1 00:00:01,802 --> 00:00:03,402 NARRATOR: They're watching you. 2 00:00:03,504 --> 00:00:07,306 More than 6,000 satellites circle the Earth. 3 00:00:07,408 --> 00:00:09,708 Every day, they uncover new, 4 00:00:09,710 --> 00:00:13,245 mysterious phenomena that defy explanation. 5 00:00:14,815 --> 00:00:18,217 The mystery ancient mega project. 6 00:00:18,319 --> 00:00:19,785 They almost look like paw prints 7 00:00:19,787 --> 00:00:21,954 for some super giant animal. 8 00:00:24,625 --> 00:00:27,026 NARRATOR: Russia's weird burning lake. 9 00:00:27,028 --> 00:00:28,327 [buzzing noises] 10 00:00:28,429 --> 00:00:30,629 This is at the heart of one of the most 11 00:00:30,631 --> 00:00:33,165 clandestine programs in Soviet history. 12 00:00:34,301 --> 00:00:37,202 NARRATOR: And the trillion-dollar treasure hunt. 13 00:00:37,204 --> 00:00:40,039 This site changed the face of the world. 14 00:00:41,308 --> 00:00:44,309 NARRATOR: Baffling phenomena, mysteries from space. 15 00:00:44,445 --> 00:00:46,945 What on Earth are they? 16 00:00:47,014 --> 00:00:49,815 [theme music playing] 17 00:01:05,032 --> 00:01:07,032 July 2021. 18 00:01:09,103 --> 00:01:11,303 Aerial archaeologists take to the skies 19 00:01:11,305 --> 00:01:13,839 over the Cantabrian Mountains of Northern Spain. 20 00:01:17,111 --> 00:01:20,446 Onboard Lidar sensors peel back the landscape below 21 00:01:22,716 --> 00:01:24,349 and reveal a mystery. 22 00:01:24,451 --> 00:01:28,921 The image shows very vivid scars 23 00:01:28,923 --> 00:01:31,056 across this landscape. 24 00:01:31,158 --> 00:01:33,759 They're kind of a spider-like shape. 25 00:01:33,827 --> 00:01:36,462 They almost look like paw prints for some 26 00:01:36,530 --> 00:01:38,964 super giant animal that walked through this area. 27 00:01:39,033 --> 00:01:40,165 It's pretty cool. 28 00:01:42,002 --> 00:01:44,703 NARRATOR: Further scans of the area deepen the mystery. 29 00:01:46,540 --> 00:01:48,607 They reveal a lot more of these lines. 30 00:01:48,609 --> 00:01:50,909 So something really strange is going on, 31 00:01:50,911 --> 00:01:52,811 not just here, but elsewhere. 32 00:01:57,251 --> 00:01:59,718 NARRATOR: The images intrigue Javier Lozano. 33 00:02:01,622 --> 00:02:02,754 As a geologist, 34 00:02:02,790 --> 00:02:06,125 he's convinced the weird markings aren't natural 35 00:02:06,226 --> 00:02:08,360 and is heading to the area to investigate. 36 00:02:22,109 --> 00:02:24,943 NARRATOR: Lozano treks deep into the region of Léon. 37 00:02:27,715 --> 00:02:29,515 When he reaches the first of the patterns, 38 00:02:29,517 --> 00:02:32,151 their true scale becomes apparent. 39 00:02:43,697 --> 00:02:49,301 NARRATOR: Lozano discovers the trenches are 60 feet deep, 40 00:02:49,303 --> 00:02:52,204 carved out of a large, circular patch of landscape. 41 00:02:56,544 --> 00:03:00,212 Hidden among them are vast lines of piled stones. 42 00:03:02,349 --> 00:03:06,118 HUNT: They stand out in contrast to what is around them. 43 00:03:06,220 --> 00:03:11,056 There must be some kind of human activity 44 00:03:11,125 --> 00:03:12,758 that has altered this landscape. 45 00:03:14,828 --> 00:03:18,764 They're kind of regular, but it's not clear 46 00:03:18,865 --> 00:03:21,900 why they are oriented as they are, 47 00:03:21,902 --> 00:03:25,237 and I can't really guess what purpose they serve. 48 00:03:27,608 --> 00:03:30,142 NARRATOR: Closer inspection confirms the mounds of 49 00:03:30,211 --> 00:03:32,844 stones have been moved here by hand. 50 00:03:46,727 --> 00:03:50,462 NARRATOR: Lozano explores the wider area -- to the east, 51 00:03:50,531 --> 00:03:53,565 he uncovers more evidence of human presence here in 52 00:03:53,634 --> 00:03:54,833 the distant past. 53 00:04:03,944 --> 00:04:07,613 NARRATOR: A series of ruined walls sits on a platform 54 00:04:07,615 --> 00:04:10,015 to the southeast of the site in the image. 55 00:04:12,219 --> 00:04:15,621 But there is no history of any Spanish settlements here. 56 00:04:29,670 --> 00:04:31,203 NARRATOR: The settlements are evidence 57 00:04:31,338 --> 00:04:34,506 the strange shapes were gouged out by Roman hands. 58 00:04:36,210 --> 00:04:39,011 Historical records confirm that the Lidar images 59 00:04:39,013 --> 00:04:40,345 have uncovered one of 60 00:04:40,414 --> 00:04:42,948 the greatest mega projects of the ancient world. 61 00:04:45,853 --> 00:04:49,721 HORTON: These trenches are actually 2,000 years old 62 00:04:49,723 --> 00:04:53,525 and are part of a massive 63 00:04:53,527 --> 00:04:56,228 Roman gold mining operation 64 00:04:56,330 --> 00:04:57,963 in this part of Spain. 65 00:04:58,031 --> 00:05:00,699 This was the site of one of 66 00:05:00,834 --> 00:05:05,737 the largest and most important gold mines of the Roman empire. 67 00:05:09,610 --> 00:05:11,610 NARRATOR: The mines have their origins 68 00:05:11,612 --> 00:05:13,612 in the 3rd century BCE. 69 00:05:15,049 --> 00:05:18,150 Lured by tales of vast mineral reserves, 70 00:05:18,218 --> 00:05:22,054 Rome begins preparations to bring Spain under its control. 71 00:05:25,726 --> 00:05:29,461 Rome had its eyes on Spain 72 00:05:29,530 --> 00:05:30,929 for a long time. 73 00:05:32,333 --> 00:05:34,499 NARDI: It's likely that gold was one of the main 74 00:05:34,501 --> 00:05:36,935 reasons the Romans were looking to conquer this land. 75 00:05:38,972 --> 00:05:42,407 NARRATOR: This is a period of massive expansion for an empire 76 00:05:42,509 --> 00:05:47,045 that will go on to rule one in 5 people on Earth. 77 00:05:47,147 --> 00:05:49,915 HUNT: As Rome expands, it has to 78 00:05:49,917 --> 00:05:54,052 have an economic backing for that expansion. 79 00:05:54,121 --> 00:05:57,622 War is terribly expensive, but peace 80 00:05:57,725 --> 00:06:00,158 is expensive to keep, as well. 81 00:06:01,328 --> 00:06:03,962 NARRATOR: The more gold that Rome can obtain, 82 00:06:04,064 --> 00:06:07,032 the bigger their army can be, and the bigger the army, 83 00:06:07,134 --> 00:06:09,601 the more gold-rich countries they can conquer. 84 00:06:11,305 --> 00:06:13,205 They had to have mines to feed 85 00:06:13,207 --> 00:06:15,841 the beast to keep the empire going. 86 00:06:15,976 --> 00:06:19,611 So there is a voracious demand for gold 87 00:06:19,713 --> 00:06:21,613 to support the empire. 88 00:06:23,517 --> 00:06:27,052 NARRATOR: The first battle for control of Spain's 89 00:06:27,154 --> 00:06:30,956 gold-rich lands takes place in 206 BCE, 90 00:06:31,057 --> 00:06:33,425 when the Romans defeat the Carthaginians 91 00:06:33,427 --> 00:06:34,826 during the 2nd Punic Wars. 92 00:06:38,065 --> 00:06:39,965 Despite this initial victory, 93 00:06:40,033 --> 00:06:43,535 a prolonged campaign of guerilla warfare waged by local 94 00:06:43,604 --> 00:06:46,037 tribes stalls their advance. 