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00:00:02,367 --> 00:00:05,400
[narrator] An illustrious
complex infiltrated

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00:00:05,567 --> 00:00:07,800
by a notorious gang.

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00:00:07,967 --> 00:00:10,700
It spiraled into a nationwide
FBI investigation.

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00:00:10,867 --> 00:00:13,567
Become the city's most
notorious gangster.

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00:00:14,967 --> 00:00:17,100
[narrator]
A tranquil Japanese island

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00:00:17,266 --> 00:00:18,867
with a poisonous legacy.

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00:00:20,667 --> 00:00:23,700
[Rob]
Doctors would perform surgery
on the victims to examine

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00:00:23,867 --> 00:00:25,900
the biological effects
in real time.

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00:00:28,367 --> 00:00:30,166
[narrator]
And a top secret bunker

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00:00:30,166 --> 00:00:32,300
raided in the name of freedom.

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00:00:32,467 --> 00:00:34,700
[Geoffrey] If the Soviets had
caught them doing this,

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00:00:34,867 --> 00:00:36,100
they would have put them up
against the wall

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00:00:36,266 --> 00:00:37,266
and shot them.

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[narrator]
Near the famous Jersey Shore

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00:00:49,967 --> 00:00:51,367
is a derelict facility

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00:00:51,367 --> 00:00:54,934
tied to an extraordinary tale
of corruption.

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00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,867
[mysterious music playing]

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00:01:01,867 --> 00:01:04,266
[Hadley] What is this place
doing gathering weeds,

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00:01:04,433 --> 00:01:06,100
just 15 minutes away

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00:01:06,100 --> 00:01:09,400
from a glamorous destination
like Atlantic City?

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00:01:11,066 --> 00:01:13,266
[Jim] It's got a tall
brick tower,

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a large grandstand,

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and then this enormous
overhanging roof.

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00:01:18,233 --> 00:01:20,100
[James] There are dozens of rows
of stadium seats

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00:01:20,100 --> 00:01:22,467
overlooking an overgrown mess.

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00:01:22,467 --> 00:01:25,567
From the stands, you can
barely see its full scale.

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It all looks over
this oval track

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that is not really wide enough

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to be a racetrack
for car racing,

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but clearly something
went around here

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at a high rate of speed.

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[narrator] It was a spectacle
that attracted

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the rich and famous.

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This became known as
Hollywood by the Sea.

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00:01:49,467 --> 00:01:51,266
It also had a dark side,

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it attracted criminal elements.

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And what unfolded
was something

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straight out of
a Scorsese film.

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[Hadley] And soon, the FBI
were closing its nets

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00:02:02,767 --> 00:02:04,467
on one of the most notorious

41
00:02:04,633 --> 00:02:06,467
criminal gang leaders
in the country.

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00:02:08,500 --> 00:02:10,967
[Jim] The investigation
into the crimes

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00:02:11,133 --> 00:02:12,233
that were committed here

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00:02:12,233 --> 00:02:15,000
would ultimately lead to
one of the biggest scandals

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00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,266
in US law enforcement history.

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[eerie music playing]

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00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,567
[narrator] Maureen Bugdon
worked here up until 2015.

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Oh my God!

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When I see the structure now

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and how quickly it declined --

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00:02:40,333 --> 00:02:42,767
You remove the team,
the staff, right?

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00:02:42,934 --> 00:02:44,967
It's as if
you remove the heart.

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00:02:46,867 --> 00:02:50,667
[narrator] Maureen began
as a model and assistant,

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and over 20 years worked herself
up to become president

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of this exclusive club.

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It was a facility designed
in the 1940s

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to scream glitz and glamour.

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Atlantic City was
one of the top

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vacation destinations
in America.

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It had the famous
boardwalk, hotels,

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restaurants, entertainment.

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[James] John B. Kelly Sr.,
an Olympic rower

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and successful
Philadelphia businessman,

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was trying to capitalize
on Atlantic City's popularity.

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[narrator] Construction
got underway in 1945.

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A state-of-the-art clubhouse
was erected,

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surrounded by restaurants, bars,
and a barbershop.

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At its heart was the main draw,

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a unique horse racing track.

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[Jim] It was a mile
and an eighth long,

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00:03:46,533 --> 00:03:50,467
a distance that the horse racing
press soon started calling

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a "smile and an eighth."

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00:03:52,166 --> 00:03:55,700
[narrator] It cost
a massive $3.5 million,

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00:03:55,867 --> 00:03:59,467
the equivalent to nearly
$60 million in today's money,

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00:03:59,467 --> 00:04:03,000
but high profile help
was on hand.

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00:04:03,166 --> 00:04:05,467
[Jim] In the post war era,

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horse racing was a very
glamorous sport.

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It attracted famous movie
stars and celebrities.

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It was written up
in every newspaper.

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00:04:16,867 --> 00:04:20,667
[narrator] July 22, 1946.

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00:04:20,667 --> 00:04:24,467
The Atlantic City Race Course
was ready for action.

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00:04:25,667 --> 00:04:28,867
It opened to a crowd of 25,000.

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00:04:28,867 --> 00:04:34,567
Among them were shareholders
Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope.

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00:04:34,734 --> 00:04:38,600
Also in attendance that day was
Kelly's young daughter.

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00:04:38,767 --> 00:04:41,367
She would soon become a name
the whole world knew,

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00:04:41,367 --> 00:04:43,867
Grace Kelly.

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00:04:44,033 --> 00:04:46,100
[James] Nobody could have
predicted the smash hit

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00:04:46,100 --> 00:04:47,800
this place was going to be.

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00:04:47,967 --> 00:04:49,767
[narrator] The opening day
betting came in

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00:04:49,767 --> 00:04:52,500
at nearly $1.4 million,

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00:04:52,667 --> 00:04:57,667
recouping more than a third of
the overall construction costs.

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[Jim] Over the coming
months and years,

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this track would become
a real magnet

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00:05:01,867 --> 00:05:05,200
for all kinds
of celebrities and artists.

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00:05:05,367 --> 00:05:07,200
[James] There was Jerry Lewis,

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00:05:07,367 --> 00:05:08,300
Willie Mays,

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00:05:08,467 --> 00:05:10,200
and Sinatra's Rat Pack.

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Even President Eisenhower
stopped by for a visit in 1965.

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00:05:15,767 --> 00:05:20,200
[reporter]
The nation's millions of racing
fans are an interesting breed,

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00:05:20,367 --> 00:05:22,700
with a vigorous enthusiasm
far surpassing

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00:05:22,867 --> 00:05:26,367
that of the followers of
any other spectator sport.

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00:05:26,367 --> 00:05:28,467
[suspenseful music playing]

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That's the jocks' building,

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00:05:33,467 --> 00:05:36,467
where the jockeys would
get ready for the race.

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00:05:36,633 --> 00:05:38,367
That's the paddock walk ring

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00:05:38,533 --> 00:05:40,367
where the horses are paraded

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00:05:40,533 --> 00:05:42,266
before the race

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00:05:42,433 --> 00:05:46,567
and just underneath is,
uh, saddling stalls

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00:05:46,734 --> 00:05:49,300
and a tunnel that runs
right through the building

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00:05:49,467 --> 00:05:52,266
onto the racetrack
surface itself.

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00:05:52,266 --> 00:05:55,100
[narrator] As the jockeys
emerged from the tunnel,

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the tension
would build upstairs.

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On a busy day
with a hundred tellers,

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you would have had lines
about 10 deep.

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It would be a flurry
of activity.

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[Hadley] Throughout history,
gambling has always had

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a dark underbelly, and this
place was no exception.

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[announcer] There up,
way to a good start.

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[Jim] By the early seventies,
there was a guy

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named Anthony Ciulla.

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He was known as "Big Tony",
in classic mobster parlance,

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and he claims
that he was able to fix races

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00:06:30,867 --> 00:06:33,667
in almost every state
in the country.

