1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,100 [narrator] In Oklahoma, a place of learning created 2 00:00:04,267 --> 00:00:06,467 with a disturbing objective. 3 00:00:06,634 --> 00:00:09,367 [Ramos] They wanted to change the children, 4 00:00:09,534 --> 00:00:13,667 to take them from their culture and their language. 5 00:00:14,901 --> 00:00:17,100 A small Greek island 6 00:00:17,267 --> 00:00:19,801 caught in a chilling web of controversy. 7 00:00:21,300 --> 00:00:25,367 Suddenly, this facility was on the front pages of newspapers 8 00:00:25,534 --> 00:00:29,667 all across Europe, and it was an international scandal. 9 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,267 And in Oregon, a military facility linked 10 00:00:35,434 --> 00:00:37,868 to a mysterious wartime mission. 11 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:45,601 It was a 68-hour battle against an imaginary enemy. 12 00:00:57,300 --> 00:01:00,100 Six miles from Oregon's Pacific Coast 13 00:01:00,267 --> 00:01:02,467 is a staggering remnant 14 00:01:02,634 --> 00:01:05,367 built during a time of national emergency. 15 00:01:08,701 --> 00:01:11,901 The first thing you see and you can't miss it, 16 00:01:12,067 --> 00:01:14,868 is this vast structure. 17 00:01:15,033 --> 00:01:16,801 The thing that's just mind blowing 18 00:01:16,968 --> 00:01:19,367 is just how big it is, how tall it is. 19 00:01:20,701 --> 00:01:23,868 [Pedrick] Makes you wonder, what could you possibly store here 20 00:01:24,033 --> 00:01:26,868 that would demand this much space? 21 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:30,968 Then you see something that gives you a clue. 22 00:01:31,133 --> 00:01:33,667 At the front is a large plane. 23 00:01:33,834 --> 00:01:35,667 So, was this an aircraft hangar? 24 00:01:37,367 --> 00:01:40,567 Yet, the aircraft that reside here today are not the ones 25 00:01:40,734 --> 00:01:43,300 it was built to protect. 26 00:01:43,467 --> 00:01:47,367 The structure itself is the key to unlocking this mystery. 27 00:01:48,501 --> 00:01:50,100 [Meigs] On closer inspection, 28 00:01:50,267 --> 00:01:52,167 you can see something remarkable. 29 00:01:52,334 --> 00:01:55,167 The whole thing is built out of wood. 30 00:01:55,334 --> 00:01:59,367 [Gurling] They started construction in the fall of 1942. 31 00:01:59,534 --> 00:02:02,167 And the reason that they used wood versus steel 32 00:02:02,334 --> 00:02:04,801 is that all the metal was being used for the war effort. 33 00:02:06,868 --> 00:02:09,167 [Bell] The Japanese had already launched an attack 34 00:02:09,334 --> 00:02:10,667 on America's mainland, 35 00:02:10,834 --> 00:02:12,067 and they could do it again. 36 00:02:13,067 --> 00:02:15,901 The airships that flew out of this building were crucial 37 00:02:16,067 --> 00:02:18,000 in defending the country. 38 00:02:18,167 --> 00:02:21,167 One of these warships of the sky became embroiled 39 00:02:21,334 --> 00:02:23,701 in one of the most bizarre military incidents 40 00:02:23,868 --> 00:02:26,200 of the Second World War. 41 00:02:26,367 --> 00:02:29,601 Personnel from here were sent to fight an unseen enemy, 42 00:02:29,767 --> 00:02:32,367 but of course, everything is not as it would appear. 43 00:02:32,534 --> 00:02:35,701 [suspenseful music playing] 44 00:02:41,567 --> 00:02:45,267 Everyone knows about Japan's devastating attack 45 00:02:45,434 --> 00:02:48,000 on Pearl Harbor. 46 00:02:48,167 --> 00:02:50,601 But not many people remember that, just a week after, 47 00:02:50,767 --> 00:02:53,100 a number of Japanese submarines made it all the way 48 00:02:53,267 --> 00:02:55,467 to the West Coast of the United States. 49 00:02:56,901 --> 00:03:02,367 In June 1942, a long range Japanese submarine successfully 50 00:03:02,534 --> 00:03:05,567 managed to shell Fort Stevens, in Oregon. 51 00:03:05,734 --> 00:03:08,267 [Meigs] Japan also sank two ships. 52 00:03:08,434 --> 00:03:11,701 They fired on a couple of locations in California. 53 00:03:12,767 --> 00:03:16,300 [Pedrick] It pretty quickly became clear that the U.S. 54 00:03:16,467 --> 00:03:19,000 didn't have sufficient infrastructure 55 00:03:19,167 --> 00:03:21,367 to defend their coastline. 56 00:03:24,567 --> 00:03:26,367 Christian Gurling is passionate 57 00:03:26,534 --> 00:03:28,567 about the history of American aviation 58 00:03:28,734 --> 00:03:31,701 and is an expert on this vast facility. 59 00:03:33,367 --> 00:03:36,367 So, a total of 17 of these wooden hangars were built 60 00:03:36,534 --> 00:03:40,501 to act as a protective ring around the United States. 61 00:03:40,667 --> 00:03:43,467 But they weren't going to rely on conventional airplanes. 62 00:03:43,634 --> 00:03:45,767 They would turn to a very different technology 63 00:03:45,934 --> 00:03:47,667 to safeguard American lives. 64 00:03:49,267 --> 00:03:51,667 [Pedrick] They were a secret weapon. 65 00:03:51,834 --> 00:03:53,367 They were... 66 00:03:53,534 --> 00:03:54,667 airships. 67 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:57,567 [Gurling] Airships were perfect. 68 00:03:57,734 --> 00:04:00,467 You could fly low enough and slow enough to be able 69 00:04:00,634 --> 00:04:02,100 to spot an enemy submarine. 70 00:04:04,300 --> 00:04:06,801 But given their enormous size, 71 00:04:06,968 --> 00:04:10,167 you need somewhere equally big to house them. 72 00:04:11,467 --> 00:04:14,100 This is Naval Air Station Tillamook. 73 00:04:15,167 --> 00:04:20,267 Construction began on the first of two hangars in October 1942. 74 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,701 [Bell] But building these behemoths was no easy task. 75 00:04:25,868 --> 00:04:28,767 Supplies of steel and aluminum were critically low 76 00:04:28,934 --> 00:04:30,467 because of the war effort. 77 00:04:31,467 --> 00:04:33,968 But there's one building material that the northwest 78 00:04:34,133 --> 00:04:37,467 has in abundance, and that was wood. 79 00:04:37,634 --> 00:04:40,467 The race was on to get the hangars finished before 80 00:04:40,634 --> 00:04:44,400 Japan could once again threaten America's national security. 81 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,267 A bitter winter hampered early efforts, 82 00:04:48,434 --> 00:04:50,467 and the hangar that survives today 83 00:04:50,634 --> 00:04:52,400 took nine months to build. 84 00:04:53,501 --> 00:04:55,267 The primary challenge that they faced 85 00:04:55,434 --> 00:04:57,367 in building the hangar was weather. 86 00:04:57,534 --> 00:04:58,767 And, of course, on the Oregon coast, 87 00:04:58,934 --> 00:05:00,300 it rains considerably. 88 00:05:01,767 --> 00:05:05,601 But when completed, it was a record breaker. 89 00:05:05,767 --> 00:05:09,267 Hangar B at Tillamook is the largest freestanding 90 00:05:09,434 --> 00:05:13,267 clear-span wooden structure in the world. 91 00:05:13,434 --> 00:05:15,601 [Gurling] The hangar itself is about 1,000 feet long, 92 00:05:15,767 --> 00:05:18,400 300 feet wide, and 200 feet tall. 93 00:05:18,567 --> 00:05:21,968 They used in excess of 3 million board feet of lumber, 94 00:05:22,133 --> 00:05:26,067 which is enough lumber to build 279 three-bedroom homes. 