1 00:00:02,243 --> 00:00:03,744 - The most infamous prison on Earth. 2 00:00:03,837 --> 00:00:07,831 - Alcatraz is the true pioneer of the supermax prison concept. 3 00:00:07,924 --> 00:00:09,758 - Surrounded by the freezing waters 4 00:00:09,917 --> 00:00:11,501 of the San Francisco Bay. 5 00:00:11,594 --> 00:00:13,762 - An average prisoner would have succumbed 6 00:00:13,921 --> 00:00:16,256 to hypothermia in under three hours. 7 00:00:16,349 --> 00:00:18,434 - Four inmates think they can beat the odds 8 00:00:18,593 --> 00:00:20,427 and make their way to freedom. 9 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,187 - They were paired in twos. 10 00:00:22,272 --> 00:00:25,766 One would keep watch as the other did the digging. 11 00:00:25,859 --> 00:00:28,351 - Can they escape The Rock? - You can't look back. 12 00:00:28,436 --> 00:00:29,945 You can't contact family. 13 00:00:30,030 --> 00:00:32,698 You've got to basically disappear. 14 00:00:32,857 --> 00:00:39,696 ♪ ♪ 15 00:00:39,781 --> 00:00:42,616 - Some of the greatest stories ever told 16 00:00:42,709 --> 00:00:46,453 start behind bars. 17 00:00:46,537 --> 00:00:48,538 Locked up in the most notorious prisons 18 00:00:48,623 --> 00:00:50,123 in the world, 19 00:00:50,208 --> 00:00:52,125 spied on by guards 20 00:00:52,210 --> 00:00:54,711 and fellow prisoners. 21 00:00:54,796 --> 00:00:57,056 It takes a devious mind 22 00:00:57,215 --> 00:00:59,800 to find a way out. 23 00:00:59,893 --> 00:01:02,719 It could lead you to freedom 24 00:01:02,804 --> 00:01:06,648 or it could cost you your life. 25 00:01:06,733 --> 00:01:09,559 But wouldn't you try 26 00:01:09,644 --> 00:01:12,404 when you have nothing left to lose? 27 00:01:12,563 --> 00:01:18,068 ♪ ♪ 28 00:01:18,152 --> 00:01:21,080 [dramatic music] 29 00:01:21,239 --> 00:01:24,166 ♪ ♪ 30 00:01:24,325 --> 00:01:27,920 Alcatraz, The Rock. 31 00:01:28,004 --> 00:01:32,582 This is the most notorious prison in American history. 32 00:01:32,667 --> 00:01:37,504 It's a grim concrete fortress planted on solid rock, 33 00:01:37,597 --> 00:01:42,601 surrounded by the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay. 34 00:01:42,685 --> 00:01:46,429 This place is always cold. 35 00:01:46,514 --> 00:01:49,015 And it has a way of breaking the spirit 36 00:01:49,109 --> 00:01:52,111 of the most hardened criminal. 37 00:01:52,270 --> 00:01:54,855 Even Al Capone said, 38 00:01:54,948 --> 00:01:58,283 "Alcatraz has got me licked." 39 00:01:58,442 --> 00:02:01,695 ♪ ♪ 40 00:02:01,779 --> 00:02:03,864 - Alcatraz is the true pioneer 41 00:02:03,948 --> 00:02:06,792 of the supermax prison concept. 42 00:02:06,951 --> 00:02:10,295 - Alcatraz opened back in 1934. 43 00:02:10,454 --> 00:02:15,208 They had a huge ratio of guards to prisoners. 44 00:02:15,293 --> 00:02:17,136 - You had, like, this tool-proof steel 45 00:02:17,295 --> 00:02:19,713 that was touted that nobody could use 46 00:02:19,797 --> 00:02:22,307 a regular file to file through. 47 00:02:22,466 --> 00:02:25,310 - There were remote-controlled canisters of tear gas 48 00:02:25,469 --> 00:02:27,896 and that could be opened in the event of a riot 49 00:02:28,055 --> 00:02:30,140 or escape attempt. 50 00:02:30,224 --> 00:02:32,809 There also was a number of metal detectors around. 51 00:02:32,894 --> 00:02:36,155 - They were really boasting the metal detection. 52 00:02:36,239 --> 00:02:38,824 They called it, you know, "the invisible eye." 53 00:02:38,983 --> 00:02:42,661 ♪ ♪ 54 00:02:42,820 --> 00:02:45,155 - The prison's construction is unlike 55 00:02:45,239 --> 00:02:47,991 anything that had ever been built before. 56 00:02:48,084 --> 00:02:49,659 - The cell structure is like 57 00:02:49,752 --> 00:02:53,246 a three-tiered building inside of a building. 58 00:02:53,331 --> 00:02:54,590 It's three stories high 59 00:02:54,749 --> 00:02:57,092 and the cells all faced outwards 60 00:02:57,177 --> 00:02:58,501 so the guards could walk the corridors 61 00:02:58,595 --> 00:03:00,512 and look inside each cell as needed. 62 00:03:00,671 --> 00:03:02,339 Gun galleries up along the ends 63 00:03:02,423 --> 00:03:06,343 so guards could shoot into the prison if needed. 64 00:03:06,436 --> 00:03:09,104 Once you're outside the main cell building, 65 00:03:09,189 --> 00:03:12,098 there are additional fences and 20-foot walls. 66 00:03:12,183 --> 00:03:13,683 There are thick concrete walls 67 00:03:13,776 --> 00:03:16,361 and guard towers on the corners. 68 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:18,280 - Six watchtowers. 69 00:03:18,439 --> 00:03:21,191 Each one of them had an armed officer in that tower. 70 00:03:21,275 --> 00:03:23,276 This was gonna be the facility 71 00:03:23,361 --> 00:03:26,613 that there was no escaping, no way out. 72 00:03:26,697 --> 00:03:29,041 ♪ ♪ 73 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,793 - Even if you managed to get out of your cell, 74 00:03:31,878 --> 00:03:33,545 scale the walls, 75 00:03:33,630 --> 00:03:36,548 and evade the watchtowers, 76 00:03:36,707 --> 00:03:40,052 you still faced the biggest obstacle of all: 77 00:03:40,136 --> 00:03:42,629 San Francisco Bay. 78 00:03:42,722 --> 00:03:45,641 Its waters are cold enough to kill you in an hour 79 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:47,643 and the currents can drag you 80 00:03:47,802 --> 00:03:50,804 clean out into the Pacific Ocean. 81 00:03:50,888 --> 00:03:52,648 - An average prisoner 82 00:03:52,807 --> 00:03:54,557 would have a functional time of about 83 00:03:54,651 --> 00:03:56,559 an hour and a half to two hours. 84 00:03:56,653 --> 00:03:57,894 And then after that, they'd just be 85 00:03:57,987 --> 00:03:59,321 kind of, like, bobbing and floating 86 00:03:59,405 --> 00:04:00,981 and wouldn't be able to really function 87 00:04:01,065 --> 00:04:02,816 and they would succumb to hypothermia 88 00:04:02,909 --> 00:04:05,235 in about under three hours. 89 00:04:05,319 --> 00:04:08,071 ♪ ♪ 90 00:04:08,155 --> 00:04:12,742 - Here's how criminals start to talk about Alcatraz. 91 00:04:12,835 --> 00:04:15,495 "If you don't follow society's rules, 92 00:04:15,588 --> 00:04:17,172 "you go to prison. 93 00:04:17,331 --> 00:04:20,166 "If you don't follow the prison rules, 94 00:04:20,260 --> 00:04:23,428 you end up in Alcatraz." 95 00:04:24,672 --> 00:04:26,923 ♪ ♪ 96 00:04:27,016 --> 00:04:29,184 - All the federal prisoners knew if you went to Alcatraz, 97 00:04:29,269 --> 00:04:30,519 the other prisoners who were there 98 00:04:30,678 --> 00:04:32,012 were the worst of the worst 99 00:04:32,105 --> 00:04:33,680 in the federal prison system. 100 00:04:33,773 --> 00:04:37,517 - Many of the most famous criminals of their day 101 00:04:37,601 --> 00:04:39,352 spent time at Alcatraz. 102 00:04:39,445 --> 00:04:42,114 These include the infamous Chicago crime boss, 103 00:04:42,273 --> 00:04:43,699 Al Capone. 104 00:04:43,783 --> 00:04:46,526 Other Depression era gangster figures, 105 00:04:46,610 --> 00:04:48,528 like Machine Gun Kelly. 106 00:04:48,612 --> 00:04:50,697 Bumpy Johnson, the Godfather of Harlem 107 00:04:50,790 --> 00:04:52,699 spends time in Alcatraz, 108 00:04:52,792 --> 00:04:54,284 as does Whitey Bulger, 109 00:04:54,368 --> 00:04:55,869 the Irish American crime boss 110 00:04:55,953 --> 00:04:58,213 turned FBI informant. 111 00:04:58,372 --> 00:04:59,956 And of course, Robert Stroud 112 00:05:00,049 --> 00:05:02,467 known as "The Birdman of Alcatraz," 113 00:05:02,552 --> 00:05:03,960 who was transferred from Leavenworth 114 00:05:04,045 --> 00:05:06,463 after he killed a guard. 115 00:05:06,547 --> 00:05:08,807 - But in 1962, 116 00:05:08,966 --> 00:05:12,385 all of these big name mobsters and murderers 117 00:05:12,470 --> 00:05:17,474 will be overshadowed by a gang of four small-time crooks. 118 00:05:17,558 --> 00:05:20,977 It's not what they did to get in that makes them famous. 119 00:05:21,062 --> 00:05:24,898 It's their attempt to get out. 120 00:05:24,982 --> 00:05:28,076 - Our team of Alcatraz escapees. 121 00:05:28,235 --> 00:05:30,329 We have Allen West. 122 00:05:30,488 --> 00:05:35,917 ♪ ♪ 123 00:05:36,077 --> 00:05:38,912 - West was a-- Mostly a car thief 124 00:05:39,005 --> 00:05:40,413 and he had a lot of larceny 125 00:05:40,498 --> 00:05:42,090 and a lot of different escape attempts. 126 00:05:42,249 --> 00:05:44,000 - He finally gets out of prison, 127 00:05:44,085 --> 00:05:46,503 goes into the military for a short time, 128 00:05:46,587 --> 00:05:49,172 gets a dishonorable discharge, 129 00:05:49,265 --> 00:05:51,266 back in prison, and believe it or not 130 00:05:51,425 --> 00:05:54,353 ends up in Alcatraz in 1954. 131 00:05:54,512 --> 00:05:58,098 - West is the guy who comes up with the escape plan. 132 00:05:58,191 --> 00:06:01,610 He gets the idea while working at his prison job. 133 00:06:01,694 --> 00:06:03,353 - West was one of the prisoners 134 00:06:03,437 --> 00:06:05,021 who was trusted with the maintenance. 