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[narrator] At the Atlantic City
Race Course,

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00:06:36,233 --> 00:06:40,467
he could rely on support from
the notorious Winter Hill Gang

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and one of its leaders,

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"Whitey" Bulger.

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[Jim] This is a famous name
to anyone who understands

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00:06:48,467 --> 00:06:50,266
the history of organized crime.

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00:06:50,266 --> 00:06:55,166
Whitey Bulger was this
brutal crime lord in Boston.

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He had rivals executed.

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He was involved in all kinds
of criminal enterprises.

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[Hadley]
Big Tony went about bribing
jockeys and drugging horses

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00:07:06,433 --> 00:07:10,166
so that less favored horses
would win,

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00:07:10,166 --> 00:07:13,367
and that would give him
and his cronies a huge payout.

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[Jim] Big Tony could offer these
jockeys as much as $10,000

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00:07:18,533 --> 00:07:19,700
to throw a race.

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00:07:19,867 --> 00:07:22,600
And if the jockey resisted,
he also had

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00:07:22,767 --> 00:07:24,767
the muscle of the mob
behind him.

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00:07:26,367 --> 00:07:29,500
[James] On a grand
July 4th race in 1975,

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jockey Peter Fantini

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00:07:31,467 --> 00:07:33,567
was a little too obvious
in holding back his horse.

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00:07:33,734 --> 00:07:36,667
[narrator] It would set
in motion a chain of events

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that would rock the racing world

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00:07:39,166 --> 00:07:41,166
and expose corruption

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00:07:41,333 --> 00:07:43,767
at the heart of the FBI.

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2
[narrator] In 1975,
jockey Peter Fantini

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00:07:52,633 --> 00:07:54,367
was caught
holding back his horse

149
00:07:54,367 --> 00:07:56,867
at the Atlantic
City Race Course.

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00:07:57,033 --> 00:08:02,667
It would expose a race-fixing
mobster known as "Big Tony."

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00:08:04,467 --> 00:08:08,200
[Jim] When Fantini threw that
race, the feds got interested.

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00:08:08,367 --> 00:08:10,166
They pulled him in
for questioning.

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00:08:10,166 --> 00:08:13,867
Pretty soon, he rolled over
on Big Tony.

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00:08:13,867 --> 00:08:16,000
[James] Fantini admitted that
Big Tony bribed him

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00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:17,467
to throw the race.

156
00:08:17,467 --> 00:08:19,767
He even agreed to go
to Big Tony's hotel

157
00:08:19,934 --> 00:08:21,467
wearing a wire to implicate him.

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[Hadley] So Big Tony was
given a choice.

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00:08:24,667 --> 00:08:27,000
He could either
snitch on his cohorts

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00:08:27,166 --> 00:08:30,266
or he could face
a very long sentence.

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00:08:30,433 --> 00:08:34,166
His cooperation led to
the conviction of over 40 people

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00:08:34,333 --> 00:08:36,500
and implicated
over half of the jockeys

163
00:08:36,667 --> 00:08:38,567
now in the Hall of Fame.

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00:08:38,567 --> 00:08:42,066
[narrator] His testimony
included the infamous gangster,

165
00:08:42,233 --> 00:08:43,567
Whitey Bulger,

166
00:08:43,734 --> 00:08:46,667
and 20 other members
of the Winter Hill Gang.

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00:08:46,667 --> 00:08:52,700
In 1979, they were nearly all
sent to prison for race fixing.

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00:08:52,867 --> 00:08:57,066
But mysteriously, Bulger was
soon back on the streets,

169
00:08:57,233 --> 00:09:00,166
and now he was the top boss.

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00:09:00,166 --> 00:09:02,100
[Jim] Of all the people
investigated

171
00:09:02,100 --> 00:09:04,266
in this horse racing
investigation,

172
00:09:04,433 --> 00:09:07,600
Whitey Bulger was never
indicted or prosecuted.

173
00:09:07,767 --> 00:09:10,667
Why was he untouched?

174
00:09:10,834 --> 00:09:14,967
[narrator] It turned out that
Bulger was an FBI informant,

175
00:09:15,133 --> 00:09:16,600
and he was being protected

176
00:09:16,767 --> 00:09:19,367
by a corrupt agent
named John Connolly.

177
00:09:20,266 --> 00:09:22,266
[Jim] Bulger would
tip Connolly off

178
00:09:22,266 --> 00:09:25,166
about what various Boston
mobsters were up to.

179
00:09:25,166 --> 00:09:28,066
So he got rid of some of
his competitors that way.

180
00:09:28,233 --> 00:09:31,800
Meanwhile, John Connolly
was tipping Whitey Bulger off

181
00:09:31,967 --> 00:09:33,600
about what the FBI was up to

182
00:09:33,767 --> 00:09:35,567
and who
the other informants were.

183
00:09:35,567 --> 00:09:38,100
A lot of those informants
wound up

184
00:09:38,266 --> 00:09:39,867
getting knocked off themselves.

185
00:09:41,066 --> 00:09:44,000
[narrator] Connolly was later
convicted for his role

186
00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,166
in one of these murders.

187
00:09:46,333 --> 00:09:50,166
He also tipped Bulger off
when the FBI was finally

188
00:09:50,333 --> 00:09:53,567
about to arrest him in 1994.

189
00:09:53,734 --> 00:09:56,567
[Jim] Whitey Bulger escaped,
went underground,

190
00:09:56,567 --> 00:09:59,467
and he lived undercover
for years.

191
00:10:01,100 --> 00:10:03,467
[narrator] Meanwhile,
the Atlantic City Race Course

192
00:10:03,467 --> 00:10:06,266
began to see legal
and cultural changes

193
00:10:06,266 --> 00:10:08,800
eat away at its allure
and popularity.

194
00:10:09,900 --> 00:10:13,900
[Jim] As casino gambling was
legalized in New Jersey

195
00:10:14,066 --> 00:10:15,467
in the 1970s

196
00:10:15,633 --> 00:10:16,800
and they started building

197
00:10:16,967 --> 00:10:19,367
the big casinos
in Atlantic City,

198
00:10:19,533 --> 00:10:22,700
traffic to the racetrack
began to drop off.

199
00:10:22,867 --> 00:10:25,667
[narrator] It continued to
operate for decades,

200
00:10:25,834 --> 00:10:28,900
but was eventually
abandoned in 2015.

201
00:10:34,367 --> 00:10:38,467
The future of this legendary
race course remains uncertain.

202
00:10:38,633 --> 00:10:42,066
But the scandal that was
sparked here in 1975

203
00:10:42,233 --> 00:10:44,166
has left a damaging legacy.

204
00:10:45,467 --> 00:10:47,166
Whitey Bulger went on
to become

205
00:10:47,333 --> 00:10:50,500
the FBI's public enemy
number one

206
00:10:50,667 --> 00:10:53,266
and was only captured
in 2011.

207
00:10:54,367 --> 00:10:58,900
In 2018, he was brutally beaten
to death in prison.

208
00:10:59,066 --> 00:11:03,166
[Jim] But the relationship
between FBI agent John Connolly

209
00:11:03,333 --> 00:11:05,200
and Whitey Bulger was a scandal

210
00:11:05,367 --> 00:11:08,767
that the FBI took years
to really own up to.

211
00:11:08,934 --> 00:11:11,867
To this day, it's a stain
on the reputation of the agency.

212
00:11:18,567 --> 00:11:22,867
[narrator]
In Lithuania, 15 miles
from the capital Vilnius,

213
00:11:23,033 --> 00:11:25,867
is a facility
shrouded in secrecy.

214
00:11:31,867 --> 00:11:34,767
[Katherine]
We're in these dense,
misty forests that really feel

215
00:11:34,767 --> 00:11:37,266
like they're in
the middle of nowhere.

