1 00:00:02,367 --> 00:00:05,400 An illustrious complex infiltrated 2 00:00:05,567 --> 00:00:07,800 by a notorious gang. 3 00:00:07,967 --> 00:00:10,700 It spiraled into a nationwide FBI investigation. 4 00:00:10,867 --> 00:00:13,567 Become the city's most notorious gangster. 5 00:00:14,967 --> 00:00:17,100 A tranquil Japanese island 6 00:00:17,266 --> 00:00:18,867 with a poisonous legacy. 7 00:00:20,667 --> 00:00:23,700 Doctors would perform surgery on the victims to examine 8 00:00:23,867 --> 00:00:25,900 the biological effects in real time. 9 00:00:28,367 --> 00:00:30,165 And a top secret bunker 10 00:00:30,166 --> 00:00:32,300 raided in the name of freedom. 11 00:00:32,467 --> 00:00:34,700 If the Soviets had caught them doing this, 12 00:00:34,867 --> 00:00:36,100 they would have put them up against the wall 13 00:00:36,266 --> 00:00:37,266 and shot them. 14 00:00:47,100 --> 00:00:49,800 Near the famous Jersey Shore 15 00:00:49,967 --> 00:00:51,366 is a derelict facility 16 00:00:51,367 --> 00:00:54,934 tied to an extraordinary tale of corruption. 17 00:01:01,867 --> 00:01:04,266 What is this place doing gathering weeds, 18 00:01:04,433 --> 00:01:06,099 just 15 minutes away 19 00:01:06,100 --> 00:01:09,400 from a glamorous destination like Atlantic City? 20 00:01:11,066 --> 00:01:13,266 It's got a tall brick tower, 21 00:01:13,433 --> 00:01:14,967 a large grandstand, 22 00:01:15,133 --> 00:01:18,066 and then this enormous overhanging roof. 23 00:01:18,233 --> 00:01:20,099 There are dozens of rows of stadium seats 24 00:01:20,100 --> 00:01:22,466 overlooking an overgrown mess. 25 00:01:22,467 --> 00:01:25,567 From the stands, you can barely see its full scale. 26 00:01:25,734 --> 00:01:30,100 It all looks over this oval track 27 00:01:30,266 --> 00:01:33,000 that is not really wide enough 28 00:01:33,166 --> 00:01:35,667 to be a racetrack for car racing, 29 00:01:35,834 --> 00:01:38,500 but clearly something went around here 30 00:01:38,667 --> 00:01:40,300 at a high rate of speed. 31 00:01:40,467 --> 00:01:42,767 It was a spectacle that attracted 32 00:01:42,934 --> 00:01:44,867 the rich and famous. 33 00:01:46,266 --> 00:01:49,466 This became known as Hollywood by the Sea. 34 00:01:49,467 --> 00:01:51,266 It also had a dark side, 35 00:01:51,433 --> 00:01:54,000 it attracted criminal elements. 36 00:01:54,166 --> 00:01:56,266 And what unfolded was something 37 00:01:56,433 --> 00:01:57,900 straight out of a Scorsese film. 38 00:01:59,767 --> 00:02:02,600 And soon, the FBI were closing its nets 39 00:02:02,767 --> 00:02:04,467 on one of the most notorious 40 00:02:04,633 --> 00:02:06,467 criminal gang leaders in the country. 41 00:02:08,500 --> 00:02:10,967 The investigation into the crimes 42 00:02:11,133 --> 00:02:12,232 that were committed here 43 00:02:12,233 --> 00:02:14,999 would ultimately lead to one of the biggest scandals 44 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,266 in US law enforcement history. 45 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,567 Maureen Bugdon worked here up until 2015. 46 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:33,066 Oh my God! 47 00:02:34,867 --> 00:02:37,300 When I see the structure now 48 00:02:38,166 --> 00:02:40,166 and how quickly it declined-- 49 00:02:40,333 --> 00:02:42,767 You remove the team, the staff, right? 50 00:02:42,934 --> 00:02:44,967 It's as if you remove the heart. 51 00:02:46,867 --> 00:02:50,667 Maureen began as a model and assistant, 52 00:02:50,834 --> 00:02:54,566 and over 20 years worked herself up to become president 53 00:02:54,567 --> 00:02:56,999 of this exclusive club. 54 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,800 It was a facility designed in the 1940s 55 00:03:00,967 --> 00:03:03,767 to scream glitz and glamour. 56 00:03:05,066 --> 00:03:06,600 Atlantic City was one of the top 57 00:03:06,767 --> 00:03:09,266 vacation destinations in America. 58 00:03:09,433 --> 00:03:12,667 It had the famous boardwalk, hotels, 59 00:03:12,834 --> 00:03:14,567 restaurants, entertainment. 60 00:03:14,734 --> 00:03:17,566 John B. Kelly Sr., an Olympic rower 61 00:03:17,567 --> 00:03:19,767 and successful Philadelphia businessman, 62 00:03:19,934 --> 00:03:24,066 was trying to capitalize on Atlantic City's popularity. 63 00:03:24,233 --> 00:03:27,866 Construction got underway in 1945. 64 00:03:27,867 --> 00:03:31,200 A state-of-the-art clubhouse was erected, 65 00:03:31,367 --> 00:03:36,266 surrounded by restaurants, bars, and a barbershop. 66 00:03:36,433 --> 00:03:39,600 At its heart was the main draw, 67 00:03:39,767 --> 00:03:41,767 a unique horse racing track. 68 00:03:43,100 --> 00:03:46,367 It was a mile and an eighth long, 69 00:03:46,533 --> 00:03:50,467 a distance that the horse racing press soon started calling 70 00:03:50,633 --> 00:03:52,165 a "smile and an eighth." 71 00:03:52,166 --> 00:03:55,700 It cost a massive $3.5 million, 72 00:03:55,867 --> 00:03:59,466 the equivalent to nearly $60 million in today's money, 73 00:03:59,467 --> 00:04:03,000 but high profile help was on hand. 74 00:04:03,166 --> 00:04:05,467 In the post war era, 75 00:04:05,633 --> 00:04:08,766 horse racing was a very glamorous sport. 76 00:04:08,767 --> 00:04:12,566 It attracted famous movie stars and celebrities. 77 00:04:12,567 --> 00:04:15,066 It was written up in every newspaper. 78 00:04:16,867 --> 00:04:20,666 July 22, 1946. 79 00:04:20,667 --> 00:04:24,467 The Atlantic City Race Course was ready for action. 80 00:04:25,667 --> 00:04:28,866 It opened to a crowd of 25,000. 81 00:04:28,867 --> 00:04:34,567 Among them were shareholders Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope. 82 00:04:34,734 --> 00:04:38,600 Also in attendance that day was Kelly's young daughter. 83 00:04:38,767 --> 00:04:41,366 She would soon become a name the whole world knew, 84 00:04:41,367 --> 00:04:43,867 Grace Kelly. 85 00:04:44,033 --> 00:04:46,099 Nobody could have predicted the smash hit 86 00:04:46,100 --> 00:04:47,800 this place was going to be. 87 00:04:47,967 --> 00:04:49,766 The opening day betting came in 88 00:04:49,767 --> 00:04:52,500 at nearly $1.4 million, 89 00:04:52,667 --> 00:04:57,667 recouping more than a third of the overall construction costs. 90 00:04:57,834 --> 00:04:59,867 Over the coming months and years, 91 00:05:00,100 --> 00:05:01,700 this track would become a real magnet 92 00:05:01,867 --> 00:05:05,200 for all kinds of celebrities and artists. 93 00:05:05,367 --> 00:05:07,200 There was Jerry Lewis, 94 00:05:07,367 --> 00:05:08,300 Willie Mays, 95 00:05:08,467 --> 00:05:10,200 and Sinatra's Rat Pack. 96 00:05:10,367 --> 00:05:14,166 Even President Eisenhower stopped by for a visit in 1965. 97 00:05:15,767 --> 00:05:20,200 The nation's millions of racing fans are an interesting breed, 98 00:05:20,367 --> 00:05:22,700 with a vigorous enthusiasm far surpassing 99 00:05:22,867 --> 00:05:26,366 that of the followers of any other spectator sport. 