135 00:06:05,106 --> 00:06:06,782 So he would be cleaning, he would paint, 136 00:06:06,941 --> 00:06:08,283 he would do different things. 137 00:06:08,368 --> 00:06:10,118 There's like a seven foot gap 138 00:06:10,203 --> 00:06:12,362 between the ceiling or roof of the cell structure 139 00:06:12,455 --> 00:06:14,030 before you get to the bottom 140 00:06:14,115 --> 00:06:16,616 of the actual cell building itself. 141 00:06:16,700 --> 00:06:18,368 And there's ventilation through there, 142 00:06:18,452 --> 00:06:20,379 there's plumbing pipes, there's wires. 143 00:06:20,538 --> 00:06:23,206 ♪ ♪ 144 00:06:23,290 --> 00:06:24,883 While he was up on top 145 00:06:25,042 --> 00:06:26,709 cleaning the top tier of the cell structure, 146 00:06:26,803 --> 00:06:29,304 he noticed one of the vents was not turning 147 00:06:29,463 --> 00:06:31,631 and there's little motors in there to pull air through 148 00:06:31,715 --> 00:06:33,633 and he's noticed one of them was broken. 149 00:06:33,717 --> 00:06:36,469 He thought that was a way out of the cell building. 150 00:06:36,554 --> 00:06:39,314 - That's when the wheels start turning. 151 00:06:39,473 --> 00:06:41,975 This could be access to the roof. 152 00:06:42,059 --> 00:06:43,893 This could be the way out. 153 00:06:43,986 --> 00:06:45,562 - West comes up with the idea that, 154 00:06:45,646 --> 00:06:47,313 "Yeah, we can do this." 155 00:06:47,407 --> 00:06:48,824 So he knows the other people 156 00:06:48,908 --> 00:06:50,650 who have a history of escape, 157 00:06:50,743 --> 00:06:52,577 and he starts talking to 'em. 158 00:06:52,736 --> 00:06:54,746 - West starts looking for collaborators, 159 00:06:54,905 --> 00:06:57,157 guys he can trust. 160 00:06:57,250 --> 00:06:58,908 And one man he did time with 161 00:06:58,993 --> 00:07:01,420 at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta 162 00:07:01,504 --> 00:07:04,089 stands out above the rest. 163 00:07:04,248 --> 00:07:07,759 - Next on the island we would have Frank Morris. 164 00:07:07,918 --> 00:07:13,673 ♪ ♪ 165 00:07:13,766 --> 00:07:15,425 He's our lone wolf. 166 00:07:15,509 --> 00:07:17,927 He's very smart. 167 00:07:18,020 --> 00:07:21,848 - People claim Morris had an IQ of 137. 168 00:07:21,941 --> 00:07:24,934 - He's got the most escapes 169 00:07:25,019 --> 00:07:27,437 out of our four guys. 170 00:07:27,521 --> 00:07:30,523 - He's been incarcerated at 11 different facilities 171 00:07:30,616 --> 00:07:33,618 from a very young age, and Frank Morris was able to 172 00:07:33,703 --> 00:07:36,946 successfully escape from all 11 of those facilities. 173 00:07:37,031 --> 00:07:40,033 - Morris recruits two more members of the team, 174 00:07:40,126 --> 00:07:43,953 a pair of escape artists who also served in Atlanta, 175 00:07:44,038 --> 00:07:45,297 John Anglin... 176 00:07:45,456 --> 00:07:50,552 ♪ ♪ 177 00:07:50,711 --> 00:07:52,304 And his younger brother, Clarence. 178 00:07:52,463 --> 00:07:58,301 ♪ ♪ 179 00:07:58,394 --> 00:08:00,386 - John and Clarence, my uncles, 180 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:03,315 they robbed a bank in 1958, 181 00:08:03,399 --> 00:08:05,734 which was the biggest crime they had ever committed. 182 00:08:05,818 --> 00:08:07,727 They used a toy gun to do it 183 00:08:07,820 --> 00:08:10,230 because they didn't want anybody to get hurt. 184 00:08:10,314 --> 00:08:13,149 When they went in, the president of the bank 185 00:08:13,234 --> 00:08:17,654 got real hysterical and he wound up passing out. 186 00:08:17,747 --> 00:08:19,831 Well, they stopped what they were doing 187 00:08:19,916 --> 00:08:23,001 to get him a glass of water to make sure that he was okay. 188 00:08:23,085 --> 00:08:25,328 They did, you know, tie their hands up 189 00:08:25,412 --> 00:08:27,664 so they couldn't, you know, call the police or whatever, 190 00:08:27,757 --> 00:08:30,917 but they never hurt anybody. 191 00:08:31,001 --> 00:08:32,928 - What the Anglin brothers 192 00:08:33,087 --> 00:08:35,505 lack in cold-hearted criminality, 193 00:08:35,589 --> 00:08:37,840 they make up for in ingenuity 194 00:08:37,934 --> 00:08:40,852 and persistence in escape attempts. 195 00:08:41,011 --> 00:08:43,096 - They had the reputation inside of the family 196 00:08:43,180 --> 00:08:45,765 as being their era of MacGyvers. 197 00:08:45,858 --> 00:08:48,860 They could take nothing and make something out of it. 198 00:08:49,019 --> 00:08:51,437 - They had tried several different, 199 00:08:51,522 --> 00:08:53,949 and sometimes ingenious, little escape attempts. 200 00:08:54,108 --> 00:08:56,284 Leavenworth was the main one. 201 00:08:56,443 --> 00:08:58,111 They both worked there together. 202 00:08:58,204 --> 00:09:00,789 They had a prison camp where they'd make bread 203 00:09:00,948 --> 00:09:02,865 and then they would ship it to and from the prison, 204 00:09:02,950 --> 00:09:04,701 you know, and then they'd send the empty boxes back. 205 00:09:04,794 --> 00:09:07,620 They're large boxes, so Clarence helped John 206 00:09:07,705 --> 00:09:09,381 hide in these big bread boxes. 207 00:09:09,540 --> 00:09:12,968 ♪ ♪ 208 00:09:13,127 --> 00:09:14,794 He concealed his brother in there, 209 00:09:14,878 --> 00:09:15,962 and then one of the guards caught 'em 210 00:09:16,046 --> 00:09:18,381 as they were going out. 211 00:09:18,474 --> 00:09:20,892 - After their foiled escape from Leavenworth, 212 00:09:21,051 --> 00:09:23,895 the brothers get shipped off to Alcatraz. 213 00:09:24,054 --> 00:09:25,471 They're more than happy to team up 214 00:09:25,565 --> 00:09:26,806 with West and Morris 215 00:09:26,899 --> 00:09:28,900 on another breakout scheme. 216 00:09:29,059 --> 00:09:31,561 - I can tell you that John and Clarence both, 217 00:09:31,645 --> 00:09:34,147 they were always planning escapes. 218 00:09:34,231 --> 00:09:35,648 I can assure you that 219 00:09:35,741 --> 00:09:39,235 they were thinking of ways to get out of there. 220 00:09:39,328 --> 00:09:41,404 - The four prisoners have teamed up, 221 00:09:41,488 --> 00:09:43,656 and their first task is to get themselves 222 00:09:43,749 --> 00:09:46,084 assigned to adjacent cells. 223 00:09:46,168 --> 00:09:48,578 Given their escape record, the Anglin brothers 224 00:09:48,662 --> 00:09:51,339 are separated when they get to Alcatraz. 225 00:09:51,498 --> 00:09:52,749 - So there's a really interesting note 226 00:09:52,833 --> 00:09:53,842 in the case file. 227 00:09:54,001 --> 00:09:56,836 And the sending warden from Leavenworth 228 00:09:56,929 --> 00:09:58,597 makes the statement that the two brothers 229 00:09:58,756 --> 00:10:00,590 should not be celled next to each other. 230 00:10:00,674 --> 00:10:02,767 And they had been known to plot escapes 231 00:10:02,926 --> 00:10:04,510 from every other facility they'd been at 232 00:10:04,595 --> 00:10:06,354 when they were together. 233 00:10:06,513 --> 00:10:08,440 - After months of good behavior, 234 00:10:08,599 --> 00:10:10,358 the warden allows the Anglin brothers 235 00:10:10,517 --> 00:10:13,353 to move to adjacent cells. 236 00:10:13,437 --> 00:10:17,365 West and Morris also get locked up side by side. 237 00:10:17,524 --> 00:10:19,451 - It took some time to get these guys 238 00:10:19,610 --> 00:10:22,779 nearly all lined up on B block. 239 00:10:22,872 --> 00:10:25,206 - Now that they are all together, 240 00:10:25,366 --> 00:10:27,876 they begin formulating a plan 241 00:10:28,035 --> 00:10:30,545 to get through the roof vent, 242 00:10:30,704 --> 00:10:32,622 down the side of the building, 243 00:10:32,706 --> 00:10:34,215 past the fence, 244 00:10:34,300 --> 00:10:36,968 and across the icy cold bay. 245 00:10:37,127 --> 00:10:39,387 ♪ ♪ 246 00:10:39,546 --> 00:10:44,384 Step one, escape your cell. 247 00:10:44,477 --> 00:10:46,478 Easier said than done. 248 00:10:46,637 --> 00:10:50,306 The inmates know the bars can't be cut with a saw 249 00:10:50,391 --> 00:10:52,400 and stepping out the door 250 00:10:52,485 --> 00:10:54,894 puts you directly in firing line 251 00:10:54,978 --> 00:10:57,989 of machine-gun-toting guards 252 00:10:58,074 --> 00:11:00,233 on either end. 253 00:11:00,317 --> 00:11:03,236 The only possible way out 254 00:11:03,329 --> 00:11:05,497 is somewhere else. 255 00:11:05,656 --> 00:11:08,166 ♪ ♪ 256 00:11:08,250 --> 00:11:11,002 - Below the sink at the back of each cell 257 00:11:11,161 --> 00:11:14,506 is a small 6x9 inch grated vent. 258 00:11:14,665 --> 00:11:16,675 ♪ ♪ 259 00:11:16,834 --> 00:11:18,760 And if you could actually remove that grate, 260 00:11:18,919 --> 00:11:21,096 what it provided access to 261 00:11:21,255 --> 00:11:22,931 was a maintenance corridor 262 00:11:23,015 --> 00:11:26,175 that ran the length of the cellblock. 