216
00:11:37,266 --> 00:11:40,667
[Dominic] If you were hoping to
hide away from prying eyes,

217
00:11:40,834 --> 00:11:42,967
this would be
the perfect place.

218
00:11:44,166 --> 00:11:45,367
[Katherine] And then,
in this clearing,

219
00:11:45,533 --> 00:11:47,700
there's what appears to be
an office building,

220
00:11:47,867 --> 00:11:51,400
but what's kind of strange is
that there's this inner complex

221
00:11:51,567 --> 00:11:53,700
with this big fence around it.

222
00:11:53,867 --> 00:11:56,367
There's clearly more here
than first meets the eye.

223
00:11:57,667 --> 00:11:59,700
[Dominic] There's an entrance
to something

224
00:11:59,867 --> 00:12:01,400
buried in the hillside.

225
00:12:02,767 --> 00:12:05,567
[narrator] Chosen for its
isolation, this site was built

226
00:12:05,734 --> 00:12:07,467
with one purpose in mind,

227
00:12:08,066 --> 00:12:11,066
controlling a nation.

228
00:12:11,233 --> 00:12:13,166
[Katherine] There's this really
kind of strange mix here.

229
00:12:13,166 --> 00:12:16,667
There's racks of electronics,
but then there's kitchens

230
00:12:16,834 --> 00:12:18,767
and a dining area.

231
00:12:18,934 --> 00:12:23,100
[Geoffrey]
It has all kinds of space
for storage and for personnel,

232
00:12:23,100 --> 00:12:25,300
but also one room after another

233
00:12:25,467 --> 00:12:28,300
clearly fitted
as a recording studio.

234
00:12:28,467 --> 00:12:31,166
[narrator] This was the site
of a daring raid,

235
00:12:31,166 --> 00:12:36,000
right under the noses
of the KGB's special forces.

236
00:12:36,166 --> 00:12:37,767
[Katherine] If they were
caught inside here,

237
00:12:37,767 --> 00:12:39,867
they'd be put up
against a wall and shot.

238
00:12:39,867 --> 00:12:43,667
[narrator]
It was part of a larger struggle
that culminated

239
00:12:43,667 --> 00:12:47,200
in a dramatic face-off
that would shock the world.

240
00:12:47,367 --> 00:12:50,867
They leveled their rifles
at unarmed protesters

241
00:12:51,033 --> 00:12:53,467
and plowed into the crowds
in their tanks.

242
00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,900
[narrator] Since 2008,
Mindaugas Vanagas

243
00:13:02,066 --> 00:13:04,000
has been researching this site,

244
00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,066
trying to piece together
the rumors

245
00:13:06,233 --> 00:13:08,367
that swirl around it.

246
00:13:08,533 --> 00:13:12,567
Many knew it only
as "object number 523".

247
00:13:14,166 --> 00:13:17,867
People who worked here told me
that they were just told

248
00:13:18,033 --> 00:13:21,600
to get to the bus and they would
drive to some kind of place.

249
00:13:21,767 --> 00:13:23,600
They didn't know
where they are going.

250
00:13:23,767 --> 00:13:28,166
Nobody knows about the place,
where exactly it is.

251
00:13:28,166 --> 00:13:32,100
[narrator]
Built during the Soviet Union's
occupation of Lithuania,

252
00:13:32,266 --> 00:13:35,967
this complex was designed to be
used in the fallout

253
00:13:36,133 --> 00:13:37,667
from a nuclear strike.

254
00:13:37,667 --> 00:13:40,000
[Mindaugas] This is
decontamination zone.

255
00:13:40,166 --> 00:13:42,400
When somebody gets into
the bunker from outside,

256
00:13:42,567 --> 00:13:47,100
he's washed and cleaned just to
keep the contaminated materials

257
00:13:47,100 --> 00:13:48,934
out of this bunker.

258
00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:53,600
[Katherine] At the height of
the Cold War, the arms race

259
00:13:53,767 --> 00:13:56,367
between the United States
and the Soviet Union

260
00:13:56,367 --> 00:13:59,567
really made nuclear conflict
a real possibility.

261
00:14:01,867 --> 00:14:06,000
[narrator] Constructed
between 1983 and 1985,

262
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,767
this is the Nemencine
communications bunker,

263
00:14:09,934 --> 00:14:13,000
part of a network that would
enable the Soviet government

264
00:14:13,166 --> 00:14:15,600
to take over
the Lithuanian media

265
00:14:15,767 --> 00:14:18,900
and control the information war.

266
00:14:19,066 --> 00:14:21,667
This place was gonna be one
of the critical nodes

267
00:14:21,667 --> 00:14:25,767
where there would be
a communication studio

268
00:14:25,767 --> 00:14:29,967
to transmit to the people of
the region what was going on

269
00:14:30,133 --> 00:14:33,400
or what the regime wanted them
to think was going on.

270
00:14:33,567 --> 00:14:35,467
[Mindaugas] So that's
the radio studio.

271
00:14:35,633 --> 00:14:38,667
If you see, there's
soundproofing walls all around,

272
00:14:38,667 --> 00:14:40,767
the triple glass.

273
00:14:40,934 --> 00:14:43,967
So one side was somebody
sitting who's kind of speaking,

274
00:14:44,133 --> 00:14:47,300
and the other side was guys
who work with the sound.

275
00:14:48,900 --> 00:14:53,000
[Dominic]
Inside, there were television
and radio studio facilities,

276
00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,000
a full video and audio library,
as well as offices

277
00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:58,867
for the journalists
and technicians.

278
00:15:00,166 --> 00:15:03,200
[Geoffrey]
Here, you had everything
getting produced and recorded.

279
00:15:03,367 --> 00:15:06,967
It would then send it along
to another bunker,

280
00:15:07,133 --> 00:15:09,000
which was linked
to the television tower

281
00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,400
in Vilnius,
the capital of Lithuania.

282
00:15:11,567 --> 00:15:14,200
[narrator] In the event of war,
a staff of Lithuanians

283
00:15:14,367 --> 00:15:17,567
would be rapidly replaced
by KGB personnel

284
00:15:17,567 --> 00:15:20,000
who would take control
of the bunker.

285
00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:25,200
But as the Soviet Empire
began to crumble,

286
00:15:25,367 --> 00:15:28,166
the threat of
nuclear attack subsided,

287
00:15:28,333 --> 00:15:31,667
and the people of Lithuania
sensed an opportunity.

288
00:15:33,467 --> 00:15:35,500
[Geoffrey] The Berlin Wall
famously comes down

289
00:15:35,667 --> 00:15:36,834
at the end of 1989,

290
00:15:36,834 --> 00:15:41,100
and this triggers ferment
all over the old Warsaw Pact,

291
00:15:41,266 --> 00:15:45,300
as all the old subject nations
of Russia start clamoring

292
00:15:45,467 --> 00:15:47,367
for independence,
declaring independence.

293
00:15:47,367 --> 00:15:49,600
And this is what happens
in Lithuania.

294
00:15:49,767 --> 00:15:52,166
[Dominic] The country held
multi-party elections

295
00:15:52,166 --> 00:15:55,166
for the first time since 1940.

296
00:15:56,667 --> 00:15:59,400
[narrator] Radio and television
footage of these events

297
00:15:59,567 --> 00:16:02,200
was beamed around the country.

298
00:16:02,367 --> 00:16:06,266
The footage also included
uprisings taking place

299
00:16:06,433 --> 00:16:09,100
in other countries
across the Soviet Union.

300
00:16:10,967 --> 00:16:13,266
On January 11th, 1991,

301
00:16:13,433 --> 00:16:15,400
the Soviets had
finally had enough.

302
00:16:15,567 --> 00:16:17,367
They launch a full-scale attack

303
00:16:17,533 --> 00:16:20,166
to retake control
of the country.

