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What if I told you
there was a weapon
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that could kill instantly
without a trace.
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Bohdan springs on
him, pulls out the gun,
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releases one of the fastest
acting poisons known to man
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into Rebet's face.
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He falls to the floor,
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and Bohdan doesn't
even look back.
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How about stopping
the enemy in its tracks
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with the world's
first bio weapon.
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The Roman soldiers are
falling off the walls
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in stinging pain,
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wondering what the hell
is happening to them.
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When they come to,
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they realize they're
covered in scorpions.
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How about a spy
escape kit so discreet,
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it has to be hidden where
the sun don't shine.
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It has to be strong
and splinter-proof
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because it's going up a butt.
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And most importantly, you
have to be able to retrieve it.
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These are the secret
weapons so outrageous,
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so deviously clever, they
are truly unbelievable.
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During the Cold War,
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assassinations are
just part of the job;
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and when the KGB needs to
kill without leaving evidence,
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they don't send a
sniper or a bomb,
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they send something a
little more unassuming.
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It's 1957,
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and in East Berlin,
there is a KGB agent
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by the name of
Bohdan Stashynsky,
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and he is tasked
with eliminating
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a particular Ukrainian dissident
by the name of Lev Rebet.
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Bohdan isn't a
hardened assassin;
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up until now, most of his
work has been pretty dull,
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he's doing surveillance,
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he's writing down license plate
numbers of West German cars,
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and now he's being
asked to do a murder.
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Bohdan didn't
sign up to kill anyone,
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then again, he didn't exactly
sign up for the KGB either.
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Seven years before in
1950,
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Bohdan is a simple
19-year-old math student
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at a university in Lviv,
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and he's taking a train
back to his family's farm,
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and then suddenly
out of nowhere,
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two Soviet transport police
grab him and arrest him
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under the pretense of
him not having a ticket.
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He's detained and
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ultimately turned over
to the KGB.
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They accuse him and his family
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of collaborating with
local guerrilla units.
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He's told that unless
he works with the KGB,
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his entire family,
including his four sisters,
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will be sent off to
the Gulag in Siberia.
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Within months, he is
shipped off for training,
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and within two years,
he's in East Berlin where
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he's a KGB informant involved
in espionage operations.
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Moving from spying to
killing is a radical shift,
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one that requires a weapon
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unlike any he's
ever seen before:
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a cyanide gun.
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Cyanide is one of the
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fastest acting poisons
known to man.
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The gun itself consists
of six-inch tubes,
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there are spring-loaded levers;
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and when they're squeezed,
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it will shoot out a mist of
the poison to the target.
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Under really tight
KGB supervision,
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Bohdan practices
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with like a safety
version of the cyanide gun
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that's filled with water.
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Once he's got the
mechanics down,
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it's time to try
the gun for real.
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The first subject is
not a human, but rather a dog.
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And unfortunately it
works incredibly well:
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the dog drops dead.
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On the day of
the assassination,
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Bohdan waits in the stairwell
of Lev Rebet's office
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in Munich.
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As Rebet enters the stairwell,
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Bohdan springs on him,
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pulls out the gun,
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releases cyanide
into Rebet's face.
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He falls to the floor,
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and Bohdan doesn't
even look back.
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He goes through the
door across the canal,
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and calmly tosses the
gun into the water.
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The next morning,
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Lev Rebet is found
dead by a cleaning lady
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on the stairs outside
of his office.
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A coroner declares
that the cause of death
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is cardiac arrest.
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Mission complete;
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but the KGB isn't
done with Bohdan yet.
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Two years later, Bohdan
is given another target,
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a Ukrainian exile by the
name of Stepan Bandera.
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Bohdan Stashynsky
tracks down Stepan,
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and using the exact same MO,
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he goes to the stairwell
where he lies in wait.
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Stepan enters his residence,
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Bohdan levels the
cyanide gun at his face,
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and shoots off a
cloud of poison gas.
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Bandera collapses
after exposure to the poison;
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and just like before,
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Bohdan disappears
into the cityscape,
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ditches the gun in a canal.
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An autopsy later
reveals traces of cyanide,
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but they decide that they
think that's from suicide,
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because there were
rumors floating around
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Stepan was having affairs,
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and his life was kind of
going to hell at the time.
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So, that's it,
another clean hit.
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Back in Moscow, the
KGB celebrates him as a hero,
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but Bohdan is
riddled with guilt.
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A few weeks later,
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Bohdan is in a movie theater
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and they would often
have newsreels,
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and one of the newsreels
that Bohdan happens to watch
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is Stepan Bandera's funeral.
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He starts to feel his
conscience gnawing at him.
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He spends the next two years
trying to live with that guilt.
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Bohdan eventually
defects to West Berlin
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and surrenders to authorities
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telling them that
he is an assassin
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of two Ukrainian anti-communist
emigres in Munich.
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First the American
and West German agents
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don't believe him.
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These are closed cases,
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one was cardiac arrest,
one was suicide.
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Then Bohdan tells them
about the weapon he used:
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the cyanide gun.
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It makes all of the puzzle
pieces come together,
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and they immediately arrest him.
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Bohdan serves eight
years in prison,
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and upon his release,
he disappears
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into protective custody,
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escaping assassination
and punishment
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by one of the world's most
sinister spy organizations.
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Eight years later,
another top secret organization
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takes killing without a
trace to a whole other level.
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Anyone who's watched
a "Vietnam" movie
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knows that the way
that the United States
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fought that conflict
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was by conducting search
and destroy missions,
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patrols on foot,
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searching areas where
the enemy was reported
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to be operational.
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These soldiers learned to
stay on high alert constantly,
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as they'd come across
booby trap, snipers,
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and every so often,
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they'll stumble on
Vietcong caches of weapons
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and ammunition.
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They're typically
finding hand grenades, mortars,
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AK-47-type Kalashnikov rifles
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and piles and piles of
ammunition and crates;
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and they can't do
anything about it,
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they damn sure can't
haul it all out of there,
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it's too heavy,
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and the noise you
create by blowing it up
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is going to attract
a lot of attention.
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And so, what can you do?
