410
- It's hard to wrap your head
946
00:40:34,500 --> 00:40:36,250
around the speed
of these things.
947
00:40:36,330 --> 00:40:37,830
It's really just next level.
948
00:40:37,910 --> 00:40:39,370
- And nobody really
has an answer yet
949
00:40:39,450 --> 00:40:41,330
on how to take one down.
950
00:40:41,370 --> 00:40:43,120
We'll be sure to keep
following this one,
951
00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:44,290
but that's our show for tonight.
952
00:40:44,370 --> 00:40:46,370
Until next time,
keep your powder dry.
953
00:40:46,450 --> 00:40:47,950
- And your head on a swivel.
954
00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:49,000
Goodnight.
955
00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,540
(dramatic music)
73879
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