304
00:16:20,166 --> 00:16:21,700
[narrator]
Part of their strategy

305
00:16:21,867 --> 00:16:23,800
was to cut the lines
of communication

306
00:16:23,967 --> 00:16:26,667
that were fueling
the independence movement.

307
00:16:26,834 --> 00:16:30,200
The bunker was now
a priority target.

308
00:16:36,667 --> 00:16:40,800
2
[narrator] In 1991,
Soviet forces invaded Lithuania

309
00:16:40,967 --> 00:16:44,400
to crush a growing
independence movement.

310
00:16:44,567 --> 00:16:47,166
The Nemencine
communications bunker,

311
00:16:47,166 --> 00:16:50,000
just outside
the capital city, Vilnius,

312
00:16:50,166 --> 00:16:52,300
was a top priority target.

313
00:16:53,467 --> 00:16:56,000
[Dominic] The Soviets were
desperate to sever

314
00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:57,567
these lines of communication

315
00:16:57,567 --> 00:17:00,066
that were allowing
the opposition to organize.

316
00:17:00,066 --> 00:17:02,166
[narrator] On January 11th,

317
00:17:02,333 --> 00:17:04,100
heavily armed special forces

318
00:17:04,100 --> 00:17:07,767
appeared out of the darkness
and stormed the compound.

319
00:17:07,767 --> 00:17:11,667
And these elite secret police
units called OMON, O-M-O-N,

320
00:17:11,667 --> 00:17:14,400
they go into the bunker
to secure it,

321
00:17:14,567 --> 00:17:18,000
to make sure the Lithuanians
can't use its facilities.

322
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,500
[Dominic] Two days
after having secured

323
00:17:20,667 --> 00:17:23,066
this secret radio
and television facility,

324
00:17:23,233 --> 00:17:24,667
Soviet forces turned to

325
00:17:24,667 --> 00:17:27,500
the capital's television
building and tower.

326
00:17:27,667 --> 00:17:29,967
[Katherine] This is where
the events unfolding

327
00:17:30,133 --> 00:17:32,100
across the country
were being broadcast.

328
00:17:32,266 --> 00:17:34,300
This is where people were
getting their information

329
00:17:34,467 --> 00:17:36,567
and understanding
what was going on.

330
00:17:36,567 --> 00:17:38,700
[narrator] The TV tower
was broadcasting

331
00:17:38,867 --> 00:17:40,467
footage of the invasion

332
00:17:40,467 --> 00:17:44,000
and the Lithuanian
independence movement.

333
00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:47,100
Soviet forces arrived to take
control of the narrative,

334
00:17:47,100 --> 00:17:51,467
but found crowds of citizens
had surrounded the buildings.

335
00:17:51,467 --> 00:17:54,800
Ready to defend
their freedoms at any cost,

336
00:17:54,967 --> 00:17:57,567
it escalated into
a deadly face-off.

337
00:17:59,667 --> 00:18:01,867
[Geoffrey] The Soviets
finally ran their tanks

338
00:18:02,033 --> 00:18:03,867
into these human shields.

339
00:18:03,867 --> 00:18:08,567
They kill 14 people
and they wound more than 600

340
00:18:08,734 --> 00:18:12,400
at the TV tower and other
buildings around the city.

341
00:18:12,567 --> 00:18:16,000
You can actually see footage of
the Soviet soldiers breaking

342
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,200
into the studio and cutting
the broadcaster's feed.

343
00:18:19,367 --> 00:18:22,900
[speaking Lithuanian]

344
00:18:25,367 --> 00:18:29,567
[narrator] With the bunker and
tower now under Soviet control,

345
00:18:29,734 --> 00:18:34,667
TVs and radios
across the nation fell silent.

346
00:18:34,834 --> 00:18:38,100
[Dominic] In the coming days,
pro-independence journalists

347
00:18:38,100 --> 00:18:42,266
and broadcasters scrambled to
continue covering the story

348
00:18:42,266 --> 00:18:43,967
by any means necessary.

349
00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,700
[Mindaugas] Lithuanian people
needed to know that

350
00:18:47,867 --> 00:18:51,300
our government is still working
and we are not gonna give up

351
00:18:51,467 --> 00:18:54,000
and give everything
to Russian soldiers.

352
00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,000
[Dominic] Across the city,
makeshift offices and studios

353
00:18:57,166 --> 00:18:59,667
were set up, but there was
a real shortage of

354
00:18:59,834 --> 00:19:02,000
equipment needed to
continue broadcasting.

355
00:19:03,300 --> 00:19:05,500
[narrator]
This closely guarded bunker

356
00:19:05,667 --> 00:19:07,900
held that much-needed equipment.

357
00:19:09,100 --> 00:19:12,100
There was one guy who
kind of built this bunker.

358
00:19:12,266 --> 00:19:15,266
He was looking after
all the building site,

359
00:19:15,433 --> 00:19:17,500
and he knew the bunker
very well,

360
00:19:17,667 --> 00:19:20,467
so he decided to help
Lithuanian journalists.

361
00:19:21,867 --> 00:19:24,667
[Katherine] One thing that
the Soviet guards didn't know

362
00:19:24,834 --> 00:19:27,100
was that there was a tunnel
connecting the bunker

363
00:19:27,266 --> 00:19:29,000
to apartments nearby.

364
00:19:29,166 --> 00:19:32,166
[narrator] This man put
his life on the line

365
00:19:32,333 --> 00:19:35,000
and decided to sneak in
past the guards.

366
00:19:36,166 --> 00:19:38,600
[Mindaugas] So he used
this long corridor,

367
00:19:38,767 --> 00:19:41,000
and he was taking
all the equipment,

368
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:43,467
silently, and bringing
all that stuff

369
00:19:43,633 --> 00:19:45,166
to Lithuanian journalists.

370
00:19:46,467 --> 00:19:49,100
And obviously, if the Soviets
had caught him doing this,

371
00:19:49,100 --> 00:19:51,667
they would have put him up
against the wall and shot him.

372
00:19:51,834 --> 00:19:54,066
[narrator]
The man's bravery paid off.

373
00:19:54,233 --> 00:19:57,867
Journalists took this smuggled
equipment and got to work.

374
00:19:58,033 --> 00:20:00,000
Images of the independence
movement

375
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,000
were shared around the world.

376
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,100
International pressure mounted,
and after several more months,

377
00:20:06,100 --> 00:20:09,700
the Soviets eventually
backed down.

378
00:20:09,867 --> 00:20:13,367
We take until September 1991
for the Soviet Union

379
00:20:13,533 --> 00:20:16,567
to recognize
Lithuanian independence.

380
00:20:16,567 --> 00:20:19,100
With that, they withdrew
their troops

381
00:20:19,100 --> 00:20:21,100
from the capital
and abandoned the bunker.

382
00:20:22,767 --> 00:20:25,367
[Mindaugas] So the bunker was
left without radio equipment,

383
00:20:25,367 --> 00:20:27,000
and the cameras were stolen.

384
00:20:27,166 --> 00:20:31,166
And after the Russian soldiers
left, this bunker was left

385
00:20:31,333 --> 00:20:33,200
without any purpose and use.

386
00:20:37,867 --> 00:20:40,900
[eerie music playing]

387
00:20:41,066 --> 00:20:44,667
Today, it's been put to
a rather surprising new use.

388
00:20:45,900 --> 00:20:49,066
[Katherine] The bunker is host
to a sort of simulator of

389
00:20:49,233 --> 00:20:52,166
what it was like to live
under Soviet control.

390
00:20:52,166 --> 00:20:56,600
[Dominic]
It's a reminder that many
of the freedoms we hold dear

391
00:20:56,767 --> 00:21:00,867
are often more on a knife edge
than we would like to believe.

392
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:11,867
[narrator] In Midtown, Detroit,
two unusual structures

393
00:21:11,867 --> 00:21:15,400
straddle an otherwise typical
suburban street.