95 00:05:26,234 --> 00:05:28,400 The hangar's actually so long, you could literally lay 96 00:05:28,567 --> 00:05:31,167 the Chrysler Building down inside of the hangar. 97 00:05:31,334 --> 00:05:33,367 In February 1943, 98 00:05:33,534 --> 00:05:36,901 the first of eight airships arrived after being constructed 99 00:05:37,067 --> 00:05:38,667 at Goodyear manufacturing plants, 100 00:05:38,834 --> 00:05:40,400 in Ohio and California. 101 00:05:44,067 --> 00:05:47,467 On March 16th, the first patrol mission was launched. 102 00:05:49,100 --> 00:05:51,667 Fortunately, the crew was equipped with more 103 00:05:51,834 --> 00:05:53,100 than just binoculars. 104 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,767 So the airships also use a very primitive form of radar called 105 00:05:57,934 --> 00:05:59,701 a "magnetic anomaly detector," where they would look 106 00:05:59,868 --> 00:06:01,701 for magnetic anomalies in the earth's surface 107 00:06:01,868 --> 00:06:03,901 to find these submarines. 108 00:06:04,067 --> 00:06:08,868 Anti-submarine warfare is mostly hour after hour 109 00:06:09,033 --> 00:06:12,267 scanning the waters and not seeing anything. 110 00:06:12,434 --> 00:06:15,200 It was the same story, day after day of nothing. 111 00:06:17,667 --> 00:06:19,567 That would soon change. 112 00:06:20,567 --> 00:06:23,367 On May 19th, 1943, 113 00:06:23,534 --> 00:06:25,267 Tillamook's communication building 114 00:06:25,434 --> 00:06:27,100 received an urgent dispatch. 115 00:06:28,667 --> 00:06:32,767 [Bell] About 10 miles off the coast of Cape Lookout in Oregon, 116 00:06:32,934 --> 00:06:37,100 the USS PC-815, an anti-submarine vessel, 117 00:06:37,267 --> 00:06:40,767 started picking up irregular signals on its sonar device. 118 00:06:42,567 --> 00:06:45,367 The ship's commander quickly ordered his crew to fire 119 00:06:45,534 --> 00:06:48,367 on what he believed was a Japanese submarine. 120 00:06:49,801 --> 00:06:54,267 After six attempted attacks, the USS PC-815 121 00:06:54,434 --> 00:06:56,067 runs out of ammunition. 122 00:06:57,100 --> 00:06:58,868 They were potentially a sitting duck. 123 00:06:59,901 --> 00:07:02,367 [Gurling] So the call went out to the two airships that were then 124 00:07:02,534 --> 00:07:05,567 operating out of the base, K-33 and K-39, 125 00:07:05,734 --> 00:07:08,868 to assist this Navy surface vessel. 126 00:07:09,033 --> 00:07:12,567 The blimps, in addition to submarine detection equipment, 127 00:07:12,734 --> 00:07:15,868 were also armed with depth charges, and a machine gun. 128 00:07:17,100 --> 00:07:20,000 Their role was to defend the U.S. ships 129 00:07:20,167 --> 00:07:23,400 and help scout the water for any signs 130 00:07:23,567 --> 00:07:25,200 of enemy submarines. 131 00:07:26,467 --> 00:07:29,367 [Meigs] Eventually, four other surface ships were called in, 132 00:07:29,534 --> 00:07:31,367 to assist as well. 133 00:07:31,534 --> 00:07:34,100 Soon, the ship's crew picks up another signal. 134 00:07:34,267 --> 00:07:36,701 Now they're convinced that there's a second Japanese sub 135 00:07:36,868 --> 00:07:38,801 in the vicinity. 136 00:07:38,968 --> 00:07:41,000 By 4:46 P.M., 137 00:07:41,167 --> 00:07:44,000 13 hours after the pursuit began, 138 00:07:44,167 --> 00:07:47,701 the PC-815 was finally restocked with depth charges 139 00:07:47,868 --> 00:07:49,667 by a supporting vessel. 140 00:07:49,834 --> 00:07:50,901 [booming] 141 00:07:52,100 --> 00:07:54,167 The ship's commander desperately continued 142 00:07:54,334 --> 00:07:56,300 hunting down the Japanese submarines, 143 00:07:56,467 --> 00:07:58,467 launching attack after attack. 144 00:07:59,767 --> 00:08:04,400 The fear now is that it's staking out its target. 145 00:08:04,567 --> 00:08:06,200 The race was on, 146 00:08:06,367 --> 00:08:08,901 and American lives were at stake. 147 00:08:13,667 --> 00:08:16,667 2 On May 19th, 1943, 148 00:08:16,834 --> 00:08:19,467 two airships from the Tillamook Naval Air Station 149 00:08:19,634 --> 00:08:22,400 were dispatched to assist the PC-815 150 00:08:22,567 --> 00:08:25,467 in its pursuit of two Japanese submarines. 151 00:08:27,267 --> 00:08:28,868 The fight continued on through the night 152 00:08:29,033 --> 00:08:30,667 and into the next day. 153 00:08:30,834 --> 00:08:31,901 [boom] 154 00:08:32,067 --> 00:08:34,767 [Pedrick] But the enemy is nowhere to be seen. 155 00:08:35,901 --> 00:08:39,000 After 68 hours, the commander of the ship 156 00:08:39,167 --> 00:08:41,367 was ordered to call off the search. 157 00:08:43,501 --> 00:08:47,767 On return to base, the commander of PC-815 158 00:08:47,934 --> 00:08:49,667 reported that he believed 159 00:08:49,834 --> 00:08:52,567 he destroyed one or both of the submarines, 160 00:08:52,734 --> 00:08:55,100 as neither launched a counterattack. 161 00:08:56,701 --> 00:09:00,100 Yet, Navy officials immediately commenced an investigation 162 00:09:00,267 --> 00:09:03,100 to establish what took place. 163 00:09:03,267 --> 00:09:06,868 The commander had used five ships, two blimps, 164 00:09:07,033 --> 00:09:09,701 deployed over 100 depth charges, 165 00:09:09,868 --> 00:09:12,300 and failed to supply any of the evidence 166 00:09:12,467 --> 00:09:14,300 required to confirm a kill. 167 00:09:15,601 --> 00:09:19,300 The final report contained some astonishing findings. 168 00:09:21,367 --> 00:09:22,701 [Meigs] No subs were ever found. 169 00:09:22,868 --> 00:09:24,767 No wreckage was ever found. 170 00:09:24,934 --> 00:09:27,901 The airmen on the blimps, for example, didn't think 171 00:09:28,067 --> 00:09:30,501 there was any sign of submarines in the area. 172 00:09:30,667 --> 00:09:34,601 But the commander of this vessel was still convinced 173 00:09:34,767 --> 00:09:37,968 that he had destroyed two enemy vessels. 174 00:09:39,467 --> 00:09:41,968 So who was this mystery commander? 175 00:09:43,467 --> 00:09:45,868 [Meigs] His name was L. Ron Hubbard. 176 00:09:46,033 --> 00:09:47,767 After the war, he would become 177 00:09:47,934 --> 00:09:50,567 a very successful science fiction writer 178 00:09:50,734 --> 00:09:53,300 and then go on to found 179 00:09:53,467 --> 00:09:56,300 the Church of Scientology. 180 00:09:56,467 --> 00:10:00,367 [Pedrick] Now, L. Ron Hubbard was known to, 181 00:10:00,534 --> 00:10:03,567 let's say, stretch the truth at times. 182 00:10:04,601 --> 00:10:07,801 Even in his After-Action Report, 183 00:10:07,968 --> 00:10:11,367 you can see that Hubbard has a certain literary flair. 184 00:10:13,467 --> 00:10:15,467 But there was one piece of evidence 185 00:10:15,634 --> 00:10:17,467 from the Navy investigation 186 00:10:17,634 --> 00:10:19,367 that no amount of creative language 187 00:10:19,534 --> 00:10:20,767 could disguise. 188 00:10:22,367 --> 00:10:25,167 It turns out that the area where Hubbard and his crew 189 00:10:25,334 --> 00:10:28,400 first picked up these strange signals is well known 190 00:10:28,567 --> 00:10:31,000 for having natural magnetic deposits. 