1 00:00:01,640 --> 00:00:04,560 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:06,200 ♪ ♪ 3 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:08,680 [Duchovny] Tonight on "Secrets Declassified," 4 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,920 the top secret tech built to outwit, outgun, 5 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:14,400 and outmaneuver the enemy, 6 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:16,360 from the nuke so small it's nicknamed 7 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,320 the atomic watermelon. 8 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:21,280 - It's the smallest nuclear bomb ever built, 9 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,640 and it can be fired from a bazooka. 10 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,200 - To the spy plane so extraordinary, 11 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:28,880 it seems out of this world. 12 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:30,640 [Paul] This is actually responsible 13 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:32,159 for more than half of all reported 14 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,520 UFO sightings in the 1950s. 15 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,600 - And the World War II aircraft carrier 16 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:39,560 that's made of solid ice. 17 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,440 - This will be the largest naval vessel ever built. 18 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,120 - These are the astonishing and sometimes terrible 19 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:47,280 inventions designed by governments 20 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,000 and the people who work for them. 21 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,520 It's time to bring them to light. 22 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:58,000 ♪ ♪ 23 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:00,760 In 1943, the world is at war, 24 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,680 and the U.S. is looking for a way for their spies 25 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,480 to move underwater undetected. 26 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:09,960 The solution isn't born out of a top secret government lab. 27 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,360 It comes from the mind of a medical student 28 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:13,640 on summer break. 29 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:17,120 ♪ ♪ 30 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:18,920 [Hakeem] At the start of World War II, 31 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:22,160 America launches a brand-new intelligence agency, 32 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:24,240 the Office of Strategic Services. 33 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:27,720 The OSS is the first version of the CIA, 34 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,520 and its job is to find creative ways 35 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,080 to gather intelligence and sabotage Axis forces. 36 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:35,960 And one of its biggest obsessions 37 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,880 is finding ways to put spies underwater. 38 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:42,680 - If you can keep spies undetected underwater, 39 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:44,560 you could slip into enemy harbors, 40 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:49,400 sabotage vessels, and disrupt entire naval operations. 41 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:50,920 [Duchovny] There's just one problem. 42 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:52,960 At this time, breathing underwater 43 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,480 is anything but stealthy. 44 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,120 - There's one device called the aqualung, 45 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:00,040 but it releases air bubbles. 46 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,680 - This is a problem for covert operations. 47 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,840 You might as well send up a signal flare. 48 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,800 [Duchovny] The solution comes from an unlikely source-- 49 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:13,200 a young student at the University of Pennsylvania. 50 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,680 - Christian Lambertsen is an undergraduate student, 51 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:17,360 and he's studying physiology. 52 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,360 He's absolutely fascinated about breathing underwater. 53 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:23,240 - Every summer, Christian Lambertsen 54 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:25,440 heads down to the New Jersey coast. 55 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:27,400 But he's not chilling on the beach. 56 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:29,280 He's in the water experimenting 57 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,280 with breathing contraptions. 58 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:34,640 [Duchovny] One day, Lambertsen has a breakthrough. 59 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:38,040 The equipment that helps patients breathe in hospitals 60 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:41,280 could be modified to help divers breathe underwater 61 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,040 without producing bubbles. 62 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,040 - Anesthesia equipment contain absorbent materials 63 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,040 that remove carbon dioxide from the air 64 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,120 that patients breathe while they're unconscious. 65 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,040 Lambertsen figures, he can use similar materials 66 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:57,440 to remove the carbon dioxide from the air 67 00:02:57,560 --> 00:02:59,240 that a diver exhales. 68 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,880 That way, a diver's air can be rebreathed, 69 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:04,800 rather than being breathed back out into the water 70 00:03:04,920 --> 00:03:07,440 and creating bubbles. 71 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:09,720 [Duchovny] After years of trial and error, 72 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,400 Lambertsen perfects his idea. 73 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:15,040 - Lambertsen builds a prototype. 74 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:18,080 He calls it the Lambertsen Amphibious Respirator Unit, 75 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:19,880 LARU for short. 76 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,560 [Duchovny] LARU funnels exhaled air 77 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,280 through a canister lined with soda lime, 78 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:29,120 so oxygen can be rebreathed over and over. 79 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:30,440 [Don] It's pretty remarkable. 80 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:32,240 It's silent, doesn't weigh much, 81 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:34,400 and best of all, no bubbles. 82 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,240 [O'Keefe] So Lambertsen shows this prototype 83 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,440 to his professor, who immediately understands 84 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:42,280 the possible implications. 85 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,840 - He realizes this is a potential tool for spies. 86 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:47,760 [Duchovny] Seeing the possibilities, 87 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:50,840 Lambertsen's professor makes some calls, 88 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,600 and eventually, the OSS hear about this invention. 89 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,040 They ask Lambertsen down to Washington D.C. 90 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,040 for a demonstration. 91 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:02,280 - He straps it on, drops into the pool, and stays under. 92 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,760 No bubbles, no noise. 93 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,800 Just smooth movement beneath the water's surface. 94 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,040 - Needless to say, the OSS are absolutely fascinated 95 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:11,960 by what this prototype could do, 96 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:13,920 so they hire Lambertsen. 97 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,360 - A dip in the pool is one thing. 98 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:18,240 What the OSS really wants to know 99 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,079 is whether this homemade spy gadget can perform 100 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,240 in a real combat mission. 101 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:25,640 [Hakeem] Lambertsen is given the job of training 102 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,960 the very first unit of combat swimmers for a live test. 103 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:31,400 - The OSS want Lambertsen and his team 104 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:33,480 to infiltrate a heavily defended harbor 105 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,360 and plant dummy explosives on a target ship 106 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,840 and then get out of there undetected. 107 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:41,320 It has underwater sound detection systems, 108 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:43,560 patrol boats, and security nets. 109 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:45,520 This place is locked down. 110 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:47,360 It's essentially a make-or-break 111 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:49,520 high-stakes underwater heist. 112 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:51,280 [Jack] They're trailblazers. 113 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:52,800 This hasn't been done before, so they're having 114 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:54,800 to invent the tactics and procedures 115 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:56,480 and the technology at the same time 116 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,520 to enable this kind of operation. 