394
00:21:20,367 --> 00:21:23,200
[Onyeka] They seem to be
a sort of a conflation

395
00:21:23,367 --> 00:21:25,400
of an industrial building

396
00:21:25,567 --> 00:21:27,467
with something else
more ornate.

397
00:21:27,633 --> 00:21:31,100
[Alicia] One is low
and almost fortress-like,

398
00:21:31,266 --> 00:21:33,000
and the other
is a mix of styles.

399
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,166
It's almost as if
you sandwiched

400
00:21:35,333 --> 00:21:38,100
a historic building
in between two factories.

401
00:21:38,266 --> 00:21:40,300
It's an intriguing mix.

402
00:21:40,467 --> 00:21:42,467
[narrator]
They may look different,

403
00:21:42,467 --> 00:21:44,867
but they're very much connected.

404
00:21:45,767 --> 00:21:48,266
Inside the oldest
looking structure,

405
00:21:48,266 --> 00:21:50,867
there's no mistaking
what this was.

406
00:21:52,867 --> 00:21:55,900
[Onyeka] As we enter, we see
the stained glass windows,

407
00:21:56,066 --> 00:21:58,967
the pews,
but no parishioners.

408
00:21:59,133 --> 00:22:03,066
And we see a stage
and an altar, but no priest.

409
00:22:03,233 --> 00:22:06,166
[narrator] This church
and the surrounding complex

410
00:22:06,166 --> 00:22:09,367
was more than
a place of worship.

411
00:22:09,533 --> 00:22:12,000
[Onyeka] This building did not
only provide a foundation

412
00:22:12,166 --> 00:22:15,767
for the civil rights movement,
but many might argue that it

413
00:22:15,934 --> 00:22:21,000
was here that the first speech
around Black Power was given.

414
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:22,367
[narrator] It would also produce

415
00:22:22,533 --> 00:22:25,567
some of Motown's most iconic
performers.

416
00:22:26,867 --> 00:22:30,500
[Alicia]
It was a famous center of
gospel music, and it gave rise

417
00:22:30,667 --> 00:22:34,066
to one of the most successful
vocal groups of all time.

418
00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:44,200
2
[intriguing music playing]

419
00:22:44,367 --> 00:22:47,300
[narrator] After the First World
War, there was an influx

420
00:22:47,467 --> 00:22:50,367
of white Southerners drawn
to cities like Detroit

421
00:22:50,367 --> 00:22:53,100
because of the high wages
in the auto industry.

422
00:22:54,467 --> 00:22:58,166
[Michele]
In 1921, a Baptist church
was formed in this building

423
00:22:58,333 --> 00:23:00,967
to cater to some of those
new Southern residents.

424
00:23:01,133 --> 00:23:03,367
It was called
Temple Baptist Church,

425
00:23:03,367 --> 00:23:06,667
and it had an all-white,
segregated congregation.

426
00:23:06,834 --> 00:23:09,667
[narrator] But a bigger
migration was already underway,

427
00:23:09,667 --> 00:23:11,700
and when the church
was put up for sale,

428
00:23:11,867 --> 00:23:16,200
a cultural shift would send it
in a new direction.

429
00:23:16,367 --> 00:23:19,000
Motivated by the desire
to escape racial violence

430
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,266
and pursue greater economic
opportunity, there was

431
00:23:22,433 --> 00:23:26,667
an exodus of Black Americans
from the Jim Crow South.

432
00:23:26,834 --> 00:23:28,467
[Michele] The need
for industrial workers

433
00:23:28,467 --> 00:23:30,667
in Detroit
and other northern cities

434
00:23:30,667 --> 00:23:33,100
drew millions of African
Americans from the South.

435
00:23:33,266 --> 00:23:36,300
It's part of what became known
as the Great Migration.

436
00:23:38,767 --> 00:23:43,667
In 1952, an all-Black church
that was really trying to cater

437
00:23:43,834 --> 00:23:46,800
to these Southern transplants
decided to make

438
00:23:46,967 --> 00:23:48,166
this place their home.

439
00:23:49,367 --> 00:23:51,367
[narrator]
It was transformed into

440
00:23:51,533 --> 00:23:54,266
the King Solomon Baptist Church.

441
00:23:56,166 --> 00:23:59,867
Current Reverend Charles
Williams II knows all too well

442
00:23:59,867 --> 00:24:04,000
the scale of the challenge
they were taking on.

443
00:24:04,166 --> 00:24:06,667
[Charles] When King Solomon,
one of the first Black churches

444
00:24:06,834 --> 00:24:09,100
on a major street
in the city of Detroit,

445
00:24:09,100 --> 00:24:11,400
purchased Temple Baptist Church,

446
00:24:11,567 --> 00:24:15,166
which was originally
a White separatist church,

447
00:24:15,333 --> 00:24:19,166
they purchased
150,000 square feet.

448
00:24:19,333 --> 00:24:22,967
That meant two buildings,
one auditorium building

449
00:24:23,133 --> 00:24:26,266
and one education building
with recreation

450
00:24:26,433 --> 00:24:28,667
as well as a sanctuary.

451
00:24:28,667 --> 00:24:31,667
[Alicia] This was really
more than a church.

452
00:24:31,834 --> 00:24:34,867
It was really the heart
of the community,

453
00:24:35,033 --> 00:24:39,100
and it's where so many of
the world's finest performers

454
00:24:39,100 --> 00:24:41,100
graced the stage.

455
00:24:41,266 --> 00:24:44,667
[Charles] So this facility
served as an opportunity

456
00:24:44,834 --> 00:24:47,600
and a place for gospel concerts.

457
00:24:47,767 --> 00:24:50,600
Everybody played King Solomon.

458
00:24:50,767 --> 00:24:52,166
If you were Lou Rogg,

459
00:24:52,166 --> 00:24:54,867
Sam Cooke,
who we all know and love,

460
00:24:55,033 --> 00:24:56,867
played King Solomon.

461
00:24:56,867 --> 00:24:59,967
And then, of course,
we're strategically placed

462
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,600
right around the corner
from Motown Museum.

463
00:25:03,767 --> 00:25:07,200
[narrator] With its 5,000-seater
auditorium, it became a regular

464
00:25:07,367 --> 00:25:10,767
stop for artists hitting
the so-called Chitlin' Circuit,

465
00:25:10,934 --> 00:25:13,567
a collection of key venues
they would play

466
00:25:13,567 --> 00:25:15,600
on their tours across America.

467
00:25:17,367 --> 00:25:20,500
This was one of the places
on that Chitlin' Circuit

468
00:25:20,667 --> 00:25:23,500
that all of the gospel artists
wanted to play

469
00:25:23,667 --> 00:25:26,266
because it was
the largest facility

470
00:25:26,433 --> 00:25:31,467
where you could have
a real knockdown concert.

471
00:25:31,633 --> 00:25:34,400
[Alicia] Berry Gordy,
the founder of Motown Records,

472
00:25:34,567 --> 00:25:36,300
was actually sitting here
in the audience

473
00:25:36,467 --> 00:25:40,266
when he heard three young,
talented women do an audition.

474
00:25:42,300 --> 00:25:44,367
And their names were
Mary Wilson,

475
00:25:44,533 --> 00:25:45,767
Florence Ballard,

476
00:25:45,934 --> 00:25:47,367
and Diana Ross.

477
00:25:47,533 --> 00:25:50,000
This audition ultimately
landed them a deal

478
00:25:50,166 --> 00:25:54,100
with Motown Records, but there
was just one condition.

479
00:25:54,100 --> 00:25:57,467
[narrator] Gordy insisted
the group change their name,

480
00:25:57,467 --> 00:26:00,066
and The Supremes were born.

481
00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:09,000
The size of the church
ensured that it served

482
00:26:09,166 --> 00:26:11,367
not only as a community center,

483
00:26:11,533 --> 00:26:14,767
but also a hub
of political activism.