100 00:05:31,700 --> 00:05:33,300 That's the jocks' building, 101 00:05:33,467 --> 00:05:36,467 where the jockeys would get ready for the race. 102 00:05:36,633 --> 00:05:38,367 That's the paddock walk ring 103 00:05:38,533 --> 00:05:40,367 where the horses are paraded 104 00:05:40,533 --> 00:05:42,266 before the race 105 00:05:42,433 --> 00:05:46,567 and just underneath is, uh, saddling stalls 106 00:05:46,734 --> 00:05:49,300 and a tunnel that runs right through the building 107 00:05:49,467 --> 00:05:52,265 onto the racetrack surface itself. 108 00:05:52,266 --> 00:05:55,099 As the jockeys emerged from the tunnel, 109 00:05:55,100 --> 00:05:57,567 the tension would build upstairs. 110 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:01,967 On a busy day with a hundred tellers, 111 00:06:02,133 --> 00:06:05,066 you would have had lines about 10 deep. 112 00:06:05,233 --> 00:06:07,967 It would be a flurry of activity. 113 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,766 Throughout history, gambling has always had 114 00:06:12,767 --> 00:06:15,567 a dark underbelly, and this place was no exception. 115 00:06:15,734 --> 00:06:18,466 There up, way to a good start. 116 00:06:18,467 --> 00:06:20,667 By the early seventies, there was a guy 117 00:06:20,834 --> 00:06:22,666 named Anthony Ciulla. 118 00:06:22,667 --> 00:06:26,666 He was known as "Big Tony", in classic mobster parlance, 119 00:06:26,667 --> 00:06:30,700 and he claims that he was able to fix races 120 00:06:30,867 --> 00:06:33,667 in almost every state in the country. 121 00:06:33,834 --> 00:06:36,066 At the Atlantic City Race Course, 122 00:06:36,233 --> 00:06:40,466 he could rely on support from the notorious Winter Hill Gang 123 00:06:40,467 --> 00:06:42,166 and one of its leaders, 124 00:06:43,500 --> 00:06:45,600 "Whitey" Bulger. 125 00:06:45,767 --> 00:06:48,466 This is a famous name to anyone who understands 126 00:06:48,467 --> 00:06:50,265 the history of organized crime. 127 00:06:50,266 --> 00:06:55,165 Whitey Bulger was this brutal crime lord in Boston. 128 00:06:55,166 --> 00:06:57,600 He had rivals executed. 129 00:06:57,767 --> 00:07:00,467 He was involved in all kinds of criminal enterprises. 130 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:06,266 Big Tony went about bribing jockeys and drugging horses 131 00:07:06,433 --> 00:07:10,165 so that less favored horses would win, 132 00:07:10,166 --> 00:07:13,367 and that would give him and his cronies a huge payout. 133 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:18,367 Big Tony could offer these jockeys as much as $10,000 134 00:07:18,533 --> 00:07:19,700 to throw a race. 135 00:07:19,867 --> 00:07:22,600 And if the jockey resisted, he also had 136 00:07:22,767 --> 00:07:24,767 the muscle of the mob behind him. 137 00:07:26,367 --> 00:07:29,500 On a grand July 4th race in 1975, 138 00:07:29,667 --> 00:07:31,466 jockey Peter Fantini 139 00:07:31,467 --> 00:07:33,567 was a little too obvious in holding back his horse. 140 00:07:33,734 --> 00:07:36,667 It would set in motion a chain of events 141 00:07:36,834 --> 00:07:39,165 that would rock the racing world 142 00:07:39,166 --> 00:07:41,166 and expose corruption 143 00:07:41,333 --> 00:07:43,767 at the heart of the FBI. 144 00:07:49,567 --> 00:07:52,467 2 In 1975, jockey Peter Fantini 145 00:07:52,633 --> 00:07:54,366 was caught holding back his horse 146 00:07:54,367 --> 00:07:56,867 at the Atlantic City Race Course. 147 00:07:57,033 --> 00:08:02,667 It would expose a race-fixing mobster known as "Big Tony." 148 00:08:04,467 --> 00:08:08,200 When Fantini threw that race, the feds got interested. 149 00:08:08,367 --> 00:08:10,165 They pulled him in for questioning. 150 00:08:10,166 --> 00:08:13,866 Pretty soon, he rolled over on Big Tony. 151 00:08:13,867 --> 00:08:15,999 Fantini admitted that Big Tony bribed him 152 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:17,466 to throw the race. 153 00:08:17,467 --> 00:08:19,767 He even agreed to go to Big Tony's hotel 154 00:08:19,934 --> 00:08:21,467 wearing a wire to implicate him. 155 00:08:22,567 --> 00:08:24,500 So Big Tony was given a choice. 156 00:08:24,667 --> 00:08:27,000 He could either snitch on his cohorts 157 00:08:27,166 --> 00:08:30,266 or he could face a very long sentence. 158 00:08:30,433 --> 00:08:34,166 His cooperation led to the conviction of over 40 people 159 00:08:34,333 --> 00:08:36,500 and implicated over half of the jockeys 160 00:08:36,667 --> 00:08:38,566 now in the Hall of Fame. 161 00:08:38,567 --> 00:08:42,066 His testimony included the infamous gangster, 162 00:08:42,233 --> 00:08:43,567 Whitey Bulger, 163 00:08:43,734 --> 00:08:46,666 and 20 other members of the Winter Hill Gang. 164 00:08:46,667 --> 00:08:52,700 In 1979, they were nearly all sent to prison for race fixing. 165 00:08:52,867 --> 00:08:57,066 But mysteriously, Bulger was soon back on the streets, 166 00:08:57,233 --> 00:09:00,165 and now he was the top boss. 167 00:09:00,166 --> 00:09:02,099 Of all the people investigated 168 00:09:02,100 --> 00:09:04,266 in this horse racing investigation, 169 00:09:04,433 --> 00:09:07,600 Whitey Bulger was never indicted or prosecuted. 170 00:09:07,767 --> 00:09:10,667 Why was he untouched? 171 00:09:10,834 --> 00:09:14,967 It turned out that Bulger was an FBI informant, 172 00:09:15,133 --> 00:09:16,600 and he was being protected 173 00:09:16,767 --> 00:09:19,367 by a corrupt agent named John Connolly. 174 00:09:20,266 --> 00:09:22,265 Bulger would tip Connolly off 175 00:09:22,266 --> 00:09:25,165 about what various Boston mobsters were up to. 176 00:09:25,166 --> 00:09:28,066 So he got rid of some of his competitors that way. 177 00:09:28,233 --> 00:09:31,800 Meanwhile, John Connolly was tipping Whitey Bulger off 178 00:09:31,967 --> 00:09:33,600 about what the FBI was up to 179 00:09:33,767 --> 00:09:35,566 and who the other informants were. 180 00:09:35,567 --> 00:09:38,100 A lot of those informants wound up 181 00:09:38,266 --> 00:09:39,867 getting knocked off themselves. 182 00:09:41,066 --> 00:09:43,999 Connolly was later convicted for his role 183 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,166 in one of these murders. 184 00:09:46,333 --> 00:09:50,166 He also tipped Bulger off when the FBI was finally 185 00:09:50,333 --> 00:09:53,567 about to arrest him in 1994. 186 00:09:53,734 --> 00:09:56,566 Whitey Bulger escaped, went underground, 187 00:09:56,567 --> 00:09:59,467 and he lived undercover for years. 188 00:10:01,100 --> 00:10:03,466 Meanwhile, the Atlantic City Race Course 189 00:10:03,467 --> 00:10:06,265 began to see legal and cultural changes 190 00:10:06,266 --> 00:10:08,800 eat away at its allure and popularity. 191 00:10:09,900 --> 00:10:13,900 As casino gambling was legalized in New Jersey 192 00:10:14,066 --> 00:10:15,467 in the 1970s 193 00:10:15,633 --> 00:10:16,800 and they started building 194 00:10:16,967 --> 00:10:19,367 the big casinos in Atlantic City, 195 00:10:19,533 --> 00:10:22,700 traffic to the racetrack began to drop off. 196 00:10:22,867 --> 00:10:25,667 It continued to operate for decades, 197 00:10:25,834 --> 00:10:28,900 but was eventually abandoned in 2015. 