263 00:11:26,260 --> 00:11:29,095 - The concrete around those vents was deteriorating 264 00:11:29,188 --> 00:11:31,189 so they figured if they could make a big enough hole, 265 00:11:31,348 --> 00:11:35,193 they could get out of the back of the cell. 266 00:11:35,352 --> 00:11:37,103 - The digging begins 267 00:11:37,196 --> 00:11:41,023 in September of 1961. 268 00:11:41,108 --> 00:11:44,035 ♪ ♪ 269 00:11:44,194 --> 00:11:46,362 - They stole spoons out of the cafeteria 270 00:11:46,447 --> 00:11:48,364 and broke the tips off of 'em 271 00:11:48,449 --> 00:11:50,041 and used 'em like picks 272 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:53,461 to pick away the concrete around the vents. 273 00:11:53,620 --> 00:11:55,630 - And slowly, methodically, 274 00:11:55,789 --> 00:11:57,540 over the course of six months, 275 00:11:57,624 --> 00:11:59,801 the four men began to enlarge 276 00:11:59,885 --> 00:12:02,962 the opening at the back of their cell. 277 00:12:03,046 --> 00:12:05,890 - Morris exploits his job in the repair shop 278 00:12:06,049 --> 00:12:10,061 to steal a vacuum motor and build a makeshift drill. 279 00:12:10,146 --> 00:12:13,306 They hope it will help them break through the vent faster. 280 00:12:13,390 --> 00:12:15,057 - West and Morris both supposedly 281 00:12:15,151 --> 00:12:16,484 read a book about engineering. 282 00:12:16,643 --> 00:12:18,311 They said if you use a hot plate, 283 00:12:18,395 --> 00:12:20,071 heat the concrete up, like, in the back 284 00:12:20,230 --> 00:12:22,148 of the cells as they're chipping away with it, 285 00:12:22,232 --> 00:12:23,649 they said it would help make the concrete 286 00:12:23,734 --> 00:12:25,076 fall apart more easily. 287 00:12:25,235 --> 00:12:26,986 And I think they did experiment 288 00:12:27,070 --> 00:12:29,414 for a time with that. 289 00:12:29,573 --> 00:12:31,824 - They couldn't all four work at the same time. 290 00:12:31,909 --> 00:12:33,418 They were paired in twos. 291 00:12:33,502 --> 00:12:35,828 The Anglins were next to each other 292 00:12:35,913 --> 00:12:37,330 and one would keep watch 293 00:12:37,423 --> 00:12:40,675 as the other did the digging, and then they'd trade off. 294 00:12:40,834 --> 00:12:43,169 Same with Frank and Allen. 295 00:12:43,262 --> 00:12:46,931 - And then finally they could actually pass through it. 296 00:12:47,090 --> 00:12:50,351 ♪ ♪ 297 00:12:50,436 --> 00:12:51,677 - Clarence Anglin is the first 298 00:12:51,762 --> 00:12:54,272 to break through the back wall. 299 00:12:54,356 --> 00:12:56,682 Freedom is so close he can taste it. 300 00:12:56,767 --> 00:12:59,519 He reaches the roof vent 301 00:12:59,603 --> 00:13:02,614 but discovers that it's bolted shut. 302 00:13:02,773 --> 00:13:04,857 After months of patiently chipping away 303 00:13:04,950 --> 00:13:06,943 at their cell walls, 304 00:13:07,027 --> 00:13:08,945 their dreams of escape 305 00:13:09,029 --> 00:13:10,947 could be over. 306 00:13:11,031 --> 00:13:12,540 ♪ ♪ 307 00:13:17,129 --> 00:13:19,464 [dramatic music] 308 00:13:19,623 --> 00:13:21,800 - Clarence Anglin has snuck through 309 00:13:21,959 --> 00:13:25,053 a hole in the back of his desolate cell 310 00:13:25,137 --> 00:13:27,639 to a grungy maintenance corridor 311 00:13:27,723 --> 00:13:31,142 with an air vent that leads to the prison's roof. 312 00:13:31,301 --> 00:13:34,053 But instead of an easy path to freedom, 313 00:13:34,137 --> 00:13:38,224 he discovers that the vent is bolted shut. 314 00:13:38,308 --> 00:13:39,892 He and his co-conspirators 315 00:13:39,977 --> 00:13:42,320 are going to have to cut through the bolts 316 00:13:42,404 --> 00:13:44,489 in order to escape. 317 00:13:44,648 --> 00:13:47,242 But they've got one hell of a problem. 318 00:13:47,326 --> 00:13:50,903 How can they keep sneaking into the maintenance corridor 319 00:13:50,988 --> 00:13:54,240 without the guards noticing they're not in their cells? 320 00:13:54,324 --> 00:13:56,000 ♪ ♪ 321 00:13:56,085 --> 00:13:57,827 - To work on the vent on the top, 322 00:13:57,911 --> 00:13:59,754 they would need to have something look like 323 00:13:59,913 --> 00:14:01,581 they're in their cells. 324 00:14:01,665 --> 00:14:04,759 - The escapees were true artists. 325 00:14:04,918 --> 00:14:07,753 They fashioned fake heads 326 00:14:07,838 --> 00:14:11,007 out of anything you can find in a prison. 327 00:14:11,091 --> 00:14:14,102 We're talking wadded-up sheets, 328 00:14:14,186 --> 00:14:16,929 we're talking soap, chicken wire. 329 00:14:17,022 --> 00:14:19,691 - They were able to collect plaster, concrete mix, 330 00:14:19,850 --> 00:14:21,517 and they were able to form dummy heads 331 00:14:21,602 --> 00:14:23,278 that they put inside their beads 332 00:14:23,362 --> 00:14:25,438 to make it look like they were still sleeping. 333 00:14:25,522 --> 00:14:27,782 - The dummy papier-mache heads 334 00:14:27,867 --> 00:14:29,450 were incredibly convincing. 335 00:14:29,535 --> 00:14:31,703 - John and Clarence took up painting 336 00:14:31,787 --> 00:14:33,362 and they wound up painting 337 00:14:33,447 --> 00:14:35,448 some portraits of their girlfriends. 338 00:14:35,532 --> 00:14:37,116 Well, they needed the flesh-colored paint 339 00:14:37,209 --> 00:14:39,210 for the dummy heads, so they talked the guards 340 00:14:39,369 --> 00:14:41,462 into letting them have the flesh-colored paints 341 00:14:41,547 --> 00:14:44,957 for the portraits, which was actually a ruse 342 00:14:45,042 --> 00:14:46,718 for the dummy heads. 343 00:14:46,877 --> 00:14:49,304 - And the way to really make it human 344 00:14:49,463 --> 00:14:52,557 was to add human hair. 345 00:14:52,716 --> 00:14:54,976 - Clarence Anglin worked in the barbershop, 346 00:14:55,135 --> 00:14:57,136 so he was able to collect hair from other prisoners. 347 00:14:57,220 --> 00:14:58,646 - While he was cutting hair, 348 00:14:58,805 --> 00:15:00,398 he would let some of the hair 349 00:15:00,482 --> 00:15:02,892 fall in the cuffs of his pants 350 00:15:02,976 --> 00:15:05,570 and he would walk it back to his cell every day. 351 00:15:05,729 --> 00:15:10,158 So the dummy heads actually had real human hair. 352 00:15:10,317 --> 00:15:12,735 - They would shove blankets and pillows in for the body 353 00:15:12,819 --> 00:15:15,237 and then the head sleeps near the rails 354 00:15:15,322 --> 00:15:17,332 or near the bars that the guard walks by. 355 00:15:17,416 --> 00:15:19,334 So the guard could just look inside. 356 00:15:19,493 --> 00:15:21,661 If they see a head there, they don't worry about it. 357 00:15:21,745 --> 00:15:23,079 Or unless you go touch it 358 00:15:23,163 --> 00:15:24,580 or actually get really close to it, 359 00:15:24,665 --> 00:15:26,925 you wouldn't worry too much about it. 360 00:15:27,084 --> 00:15:29,177 - Then there's the issue of disguising 361 00:15:29,261 --> 00:15:31,930 the chipped away holes at the back of the cells. 362 00:15:32,089 --> 00:15:34,349 - During the day, they concealed 363 00:15:34,433 --> 00:15:38,427 the enlarged grates by creating false fronts 364 00:15:38,512 --> 00:15:40,939 with a grate and cardboard 365 00:15:41,098 --> 00:15:44,433 painted to look like the prison walls. 366 00:15:44,526 --> 00:15:45,935 - They were able to actually secure 367 00:15:46,028 --> 00:15:48,354 some of the actual paint from Allen West 368 00:15:48,438 --> 00:15:49,948 that they're using to paint 369 00:15:50,107 --> 00:15:51,699 in certain parts of the cell blocks 370 00:15:51,858 --> 00:15:53,284 so it perfectly matches. 371 00:15:53,369 --> 00:15:54,610 This was not something that was 372 00:15:54,695 --> 00:15:56,037 just in place for two weeks. 373 00:15:56,121 --> 00:15:57,538 These were things that were, you know, 374 00:15:57,623 --> 00:15:59,115 being utilized for months and months. 375 00:15:59,208 --> 00:16:02,451 So they were actually pretty compelling 376 00:16:02,536 --> 00:16:05,037 in terms of how they crafted these. 377 00:16:05,122 --> 00:16:08,624 - Covering their tracks turns out to be the easy part. 378 00:16:08,717 --> 00:16:10,960 The hardened steel bolts on the vent 379 00:16:11,044 --> 00:16:13,638 are almost impossible to cut. 380 00:16:13,722 --> 00:16:16,391 And the vent is above the cellblock, 381 00:16:16,475 --> 00:16:20,895 exposed to any guard who happens to glance upward. 382 00:16:20,980 --> 00:16:24,557 The escapees need a way to work without being seen. 383 00:16:24,641 --> 00:16:28,486 ♪ ♪ 384 00:16:28,570 --> 00:16:31,406 - Allen West came up with a really good plan 385 00:16:31,565 --> 00:16:33,658 to hide in plain view. 386 00:16:33,817 --> 00:16:37,069 His job was to not just paint the ceiling 387 00:16:37,154 --> 00:16:40,915 of the cell house, but also to remove the debris 388 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:42,825 that he encountered along the way. 389 00:16:42,909 --> 00:16:45,253 And those areas on top of the cell blocks 390 00:16:45,412 --> 00:16:47,005 were not often traveled 391 00:16:47,089 --> 00:16:48,497 and they were dusty as all get out, 392 00:16:48,582 --> 00:16:50,249 and lots of paint chips up there. 