95 00:06:46,139 --> 00:06:49,908 HORTON: The Romans were able to capture Spain, 96 00:06:49,910 --> 00:06:53,311 but it was a really hard-fought victory. 97 00:06:53,414 --> 00:06:56,314 It's fair to say that they put up quite a vicious resistance 98 00:06:56,316 --> 00:07:00,819 because it did take the Romans 200 years to conquer this land. 99 00:07:02,356 --> 00:07:04,156 NARRATOR: By the time the legions finally 100 00:07:04,257 --> 00:07:07,225 conquered the peninsula in 19 BCE, 101 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,829 Rome is still recovering from a very costly civil war. 102 00:07:14,168 --> 00:07:16,435 To refill his war chest, 103 00:07:16,536 --> 00:07:20,138 Emperor Augustus begins to ravage Spain's gold reserves. 104 00:07:21,375 --> 00:07:23,141 HUNT: Gold bullion -- 105 00:07:23,243 --> 00:07:26,545 it's absolutely vital to the Roman economy. 106 00:07:26,613 --> 00:07:28,947 It backs up all the other 107 00:07:29,016 --> 00:07:32,651 economic activity that Rome engages in. 108 00:07:32,719 --> 00:07:35,821 HORTON: So the extraction of gold from Spain during 109 00:07:35,923 --> 00:07:39,057 this period was on a truly industrial scale. 110 00:07:40,327 --> 00:07:41,626 Over the following years, 111 00:07:41,628 --> 00:07:45,464 the Romans extract an estimated 300 million tons of 112 00:07:45,532 --> 00:07:46,565 earth from the sites in 113 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,533 the image in their search for gold, 114 00:07:51,038 --> 00:07:53,605 and among them is a mine whose magnitude 115 00:07:53,707 --> 00:07:57,142 is almost unimaginable for a pre-industrial civilization. 116 00:08:10,824 --> 00:08:13,124 NARRATOR: What the Romans accomplished here 117 00:08:13,126 --> 00:08:15,026 will change the course of history. 118 00:08:16,763 --> 00:08:19,798 The evidence we have here proves 119 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,400 that we are at the Roman El Dorado. 120 00:08:26,039 --> 00:08:29,541 NARRATOR: Coming up, the destroyer of mountains. 121 00:08:29,610 --> 00:08:33,111 This is on the most -- almost unimaginable scale. 122 00:08:34,214 --> 00:08:36,114 NARRATOR: And NASA's lunar code. 123 00:08:36,116 --> 00:08:38,250 It really is remarkable to think of 124 00:08:38,351 --> 00:08:40,452 the impact of this on the history of 125 00:08:40,521 --> 00:08:41,720 space exploration. 126 00:08:51,532 --> 00:08:54,099 NARRATOR: Drawn by giant, claw-like marks scarring 127 00:08:54,101 --> 00:08:55,500 Spanish mountainsides, 128 00:08:55,602 --> 00:08:59,404 Javier Lozano has uncovered evidence of a vast Roman 129 00:08:59,506 --> 00:09:02,541 gold rush here during the first century CE. 130 00:09:09,716 --> 00:09:13,318 The most important gold mining area 131 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:17,956 Rome ever developed is right in our image. 132 00:09:19,526 --> 00:09:22,427 NARRATOR: This is Las Médulas, a series 133 00:09:22,562 --> 00:09:25,096 of mountains reduced to rubble by Rome 134 00:09:25,098 --> 00:09:26,531 in its search for riches. 135 00:09:28,335 --> 00:09:30,602 The Romans came up with a very clever way 136 00:09:30,604 --> 00:09:33,705 of mining the gold at this location in Spain. 137 00:09:35,008 --> 00:09:39,711 The lust for gold totally transformed that landscape. 138 00:09:41,815 --> 00:09:43,949 NARRATOR: These massive peaks were once part of 139 00:09:44,051 --> 00:09:46,952 an almost 5,000-acre cluster of mountains. 140 00:09:50,457 --> 00:09:53,258 Historical accounts reveal the extraordinary method 141 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,328 the Romans used to transform it in their search for gold. 142 00:09:58,732 --> 00:10:01,900 The famed classical historian Pliny the Elder writes 143 00:10:01,902 --> 00:10:06,004 of the actual techniques used to mine this location. 144 00:10:07,507 --> 00:10:10,308 NARDI: He describes it as "ruina montium," 145 00:10:10,310 --> 00:10:11,509 and what that basically translates 146 00:10:11,511 --> 00:10:13,044 into is the wrecking of mountains. 147 00:10:14,915 --> 00:10:18,049 NARRATOR: As Lozano discovers, ruina montium first 148 00:10:18,085 --> 00:10:20,352 involves digging tunnels deep into the mountain. 149 00:10:23,323 --> 00:10:27,626 Engineers also construct a 62-mile-long network 150 00:10:27,628 --> 00:10:29,961 of channels to transfer water 151 00:10:30,096 --> 00:10:32,230 from higher up the range to a reservoir 152 00:10:32,365 --> 00:10:33,632 at the mountain's summit. 153 00:10:35,302 --> 00:10:38,303 Millions of gallons from this reservoir 154 00:10:38,405 --> 00:10:40,105 are then flushed down the tunnels, 155 00:10:40,107 --> 00:10:43,341 creating immense pressure, which knocks chunks of 156 00:10:43,443 --> 00:10:45,343 gold-rich sediment down the slopes. 157 00:10:55,555 --> 00:10:59,157 This is on the most unimaginable scale, 158 00:10:59,226 --> 00:11:02,627 and of course, to extract gold on that scale, 159 00:11:02,729 --> 00:11:05,063 you needed a massive labor force. 160 00:11:05,165 --> 00:11:07,832 NARRATOR: According to Pliny, 161 00:11:07,934 --> 00:11:11,336 at the height of operations, 60,000 people work 162 00:11:11,438 --> 00:11:14,506 the mountain and sift through its sediment for gold. 163 00:11:17,210 --> 00:11:21,413 Mining was a brutal business, and people in 164 00:11:21,515 --> 00:11:24,215 these mines were literally worked as almost 165 00:11:24,284 --> 00:11:25,750 disposable commodities, 166 00:11:25,852 --> 00:11:30,155 such was the Romans' insatiable demand for gold. 167 00:11:33,527 --> 00:11:35,860 NARRATOR: Much of the gold mined in Spain is minted 168 00:11:35,929 --> 00:11:39,764 into coins and stashed in huge vaults hidden in Rome. 169 00:11:41,702 --> 00:11:44,436 All of this economic activity was absolutely 170 00:11:44,537 --> 00:11:46,938 vital to the success of the Roman empire. 171 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:50,008 But it was not without its environmental costs, 172 00:11:50,010 --> 00:11:54,646 and that goes actually beyond the visible scars on the earth. 173 00:11:57,617 --> 00:11:59,718 NARRATOR: Recent ice core samples reveal 174 00:11:59,820 --> 00:12:02,721 that the Roman gold mines released immense clouds 175 00:12:02,723 --> 00:12:05,023 of trapped lead particles into the skies, 176 00:12:06,159 --> 00:12:07,826 clouds that were so toxic, 177 00:12:07,928 --> 00:12:11,229 they remained in the atmosphere for 500 years. 