198 00:10:34,367 --> 00:10:38,467 The future of this legendary race course remains uncertain. 199 00:10:38,633 --> 00:10:42,066 But the scandal that was sparked here in 1975 200 00:10:42,233 --> 00:10:44,166 has left a damaging legacy. 201 00:10:45,467 --> 00:10:47,166 Whitey Bulger went on to become 202 00:10:47,333 --> 00:10:50,500 the FBI's public enemy number one 203 00:10:50,667 --> 00:10:53,266 and was only captured in 2011. 204 00:10:54,367 --> 00:10:58,900 In 2018, he was brutally beaten to death in prison. 205 00:10:59,066 --> 00:11:03,166 But the relationship between FBI agent John Connolly 206 00:11:03,333 --> 00:11:05,200 and Whitey Bulger was a scandal 207 00:11:05,367 --> 00:11:08,767 that the FBI took years to really own up to. 208 00:11:08,934 --> 00:11:11,867 To this day, it's a stain on the reputation of the agency. 209 00:11:18,567 --> 00:11:22,867 In Lithuania, 15 miles from the capital Vilnius, 210 00:11:23,033 --> 00:11:25,867 is a facility shrouded in secrecy. 211 00:11:31,867 --> 00:11:34,766 We're in these dense, misty forests that really feel 212 00:11:34,767 --> 00:11:37,265 like they're in the middle of nowhere. 213 00:11:37,266 --> 00:11:40,667 If you were hoping to hide away from prying eyes, 214 00:11:40,834 --> 00:11:42,967 this would be the perfect place. 215 00:11:44,166 --> 00:11:45,367 And then, in this clearing, 216 00:11:45,533 --> 00:11:47,700 there's what appears to be an office building, 217 00:11:47,867 --> 00:11:51,400 but what's kind of strange is that there's this inner complex 218 00:11:51,567 --> 00:11:53,700 with this big fence around it. 219 00:11:53,867 --> 00:11:56,367 There's clearly more here than first meets the eye. 220 00:11:57,667 --> 00:11:59,700 There's an entrance to something 221 00:11:59,867 --> 00:12:01,400 buried in the hillside. 222 00:12:02,767 --> 00:12:05,567 Chosen for its isolation, this site was built 223 00:12:05,734 --> 00:12:07,467 with one purpose in mind, 224 00:12:08,066 --> 00:12:11,066 controlling a nation. 225 00:12:11,233 --> 00:12:13,165 There's this really kind of strange mix here. 226 00:12:13,166 --> 00:12:16,667 There's racks of electronics, but then there's kitchens 227 00:12:16,834 --> 00:12:18,767 and a dining area. 228 00:12:18,934 --> 00:12:23,099 It has all kinds of space for storage and for personnel, 229 00:12:23,100 --> 00:12:25,300 but also one room after another 230 00:12:25,467 --> 00:12:28,300 clearly fitted as a recording studio. 231 00:12:28,467 --> 00:12:31,165 This was the site of a daring raid, 232 00:12:31,166 --> 00:12:36,000 right under the noses of the KGB's special forces. 233 00:12:36,166 --> 00:12:37,766 If they were caught inside here, 234 00:12:37,767 --> 00:12:39,866 they'd be put up against a wall and shot. 235 00:12:39,867 --> 00:12:43,666 It was part of a larger struggle that culminated 236 00:12:43,667 --> 00:12:47,200 in a dramatic face-off that would shock the world. 237 00:12:47,367 --> 00:12:50,867 They leveled their rifles at unarmed protesters 238 00:12:51,033 --> 00:12:53,467 and plowed into the crowds in their tanks. 239 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,900 Since 2008, Mindaugas Vanagas 240 00:13:02,066 --> 00:13:03,999 has been researching this site, 241 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,066 trying to piece together the rumors 242 00:13:06,233 --> 00:13:08,367 that swirl around it. 243 00:13:08,533 --> 00:13:12,567 Many knew it only as "object number 523". 244 00:13:14,166 --> 00:13:17,867 People who worked here told me that they were just told 245 00:13:18,033 --> 00:13:21,600 to get to the bus and they would drive to some kind of place. 246 00:13:21,767 --> 00:13:23,600 They didn't know where they are going. 247 00:13:23,767 --> 00:13:28,165 Nobody knows about the place, where exactly it is. 248 00:13:28,166 --> 00:13:32,100 Built during the Soviet Union's occupation of Lithuania, 249 00:13:32,266 --> 00:13:35,967 this complex was designed to be used in the fallout 250 00:13:36,133 --> 00:13:37,666 from a nuclear strike. 251 00:13:37,667 --> 00:13:40,000 This is decontamination zone. 252 00:13:40,166 --> 00:13:42,400 When somebody gets into the bunker from outside, 253 00:13:42,567 --> 00:13:47,099 he's washed and cleaned just to keep the contaminated materials 254 00:13:47,100 --> 00:13:48,934 out of this bunker. 255 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:53,600 At the height of the Cold War, the arms race 256 00:13:53,767 --> 00:13:56,366 between the United States and the Soviet Union 257 00:13:56,367 --> 00:13:59,567 really made nuclear conflict a real possibility. 258 00:14:01,867 --> 00:14:05,999 Constructed between 1983 and 1985, 259 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,767 this is the Nemencine communications bunker, 260 00:14:09,934 --> 00:14:13,000 part of a network that would enable the Soviet government 261 00:14:13,166 --> 00:14:15,600 to take over the Lithuanian media 262 00:14:15,767 --> 00:14:18,900 and control the information war. 263 00:14:19,066 --> 00:14:21,666 This place was gonna be one of the critical nodes 264 00:14:21,667 --> 00:14:25,766 where there would be a communication studio 265 00:14:25,767 --> 00:14:29,967 to transmit to the people of the region what was going on 266 00:14:30,133 --> 00:14:33,400 or what the regime wanted them to think was going on. 267 00:14:33,567 --> 00:14:35,467 So that's the radio studio. 268 00:14:35,633 --> 00:14:38,666 If you see, there's soundproofing walls all around, 269 00:14:38,667 --> 00:14:40,767 the triple glass. 270 00:14:40,934 --> 00:14:43,967 So one side was somebody sitting who's kind of speaking, 271 00:14:44,133 --> 00:14:47,300 and the other side was guys who work with the sound. 272 00:14:48,900 --> 00:14:52,999 Inside, there were television and radio studio facilities, 273 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:56,999 a full video and audio library, as well as offices 274 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:58,867 for the journalists and technicians. 275 00:15:00,166 --> 00:15:03,200 Here, you had everything getting produced and recorded. 276 00:15:03,367 --> 00:15:06,967 It would then send it along to another bunker, 277 00:15:07,133 --> 00:15:08,999 which was linked to the television tower 278 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,400 in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. 279 00:15:11,567 --> 00:15:14,200 In the event of war, a staff of Lithuanians 280 00:15:14,367 --> 00:15:17,566 would be rapidly replaced by KGB personnel 281 00:15:17,567 --> 00:15:20,000 who would take control of the bunker. 282 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:25,200 But as the Soviet Empire began to crumble, 283 00:15:25,367 --> 00:15:28,166 the threat of nuclear attack subsided, 284 00:15:28,333 --> 00:15:31,667 and the people of Lithuania sensed an opportunity. 