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For help,
the US military
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turns to a CIA legend,
Colonel John Singlaub.
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Colonel Singlaub
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commands the Studies
and Observations Group,
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a covert unit so secret,
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he basically has a blank check
in the jungles of Vietnam,
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Marine Recon, Green Berets,
Navy Seals, CIA operatives,
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all at his disposal.
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So Colonel Singlaub comes
up with a brilliant plan.
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He's gonna take AK-47 rounds
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that are recovered
from the jungle,
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and replace the gunpowder
inside with high explosives.
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An AK-47 round at that time
generates about 40,000 PSI.
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But when that is replaced
with high explosive rounds,
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they generate six
times the pressure.
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And when you pull
the trigger on it,
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it's gonna blow up in your
face like a hand grenade,
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causing serious injury
to the operator,
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potentially even killing him.
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The brilliance of the plan
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is these soldiers are sneaking
in to these weapons crates
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and just replacing a few of
the bullets, not all of them.
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If the enemy is
suddenly seeing
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everyone's weapons are
exploding,
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the enemy will suspect
the ammunition.
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But if it happens rarely,
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what the enemy will
suspect instead
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is that the weapon itself
is of poor construction.
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That's what we want
them to believe.
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The broader aim
of this operation
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is really the enemy
doubting their weapons
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00:09:29,944 --> 00:09:32,821
from China and the Soviet
Union that they've received.
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00:09:32,822 --> 00:09:34,948
Now suddenly, it's
causing hesitation;
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and in war,
hesitation is deadly.
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The operation is
code-named Eldest Son,
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and soon, US troops
begin seeing exactly
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00:09:45,251 --> 00:09:48,045
what these sabotaged
bullets can do.
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00:09:50,423 --> 00:09:51,548
In the Northern
province,
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00:09:51,549 --> 00:09:54,051
101st Airborne
Division paratroopers
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00:09:54,052 --> 00:09:56,762
send word of a dead
communist soldier
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grasping his exploded rifle.
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00:09:59,140 --> 00:10:02,309
They also receive a photo
of a dead enemy soldier
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00:10:02,310 --> 00:10:05,938
with the bolt blown out
of the back of his AK-47,
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00:10:05,939 --> 00:10:08,982
and his eye socket, more
or less, blown through.
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00:10:08,983 --> 00:10:10,567
Because of the success,
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00:10:10,568 --> 00:10:13,112
they also start doing
this with mortar rounds,
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00:10:13,113 --> 00:10:16,698
replacing the round with
a much higher explosive.
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00:10:17,784 --> 00:10:19,743
On July 3rd, 1968,
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00:10:19,744 --> 00:10:23,038
US soldiers find
evidence of Eldest Son
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00:10:23,039 --> 00:10:26,333
in the form of a North
Vietnamese mortar team
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00:10:26,334 --> 00:10:28,752
dead around what's
left of the weapon.
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00:10:28,753 --> 00:10:30,212
And what obviously happened
212
00:10:30,213 --> 00:10:32,214
is that one of the operators
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00:10:32,215 --> 00:10:34,967
took out an 82-millimeter
mortar round,
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00:10:34,968 --> 00:10:36,510
introduced it to the tube,
215
00:10:36,511 --> 00:10:39,012
and instead of popping and
being thrown out of the tube,
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00:10:39,013 --> 00:10:41,181
kaboom.
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00:10:41,182 --> 00:10:43,100
Over the life of
Project Eldest Son,
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US operatives sabotage
4,000 rifle rounds
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00:10:46,396 --> 00:10:51,358
and over 820 82-millimeter
mortar shells.
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00:10:51,359 --> 00:10:53,152
This is not just
operational warfare,
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00:10:53,153 --> 00:10:55,070
this is psychological warfare.
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00:10:55,071 --> 00:10:56,405
They're going to doubt
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00:10:56,406 --> 00:10:58,782
every type of ammunition
and weapon system
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00:10:58,783 --> 00:11:01,869
that they're using coming from
China, from the Soviet Union,
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00:11:01,870 --> 00:11:05,789
from other Soviet states like
Hungary or Czechoslovakia.
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00:11:07,375 --> 00:11:10,586
Singlaub and SOG
understand from the start,
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00:11:10,587 --> 00:11:12,754
the enemy will ultimately
figure out what we're doing.
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00:11:12,755 --> 00:11:15,340
And then eventually "The New
York Times" reports on it
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00:11:15,341 --> 00:11:16,925
and word gets out,
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00:11:16,926 --> 00:11:20,888
and then the operation is
suspended altogether in 1969;
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00:11:20,889 --> 00:11:25,684
after having succeeded beyond
anyone's wildest imagination.
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00:11:27,478 --> 00:11:31,231
Project Eldest Son
proves one thing beyond doubt:
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00:11:31,232 --> 00:11:34,735
sometimes the most powerful
weapon isn't firepower,
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00:11:34,736 --> 00:11:35,653
it's fear.
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00:11:39,699 --> 00:11:41,074
In the late second century,
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00:11:41,075 --> 00:11:43,035
Romans are carving a bloody
path through Mesopotamia,
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00:11:43,036 --> 00:11:46,663
seizing strongholds and
toppling kingdoms as they go.
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00:11:46,664 --> 00:11:49,208
But one city stands its ground
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00:11:49,209 --> 00:11:52,461
armed with a weapon
built to bite back.
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00:11:55,506 --> 00:12:00,177
Roman Emperor Septimius
Severus is no ordinary emperor.
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00:12:00,178 --> 00:12:02,221
He's a ruthless
military commander
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00:12:02,222 --> 00:12:04,431
that has clawed his way to power
243
00:12:04,432 --> 00:12:06,850
through the use of
things like civil war
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00:12:06,851 --> 00:12:08,602
and brutal invasion.
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00:12:08,603 --> 00:12:13,441
And in 198 AD, Severus has
his eyes on the Silk Road,
246
00:12:14,442 --> 00:12:16,360
which is this trading route
247
00:12:16,361 --> 00:12:19,404
that connects China with
the Mediterranean world.