191 00:10:32,467 --> 00:10:35,801 So it seems, Hubbard may well have been fighting 192 00:10:35,968 --> 00:10:38,267 an imaginary enemy. 193 00:10:39,801 --> 00:10:43,167 For the next two years, airships from Tillamook 194 00:10:43,334 --> 00:10:46,601 continued to patrol the Oregon coast. 195 00:10:46,767 --> 00:10:49,267 [Bell] Only one vessel under the protection of an airship 196 00:10:49,434 --> 00:10:50,767 was ever sunk, 197 00:10:50,934 --> 00:10:53,367 an oil tanker named the Persephone. 198 00:10:53,534 --> 00:10:56,968 That's a pretty impressive service record. 199 00:10:57,133 --> 00:11:02,701 The war in the Pacific dragged on until September 2nd, 1945. 200 00:11:02,868 --> 00:11:05,367 And at that point, of course, the Tillamook base 201 00:11:05,534 --> 00:11:07,000 was no longer needed. 202 00:11:12,267 --> 00:11:15,767 In 1948, Tillamook Naval Air Station 203 00:11:15,934 --> 00:11:18,267 was decommissioned. 204 00:11:18,434 --> 00:11:23,167 Today, hangar B is home to the Tillamook Air Museum. 205 00:11:23,334 --> 00:11:25,467 [Gurling] We call it "history housing history." 206 00:11:25,634 --> 00:11:29,667 You have this amazing structure from World War II, 207 00:11:29,834 --> 00:11:31,267 an engineering marvel. 208 00:11:31,434 --> 00:11:34,000 These hangars show what we can accomplish 209 00:11:34,167 --> 00:11:35,968 when we're under threat. 210 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:43,601 On the Greek island of Leros, 211 00:11:43,767 --> 00:11:46,100 stands a commanding structure 212 00:11:46,267 --> 00:11:47,701 with a shameful secret. 213 00:11:53,868 --> 00:11:57,901 Following along the coast, we find this amazing, 214 00:11:58,067 --> 00:12:00,400 vast, and powerful building. 215 00:12:01,868 --> 00:12:05,601 [Gutierrez-Romine] It looks like security was really tight here, 216 00:12:05,767 --> 00:12:08,601 but who was being kept inside? 217 00:12:08,767 --> 00:12:11,467 [Dr. Nubia] It looks as if people were living here. 218 00:12:11,634 --> 00:12:14,300 The question is, why? 219 00:12:14,467 --> 00:12:16,767 [Dr. Sharp] Upstairs, there's a lot of beds. 220 00:12:16,934 --> 00:12:18,667 There's colorful decorations on the wall, 221 00:12:18,834 --> 00:12:20,467 but also medical equipment. 222 00:12:20,634 --> 00:12:22,200 Could this have been a hospital? 223 00:12:23,367 --> 00:12:25,367 This was once a showpiece, 224 00:12:25,534 --> 00:12:27,167 designed to demonstrate the might 225 00:12:27,334 --> 00:12:29,100 of a conquering nation. 226 00:12:29,267 --> 00:12:33,901 Its days as a glorious symbol of power did not last long. 227 00:12:34,067 --> 00:12:38,067 As time passed, it became a den of depravity, 228 00:12:38,234 --> 00:12:41,701 and the subject of a controversial exposé. 229 00:12:41,868 --> 00:12:45,667 It created an international scandal that humiliated 230 00:12:45,834 --> 00:12:47,701 the Greek government. 231 00:12:47,868 --> 00:12:50,467 Because of this complex, Leros became known 232 00:12:50,634 --> 00:12:52,000 as the "Island of the Damned." 233 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:00,167 [Akoglanis, translated] I first came in 1966. 234 00:13:00,334 --> 00:13:01,901 It was October 5th. 235 00:13:02,067 --> 00:13:04,167 It was so beautiful that it left me 236 00:13:04,334 --> 00:13:05,367 with the best impression. 237 00:13:05,534 --> 00:13:06,868 [Akoglanis speaks Greek] 238 00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:12,200 Petros Akoglanis was 22 years old when he started working 239 00:13:12,367 --> 00:13:14,534 as a nurse in this building. 240 00:13:16,968 --> 00:13:20,367 [Akoglanis, translated] For me, this place is very sacred because this is where 241 00:13:20,534 --> 00:13:22,667 I lived my best years. 242 00:13:22,834 --> 00:13:24,767 There are some other feelings now. 243 00:13:24,934 --> 00:13:26,467 I'm saddened by this space. 244 00:13:29,868 --> 00:13:32,501 The story of this now derelict shell 245 00:13:32,667 --> 00:13:35,267 began long before Petros arrived, 246 00:13:35,434 --> 00:13:39,300 during an era of European occupation. 247 00:13:39,467 --> 00:13:42,367 [Dr. Sharp] Since 1923, this was under the influence 248 00:13:42,534 --> 00:13:45,400 of Mussolini's fascist Italy. 249 00:13:45,567 --> 00:13:47,467 It was built as accommodation for troops 250 00:13:47,634 --> 00:13:50,200 using the nearby seaplane port. 251 00:13:50,367 --> 00:13:54,868 [Gutierrez-Romine] Italy and then their Nazi allies controlled the island 252 00:13:55,033 --> 00:13:57,801 until the end of the Second World War. 253 00:13:57,968 --> 00:14:01,300 But eventually, these structures and the island 254 00:14:01,467 --> 00:14:03,667 were handed back to a united Greece. 255 00:14:05,901 --> 00:14:09,601 Life on Leros eventually returned to normal. 256 00:14:09,767 --> 00:14:14,801 But by the 1950s, a crisis was brewing on mainland Greece. 257 00:14:14,968 --> 00:14:19,000 This structure would be part of the solution. 258 00:14:19,167 --> 00:14:24,100 After the war, Greece was in the midst of profound change. 259 00:14:24,267 --> 00:14:27,467 The population was increasing and urbanizing. 260 00:14:27,634 --> 00:14:30,868 And all of this impacted the way that people 261 00:14:31,033 --> 00:14:35,267 with mental illness and physical disabilities were cared for. 262 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:39,000 The hospitals in Athens and in other major cities 263 00:14:39,167 --> 00:14:42,367 were filling up and were reaching breaking point. 264 00:14:42,534 --> 00:14:46,167 [Akoglanis speaking Greek] 265 00:14:46,334 --> 00:14:49,300 [Akoglanis, translated] They had to de-congest the other mental hospitals 266 00:14:49,467 --> 00:14:51,767 because they were overcrowded. 267 00:14:51,934 --> 00:14:54,000 And they found a suitable place 268 00:14:54,167 --> 00:14:56,567 and brought them here. 269 00:14:56,734 --> 00:15:00,501 [speaks Greek] 270 00:15:02,167 --> 00:15:06,367 In 1958, this facility admitted its first patients, 271 00:15:06,534 --> 00:15:08,267 more than 300. 272 00:15:10,267 --> 00:15:13,667 It was officially called the "Colony for Psychopaths," 273 00:15:13,834 --> 00:15:17,367 and later became known as the "Leros Asylum". 274 00:15:17,534 --> 00:15:19,167 [speaks Greek] 275 00:15:19,334 --> 00:15:21,868 And it was very important for the island. 276 00:15:22,033 --> 00:15:25,267 There were no other ways of working in those years. 277 00:15:25,434 --> 00:15:28,300 From the first moment, I loved this place. 278 00:15:28,467 --> 00:15:31,100 The patients, we would pick them up from the boat, 279 00:15:31,267 --> 00:15:33,601 bring them here, have their food ready. 280 00:15:34,801 --> 00:15:36,567 [Gutierrez-Romine] But within just a few years, 281 00:15:36,734 --> 00:15:40,367 there was around 2,500 patients at this facility. 282 00:15:40,534 --> 00:15:43,400 It was designed to care for about 600. 