178 00:12:11,331 --> 00:12:15,300 We often think of environmental degradation as 179 00:12:15,402 --> 00:12:18,403 a modern concern, but the truth is 180 00:12:18,405 --> 00:12:20,705 that the Romans beat us to it in this case. 181 00:12:23,110 --> 00:12:27,412 Between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE, Roman miners 182 00:12:27,547 --> 00:12:30,949 carve vast tracts of land out of Northwest Spain, 183 00:12:31,051 --> 00:12:33,952 creating the hidden patterns revealed from the skies. 184 00:12:35,322 --> 00:12:37,956 The Romans were obliterating mountain 185 00:12:38,091 --> 00:12:40,558 after mountain after mountain after mountain. 186 00:12:40,627 --> 00:12:46,331 But even the Romans, with all their engineering genius, 187 00:12:46,399 --> 00:12:49,200 ultimately exhausted this resource. 188 00:12:49,302 --> 00:12:52,137 NARRATOR: As reserves become depleted, 189 00:12:52,238 --> 00:12:55,440 Rome must look elsewhere for precious metals 190 00:12:55,542 --> 00:12:56,941 to prop up its empire. 191 00:12:57,043 --> 00:13:04,215 It's incredibly expensive to have a payroll for an army. 192 00:13:05,352 --> 00:13:08,953 Roman mining engineers are traveling all 193 00:13:09,055 --> 00:13:12,524 throughout the empire looking for new gold. 194 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,127 NARRATOR: Eventually, Rome runs out of money 195 00:13:16,262 --> 00:13:17,529 to finance its armies. 196 00:13:18,899 --> 00:13:22,433 Economic mismanagement then triggers a collapse in trade, 197 00:13:22,535 --> 00:13:24,302 and the empire begins to crumble. 198 00:13:25,605 --> 00:13:29,207 Today, the strange scars in the images are symbols 199 00:13:29,209 --> 00:13:33,144 of both Rome's rise to power and its eventual fall. 200 00:13:44,958 --> 00:13:48,626 Gold drives people to do strange things, 201 00:13:48,728 --> 00:13:50,962 and we see direct evidence of it here. 202 00:13:56,336 --> 00:13:59,504 NARRATOR: Coming up, inside City 40. 203 00:13:59,639 --> 00:14:01,739 WALTERS: You're never heard of again, 204 00:14:01,808 --> 00:14:04,209 and nobody is asking any questions. 205 00:14:05,712 --> 00:14:08,513 NARRATOR: And the mystery structure that changed history. 206 00:14:08,615 --> 00:14:12,150 DENNIE: We wouldn't have modern homes, modern transportation. 207 00:14:12,185 --> 00:14:13,718 The entire world would be different. 208 00:14:22,562 --> 00:14:26,030 In 1963, Gambit, one of the first 209 00:14:26,032 --> 00:14:31,002 spy satellites in history, launches from California. 210 00:14:31,004 --> 00:14:33,838 It goes on to capture thousands of 211 00:14:33,940 --> 00:14:38,509 images of clandestine sites within communist Russia, 212 00:14:38,511 --> 00:14:41,412 and among them, something that doesn't make sense. 213 00:14:42,549 --> 00:14:44,515 WALTERS: There are a few large bodies 214 00:14:44,618 --> 00:14:47,318 of water, and all are completely frozen -- 215 00:14:47,420 --> 00:14:49,120 except oddly, 216 00:14:49,122 --> 00:14:51,956 this lake right in the center isn't. 217 00:14:53,093 --> 00:14:54,659 And not only is it not frozen, 218 00:14:54,761 --> 00:14:59,130 it actually appears to be kind of steaming or smoking. 219 00:14:59,232 --> 00:15:02,433 What they found here is really strange. 220 00:15:02,502 --> 00:15:04,836 It's almost like the lake itself is on fire. 221 00:15:09,009 --> 00:15:11,542 NARRATOR: The recently declassified image was taken 222 00:15:11,611 --> 00:15:13,711 over the Ural Mountains, on the border 223 00:15:13,846 --> 00:15:15,046 between Europe and Asia. 224 00:15:18,485 --> 00:15:20,218 RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE: This usually would indicate 225 00:15:20,220 --> 00:15:21,552 geological activity, 226 00:15:21,621 --> 00:15:24,322 but there's nothing in the Ural Mountains 227 00:15:24,324 --> 00:15:25,957 that would do that. 228 00:15:25,992 --> 00:15:28,960 This is not a volcanic area. 229 00:15:29,062 --> 00:15:31,429 NARRATOR: Analysts turn to CIA dossiers 230 00:15:31,431 --> 00:15:33,331 on the Gambit program. 231 00:15:33,333 --> 00:15:35,500 They reveal something extraordinary. 232 00:15:36,703 --> 00:15:40,805 The CIA knew exactly what that steaming lake meant. 233 00:15:40,807 --> 00:15:42,407 This is at the heart of one 234 00:15:42,542 --> 00:15:46,110 of the most clandestine programs in Soviet history. 235 00:15:48,415 --> 00:15:51,950 NARRATOR: The program has its origins in 1945, 236 00:15:52,018 --> 00:15:53,952 when the U.S. detonates the world's 237 00:15:54,054 --> 00:15:56,254 first nuclear weapon. 238 00:15:56,323 --> 00:15:59,857 In response, Joseph Stalin decides to 239 00:16:00,026 --> 00:16:03,061 dramatically accelerate the Soviet atomic program. 240 00:16:04,731 --> 00:16:05,964 WALTERS: So what does Stalin do? 241 00:16:06,066 --> 00:16:07,632 He puts in charge of the project 242 00:16:07,734 --> 00:16:11,402 not a physicist but a man called Lavrentiy Beria, 243 00:16:11,504 --> 00:16:14,339 head of the NKVD. 244 00:16:16,710 --> 00:16:19,610 NARRATOR: As head of state security, Beria has access to 245 00:16:19,612 --> 00:16:24,048 a vast network of forced labor camps or Gulags, estimated to 246 00:16:24,150 --> 00:16:26,150 hold five million prisoners. 247 00:16:26,219 --> 00:16:29,754 He could corral tens of thousands 248 00:16:29,823 --> 00:16:33,424 of political prisoners and use them 249 00:16:33,526 --> 00:16:36,961 as a slave labor force to advance the nuclear program. 250 00:16:38,164 --> 00:16:41,799 WALTERS: Using Gulag prisoners is absolutely ideal, 251 00:16:41,934 --> 00:16:43,801 because when you go to a Gulag, 252 00:16:43,936 --> 00:16:46,037 you're never normally heard of again. 253 00:16:46,106 --> 00:16:51,342 And nobody, nobody, is asking any awkward questions. 254 00:16:51,411 --> 00:16:54,112 NARRATOR: Beria deploys around 40,000 prisoners to 255 00:16:54,214 --> 00:16:57,115 the site in the image, where they begin constructing 256 00:16:57,117 --> 00:17:00,118 a nuclear plant and a nearby urban complex. 257 00:17:00,219 --> 00:17:04,522 It will become known as City 40. 258 00:17:04,624 --> 00:17:08,059 MORAN: This city was built in total secrecy. 259 00:17:08,128 --> 00:17:11,129 Not only does it not appear on historical maps, 260 00:17:11,231 --> 00:17:14,132 but the residents were removed from the census. 261 00:17:15,301 --> 00:17:18,302 NARRATOR: As the city grows, Beria forces nuclear 262 00:17:18,304 --> 00:17:21,039 scientists from around the country to move there. 