248
00:12:21,241 --> 00:12:23,450
And so Severus
thinks to himself,
249
00:12:23,451 --> 00:12:25,160
"I'm gonna go onto the Silk Road
250
00:12:25,161 --> 00:12:28,497
and I'm gonna capture all of
these smaller towns that exist
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00:12:28,498 --> 00:12:32,292
because to control trade
is to control the world."
252
00:12:32,293 --> 00:12:35,170
So Severus and
50,000 Roman soldiers
253
00:12:35,171 --> 00:12:38,507
are marching straight
through Mesopotamia,
254
00:12:38,508 --> 00:12:41,219
and they're killing
every man in their path.
255
00:12:41,719 --> 00:12:43,387
But one
city along the way
256
00:12:43,388 --> 00:12:46,390
isn't exactly putting
out the welcome mat:
257
00:12:46,391 --> 00:12:47,891
Hatra.
258
00:12:47,892 --> 00:12:50,519
Hatra isn't just another
stop on the trade route,
259
00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:52,729
it's rich, well-defended,
260
00:12:52,730 --> 00:12:56,316
and protected by
massive 40-foot walls.
261
00:12:56,317 --> 00:12:59,069
These walls
however don't deter Severus
262
00:12:59,070 --> 00:13:00,989
from attempting to
invade the city.
263
00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:04,700
These Roman warriors
charged the walled city
264
00:13:04,701 --> 00:13:09,706
in full armor, shields, short
swords drawn, ready to kill.
265
00:13:09,872 --> 00:13:14,251
Hatra's archers rain down arrows
from the top of the walls;
266
00:13:14,252 --> 00:13:16,086
but with 50,000 men,
267
00:13:16,087 --> 00:13:18,672
this is barely slowing
the Romans down.
268
00:13:20,091 --> 00:13:22,259
As the Romans close in
and the ladders go up,
269
00:13:22,260 --> 00:13:24,094
Hatra unleashes a defense
270
00:13:24,095 --> 00:13:26,221
that sends the
assault into chaos.
271
00:13:27,181 --> 00:13:28,682
Out of nowhere,
272
00:13:28,683 --> 00:13:30,892
the Roman soldiers are
getting hit from above
273
00:13:30,893 --> 00:13:34,731
with something they've never
seen or felt before in combat.
274
00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:39,318
They're falling off the
walls in stinging pain,
275
00:13:39,319 --> 00:13:41,946
wondering what the hell
is happening to them.
276
00:13:42,447 --> 00:13:45,365
Those that survive the
fall from the ladders,
277
00:13:45,366 --> 00:13:46,742
they're lying on the ground.
278
00:13:46,743 --> 00:13:48,201
When they come to,
279
00:13:48,202 --> 00:13:51,038
they realize they're
covered in scorpions.
280
00:13:52,540 --> 00:13:53,957
This isn't random.
281
00:13:53,958 --> 00:13:56,168
The scorpions are
a secret weapon
282
00:13:56,169 --> 00:13:59,796
the people of Hatra have
been stockpiling for days.
283
00:13:59,797 --> 00:14:02,549
After the townspeople
collect all these scorpions,
284
00:14:02,550 --> 00:14:04,760
they put them into these
terracotta clay pots
285
00:14:04,761 --> 00:14:06,595
and seal them, creating,
286
00:14:06,596 --> 00:14:09,556
what are essentially,
scorpion bombs.
287
00:14:11,017 --> 00:14:12,768
Because these pots
are now shattering,
288
00:14:12,769 --> 00:14:14,519
these scorpions are
in survival mode,
289
00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:16,229
and they just immediately
start stinging
290
00:14:16,230 --> 00:14:19,524
at any sort of exposed skin
that they happen to come across.
291
00:14:20,610 --> 00:14:21,860
Turns out this weapon
292
00:14:21,861 --> 00:14:24,071
is as effective as
it is unexpected.
293
00:14:25,740 --> 00:14:28,617
The venom can lead to
difficulty breathing,
294
00:14:28,618 --> 00:14:32,162
shaking, seizures,
and sometimes death.
295
00:14:32,163 --> 00:14:34,540
Think about the
psychological impact here.
296
00:14:35,625 --> 00:14:38,919
If I'm a Roman soldier
getting stung by scorpions,
297
00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:41,713
it's gonna take a lot for
me to get back in the fight
298
00:14:41,714 --> 00:14:43,508
and climb up that ladder again.
299
00:14:44,926 --> 00:14:46,218
Astonishingly,
300
00:14:46,219 --> 00:14:49,137
Hatra holds off the
siege for 20 days
301
00:14:49,138 --> 00:14:53,141
thanks in part to the help
of thousands of scorpions.
302
00:14:53,142 --> 00:14:55,310
Eventually, Severus
retreats.
303
00:14:55,311 --> 00:14:56,728
Think about this,
304
00:14:56,729 --> 00:14:58,814
one of the greatest
empires in history,
305
00:14:58,815 --> 00:15:01,691
the most feared
military on the planet,
306
00:15:01,692 --> 00:15:05,737
driven back by a city armed
with jars of scorpions.
307
00:15:09,158 --> 00:15:11,660
2,000 years later,
another aerial assault
308
00:15:11,661 --> 00:15:14,079
has a different enemy
running for cover.
309
00:15:16,457 --> 00:15:17,917
It's 1944
310
00:15:18,084 --> 00:15:20,585
and the Allies are deep
in a game of misdirection
311
00:15:20,586 --> 00:15:22,129
against the Germans.
312
00:15:22,130 --> 00:15:24,548
The Germans know that an
Allied invasion is coming,
313
00:15:24,549 --> 00:15:25,715
they just don't know where.
314
00:15:27,051 --> 00:15:29,219
The Allies are pulling
out all the stops
315
00:15:29,220 --> 00:15:31,972
to throw off the Germans
from the real landing target
316
00:15:31,973 --> 00:15:33,515
in Normandy.
317
00:15:33,516 --> 00:15:35,934
Things like
creating radio chatter
318
00:15:35,935 --> 00:15:38,353
that is giving out
false information,
319
00:15:38,354 --> 00:15:41,189
inflatable tanks that
lead to the belief
320
00:15:41,190 --> 00:15:43,859
that there are troops amassing
in places where they aren't,
321
00:15:43,860 --> 00:15:46,695
basically anything
to throw the Germans
322
00:15:46,696 --> 00:15:49,239
off of the trail
of the real plan.