285 00:15:33,467 --> 00:15:35,500 The Berlin Wall famously comes down 286 00:15:35,667 --> 00:15:36,833 at the end of 1989, 287 00:15:36,834 --> 00:15:41,100 and this triggers ferment all over the old Warsaw Pact, 288 00:15:41,266 --> 00:15:45,300 as all the old subject nations of Russia start clamoring 289 00:15:45,467 --> 00:15:47,366 for independence, declaring independence. 290 00:15:47,367 --> 00:15:49,600 And this is what happens in Lithuania. 291 00:15:49,767 --> 00:15:52,165 The country held multi-party elections 292 00:15:52,166 --> 00:15:55,166 for the first time since 1940. 293 00:15:56,667 --> 00:15:59,400 Radio and television footage of these events 294 00:15:59,567 --> 00:16:02,200 was beamed around the country. 295 00:16:02,367 --> 00:16:06,266 The footage also included uprisings taking place 296 00:16:06,433 --> 00:16:09,100 in other countries across the Soviet Union. 297 00:16:10,967 --> 00:16:13,266 On January 11th, 1991, 298 00:16:13,433 --> 00:16:15,400 the Soviets had finally had enough. 299 00:16:15,567 --> 00:16:17,367 They launch a full-scale attack 300 00:16:17,533 --> 00:16:20,165 to retake control of the country. 301 00:16:20,166 --> 00:16:21,700 Part of their strategy 302 00:16:21,867 --> 00:16:23,800 was to cut the lines of communication 303 00:16:23,967 --> 00:16:26,667 that were fueling the independence movement. 304 00:16:26,834 --> 00:16:30,200 The bunker was now a priority target. 305 00:16:36,667 --> 00:16:40,800 2 In 1991, Soviet forces invaded Lithuania 306 00:16:40,967 --> 00:16:44,400 to crush a growing independence movement. 307 00:16:44,567 --> 00:16:47,165 The Nemencine communications bunker, 308 00:16:47,166 --> 00:16:50,000 just outside the capital city, Vilnius, 309 00:16:50,166 --> 00:16:52,300 was a top priority target. 310 00:16:53,467 --> 00:16:55,999 The Soviets were desperate to sever 311 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:57,566 these lines of communication 312 00:16:57,567 --> 00:17:00,065 that were allowing the opposition to organize. 313 00:17:00,066 --> 00:17:02,166 On January 11th, 314 00:17:02,333 --> 00:17:04,099 heavily armed special forces 315 00:17:04,100 --> 00:17:07,766 appeared out of the darkness and stormed the compound. 316 00:17:07,767 --> 00:17:11,666 And these elite secret police units called OMON, O-M-O-N, 317 00:17:11,667 --> 00:17:14,400 they go into the bunker to secure it, 318 00:17:14,567 --> 00:17:17,999 to make sure the Lithuanians can't use its facilities. 319 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,500 Two days after having secured 320 00:17:20,667 --> 00:17:23,066 this secret radio and television facility, 321 00:17:23,233 --> 00:17:24,666 Soviet forces turned to 322 00:17:24,667 --> 00:17:27,500 the capital's television building and tower. 323 00:17:27,667 --> 00:17:29,967 This is where the events unfolding 324 00:17:30,133 --> 00:17:32,100 across the country were being broadcast. 325 00:17:32,266 --> 00:17:34,300 This is where people were getting their information 326 00:17:34,467 --> 00:17:36,566 and understanding what was going on. 327 00:17:36,567 --> 00:17:38,700 The TV tower was broadcasting 328 00:17:38,867 --> 00:17:40,466 footage of the invasion 329 00:17:40,467 --> 00:17:43,999 and the Lithuanian independence movement. 330 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:47,099 Soviet forces arrived to take control of the narrative, 331 00:17:47,100 --> 00:17:51,466 but found crowds of citizens had surrounded the buildings. 332 00:17:51,467 --> 00:17:54,800 Ready to defend their freedoms at any cost, 333 00:17:54,967 --> 00:17:57,567 it escalated into a deadly face-off. 334 00:17:59,667 --> 00:18:01,867 The Soviets finally ran their tanks 335 00:18:02,033 --> 00:18:03,866 into these human shields. 336 00:18:03,867 --> 00:18:08,567 They kill 14 people and they wound more than 600 337 00:18:08,734 --> 00:18:12,400 at the TV tower and other buildings around the city. 338 00:18:12,567 --> 00:18:15,999 You can actually see footage of the Soviet soldiers breaking 339 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,200 into the studio and cutting the broadcaster's feed. 340 00:18:25,367 --> 00:18:29,567 With the bunker and tower now under Soviet control, 341 00:18:29,734 --> 00:18:34,667 TVs and radios across the nation fell silent. 342 00:18:34,834 --> 00:18:38,099 In the coming days, pro-independence journalists 343 00:18:38,100 --> 00:18:42,265 and broadcasters scrambled to continue covering the story 344 00:18:42,266 --> 00:18:43,967 by any means necessary. 345 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,700 Lithuanian people needed to know that 346 00:18:47,867 --> 00:18:51,300 our government is still working and we are not gonna give up 347 00:18:51,467 --> 00:18:53,999 and give everything to Russian soldiers. 348 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,000 Across the city, makeshift offices and studios 349 00:18:57,166 --> 00:18:59,667 were set up, but there was a real shortage of 350 00:18:59,834 --> 00:19:02,000 equipment needed to continue broadcasting. 351 00:19:03,300 --> 00:19:05,500 This closely guarded bunker 352 00:19:05,667 --> 00:19:07,900 held that much-needed equipment. 353 00:19:09,100 --> 00:19:12,100 There was one guy who kind of built this bunker. 354 00:19:12,266 --> 00:19:15,266 He was looking after all the building site, 355 00:19:15,433 --> 00:19:17,500 and he knew the bunker very well, 356 00:19:17,667 --> 00:19:20,467 so he decided to help Lithuanian journalists. 357 00:19:21,867 --> 00:19:24,667 One thing that the Soviet guards didn't know 358 00:19:24,834 --> 00:19:27,100 was that there was a tunnel connecting the bunker 359 00:19:27,266 --> 00:19:29,000 to apartments nearby. 360 00:19:29,166 --> 00:19:32,166 This man put his life on the line 361 00:19:32,333 --> 00:19:35,000 and decided to sneak in past the guards. 362 00:19:36,166 --> 00:19:38,600 So he used this long corridor, 363 00:19:38,767 --> 00:19:40,999 and he was taking all the equipment, 364 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:43,467 silently, and bringing all that stuff 365 00:19:43,633 --> 00:19:45,166 to Lithuanian journalists. 366 00:19:46,467 --> 00:19:49,099 And obviously, if the Soviets had caught him doing this, 367 00:19:49,100 --> 00:19:51,667 they would have put him up against the wall and shot him. 368 00:19:51,834 --> 00:19:54,066 The man's bravery paid off. 369 00:19:54,233 --> 00:19:57,867 Journalists took this smuggled equipment and got to work. 370 00:19:58,033 --> 00:19:59,999 Images of the independence movement 371 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,999 were shared around the world. 372 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,099 International pressure mounted, and after several more months, 373 00:20:06,100 --> 00:20:09,700 the Soviets eventually backed down. 374 00:20:09,867 --> 00:20:13,367 We take until September 1991 for the Soviet Union 375 00:20:13,533 --> 00:20:16,566 to recognize Lithuanian independence. 