117 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:01,360 [Duchovny] The test mission is given the name 118 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:03,760 Operation Cincinnati. 119 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,360 - The training is absolutely brutal. 120 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:10,200 The divers have to learn how to operate in freezing-cold waters 121 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,080 and in complete darkness. 122 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:15,080 [Duchovny] After a year and a half's training, 123 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:17,280 Lambertsen's new team are ready. 124 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:19,560 ♪ ♪ 125 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,400 - Under cover of night, the divers slip into the water. 126 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,640 They're armed only with the LARUs, waterproof compasses, 127 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,040 and dummy explosive charges. 128 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,040 They glide past the patrol boats 129 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:32,880 and navigate around the underwater nets. 130 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,480 - The LARU allows a diver to stay submerged at a depth 131 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:38,480 of 50 feet for up to 90 minutes. 132 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,360 - The navy's state-of-the-art sound detection equipment 133 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:42,480 hears nothing. 134 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:49,600 ♪ ♪ 135 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:56,840 They reach their target, plant the charges, 136 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:58,800 and get away without a sound 137 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:00,680 or a single ripple on the surface. 138 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,120 ♪ ♪ 139 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,880 [Duchovny] The operation is a stunning success. 140 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,880 - The OSS immediately deploys a new unit of combat swimmers 141 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:14,120 equipped with the LARU on covert missions 142 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,040 all around the globe. 143 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,640 [Duchovny] Lambertsen's device opens the ocean to millions 144 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:23,680 of recreational divers, but its covert military origins 145 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:26,560 and its make-or-break test remain buried 146 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:30,600 in classified files for another 40 years. 147 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:34,200 [Sami] In 1995, the CIA declassifies the files 148 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,840 that reveal the LARU's origins as a cutting-edge spy gadget, 149 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:41,080 and we get to learn how a medical student on summer break 150 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:46,760 invented a device that changed underwater espionage forever. 151 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:49,000 - The LARU was the brainchild of a single 152 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:50,800 talented medical student. 153 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,000 But when the U.S. government wants to build the world's 154 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,000 smallest nuclear bomb, it enlists an army 155 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:58,720 of highly trained scientists. 156 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:02,600 The device they create is known as the atomic watermelon. 157 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:08,120 ♪ ♪ 158 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,760 [Sami] In the late 1950s, in Europe, 159 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,480 Soviet forces outnumbered NATO forces 10 to 1, 160 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:16,440 and as a result, the United States are terrified 161 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:18,480 of a Soviet invasion. 162 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:19,880 They especially fear the Soviets 163 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:21,520 sending thousands of tanks across 164 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:23,920 what is known as the Fulda Gap. 165 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,880 [Martin] The Fulda Gap is a geographical feature 166 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,280 right along the border in Germany-- 167 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:33,400 two open-plain areas that would make it easy 168 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:34,960 for Communist bloc nations 169 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:37,960 to stream from east toward the west. 170 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:40,720 [Hakeem] If Russian tanks roll through the Fulda Gap, 171 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:42,760 there won't be enough time for America 172 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,320 to scramble its strategic nuclear bombers. 173 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:48,800 [Duchovny] U.S. military planners know, 174 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:50,720 if they wanna protect the free world, 175 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:55,240 they need to find a way to defend the Fulda Gap. 176 00:07:55,360 --> 00:08:00,160 For that, they decide they need a brand-new weapon. 177 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:02,560 - What the U.S. Army needs is a tactical, 178 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:04,400 low-yield nuclear weapon. 179 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:06,760 - It needs to be scary enough to make the Soviets think twice 180 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:09,120 about invading, but small enough 181 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:12,560 to race along the West German frontline at a moment's notice. 182 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:17,040 ♪ ♪ 183 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,600 [James] In 1959, Los Alamos National Laboratory engineers 184 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:23,000 begin work to design the smallest 185 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:24,760 ever nuclear weapon. 186 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:26,360 ♪ ♪ 187 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:28,440 [Hakeem] Engineers use a new form 188 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:31,280 of highly enriched plutonium 239. 189 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:35,400 This new, miniaturized device has an explosive yield 190 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,520 equivalent to about 20 tons of TNT. 191 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,840 That's similar to the largest conventional bombs 192 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:43,640 ever constructed. 193 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:46,720 And it weighs only around 50 pounds. 194 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,080 That's less than 1% the weight of the Hiroshima bomb, 195 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:54,280 and this is a device that's less than 11 inches in width. 196 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,480 [Duchovny] Its size and shape inspire a nickname: 197 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,160 the atomic watermelon. 198 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:01,520 Now the military needs to see if this melon 199 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:04,840 can deliver the destruction they're hoping for. 200 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:10,560 ♪ ♪ 201 00:09:10,680 --> 00:09:13,440 [Martin] There's a test detonation of the warhead 202 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:16,440 at the Nevada test site in July 1962. 203 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:19,720 This is designed to prove that the weapon system 204 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:21,440 is capable of functioning. 205 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:24,120 There's a bit of theater associated with this test. 206 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:26,600 There are bleachers that are built. 207 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:27,880 Those who are invited 208 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:29,800 to attend the test and observe it, 209 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,720 they're given special goggles so that they won't be blinded 210 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:34,520 by the blast once it occurs. 211 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:36,240 There's a VIP seating area. 212 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:38,960 Robert F. Kennedy is there. 213 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:43,000 It's being proven not just to the American military, 214 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:45,320 but to American political leadership. 215 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:49,440 And it's also a rollout, if you will, 216 00:09:49,560 --> 00:09:51,760 to prove we're capable of using this on the battlefield. 217 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:53,600 ♪ ♪ 218 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:56,640 [Duchovny] The target is a point in the dry desert basin 219 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:00,320 nearly 3,000 meters away. 220 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,160 At 10:00 a.m., the weapon is fired. 221 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:15,160 ♪ ♪ 222 00:10:16,560 --> 00:10:18,400 And it works. 223 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:20,800 [Announcer] The round was set for a low height of burst. 224 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:22,400 It detonated perfectly, 225 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,480 releasing its lethal radiation. 