323
00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:51,700
Many of the allied
deception tactics for D-Day
324
00:15:51,701 --> 00:15:53,618
are carefully planned,
325
00:15:53,619 --> 00:15:56,372
but there's one that just
happens to fall into place.
326
00:15:57,707 --> 00:15:59,958
One day, the
Royal Air Force
327
00:15:59,959 --> 00:16:03,420
is out on the English Channel
and they're testing parachutes
328
00:16:03,421 --> 00:16:05,505
as well as different
jump formations.
329
00:16:05,506 --> 00:16:09,092
They aren't running these
tests using live humans,
330
00:16:09,093 --> 00:16:11,887
instead they're
using burlap sacks,
331
00:16:11,888 --> 00:16:14,347
which are stuffed
with straw and sand
332
00:16:14,348 --> 00:16:16,766
and are about three-feet tall.
333
00:16:16,767 --> 00:16:18,351
And one observer on
the ground
334
00:16:18,352 --> 00:16:20,478
notices that these burlap bags
335
00:16:20,479 --> 00:16:22,230
as they're descending
through the air column,
336
00:16:22,231 --> 00:16:24,566
look like real people
under those parachutes,
337
00:16:24,567 --> 00:16:26,026
not dummies at all.
338
00:16:26,027 --> 00:16:27,944
That's where this all begins.
339
00:16:27,945 --> 00:16:29,946
The RAFs start to
think,
340
00:16:29,947 --> 00:16:33,033
"What if we could use these
as a distraction on D-Day?
341
00:16:33,034 --> 00:16:35,035
We could drop them
in northern France
342
00:16:35,036 --> 00:16:37,787
miles away from the
actual landing site."
343
00:16:37,788 --> 00:16:40,874
It's a bold plan,
and the British go all in,
344
00:16:40,875 --> 00:16:43,126
even giving their
dummies a name.
345
00:16:43,127 --> 00:16:46,171
There's a lot riding
on the success of these dummies,
346
00:16:46,172 --> 00:16:47,839
and because it's
a British design,
347
00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:50,927
they give them a British
countrymen's name,
348
00:16:51,719 --> 00:16:53,094
Rupert.
349
00:16:54,847 --> 00:16:57,599
In the wee hours
before the invasion of Normandy,
350
00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,519
450 Rupert para-dummies
are released
351
00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:04,856
25-miles from Omaha Beach,
352
00:17:04,857 --> 00:17:08,026
where over 18,000
actual paratroopers
353
00:17:08,027 --> 00:17:10,487
are about to be dropped.
354
00:17:10,488 --> 00:17:11,820
What really sells
the illusion
355
00:17:11,821 --> 00:17:13,823
of a full blown airborne assault
356
00:17:13,824 --> 00:17:16,660
is that each dummy is
fitted with a loudspeaker
357
00:17:16,661 --> 00:17:18,536
that plays machine
gunfire sounds,
358
00:17:18,537 --> 00:17:20,622
shouted orders, and marching.
359
00:17:20,623 --> 00:17:23,375
This seemingly bizarre
scheme
360
00:17:23,376 --> 00:17:25,168
actually works like a charm.
361
00:17:25,169 --> 00:17:27,462
When these dummies
start dropping,
362
00:17:27,463 --> 00:17:29,965
Germans go to their
flight positions
363
00:17:29,966 --> 00:17:31,550
and just start firing at them.
364
00:17:31,551 --> 00:17:33,843
So not only are they
wasting their attention
365
00:17:33,844 --> 00:17:35,303
to something fake,
366
00:17:35,304 --> 00:17:37,222
they're also just burning
through their ammunition.
367
00:17:38,683 --> 00:17:41,977
And there is this other
really stroke of genius detail
368
00:17:41,978 --> 00:17:43,478
about their design.
369
00:17:43,479 --> 00:17:45,272
The dummies are
equipped with explosives,
370
00:17:47,024 --> 00:17:50,360
so that when they reach
the ground, they explode.
371
00:17:50,361 --> 00:17:51,778
This is done for two reasons.
372
00:17:51,779 --> 00:17:53,572
Number one, an explosion
will convince the enemy
373
00:17:53,573 --> 00:17:55,156
that there's
something happening.
374
00:17:55,157 --> 00:17:56,658
And then reason number two,
375
00:17:56,659 --> 00:17:59,327
there will be no evidence
that Rupert wasn't real.
376
00:18:00,288 --> 00:18:01,788
The ruse pays off
377
00:18:01,789 --> 00:18:03,498
and sends German
troops scrambling
378
00:18:03,499 --> 00:18:05,250
in the wrong direction.
379
00:18:05,251 --> 00:18:07,210
The German 84th Corps
Reserve,
380
00:18:07,211 --> 00:18:09,462
which consists of two
infantry companies,
381
00:18:09,463 --> 00:18:12,382
all night long, it's
running off 25-miles
382
00:18:12,383 --> 00:18:14,134
toward a field full of dummies,
383
00:18:14,135 --> 00:18:15,969
made out of burlap bags,
384
00:18:15,970 --> 00:18:18,972
instead of actual Allied
soldiers coming ashore
385
00:18:18,973 --> 00:18:20,349
at dawn on June 6th.
386
00:18:21,267 --> 00:18:24,394
This is a brilliant
use of deception
387
00:18:24,395 --> 00:18:26,771
and sending the enemy
strength to an area
388
00:18:26,772 --> 00:18:28,481
where it cannot threaten us.
389
00:18:31,527 --> 00:18:34,070
Rupert may have been
stuffed with straw,
390
00:18:34,071 --> 00:18:37,408
but he helped carry the weight
of D-Day on his shoulders.
391
00:18:41,329 --> 00:18:43,455
The best spy tools don't
rely on technology alone,
392
00:18:43,456 --> 00:18:45,290
they rely on placement;
393
00:18:45,291 --> 00:18:47,542
and this one was
positioned perfectly
394
00:18:47,543 --> 00:18:50,337
to remain far from
suspicious eyes.