283 00:15:44,467 --> 00:15:47,868 [Dr. Nubia] Some of this meant that there was poor sanitation. 284 00:15:48,033 --> 00:15:51,200 A few toilets, hundreds would have to use. 285 00:15:51,367 --> 00:15:54,767 It was even said that there was only one qualified psychiatrist 286 00:15:54,934 --> 00:15:57,567 for a thousand patients. 287 00:15:57,734 --> 00:16:00,100 [Akoglanis, translated] Of course, there were problems. 288 00:16:00,267 --> 00:16:02,801 There were cases of patients attacking staff, 289 00:16:02,968 --> 00:16:05,000 attacking their fellow patients. 290 00:16:05,167 --> 00:16:07,601 We, the staff, dealt with these incidents 291 00:16:07,767 --> 00:16:10,767 as much as possible. 292 00:16:10,934 --> 00:16:15,767 The outside world had no idea just how bad the situation 293 00:16:15,934 --> 00:16:18,567 inside the Leros Asylum had become. 294 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,467 In 1989, the devastating truth of what was really going on 295 00:16:23,634 --> 00:16:25,567 in this facility was revealed. 296 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,901 2 In the late 1950s, a new psychiatric hospital 297 00:16:35,067 --> 00:16:38,267 opened on the Greek island of Leros to help care 298 00:16:38,434 --> 00:16:40,300 for people with mental health conditions. 299 00:16:41,868 --> 00:16:46,567 By 1989, it had become so dangerously overcrowded, 300 00:16:46,734 --> 00:16:50,501 a team of journalists exposed its appalling story. 301 00:16:51,701 --> 00:16:55,100 [Dr. Nubia] Reporters from the British newspaper, The Observer, 302 00:16:55,267 --> 00:16:58,567 recorded the squalid and terrible conditions 303 00:16:58,734 --> 00:17:01,667 that patients were suffering in. 304 00:17:01,834 --> 00:17:05,000 [Dr. Sharp] You had patients living naked and even tied down 305 00:17:05,167 --> 00:17:06,968 to their beds, bearing the marks 306 00:17:07,133 --> 00:17:10,000 of this really inhumane treatment. 307 00:17:10,167 --> 00:17:12,667 The shocking photos that accompanied the article 308 00:17:12,834 --> 00:17:16,601 revealed the brutal reality of life within these walls. 309 00:17:18,267 --> 00:17:21,167 [Akoglanis, translated] Look, we didn't react negatively. 310 00:17:21,334 --> 00:17:23,968 We accepted the publication. 311 00:17:24,133 --> 00:17:26,000 Up to a certain point. 312 00:17:27,667 --> 00:17:29,400 [Gutierrez-Romine] When the story was published, 313 00:17:29,567 --> 00:17:32,467 they called this "Europe's Guilty Secret," 314 00:17:32,634 --> 00:17:36,267 and there was condemnation all around, 315 00:17:36,434 --> 00:17:39,133 forcing the Greek government to react. 316 00:17:41,567 --> 00:17:44,100 [Akoglanis, translated] We did not rise up and say that, because these things 317 00:17:44,267 --> 00:17:46,267 are happening, it should be closed. 318 00:17:46,434 --> 00:17:47,801 We never accepted that. 319 00:17:49,901 --> 00:17:52,667 Slowly, things started to improve, 320 00:17:52,834 --> 00:17:56,000 and a different climate started to prevail. 321 00:17:56,167 --> 00:17:58,267 We tried to bring better working conditions 322 00:17:58,434 --> 00:18:01,267 for the staff, but especially for the patients. 323 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,000 The reforms that were enacted 324 00:18:07,167 --> 00:18:10,267 went far beyond the Leros Asylum. 325 00:18:10,434 --> 00:18:12,868 All over Greece, mental health institutions 326 00:18:13,033 --> 00:18:15,000 were thrust into the spotlight 327 00:18:15,167 --> 00:18:17,868 and found wanting. 328 00:18:18,033 --> 00:18:21,267 Across the board, wholesale changes were required 329 00:18:21,434 --> 00:18:23,968 to overhaul the broken system. 330 00:18:24,133 --> 00:18:28,000 Those improvements would usher in the end of this site. 331 00:18:28,167 --> 00:18:29,868 [Akoglanis speaking Greek] 332 00:18:30,033 --> 00:18:32,367 The admissions of patients began to decrease 333 00:18:32,534 --> 00:18:35,100 because the general hospitals began to establish 334 00:18:35,267 --> 00:18:37,267 psychiatric hospitals. 335 00:18:37,434 --> 00:18:40,868 And in order for a patient to get to a psychiatric facility, 336 00:18:41,033 --> 00:18:43,200 they had to first go through the general hospital. 337 00:18:43,367 --> 00:18:45,567 [Akoglanis speaking Greek] 338 00:18:46,901 --> 00:18:49,000 As a result, the number of patients 339 00:18:49,167 --> 00:18:52,000 being sent to Leros rapidly declined. 340 00:18:52,167 --> 00:18:55,567 [Gutierrez-Romine] Over the following years, patients were gradually moved 341 00:18:55,734 --> 00:19:00,200 into community care, and the institution's buildings 342 00:19:00,367 --> 00:19:01,868 were eventually shut down. 343 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:05,067 By the late 1990s, 344 00:19:05,234 --> 00:19:08,100 the Leros Asylum was completely abandoned, 345 00:19:08,267 --> 00:19:12,901 and this distressing period consigned to the past. 346 00:19:13,067 --> 00:19:16,267 But it's far from the end of its tragic story. 347 00:19:16,434 --> 00:19:20,567 In March 2011, Syria erupted into civil war, 348 00:19:20,734 --> 00:19:23,200 following a wave of pro-democracy protests 349 00:19:23,367 --> 00:19:26,167 that spread across North Africa and the Middle East, 350 00:19:26,334 --> 00:19:28,400 known as the Arab Spring. 351 00:19:29,667 --> 00:19:33,801 The repercussions would be felt on the small island of Leros. 352 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,968 By 2015, more than a million refugees had arrived 353 00:19:39,133 --> 00:19:40,367 on European shores. 354 00:19:41,801 --> 00:19:44,601 [Dr. Sharp] Human traffickers would take these refugees, 355 00:19:44,767 --> 00:19:47,467 smuggle them to islands near Leros, 356 00:19:47,634 --> 00:19:50,868 and leave them to be rescued by the Greek Coast Guard. 357 00:19:51,033 --> 00:19:55,100 [Gutierrez-Romine] In March of 2016, the area in front of the hospital 358 00:19:55,267 --> 00:19:58,667 was opened up as a camp that was designated to be 359 00:19:58,834 --> 00:20:00,868 the initial meeting point 360 00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:04,167 of refugees entering the European Union. 361 00:20:05,501 --> 00:20:07,501 [Dr. Sharp] According to some estimates, 362 00:20:07,667 --> 00:20:10,200 there were up to 1,500 people arriving 363 00:20:10,367 --> 00:20:11,667 on Leros every day. 364 00:20:13,167 --> 00:20:16,667 For the next five years, the old Leros Asylum 365 00:20:16,834 --> 00:20:18,667 and the grounds that surround it, 366 00:20:18,834 --> 00:20:20,501 served as a neglected home 367 00:20:20,667 --> 00:20:23,367 for desperate immigrants seeking a better life. 368 00:20:25,367 --> 00:20:29,300 A more humanitarian answer needed to be found. 369 00:20:29,467 --> 00:20:34,167 In 2021, the Greek government created a new reception center 370 00:20:34,334 --> 00:20:37,667 on the island for these people, and this camp in front 371 00:20:37,834 --> 00:20:39,868 of the hospital was finally abandoned. 