393 00:16:50,333 --> 00:16:52,418 So he made a mess one day 394 00:16:52,502 --> 00:16:56,255 and swept all of that debris down the tiers. 395 00:16:56,339 --> 00:16:57,840 Alcatraz had this reputation 396 00:16:57,924 --> 00:17:00,184 for having the shiniest concrete floor 397 00:17:00,269 --> 00:17:02,094 in all of the land. 398 00:17:02,187 --> 00:17:04,847 It just wasn't fit that it would become dirty. 399 00:17:04,931 --> 00:17:08,526 So he basically planted the idea, 400 00:17:08,685 --> 00:17:10,436 "Hey, we wouldn't have this problem 401 00:17:10,529 --> 00:17:12,864 "if I could just put some drop cloths up there. 402 00:17:12,948 --> 00:17:14,115 "You wouldn't get mad at the work 403 00:17:14,274 --> 00:17:15,858 "that you need me to do. 404 00:17:15,942 --> 00:17:18,953 "So let me just put a couple drop cloths up there. 405 00:17:19,112 --> 00:17:21,113 You know, problem solved." 406 00:17:21,198 --> 00:17:24,116 - And believe it or not, he actually convinces 407 00:17:24,201 --> 00:17:26,627 one of the officers and also the captain 408 00:17:26,712 --> 00:17:28,204 that he would like to put up 409 00:17:28,297 --> 00:17:31,457 blankets to completely enclose 410 00:17:31,541 --> 00:17:33,292 above the cell block. 411 00:17:33,376 --> 00:17:35,386 - His job wasn't that long. 412 00:17:35,545 --> 00:17:38,639 These drop cloths were up there for months. 413 00:17:38,799 --> 00:17:41,392 - The guards are fooled, 414 00:17:41,477 --> 00:17:43,811 but the rest of the prison population 415 00:17:43,970 --> 00:17:46,472 knows something's up. 416 00:17:46,565 --> 00:17:49,150 - It really goes to say a lot that these convicts 417 00:17:49,234 --> 00:17:50,392 never ratted them out. 418 00:17:50,477 --> 00:17:52,061 They stood to benefit a lot 419 00:17:52,154 --> 00:17:54,072 if they would've alerted an officer 420 00:17:54,156 --> 00:17:55,981 that there was an escape going on. 421 00:17:56,066 --> 00:17:57,658 And it really gives credit to, you know, 422 00:17:57,743 --> 00:17:59,744 the entire inmate population 423 00:17:59,903 --> 00:18:02,246 who worked with them collectively 424 00:18:02,405 --> 00:18:04,832 to ensure that they were successful. 425 00:18:04,917 --> 00:18:06,659 - They try to protect each other. 426 00:18:06,743 --> 00:18:08,669 Even if you hate the guy in the cell next to you, 427 00:18:08,829 --> 00:18:10,329 they'd rather, you know, 428 00:18:10,413 --> 00:18:12,164 basically, screw the guards over 429 00:18:12,257 --> 00:18:14,750 or screw the whole government and prison system over 430 00:18:14,843 --> 00:18:17,011 and not give up any information. 431 00:18:17,096 --> 00:18:19,588 It's a code in the prison system. 432 00:18:19,681 --> 00:18:21,599 - With the drop cloths in place 433 00:18:21,683 --> 00:18:25,103 and the rest of the inmates keeping their mouths shut, 434 00:18:25,187 --> 00:18:26,938 the escapees have time to work 435 00:18:27,097 --> 00:18:30,266 on removing the bolts from the ceiling vent. 436 00:18:30,350 --> 00:18:33,027 - The ceiling ventilator itself, this passive vent, 437 00:18:33,112 --> 00:18:36,188 was actually bolted into the cement up there 438 00:18:36,273 --> 00:18:39,450 so they had to go up, and utilizing a file, 439 00:18:39,535 --> 00:18:42,703 literally file away at those bolts. 440 00:18:42,863 --> 00:18:44,363 - And then carefully, 441 00:18:44,456 --> 00:18:46,949 they replace it with a bolt made from soap. 442 00:18:47,033 --> 00:18:48,543 - I think it just goes to show 443 00:18:48,627 --> 00:18:50,119 they left no stone uncovered 444 00:18:50,203 --> 00:18:52,380 and tried to cover every single track 445 00:18:52,464 --> 00:18:54,799 so that if they did go up and investigate, 446 00:18:54,958 --> 00:18:57,126 there would be nothing to tip them off. 447 00:18:57,219 --> 00:18:58,636 - That's gonna be their escape, 448 00:18:58,795 --> 00:19:00,888 but just because you've got out of the prison 449 00:19:00,973 --> 00:19:03,215 doesn't mean that you're home free. 450 00:19:03,300 --> 00:19:05,309 ♪ ♪ 451 00:19:05,468 --> 00:19:08,220 - The second layer of the Alcatraz defenses 452 00:19:08,305 --> 00:19:09,805 is breached, 453 00:19:09,890 --> 00:19:12,984 but there's much more work to do. 454 00:19:13,143 --> 00:19:16,228 They need to find a way down from the roof 455 00:19:16,321 --> 00:19:20,992 and then a way to cut through the exterior fences. 456 00:19:21,076 --> 00:19:23,327 But most of all, 457 00:19:23,486 --> 00:19:25,571 they need to figure out how to cross 458 00:19:25,655 --> 00:19:28,833 the freezing San Francisco Bay. 459 00:19:34,006 --> 00:19:37,166 [dramatic music] 460 00:19:37,250 --> 00:19:39,177 ♪ ♪ 461 00:19:39,336 --> 00:19:42,763 - Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers 462 00:19:42,923 --> 00:19:45,266 have broken through two of the main defensive barriers 463 00:19:45,425 --> 00:19:47,768 of this grim hell hole. 464 00:19:47,853 --> 00:19:51,355 They've escaped their cells via secret backdoor exits, 465 00:19:51,514 --> 00:19:54,609 and they've successfully filed through the bolts 466 00:19:54,768 --> 00:19:56,277 of a ventilation grate, 467 00:19:56,361 --> 00:19:59,605 giving them access to the prison roof. 468 00:19:59,689 --> 00:20:01,857 But the manmade structures on Alcatraz 469 00:20:01,950 --> 00:20:04,526 are only half the battle. 470 00:20:04,611 --> 00:20:07,112 The final and most formidable barrier 471 00:20:07,206 --> 00:20:10,115 is the frigid water of the San Francisco Bay. 472 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:11,617 ♪ ♪ 473 00:20:11,701 --> 00:20:17,465 Only a few prisoners have ever tried to escape Alcatraz. 474 00:20:17,624 --> 00:20:19,792 Six were shot and killed. 475 00:20:19,876 --> 00:20:23,796 Two of them drowned trying to swim across the bay. 476 00:20:23,889 --> 00:20:27,716 One prisoner actually made it to the mainland 477 00:20:27,801 --> 00:20:31,887 but was soon found incapacitated by hypothermia. 478 00:20:31,972 --> 00:20:33,564 ♪ ♪ 479 00:20:33,649 --> 00:20:36,317 One thing is obvious: 480 00:20:36,401 --> 00:20:39,153 if you want to make it to freedom, 481 00:20:39,238 --> 00:20:42,564 swimming the bay is not a workable plan. 482 00:20:42,658 --> 00:20:45,243 - In some ways, it looks like 483 00:20:45,402 --> 00:20:48,329 all that stands between you and freedom 484 00:20:48,413 --> 00:20:50,155 is a one-mile swim. 485 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:52,333 But the people who have achieved that feat 486 00:20:52,417 --> 00:20:55,828 are triathlon-level swimmers. 487 00:20:55,912 --> 00:20:59,340 So the notion that any ordinary prisoner 488 00:20:59,424 --> 00:21:02,260 would be able to make that journey 489 00:21:02,344 --> 00:21:05,671 and survive is incredibly unlikely. 490 00:21:05,755 --> 00:21:08,349 ♪ ♪ 491 00:21:08,433 --> 00:21:13,262 - The escapees needed flotation devices. 492 00:21:13,346 --> 00:21:15,606 They needed, also, a raft. 493 00:21:15,765 --> 00:21:18,526 Frank Morris, he was an avid reader. 494 00:21:18,610 --> 00:21:21,353 He also had magazine subscriptions 495 00:21:21,438 --> 00:21:22,780 that would aid him 496 00:21:22,864 --> 00:21:25,950 in making these inflatable devices. 497 00:21:26,109 --> 00:21:28,110 - One of the famous stories told is that 498 00:21:28,194 --> 00:21:31,622 they read an article in "Popular Mechanics" magazine 499 00:21:31,707 --> 00:21:34,783 that basically gave them the plans to construct these. 500 00:21:34,868 --> 00:21:36,294 - There was a specific article 501 00:21:36,453 --> 00:21:38,379 about how to take rubberized material 502 00:21:38,463 --> 00:21:39,797 like a raincoat material 503 00:21:39,881 --> 00:21:41,540 and make a life vest out of it. 504 00:21:41,624 --> 00:21:43,125 - Because of the cold weather, 505 00:21:43,209 --> 00:21:45,627 Alcatraz has hundreds of heavy raincoats 506 00:21:45,712 --> 00:21:47,638 available for the inmates. 507 00:21:47,723 --> 00:21:49,223 - At that time, the raincoats were 508 00:21:49,308 --> 00:21:50,975 actually really good material. 509 00:21:51,059 --> 00:21:53,227 They were rubber with a cotton mesh inside of it, 510 00:21:53,312 --> 00:21:55,479 so they were really sturdy. 511 00:21:55,564 --> 00:21:58,474 - These were being provided by other convicts. 512 00:21:58,558 --> 00:22:02,227 They were being worn out to the recreation yard 513 00:22:02,312 --> 00:22:05,656 and then they would walk away from them. 514 00:22:05,815 --> 00:22:08,826 And then one of our escapee team guys 515 00:22:08,985 --> 00:22:11,329 would walk back to their cell with it. 516 00:22:11,488 --> 00:22:13,164 - They also knew that there was no tracking 517 00:22:13,248 --> 00:22:14,990 of the issue of raincoats. 518 00:22:15,083 --> 00:22:16,417 You know, the guards never said, 519 00:22:16,501 --> 00:22:18,919 "Well, how many raincoats are out?" 520 00:22:19,079 --> 00:22:22,089 So they ended up with, you know, dozens of raincoats. 