263 00:17:22,709 --> 00:17:25,643 MORAN: For the first eight years of its existence, 264 00:17:25,745 --> 00:17:29,514 anyone living in this city was forbidden from leaving or from 265 00:17:29,516 --> 00:17:30,748 having contact with anyone on 266 00:17:30,817 --> 00:17:33,618 the outside, including their family members. 267 00:17:33,719 --> 00:17:35,353 In return for their secrecy, 268 00:17:35,455 --> 00:17:39,457 residents were treated to lives of relative luxury. 269 00:17:39,559 --> 00:17:41,859 M. MORGAN: They are provided housing. 270 00:17:41,961 --> 00:17:44,729 They are provided education and healthcare. 271 00:17:44,831 --> 00:17:47,732 They're provided levels of stability that were not 272 00:17:47,834 --> 00:17:51,803 exactly accessible to all Soviet citizens. 273 00:17:53,706 --> 00:17:58,209 NARRATOR: In 1949, Soviet scientists use plutonium 274 00:17:58,211 --> 00:17:59,710 from the site in the image to 275 00:17:59,813 --> 00:18:03,448 build a 20-kiloton bomb, a full decade faster 276 00:18:03,516 --> 00:18:05,316 than the CIA anticipated. 277 00:18:05,418 --> 00:18:08,920 It's a monumental achievement 278 00:18:08,922 --> 00:18:10,822 to turn around a bomb this fast. 279 00:18:10,824 --> 00:18:12,323 But it's done with the assumption 280 00:18:12,325 --> 00:18:14,826 that the workers are completely expendable. 281 00:18:16,729 --> 00:18:19,530 NARRATOR: As the Soviets ramp up their weapons program, 282 00:18:19,532 --> 00:18:23,301 radioactive waste seeps into the lake in the image 283 00:18:23,303 --> 00:18:25,937 and into the local water supply. 284 00:18:26,038 --> 00:18:27,305 WALTERS: In the first three years, 285 00:18:27,307 --> 00:18:30,007 waste management was practically nonexistent. 286 00:18:30,009 --> 00:18:33,644 This nuclear plant is poisoning everything around it. 287 00:18:35,115 --> 00:18:36,714 MORAN: On top of all that, 288 00:18:36,716 --> 00:18:40,051 the plant faced a series of accidents, 289 00:18:40,153 --> 00:18:43,654 the most devastating of which was the Kyshtym Disaster. 290 00:18:43,756 --> 00:18:46,057 [alarm buzzing] 291 00:18:46,159 --> 00:18:50,461 NARRATOR: The Kyshtym Disaster occurs in September 1957, 292 00:18:50,563 --> 00:18:52,864 when a malfunctioning cooling system 293 00:18:52,999 --> 00:18:55,233 in a waste tank leads to a catastrophic 294 00:18:55,301 --> 00:18:56,934 temperature spike. 295 00:18:57,003 --> 00:19:00,938 The resulting explosion sends a plume of radioactive 296 00:19:01,007 --> 00:19:04,842 materials a mile into the sky above City 40. 297 00:19:04,944 --> 00:19:08,446 What we're talking about here is one of 298 00:19:08,515 --> 00:19:13,217 the greatest industrial nuclear accidents in human history. 299 00:19:14,621 --> 00:19:15,620 MORAN: Like Chernobyl, 300 00:19:15,622 --> 00:19:18,122 this nuclear disaster was a result 301 00:19:18,224 --> 00:19:20,825 of the USSR's negligence. 302 00:19:20,927 --> 00:19:23,161 The only difference is that in this case, 303 00:19:23,262 --> 00:19:24,428 they were able to cover it up. 304 00:19:26,032 --> 00:19:30,935 NARRATOR: The fallout rains down on nearly 270,000 people, 305 00:19:31,037 --> 00:19:35,039 yet the authorities only evacuate 4 percent of them. 306 00:19:35,141 --> 00:19:37,808 Soviet secrecy means the number of fatalities 307 00:19:37,810 --> 00:19:39,710 remains unclear, 308 00:19:39,845 --> 00:19:42,747 but it is believed to be as high as 8,000. 309 00:19:44,517 --> 00:19:47,518 There was an immediate death toll to the disaster, 310 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,254 but the real damage, the lasting damage, 311 00:19:50,356 --> 00:19:52,757 unfolded over years. 312 00:19:52,792 --> 00:19:55,660 WALTERS: From what we know, many of the survivors 313 00:19:55,728 --> 00:19:58,262 in this period, and indeed their children, 314 00:19:58,364 --> 00:20:00,498 are still suffering from things like 315 00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:04,402 genetic mutation, deformity, and other disorders. 316 00:20:05,738 --> 00:20:09,140 NARRATOR: The strange phenomenon captured from space is proof 317 00:20:09,209 --> 00:20:10,841 that despite the disaster, 318 00:20:10,944 --> 00:20:15,012 the plant continues to produce vast amounts of plutonium. 319 00:20:15,014 --> 00:20:17,782 The process entailed pumping cooling water 320 00:20:17,850 --> 00:20:19,917 from the lake into the facility 321 00:20:19,919 --> 00:20:22,820 and pumping heated water back into the lake. 322 00:20:22,822 --> 00:20:25,456 Now, that would have created the clouds of 323 00:20:25,491 --> 00:20:27,825 steam that were picked up on a satellite. 324 00:20:30,964 --> 00:20:33,998 NARRATOR: Today, some of the land around the secret city is 325 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,635 contaminated with 2 and 1/2 times the radiation released by 326 00:20:37,737 --> 00:20:39,937 the Chernobyl disaster. 327 00:20:40,039 --> 00:20:42,707 Yet 80,000 people still live here 328 00:20:42,842 --> 00:20:45,209 under this region's long atomic shadow. 329 00:20:46,713 --> 00:20:49,413 RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE: Reportedly, they take pride in living in 330 00:20:49,415 --> 00:20:53,618 a closed city, being one of Russia's chosen ones, 331 00:20:53,620 --> 00:20:56,320 even if that city is slowly killing them. 332 00:21:03,329 --> 00:21:06,931 NARRATOR: Coming up, NASA's space arrow. 333 00:21:06,933 --> 00:21:12,403 Given the size of this arrow, who are we signaling to? 334 00:21:13,740 --> 00:21:16,407 NARRATOR: And untold desert riches. 335 00:21:16,409 --> 00:21:18,843 DENNIE: You needed a little bit of luck 336 00:21:18,945 --> 00:21:21,312 to know exactly where X marks the spot. 337 00:21:29,722 --> 00:21:33,824 NARRATOR: September 4th, 2021. 338 00:21:35,161 --> 00:21:38,963 Satellites over Texas spot a weird mark on the landscape. 339 00:21:42,535 --> 00:21:45,236 This here is a very strange-looking feature. 340 00:21:45,405 --> 00:21:48,205 It juts out from this industrial complex on 341 00:21:48,274 --> 00:21:51,142 the right -- it's very odd. 342 00:21:51,210 --> 00:21:53,277 SALAITA: If you were on the ground, it just looked like 343 00:21:53,279 --> 00:21:55,012 some concrete, but from the sky, 344 00:21:55,014 --> 00:21:57,548 it's so obviously an arrow. 345 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:02,153 NARRATOR: The giant structure stretches 346 00:22:02,254 --> 00:22:04,755 1,700 feet across the landscape. 