372 00:20:45,667 --> 00:20:49,167 Today, there are no plans to restore or demolish 373 00:20:49,334 --> 00:20:51,100 the old asylum. 374 00:20:51,267 --> 00:20:52,968 But in the building's shadow, 375 00:20:53,133 --> 00:20:57,267 a growing tourism industry now thrives. 376 00:20:57,434 --> 00:20:59,267 [Akoglanis, translated] I am proud of my island. 377 00:20:59,434 --> 00:21:04,267 Leros is here, it's beautiful, and everyone should visit. 378 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:14,067 In southwest Oklahoma, are the remains of a complex 379 00:21:14,234 --> 00:21:17,701 built during an era of disturbing change. 380 00:21:20,167 --> 00:21:22,701 [somber, eerie music playing] 381 00:21:22,868 --> 00:21:26,167 The buildings are all solid and functional. 382 00:21:26,334 --> 00:21:27,968 They're constructed with the same type of bricks, 383 00:21:28,133 --> 00:21:30,767 and flat roofs, and minimal decoration. 384 00:21:30,934 --> 00:21:33,467 [Rose] When you enter the site, it's clear that the buildings 385 00:21:33,634 --> 00:21:35,567 are all in really bad disrepair, 386 00:21:35,734 --> 00:21:37,968 and inside are identical rooms. 387 00:21:38,133 --> 00:21:41,267 It looks like a dormitory, but who's staying here? 388 00:21:42,567 --> 00:21:45,267 Discarded toys and small chairs, 389 00:21:45,434 --> 00:21:48,767 suggest this was a space used by children. 390 00:21:49,868 --> 00:21:51,701 [Zarsadiaz] Over the years, hundreds of students 391 00:21:51,868 --> 00:21:53,667 would walk through these doors. 392 00:21:53,834 --> 00:21:55,400 For the most part, they came here forcibly 393 00:21:55,567 --> 00:21:57,501 and against their will. 394 00:21:57,667 --> 00:21:59,000 [Rose] This site wasn't a one-off. 395 00:21:59,167 --> 00:22:03,167 It was part of a much larger program across the nation. 396 00:22:03,334 --> 00:22:08,868 This is the start of a dark chapter of American history. 397 00:22:09,033 --> 00:22:11,000 What happened inside these walls would shape the lives 398 00:22:11,167 --> 00:22:13,868 of children across Oklahoma for generations. 399 00:22:14,968 --> 00:22:17,267 The kids came from many different tribes. 400 00:22:17,434 --> 00:22:19,868 They all spoke in different languages, 401 00:22:20,033 --> 00:22:23,467 and they would get punished physically. 402 00:22:23,634 --> 00:22:25,567 I'm sure that it was a scary place. 403 00:22:30,267 --> 00:22:33,467 2 In Lawton, Oklahoma, is the ruin of a building 404 00:22:33,634 --> 00:22:36,901 with a troubling legacy that still runs deep. 405 00:22:37,067 --> 00:22:40,167 So this place is very significant 406 00:22:40,334 --> 00:22:42,667 to the Native American community. 407 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:45,767 Don't think there's very many people 408 00:22:45,934 --> 00:22:47,667 that don't have a connection. 409 00:22:48,701 --> 00:22:49,934 It's incredible. 410 00:22:51,100 --> 00:22:54,801 Yolonda Ramos works closely with the Kiowa, Comanche, 411 00:22:54,968 --> 00:22:57,968 and Apache nations to maintain this site 412 00:22:58,133 --> 00:23:01,667 and to document its unsettling past. 413 00:23:01,834 --> 00:23:03,901 There were many students who came when they were 414 00:23:04,067 --> 00:23:05,801 about six years old. 415 00:23:05,968 --> 00:23:08,067 And, in the early days, 416 00:23:08,234 --> 00:23:11,167 there were a lot of bad stories. 417 00:23:11,334 --> 00:23:14,167 and, in the later years, there were better times. 418 00:23:15,767 --> 00:23:17,100 [Zarsadiaz] The origins of this place 419 00:23:17,267 --> 00:23:19,000 are tied to a number of government acts 420 00:23:19,167 --> 00:23:21,701 that tried to limit Native Americans' rights. 421 00:23:22,767 --> 00:23:24,501 This included the notorious 422 00:23:24,667 --> 00:23:26,667 Indian Removal Act of 1830. 423 00:23:28,300 --> 00:23:31,501 Thousands are forced to give up their land and relocate 424 00:23:31,667 --> 00:23:34,400 west of the Mississippi River. 425 00:23:34,567 --> 00:23:36,567 [Auerbach] This created a territorial divide 426 00:23:36,734 --> 00:23:39,367 between the United States and Native Americans. 427 00:23:39,534 --> 00:23:43,400 A series of violent conflicts between those two communities 428 00:23:43,567 --> 00:23:45,701 would result in an extraordinary meeting. 429 00:23:47,868 --> 00:23:49,767 In 1867, 430 00:23:49,934 --> 00:23:53,067 the representatives of multiple Native American nations 431 00:23:53,234 --> 00:23:57,267 met with representatives of the U.S. Government. 432 00:23:57,434 --> 00:24:00,067 They came together to negotiate what became known 433 00:24:00,067 --> 00:24:02,100 as the Medicine Lodge Treaty. 434 00:24:03,767 --> 00:24:06,767 From the very start, the indigenous communities 435 00:24:06,934 --> 00:24:09,100 were at a disadvantage. 436 00:24:09,267 --> 00:24:12,701 The multiple languages spoken by the Native American nations 437 00:24:12,868 --> 00:24:17,000 required numerous interpreters, which created confusion 438 00:24:17,167 --> 00:24:19,601 and the opportunity for exploitation. 439 00:24:20,767 --> 00:24:23,467 In addition, pressure was applied to accept the terms 440 00:24:23,634 --> 00:24:25,367 of the deal by using the threat 441 00:24:25,534 --> 00:24:28,901 of military force and starvation. 442 00:24:29,067 --> 00:24:31,467 In signing the treaty, tribal leaders agreed 443 00:24:31,634 --> 00:24:34,667 to relinquish valuable lands and important hunting grounds. 444 00:24:36,567 --> 00:24:40,067 Part of that agreement was to educate the native children, 445 00:24:40,234 --> 00:24:43,167 hence the boarding schools here being built. 446 00:24:44,501 --> 00:24:48,100 This one was called Fort Sill. 447 00:24:48,267 --> 00:24:51,367 It originally opened in 1871 448 00:24:51,534 --> 00:24:55,200 and moved to this site in 1892. 449 00:24:55,367 --> 00:24:58,567 Its distressing goal would never be forgotten. 450 00:24:59,901 --> 00:25:03,000 One of the purposes of this residential boarding school 451 00:25:03,167 --> 00:25:07,300 is to separate these children from their families 452 00:25:07,467 --> 00:25:09,968 and communities, thus making them vulnerable 453 00:25:10,133 --> 00:25:13,167 to indoctrination with a new culture. 454 00:25:13,334 --> 00:25:17,300 These schools were built to assimilate the children. 455 00:25:17,467 --> 00:25:22,501 I think their idea of assimilation was to make 456 00:25:22,667 --> 00:25:26,801 the kids good little Christian boys and girls, 457 00:25:26,968 --> 00:25:30,367 to assimilate them to the white man's way 458 00:25:30,534 --> 00:25:35,467 and to pull them from their old ways. 459 00:25:35,634 --> 00:25:39,567 The main focus of the studies for the boys and girls was 460 00:25:39,734 --> 00:25:44,434 agriculture and home economics and English, of course. 461 00:25:46,868 --> 00:25:49,868 The curriculum the school enforced was influenced 462 00:25:50,033 --> 00:25:52,767 by Captain Richard Henry Pratt, 463 00:25:52,934 --> 00:25:56,767 a veteran military man turned educator. 