484
00:26:14,934 --> 00:26:17,767
[Charles] Because of
our classrooms across the street

485
00:26:17,767 --> 00:26:21,000
in the auditorium
right next door,

486
00:26:21,166 --> 00:26:25,066
this became one of
the convention centers for,

487
00:26:25,233 --> 00:26:28,000
quite frankly, Black America.

488
00:26:28,166 --> 00:26:31,100
And this put it right at
the center of a rapidly

489
00:26:31,266 --> 00:26:33,567
unfolding civil rights movement
that was really

490
00:26:33,734 --> 00:26:34,867
at a critical juncture.

491
00:26:36,900 --> 00:26:39,400
[narrator] 1963 marked
the centenary

492
00:26:39,567 --> 00:26:43,200
of President Abraham Lincoln's
Emancipation Proclamation,

493
00:26:43,367 --> 00:26:45,867
ending legal slavery in America.

494
00:26:46,033 --> 00:26:48,367
To mark the occasion,
the church hosted

495
00:26:48,367 --> 00:26:51,367
the Progressive National
Baptist Convention,

496
00:26:51,533 --> 00:26:52,967
and the keynote speaker was

497
00:26:53,133 --> 00:26:55,800
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

498
00:26:57,700 --> 00:26:59,767
His speech a week earlier,

499
00:26:59,767 --> 00:27:01,567
during the March on Washington,

500
00:27:01,567 --> 00:27:04,767
meant the eyes of the world
were now on the church

501
00:27:04,767 --> 00:27:07,533
where 10,000 people
had gathered.

502
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,166
[Michele] Coming so soon after
his "I Have a Dream" speech,

503
00:27:13,166 --> 00:27:17,066
you can imagine the atmosphere.
It must have been electric.

504
00:27:17,233 --> 00:27:21,200
[Onyeka] This was a pivotal
speech made at a time

505
00:27:21,367 --> 00:27:23,767
when America was
at the crossroads.

506
00:27:23,767 --> 00:27:27,166
This place provided
the foundation

507
00:27:27,333 --> 00:27:30,367
for the next phase
of that movement,

508
00:27:30,533 --> 00:27:33,100
a movement towards direct action

509
00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:37,567
and away from just
the theorizing about equality.

510
00:27:37,567 --> 00:27:40,867
[Alicia] Just a few weeks later,
another speaker came here,

511
00:27:40,867 --> 00:27:46,667
and he offered a stark
alternative to MLK's vision.

512
00:27:46,667 --> 00:27:49,567
[narrator]
On November 10th, 1963,

513
00:27:49,567 --> 00:27:52,967
Malcolm X delivered
a seminal speech.

514
00:27:53,133 --> 00:27:55,500
It would inspire many
in the burgeoning

515
00:27:55,667 --> 00:27:57,100
Black Power movement.

516
00:27:58,567 --> 00:28:01,667
He was heavily critical
of the nonviolent

517
00:28:01,834 --> 00:28:06,266
civil rights movement that was
put forward by the likes of MLK,

518
00:28:06,266 --> 00:28:12,100
and he promoted revolution
with violence, if necessary.

519
00:28:12,266 --> 00:28:15,500
[narrator] But his fiery
rhetoric didn't go down well

520
00:28:15,667 --> 00:28:18,100
with everyone
connected to the church.

521
00:28:18,266 --> 00:28:22,066
Some ministers felt it might
harm the civil rights cause.

522
00:28:23,467 --> 00:28:25,967
So when he was scheduled to
make another appearance

523
00:28:26,133 --> 00:28:29,100
in April of the following year,
the church actually tried

524
00:28:29,100 --> 00:28:30,967
to prevent him
from coming back.

525
00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:34,867
[narrator] Since Malcolm X
had already paid for

526
00:28:35,033 --> 00:28:36,867
and advertised the speech,

527
00:28:37,033 --> 00:28:40,300
he took the matter to court
and prevailed.

528
00:28:40,467 --> 00:28:43,500
When he arrived in April, 1964,

529
00:28:43,667 --> 00:28:46,300
a presidential election
was looming,

530
00:28:46,467 --> 00:28:49,266
but many Black Americans
were still being denied

531
00:28:49,266 --> 00:28:51,800
their right to vote.

532
00:28:51,967 --> 00:28:56,667
[Charles] We are in the balcony
of a place where individuals

533
00:28:56,834 --> 00:29:00,266
watched Malcolm X
give the speech,

534
00:29:00,266 --> 00:29:02,166
"Ballot or the Bullet."

535
00:29:02,166 --> 00:29:04,767
[narrator]
His message was clear.

536
00:29:04,767 --> 00:29:07,300
If Black Americans were
prevented from voting

537
00:29:07,467 --> 00:29:09,266
in the upcoming election,

538
00:29:09,266 --> 00:29:11,767
they should take up arms.

539
00:29:18,166 --> 00:29:21,467
2
[narrator] In 1964, the King
Solomon Baptist Church

540
00:29:21,633 --> 00:29:25,600
in Detroit was a hub
of civil rights activism.

541
00:29:25,767 --> 00:29:28,467
With the presidential election
just months away,

542
00:29:28,633 --> 00:29:32,667
Malcolm X delivered a speech
in the church's auditorium.

543
00:29:32,667 --> 00:29:35,166
He declared that if Black
Americans were denied

544
00:29:35,166 --> 00:29:38,567
their right to vote,
they were no longer willing

545
00:29:38,734 --> 00:29:41,000
to turn the other cheek.

546
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:45,767
So 1964 was the year of
"The Ballot or the Bullet."

547
00:29:47,066 --> 00:29:50,100
[Onyeka] Malcolm's speech,
"The Ballot or the Bullet",

548
00:29:50,266 --> 00:29:55,867
was intended to light a fire
under resistance.

549
00:29:56,033 --> 00:30:00,467
He was saying that
if the peaceful civil rights

550
00:30:00,467 --> 00:30:04,567
movement doesn't work,
then armed resistance

551
00:30:04,567 --> 00:30:06,000
is going to be necessary.

552
00:30:06,166 --> 00:30:11,066
And in this sense,
his speech was extraordinarily

553
00:30:11,233 --> 00:30:12,900
dangerous to the powers that be.

554
00:30:13,066 --> 00:30:14,567
[three gunshot blasts]

555
00:30:14,567 --> 00:30:17,867
[narrator] The following year,
he was assassinated.

556
00:30:18,667 --> 00:30:21,100
Speculation over
who was behind the hit

557
00:30:21,100 --> 00:30:23,000
has been rife ever since,

558
00:30:23,166 --> 00:30:29,867
and in 2024, his family sued
the CIA, FBI, and NYPD,

559
00:30:30,033 --> 00:30:32,867
over their involvement
in his murder.

560
00:30:32,867 --> 00:30:36,400
In death, Malcolm X's teachings
and speeches continued

561
00:30:36,567 --> 00:30:39,400
to inspire a growing
Black Power movement,

562
00:30:39,567 --> 00:30:41,700
which was further fueled
by the assassination

563
00:30:41,867 --> 00:30:44,500
of Dr. King in 1968.

564
00:30:45,900 --> 00:30:48,467
Riots swept through cities
like Detroit,

565
00:30:48,467 --> 00:30:51,867
which at this time was
suffering economic decline,

566
00:30:52,033 --> 00:30:56,166
driven by a collapsing
motor industry.

567
00:30:56,333 --> 00:31:01,767
[Michele]
The city's population shrank
by 60% between 1950 and 2010,

568
00:31:01,767 --> 00:31:04,200
and the church's congregation
shrank with it.

569
00:31:04,367 --> 00:31:07,300
Eventually, they could
no longer afford the bills,

570
00:31:07,467 --> 00:31:09,266
and so they moved
into the auditorium,

571
00:31:09,433 --> 00:31:11,266
leaving the church building
to decay.