347 00:22:06,726 --> 00:22:09,026 RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE: Given the size of this arrow, 348 00:22:09,028 --> 00:22:12,463 it's clearly meant to be seen from above, from the sky. 349 00:22:12,532 --> 00:22:16,300 So... who are we signaling to? 350 00:22:19,505 --> 00:22:20,938 NARRATOR: A clue to the mystery feature's 351 00:22:21,073 --> 00:22:24,208 purpose comes from the dawn of the age of aviation. 352 00:22:24,310 --> 00:22:29,113 A lot of what drove the use of planes across the country 353 00:22:29,115 --> 00:22:33,818 was trying to deliver mail, and it could do it amazingly well. 354 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:35,619 But airplanes didn't have all kinds of 355 00:22:35,755 --> 00:22:37,521 electronics on board to help them navigate. 356 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:45,963 NARRATOR: In the early 1920s, transcontinental air travel is 357 00:22:46,032 --> 00:22:48,332 in its infancy, with pilots 358 00:22:48,434 --> 00:22:51,435 facing the seemingly impossible task of navigating 359 00:22:51,504 --> 00:22:54,138 the vast U.S. interior. 360 00:22:54,207 --> 00:22:57,808 So, in 1924, 361 00:22:57,810 --> 00:23:00,010 the U.S. Postal Service hatches 362 00:23:00,012 --> 00:23:01,912 a simple yet ingenious plan. 363 00:23:04,317 --> 00:23:07,518 RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE: The U.S. Postal System placed these 364 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:10,621 concrete arrows along the route, pointing out the direction 365 00:23:10,623 --> 00:23:11,655 that the pilots should fly. 366 00:23:14,694 --> 00:23:16,327 RUBEN: Once this system was up and running, 367 00:23:16,329 --> 00:23:19,363 it had a huge effect on how quickly mail could travel in 368 00:23:19,399 --> 00:23:20,597 the United States. 369 00:23:20,633 --> 00:23:23,000 You could get a letter from one coast to the other 370 00:23:23,002 --> 00:23:24,935 now in a day and a half. 371 00:23:27,006 --> 00:23:30,408 NARRATOR: By 1929, there is a 2,500-mile 372 00:23:30,510 --> 00:23:34,412 network of arrows directing pilots to their destination. 373 00:23:34,514 --> 00:23:38,949 Customers place so much trust in the postal system that 374 00:23:39,051 --> 00:23:41,819 families use it to send children as freight 375 00:23:41,954 --> 00:23:43,220 to other relatives. 376 00:23:49,962 --> 00:23:53,230 The U.S. Postal Service markers litter the landscape to 377 00:23:53,332 --> 00:23:54,331 this day, 378 00:23:54,333 --> 00:23:57,535 but there are doubts that the Houston arrow 379 00:23:57,603 --> 00:23:59,303 is one of them. 380 00:23:59,305 --> 00:24:03,040 WAKEFIELD: Houston isn't really on the flight path of 381 00:24:03,142 --> 00:24:04,175 these airplanes. 382 00:24:04,177 --> 00:24:07,411 So then what other possibility could it be? 383 00:24:09,515 --> 00:24:12,316 NARRATOR: Analysts turn to local records. 384 00:24:12,418 --> 00:24:15,419 The structure, it transpires, has its origins in 385 00:24:15,521 --> 00:24:18,222 an even more extraordinary episode in the history 386 00:24:18,324 --> 00:24:19,457 of aviation. 387 00:24:21,727 --> 00:24:24,028 RUBEN: I guess in one sense, the arrow is pointing west 388 00:24:24,030 --> 00:24:26,263 by northwest, but in another sense, 389 00:24:26,365 --> 00:24:29,033 it's pointing humanity's path to the stars. 390 00:24:30,603 --> 00:24:33,103 LEE: This is NASA's Johnson Space Center's 391 00:24:33,206 --> 00:24:35,039 antenna test facility 392 00:24:35,107 --> 00:24:38,509 they set up to test space communications. 393 00:24:38,611 --> 00:24:42,213 [indistinct over radio] 394 00:24:42,315 --> 00:24:45,483 NARRATOR: The space agency establishes the test facility 395 00:24:45,618 --> 00:24:48,652 in the 1960s as part of perhaps the most 396 00:24:48,721 --> 00:24:50,821 ambitious project in human history. 397 00:24:52,825 --> 00:24:55,059 The objective was to develop technologies that would 398 00:24:55,127 --> 00:24:57,862 allow the Apollo missions to reach the moon. 399 00:24:57,964 --> 00:25:00,965 RUBEN: This place was central in figuring out parameters 400 00:25:01,033 --> 00:25:03,434 that needed to be known for Apollo to succeed. 401 00:25:05,805 --> 00:25:09,540 NARRATOR: To successfully reach the moon and return to Earth, 402 00:25:09,642 --> 00:25:11,509 the Apollo astronauts must spend 403 00:25:11,644 --> 00:25:14,011 over eight days alone in space. 404 00:25:15,615 --> 00:25:19,416 They will also travel 240,000 miles, 405 00:25:19,519 --> 00:25:22,820 a journey that will test NASA's communication systems 406 00:25:22,822 --> 00:25:24,321 to its limits. 407 00:25:26,526 --> 00:25:29,527 LEE: What's important to realize is that, 408 00:25:29,628 --> 00:25:31,262 when you undertake spaceflight, 409 00:25:31,363 --> 00:25:36,200 you are really entering a domain that is very alien to 410 00:25:36,202 --> 00:25:38,736 what we're familiar with at the surface of the Earth. 411 00:25:38,837 --> 00:25:42,540 [over radio] All systems are good at this time. 412 00:25:42,608 --> 00:25:44,808 NARRATOR: To ensure the survival of the mission, 413 00:25:44,810 --> 00:25:48,812 NASA must be in constant contact with the three-man crew, 414 00:25:48,814 --> 00:25:52,316 but the vast distances they will cover threaten 415 00:25:52,318 --> 00:25:53,951 existing communication systems. 416 00:25:56,322 --> 00:25:58,322 LEE: In the early years of the space age, 417 00:25:58,424 --> 00:26:02,226 space was largely unknown as to what it would do to 418 00:26:02,361 --> 00:26:03,294 radio communications, and radio communications is 419 00:26:03,296 --> 00:26:05,729 really vital in space. 420 00:26:05,731 --> 00:26:07,464 That's how you track spacecraft. 421 00:26:07,533 --> 00:26:09,099 That's how you download data. 422 00:26:09,101 --> 00:26:10,901 That's how you talk to astronauts. 423 00:26:15,041 --> 00:26:17,141 The further a radio wave travels, 424 00:26:17,209 --> 00:26:21,145 the more electromagnetic interference it encounters, 425 00:26:21,213 --> 00:26:23,447 a nightmare scenario for astronauts 426 00:26:23,515 --> 00:26:26,517 240,000 miles from rescue. 427 00:26:28,721 --> 00:26:31,622 To tackle this problem, Project Apollo 428 00:26:31,724 --> 00:26:34,325 engineers construct the 1,700-foot-long 429 00:26:34,327 --> 00:26:36,327 concrete arrow in the image 430 00:26:36,329 --> 00:26:38,362 and install antennae at either end. 431 00:26:40,733 --> 00:26:43,834 Then they conduct mission critical test broadcasts to 432 00:26:43,936 --> 00:26:46,103 study how communications decay 433 00:26:46,205 --> 00:26:48,505 and to work out ways to boost the signal. 434 00:26:50,242 --> 00:26:53,844 Antennae send out radio signals in a radial pattern -- 435 00:26:53,946 --> 00:26:56,513 in other words, a big circle that grows and grows. 