521 00:22:22,174 --> 00:22:24,500 They cut the backs out of the raincoats 522 00:22:24,584 --> 00:22:26,085 and then they started shaping them 523 00:22:26,169 --> 00:22:28,921 to make a raft and life vest. 524 00:22:29,014 --> 00:22:30,848 - The way to make them 525 00:22:30,932 --> 00:22:33,759 into something seaworthy, hopefully, 526 00:22:33,852 --> 00:22:35,353 is a clever use 527 00:22:35,512 --> 00:22:37,605 of three different ways of binding them. 528 00:22:37,764 --> 00:22:39,598 There's stitching. 529 00:22:39,691 --> 00:22:41,433 There is gluing, 530 00:22:41,518 --> 00:22:45,270 with most likely bookbinding rubber cement. 531 00:22:45,355 --> 00:22:47,448 - They used some steam lines behind the cells 532 00:22:47,532 --> 00:22:50,192 to vulcanize and put heat to the seam 533 00:22:50,276 --> 00:22:52,194 and help seal it even better. 534 00:22:52,278 --> 00:22:53,954 - This is a triple sealed, 535 00:22:54,039 --> 00:22:56,782 homemade life jacket and raft. 536 00:22:56,866 --> 00:22:59,034 - And West claimed that it would hold a Jeep. 537 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:01,453 He was an exaggerator, I'm sure. 538 00:23:01,538 --> 00:23:02,955 But he said they would hold air. 539 00:23:03,039 --> 00:23:05,874 - Making high-quality gear takes time. 540 00:23:05,967 --> 00:23:08,710 It also requires privacy. 541 00:23:08,804 --> 00:23:10,638 With the drop cloths still in place 542 00:23:10,797 --> 00:23:12,631 above the cell block, 543 00:23:12,715 --> 00:23:16,477 they turned that area into a secret life raft workshop. 544 00:23:16,561 --> 00:23:18,729 - So for at least two months, 545 00:23:18,814 --> 00:23:21,649 our escapees are going up and down 546 00:23:21,733 --> 00:23:24,985 to their secret workshop to get everything together. 547 00:23:25,070 --> 00:23:27,563 And they're not being seen at all 548 00:23:27,647 --> 00:23:29,064 because of the drop cloths 549 00:23:29,157 --> 00:23:31,492 that Allen West convinced the staff 550 00:23:31,651 --> 00:23:33,819 that he should put up. 551 00:23:33,903 --> 00:23:37,990 So they're able to work from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. 552 00:23:38,074 --> 00:23:39,491 during music hour. 553 00:23:39,576 --> 00:23:41,919 ♪ ♪ 554 00:23:42,078 --> 00:23:45,497 Any of the convicts that had permission 555 00:23:45,582 --> 00:23:50,002 and had purchased or borrowed an instrument could practice. 556 00:23:50,086 --> 00:23:52,012 [inmates cheering] 557 00:23:52,097 --> 00:23:55,349 Maybe they weren't great at what they were playing 558 00:23:55,434 --> 00:23:57,852 but the sounds that were being created 559 00:23:57,936 --> 00:24:02,273 really covered a lot of that scraping, drilling, climbing. 560 00:24:02,432 --> 00:24:04,525 - During music hour, other prisoners would 561 00:24:04,609 --> 00:24:06,351 either play their radios louder than normal, 562 00:24:06,436 --> 00:24:08,279 or they would have instruments to play music 563 00:24:08,363 --> 00:24:10,105 'cause they knew that they were going to be working. 564 00:24:10,190 --> 00:24:12,024 Even though the prisoners said "We didn't know 565 00:24:12,108 --> 00:24:14,693 they was gonna escape," they were noisier than normal. 566 00:24:14,777 --> 00:24:16,695 [inmates cheering] 567 00:24:16,779 --> 00:24:18,614 - There's even this one rumor 568 00:24:18,707 --> 00:24:21,450 that there was a secret melody 569 00:24:21,534 --> 00:24:24,795 that someone would play if they saw a guard 570 00:24:24,954 --> 00:24:28,290 about to turn and do his rounds. 571 00:24:28,383 --> 00:24:29,800 Something that could be played 572 00:24:29,959 --> 00:24:33,212 to alert the guys, "Look sharp." 573 00:24:33,296 --> 00:24:37,308 But they're not ratting Allen and his team out. 574 00:24:37,392 --> 00:24:41,562 And that's probably indicative of the hope 575 00:24:41,646 --> 00:24:44,732 that every convict had 576 00:24:44,816 --> 00:24:48,810 that someone would break Alcatraz. 577 00:24:48,895 --> 00:24:50,404 - After they had their little workshop 578 00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:51,906 built on top of the cell structure, 579 00:24:51,990 --> 00:24:53,315 they had their rafts built. 580 00:24:53,408 --> 00:24:55,242 They were able to make paddles. 581 00:24:55,327 --> 00:24:57,161 - Paddles are made from pieces of small wood 582 00:24:57,245 --> 00:24:58,654 that they're able to steal 583 00:24:58,738 --> 00:25:01,740 from different places around the shop. 584 00:25:01,824 --> 00:25:03,242 - The next big obstacle they had 585 00:25:03,326 --> 00:25:04,576 was the really cold water. 586 00:25:04,661 --> 00:25:07,162 ♪ ♪ 587 00:25:07,247 --> 00:25:09,256 - Even with a raft and life vests, 588 00:25:09,415 --> 00:25:13,752 San Francisco Bay can easily kill the untrained boatmen. 589 00:25:13,836 --> 00:25:16,755 But the team finds a surprise instructor: 590 00:25:16,839 --> 00:25:19,758 the notorious Irish American crime boss, 591 00:25:19,851 --> 00:25:21,843 Whitey Bulger. 592 00:25:21,928 --> 00:25:24,346 - He said that the first time he saw John 593 00:25:24,430 --> 00:25:25,689 walking across the rec yard 594 00:25:25,848 --> 00:25:27,858 that it reminded him of Steve McQueen. 595 00:25:28,017 --> 00:25:29,443 He thought they were good people. 596 00:25:29,528 --> 00:25:31,028 He thought they were trustworthy. 597 00:25:31,187 --> 00:25:33,364 He told 'em how to take the raincoats 598 00:25:33,523 --> 00:25:35,440 and actually make wetsuits out of them. 599 00:25:35,534 --> 00:25:37,952 He was a scuba diver back in the early 50s. And 600 00:25:38,111 --> 00:25:40,704 he knew that in order 601 00:25:40,789 --> 00:25:43,448 to help them survive the cold temperatures, 602 00:25:43,542 --> 00:25:45,450 that they would need something to protect their skin. 603 00:25:45,544 --> 00:25:48,045 So he told them how to take some of the raincoats 604 00:25:48,129 --> 00:25:50,381 and actually wear 'em and use 'em 605 00:25:50,540 --> 00:25:52,299 as protection against the cold. 606 00:25:52,458 --> 00:25:54,126 - He also teaches them 607 00:25:54,210 --> 00:25:57,221 how to build up endurance to the cold water. 608 00:25:57,380 --> 00:25:59,056 - One of the security features of Alcatraz 609 00:25:59,215 --> 00:26:00,882 was that the water that they utilized 610 00:26:00,967 --> 00:26:02,634 in the shower area was always very warm. 611 00:26:02,719 --> 00:26:04,395 And what they wanted to do was make sure that 612 00:26:04,554 --> 00:26:06,471 the convicts could never get acclimated 613 00:26:06,556 --> 00:26:08,140 to the cold waters outside. 614 00:26:08,233 --> 00:26:10,067 So that way, that if they were somehow able 615 00:26:10,151 --> 00:26:12,403 to make it to the shore, as soon as they hit the water, 616 00:26:12,487 --> 00:26:15,239 they would realize that they would not be able to sustain. 617 00:26:15,323 --> 00:26:17,149 But Whitey Bulger later stated 618 00:26:17,233 --> 00:26:20,077 that some of the advice that he gave to Clarence Anglin 619 00:26:20,236 --> 00:26:23,322 was that he was to utilize wet towels. 620 00:26:23,406 --> 00:26:25,157 So they would actually take these towels 621 00:26:25,241 --> 00:26:27,418 and then soak 'em in water that was cold 622 00:26:27,502 --> 00:26:29,328 and drape the towels over them, 623 00:26:29,412 --> 00:26:31,830 and that would help them get acclimated. 624 00:26:31,914 --> 00:26:34,842 - He also told 'em, "Once you make it out of here, 625 00:26:34,926 --> 00:26:36,251 "you can't look back. 626 00:26:36,336 --> 00:26:37,928 "You can't contact family. 627 00:26:38,087 --> 00:26:40,589 You've got to basically disappear." 628 00:26:40,673 --> 00:26:43,350 ♪ ♪ 629 00:26:43,435 --> 00:26:45,677 - The plan is set. 630 00:26:45,762 --> 00:26:48,513 The consequences are clear. 631 00:26:48,598 --> 00:26:52,517 On the night of June 11th, 1962, 632 00:26:52,611 --> 00:26:55,279 it's time to go. 633 00:27:00,869 --> 00:27:04,872 - On the night of June 634 00:27:05,031 --> 00:27:07,949 everything literally came to a head, 635 00:27:08,043 --> 00:27:10,210 and not just the dummy head. 636 00:27:10,370 --> 00:27:12,630 They are placing those in the bed 637 00:27:12,789 --> 00:27:15,624 for the very last time to fool these guards. 638 00:27:15,708 --> 00:27:18,710 - The four men decide that it is time to go. 639 00:27:18,803 --> 00:27:21,305 That they're going to exit their cells in the evening, 640 00:27:21,464 --> 00:27:24,549 make their way up onto the roof of the prison, 641 00:27:24,643 --> 00:27:26,051 down into the yard, 642 00:27:26,135 --> 00:27:28,479 over the fence, and to safety. 643 00:27:28,638 --> 00:27:30,481 ♪ ♪ 644 00:27:30,565 --> 00:27:32,891 - The lights out. They get out of their cell. 645 00:27:32,984 --> 00:27:35,477 They had a ten-hour head start 646 00:27:35,570 --> 00:27:37,821 before 7:00 the next morning. 