572
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:20,300
[Charles] I'm honored, and I've
never gotten used to the fact

573
00:31:20,467 --> 00:31:25,266
that I stand in the same place
where Malcolm stood,

574
00:31:25,266 --> 00:31:27,500
where Doc King stood.

575
00:31:27,667 --> 00:31:30,600
[narrator] The old church
building remains closed,

576
00:31:30,767 --> 00:31:34,200
but services and community work
continue to take place

577
00:31:34,367 --> 00:31:36,100
in the auditorium.

578
00:31:37,367 --> 00:31:39,100
[Charles] As we're getting back
to our roots,

579
00:31:39,100 --> 00:31:42,600
we're utilizing the space
for the community,

580
00:31:42,767 --> 00:31:44,300
a place where

581
00:31:44,467 --> 00:31:46,667
if you need a meal,
you can get a meal.

582
00:31:46,667 --> 00:31:49,000
We wanna continue
on that legacy,

583
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:50,800
continue on that tradition,

584
00:31:50,967 --> 00:31:53,467
and that's why
the doors of the church

585
00:31:53,467 --> 00:31:55,266
swing open today.

586
00:32:02,266 --> 00:32:06,300
[narrator] On the Japanese
coast, 43 miles from Hiroshima,

587
00:32:06,467 --> 00:32:09,367
is an island
famed for its nature.

588
00:32:14,500 --> 00:32:17,300
[Lucienne] This island is one of
3,000 in this beautiful region,

589
00:32:17,467 --> 00:32:19,166
and it really is tiny,

590
00:32:19,166 --> 00:32:22,500
less than half a square
mile in size.

591
00:32:22,667 --> 00:32:25,100
[Sascha] The first thing
you notice is rabbits.

592
00:32:25,100 --> 00:32:29,767
They are everywhere.
Where did they all come from?

593
00:32:29,767 --> 00:32:32,967
[narrator] A closer examination
reveals a number

594
00:32:33,133 --> 00:32:37,000
of strange structures
camouflaged in the rock.

595
00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:39,967
At the top of the hill,
we find this big stone expanse

596
00:32:40,133 --> 00:32:43,467
sunken into the land,
almost like an arena.

597
00:32:43,467 --> 00:32:48,100
[Rob]
Underneath, we see arched brick
structures and domed rooms,

598
00:32:48,266 --> 00:32:49,467
perhaps for storage.

599
00:32:50,867 --> 00:32:54,066
[narrator] What was produced
at this facility has left

600
00:32:54,233 --> 00:32:56,700
a toxic legacy.

601
00:32:56,867 --> 00:32:59,200
So for decades,
no trees could grow here,

602
00:32:59,367 --> 00:33:02,066
because of what was buried
in the soil.

603
00:33:02,233 --> 00:33:04,400
[Rob] What happened here
was so secret,

604
00:33:04,567 --> 00:33:06,967
the island was erased
from the map.

605
00:33:12,867 --> 00:33:15,867
[narrator] Local historian
Naoto Shinmoto

606
00:33:16,033 --> 00:33:18,767
first visited this site
as a young boy.

607
00:33:23,467 --> 00:33:25,767
[Naoto, through translator]
I was in year six
of primary school

608
00:33:25,767 --> 00:33:28,066
the first time I came
to Okunoshima.

609
00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:33,700
As a local, I have complicated
feelings about it.

610
00:33:33,867 --> 00:33:36,100
[speaking Japanese]

611
00:33:37,700 --> 00:33:41,367
[narrator] Like many who grew up
nearby, Shinmoto was aware

612
00:33:41,367 --> 00:33:44,967
that the island had
an unsettling past.

613
00:33:45,133 --> 00:33:48,767
[Naoto] It was a violation
of international law,

614
00:33:48,934 --> 00:33:50,667
so there was a strong gag order.

615
00:33:50,667 --> 00:33:53,100
It had to be kept a secret.

616
00:33:55,367 --> 00:33:58,700
This island was once a key part
of Japan's defense.

617
00:34:00,066 --> 00:34:04,100
[narrator] In the early 1900s,
a rapidly modernizing Japan

618
00:34:04,266 --> 00:34:06,667
began fortifying the region.

619
00:34:06,667 --> 00:34:10,266
On this island, three gun
batteries were constructed

620
00:34:10,433 --> 00:34:13,100
as part of the Geiyo Fortress.

621
00:34:13,266 --> 00:34:16,600
[Sascha] By the 1920s, the gun
emplacements were outdated,

622
00:34:16,767 --> 00:34:18,800
and the fortress was retired,

623
00:34:18,967 --> 00:34:22,166
but the Japanese Imperial Army
would find

624
00:34:22,166 --> 00:34:26,166
a chilling new use
for the island.

625
00:34:26,333 --> 00:34:28,867
[narrator] They were inspired
by technological developments

626
00:34:28,867 --> 00:34:33,266
on the European battlefields
during World War I.

627
00:34:33,433 --> 00:34:36,567
April 22nd, 1915.

628
00:34:36,734 --> 00:34:40,400
The German army releases clouds
of poisonous chlorine

629
00:34:40,567 --> 00:34:42,667
against British
and Canadian soldiers

630
00:34:42,834 --> 00:34:45,467
at the Second Battle of Ypres,

631
00:34:45,467 --> 00:34:49,500
forcing the Allied troops
from their trench positions.

632
00:34:49,667 --> 00:34:51,467
[Sascha] And this was a new
weapon, no one was prepared

633
00:34:51,467 --> 00:34:55,367
for it, no one had gas masks,
so it caused quite a panic.

634
00:34:55,367 --> 00:34:59,066
[narrator] The physical effects
of gas were excruciating,

635
00:34:59,233 --> 00:35:00,567
but it also proved to be

636
00:35:00,567 --> 00:35:03,667
a devastating
psychological weapon.

637
00:35:03,834 --> 00:35:07,200
[Sascha] Because of
the horrific injuries

638
00:35:07,367 --> 00:35:10,100
and indiscriminate nature
of poison gas,

639
00:35:10,266 --> 00:35:12,100
The Geneva Protocols of 1925

640
00:35:12,100 --> 00:35:15,100
banned its deployment
in warfare.

641
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:18,200
There are a lot of loopholes.

642
00:35:18,367 --> 00:35:21,000
It didn't ban the development
of the technology,

643
00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:25,467
and it didn't ban
the stockpiling
of supplies either.

644
00:35:25,467 --> 00:35:28,467
[narrator] A new Japanese leader
would soon take advantage

645
00:35:28,633 --> 00:35:30,400
of these loopholes.

646
00:35:30,567 --> 00:35:34,100
[Rob] As Emperor Hirohito took
the throne in 1926,

647
00:35:34,266 --> 00:35:36,266
an increased focus
on militarism

648
00:35:36,266 --> 00:35:37,667
took hold of the country.

649
00:35:37,667 --> 00:35:40,000
[narrator]
The old Geiyo Fortress

650
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:42,000
was converted and expanded

651
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,000
for industrial scale production
of a product

652
00:35:45,166 --> 00:35:48,100
that would give the island
its name.

653
00:35:48,100 --> 00:35:52,166
This place was once known
as "Poison Gas Island".

654
00:35:52,166 --> 00:35:54,800
[Sascha] In choosing
this island as the site

655
00:35:54,967 --> 00:35:58,266
of a toxic gas factory,

656
00:35:58,433 --> 00:36:01,600
the Japanese military
was finding a careful balance

657
00:36:01,767 --> 00:36:05,467
between a site remote enough
that they could conceal it,

658
00:36:05,467 --> 00:36:09,667
but close enough that
they could get workers to it.

659
00:36:09,834 --> 00:36:12,767
[narrator] Only a 15-minute
commute from the mainland,

660
00:36:12,934 --> 00:36:15,800
Okunoshima ticked all the boxes.