436 00:26:56,616 --> 00:27:00,084 The receivers further down the arrow are at very specific 437 00:27:00,086 --> 00:27:02,419 distances away from that antennae, 438 00:27:02,421 --> 00:27:05,723 allowing us to determine just how long and how strong signals 439 00:27:05,825 --> 00:27:07,725 can travel from the broadcast point. 440 00:27:10,830 --> 00:27:13,530 NARRATOR: The arrow's shape enables precise line of sight 441 00:27:13,633 --> 00:27:14,698 frequency measurements, 442 00:27:14,700 --> 00:27:17,401 meaning scientists can forensically 443 00:27:17,403 --> 00:27:18,602 study a test signal. 444 00:27:20,806 --> 00:27:23,140 LEE: Interference could be really measured carefully, 445 00:27:23,242 --> 00:27:27,144 which allowed NASA to understand what's going on with 446 00:27:27,246 --> 00:27:28,812 the physics of communications. 447 00:27:30,149 --> 00:27:32,249 A. MORGAN: The importance of the work that took place here 448 00:27:32,318 --> 00:27:34,918 cannot be overstated -- when you're sending people 449 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:36,420 out into orbit and beyond, 450 00:27:36,422 --> 00:27:37,821 you need to be able to communicate 451 00:27:37,923 --> 00:27:41,058 with them to understand what exactly is happening. 452 00:27:43,529 --> 00:27:46,664 NARRATOR: The pioneering work carried out at the giant arrow 453 00:27:46,732 --> 00:27:49,500 is critical to the success of the Apollo 11 mission... 454 00:27:49,602 --> 00:27:52,436 [over radio] CAPCOM, we're "go" for landing. 455 00:27:52,505 --> 00:27:55,906 [over radio] Roger, understand. Go for landing, 3,000 feet. 456 00:27:55,908 --> 00:27:58,208 ...and enabled those on Earth to listen 457 00:27:58,343 --> 00:28:01,111 to the first words spoken on another world. 458 00:28:02,515 --> 00:28:04,715 ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man, 459 00:28:04,717 --> 00:28:07,518 one giant leap for mankind. 460 00:28:10,289 --> 00:28:13,657 It really is remarkable to think of the impact 461 00:28:13,726 --> 00:28:15,526 of this one poured slab 462 00:28:15,628 --> 00:28:19,229 of concrete in a field on the history of something as 463 00:28:19,331 --> 00:28:21,065 magnificent as space exploration. 464 00:28:31,210 --> 00:28:34,912 NARRATOR: Coming up, the secret desert death squads. 465 00:28:34,914 --> 00:28:38,816 MUNOZ: You have stories of torture, beatings, 466 00:28:38,917 --> 00:28:43,620 the use of electroshocks to subdue prisoners. 467 00:28:43,723 --> 00:28:46,623 NARRATOR: And the strangest heist in the world. 468 00:28:46,625 --> 00:28:48,525 RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE: The satellite imagery has captured 469 00:28:48,660 --> 00:28:51,328 the daylight robbery of a whole island. 470 00:28:59,805 --> 00:29:02,206 NARRATOR: June 3rd, 2020. 471 00:29:04,410 --> 00:29:08,312 A satellite crossing 420 miles above Saudi Arabia 472 00:29:08,314 --> 00:29:10,948 spots something in the remote sands below. 473 00:29:13,452 --> 00:29:14,952 You have these two 474 00:29:15,087 --> 00:29:19,523 what looks to be quite large outlines of structures. 475 00:29:19,525 --> 00:29:22,526 They are really strange shapes, and they're 476 00:29:22,595 --> 00:29:25,229 right in the middle of a desert. 477 00:29:27,533 --> 00:29:30,234 NARRATOR: The mystery structure sits 200 miles 478 00:29:30,302 --> 00:29:33,504 from the nearest population center. 479 00:29:33,506 --> 00:29:36,507 AUERBACH: The location makes me wonder if it 480 00:29:36,609 --> 00:29:39,877 was some type of military or security facility. 481 00:29:42,248 --> 00:29:45,949 Now there is one very notorious organization in 482 00:29:46,051 --> 00:29:48,018 Saudi Arabia that insists 483 00:29:48,020 --> 00:29:51,321 on total secrecy, and that is the Mabahith. 484 00:29:52,625 --> 00:29:56,260 The Mabahith is a widely feared organization, 485 00:29:56,328 --> 00:30:00,164 and their main duty is to identify 486 00:30:00,199 --> 00:30:03,400 and neutralize figures that might be deemed 487 00:30:03,402 --> 00:30:05,402 a threat by the government. 488 00:30:06,705 --> 00:30:12,943 NARRATOR: The Mabahith uses spyware to eavesdrop 489 00:30:13,045 --> 00:30:16,947 on the calls, texts, and emails of Saudi citizens, 490 00:30:17,049 --> 00:30:19,416 taking suspected dissidents and activists 491 00:30:19,418 --> 00:30:21,752 away to brutal detention centers. 492 00:30:24,223 --> 00:30:27,825 MUNOZ: You have stories of torture, beatings, 493 00:30:27,926 --> 00:30:32,830 the use of electroshocks to subdue prisoners. 494 00:30:32,898 --> 00:30:36,200 WALTERS: It's often political activists who are incarcerated, 495 00:30:36,202 --> 00:30:38,635 and you don't have to done anything much more than, say, 496 00:30:38,737 --> 00:30:41,839 attend a public protest or write a critical blog. 497 00:30:45,544 --> 00:30:48,412 NARRATOR: While the Mabahith are known to operate in remote 498 00:30:48,414 --> 00:30:49,513 desert locations, 499 00:30:49,515 --> 00:30:52,749 historical records reveal this site has a very 500 00:30:52,818 --> 00:30:55,052 different purpose. 501 00:30:55,153 --> 00:30:58,422 What we're looking at is actually decades old. 502 00:30:58,524 --> 00:31:00,657 AUERBACH: Incredibly, this site was at the center 503 00:31:00,759 --> 00:31:03,927 of a discovery that changed the face of the world. 504 00:31:07,633 --> 00:31:09,833 NARRATOR: That discovery has its origins 505 00:31:09,935 --> 00:31:13,203 8,000 miles away, during the automotive boom 506 00:31:13,338 --> 00:31:15,839 of America's post World War I years. 507 00:31:17,209 --> 00:31:19,810 New mass production techniques mean that in less than 508 00:31:19,812 --> 00:31:21,845 a decade, car ownership 509 00:31:21,914 --> 00:31:25,816 almost triples, from 8 to 23 million. 510 00:31:25,918 --> 00:31:29,319 WALTER: Almost everybody can now afford a car, 511 00:31:29,421 --> 00:31:33,824 and almost everybody, of course, needed petroleum. 512 00:31:33,893 --> 00:31:37,527 AUERBACH: Sales of gasoline were rising rapidly. 513 00:31:37,630 --> 00:31:40,430 The popularity of the automobile meant that 514 00:31:40,565 --> 00:31:44,401 the demand for oil kept growing and growing. 515 00:31:44,403 --> 00:31:47,804 NARRATOR: The birth of the aviation industry 516 00:31:47,907 --> 00:31:51,108 further fuels this demand for oil. 517 00:31:51,110 --> 00:31:55,712 This transportation revolution means consumption skyrockets. 