226 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,160 - The launcher, the delivery system, 227 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,880 the warhead all work flawlessly, 228 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:31,840 exactly as designed. 229 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:35,400 And tests at the delivery site show radiation levels 230 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:38,400 that confirm that anyone within 200 meters 231 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,360 would have been killed instantly. 232 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,640 [Duchovny] The atomic watermelon is a success. 233 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,240 It's loaded into Jeeps across West Germany, 234 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:50,320 ready to race to the frontline. 235 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,680 - Over 2,000 atomic watermelons are manufactured 236 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:56,360 and distributed across Europe to face the Soviet threat. 237 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:59,280 Each weapon is handled by a five-man team, 238 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:01,760 who are only to use the weapon if they are faced 239 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:05,200 with an imminent threat of being overrun. 240 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:07,240 [Duchovny] Shooting a nuke from a short-range 241 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:11,000 rocket launcher comes with one very real risk. 242 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,880 [Martin] That five-man team will move forward 243 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:15,560 at high speed using the vehicle. 244 00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:17,000 They'll fire the weapon. 245 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:19,360 And then, immediately upon releasing it, 246 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:21,280 they will move as fast as possible 247 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,240 out of the fallout range of the weapon 248 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:26,720 so that they themselves do not become irradiation casualties. 249 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:29,240 [Duchovny] Despite the danger, the atomic watermelon 250 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:31,880 is judged such an effective deterrent 251 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,320 that it's deployed to other vulnerable outposts, 252 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:38,160 including Korea, Guam, and Hawaii. 253 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:39,720 - The atomic watermelon is a key part 254 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:41,640 of American defense for the better part of a decade, 255 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:45,080 but by the late 1960s, it still hasn't been used in combat. 256 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:46,720 Plus, advances in missile guidance 257 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:48,520 have essentially rendered it obsolete, 258 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:51,960 so it's retired in 1971. 259 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:54,240 [Duchovny] The story of the atomic watermelon 260 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:55,640 remains buried in classified archives for decades. 261 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:57,880 remains buried in classified archives for decades. 262 00:11:57,960 --> 00:11:59,400 ♪ ♪ 263 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,040 Only after the end of the Cold War 264 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,560 are the full details revealed to the world. 265 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:08,280 ♪ ♪ 266 00:12:11,560 --> 00:12:13,200 - When aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin designs 267 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,000 the ultimate Cold War spy plane, 268 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:19,000 the CIA will do anything to keep the top secret tech 269 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:21,600 under wraps, even if it means igniting 270 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:25,040 one of history's greatest conspiracy theories. 271 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:32,120 ♪ ♪ 272 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,440 - This plane is cutting-edge technology, 273 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:38,800 but it's kind of weird. 274 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,400 It uses advanced materials like titanium 275 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:43,280 that's strong and lightweight, 276 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:45,160 but it also has these strange features. 277 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,680 Like, it's gangly, and the landing gear 278 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:50,320 is lined up like bicycle wheels. 279 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:52,560 [Greg] This is a curious-looking bird. 280 00:12:52,680 --> 00:12:56,560 This plane has 130-foot-long wings that droop 281 00:12:56,680 --> 00:12:57,880 at their length, to the point that 282 00:12:58,000 --> 00:12:59,160 they actually will hit the ground 283 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:01,080 when the plane is grounded. 284 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,840 - Most unusually, though, for a plane produced by 285 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:06,800 a fighter jet company, this aircraft isn't going 286 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:09,080 to carry a single weapon. 287 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:11,760 [Duchovny] The reason for this plane's extreme design 288 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:13,600 is its extreme mission. 289 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:15,280 It's being made for the U.S. government 290 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:17,720 to fly at record-breaking altitudes 291 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:20,280 on top secret reconnaissance missions 292 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,000 over Soviet territory. 293 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:23,800 ♪ ♪ 294 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:26,280 - In the 1950s, the Americans are worried 295 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,320 about the technology that the Soviets have. 296 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:31,680 The rumor at the time is that the Soviets 297 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:35,200 had developed a bomber capable of flying from Moscow 298 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,120 to the United States. 299 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:40,840 So the CIA comes up with this ingenious plan 300 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:43,760 to find out if it was true. 301 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:46,840 - We don't have much of a spy network operating 302 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,640 in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. 303 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,880 The Soviets are protected behind an Iron Curtain. 304 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:54,680 If you can't go through the Iron Curtain 305 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:56,960 or sneak behind it, 306 00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:58,840 you might have to fly over it. 307 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,480 ♪ ♪ 308 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,880 [Duchovny] To avoid detection, the CIA decides to build 309 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:08,000 a state-of-the-art spy plane. 310 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:10,680 [Paul] Any aircraft that are flying over Soviet territory 311 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:12,760 might be susceptible to air defense, 312 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:14,760 including sophisticated missiles. 313 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:19,800 And they might be accused of violating international law. 314 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:22,560 The solution is to create an aircraft 315 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:26,680 that flies twice as high as the Himalayan peaks. 316 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:30,320 - 70,000 feet and above. 317 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:33,640 [Duchovny] No plane has flown so high for so long. 318 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:37,480 To achieve it means developing brand-new technology. 319 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:39,440 ♪ ♪ 320 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:40,920 [Nehemiah] So the government tasked Lockheed 321 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:43,160 to build this spy plane. 322 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:45,400 And their solution is essentially 323 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:50,160 to make a giant glider and to stick a jet engine on it. 324 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:51,640 [Greg] Flying at the altitude that it is 325 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:53,080 presents all sorts of new challenges. 326 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,640 For instance, traditional jet fuel just won't work. 327 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:57,800 [Nehemiah] They need to invent an entirely 328 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,040 new type of kerosene fuel that doesn't 329 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:03,440 boil off at low pressure. 330 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:04,840 [Duchovny] Lockheed's engineers 331 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,160 call its new creation the Angel, 332 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:09,200 as it flies so close to heaven. 333 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:12,840 The government designates it Utility Aircraft 2, 334 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:14,360 or the U-2. 335 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,440 But building this incredible plane 336 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:18,600 is only half the battle. 