464 00:25:56,934 --> 00:25:59,067 In 1892, at a national conference, 465 00:25:59,234 --> 00:26:01,501 Pratt makes his famous statement that essentially says, 466 00:26:01,667 --> 00:26:04,801 "Kill the Indian in him and save the man." 467 00:26:04,968 --> 00:26:08,200 This motto became the core philosophy of over 500 468 00:26:08,367 --> 00:26:10,100 Indian boarding schools across the country. 469 00:26:12,167 --> 00:26:14,567 [Rose] The schools achieved assimilation by operating 470 00:26:14,734 --> 00:26:16,567 with a strict military-like regime. 471 00:26:17,801 --> 00:26:20,267 Culturally, we wear our hair long. 472 00:26:20,434 --> 00:26:23,501 When the kids came here, they cut the kids' hair 473 00:26:23,667 --> 00:26:26,467 completely off, and then they ultimately 474 00:26:26,634 --> 00:26:31,067 moved on to making them dress in military-style uniforms. 475 00:26:32,667 --> 00:26:34,467 Just like the military, when children stepped 476 00:26:34,634 --> 00:26:36,968 out of line, they were given harsh punishments. 477 00:26:38,667 --> 00:26:44,000 It was a part of them teaching the kids discipline 478 00:26:44,167 --> 00:26:50,801 and another part of teaching them to become more like them. 479 00:26:53,100 --> 00:26:56,701 At the Native American school in nearby Anadarko, 480 00:26:56,868 --> 00:27:00,400 which operated on similar principles as Fort Sill, 481 00:27:00,567 --> 00:27:03,467 a tragic story demonstrates the climate of fear 482 00:27:03,634 --> 00:27:05,801 the children lived under. 483 00:27:05,968 --> 00:27:08,367 After a young boy was severely whipped, 484 00:27:08,534 --> 00:27:11,100 he and two friends attempted to run away. 485 00:27:12,467 --> 00:27:14,000 [Auerbach] They were later found frozen to death 486 00:27:14,167 --> 00:27:16,267 outside the school grounds. 487 00:27:16,434 --> 00:27:18,400 They were just too terrified to come back. 488 00:27:19,601 --> 00:27:22,000 [Ramos] There are a lot of negative stories. 489 00:27:22,167 --> 00:27:23,868 There is so much history here. 490 00:27:25,467 --> 00:27:27,100 I gotta take a second, sorry. 491 00:27:28,267 --> 00:27:30,167 [sighs deeply] 492 00:27:30,334 --> 00:27:31,801 It makes me a little emotional. 493 00:27:33,868 --> 00:27:37,767 [Rose] Essentially, it's ethnocide, and this practice of attempting 494 00:27:37,934 --> 00:27:39,701 to strip away people's culture 495 00:27:39,868 --> 00:27:42,734 continues well into the 20th century. 496 00:27:45,167 --> 00:27:49,267 It wasn't until the Great Depression struck in 1929 497 00:27:49,434 --> 00:27:51,501 that indigenous communities' rights 498 00:27:51,667 --> 00:27:53,667 slowly started to progress. 499 00:27:55,100 --> 00:27:57,367 [Rose] Native American families are hit really hard 500 00:27:57,534 --> 00:27:59,567 because of lack of financial opportunities, 501 00:27:59,734 --> 00:28:03,701 structural racism, and generations of land loss. 502 00:28:03,868 --> 00:28:06,901 In 1934, Franklin Roosevelt introduced 503 00:28:07,067 --> 00:28:09,467 the Indian Reorganization Act. 504 00:28:09,634 --> 00:28:13,501 The law ushered in long overdue and often gradual improvements. 505 00:28:14,601 --> 00:28:17,467 And this would become a catalyst for change 506 00:28:17,634 --> 00:28:18,701 at the school. 507 00:28:22,767 --> 00:28:24,701 2 In the 1930s, the harsh conditions 508 00:28:24,868 --> 00:28:28,701 at the Fort Sill Indian School slowly began to improve 509 00:28:28,868 --> 00:28:32,901 after the introduction of the Indian Reorganization Act. 510 00:28:33,067 --> 00:28:35,200 [Rose] This new law protected and restored land 511 00:28:35,367 --> 00:28:39,100 to indigenous Americans and encouraged self-government. 512 00:28:39,267 --> 00:28:42,000 It also supported the preservation and revival 513 00:28:42,167 --> 00:28:44,267 of Native American practices and traditions. 514 00:28:46,601 --> 00:28:48,100 [Ramos] They started to... 515 00:28:49,167 --> 00:28:52,367 work on building new buildings for the campus. 516 00:28:52,534 --> 00:28:55,367 In 1936, the gymnasium. 517 00:28:55,534 --> 00:28:59,000 And in 1939, they built the school building. 518 00:28:59,167 --> 00:29:03,267 So, Fort Sill Indian School ultimately became 519 00:29:03,434 --> 00:29:06,267 somewhat of a lifeline for the Native families. 520 00:29:08,300 --> 00:29:11,300 [Caddo] I am half Comanche. 521 00:29:11,467 --> 00:29:14,567 A lot of people thought we were here for punishment, 522 00:29:14,734 --> 00:29:16,033 but it wasn't. 523 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:20,067 I stayed here because my mother, she couldn't take care of me. 524 00:29:20,234 --> 00:29:24,501 Jimmy Ray Caddo enrolled at Fort Sill in 1938 525 00:29:24,667 --> 00:29:26,367 when he was six years old. 526 00:29:28,501 --> 00:29:30,767 [Caddo] At first, I was scared. 527 00:29:30,934 --> 00:29:33,000 I stand over there in the corner of that building 528 00:29:33,167 --> 00:29:34,968 over there looking down that road 529 00:29:35,133 --> 00:29:37,601 every Saturday or Sunday, looking for my mother. 530 00:29:38,667 --> 00:29:41,100 I stayed here until I was 21 years old, 531 00:29:41,267 --> 00:29:44,100 and I never went home. 532 00:29:44,267 --> 00:29:46,767 The ethos of strict discipline still existed, 533 00:29:46,934 --> 00:29:50,067 but the policy of forced assimilation had ended. 534 00:29:51,501 --> 00:29:54,467 The education Jimmy received was now more focused 535 00:29:54,634 --> 00:29:57,000 on just teaching vocational skills. 536 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:04,000 The goal of this school was to teach you to be farmers. 537 00:30:04,167 --> 00:30:09,100 We had about 35 cows we had to milk in the morning. 538 00:30:10,501 --> 00:30:13,701 School here, it taught me a lot. 539 00:30:13,868 --> 00:30:17,200 You know, I joined the Navy, from here. 540 00:30:17,367 --> 00:30:20,167 I stayed until I was a chief petty officer. 541 00:30:20,334 --> 00:30:22,467 I learned from here 542 00:30:22,634 --> 00:30:25,767 how to get along with other people. 543 00:30:25,934 --> 00:30:28,367 That's why, when I joined the Navy, 544 00:30:29,667 --> 00:30:31,400 it was right down my alley. 545 00:30:32,467 --> 00:30:34,000 So I did very good. 546 00:30:34,167 --> 00:30:35,300 I've seen the world. 547 00:30:37,267 --> 00:30:41,200 In the years after Jimmy graduated in 1953, 548 00:30:41,367 --> 00:30:44,367 Fort Sills started to offer a more well-rounded 549 00:30:44,534 --> 00:30:46,167 education to its students. 550 00:30:47,367 --> 00:30:50,501 [Ramos] The quality of education did get better as time went on 551 00:30:50,667 --> 00:30:54,501 because they started to expand into more subjects. 552 00:30:54,667 --> 00:30:58,601 One student that I talked to said that she actually loved it 553 00:30:58,767 --> 00:31:01,467 because she was able to be around other students 554 00:31:01,634 --> 00:31:02,901 that looked like her. 555 00:31:03,067 --> 00:31:05,000 They were all Native American students 556 00:31:05,167 --> 00:31:09,167 and they all had a very strong sense of culture. 