518 00:31:55,814 --> 00:31:58,615 By the 1920s, the U.S. is using 519 00:31:58,717 --> 00:32:02,219 450 million barrels a year. 520 00:32:02,221 --> 00:32:06,690 Up until this point, a lot of the oil that was used in 521 00:32:06,692 --> 00:32:09,860 the United States was produced in the United States, 522 00:32:09,962 --> 00:32:13,664 but it's not enough to sustain more and more people needing 523 00:32:13,765 --> 00:32:15,732 access to oil. 524 00:32:15,801 --> 00:32:18,402 NARRATOR: Over the following years, the U.S. begins 525 00:32:18,404 --> 00:32:21,204 to scour the world for new supplies. 526 00:32:21,307 --> 00:32:25,709 In 1933, the Saudi government awards California company 527 00:32:25,711 --> 00:32:30,047 SoCal the rights to drill in the region in the image. 528 00:32:30,115 --> 00:32:34,051 They promised to pay the Saudi government huge sums 529 00:32:34,119 --> 00:32:37,321 of money for exclusive rights to whatever resources 530 00:32:37,323 --> 00:32:38,555 they might uncover. 531 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,328 NARRATOR: At the time, U.S. geologists rely on surface 532 00:32:44,430 --> 00:32:46,964 pointers like seepages when searching for oil. 533 00:32:48,534 --> 00:32:50,334 But these clues are hard to find 534 00:32:50,402 --> 00:32:52,602 in the vast expanses of the Saudi desert. 535 00:32:53,839 --> 00:32:57,107 So at first, the team's oil hunt yields nothing. 536 00:32:58,544 --> 00:33:02,212 DENNIE: Back then, when you drilled a well, 537 00:33:02,214 --> 00:33:05,816 you truly needed a little bit of luck, because our geologic 538 00:33:05,818 --> 00:33:07,250 understanding wasn't refined 539 00:33:07,319 --> 00:33:10,020 enough to know exactly where X marks the spot. 540 00:33:12,524 --> 00:33:14,157 NARRATOR: This prospecting mission 541 00:33:14,259 --> 00:33:16,126 turns into a five-year grind. 542 00:33:19,631 --> 00:33:22,599 In March 1938, the team drills one 543 00:33:22,601 --> 00:33:26,036 final borehole at the site in the image. 544 00:33:26,138 --> 00:33:28,405 OKEREKE: At first, it seemed like this well 545 00:33:28,407 --> 00:33:30,807 was another dead end, but they kept at it. 546 00:33:30,809 --> 00:33:33,076 What they eventually discovered was 547 00:33:33,078 --> 00:33:36,847 the largest source of petroleum in the world. 548 00:33:38,917 --> 00:33:40,817 NARRATOR: The U.S. team has discovered 549 00:33:40,952 --> 00:33:45,322 the 1.3-million-acre Ghawar oil field. 550 00:33:45,324 --> 00:33:48,725 It contains over 80 billion barrels of black gold. 551 00:33:49,962 --> 00:33:53,230 This was a phenomenal amount of oil. 552 00:33:53,331 --> 00:33:55,899 It was far beyond what they expected. 553 00:33:55,901 --> 00:33:57,634 DENNIE: We knew there was oil there, 554 00:33:57,736 --> 00:34:01,004 but the sheer amount of it is -- is staggering. 555 00:34:03,842 --> 00:34:06,076 NARRATOR: Following the discovery, the Saudi 556 00:34:06,078 --> 00:34:08,912 government establishes its own oil operation 557 00:34:08,914 --> 00:34:10,514 and drills hundreds of wells. 558 00:34:11,717 --> 00:34:15,252 This soon transforms the previously nomadic kingdom 559 00:34:15,353 --> 00:34:17,521 into one of the richest nations on earth. 560 00:34:20,059 --> 00:34:24,061 DENNIE: This oil reservoir completely changed Saudi Arabia 561 00:34:24,162 --> 00:34:26,596 from a pre-industrial country 562 00:34:26,598 --> 00:34:30,400 to one of the key players on the global stage. 563 00:34:30,502 --> 00:34:32,636 OKEREKE: The influx of cash allowed Saudi Arabia 564 00:34:32,737 --> 00:34:36,139 to build strong infrastructure to transport the oil. 565 00:34:36,208 --> 00:34:38,408 As soon as it was able to build vital wells, 566 00:34:38,477 --> 00:34:39,943 pipelines, refineries, 567 00:34:40,045 --> 00:34:42,712 production ramped up to a previously unthinkable scale. 568 00:34:44,416 --> 00:34:45,749 AUERBACH: In the following decades, 569 00:34:45,818 --> 00:34:48,718 they aggressively expanded the industry. 570 00:34:50,055 --> 00:34:52,622 It was moving towards global domination of 571 00:34:52,757 --> 00:34:54,825 the oil market, and moving towards it fast. 572 00:34:59,565 --> 00:35:02,699 NARRATOR: Nine decades after the first well was sunk, 573 00:35:02,801 --> 00:35:06,236 Saudi Arabia is still home to the largest oil fields 574 00:35:06,338 --> 00:35:07,303 on Earth. 575 00:35:08,841 --> 00:35:12,642 You have Western nations utterly reliant on 576 00:35:12,744 --> 00:35:13,944 black gold. 577 00:35:14,046 --> 00:35:17,314 This gives the Saudis huge power. 578 00:35:17,316 --> 00:35:19,449 DENNIE: Simply opening or closing the valves 579 00:35:19,518 --> 00:35:22,152 and increasing production or decreasing it, 580 00:35:22,254 --> 00:35:25,122 they can affect the global economy. 581 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,727 AUERBACH: Countries became so dependent on these oil 582 00:35:30,729 --> 00:35:33,063 supplies that they were essentially 583 00:35:33,165 --> 00:35:35,465 compelled to maintain friendly relationships 584 00:35:35,534 --> 00:35:36,866 with Saudi Arabia. 585 00:35:39,204 --> 00:35:44,908 NARRATOR: The site discovered by the U.S. team closed in 1982, 586 00:35:44,910 --> 00:35:48,411 yet its legacy lives on in every corner of the globe. 587 00:35:50,749 --> 00:35:52,716 No one who was involved in that first drilling 588 00:35:52,818 --> 00:35:54,951 mission could have dreamed of how it would transform 589 00:35:55,053 --> 00:35:57,220 not only the region, but the entire world. 590 00:36:05,564 --> 00:36:09,299 NARRATOR: Coming up, terror on the high seas. 591 00:36:09,401 --> 00:36:12,702 The more you look, the more of these things that you see, 592 00:36:12,704 --> 00:36:14,104 like there must be hundreds of them. 593 00:36:21,547 --> 00:36:25,215 NARRATOR: May 30th, 2020. 594 00:36:25,217 --> 00:36:27,851 A satellite scans the seemingly featureless 595 00:36:27,953 --> 00:36:31,922 300,000-square-mile East China Sea. 596 00:36:33,825 --> 00:36:37,627 This is a vast expanse of water, and then suddenly, 597 00:36:37,629 --> 00:36:40,530 you have all of these things just tightly 598 00:36:40,532 --> 00:36:42,532 clustered together. 599 00:36:42,601 --> 00:36:46,002 The more you look, the more of these things that you see, 600 00:36:46,004 --> 00:36:47,337 like, there must be hundreds of them. 601 00:36:51,210 --> 00:36:54,444 NARRATOR: There are 200 mystery shapes in the water, 602 00:36:54,513 --> 00:36:57,514 each 400 feet long. 603 00:36:57,616 --> 00:36:59,316 WALTERS: Zooming in, 604 00:36:59,418 --> 00:37:01,885 you can see churned water coming off 605 00:37:01,887 --> 00:37:04,120 the backs of some of these objects. 