376 00:20:16,567 --> 00:20:19,099 With that, they withdrew their troops 377 00:20:19,100 --> 00:20:21,100 from the capital and abandoned the bunker. 378 00:20:22,767 --> 00:20:25,366 So the bunker was left without radio equipment, 379 00:20:25,367 --> 00:20:27,000 and the cameras were stolen. 380 00:20:27,166 --> 00:20:31,166 And after the Russian soldiers left, this bunker was left 381 00:20:31,333 --> 00:20:33,200 without any purpose and use. 382 00:20:41,066 --> 00:20:44,667 Today, it's been put to a rather surprising new use. 383 00:20:45,900 --> 00:20:49,066 The bunker is host to a sort of simulator of 384 00:20:49,233 --> 00:20:52,165 what it was like to live under Soviet control. 385 00:20:52,166 --> 00:20:56,600 It's a reminder that many of the freedoms we hold dear 386 00:20:56,767 --> 00:21:00,867 are often more on a knife edge than we would like to believe. 387 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:11,866 In Midtown, Detroit, two unusual structures 388 00:21:11,867 --> 00:21:15,400 straddle an otherwise typical suburban street. 389 00:21:20,367 --> 00:21:23,200 They seem to be a sort of a conflation 390 00:21:23,367 --> 00:21:25,400 of an industrial building 391 00:21:25,567 --> 00:21:27,467 with something else more ornate. 392 00:21:27,633 --> 00:21:31,100 One is low and almost fortress-like, 393 00:21:31,266 --> 00:21:32,999 and the other is a mix of styles. 394 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,166 It's almost as if you sandwiched 395 00:21:35,333 --> 00:21:38,100 a historic building in between two factories. 396 00:21:38,266 --> 00:21:40,300 It's an intriguing mix. 397 00:21:40,467 --> 00:21:42,466 They may look different, 398 00:21:42,467 --> 00:21:44,867 but they're very much connected. 399 00:21:45,767 --> 00:21:48,265 Inside the oldest looking structure, 400 00:21:48,266 --> 00:21:50,867 there's no mistaking what this was. 401 00:21:52,867 --> 00:21:55,900 As we enter, we see the stained glass windows, 402 00:21:56,066 --> 00:21:58,967 the pews, but no parishioners. 403 00:21:59,133 --> 00:22:03,066 And we see a stage and an altar, but no priest. 404 00:22:03,233 --> 00:22:06,165 This church and the surrounding complex 405 00:22:06,166 --> 00:22:09,367 was more than a place of worship. 406 00:22:09,533 --> 00:22:12,000 This building did not only provide a foundation 407 00:22:12,166 --> 00:22:15,767 for the civil rights movement, but many might argue that it 408 00:22:15,934 --> 00:22:20,999 was here that the first speech around Black Power was given. 409 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:22,367 It would also produce 410 00:22:22,533 --> 00:22:25,567 some of Motown's most iconic performers. 411 00:22:26,867 --> 00:22:30,500 It was a famous center of gospel music, and it gave rise 412 00:22:30,667 --> 00:22:34,066 to one of the most successful vocal groups of all time. 413 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:44,200 2 414 00:22:44,367 --> 00:22:47,300 After the First World War, there was an influx 415 00:22:47,467 --> 00:22:50,366 of white Southerners drawn to cities like Detroit 416 00:22:50,367 --> 00:22:53,100 because of the high wages in the auto industry. 417 00:22:54,467 --> 00:22:58,166 In 1921, a Baptist church was formed in this building 418 00:22:58,333 --> 00:23:00,967 to cater to some of those new Southern residents. 419 00:23:01,133 --> 00:23:03,366 It was called Temple Baptist Church, 420 00:23:03,367 --> 00:23:06,667 and it had an all-white, segregated congregation. 421 00:23:06,834 --> 00:23:09,666 But a bigger migration was already underway, 422 00:23:09,667 --> 00:23:11,700 and when the church was put up for sale, 423 00:23:11,867 --> 00:23:16,200 a cultural shift would send it in a new direction. 424 00:23:16,367 --> 00:23:18,999 Motivated by the desire to escape racial violence 425 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,266 and pursue greater economic opportunity, there was 426 00:23:22,433 --> 00:23:26,667 an exodus of Black Americans from the Jim Crow South. 427 00:23:26,834 --> 00:23:28,466 The need for industrial workers 428 00:23:28,467 --> 00:23:30,666 in Detroit and other northern cities 429 00:23:30,667 --> 00:23:33,100 drew millions of African Americans from the South. 430 00:23:33,266 --> 00:23:36,300 It's part of what became known as the Great Migration. 431 00:23:38,767 --> 00:23:43,667 In 1952, an all-Black church that was really trying to cater 432 00:23:43,834 --> 00:23:46,800 to these Southern transplants decided to make 433 00:23:46,967 --> 00:23:48,166 this place their home. 434 00:23:49,367 --> 00:23:51,367 It was transformed into 435 00:23:51,533 --> 00:23:54,266 the King Solomon Baptist Church. 436 00:23:56,166 --> 00:23:59,866 Current Reverend Charles Williams II knows all too well 437 00:23:59,867 --> 00:24:04,000 the scale of the challenge they were taking on. 438 00:24:04,166 --> 00:24:06,667 When King Solomon, one of the first Black churches 439 00:24:06,834 --> 00:24:09,099 on a major street in the city of Detroit, 440 00:24:09,100 --> 00:24:11,400 purchased Temple Baptist Church, 441 00:24:11,567 --> 00:24:15,166 which was originally a White separatist church, 442 00:24:15,333 --> 00:24:19,166 they purchased 150,000 square feet. 443 00:24:19,333 --> 00:24:22,967 That meant two buildings, one auditorium building 444 00:24:23,133 --> 00:24:26,266 and one education building with recreation 445 00:24:26,433 --> 00:24:28,666 as well as a sanctuary. 446 00:24:28,667 --> 00:24:31,667 This was really more than a church. 447 00:24:31,834 --> 00:24:34,867 It was really the heart of the community, 448 00:24:35,033 --> 00:24:39,099 and it's where so many of the world's finest performers 449 00:24:39,100 --> 00:24:41,100 graced the stage. 450 00:24:41,266 --> 00:24:44,667 So this facility served as an opportunity 451 00:24:44,834 --> 00:24:47,600 and a place for gospel concerts. 452 00:24:47,767 --> 00:24:50,600 Everybody played King Solomon. 453 00:24:50,767 --> 00:24:52,165 If you were Lou Rogg, 454 00:24:52,166 --> 00:24:54,867 Sam Cooke, who we all know and love, 455 00:24:55,033 --> 00:24:56,866 played King Solomon. 456 00:24:56,867 --> 00:24:59,967 And then, of course, we're strategically placed 457 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,600 right around the corner from Motown Museum. 458 00:25:03,767 --> 00:25:07,200 With its 5,000-seater auditorium, it became a regular 459 00:25:07,367 --> 00:25:10,767 stop for artists hitting the so-called Chitlin' Circuit, 460 00:25:10,934 --> 00:25:13,566 a collection of key venues they would play 461 00:25:13,567 --> 00:25:15,600 on their tours across America. 462 00:25:17,367 --> 00:25:20,500 This was one of the places on that Chitlin' Circuit 463 00:25:20,667 --> 00:25:23,500 that all of the gospel artists wanted to play 464 00:25:23,667 --> 00:25:26,266 because it was the largest facility 465 00:25:26,433 --> 00:25:31,467 where you could have a real knockdown concert. 