395
00:18:52,048 --> 00:18:53,798
In the 1960s,
396
00:18:53,799 --> 00:18:56,760
in places like East Berlin and
Warsaw,
397
00:18:56,761 --> 00:18:59,888
The CIA's mission
is to steal secrets,
398
00:18:59,889 --> 00:19:03,184
run operations, and
never ever get caught.
399
00:19:04,060 --> 00:19:06,102
At the time, any secret agent
400
00:19:06,103 --> 00:19:09,522
operating in the Eastern
block face a real danger
401
00:19:09,523 --> 00:19:12,567
because they can get
picked up for anything,
402
00:19:12,568 --> 00:19:14,736
even just a suspicion
of being associated
403
00:19:14,737 --> 00:19:17,113
with Western intelligence.
404
00:19:17,114 --> 00:19:18,448
If you get
caught,
405
00:19:18,449 --> 00:19:20,075
you get thrown into an
406
00:19:20,076 --> 00:19:22,827
adversarial nation's
prison system,
407
00:19:22,828 --> 00:19:24,205
and that's not good.
408
00:19:27,917 --> 00:19:31,711
This leads the CIA to think
about how to develop a weapon
409
00:19:31,712 --> 00:19:35,799
that these operatives could use
to escape if they're caught;
410
00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:37,050
but the thing is,
411
00:19:37,051 --> 00:19:38,760
it needs to go undetected
412
00:19:38,761 --> 00:19:41,012
if they're subject
to a strip search.
413
00:19:41,013 --> 00:19:42,347
This situation requires
414
00:19:42,348 --> 00:19:45,768
perhaps the most secret
of secret weapons.
415
00:19:46,811 --> 00:19:51,147
The CIA develops a kit with
a lock pick, tiny saw blade,
416
00:19:51,148 --> 00:19:54,150
drill bits, and
even a small knife,
417
00:19:54,151 --> 00:19:57,195
but the real genius is in
the capsule that holds it.
418
00:19:58,739 --> 00:20:02,784
It has to be strong,
fully-sealed, and splinter-proof
419
00:20:02,785 --> 00:20:05,745
because it's going up a butt.
420
00:20:07,206 --> 00:20:09,958
Its official name
is the CIA rectal kit.
421
00:20:09,959 --> 00:20:11,209
Uncomfortable?
422
00:20:11,210 --> 00:20:13,503
Maybe, but so is prison.
423
00:20:15,214 --> 00:20:17,424
They built it from
durable, non-corrosive metal
424
00:20:17,425 --> 00:20:19,300
to make sure nothing
pokes through,
425
00:20:19,301 --> 00:20:22,804
and most importantly, you have
to be able to retrieve it.
426
00:20:22,805 --> 00:20:24,764
One of the
few surviving examples
427
00:20:24,765 --> 00:20:27,434
can now be seen at the
International Spy Museum
428
00:20:27,435 --> 00:20:29,185
in Washington, DC.
429
00:20:29,186 --> 00:20:30,437
There are no
Soviet records
430
00:20:30,438 --> 00:20:33,189
of one ever being
found on a CIA agent,
431
00:20:33,190 --> 00:20:36,401
or ever being used for
any escape or attack,
432
00:20:36,402 --> 00:20:38,903
but we know that they were
distributed to operatives.
433
00:20:40,906 --> 00:20:43,074
This means either
one of two things:
434
00:20:43,075 --> 00:20:45,869
either this kit was
never discovered,
435
00:20:45,870 --> 00:20:48,872
or no one ever wanted
to write this thing up,
436
00:20:48,873 --> 00:20:52,208
and this could be one
of the reasons why today
437
00:20:52,209 --> 00:20:54,753
full cavity searches
are standard
438
00:20:54,754 --> 00:20:56,880
in situations like these.
439
00:20:58,466 --> 00:21:01,426
Some secret weapons
are meant to stay hidden,
440
00:21:01,427 --> 00:21:05,221
others, like this next one,
are meant to be noticed.
441
00:21:06,974 --> 00:21:10,435
The arms race before
and during World War II
442
00:21:10,436 --> 00:21:14,022
leads to a vast array
of new weaponry.
443
00:21:15,149 --> 00:21:17,734
Everyone knows about
the V-2 rocket,
444
00:21:17,735 --> 00:21:19,903
but what a lot of
people don't know is that
445
00:21:19,904 --> 00:21:23,865
the Japanese are developing
their own secret weapon.
446
00:21:24,992 --> 00:21:27,118
Admiral Isoroku
Yamamoto,
447
00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:30,121
the future mastermind
behind Pearl Harbor,
448
00:21:30,122 --> 00:21:34,000
believes that Japan
needs a new weapon
449
00:21:34,001 --> 00:21:38,129
that can strike from
far behind enemy lines
450
00:21:38,130 --> 00:21:39,631
without warning.
451
00:21:40,633 --> 00:21:42,133
In 1934,
452
00:21:42,134 --> 00:21:44,928
Admiral Yamamoto reads
"The New York Times"
453
00:21:44,929 --> 00:21:46,930
and sees that Nikola Tesla
454
00:21:46,931 --> 00:21:49,307
announces that he's
gonna build a weapon
455
00:21:49,308 --> 00:21:53,478
that fires tiny
electrically-charged particles
456
00:21:53,479 --> 00:21:55,730
in a focused beam.
457
00:21:55,731 --> 00:21:58,149
The official
name is Teleforce,
458
00:21:58,150 --> 00:22:03,197
and Tesla claims this
could destroy 10,000 planes
459
00:22:03,364 --> 00:22:05,990
at over 250-miles away.
460
00:22:05,991 --> 00:22:09,994
He also says that it could
cause armies of millions
461
00:22:09,995 --> 00:22:11,871
to drop dead in their tracks.
462
00:22:13,749 --> 00:22:16,835
While the US government
shrugs off Tesla's Death Ray,
463
00:22:16,836 --> 00:22:19,838
Admiral Yamamoto thinks
it's got potential.