557 00:31:14,801 --> 00:31:16,767 Fort Sill continued to function 558 00:31:16,934 --> 00:31:19,367 through the 1960s and '70s, 559 00:31:19,534 --> 00:31:22,200 but its end was drawing near. 560 00:31:23,367 --> 00:31:27,400 In 1980, the Bureau of Indian Affairs closed the school 561 00:31:27,567 --> 00:31:30,567 due to a lack of federal funds to keep it going. 562 00:31:31,567 --> 00:31:34,367 [Ramos] Most of the kids at that point had been integrated 563 00:31:34,534 --> 00:31:37,801 into the public schools, and so they didn't feel like 564 00:31:37,968 --> 00:31:41,501 there was a need to provide further funding to the school. 565 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:51,267 To date, 526 Native American boarding schools 566 00:31:51,434 --> 00:31:53,601 have been identified in the United States. 567 00:31:54,767 --> 00:31:58,467 Their impact should always be remembered. 568 00:31:58,634 --> 00:32:03,267 Research is ongoing to uncover the long legacy of trauma 569 00:32:03,434 --> 00:32:04,901 for those who were confined there. 570 00:32:07,167 --> 00:32:09,200 There are plans to build a new school on the site, 571 00:32:09,367 --> 00:32:12,467 which will be used by indigenous and Native American children. 572 00:32:14,567 --> 00:32:16,767 [Ramos] It is going to be a huge project. 573 00:32:16,934 --> 00:32:19,267 I absolutely do feel a responsibility. 574 00:32:19,434 --> 00:32:25,000 I feel like that I have to do my part in protecting our land 575 00:32:25,167 --> 00:32:27,567 and protecting our culture 576 00:32:27,734 --> 00:32:31,267 and in ensuring that the language continues on. 577 00:32:31,434 --> 00:32:33,100 And that's very important to me. 578 00:32:38,767 --> 00:32:42,501 In Scotland, on the outskirts of the capital, Edinburgh, 579 00:32:42,667 --> 00:32:44,467 is a clandestine site built 580 00:32:44,634 --> 00:32:47,467 at a time of widespread paranoia. 581 00:32:52,667 --> 00:32:55,968 [Selwood] Following a rough dirt track, you come to a clearing 582 00:32:56,133 --> 00:32:57,868 with small brick buildings. 583 00:32:58,033 --> 00:33:00,067 It doesn't look like much, frankly. 584 00:33:01,868 --> 00:33:04,868 A fence still runs around the outside of the property. 585 00:33:05,033 --> 00:33:07,167 Whatever it is, it's still an air of secrecy 586 00:33:07,334 --> 00:33:09,501 that surrounds it. 587 00:33:09,667 --> 00:33:12,667 As you get closer to the unremarkable structure, 588 00:33:12,834 --> 00:33:17,200 it's impossible to ignore the solid steel doors. 589 00:33:17,367 --> 00:33:22,000 Their presence suggests this is a place with something to hide. 590 00:33:23,267 --> 00:33:25,167 What were they guarding? 591 00:33:25,334 --> 00:33:28,367 The answer lies deep within. 592 00:33:28,534 --> 00:33:31,300 The first thing you see is a long sliding tunnel 593 00:33:31,467 --> 00:33:32,868 leading underground. 594 00:33:33,801 --> 00:33:36,501 [Dr. Loh] At a time of war, this was a subterranean headquarters, 595 00:33:36,667 --> 00:33:38,367 key to Britain's survival. 596 00:33:39,767 --> 00:33:41,901 Few people knew about it, and even fewer 597 00:33:42,067 --> 00:33:43,667 ever saw behind its walls. 598 00:33:44,667 --> 00:33:46,667 [Dr. Kinnear] This was part of a much larger network 599 00:33:46,834 --> 00:33:48,868 that protected the whole country. 600 00:33:49,968 --> 00:33:53,701 Rumor was that the queen herself would be hurried here 601 00:33:53,868 --> 00:33:55,601 if there was a doomsday scenario. 602 00:34:00,067 --> 00:34:05,567 [Treloar] I was conscripted into the RAF in September 1954, 603 00:34:05,734 --> 00:34:08,000 and after basic training, 604 00:34:08,167 --> 00:34:11,501 we were brought here and introduced to the place, 605 00:34:11,667 --> 00:34:14,100 and was very impressive, actually. 606 00:34:14,267 --> 00:34:19,000 A super state-of-the-art building in those days. 607 00:34:19,167 --> 00:34:22,167 Alan Treloar was 18 years old when he was called up 608 00:34:22,334 --> 00:34:23,968 for national service. 609 00:34:24,133 --> 00:34:28,400 For 18 months, he was posted at this top secret facility, 610 00:34:28,567 --> 00:34:31,367 which was built in 1953. 611 00:34:31,534 --> 00:34:34,567 [Treloar] You weren't allowed, really, to tell anybody anything 612 00:34:34,734 --> 00:34:36,267 of what you were doing. 613 00:34:36,434 --> 00:34:40,167 When I went home on leave or for a weekend, 614 00:34:40,334 --> 00:34:43,667 parents wanted to know what I was doing, and I told them 615 00:34:43,834 --> 00:34:48,367 the bare minimum of what I knew I was allowed to do. 616 00:34:48,534 --> 00:34:50,167 There was a very good reason 617 00:34:50,334 --> 00:34:52,067 the military personnel based here 618 00:34:52,234 --> 00:34:55,400 were forbidden from revealing their activities. 619 00:34:55,567 --> 00:34:58,167 Their mission was to safeguard the United Kingdom 620 00:34:58,334 --> 00:35:00,667 from total annihilation. 621 00:35:00,834 --> 00:35:03,901 In the early years of the Cold War, the main threat was 622 00:35:04,067 --> 00:35:07,868 long-range Soviet bombers carrying deadly nuclear weapons. 623 00:35:09,667 --> 00:35:12,267 To counter this danger, Britain's Air Ministry 624 00:35:12,434 --> 00:35:16,968 developed a new radar network, code named ROTOR. 625 00:35:17,133 --> 00:35:19,000 If an attack from the Soviet Union 626 00:35:19,167 --> 00:35:20,801 were to come over the North Sea, 627 00:35:20,968 --> 00:35:25,267 Scottish radar would be the first to detect it. 628 00:35:25,434 --> 00:35:29,100 The Royal Air Force needed somewhere secure to coordinate 629 00:35:29,267 --> 00:35:31,467 the ROTOR radar network in Scotland, 630 00:35:31,634 --> 00:35:34,200 where no one would ever see it. 631 00:35:35,467 --> 00:35:38,567 What they built was a subterranean fortress, 632 00:35:38,734 --> 00:35:41,100 three stories deep, the complex covered 633 00:35:41,267 --> 00:35:44,100 an area of over 37,000 square feet. 634 00:35:45,801 --> 00:35:50,667 It was called Air Defence Notification Centre (North), 635 00:35:50,834 --> 00:35:54,901 and formed part of the United Kingdom's first line of defense 636 00:35:55,067 --> 00:35:58,100 if World War III ever erupted. 637 00:35:58,267 --> 00:36:00,667 [Dr. Loh] It was the largest nuclear bunker in Scotland, 638 00:36:00,834 --> 00:36:03,868 but barely anyone knew it existed. 639 00:36:04,033 --> 00:36:08,467 In time, that would change with dramatic effect. 640 00:36:08,634 --> 00:36:11,667 Exposed by a civilian espionage group, 641 00:36:11,834 --> 00:36:15,601 it became a target for protests and sabotage. 642 00:36:18,067 --> 00:36:22,000 2 In Scotland are the remains of a subterranean bunker 643 00:36:22,167 --> 00:36:26,100 built in complete secrecy during the Cold War. 644 00:36:26,267 --> 00:36:29,667 Its mission was to help keep the United Kingdom safe 645 00:36:29,834 --> 00:36:32,367 against the threat of communism. 