661
00:36:17,867 --> 00:36:20,200
[Lucienne] Construction began
in 1927,

662
00:36:20,367 --> 00:36:22,767
and the factory started
operating in 1929.

663
00:36:24,967 --> 00:36:28,100
[Naoto] This building was
to store poison gas.

664
00:36:28,100 --> 00:36:31,367
100 tons was stored
in each tank,

665
00:36:31,533 --> 00:36:33,667
and there were six of them.

666
00:36:35,667 --> 00:36:39,300
[Lucienne] It was soon producing
a range of terrible poisons.

667
00:36:39,467 --> 00:36:42,900
Mustard gas, chlorine,
vomiting and sneezing agents,

668
00:36:43,066 --> 00:36:44,500
and hydrogen cyanide.

669
00:36:46,300 --> 00:36:49,000
[Naoto] The production
and use of poison gas

670
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,700
was a violation
of international law.

671
00:36:51,867 --> 00:36:55,100
So, for that reason,
it became a secret island.

672
00:36:55,100 --> 00:36:57,667
It was erased from the maps.

673
00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:03,367
[narrator] When Japan launched
a full scale invasion of China

674
00:37:03,533 --> 00:37:08,567
in 1937, they unleashed
a reign of terror.

675
00:37:08,734 --> 00:37:11,767
[Rob] Chinese troops were
pounded with poison gas shells,

676
00:37:11,934 --> 00:37:14,100
had no gas protective clothing,

677
00:37:14,100 --> 00:37:16,967
and couldn't retaliate
with gas of their own.

678
00:37:17,133 --> 00:37:20,367
[Sascha] During the Battle of
Shanghai, the Japanese attacked

679
00:37:20,533 --> 00:37:23,900
the Chinese with gas
13 separate times.

680
00:37:24,066 --> 00:37:28,166
[narrator] The Imperial Japanese
Army quickly occupied

681
00:37:28,333 --> 00:37:31,567
huge swaths of northwest China.

682
00:37:31,734 --> 00:37:34,967
In Manchuria, the use of
chemical weapons would reach

683
00:37:35,133 --> 00:37:37,467
disturbing new heights

684
00:37:37,467 --> 00:37:39,967
under the highly secretive
program,

685
00:37:40,133 --> 00:37:42,367
Unit 731.

686
00:37:47,867 --> 00:37:50,667
2
[narrator] In the late 1930s,
poison gas was being produced

687
00:37:50,667 --> 00:37:53,400
at a factory
on Okunoshima Island.

688
00:37:53,567 --> 00:37:56,800
The Japanese army used it to
brutal effect against both

689
00:37:56,967 --> 00:38:00,166
soldiers and civilians
during the invasion of China.

690
00:38:00,166 --> 00:38:03,700
It was also utilized
by a secretive unit masterminded

691
00:38:03,867 --> 00:38:07,600
by the army's Surgeon
General, Shiro Ishii.

692
00:38:07,767 --> 00:38:11,900
[Sascha] Shiro Ishii was trying
to develop new techniques

693
00:38:12,066 --> 00:38:15,500
of chemical
and bacteriological warfare.

694
00:38:15,667 --> 00:38:18,900
The gas developed
on Okunoshima was used

695
00:38:19,066 --> 00:38:21,600
by the infamous unit Unit 731,

696
00:38:21,767 --> 00:38:27,000
which was a group that
conducted human experiments.

697
00:38:27,166 --> 00:38:31,967
[Rob] Inside Unit 731, more than
3,000 Chinese prisoners of war

698
00:38:32,133 --> 00:38:35,400
and civilians were subjected to
disgusting experiments.

699
00:38:35,567 --> 00:38:38,867
[narrator] Gas chambers
were set up to test subjects

700
00:38:38,867 --> 00:38:41,767
with blister agents
and nerve gas.

701
00:38:41,767 --> 00:38:45,300
Doctors would perform surgery
on the victims to examine

702
00:38:45,467 --> 00:38:47,500
the biological effects
in real time.

703
00:38:48,867 --> 00:38:52,767
[narrator] As the tide of war
turned against Japan in 1943,

704
00:38:52,934 --> 00:38:56,567
they faced an acute shortage
of labor and materials.

705
00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,867
Back on the island,
they drafted in schoolgirls

706
00:39:00,867 --> 00:39:02,100
to fill the gap.

707
00:39:03,367 --> 00:39:06,567
Girls as young as 14 were made
to produce poison gas.

708
00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:11,266
After the Japanese
surrendered in 1945,

709
00:39:11,433 --> 00:39:14,567
they tried to hide the evidence
by dumping the gas.

710
00:39:14,734 --> 00:39:19,367
[narrator] Large quantities were
quietly disposed of in China.

711
00:39:19,533 --> 00:39:21,867
Most of the factory complex
was demolished,

712
00:39:22,033 --> 00:39:24,367
and its employees
left to suffer alone

713
00:39:24,367 --> 00:39:27,166
as the government tried
to cover up the program.

714
00:39:28,867 --> 00:39:32,166
And it's thought that nearly
7,000 factory workers

715
00:39:32,333 --> 00:39:35,200
were left with
lung disease, cancers,

716
00:39:35,367 --> 00:39:37,667
and other
debilitating conditions.

717
00:39:37,834 --> 00:39:41,266
[Sascha] The use of chemical
weapons wasn't even mentioned

718
00:39:41,266 --> 00:39:43,867
in the Tokyo War Crimes
Tribunals,

719
00:39:44,033 --> 00:39:47,166
nor were the doctors
who were part of Unit 731.

720
00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:51,767
In the 1990s,
the Japanese government was

721
00:39:51,767 --> 00:39:55,567
finally forced to confront
the terrible legacy

722
00:39:55,734 --> 00:39:58,467
of its chemical weapons program.

723
00:39:58,467 --> 00:40:00,500
[narrator] Leaks from
the gas dumps in China

724
00:40:00,667 --> 00:40:03,300
began causing injury
and even deaths

725
00:40:03,467 --> 00:40:05,600
among innocent civilians.

726
00:40:05,767 --> 00:40:09,000
In the 2000s, Japan paid
compensation to some

727
00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:12,467
of the victims and built
a facility to dispose

728
00:40:12,633 --> 00:40:14,967
of abandoned mustard gas shells,

729
00:40:15,133 --> 00:40:18,467
but many still live with
long term conditions today.

730
00:40:20,100 --> 00:40:23,767
As for the rabbits,
their origin remains a mystery.

731
00:40:25,500 --> 00:40:28,367
[Naoto] There were
around 200 rabbits,

732
00:40:28,367 --> 00:40:32,467
and they used those rabbits
in the poison gas experiments.

733
00:40:32,467 --> 00:40:35,266
But at the end of the war,
they were disposed of.

734
00:40:35,266 --> 00:40:38,667
So the records say that
the rabbits of today

735
00:40:38,667 --> 00:40:40,000
are different.

736
00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:48,367
[narrator]
Today, Okunoshima is a place

737
00:40:48,533 --> 00:40:51,300
for people to come
and enjoy nature.

738
00:40:51,467 --> 00:40:55,400
But the island does not shy away
from this dark chapter.

739
00:40:57,867 --> 00:41:01,266
[Naoto] The fact we made
poison gas needs to be known.

740
00:41:01,266 --> 00:41:04,567
In that sense, I believe
this island is important.

741
00:41:05,900 --> 00:41:10,700
A museum was opened on
the island to chart and educate

742
00:41:10,867 --> 00:41:13,000
about its dark past.

743
00:41:15,367 --> 00:41:18,100
[Naoto] Now it's called
Rabbit Island,

744
00:41:18,266 --> 00:41:20,467
and people come
from all over the world

745
00:41:20,633 --> 00:41:22,567
to enjoy its atmosphere.