337 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:22,440 ♪ ♪ 338 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:24,400 [James] When the U-2 is complete, 339 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:26,400 the government needs to figure out how to test it 340 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:29,040 and, most importantly, where to test it. 341 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:30,760 ♪ ♪ 342 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:32,520 [Hakeem] Building a plane in secret, 343 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,160 that's doable because it's done inside of a hangar. 344 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:39,040 But testing a plane in secret, that's a lot more difficult. 345 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:41,680 ♪ ♪ 346 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:44,840 [Duchovny] For decades, the location of the U-2's 347 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:46,760 testing site remains one of the government's 348 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:49,760 most closely guarded secrets. 349 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,400 But conducting so many flights of this classified plane 350 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,960 has a strange side effect. 351 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:57,560 [Hakeem] When they start testing the U-2, 352 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,720 UFO sightings go up tremendously. 353 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:01,960 The public sees it. 354 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:03,600 They have no idea what they're looking at. 355 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:06,160 Air traffic controllers and professional pilots, 356 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:07,960 they don't know either. 357 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:09,800 [Gary] They see the shimmering in the sky. 358 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:11,760 They don't know what it is. It's really high up there. 359 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:13,240 Therefore, they think it's a UFO. 360 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:15,160 ♪ ♪ 361 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:16,680 [James] Rather than confess that they're testing 362 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:18,440 a top secret new plane, 363 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:20,800 which might alert the Soviets to their plan, 364 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:22,880 the CIA launch a cover-up. 365 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:26,120 - They claim the sightings are due to natural phenomena, 366 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:30,520 so understandably, the conspiracy theories go nuts. 367 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:33,520 [Paul] There are some people who argue that the U-2, 368 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,480 in its early stages of development 369 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:38,920 is actually responsible for more than half of all 370 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,800 reported UFO sightings in the 1950s. 371 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:44,880 [Duchovny] In 2013, the U.S. admits for the first time 372 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,160 what many have long suspected. 373 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:52,200 The name of the U-2's secret test base is Area 51. 374 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:57,680 ♪ ♪ 375 00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:00,160 - One of the reasons that Area 51 is so important 376 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:03,840 and so secret is that it's near the Nevada proving grounds. 377 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:05,640 And no one in their right mind is 378 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:07,280 gonna wanna go into an area where 379 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:10,640 they're testing nuclear bombs. 380 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:12,040 [Hakeem] They specifically purchased 381 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:14,359 the land for testing the U-2. 382 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,960 Were it not for the U-2, there would be no Area 51, 383 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:20,480 and we would have lost our most iconic 384 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:24,319 UFO conspiracy location. 385 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,440 [Duchovny] While Area 51 becomes the most notorious 386 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:30,000 UFO site in the world, 387 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:32,240 the U-2 plane becomes one of America's 388 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:35,360 most vital intelligence tools. 389 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:38,160 [Gary] Between 1956, the first operational flight, 390 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:41,240 July 4th, through May 1st of 1960, 391 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:43,440 the U-2 program dispelled 392 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:45,160 the missile gap and the bomber gap. 393 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:46,520 There was none. 394 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:48,480 We were still ahead of the Soviets, 395 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:50,520 even though they were saying they were ahead of us. 396 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:52,880 ♪ ♪ 397 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:55,480 - Over the next four years, 30 flights 398 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:59,080 photograph almost 15% of the USSR. 399 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,120 This provides 90% of the CIA's hard intelligence 400 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:04,320 on its fiercest rival. 401 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:05,840 - The CIA thought it had a shelf life 402 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:08,160 of two to four years. 403 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:10,880 Well, other than the B-52, the U-2 spy plane 404 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:12,280 Well, other than the B-52, the U-2 spy plane 405 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:14,440 is the longest flying airplane 406 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:16,880 in the U.S. Air Force's arsenal. 407 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:18,400 And it's still flying today. 408 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,520 - In World War II, Hitler's U-boats 409 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:27,520 are hunting British ships relentlessly. 410 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:30,680 So Britain gambles on a radical new innovation, 411 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:36,160 an unsinkable ship built not from steel, but from ice. 412 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:39,600 [dramatic music] 413 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:43,040 - By 1942, Britain feels like it's against the ropes. 414 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:45,720 U-boats hunting in the mid-Atlantic 415 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:51,120 are sinking 650,000 tons of shipping every month. 416 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:53,640 - The killing zone is called U-boat Alley. 417 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:55,600 It's a stretch of the mid-Atlantic 418 00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:57,880 where Allied ships are unprotected. 419 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,200 Air Force planes can't reach that far from land bases, 420 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:03,680 and the British can't send aircraft carriers to help 421 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:06,680 because they would be sunk by the U-boats too. 422 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:11,360 - What they need is an aircraft carrier that can't be sunk. 423 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:13,880 [Duchovny] Enter Geoffrey Pyke, 424 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,000 an eccentric adventurer and inventor 425 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:18,960 now working for Allied HQ. 426 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:21,560 [Hakeem] Geoffrey Pyke comes up with the realization 427 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:26,160 that nature already produces giant, unsinkable platforms 428 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:27,120 in the ocean. 429 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:29,520 They're called icebergs. 430 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,080 So he comes up with the idea that 431 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:33,880 you could flatten one 432 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,240 and tow it wherever you wanted it to be. 433 00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:39,600 - You can use it as an unsinkable aircraft carrier, 434 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:42,760 and it can close the mid-Atlantic gap. 435 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:47,080 [Duchovny] But Pyke soon realizes icebergs won't work. 436 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:49,640 - They have this nasty tendency to flip, 437 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:51,320 which would put your aircraft and your crew 438 00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:52,640 in the cold Atlantic waters. 439 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:56,680 So no, not a good solution. 440 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:59,120 [Duchovny] Pyke won't be stopped so easily. 441 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:03,840 He begins to design an artificial iceberg. 442 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:05,960 [Hakeem] Pyke's idea is to create 443 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:08,880 a giant aircraft carrier not from steel, 444 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,800 but from blocks of carved ice. 445 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:14,080 He could have a system of cooling pipes 446 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:16,560 throughout the ice to keep it frozen 447 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:21,120 and also use diesel engines to propel it forward. 