647 00:27:37,980 --> 00:27:39,573 ♪ ♪ 648 00:27:39,732 --> 00:27:41,992 - The officers at that point in time 649 00:27:42,077 --> 00:27:44,569 probably had so much faith 650 00:27:44,654 --> 00:27:46,997 in the security components of the prison 651 00:27:47,156 --> 00:27:49,741 that they were becoming a little bit more laxed 652 00:27:49,826 --> 00:27:52,503 and overconfident that once they did their final count, 653 00:27:52,587 --> 00:27:54,246 there is no way that these guys were ever gonna 654 00:27:54,339 --> 00:27:57,174 make it out of their cells. 655 00:27:57,258 --> 00:28:01,086 - They are removing the fake grill 656 00:28:01,179 --> 00:28:03,931 and fake wall piece from the back of their cell, 657 00:28:04,090 --> 00:28:06,258 squeezing through that hole. 658 00:28:06,342 --> 00:28:08,102 - But almost immediately, 659 00:28:08,186 --> 00:28:12,431 the plan and reality start to diverge. 660 00:28:12,515 --> 00:28:15,183 - The first hiccup is Allen West, 661 00:28:15,268 --> 00:28:20,105 who isn't able to get through his vent. 662 00:28:20,189 --> 00:28:23,692 The covering that he had used to conceal his opening 663 00:28:23,776 --> 00:28:25,619 had actually hardened. 664 00:28:25,704 --> 00:28:27,863 - He had re-cemented part of his cell up too much, 665 00:28:27,956 --> 00:28:29,865 and he couldn't get back out of it 666 00:28:29,949 --> 00:28:31,032 'cause he thought he was gonna get caught 667 00:28:31,126 --> 00:28:32,617 so he kinda re-cemented it. 668 00:28:32,702 --> 00:28:35,120 - He couldn't break through. 669 00:28:35,204 --> 00:28:37,122 - About 9:37 that night, 670 00:28:37,215 --> 00:28:39,458 Frank Morris came back down and asked for a sip of water. 671 00:28:39,542 --> 00:28:41,385 Then West claimed, "Hey, I need help 672 00:28:41,544 --> 00:28:43,378 getting out of my cell. Can you guys help me?" 673 00:28:43,463 --> 00:28:44,972 So Morris said, 674 00:28:45,131 --> 00:28:46,724 "I'll grab one of the other guys and we'll come help you." 675 00:28:46,808 --> 00:28:48,049 And then Morris never came back, 676 00:28:48,143 --> 00:28:49,801 so that's the last time West saw them. 677 00:28:49,886 --> 00:28:52,396 - And that's a really interesting prospect. 678 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:56,900 If you're putting all this time and effort into escaping, 679 00:28:56,985 --> 00:28:59,394 wouldn't you be ready at any time? 680 00:28:59,487 --> 00:29:02,990 And it tells us maybe he didn't want to go. 681 00:29:03,074 --> 00:29:04,566 Maybe he was scared. 682 00:29:04,659 --> 00:29:06,067 Maybe he wanted the bragging rights. 683 00:29:06,161 --> 00:29:08,328 That was certainly on brand for him. 684 00:29:08,413 --> 00:29:11,156 But also too, there's another possibility, 685 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:13,083 maybe he was sabotaged. 686 00:29:13,242 --> 00:29:15,577 He was a wildcard, he was a loose cannon 687 00:29:15,661 --> 00:29:17,579 and maybe they didn't tell him, 688 00:29:17,672 --> 00:29:19,757 "Hey, buddy, tonight's the night." 689 00:29:19,916 --> 00:29:21,666 ♪ ♪ 690 00:29:21,751 --> 00:29:23,335 - Leaving behind the instigator 691 00:29:23,419 --> 00:29:24,586 of their escape plan, 692 00:29:24,670 --> 00:29:26,004 Morris and the Anglin brothers 693 00:29:26,088 --> 00:29:27,923 race up to the workshop. 694 00:29:28,007 --> 00:29:30,425 The clock is ticking. 695 00:29:30,518 --> 00:29:32,853 - They're climbing up the pipes 696 00:29:33,012 --> 00:29:36,106 to their secret workshop at the top of the cellblock. 697 00:29:36,191 --> 00:29:38,859 From there, they're gathering their supplies. 698 00:29:39,018 --> 00:29:41,770 Next, it's time to get to the roof. 699 00:29:41,854 --> 00:29:45,115 [tense music] 700 00:29:45,274 --> 00:29:52,039 ♪ ♪ 701 00:29:52,123 --> 00:29:54,115 - The top vent cover being knocked off 702 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:55,534 made a loud noise 703 00:29:55,627 --> 00:29:57,786 when they dislodged it on the night of the escape. 704 00:29:57,870 --> 00:29:59,538 The guards actually had a report 705 00:29:59,622 --> 00:30:01,873 at a few minutes after 10:00 that night. 706 00:30:01,958 --> 00:30:03,467 They heard a loud bang, 707 00:30:03,626 --> 00:30:05,210 which sounded like somebody taking their hand 708 00:30:05,294 --> 00:30:07,554 and hitting the side of a 55-gallon drum. 709 00:30:07,639 --> 00:30:11,975 [whistles and cheers] 710 00:30:12,134 --> 00:30:14,561 - But their fellow inmates come to the rescue 711 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:17,222 with a going-away present: 712 00:30:17,306 --> 00:30:20,150 one final distraction. 713 00:30:20,309 --> 00:30:22,653 - Every prisoner in there made so much noise 714 00:30:22,812 --> 00:30:25,397 because they wanted to hide where that noise came from. 715 00:30:25,490 --> 00:30:28,900 - The escapees are finally through the ventilation grate 716 00:30:28,993 --> 00:30:31,987 and up on the roof. 717 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:33,822 - And they had no idea what the actual roof 718 00:30:33,915 --> 00:30:35,249 of the building looked like 719 00:30:35,408 --> 00:30:36,750 'cause nobody got to go up there. 720 00:30:36,835 --> 00:30:38,493 - I always think that that must have been 721 00:30:38,578 --> 00:30:40,579 such an amazing feeling 722 00:30:40,663 --> 00:30:43,006 to finally make it onto the roof, 723 00:30:43,165 --> 00:30:44,675 having never seen 724 00:30:44,834 --> 00:30:46,760 the cityscape of San Francisco at night 725 00:30:46,919 --> 00:30:49,847 without any bars or barriers. 726 00:30:50,006 --> 00:30:52,340 ♪ ♪ 727 00:30:52,425 --> 00:30:54,601 - They're able to go up to the roof. 728 00:30:54,686 --> 00:30:56,186 First, an inmate goes up 729 00:30:56,271 --> 00:30:58,513 and next, the supplies need to come up. 730 00:30:58,606 --> 00:31:00,515 The supplies that are coming up 731 00:31:00,608 --> 00:31:03,685 through that air shaft are paddles, 732 00:31:03,769 --> 00:31:05,854 the inflatables, 733 00:31:05,938 --> 00:31:07,865 a concertina. 734 00:31:08,024 --> 00:31:11,359 A concertina is not the same as an accordion, 735 00:31:11,452 --> 00:31:13,370 but it is in the same family. 736 00:31:13,529 --> 00:31:18,792 A concertina added a benefit because of its valve system. 737 00:31:18,951 --> 00:31:21,545 The way it forces air out 738 00:31:21,704 --> 00:31:27,125 would make for a great way to inflate a raft. 739 00:31:27,209 --> 00:31:29,219 - Carrying all their gear, 740 00:31:29,304 --> 00:31:32,964 the three men dash 100 feet to the edge of the roof, 741 00:31:33,057 --> 00:31:37,227 careful to avoid being spotted by the guard towers. 742 00:31:37,386 --> 00:31:41,556 They are now face to face with their next obstacle: 743 00:31:41,641 --> 00:31:43,642 getting down. 744 00:31:43,735 --> 00:31:46,561 - They're going to have to go down 35, 40 feet probably. 745 00:31:46,646 --> 00:31:48,822 They work their way to the north-northwest side 746 00:31:48,907 --> 00:31:50,899 of the cell building 747 00:31:50,983 --> 00:31:52,734 and there's a stovepipe back there for the kitchen. 748 00:31:52,827 --> 00:31:54,745 - Months of planning and hard work 749 00:31:54,829 --> 00:31:57,915 and subterfuge will have all been for nothing 750 00:31:58,074 --> 00:32:01,501 if they can't make it down this rickety pipe. 751 00:32:01,586 --> 00:32:04,421 No turning back now. 752 00:32:04,580 --> 00:32:07,215 ♪ ♪ 753 00:32:12,171 --> 00:32:15,256 [dramatic music] 754 00:32:15,341 --> 00:32:17,926 - Inmates Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin, 755 00:32:18,010 --> 00:32:19,761 and his brother John, 756 00:32:19,845 --> 00:32:22,856 are on the precipice of freedom, 757 00:32:22,941 --> 00:32:25,934 staring down from the roof of Alcatraz 758 00:32:26,027 --> 00:32:29,529 to the ground 40 feet below. 759 00:32:29,689 --> 00:32:32,941 One slip here would be fatal. 760 00:32:33,025 --> 00:32:35,702 ♪ ♪ 761 00:32:35,861 --> 00:32:38,538 - They end up shimmying down a chimney 762 00:32:38,698 --> 00:32:42,200 that goes down to the prison bakery. 763 00:32:42,284 --> 00:32:44,953 - They kind of used it like a fireman does on a pole. 764 00:32:45,046 --> 00:32:48,289 They wrapped around it and slid down it. 765 00:32:48,383 --> 00:32:50,133 - It was really rusty and sooty. 