464
00:22:22,091 --> 00:22:23,299
The Japanese
government
465
00:22:23,300 --> 00:22:26,344
allocates 2 million
yen to this project,
466
00:22:26,345 --> 00:22:30,473
that's roughly equivalent
to $11 million today.
467
00:22:30,474 --> 00:22:33,560
They also employ the
services of Yoji Ito,
468
00:22:33,561 --> 00:22:35,103
an Engineer
469
00:22:35,104 --> 00:22:37,939
at the Japanese Naval
Technologies Research Institute,
470
00:22:37,940 --> 00:22:40,108
and he will be the man
designing and developing
471
00:22:40,109 --> 00:22:41,025
the Death Ray.
472
00:22:42,444 --> 00:22:45,238
Yoji Ito and his
team of 30 scientists
473
00:22:45,239 --> 00:22:46,573
realized pretty quickly
474
00:22:46,574 --> 00:22:49,284
that Tesla's concept
is not workable.
475
00:22:49,285 --> 00:22:52,495
It would require
multiple power plants
476
00:22:52,496 --> 00:22:55,707
just to power this thing for
only a brief period of time.
477
00:22:57,167 --> 00:22:58,710
But they come up
with an idea;
478
00:22:58,711 --> 00:23:01,796
what if instead of using
electric particles,
479
00:23:01,797 --> 00:23:04,549
they use microwaves?
480
00:23:04,550 --> 00:23:05,967
They decide to
call this
481
00:23:05,968 --> 00:23:08,344
the Ku-Go Death Ray project.
482
00:23:08,345 --> 00:23:09,762
The Death Ray prototype
483
00:23:09,763 --> 00:23:12,558
features a 31-inch
magnetron and dipole antenna
484
00:23:13,475 --> 00:23:15,059
using 30 kilowatts of energy
485
00:23:15,060 --> 00:23:17,104
to send microwaves
to its target.
486
00:23:18,689 --> 00:23:20,398
So the Japanese have
the power,
487
00:23:20,399 --> 00:23:22,066
and they have the beam,
488
00:23:22,067 --> 00:23:25,571
but the question is,
will this thing work?
489
00:23:25,988 --> 00:23:28,698
In one of the tests,
they point the Death Ray
490
00:23:28,699 --> 00:23:31,784
at an unprotected car engine,
491
00:23:34,914 --> 00:23:36,832
and it melts.
492
00:23:37,791 --> 00:23:40,168
Sure, it's not the
10,000 destroyed planes
493
00:23:40,169 --> 00:23:41,586
Tesla promised,
494
00:23:41,587 --> 00:23:44,505
but all Death Rays have
to start somewhere.
495
00:23:44,506 --> 00:23:46,049
And then they try
another one
496
00:23:46,050 --> 00:23:48,968
where they actually close
the hood on the engine,
497
00:23:50,763 --> 00:23:52,555
and it's unsuccessful,
498
00:23:52,556 --> 00:23:54,599
which means it would
be very difficult
499
00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:56,351
to melt an airplane engine,
500
00:23:56,352 --> 00:23:59,938
if the engine's not sitting
30-feet in front of it
501
00:23:59,939 --> 00:24:01,439
on a bare shelf.
502
00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:03,066
The Death Ray
may not be strong enough
503
00:24:03,067 --> 00:24:05,234
to penetrate the car's hood,
504
00:24:05,235 --> 00:24:08,446
but what about something softer?
505
00:24:08,447 --> 00:24:10,573
They point this
Death Ray at a rabbit
506
00:24:10,574 --> 00:24:12,617
from a distance of 40 yards.
507
00:24:14,161 --> 00:24:16,955
And it does not
immediately do anything,
508
00:24:16,956 --> 00:24:19,540
it takes a while,
about 10 minutes,
509
00:24:19,541 --> 00:24:21,209
before it kills the rabbit.
510
00:24:21,210 --> 00:24:22,669
That's not great.
511
00:24:22,670 --> 00:24:24,170
So again,
512
00:24:24,171 --> 00:24:28,257
it seems like the Death Ray
isn't working that well.
513
00:24:28,258 --> 00:24:29,342
Instead of giving up,
514
00:24:29,343 --> 00:24:31,386
Ito's team pushes forward,
515
00:24:31,387 --> 00:24:34,347
scaling up the
power and the range.
516
00:24:34,348 --> 00:24:37,058
What they try to
do is start testing
517
00:24:37,059 --> 00:24:41,897
a much more powerful ray that
instead uses 200-kilowatts.
518
00:24:43,023 --> 00:24:46,818
That is more than 500%
more powerful than the last one,
519
00:24:46,819 --> 00:24:49,320
and the goal with this
is to kill a rabbit
520
00:24:49,321 --> 00:24:53,700
at a hundred kilometer
distance, it's about 62 miles.
521
00:24:53,701 --> 00:24:54,867
While Ito and his team
522
00:24:54,868 --> 00:24:57,537
scramble to finish
their doomsday weapon,
523
00:24:58,914 --> 00:25:02,083
Robert Oppenheimer and the
US finish theirs first.
524
00:25:03,335 --> 00:25:05,837
In 1945, the war ends,
525
00:25:05,838 --> 00:25:08,381
and the Ku-Go
project is shut down.
526
00:25:08,382 --> 00:25:13,345
It becomes simply one of the
strangest weapons of the war
527
00:25:14,179 --> 00:25:15,388
that never got a chance to fire.
528
00:25:16,807 --> 00:25:18,808
Bad news for the
Japanese,
529
00:25:18,809 --> 00:25:21,186
but good news for
the bunny population.
530
00:25:25,190 --> 00:25:26,566
Long before Rome
conquered the world,
531
00:25:26,567 --> 00:25:28,109
it was struggling
to protect itself;
532
00:25:28,110 --> 00:25:30,069
and during one desperate siege,
533
00:25:30,070 --> 00:25:33,781
help arrived from somewhere
no one anticipates.
534
00:25:35,743 --> 00:25:38,619
We're in Rome, 390 BCE,
535
00:25:38,620 --> 00:25:41,456
centuries before
they're even an empire.
536
00:25:41,457 --> 00:25:43,875
Rome is just a
scrappy, unproven city
537
00:25:43,876 --> 00:25:45,918
of maybe 30,000 people.