606 00:37:04,223 --> 00:37:07,424 Now that's wake off the backs of ships. 607 00:37:09,728 --> 00:37:12,629 To me, this looks like sand dredgers. 608 00:37:12,764 --> 00:37:15,298 What's strange is that there's so many of them. 609 00:37:15,300 --> 00:37:17,033 It's like some kind of armada. 610 00:37:19,438 --> 00:37:21,404 NARRATOR: Maritime tracking data reveals 611 00:37:21,406 --> 00:37:23,406 the dredgers are registered in China. 612 00:37:24,643 --> 00:37:27,744 The vast size of the fleet intrigues analysts. 613 00:37:30,349 --> 00:37:33,717 These sand dredges dig up sand from the bottom of the sea, 614 00:37:33,852 --> 00:37:37,454 which is often used to create artificial islands, 615 00:37:37,555 --> 00:37:41,958 but I don't see an artificial island anywhere around here. 616 00:37:42,027 --> 00:37:43,660 So, what are they here for? 617 00:37:45,230 --> 00:37:49,332 NARRATOR: The mystery fleet sits between 618 00:37:49,434 --> 00:37:52,202 Taiwan's Matsu Islands and mainland China. 619 00:37:53,605 --> 00:37:56,306 This six-mile-wide strait is currently 620 00:37:56,308 --> 00:38:00,043 the most contested stretch of water on Earth. 621 00:38:00,145 --> 00:38:03,446 RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE: Tensions are incredibly high in this region, 622 00:38:03,515 --> 00:38:06,116 largely because China believes that it has rights 623 00:38:06,118 --> 00:38:08,418 to the Matsu Islands and Taiwan itself. 624 00:38:11,223 --> 00:38:15,759 NARRATOR: These tensions begin in 1949. 625 00:38:15,827 --> 00:38:18,828 Faced with an imminent communist takeover, 626 00:38:18,963 --> 00:38:22,532 the Chinese government flees to Taiwan and establishes 627 00:38:22,601 --> 00:38:23,967 a breakaway republic. 628 00:38:23,969 --> 00:38:29,606 It's a move that continues to infuriate Beijing. 629 00:38:29,608 --> 00:38:32,709 RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE: China sees Taiwan as 630 00:38:32,844 --> 00:38:36,446 a renegade province that they rightfully own. 631 00:38:36,548 --> 00:38:40,050 But Taiwan doesn't want to be part of China. 632 00:38:40,151 --> 00:38:43,720 Over the decades, Taiwan has turned down multiple 633 00:38:43,822 --> 00:38:46,256 reunification deals presented to them 634 00:38:46,325 --> 00:38:48,325 by the Chinese government. 635 00:38:48,426 --> 00:38:49,826 RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE: China could invade, 636 00:38:49,828 --> 00:38:53,263 but this would lead to a much bigger global conflict. 637 00:38:53,331 --> 00:38:55,498 Taiwan has international support from a number 638 00:38:55,500 --> 00:38:57,233 of countries, including the U.S. 639 00:38:59,404 --> 00:39:01,805 NARRATOR: Instead of taking Taiwan by force, 640 00:39:01,940 --> 00:39:05,342 China is now taking it grain by grain. 641 00:39:05,410 --> 00:39:11,214 What we're witnessing here is a new, controversial, and very, 642 00:39:11,316 --> 00:39:15,452 very underhand military tactic from the Chinese government to 643 00:39:15,553 --> 00:39:18,221 exert regional dominance. 644 00:39:18,356 --> 00:39:20,123 RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE: The satellite imagery has captured 645 00:39:20,125 --> 00:39:23,026 the daylight robbery of a whole island. 646 00:39:23,028 --> 00:39:25,362 This army of dredges is stealing sand from 647 00:39:25,430 --> 00:39:28,064 Taiwan to build a new part of the mainland. 648 00:39:31,636 --> 00:39:34,704 NARRATOR: Positioned just off the Taiwanese coast, 649 00:39:34,706 --> 00:39:37,440 every day, the Chinese fleet siphons off 650 00:39:37,542 --> 00:39:40,510 up to 7,000 dump trucks worth of territory. 651 00:39:42,147 --> 00:39:45,248 MORAN: These hundreds of dredges are darting in 652 00:39:45,317 --> 00:39:50,253 and out of Taiwan-controlled waters, shrinking the beaches. 653 00:39:50,321 --> 00:39:54,057 Imagine you're a small nation fighting to maintain 654 00:39:54,125 --> 00:39:55,058 your sovereignty, 655 00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:59,729 and here are these dredges quite literally 656 00:39:59,864 --> 00:40:01,431 eating away at your territory. 657 00:40:06,004 --> 00:40:08,805 NARRATOR: Taiwanese authorities believe China is using 658 00:40:08,940 --> 00:40:12,342 the stolen land to construct nearby artificial islands, 659 00:40:13,712 --> 00:40:15,645 and they are powerless to stop them. 660 00:40:17,516 --> 00:40:20,950 MORAN: This is what's known as gray zone tactics. 661 00:40:21,052 --> 00:40:27,490 Gray zone tactics are acts of aggression that never quite 662 00:40:27,492 --> 00:40:29,659 grow into actual armed conflict, 663 00:40:29,761 --> 00:40:32,362 but they teeter on the edge. 664 00:40:32,431 --> 00:40:35,832 WALTERS: Taiwan's authorities kind of have a hand tied 665 00:40:35,901 --> 00:40:37,600 behind their back, because any military 666 00:40:37,602 --> 00:40:39,602 engagement is gonna be seen as an act of 667 00:40:39,671 --> 00:40:42,105 aggression on their side, and that, of course, 668 00:40:42,107 --> 00:40:44,240 would be an open invitation for the Chinese to 669 00:40:44,309 --> 00:40:47,811 retaliate with their much more powerful military. 670 00:40:49,347 --> 00:40:53,917 NARRATOR: The audacious land heist captured from space 671 00:40:53,919 --> 00:40:57,554 is part of a broader campaign of gray zone tactics 672 00:40:57,655 --> 00:40:59,989 against Taiwan, 673 00:40:59,991 --> 00:41:03,526 a campaign that includes near constant naval patrols, 674 00:41:03,628 --> 00:41:07,697 cyber attacks, and intrusions into Taiwanese airspace. 675 00:41:07,699 --> 00:41:12,135 WALTERS: Gray zone tactics work by exhausting 676 00:41:12,204 --> 00:41:16,139 the enemy into submission with acts of extreme intimidation. 677 00:41:17,309 --> 00:41:20,343 MORAN: It's a form of large-scale psychological 678 00:41:20,445 --> 00:41:22,846 pressure on the population, intended to 679 00:41:22,948 --> 00:41:26,850 eat away at Taiwan's will to exist, 680 00:41:26,952 --> 00:41:28,651 without ever firing a single weapon. 681 00:41:32,791 --> 00:41:35,525 NARRATOR: China is currently increasing the number of 682 00:41:35,660 --> 00:41:38,828 dredgers it's using to eat away at Taiwan. 683 00:41:38,830 --> 00:41:41,965 With tensions escalating, satellites play 684 00:41:42,066 --> 00:41:44,501 a vital role in monitoring the situation 685 00:41:44,636 --> 00:41:45,702 as it unfolds. 686 00:41:47,439 --> 00:41:50,807 China is saying to Taiwan's people, 687 00:41:50,809 --> 00:41:52,609 "Look, we don't recognize your right to this land, 688 00:41:52,711 --> 00:41:55,812 this is ours, and we can take what we like."