766 00:32:50,292 --> 00:32:53,136 And we know they used that because at the bottom, 767 00:32:53,221 --> 00:32:55,389 after the escape, the next day they have photos 768 00:32:55,473 --> 00:32:57,132 and there's a whole bunch of sooty footprints 769 00:32:57,225 --> 00:32:59,059 all along the ground on the bottom 770 00:32:59,143 --> 00:33:01,395 where they shimmied their way down the pipe. 771 00:33:01,479 --> 00:33:04,723 - They had acquired an extension cord 772 00:33:04,807 --> 00:33:07,150 that was 125 foot long. 773 00:33:07,309 --> 00:33:08,735 ♪ ♪ 774 00:33:08,894 --> 00:33:10,812 - They used that extension cord 775 00:33:10,905 --> 00:33:12,981 to lower their gear from the roof. 776 00:33:13,074 --> 00:33:14,574 - Once they were down there 777 00:33:14,734 --> 00:33:15,984 and had all their stuff down there, 778 00:33:16,077 --> 00:33:19,404 they still had a probably 15-foot fence to get over. 779 00:33:19,497 --> 00:33:22,157 - They took a blanket and laid it over the barbed wire 780 00:33:22,241 --> 00:33:24,743 so it wouldn't cut 'em as they were going across it. 781 00:33:24,827 --> 00:33:26,578 - They were able to climb over the fence 782 00:33:26,671 --> 00:33:28,505 and they could see a spot where the barbed wire 783 00:33:28,589 --> 00:33:30,915 was pushed down and they actually could see 784 00:33:31,009 --> 00:33:32,917 where they worked their way through down the hill, 785 00:33:33,011 --> 00:33:34,344 underneath the water tower. 786 00:33:34,503 --> 00:33:35,846 And they know they went down that way 'cause they found 787 00:33:35,930 --> 00:33:37,505 a coiled up extension cord 788 00:33:37,598 --> 00:33:39,016 right at the bottom of that slope. 789 00:33:39,100 --> 00:33:41,351 And then from there, they know they worked their way 790 00:33:41,510 --> 00:33:43,428 basically to the northwest side of the island 791 00:33:43,512 --> 00:33:45,597 which was the closest launching point 792 00:33:45,681 --> 00:33:47,107 for their destination, 793 00:33:47,191 --> 00:33:50,861 which West claimed was Angel Island. 794 00:33:51,020 --> 00:33:52,437 They didn't want to go towards San Francisco 795 00:33:52,521 --> 00:33:53,772 because too many people there, 796 00:33:53,856 --> 00:33:55,023 too many people would see 'em, 797 00:33:55,107 --> 00:33:56,533 and it'd be too hard for them to blend in 798 00:33:56,617 --> 00:33:59,694 or to easily be seen by local police. 799 00:33:59,787 --> 00:34:02,372 They knew Angel Island was largely unoccupied. 800 00:34:02,531 --> 00:34:04,282 ♪ ♪ 801 00:34:04,366 --> 00:34:06,785 And they knew it was a missile base 802 00:34:06,869 --> 00:34:08,462 back in the '50s and '60s 803 00:34:08,546 --> 00:34:09,880 and it was starting to be deactivated 804 00:34:10,039 --> 00:34:12,457 so there were probably a few Army personnel there, 805 00:34:12,550 --> 00:34:14,542 but they assumed that there are gonna be boats there. 806 00:34:14,627 --> 00:34:16,628 They were actually gonna be able to get a real boat 807 00:34:16,712 --> 00:34:18,797 and get to the mainland. 808 00:34:18,890 --> 00:34:23,226 - Multiple stages of the escape seem improbable. 809 00:34:23,385 --> 00:34:27,889 ♪ ♪ 810 00:34:27,973 --> 00:34:29,891 The idea that these men 811 00:34:29,984 --> 00:34:32,060 could leave their cells in the night 812 00:34:32,144 --> 00:34:33,820 for weeks on end 813 00:34:33,905 --> 00:34:35,647 and not be detected, for one, 814 00:34:35,740 --> 00:34:37,074 given the security measures 815 00:34:37,233 --> 00:34:39,826 that we know were in place in Alcatraz. 816 00:34:39,985 --> 00:34:44,581 And then simply making it from outside of the prison 817 00:34:44,740 --> 00:34:47,492 and to the shore, that itself is not a given 818 00:34:47,576 --> 00:34:50,170 and that's part of the escape that they're not able to scout 819 00:34:50,254 --> 00:34:51,922 and plan with the same precision 820 00:34:52,081 --> 00:34:55,667 as they are the construction of, say, their raft. 821 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:57,752 - Against all odds, 822 00:34:57,837 --> 00:34:59,596 they make it to the shore. 823 00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:02,516 They inflate the raft with the concertina 824 00:35:02,675 --> 00:35:04,092 and push off into the dark 825 00:35:04,185 --> 00:35:06,678 and treacherous waters of the bay. 826 00:35:06,771 --> 00:35:09,272 [uneasy music] 827 00:35:09,431 --> 00:35:14,936 ♪ ♪ 828 00:35:15,029 --> 00:35:17,021 - No guard notices any of them are gone 829 00:35:17,106 --> 00:35:18,857 until the next morning. 830 00:35:18,941 --> 00:35:21,618 - 7:00 headcount, those three cells, 831 00:35:21,702 --> 00:35:23,945 Morris and my uncles, the Anglin brothers, 832 00:35:24,029 --> 00:35:26,781 they did not come out of their cells for headcount. 833 00:35:26,874 --> 00:35:28,291 So one of the guards goes by 834 00:35:28,376 --> 00:35:30,544 and takes his little walking stick 835 00:35:30,703 --> 00:35:32,462 and taps them on the head. 836 00:35:32,621 --> 00:35:34,548 - And he wouldn't wake up, and when they 837 00:35:34,632 --> 00:35:36,633 tapped on the head they said, "He's dead." 838 00:35:36,792 --> 00:35:38,552 Initially said, "I think he's dead." 839 00:35:38,711 --> 00:35:40,137 They started hitting harder. 840 00:35:40,296 --> 00:35:42,046 - Then that's when one of the heads 841 00:35:42,140 --> 00:35:44,215 fell out on the floor and it kind of freaked him out. 842 00:35:44,308 --> 00:35:46,309 He thought somebody had cut his head off, you know? 843 00:35:46,394 --> 00:35:48,562 He went screaming, and that's when they realized 844 00:35:48,646 --> 00:35:50,471 that they were gone. 845 00:35:50,565 --> 00:35:51,806 [alarm blares, whistle blows] 846 00:35:51,899 --> 00:35:54,642 - And they called it out, "Sound the alarm." 847 00:35:54,735 --> 00:35:56,728 - Whitey Bulger told us when they discovered 848 00:35:56,812 --> 00:35:59,990 that they were missing and the sirens went off, 849 00:36:00,074 --> 00:36:02,734 he said everybody in the cell block just went to cheering 850 00:36:02,818 --> 00:36:04,911 'cause they knew that they had made it. 851 00:36:04,996 --> 00:36:07,822 He said it was a great moment in his life. 852 00:36:07,907 --> 00:36:09,166 ♪ ♪ 853 00:36:09,325 --> 00:36:10,658 - Morris and the Anglin brothers 854 00:36:10,751 --> 00:36:14,913 have successfully launched two things: 855 00:36:15,006 --> 00:36:17,090 their escape raft 856 00:36:17,249 --> 00:36:20,510 and one of the biggest manhunts ever. 857 00:36:20,669 --> 00:36:24,014 ♪ ♪ 858 00:36:29,178 --> 00:36:31,271 [siren blares, whistle blows] 859 00:36:31,355 --> 00:36:34,432 - On the morning of June 12th, 1962, 860 00:36:34,525 --> 00:36:37,518 all hell breaks loose when guards discover 861 00:36:37,603 --> 00:36:40,772 that Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers 862 00:36:40,865 --> 00:36:43,200 have vanished. 863 00:36:43,359 --> 00:36:45,944 - They just started searching everywhere for them. 864 00:36:46,037 --> 00:36:48,622 - They say it was one of the largest manhunts 865 00:36:48,781 --> 00:36:50,123 in history at the time. 866 00:36:50,208 --> 00:36:52,700 - And FBI came out and they called the Coast Guard. 867 00:36:52,785 --> 00:36:54,044 They called the local police. 868 00:36:54,128 --> 00:36:55,536 They sent out BOLOs, 869 00:36:55,621 --> 00:36:57,372 which is a "be on the lookout for" 870 00:36:57,456 --> 00:36:59,540 to every local agency in the whole Bay Area 871 00:36:59,625 --> 00:37:01,459 and then statewide after that. 872 00:37:01,543 --> 00:37:03,962 Every police department was on the alert. 873 00:37:04,055 --> 00:37:07,140 Two days after the escape, they found a packet of 874 00:37:07,225 --> 00:37:09,300 personal effects that belonged to the Anglin brothers. 875 00:37:09,393 --> 00:37:11,228 There were photographs, some written piece of paper. 876 00:37:11,312 --> 00:37:13,638 They said they found it about 3/4 of a mile 877 00:37:13,722 --> 00:37:15,815 northwest of Alcatraz. 878 00:37:15,900 --> 00:37:17,725 Also, on the night of the escape, 879 00:37:17,810 --> 00:37:20,395 they found a paddle right in the Badger Straits, 880 00:37:20,479 --> 00:37:22,072 which is in between Angel Island 881 00:37:22,156 --> 00:37:23,990 and Sausalito area. 882 00:37:24,075 --> 00:37:25,650 It was similar to the other paddle 883 00:37:25,743 --> 00:37:27,244 that was left on top of the cellblock for West 884 00:37:27,328 --> 00:37:30,914 so they know it was made on Alcatraz as well. 885 00:37:30,998 --> 00:37:33,074 - There's a lot of speculation about 886 00:37:33,158 --> 00:37:35,001 whether Morris and the men 887 00:37:35,086 --> 00:37:37,829 might have actually planned a different escape route. 888 00:37:37,913 --> 00:37:40,164 That maybe paddling towards Angel Island 889 00:37:40,249 --> 00:37:41,833 was a diversionary tactic. 890 00:37:41,917 --> 00:37:45,428 Maybe they discarded one of their paddles 891 00:37:45,513 --> 00:37:46,921 into the water in order to 892 00:37:47,014 --> 00:37:48,765 throw authorities off the chase. 893 00:37:48,924 --> 00:37:50,600 - The next day after that, they found 894 00:37:50,759 --> 00:37:53,511 a used life vest out of Cronkite Beach. 895 00:37:53,595 --> 00:37:55,013 They could tell it was a used life vest. 896 00:37:55,097 --> 00:37:56,597 It was made the same way 897 00:37:56,682 --> 00:37:58,358 as the one left behind for Allen West 898 00:37:58,442 --> 00:38:01,185 and that was found outside the Golden Gate North. 