466 00:25:31,633 --> 00:25:34,400 Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, 467 00:25:34,567 --> 00:25:36,300 was actually sitting here in the audience 468 00:25:36,467 --> 00:25:40,266 when he heard three young, talented women do an audition. 469 00:25:42,300 --> 00:25:44,367 And their names were Mary Wilson, 470 00:25:44,533 --> 00:25:45,767 Florence Ballard, 471 00:25:45,934 --> 00:25:47,367 and Diana Ross. 472 00:25:47,533 --> 00:25:50,000 This audition ultimately landed them a deal 473 00:25:50,166 --> 00:25:54,099 with Motown Records, but there was just one condition. 474 00:25:54,100 --> 00:25:57,466 Gordy insisted the group change their name, 475 00:25:57,467 --> 00:26:00,066 and The Supremes were born. 476 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:09,000 The size of the church ensured that it served 477 00:26:09,166 --> 00:26:11,367 not only as a community center, 478 00:26:11,533 --> 00:26:14,767 but also a hub of political activism. 479 00:26:14,934 --> 00:26:17,766 Because of our classrooms across the street 480 00:26:17,767 --> 00:26:21,000 in the auditorium right next door, 481 00:26:21,166 --> 00:26:25,066 this became one of the convention centers for, 482 00:26:25,233 --> 00:26:28,000 quite frankly, Black America. 483 00:26:28,166 --> 00:26:31,100 And this put it right at the center of a rapidly 484 00:26:31,266 --> 00:26:33,567 unfolding civil rights movement that was really 485 00:26:33,734 --> 00:26:34,867 at a critical juncture. 486 00:26:36,900 --> 00:26:39,400 1963 marked the centenary 487 00:26:39,567 --> 00:26:43,200 of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, 488 00:26:43,367 --> 00:26:45,867 ending legal slavery in America. 489 00:26:46,033 --> 00:26:48,366 To mark the occasion, the church hosted 490 00:26:48,367 --> 00:26:51,367 the Progressive National Baptist Convention, 491 00:26:51,533 --> 00:26:52,967 and the keynote speaker was 492 00:26:53,133 --> 00:26:55,800 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 493 00:26:57,700 --> 00:26:59,766 His speech a week earlier, 494 00:26:59,767 --> 00:27:01,566 during the March on Washington, 495 00:27:01,567 --> 00:27:04,766 meant the eyes of the world were now on the church 496 00:27:04,767 --> 00:27:07,533 where 10,000 people had gathered. 497 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,165 Coming so soon after his "I Have a Dream" speech, 498 00:27:13,166 --> 00:27:17,066 you can imagine the atmosphere. It must have been electric. 499 00:27:17,233 --> 00:27:21,200 This was a pivotal speech made at a time 500 00:27:21,367 --> 00:27:23,766 when America was at the crossroads. 501 00:27:23,767 --> 00:27:27,166 This place provided the foundation 502 00:27:27,333 --> 00:27:30,367 for the next phase of that movement, 503 00:27:30,533 --> 00:27:33,099 a movement towards direct action 504 00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:37,566 and away from just the theorizing about equality. 505 00:27:37,567 --> 00:27:40,866 Just a few weeks later, another speaker came here, 506 00:27:40,867 --> 00:27:46,666 and he offered a stark alternative to MLK's vision. 507 00:27:46,667 --> 00:27:49,566 On November 10th, 1963, 508 00:27:49,567 --> 00:27:52,967 Malcolm X delivered a seminal speech. 509 00:27:53,133 --> 00:27:55,500 It would inspire many in the burgeoning 510 00:27:55,667 --> 00:27:57,100 Black Power movement. 511 00:27:58,567 --> 00:28:01,667 He was heavily critical of the nonviolent 512 00:28:01,834 --> 00:28:06,265 civil rights movement that was put forward by the likes of MLK, 513 00:28:06,266 --> 00:28:12,100 and he promoted revolution with violence, if necessary. 514 00:28:12,266 --> 00:28:15,500 But his fiery rhetoric didn't go down well 515 00:28:15,667 --> 00:28:18,100 with everyone connected to the church. 516 00:28:18,266 --> 00:28:22,066 Some ministers felt it might harm the civil rights cause. 517 00:28:23,467 --> 00:28:25,967 So when he was scheduled to make another appearance 518 00:28:26,133 --> 00:28:29,099 in April of the following year, the church actually tried 519 00:28:29,100 --> 00:28:30,967 to prevent him from coming back. 520 00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:34,867 Since Malcolm X had already paid for 521 00:28:35,033 --> 00:28:36,867 and advertised the speech, 522 00:28:37,033 --> 00:28:40,300 he took the matter to court and prevailed. 523 00:28:40,467 --> 00:28:43,500 When he arrived in April, 1964, 524 00:28:43,667 --> 00:28:46,300 a presidential election was looming, 525 00:28:46,467 --> 00:28:49,265 but many Black Americans were still being denied 526 00:28:49,266 --> 00:28:51,800 their right to vote. 527 00:28:51,967 --> 00:28:56,667 We are in the balcony of a place where individuals 528 00:28:56,834 --> 00:29:00,265 watched Malcolm X give the speech, 529 00:29:00,266 --> 00:29:02,165 "Ballot or the Bullet." 530 00:29:02,166 --> 00:29:04,766 His message was clear. 531 00:29:04,767 --> 00:29:07,300 If Black Americans were prevented from voting 532 00:29:07,467 --> 00:29:09,265 in the upcoming election, 533 00:29:09,266 --> 00:29:11,767 they should take up arms. 534 00:29:18,166 --> 00:29:21,467 2 In 1964, the King Solomon Baptist Church 535 00:29:21,633 --> 00:29:25,600 in Detroit was a hub of civil rights activism. 536 00:29:25,767 --> 00:29:28,467 With the presidential election just months away, 537 00:29:28,633 --> 00:29:32,666 Malcolm X delivered a speech in the church's auditorium. 538 00:29:32,667 --> 00:29:35,165 He declared that if Black Americans were denied 539 00:29:35,166 --> 00:29:38,567 their right to vote, they were no longer willing 540 00:29:38,734 --> 00:29:40,999 to turn the other cheek. 541 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:45,767 So 1964 was the year of "The Ballot or the Bullet." 542 00:29:47,066 --> 00:29:50,100 Malcolm's speech, "The Ballot or the Bullet", 543 00:29:50,266 --> 00:29:55,867 was intended to light a fire under resistance. 544 00:29:56,033 --> 00:30:00,466 He was saying that if the peaceful civil rights 545 00:30:00,467 --> 00:30:04,566 movement doesn't work, then armed resistance 546 00:30:04,567 --> 00:30:06,000 is going to be necessary. 547 00:30:06,166 --> 00:30:11,066 And in this sense, his speech was extraordinarily 548 00:30:11,233 --> 00:30:12,900 dangerous to the powers that be. 549 00:30:14,567 --> 00:30:17,867 The following year, he was assassinated. 550 00:30:18,667 --> 00:30:21,099 Speculation over who was behind the hit 551 00:30:21,100 --> 00:30:23,000 has been rife ever since, 552 00:30:23,166 --> 00:30:29,867 and in 2024, his family sued the CIA, FBI, and NYPD, 553 00:30:30,033 --> 00:30:32,866 over their involvement in his murder. 554 00:30:32,867 --> 00:30:36,400 In death, Malcolm X's teachings and speeches continued 555 00:30:36,567 --> 00:30:39,400 to inspire a growing Black Power movement, 556 00:30:39,567 --> 00:30:41,700 which was further fueled by the assassination 557 00:30:41,867 --> 00:30:44,500 of Dr. King in 1968. 