538
00:25:45,919 --> 00:25:48,755
At this point, the Romans
aren't conquering the world,
539
00:25:48,756 --> 00:25:50,965
they're trying to survive it.
540
00:25:50,966 --> 00:25:54,302
The real power on the
scene is this warrior tribe
541
00:25:54,303 --> 00:25:57,680
from the northern part of
Italy called the Senones
542
00:25:57,681 --> 00:26:00,725
that are led by a
man named Brennus.
543
00:26:00,726 --> 00:26:03,186
The Senones have been
on a relentless war path,
544
00:26:03,187 --> 00:26:04,979
torching cities,
slaughtering men,
545
00:26:04,980 --> 00:26:07,648
and leaving charred
ruins in their wake.
546
00:26:07,649 --> 00:26:10,526
Now their sights
are set on Rome.
547
00:26:10,527 --> 00:26:12,320
On Capitoline Hill,
548
00:26:12,321 --> 00:26:15,031
Rome's final defenders
are holed up in a garrison
549
00:26:15,032 --> 00:26:18,284
near the temple of Juno,
protected by a cliff.
550
00:26:18,285 --> 00:26:22,956
They're also joined by
a flock of sacred geese.
551
00:26:23,749 --> 00:26:25,500
Now the reason that
these geese are sacred
552
00:26:25,501 --> 00:26:28,419
is because they belong
to the temple of Juno,
553
00:26:28,420 --> 00:26:30,755
which is the goddess of marriage
and protector of the state.
554
00:26:30,756 --> 00:26:32,715
And these geese essentially fall
555
00:26:32,716 --> 00:26:35,551
under her divine protection.
556
00:26:35,552 --> 00:26:37,303
Unfortunately,
Brennus and the Senones
557
00:26:37,304 --> 00:26:39,180
have surrounded the temple,
558
00:26:39,181 --> 00:26:41,599
cutting off food,
water, and hope,
559
00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:44,852
driving the Romans to
the brink of desperation.
560
00:26:44,853 --> 00:26:46,395
The Romans are
starving,
561
00:26:46,396 --> 00:26:47,897
and in a dire moment,
562
00:26:47,898 --> 00:26:50,650
they're even
considering sacrificing
563
00:26:50,651 --> 00:26:52,944
some of the sacred geese to eat.
564
00:26:54,696 --> 00:26:56,864
But as tired and
hungry as they are,
565
00:26:56,865 --> 00:26:59,993
everyone knows it would be
a sacrilege to kill them;
566
00:27:01,745 --> 00:27:03,538
even the dogs know the rule.
567
00:27:05,374 --> 00:27:09,502
Brennus gathers up some
of his best fighters.
568
00:27:09,503 --> 00:27:11,796
He starts sending them
up the side of the cliff
569
00:27:11,797 --> 00:27:13,506
to launch a sneak attack
570
00:27:13,507 --> 00:27:16,217
on the tired, starving
Roman soldiers.
571
00:27:17,803 --> 00:27:20,138
As the Senones get to
the top of the cliff,
572
00:27:20,139 --> 00:27:23,558
these Roman soldiers are
sleeping, the dogs are sleeping,
573
00:27:23,559 --> 00:27:25,142
but they didn't
count on one thing.
574
00:27:27,020 --> 00:27:28,980
Sacred geese.
575
00:27:30,274 --> 00:27:32,191
These birds are very
sensitive to sound,
576
00:27:32,192 --> 00:27:35,361
they start honking and
violently flapping their wings
577
00:27:35,362 --> 00:27:38,781
to the point that these
Roman soldiers wake up.
578
00:27:38,782 --> 00:27:42,410
This foils Brennus'
plan for a surprise attack
579
00:27:42,411 --> 00:27:43,744
on the Roman fighters.
580
00:27:43,745 --> 00:27:45,913
As the Senones try to
climb up the cliff,
581
00:27:45,914 --> 00:27:48,876
the Romans take
'em out one by one.
582
00:27:49,918 --> 00:27:51,711
The sacred
geese watch on
583
00:27:51,712 --> 00:27:55,339
as the Romans successfully
stand their ground.
584
00:27:55,340 --> 00:27:58,551
Eventually the Senones
retreat down the hill,
585
00:27:58,552 --> 00:28:00,469
and though Rome
is badly bruised,
586
00:28:00,470 --> 00:28:02,847
it is safe for the time being.
587
00:28:02,848 --> 00:28:05,600
If these geese had not honked,
588
00:28:05,601 --> 00:28:10,354
it is very possible that the
Roman Empire that we know today
589
00:28:10,355 --> 00:28:13,024
would be the Senones Empire.
590
00:28:16,945 --> 00:28:18,571
Forget feathers and
flapping,
591
00:28:18,572 --> 00:28:21,991
sometimes history's
stealthiest weapons don't honk,
592
00:28:21,992 --> 00:28:23,618
they float.
593
00:28:26,330 --> 00:28:27,830
Now it's 1939,
594
00:28:27,831 --> 00:28:30,374
it's still very
early in the war,
595
00:28:30,375 --> 00:28:33,920
and barrage balloons are already
in use in the Royal Navy.
596
00:28:33,921 --> 00:28:37,590
They are these huge
zeppelin-shaped hot air balloons
597
00:28:37,591 --> 00:28:39,717
that are tethered to warships
598
00:28:39,718 --> 00:28:42,762
with 5,000-foot
long steel cables.
599
00:28:42,763 --> 00:28:45,222
The idea being if a plane
flies anywhere near it,
600
00:28:45,223 --> 00:28:46,933
it'll get caught
hitting the cables,
601
00:28:46,934 --> 00:28:48,142
and down goes the plane.
602
00:28:48,143 --> 00:28:49,810
Pretty brilliant.
603
00:28:49,811 --> 00:28:51,979
But a freak accident
proves these balloons
604
00:28:51,980 --> 00:28:55,275
can do a lot more damage than
just tangle up a few planes.
605
00:28:56,234 --> 00:28:57,860
In September, 1940,
606
00:28:57,861 --> 00:28:59,988
a vicious storm
hits the North Sea,
607
00:29:01,198 --> 00:29:03,616
barrage balloons are
battered back and forth,
608
00:29:03,617 --> 00:29:07,662
some of them break their
suspension cables and drift.