899 00:38:01,279 --> 00:38:03,863 And one of the life vests that was left behind 900 00:38:03,948 --> 00:38:05,690 when the FBI took it as evidence, 901 00:38:05,774 --> 00:38:07,859 they took it to the lab and they filled it with air. 902 00:38:07,943 --> 00:38:10,361 They put a weight on it and it held air indefinitely 903 00:38:10,446 --> 00:38:13,540 so it didn't leak air at all. 904 00:38:13,624 --> 00:38:15,366 They were following up on leads everywhere. 905 00:38:15,459 --> 00:38:17,035 Relatives, cousins, 906 00:38:17,119 --> 00:38:19,120 anybody who had anything to do with him. 907 00:38:19,213 --> 00:38:20,880 - I was about 11 years old. 908 00:38:20,965 --> 00:38:23,624 My mom and I was out raking the yard. 909 00:38:23,709 --> 00:38:25,302 The FBI pulls up 910 00:38:25,386 --> 00:38:27,137 and started asking my mom questions. 911 00:38:27,221 --> 00:38:28,722 "Have you heard from your brothers? 912 00:38:28,881 --> 00:38:30,798 Do you know where they're at?" 913 00:38:30,883 --> 00:38:34,227 And she always had the same answer for them: 914 00:38:34,312 --> 00:38:36,396 "I don't know where they are. 915 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:38,389 And if I did, I wouldn't tell you." 916 00:38:38,474 --> 00:38:40,141 Our phones was bugged. 917 00:38:40,225 --> 00:38:42,477 They was listening to everything 918 00:38:42,561 --> 00:38:44,145 that the family was doing, 919 00:38:44,229 --> 00:38:46,397 hoping that they would get some kind of clue. 920 00:38:46,482 --> 00:38:48,491 But behind the scenes, 921 00:38:48,650 --> 00:38:50,818 they were constantly harassing the family. 922 00:38:50,903 --> 00:38:52,829 When my grandmother passed away, 923 00:38:52,913 --> 00:38:55,406 of course the FBI was there at the funeral. 924 00:38:55,491 --> 00:38:56,991 The FBI harassed the family 925 00:38:57,076 --> 00:38:59,660 all the way up into the late '70s 926 00:38:59,745 --> 00:39:02,589 when they decided to turn the case over 927 00:39:02,673 --> 00:39:04,665 to the U.S. Marshall service. 928 00:39:04,750 --> 00:39:07,344 - Neither the Anglin family nor law enforcement 929 00:39:07,503 --> 00:39:09,512 has heard anything from the escapees 930 00:39:09,671 --> 00:39:11,264 since the night they pushed their raft 931 00:39:11,349 --> 00:39:13,933 off the shores of Alcatraz. 932 00:39:14,018 --> 00:39:17,261 But that hasn't stopped the search. 933 00:39:17,346 --> 00:39:19,606 - The investigation is still ongoing today. 934 00:39:19,690 --> 00:39:22,100 The authorities say they will not close the case 935 00:39:22,184 --> 00:39:24,944 until they reach the age of 99. 936 00:39:25,029 --> 00:39:28,689 - I worked on this case for 17 years until I retired. 937 00:39:28,783 --> 00:39:30,691 And every lead that I ever followed 938 00:39:30,776 --> 00:39:32,702 turned out to be nothing. 939 00:39:32,787 --> 00:39:35,455 It turned out to be dead-end on everything. 940 00:39:35,614 --> 00:39:37,949 There's a couple things that I didn't really put out before 941 00:39:38,033 --> 00:39:39,542 but I'll put out right now is 942 00:39:39,627 --> 00:39:40,877 they left at, like, the worst time 943 00:39:40,961 --> 00:39:42,286 they could have left. 944 00:39:42,371 --> 00:39:43,880 The currents at 10:00 that night 945 00:39:43,964 --> 00:39:45,882 just started going out to the ocean 946 00:39:45,966 --> 00:39:47,384 at an ever-increasing pace 947 00:39:47,468 --> 00:39:48,793 up until midnight. 948 00:39:48,877 --> 00:39:50,461 And that's easily, 949 00:39:50,546 --> 00:39:52,555 easily enough time for a three knot current 950 00:39:52,714 --> 00:39:54,465 to push them all the way out into the ocean. 951 00:39:54,558 --> 00:39:57,644 So if they had tried to paddle towards Angel Island. 952 00:39:57,728 --> 00:39:59,479 More than likely, they said, "This isn't working. 953 00:39:59,563 --> 00:40:02,473 We're dumping the boat." Boat went out to the ocean. 954 00:40:02,558 --> 00:40:03,900 And when that happened, that's when the Anglin brothers 955 00:40:04,059 --> 00:40:05,819 lost their little packet of information. 956 00:40:05,903 --> 00:40:07,570 Probably fell out at the same time 957 00:40:07,729 --> 00:40:09,739 and they probably tried to swim from that point 958 00:40:09,824 --> 00:40:11,991 'cause they were probably in panic mode at this time 959 00:40:12,151 --> 00:40:13,576 'cause they knew they weren't going towards Angel Island, 960 00:40:13,735 --> 00:40:15,319 they were going towards the Golden Gate. 961 00:40:15,413 --> 00:40:16,913 And by now, they're probably in the water 962 00:40:17,072 --> 00:40:18,990 for an hour so they're probably 963 00:40:19,083 --> 00:40:20,491 getting pretty cold and they're starting to lose 964 00:40:20,576 --> 00:40:22,160 their functional time from hypothermia, 965 00:40:22,253 --> 00:40:23,828 And then they would've finally succumbed to it 966 00:40:23,912 --> 00:40:26,840 and would've probably sunk to the bottom. 967 00:40:26,924 --> 00:40:28,591 So I can't ever say it 100% 968 00:40:28,750 --> 00:40:31,335 because we don't have bodies to prove they died. 969 00:40:31,420 --> 00:40:34,088 But I can say, in all likelihood, 970 00:40:34,173 --> 00:40:36,340 they probably did not make it. 971 00:40:36,425 --> 00:40:38,184 - I'm gonna say this. 972 00:40:38,269 --> 00:40:41,438 The answers to this mystery are in the FBI files. 973 00:40:41,522 --> 00:40:43,514 It's clear that they were onto 'em 974 00:40:43,599 --> 00:40:45,775 and close to 'em several times 975 00:40:45,860 --> 00:40:48,686 because they were getting thousands of leads every day. 976 00:40:48,779 --> 00:40:50,697 People that claimed that they had saw 'em. 977 00:40:50,856 --> 00:40:53,450 You really don't have that many leads, in my opinion, 978 00:40:53,534 --> 00:40:57,120 unless some of 'em were actually true. 979 00:40:57,279 --> 00:40:58,705 - The scope of the investigation 980 00:40:58,864 --> 00:41:00,114 for the FBI was massive. 981 00:41:00,199 --> 00:41:01,791 I mean, it was nationwide. 982 00:41:01,950 --> 00:41:03,618 Thousands of leads all around the country 983 00:41:03,702 --> 00:41:05,536 'cause everybody saw them. 984 00:41:05,621 --> 00:41:09,549 Even though nobody saw them, everybody saw them. 985 00:41:09,708 --> 00:41:11,301 - They told the public 986 00:41:11,385 --> 00:41:13,294 that there was no way they made it 987 00:41:13,378 --> 00:41:15,046 the day after they couldn't find them, you know? 988 00:41:15,130 --> 00:41:16,222 "Hey, they drowned. 989 00:41:16,307 --> 00:41:18,466 They washed out to sea, end of story." 990 00:41:18,550 --> 00:41:20,218 It was a big embarrassment. 991 00:41:20,302 --> 00:41:21,886 If y'all really believed 992 00:41:21,970 --> 00:41:24,314 that they died and they didn't make it, 993 00:41:24,398 --> 00:41:26,057 why are y'all still looking for 'em? 994 00:41:26,141 --> 00:41:28,318 Why didn't you close the case? 995 00:41:28,477 --> 00:41:32,146 So I really don't believe that they believe 996 00:41:32,231 --> 00:41:33,731 that they died. 997 00:41:33,815 --> 00:41:36,075 ♪ ♪ 998 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:41,656 - I think that the 1962 escape of Alcatraz 999 00:41:41,740 --> 00:41:47,003 is a story that affirms confirmation bias. 1000 00:41:47,087 --> 00:41:51,666 I can tell a group of 50 people 1001 00:41:51,750 --> 00:41:55,428 the same story, even open it up for questions. 1002 00:41:55,587 --> 00:41:58,673 Every piece of evidence 1003 00:41:58,766 --> 00:42:01,601 that could lead for success, 1004 00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:04,187 there's something else that could lead to failure. 1005 00:42:04,271 --> 00:42:07,098 And the people that hear this story 1006 00:42:07,182 --> 00:42:09,192 are gonna interpret it the way they want. 1007 00:42:09,276 --> 00:42:11,852 That's what everyone loves about this story 1008 00:42:11,946 --> 00:42:15,273 because they know what happened. 1009 00:42:15,366 --> 00:42:17,283 What do I think? 1010 00:42:17,368 --> 00:42:19,026 It depends on the day. 1011 00:42:19,111 --> 00:42:23,957 ♪ ♪ 1012 00:42:24,041 --> 00:42:27,702 - So what happened to Frank Morris 1013 00:42:27,786 --> 00:42:30,871 and his co-conspirators, John and Clarence Anglin 1014 00:42:30,956 --> 00:42:34,384 after they sailed off into the darkness? 1015 00:42:34,468 --> 00:42:36,553 We may never know. 1016 00:42:36,637 --> 00:42:38,713 But Alcatraz, 1017 00:42:38,797 --> 00:42:41,891 well, it closed the very next year. 1018 00:42:41,976 --> 00:42:45,395 Many inmates later said that they helped the escapees 1019 00:42:45,479 --> 00:42:48,306 because they had a bigger objective: 1020 00:42:48,390 --> 00:42:52,735 shut Alcatraz down. 1021 00:42:52,820 --> 00:42:54,979 One thing is certain. 1022 00:42:55,063 --> 00:42:59,150 Those three men did make it off this cold rock. 1023 00:42:59,243 --> 00:43:01,077 Dead or alive, 1024 00:43:01,161 --> 00:43:02,495 they pulled off one of the most 1025 00:43:02,580 --> 00:43:05,323 daring escapes in American history. 1026 00:43:05,407 --> 00:43:09,043 ♪ ♪