448 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:22,640 [Duchovny] At a secret lab 449 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:24,640 hidden in a refrigerated storage unit 450 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:26,800 at London's Smithfield Meat Market, 451 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:31,160 Pyke's team starts experimenting. 452 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:33,280 [Martin] There's one big shortcoming with ice: 453 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:35,960 it is extremely brittle. 454 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:40,280 If it came under enemy attack, it will fracture. 455 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:42,280 - So as Pyke considers this problem, 456 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:45,120 he takes some inspiration from reinforced concrete 457 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:47,120 and the idea that perhaps combining 458 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:48,720 water with another element 459 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:52,160 would produce a harder ice product. 460 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:53,360 [Duchovny] Pyke's team searches 461 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:54,920 for potential additives 462 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,000 to increase the durability of ice. 463 00:20:58,120 --> 00:20:59,480 [Don] They find a research paper 464 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:01,440 from scientists in Brooklyn, New York, 465 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:03,880 testing cotton as a reinforcer. 466 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:08,160 But this makes a slushy, uneven ice block. 467 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:10,080 [Hakeem] Finally, after lots of experimentation, 468 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:13,000 they come up with just the right recipe, 469 00:21:13,120 --> 00:21:16,800 and that is 4% wood pulp and 96% water. 470 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:19,680 This combination creates an incredibly durable 471 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:21,480 block of ice. 472 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:22,880 [Duchovny] Pyke's new ice behaves 473 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:24,680 like nothing else on Earth. 474 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:29,040 It's strong as concrete and almost bulletproof 475 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,040 but can be cast like metal and cut like wood. 476 00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:34,720 ♪ ♪ 477 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:37,640 They name this new miracle material Pykrete, 478 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:39,960 after its inventor. 479 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:41,840 [Sami] British Prime Minister Winston Churchill 480 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:45,480 is the kind of guy who likes unusual, bold, daring ideas. 481 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,120 So he says, yeah, let's do this. 482 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,200 Pyke's project is given the code name Habakkuk. 483 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,360 ♪ ♪ 484 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:55,520 [Duchovny] Habakkuk is an Old Testament prophet 485 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:58,840 who records God's promise to the doubtful. 486 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:01,600 "I am going to do something in your days 487 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,880 that you would not believe, even if you were told." 488 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,440 Pyke chooses the name to fit his impossibly ambitious 489 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:10,000 ice ship. 490 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:12,800 Now he needs to construct a prototype. 491 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:15,400 But Britain is too warm to build it, 492 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:17,840 so the entire project moves to Canada. 493 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:19,520 ♪ ♪ 494 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,200 [Don] They turn the frozen surface of Patricia Lake 495 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:26,040 into a giant laboratory and build a 1,000-ton, 496 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:28,320 60-foot-long scale model. 497 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:30,120 ♪ ♪ 498 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:32,560 [Hakeem] The Habakkuk team starts experimenting, 499 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:36,720 and they find that, in order to keep the ice stable, 500 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,360 the ship's refrigerators need to keep it 501 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:41,440 at a frosty 5 degrees. 502 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:44,560 [Don] They also discover that, to stop a torpedo, 503 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:48,640 the hull has to be at least 30 feet thick. 504 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:50,520 [Hakeem] When they complete their design, 505 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:53,720 it is an absolute behemoth. 506 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,360 [Martin] Pyke wanted an ice ship with a runway 507 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:58,840 2,000 feet long and 300 feet wide. 508 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:01,360 - It has 40-foot-thick walls, 509 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:06,680 and it can carry over 150 bombers at one time. 510 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,120 - This will be the largest naval vessel ever built. 511 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:12,120 ♪ ♪ 512 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:15,640 [Duchovny] Project Habakkuk is now becoming hugely expensive, 513 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,840 so it needs American backing. 514 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:23,280 In August 1943, at the Allied conference in Quebec, 515 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:25,920 the Brits make their pitch. 516 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:29,120 - To prove the properties of pykrete to the Americans, 517 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,120 one of the UK's top commanders, Lord Mountbatten, 518 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,440 stages a demo. 519 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:37,280 - Mountbatten gives U.S. General Hap Arnold an ax 520 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:39,920 and asks him to smash a block of pykrete. 521 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,520 Arnold swings at the pykrete with all his might. 522 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,320 The ax bounces off. 523 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:46,440 - Then Mountbatten draws his pistol 524 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:48,560 and fires it at the pykrete. 525 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:50,040 [gunshot] 526 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:51,640 The bullet ricochets off, 527 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:53,560 sending the generals diving for cover. 528 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,160 - The room erupts, but the point is made. 529 00:23:56,280 --> 00:24:00,640 The Americans are on board for Habakkuk. 530 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:02,760 [Duchovny] Before production can begin, 531 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:05,280 the tides turn in the Atlantic. 532 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:09,480 Long-range aircraft and new anti-submarine tactics 533 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,760 blunt the U-boat threat. 534 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:16,600 With the crisis over, the ice ship is no longer needed. 535 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:19,320 ♪ ♪ 536 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:23,560 - In January 1944, Project Habakkuk is canceled. 537 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:25,560 - The prototype ship they built on Patricia Lake 538 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:27,800 is allowed to melt away. 539 00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:30,720 [Duchovny] Soon the war comes to an end, 540 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,920 but the British military keeps details of pykrete 541 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,640 on ice for the next 30 years. 542 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:38,520 [Martin] We only learn the full details 543 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:42,160 through declassified documents that are discovered in 1973. 544 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:45,040 They speak to an hour of desperation 545 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:47,880 when England faced an existential threat 546 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:49,560 as a result of the U-boat. 547 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:51,160 ♪ ♪ 548 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:55,520 - Some new technology lands with a bang, 549 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:57,520 others barely a sound. 550 00:24:57,640 --> 00:24:59,520 To help end the Vietnam War, 551 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:02,240 the CIA needs a helicopter so stealthy, 552 00:25:02,360 --> 00:25:05,080 the enemy will never even know it's there. 553 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:09,880 [dramatic music] 554 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:12,640 [Hakeem] It's 1971, and the Vietnam War 555 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:15,400 has been going on full tilt for six years. 556 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,400 The American public is now putting pressure 557 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:20,600 on the government to end the war, 558 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:24,480 and troops are actually starting to come home. 559 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:26,280 [Sami] Peace talks are underway, 560 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:28,520 but President Nixon finds himself in the middle 561 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:31,840 of a diplomatic deadlock that is just so absurd that-- 562 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:34,640 and this is no joke-- after 10 weeks, 563 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:38,160 the only thing negotiators have agreed on 564 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:42,160 is the shape of the conference table. 