558 00:30:45,900 --> 00:30:48,466 Riots swept through cities like Detroit, 559 00:30:48,467 --> 00:30:51,867 which at this time was suffering economic decline, 560 00:30:52,033 --> 00:30:56,166 driven by a collapsing motor industry. 561 00:30:56,333 --> 00:31:01,766 The city's population shrank by 60% between 1950 and 2010, 562 00:31:01,767 --> 00:31:04,200 and the church's congregation shrank with it. 563 00:31:04,367 --> 00:31:07,300 Eventually, they could no longer afford the bills, 564 00:31:07,467 --> 00:31:09,266 and so they moved into the auditorium, 565 00:31:09,433 --> 00:31:11,266 leaving the church building to decay. 566 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:20,300 I'm honored, and I've never gotten used to the fact 567 00:31:20,467 --> 00:31:25,265 that I stand in the same place where Malcolm stood, 568 00:31:25,266 --> 00:31:27,500 where Doc King stood. 569 00:31:27,667 --> 00:31:30,600 The old church building remains closed, 570 00:31:30,767 --> 00:31:34,200 but services and community work continue to take place 571 00:31:34,367 --> 00:31:36,100 in the auditorium. 572 00:31:37,367 --> 00:31:39,099 As we're getting back to our roots, 573 00:31:39,100 --> 00:31:42,600 we're utilizing the space for the community, 574 00:31:42,767 --> 00:31:44,300 a place where 575 00:31:44,467 --> 00:31:46,666 if you need a meal, you can get a meal. 576 00:31:46,667 --> 00:31:48,999 We wanna continue on that legacy, 577 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:50,800 continue on that tradition, 578 00:31:50,967 --> 00:31:53,466 and that's why the doors of the church 579 00:31:53,467 --> 00:31:55,266 swing open today. 580 00:32:02,266 --> 00:32:06,300 On the Japanese coast, 43 miles from Hiroshima, 581 00:32:06,467 --> 00:32:09,367 is an island famed for its nature. 582 00:32:14,500 --> 00:32:17,300 This island is one of 3,000 in this beautiful region, 583 00:32:17,467 --> 00:32:19,165 and it really is tiny, 584 00:32:19,166 --> 00:32:22,500 less than half a square mile in size. 585 00:32:22,667 --> 00:32:25,099 The first thing you notice is rabbits. 586 00:32:25,100 --> 00:32:29,766 They are everywhere. Where did they all come from? 587 00:32:29,767 --> 00:32:32,967 A closer examination reveals a number 588 00:32:33,133 --> 00:32:36,999 of strange structures camouflaged in the rock. 589 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:39,967 At the top of the hill, we find this big stone expanse 590 00:32:40,133 --> 00:32:43,466 sunken into the land, almost like an arena. 591 00:32:43,467 --> 00:32:48,100 Underneath, we see arched brick structures and domed rooms, 592 00:32:48,266 --> 00:32:49,467 perhaps for storage. 593 00:32:50,867 --> 00:32:54,066 What was produced at this facility has left 594 00:32:54,233 --> 00:32:56,700 a toxic legacy. 595 00:32:56,867 --> 00:32:59,200 So for decades, no trees could grow here, 596 00:32:59,367 --> 00:33:02,066 because of what was buried in the soil. 597 00:33:02,233 --> 00:33:04,400 What happened here was so secret, 598 00:33:04,567 --> 00:33:06,967 the island was erased from the map. 599 00:33:12,867 --> 00:33:15,867 Local historian Naoto Shinmoto 600 00:33:16,033 --> 00:33:18,767 first visited this site as a young boy. 601 00:33:23,467 --> 00:33:25,766 I was in year six of primary school 602 00:33:25,767 --> 00:33:28,066 the first time I came to Okunoshima. 603 00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:33,700 As a local, I have complicated feelings about it. 604 00:33:37,700 --> 00:33:41,366 Like many who grew up nearby, Shinmoto was aware 605 00:33:41,367 --> 00:33:44,967 that the island had an unsettling past. 606 00:33:45,133 --> 00:33:48,767 It was a violation of international law, 607 00:33:48,934 --> 00:33:50,666 so there was a strong gag order. 608 00:33:50,667 --> 00:33:53,100 It had to be kept a secret. 609 00:33:55,367 --> 00:33:58,700 This island was once a key part of Japan's defense. 610 00:34:00,066 --> 00:34:04,100 In the early 1900s, a rapidly modernizing Japan 611 00:34:04,266 --> 00:34:06,666 began fortifying the region. 612 00:34:06,667 --> 00:34:10,266 On this island, three gun batteries were constructed 613 00:34:10,433 --> 00:34:13,100 as part of the Geiyo Fortress. 614 00:34:13,266 --> 00:34:16,600 By the 1920s, the gun emplacements were outdated, 615 00:34:16,767 --> 00:34:18,800 and the fortress was retired, 616 00:34:18,967 --> 00:34:22,165 but the Japanese Imperial Army would find 617 00:34:22,166 --> 00:34:26,166 a chilling new use for the island. 618 00:34:26,333 --> 00:34:28,866 They were inspired by technological developments 619 00:34:28,867 --> 00:34:33,266 on the European battlefields during World War I. 620 00:34:33,433 --> 00:34:36,567 April 22nd, 1915. 621 00:34:36,734 --> 00:34:40,400 The German army releases clouds of poisonous chlorine 622 00:34:40,567 --> 00:34:42,667 against British and Canadian soldiers 623 00:34:42,834 --> 00:34:45,466 at the Second Battle of Ypres, 624 00:34:45,467 --> 00:34:49,500 forcing the Allied troops from their trench positions. 625 00:34:49,667 --> 00:34:51,466 And this was a new weapon, no one was prepared 626 00:34:51,467 --> 00:34:55,366 for it, no one had gas masks, so it caused quite a panic. 627 00:34:55,367 --> 00:34:59,066 The physical effects of gas were excruciating, 628 00:34:59,233 --> 00:35:00,566 but it also proved to be 629 00:35:00,567 --> 00:35:03,667 a devastating psychological weapon. 630 00:35:03,834 --> 00:35:07,200 Because of the horrific injuries 631 00:35:07,367 --> 00:35:10,100 and indiscriminate nature of poison gas, 632 00:35:10,266 --> 00:35:12,099 The Geneva Protocols of 1925 633 00:35:12,100 --> 00:35:15,100 banned its deployment in warfare. 634 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:18,200 There are a lot of loopholes. 635 00:35:18,367 --> 00:35:20,999 It didn't ban the development of the technology, 636 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:25,466 and it didn't ban the stockpiling of supplies either. 637 00:35:25,467 --> 00:35:28,467 A new Japanese leader would soon take advantage 638 00:35:28,633 --> 00:35:30,400 of these loopholes. 639 00:35:30,567 --> 00:35:34,100 As Emperor Hirohito took the throne in 1926, 640 00:35:34,266 --> 00:35:36,265 an increased focus on militarism 641 00:35:36,266 --> 00:35:37,666 took hold of the country. 642 00:35:37,667 --> 00:35:39,999 The old Geiyo Fortress 643 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:41,999 was converted and expanded 644 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,000 for industrial scale production of a product 645 00:35:45,166 --> 00:35:48,099 that would give the island its name. 646 00:35:48,100 --> 00:35:52,165 This place was once known as "Poison Gas Island". 