646 00:36:32,534 --> 00:36:35,567 [Selwood] It was a maze of corridors and rooms 647 00:36:35,734 --> 00:36:38,567 around a huge central atrium 648 00:36:38,734 --> 00:36:42,667 where a map plotting table allowed RAF officers 649 00:36:42,834 --> 00:36:47,000 to compile a full picture of any potential incoming attack 650 00:36:47,167 --> 00:36:48,501 from Soviet bombers. 651 00:36:49,801 --> 00:36:53,901 [Treloar] Most days, day-to-day work 652 00:36:54,067 --> 00:36:58,367 was reporting flights which were planned 653 00:36:58,534 --> 00:37:01,667 by RAF Bomber Command. 654 00:37:01,834 --> 00:37:05,300 And it was up to us to plot them and identify them 655 00:37:05,467 --> 00:37:08,667 using radar and the other means that we had. 656 00:37:10,167 --> 00:37:13,100 On numerous occasions, the Soviets tested 657 00:37:13,267 --> 00:37:16,000 the UK's new defense system. 658 00:37:16,167 --> 00:37:18,868 And, of course, sometimes they were 659 00:37:19,033 --> 00:37:22,267 Russian airplanes which shouldn't be there, 660 00:37:22,434 --> 00:37:26,200 and we were able to scramble aircraft, 661 00:37:26,367 --> 00:37:27,767 and to go and intercept them 662 00:37:27,934 --> 00:37:30,501 and accompany them out, out of the area. 663 00:37:30,667 --> 00:37:32,367 But in 1958, 664 00:37:32,534 --> 00:37:36,868 just three years after this facility became operational, 665 00:37:37,033 --> 00:37:38,901 it was already obsolete. 666 00:37:40,801 --> 00:37:44,267 [Selwood] Missiles could be fired from thousands of miles away. 667 00:37:44,434 --> 00:37:46,567 The weaponry was now more advanced 668 00:37:46,734 --> 00:37:48,634 than Britain's radar network. 669 00:37:51,067 --> 00:37:54,801 That didn't mean the bunker's use to the country was over. 670 00:37:56,467 --> 00:37:58,167 Although the bunker no longer functioned 671 00:37:58,334 --> 00:38:00,367 in its operational defense capacity, 672 00:38:00,534 --> 00:38:02,367 the engineering behind it 673 00:38:02,534 --> 00:38:05,367 was still immensely valuable. 674 00:38:05,534 --> 00:38:08,467 [Meares] The British government believed that the bunker would have been 675 00:38:08,634 --> 00:38:11,601 able to withstand a three megaton bomb 676 00:38:11,767 --> 00:38:14,367 dropped in the city center of Edinburgh. 677 00:38:16,767 --> 00:38:18,968 So the bunker's designation was switched 678 00:38:19,133 --> 00:38:21,400 from defense to survival. 679 00:38:22,801 --> 00:38:25,701 It was known as a Regional Seat of Government, 680 00:38:25,868 --> 00:38:28,467 or "RSG" for short. 681 00:38:29,467 --> 00:38:30,801 Dr. Sean Kinnear 682 00:38:30,968 --> 00:38:35,901 is a historian and expert on Scotland's Cold War history. 683 00:38:36,067 --> 00:38:38,601 [Dr. Kinnear] Here at Barnton, there would be about 400 people 684 00:38:38,767 --> 00:38:42,267 specifically chosen, so after a nuclear attack, 685 00:38:42,434 --> 00:38:44,400 they would be the central nucleus 686 00:38:44,567 --> 00:38:46,501 to try and restore some form 687 00:38:46,667 --> 00:38:49,601 of government and society in the aftermath. 688 00:38:51,100 --> 00:38:53,667 And, although it's never been confirmed, 689 00:38:53,834 --> 00:38:55,267 it has been suggested 690 00:38:55,434 --> 00:38:58,300 that this would be the place of refuge for the queen 691 00:38:58,467 --> 00:39:00,067 if there was a nuclear strike 692 00:39:00,234 --> 00:39:01,767 while she was in Scotland. 693 00:39:02,868 --> 00:39:05,267 Yet, as the government made preparations 694 00:39:05,434 --> 00:39:07,868 to survive a doomsday attack, 695 00:39:08,033 --> 00:39:09,701 some members of the public 696 00:39:09,868 --> 00:39:11,567 became increasingly worried 697 00:39:11,734 --> 00:39:15,000 about the spiraling nuclear arms race. 698 00:39:15,167 --> 00:39:16,767 While many protested peacefully, 699 00:39:16,934 --> 00:39:20,100 others resorted to more militant methods. 700 00:39:21,968 --> 00:39:25,400 [Selwood] The location and function of the bunker remained a secret 701 00:39:25,567 --> 00:39:27,367 until 1963, 702 00:39:27,534 --> 00:39:30,767 when an anti-nuclear group called the "Spies for Peace" 703 00:39:30,934 --> 00:39:33,100 managed to break into another government bunker 704 00:39:33,267 --> 00:39:34,667 in the south of England. 705 00:39:36,167 --> 00:39:38,868 [Meares] There they found a load of classified documents. 706 00:39:39,033 --> 00:39:40,567 These outlined the locations 707 00:39:40,734 --> 00:39:42,767 of other RSGs around the country. 708 00:39:42,934 --> 00:39:45,767 And these directed them to a previously undiscovered 709 00:39:45,934 --> 00:39:48,167 base right outside of Edinburgh. 710 00:39:50,267 --> 00:39:53,300 [Dr. Kinnear] They wanted to expose this network of bunkers 711 00:39:53,467 --> 00:39:56,667 that they were saying was for the privileged few, 712 00:39:56,834 --> 00:40:00,467 and the rest of the population were just gonna have to take 713 00:40:00,634 --> 00:40:03,267 what was coming, in terms of a nuclear attack. 714 00:40:03,434 --> 00:40:06,367 So, when they exposed sites like this, it was to say, 715 00:40:06,534 --> 00:40:07,767 "We have found your network. 716 00:40:07,934 --> 00:40:09,667 It's not as robust as you thought, 717 00:40:09,834 --> 00:40:11,567 and now everyone knows about it." 718 00:40:11,734 --> 00:40:13,467 The government was terrified. 719 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:17,567 Barton bunker became the target for regular 720 00:40:17,734 --> 00:40:20,767 anti-nuclear demonstrations for the next decade. 721 00:40:20,934 --> 00:40:22,767 They demanded the site to be shut down. 722 00:40:24,367 --> 00:40:27,901 But as the looming threat of the Cold War faded, 723 00:40:28,067 --> 00:40:30,300 the protests began to ease. 724 00:40:31,868 --> 00:40:36,367 In 1983, the bunker was officially closed. 725 00:40:37,767 --> 00:40:40,567 So, at that point, the site became an attraction 726 00:40:40,734 --> 00:40:44,801 for local vandals, who would break in and slowly, 727 00:40:44,968 --> 00:40:47,100 bit by bit, tear the place apart. 728 00:40:48,367 --> 00:40:51,868 [Selwood] Arsonists eventually found their way into the property. 729 00:40:52,033 --> 00:40:54,067 All the equipment and furnishings 730 00:40:54,234 --> 00:40:57,167 that hadn't already been stripped out were destroyed, 731 00:40:57,334 --> 00:40:59,801 and the bunker was left a blackened shell. 732 00:41:03,767 --> 00:41:07,567 In 1996, the derelict site was purchased 733 00:41:07,734 --> 00:41:09,267 by private owners. 734 00:41:09,434 --> 00:41:11,000 They are now in the process 735 00:41:11,167 --> 00:41:13,100 of restoring the Cold War relic. 736 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:17,200 [Dr. Kinnear] The intention is to bring it back to resemble 737 00:41:17,367 --> 00:41:19,100 what the structure would have looked like 738 00:41:19,267 --> 00:41:21,767 whilst it was in operation during the 1950s 739 00:41:21,934 --> 00:41:24,868 and give back to the community, allow them in 740 00:41:25,033 --> 00:41:26,968 to see what they weren't allowed to see 741 00:41:27,133 --> 00:41:28,567 for so many years.