565 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:44,920 [Martin] Henry Kissinger is Richard Nixon's 566 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:46,800 national security advisor. 567 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:50,080 Kissinger feels a concern that the North Vietnamese 568 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:52,040 are not negotiating in good faith. 569 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:56,080 He turns to the CIA in the interests of developing 570 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:59,720 a more accurate intelligence picture. 571 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:02,120 [Sami] The CIA has learned that about 15 miles 572 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:04,440 from the city of Vinh, a single phone line 573 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:06,480 carries the North Vietnamese military's 574 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:08,160 most senior communications. 575 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:09,920 ♪ ♪ 576 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:11,520 [Duchovny] Laying a tap on this line 577 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:16,040 could hand Nixon Hanoi's playbook in real-time. 578 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:18,200 But there's a catch. 579 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:23,880 - The phone line runs about 150 miles into enemy territory. 580 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,040 Reaching it means flying a helicopter 581 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:28,040 deep behind enemy lines. 582 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:31,280 And this is further than any covert flight of the war. 583 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:33,440 [helicopter whirring] 584 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:36,960 [Duchovny] Very little about a helicopter is stealthy. 585 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:40,520 - A conventional helicopter can be heard for several miles. 586 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:42,360 Using one will blow the mission's cover 587 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:44,440 and also get the team shot down. 588 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:47,720 Somehow, the team need to source a helicopter 589 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:49,960 that the enemy won't hear coming. 590 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,520 ♪ ♪ 591 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:56,320 - Enter the Quiet One, a stealth helicopter 592 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:59,480 in the works at the Pentagon's top research lab. 593 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:01,640 ♪ ♪ 594 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:05,320 - Instead of four rotor blades, it runs five. 595 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:07,480 It cuts down on the thump 596 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:10,440 that these rotor blades tend to make. 597 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:14,000 They also use oversized mufflers, which soften 598 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:17,480 the entire exhaust signature. 599 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:21,400 [Duchovny] At 400 feet, it registers just 71 decibels, 600 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:23,200 earning its title as the world's 601 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:26,160 quietest helicopter. 602 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,800 But quiet isn't the same as combat-ready. 603 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:32,800 - Landing in North Vietnam would be catastrophic, 604 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:35,840 so the Quiet One needs to make a 300-mile 605 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:38,080 round trip without stopping. 606 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:42,080 - The CIA modifies it with a 500 horsepower engine, 607 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:44,240 twice the standard, so it can fly 608 00:27:44,360 --> 00:27:46,640 long haul without refueling. 609 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:48,720 - They also give the aircrew forward-looking 610 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:51,160 infrared screens, allowing these crews 611 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:53,880 to fly in complete darkness. 612 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:55,960 - To top it off, the whole chopper is 613 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,760 coated head to toe in experimental 614 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,960 radar-absorbing black paint. 615 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:05,200 - By October of 1971, two prototypes are ready 616 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:08,000 and shipped to a secret air base in Taiwan. 617 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:09,680 ♪ ♪ 618 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,240 [Duchovny] Now Kissinger just needs the right team 619 00:28:12,360 --> 00:28:14,000 to fly his new machine. 620 00:28:14,120 --> 00:28:16,360 - The CIA wants to keep this mission deniable 621 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:18,960 for the U.S. government, so they send in two 622 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:22,160 American helicopter pilots to train Taiwanese 623 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:24,840 on how to fly the stealth helicopter. 624 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:26,720 ♪ ♪ 625 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:29,200 [Hakeem] Training turns out to be a disaster. 626 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,320 The Taiwanese pilots are told to push the aircraft 627 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:34,880 beyond what they're capable of. 628 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,600 One of the helicopters crashes and is damaged beyond repair. 629 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:40,400 ♪ ♪ 630 00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:42,440 [Duchovny] Down to their last Quiet One, 631 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:45,760 the CIA upends its original plan. 632 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:48,520 - By late 1972, the CIA has no choice. 633 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:51,160 The U.S. pilots will have to fly the mission themselves. 634 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:53,040 ♪ ♪ 635 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:55,720 So on December 6, they give the green light 636 00:28:55,840 --> 00:29:00,400 for the most covert flight of the entire Vietnam War. 637 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:03,840 [Martin] The aircraft delivers the team to the bluff. 638 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:05,280 The team scramble off of it. 639 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:09,360 The aircraft then quietly returned to the air. 640 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:12,600 [Duchovny] Placing the wiretap should be the easy part, 641 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,280 but there's a problem. 642 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:18,320 - The telegraph poles are not made of wood, 643 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,040 like they expected, but they're concrete. 644 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:23,840 The special climbing gear they brought won't bite. 645 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:25,800 ♪ ♪ 646 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:28,200 - The commandos muscle their way up the pole 647 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:32,160 by hand, which wastes precious time. 648 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:34,320 [Martin] Undeterred, they reach that spot, 649 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:39,080 install the wiretap, scramble back down. 650 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:41,240 [Sami] The Quiet One descends in silence, 651 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:44,600 the commandos climb back aboard, and they head for base. 652 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:46,680 ♪ ♪ 653 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:48,920 [Duchovny] A few weeks later, the Vietnam War 654 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:52,880 comes to an end when the Paris Peace Accords are signed. 655 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:56,520 [Hakeem] Many believe that the intercept by the Quiet One 656 00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:58,960 gave Kissinger the leverage that he needed 657 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:00,640 to close the deal. 658 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,040 [Duchovny] While Kissinger takes the spotlight, 659 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:06,880 the Quiet One disappears into CIA silence. 660 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,800 And its Black Ops mission is buried. 661 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:15,320 Then, in 1982, historians Ken Conboy and James Morrison 662 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,600 start to piece together the truth 663 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:22,560 through hundreds of interviews with those involved. 664 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:24,840 Over a decade later, they reveal 665 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:27,080 the full story to the world. 666 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:32,440 - In a remote desert, military engineers test a cutting-edge 667 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,320 piece of spy tech so unusual and classified, 668 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,800 some will claim it's out of this world. 669 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:41,800 [dramatic music] 670 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:46,200 ♪ ♪ 671 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:48,200 - This is a very technologically advanced program, 672 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:51,240 so secret that the individuals working on it 673 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:52,600 don't know what they're working on. 674 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:54,280 ♪ ♪ 675 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:56,440 Nearly everyone on this program are told 676 00:30:56,560 --> 00:31:00,280 that they're working on meteorological equipment. 