647 00:35:52,166 --> 00:35:54,800 In choosing this island as the site 648 00:35:54,967 --> 00:35:58,266 of a toxic gas factory, 649 00:35:58,433 --> 00:36:01,600 the Japanese military was finding a careful balance 650 00:36:01,767 --> 00:36:05,466 between a site remote enough that they could conceal it, 651 00:36:05,467 --> 00:36:09,667 but close enough that they could get workers to it. 652 00:36:09,834 --> 00:36:12,767 Only a 15-minute commute from the mainland, 653 00:36:12,934 --> 00:36:15,800 Okunoshima ticked all the boxes. 654 00:36:17,867 --> 00:36:20,200 Construction began in 1927, 655 00:36:20,367 --> 00:36:22,767 and the factory started operating in 1929. 656 00:36:24,967 --> 00:36:28,099 This building was to store poison gas. 657 00:36:28,100 --> 00:36:31,367 100 tons was stored in each tank, 658 00:36:31,533 --> 00:36:33,667 and there were six of them. 659 00:36:35,667 --> 00:36:39,300 It was soon producing a range of terrible poisons. 660 00:36:39,467 --> 00:36:42,900 Mustard gas, chlorine, vomiting and sneezing agents, 661 00:36:43,066 --> 00:36:44,500 and hydrogen cyanide. 662 00:36:46,300 --> 00:36:48,999 The production and use of poison gas 663 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,700 was a violation of international law. 664 00:36:51,867 --> 00:36:55,099 So, for that reason, it became a secret island. 665 00:36:55,100 --> 00:36:57,667 It was erased from the maps. 666 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:03,367 When Japan launched a full scale invasion of China 667 00:37:03,533 --> 00:37:08,567 in 1937, they unleashed a reign of terror. 668 00:37:08,734 --> 00:37:11,767 Chinese troops were pounded with poison gas shells, 669 00:37:11,934 --> 00:37:14,099 had no gas protective clothing, 670 00:37:14,100 --> 00:37:16,967 and couldn't retaliate with gas of their own. 671 00:37:17,133 --> 00:37:20,367 During the Battle of Shanghai, the Japanese attacked 672 00:37:20,533 --> 00:37:23,900 the Chinese with gas 13 separate times. 673 00:37:24,066 --> 00:37:28,166 The Imperial Japanese Army quickly occupied 674 00:37:28,333 --> 00:37:31,567 huge swaths of northwest China. 675 00:37:31,734 --> 00:37:34,967 In Manchuria, the use of chemical weapons would reach 676 00:37:35,133 --> 00:37:37,466 disturbing new heights 677 00:37:37,467 --> 00:37:39,967 under the highly secretive program, 678 00:37:40,133 --> 00:37:42,367 Unit 731. 679 00:37:47,867 --> 00:37:50,666 2 In the late 1930s, poison gas was being produced 680 00:37:50,667 --> 00:37:53,400 at a factory on Okunoshima Island. 681 00:37:53,567 --> 00:37:56,800 The Japanese army used it to brutal effect against both 682 00:37:56,967 --> 00:38:00,165 soldiers and civilians during the invasion of China. 683 00:38:00,166 --> 00:38:03,700 It was also utilized by a secretive unit masterminded 684 00:38:03,867 --> 00:38:07,600 by the army's Surgeon General, Shiro Ishii. 685 00:38:07,767 --> 00:38:11,900 Shiro Ishii was trying to develop new techniques 686 00:38:12,066 --> 00:38:15,500 of chemical and bacteriological warfare. 687 00:38:15,667 --> 00:38:18,900 The gas developed on Okunoshima was used 688 00:38:19,066 --> 00:38:21,600 by the infamous unit Unit 731, 689 00:38:21,767 --> 00:38:27,000 which was a group that conducted human experiments. 690 00:38:27,166 --> 00:38:31,967 Inside Unit 731, more than 3,000 Chinese prisoners of war 691 00:38:32,133 --> 00:38:35,400 and civilians were subjected to disgusting experiments. 692 00:38:35,567 --> 00:38:38,866 Gas chambers were set up to test subjects 693 00:38:38,867 --> 00:38:41,766 with blister agents and nerve gas. 694 00:38:41,767 --> 00:38:45,300 Doctors would perform surgery on the victims to examine 695 00:38:45,467 --> 00:38:47,500 the biological effects in real time. 696 00:38:48,867 --> 00:38:52,767 As the tide of war turned against Japan in 1943, 697 00:38:52,934 --> 00:38:56,567 they faced an acute shortage of labor and materials. 698 00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,866 Back on the island, they drafted in schoolgirls 699 00:39:00,867 --> 00:39:02,100 to fill the gap. 700 00:39:03,367 --> 00:39:06,567 Girls as young as 14 were made to produce poison gas. 701 00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:11,266 After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, 702 00:39:11,433 --> 00:39:14,567 they tried to hide the evidence by dumping the gas. 703 00:39:14,734 --> 00:39:19,367 Large quantities were quietly disposed of in China. 704 00:39:19,533 --> 00:39:21,867 Most of the factory complex was demolished, 705 00:39:22,033 --> 00:39:24,366 and its employees left to suffer alone 706 00:39:24,367 --> 00:39:27,166 as the government tried to cover up the program. 707 00:39:28,867 --> 00:39:32,166 And it's thought that nearly 7,000 factory workers 708 00:39:32,333 --> 00:39:35,200 were left with lung disease, cancers, 709 00:39:35,367 --> 00:39:37,667 and other debilitating conditions. 710 00:39:37,834 --> 00:39:41,265 The use of chemical weapons wasn't even mentioned 711 00:39:41,266 --> 00:39:43,867 in the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunals, 712 00:39:44,033 --> 00:39:47,166 nor were the doctors who were part of Unit 731. 713 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:51,766 In the 1990s, the Japanese government was 714 00:39:51,767 --> 00:39:55,567 finally forced to confront the terrible legacy 715 00:39:55,734 --> 00:39:58,466 of its chemical weapons program. 716 00:39:58,467 --> 00:40:00,500 Leaks from the gas dumps in China 717 00:40:00,667 --> 00:40:03,300 began causing injury and even deaths 718 00:40:03,467 --> 00:40:05,600 among innocent civilians. 719 00:40:05,767 --> 00:40:08,999 In the 2000s, Japan paid compensation to some 720 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:12,467 of the victims and built a facility to dispose 721 00:40:12,633 --> 00:40:14,967 of abandoned mustard gas shells, 722 00:40:15,133 --> 00:40:18,467 but many still live with long term conditions today. 723 00:40:20,100 --> 00:40:23,767 As for the rabbits, their origin remains a mystery. 724 00:40:25,500 --> 00:40:28,366 There were around 200 rabbits, 725 00:40:28,367 --> 00:40:32,466 and they used those rabbits in the poison gas experiments. 726 00:40:32,467 --> 00:40:35,265 But at the end of the war, they were disposed of. 727 00:40:35,266 --> 00:40:38,666 So the records say that the rabbits of today 728 00:40:38,667 --> 00:40:40,000 are different. 729 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:48,367 Today, Okunoshima is a place 730 00:40:48,533 --> 00:40:51,300 for people to come and enjoy nature. 731 00:40:51,467 --> 00:40:55,400 But the island does not shy away from this dark chapter. 732 00:40:57,867 --> 00:41:01,265 The fact we made poison gas needs to be known. 733 00:41:01,266 --> 00:41:04,567 In that sense, I believe this island is important. 734 00:41:05,900 --> 00:41:10,700 A museum was opened on the island to chart and educate 735 00:41:10,867 --> 00:41:13,000 about its dark past. 736 00:41:15,367 --> 00:41:18,100 Now it's called Rabbit Island, 737 00:41:18,266 --> 00:41:20,467 and people come from all over the world 738 00:41:20,633 --> 00:41:22,567 to enjoy its atmosphere.