677 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:03,680 Even the code name, Mogul, is classified. 678 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:05,840 ♪ ♪ 679 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:07,800 [Duchovny] Project Mogul is being built 680 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:11,920 to keep the U.S. in the lead of the nuclear arms race. 681 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:14,360 ♪ ♪ 682 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:16,840 - As far as the Americans know, the Soviets don't have 683 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,040 the technology to build the atomic bomb, 684 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:20,920 but they also know that it's only a matter of time 685 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:21,920 before they do. 686 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:23,720 ♪ ♪ 687 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:25,040 [Gary] The Soviet Union is filled 688 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:27,160 with these vast wildernesses. 689 00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:29,680 The Americans are concerned that they're gonna be able 690 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:31,800 to test these weapons in total secrecy. 691 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:34,360 ♪ ♪ 692 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:37,640 This is in an age where we can't get over the Soviet Union 693 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:39,320 undetected, so they have to come up 694 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:41,800 with an idea on how to monitor the Soviets 695 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:44,000 as they test nuclear weapons. 696 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:46,600 ♪ ♪ 697 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:48,720 [Duchovny] The answer comes from a renowned 698 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:52,320 U.S. geophysicist and oceanographer who claims 699 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,080 he can make tech that can listen for the Soviet tests. 700 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:58,680 [Don] Dr. W. Maurice Ewing is convinced 701 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:01,400 sound channels exist at high altitudes 702 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:04,280 which could be used to detect nuclear explosions. 703 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:08,840 ♪ ♪ 704 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:12,240 His idea gets the attention of U.S. Air Force officials, 705 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:15,200 who authorize a top secret research effort 706 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:18,720 called Project Mogul. 707 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:22,400 - The concept is simple-- to place microphones 708 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:25,600 8 1/2 miles in the air in the aerial sound channel 709 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:29,000 to listen for nuclear detonations. 710 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:31,640 [Duchovny] The idea may be simple, 711 00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:34,520 but the execution is not. 712 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:36,840 [Gary] The Americans have to figure out how to get 713 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:41,080 these microphones up to altitude, 70,000, 100,000 feet, 714 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:43,640 and stay up there for a very long time. 715 00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:46,680 [Duchovny] Dr. Ewing thinks the answer is to float them, 716 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,480 using helium balloons. 717 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:51,440 [Amy] Helium balloons don't make any sound, 718 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:54,040 they can stay aloft for days at a time, 719 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:56,360 and they don't need any fuel or a crew. 720 00:32:56,480 --> 00:33:00,560 They're basically the perfect autonomous vehicle. 721 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:03,600 [Duchovny] In 1947, the Mogul team head into the desert 722 00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:06,480 to begin the secret testing of these balloons 723 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:10,320 and the cutting-edge audio spy tech they will carry. 724 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:12,160 [Nehemiah] The payload equipment-- 725 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:14,680 sound monitors, ballast, and batteries-- 726 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:16,440 they all hung below. 727 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:20,200 This stretches up to 600 feet from tip to tail, 728 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:24,480 which is twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty. 729 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:27,280 [Amy] Rising to 45,000 feet, balloons can withstand 730 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,800 temperature fluctuations of up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit 731 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:33,080 and winds of over 30 miles per hour. 732 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:35,680 ♪ ♪ 733 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:37,600 [Duchovny] It takes just one accident 734 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:41,880 for this top secret program to ignite an enduring mystery. 735 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:43,240 ♪ ♪ 736 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:45,120 [Gary] There's one problem. 737 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:48,800 These balloons can not always be controlled. 738 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:50,360 They don't always go where you want them to, 739 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:52,080 and sometimes they crash. 740 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:57,360 ♪ ♪ 741 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:00,040 [Don] In June 1947, a rancher stumbles 742 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:05,000 upon strange, mangled, high-tech metallic debris. 743 00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:07,360 The rancher brings a sample of the wreckage 744 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:10,080 to a nearby army airfield. 745 00:34:10,199 --> 00:34:12,360 [Amy] When the airfield public affairs officer releases 746 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:14,800 a statement about the debris, he has no idea 747 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:17,400 about the Air Force's Mogul Program. 748 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:20,440 He says there is a flying disk among the debris 749 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:23,560 now being analyzed at a nearby airfield 750 00:34:23,679 --> 00:34:25,880 that is called Roswell. 751 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:28,159 ♪ ♪ 752 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:29,719 - Headlines around the world appear-- 753 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:31,440 UFO, Roswell, New Mexico. 754 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:34,920 ♪ ♪ 755 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:36,400 - The air force is thrilled. 756 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:38,520 It needs a cover for these balloons, 757 00:34:38,639 --> 00:34:41,360 and alien spacecraft are as good a cover as any. 758 00:34:41,480 --> 00:34:43,679 - As a result, Roswell, New Mexico, 759 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:48,520 has become synonymous with UFOs, and still is today. 760 00:34:48,639 --> 00:34:52,960 [Duchovny] No one connects the dots for nearly five decades. 761 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,880 The truth is only revealed in 1995, 762 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:58,800 when an investigation into the Roswell UFO incident 763 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:02,520 makes the link to the top secret balloon program. 764 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:04,640 ♪ ♪ 765 00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:07,520 For the military, the alien invasion cover story 766 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:10,680 is a huge success, but the project is not. 767 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:15,080 Mogul's use of balloons to detect bombs proves a failure. 768 00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:15,960 ♪ ♪ 769 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:20,720 - Spies use tech to eavesdrop on the enemy, 770 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:23,520 to secretly photograph them, and even to kill them. 771 00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:26,120 But what about smell them? 772 00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:28,360 When the U.S. needs to find enemy troops 773 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:29,840 in the Vietnam jungle, 774 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:32,080 they build a machine to do just that-- 775 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:34,280 hunt soldiers by their scent. 776 00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:37,280 [dramatic music] 777 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:39,720 ♪ ♪ 778 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:42,800 [Hakeem] By the mid 1960s, the United States 779 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,920 is struggling to monitor enemy troop movements in Vietnam. 780 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:48,920 The Viet Cong are masters of hide-and-seek. 781 00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:53,760 They have tunnels, spider holes, jungle camouflage. 782 00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:55,960 [Martin] The enemy has become so masterful 783 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,440 in the use of concealment that there are cases where 784 00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:00,400 GIs are 3 feet away from the enemy, 785 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:01,960 and they don't even know that they're there. 786 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:05,240 - You can't fight an enemy that you can't find. 787 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:07,920 ♪ ♪ 788 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:09,440 [Duchovny] The thick jungle canopy 789 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:12,120 makes aerial reconnaissance useless, 790 00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:14,400 so the U.S. needs a new type of technology 791 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:18,000 to pinpoint the invisible enemy. 792 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,480 Their incredible solution is a device that will 793 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:23,600 sniff them out, literally. 794 00:36:23,720 --> 00:36:26,280 - The natural process of producing sweat 795 00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:28,640 releases ammonia. 796 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:31,000 A large formation of troops will 797 00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:32,640 consist of men who are releasing 798 00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:34,600 invisible ammonia gas. 799 00:36:34,720 --> 00:36:37,080 If you have the ability to detect that, 800 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:40,680 you can fix the exact position of the enemy force. 801 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:42,480 ♪ ♪ 802 00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:44,120 [Duchovny] To seek out the enemy's sweat, 803 00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:47,080 the army approaches General Electric. 804 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:49,560 They're already building chemical detectors 805 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:53,280 to trace the exhaust fumes of enemy submarines. 806 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:56,360 Now they're given this new mission. 807 00:36:56,480 --> 00:36:58,160 - Technicians at General Electric come up 808 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:00,600 with a scent sensor they call 809 00:37:00,720 --> 00:37:05,800 the XM-2 Man Packed Personnel Detector. 810 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:08,440 [Duchovny] The troops will call it something simpler-- 811 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:10,680 the People Sniffer. 812 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:12,640 [Hakeem] The XM-2 is meant to be carried 813 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:14,720 on a GI's back like a backpack. 814 00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:16,960 It has a tube that attaches to the muzzle 815 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:20,560 of a soldier's weapon with a probe that sucks in air. 816 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,040 The air passes over hydrochloric acid. 817 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:27,160 If there's ammonia present, the acid reacts with it. 818 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:29,360 [Duchovny] This will be turned into a beeping sound 819 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:32,080 in the operator's earphones. 820 00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:34,560 - The gadget is basically an alarm bell that tells you, 821 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:37,200 hey, just so you know, I can smell that the enemy 822 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:38,720 is pretty close right now. 823 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:41,480 ♪ ♪ 824 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:45,720 [Duchovny] In August 1965, 200 People Sniffers are sent 825 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:48,160 to Vietnam for field testing. 826 00:37:48,240 --> 00:37:52,800 ♪ ♪ 827 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:56,200 But the jungle is a big leap from the laboratory. 828 00:37:56,320 --> 00:37:57,800 [beeping] 829 00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:01,400 [Sami] The field results are mixed at best. 830 00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:03,720 The XM-2 does work sometimes. 831 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:07,320 But it doesn't have much range, 300 yards at most. 832 00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:09,600 And even worse, if the wind shifts 833 00:38:09,720 --> 00:38:11,240 and blows back at you... 834 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:13,760 [rapid beeping] 835 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:16,480 You'll get a false positive from your own sweat. 836 00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:18,640 ♪ ♪ 837 00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:20,720 - But the U.S. Army doesn't shut down 838 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:22,760 the People Sniffer project. 839 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:25,360 Instead, they double down on the technology, 840 00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:29,560 only this time, they send it into the sky. 841 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:31,680 [Catherine] The army realizes that ammonia 842 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:34,320 is lighter than air, and it always rises, 843 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:37,840 so they decide to put the sniffer on a helicopter. 844 00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:41,240 The result is the Airborne Personnel Detector. 845 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:43,320 - They lengthen the probe so it hangs 846 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:44,720 outside the aircraft. 847 00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:48,120 Plus, they put two XM-3s in each aircraft 848 00:38:48,240 --> 00:38:50,600 so they can double their sniff power. 849 00:38:50,720 --> 00:38:52,680 This sniffer bird flies low and fast, 850 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:54,840 maybe 50 feet over the trees. 851 00:38:54,960 --> 00:38:57,560 When it gets a hit, the operator 852 00:38:57,680 --> 00:39:01,640 radios in the location, then they call in the cavalry. 853 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:03,760 [Duchovny] In the fall of 1967, 854 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:05,760 this unusual new gadget 855 00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:10,240 suddenly faces a make-or-break test. 856 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:12,240 [Hakeem] U.S. intelligence reports rumors 857 00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:15,200 of an ominous buildup of North Vietnamese troops 858 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:19,640 near a strategic outpost called Dak To. 859 00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:22,360 Dak To is home to a critical camp 860 00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:24,840 where the CIA train civilian militias. 861 00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:29,120 The U.S. suspects that a major offensive on Dak To is coming. 862 00:39:29,240 --> 00:39:32,640 They need to confirm whether this force of VC 863 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:35,680 is really hiding in the jungle. 864 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:37,800 [Duchovny] This crucial mission is given 865 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:40,800 to the Airborne People Sniffer. 866 00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:43,040 - So the Sniffer helicopter is flying 867 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:45,920 perpendicular to the wind, just above the tree tops. 868 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:47,800 ♪ ♪ 869 00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:49,200 [Martin] You have an operator. 870 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,840 He detects at first a faint beep. 871 00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:53,560 The beep continues to get louder. 872 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:55,480 The aircraft sweeps back around to the area 873 00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:57,320 where they detected the beep to begin with, 874 00:39:57,440 --> 00:39:59,680 and it gets louder and louder and louder, 875 00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:02,600 and they finally realize, we're on to something here. 876 00:40:02,720 --> 00:40:06,120 - It's ammonia. This must be thousands of men. 877 00:40:06,240 --> 00:40:08,000 This is exactly the confirmation 878 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:09,880 Command has been waiting for. 879 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:11,640 [Duchovny] Thanks to the People Sniffer, 880 00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:14,480 the U.S. launches a massive preemptive strike 881 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:17,640 on Viet Cong positions outside Dak To... 882 00:40:17,720 --> 00:40:21,040 ♪ ♪ 883 00:40:21,160 --> 00:40:23,720 Safeguarding their critical base. 884 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:27,400 But this battle will be the Sniffer's high point. 885 00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:30,960 The enemy soon learns how to deceive it. 886 00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:32,560 - The North Vietnamese come up with a way 887 00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:36,600 to mislead that flying Sniffer, by hanging buckets of mud 888 00:40:36,720 --> 00:40:40,200 and urine in the trees to create false positives, 889 00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:43,480 ultimately sending the Americans on wild goose chases 890 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:46,280 to empty patches of jungle. 891 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:48,520 [Duchovny] Outwitted by buckets of waste, 892 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:50,720 the People Sniffer fades from use. 893 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:53,760 Its full story remains a secret for decades, 894 00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:56,200 until 2000, when a review of the project 895 00:40:56,320 --> 00:41:00,000 is declassified, finally revealing the strange history 896 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:02,880 of a gadget that used classroom chemistry 897 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:04,840 to fight jungle warfare. 898 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:08,200 From aircraft carriers made from solid ice 899 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:10,720 to helicopters that don't make a sound. 900 00:41:10,840 --> 00:41:13,560 When it comes to governments' battle for supremacy, 901 00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:16,200 no technology is off-limits. 902 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,960 But even their most closely guarded inventions 903 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:20,800 can't stay hidden forever.