609
00:29:07,663 --> 00:29:10,706
As luck would have it,
they drift over enemy territory
610
00:29:10,707 --> 00:29:12,960
in Nazi-controlled
Denmark and Sweden.
611
00:29:14,461 --> 00:29:15,836
Their suspension
cables
612
00:29:15,837 --> 00:29:17,421
get dragged across power lines,
613
00:29:17,422 --> 00:29:19,882
knocking out
electricity for days,
614
00:29:19,883 --> 00:29:23,095
and causing untold
damage to infrastructure.
615
00:29:24,513 --> 00:29:26,180
To the Brits,
this is brilliant.
616
00:29:26,181 --> 00:29:28,599
They've got these
barrage balloons,
617
00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,310
they've got plenty of
hydrogen, and that's cheap,
618
00:29:31,311 --> 00:29:34,230
so I think we've
got our new weapon.
619
00:29:35,649 --> 00:29:37,149
They've got a
lot of enthusiasm,
620
00:29:37,150 --> 00:29:38,818
they go to Winston Churchill,
621
00:29:38,819 --> 00:29:41,112
and they're like, "Hey,
this unplanned test,
622
00:29:41,113 --> 00:29:44,448
it worked with no
explosives, no troops,
623
00:29:44,449 --> 00:29:46,492
and almost no cost."
624
00:29:46,493 --> 00:29:49,286
They run a few more tests,
this time, on purpose,
625
00:29:49,287 --> 00:29:51,330
and they realize
that each balloon
626
00:29:51,331 --> 00:29:54,792
has somewhere between
a 10 and 75% chance
627
00:29:54,793 --> 00:29:57,378
of shorting a
high-power voltage line.
628
00:29:58,797 --> 00:30:00,172
It must be
enough for Churchill,
629
00:30:00,173 --> 00:30:03,217
because on March 20th, 1942,
630
00:30:03,218 --> 00:30:05,177
the project becomes official,
631
00:30:05,178 --> 00:30:07,596
and Operation Outward takes off.
632
00:30:09,307 --> 00:30:11,267
Normally when you see
balloons, you think celebration;
633
00:30:11,268 --> 00:30:14,645
but in this case, they are
bringing utter destruction.
634
00:30:14,646 --> 00:30:16,647
Half of the Operation
Outward balloons
635
00:30:16,648 --> 00:30:18,733
carry conductive steel cables
636
00:30:18,734 --> 00:30:20,735
meant to short out
German power lines,
637
00:30:20,736 --> 00:30:23,988
but the rest, they're fitted
with small explosives.
638
00:30:23,989 --> 00:30:25,656
Dangling from the balloons
639
00:30:25,657 --> 00:30:29,785
are either white phosphorus
grenades or incendiary jelly.
640
00:30:29,786 --> 00:30:32,788
Outward also acts as
an effective diversion
641
00:30:32,789 --> 00:30:35,416
because the Germans have to
dispatch fighter aircraft
642
00:30:35,417 --> 00:30:36,959
to intercept the balloons,
643
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:39,503
and they have to send ground
units to go and collect them
644
00:30:39,504 --> 00:30:41,088
once they've reached the ground.
645
00:30:42,716 --> 00:30:44,341
The most dramatic
result
646
00:30:44,342 --> 00:30:47,803
comes when a balloon
strikes a generator
647
00:30:47,804 --> 00:30:50,389
at a power station
in Leipzig, Germany,
648
00:30:50,390 --> 00:30:53,934
which takes out
250-megawatts of power
649
00:30:53,935 --> 00:30:57,105
dealing a major blow to
the German power grid.
650
00:30:58,023 --> 00:31:00,191
The final launch
of Operation Outward
651
00:31:00,192 --> 00:31:03,069
takes place on
September 4th, 1944,
652
00:31:03,070 --> 00:31:04,695
capping off a campaign
653
00:31:04,696 --> 00:31:07,114
that saw over 100,000 balloons
654
00:31:07,115 --> 00:31:09,658
released toward
Nazi-occupied Europe.
655
00:31:09,659 --> 00:31:12,119
Due to wartime
secrecy restrictions,
656
00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:15,414
newspapers are forbidden from
reporting on the operation,
657
00:31:15,415 --> 00:31:18,501
leaving the public completely
unaware of the balloons
658
00:31:18,502 --> 00:31:20,711
silently drifting
through the skies,
659
00:31:20,712 --> 00:31:22,213
fighting on their behalf.
660
00:31:24,216 --> 00:31:25,674
In all,
Operation Outward
661
00:31:25,675 --> 00:31:29,345
costs the German $75
million in damages,
662
00:31:29,346 --> 00:31:30,721
not bad for a balloon
663
00:31:30,722 --> 00:31:32,849
that's a measly hundred
bucks to launch.
664
00:31:36,937 --> 00:31:38,562
Bombs and bullets
work on the battlefield,
665
00:31:38,563 --> 00:31:40,523
but what about when you need
to get close to the enemy
666
00:31:40,524 --> 00:31:42,900
to find out their secrets?
667
00:31:42,901 --> 00:31:44,777
When destruction won't do,
668
00:31:44,778 --> 00:31:48,782
one secret agent becomes a
weapon of mass seduction.
669
00:31:50,325 --> 00:31:53,578
Betty Pack is an
expat MI6 agent,
670
00:31:54,412 --> 00:31:57,748
and Betty becomes a
master at this move
671
00:31:57,749 --> 00:31:59,333
that's known as honey trapping,
672
00:31:59,334 --> 00:32:02,628
and that means she uses
her seductive wiles
673
00:32:02,629 --> 00:32:04,506
to gather information.
674
00:32:05,966 --> 00:32:09,552
Betty Pack is actually
not her real name,
675
00:32:10,762 --> 00:32:12,304
her given name is
Amy Elizabeth Thorpe,
676
00:32:12,305 --> 00:32:14,306
and she was born in 1910.
677
00:32:14,307 --> 00:32:17,351
Her dad is a man by the name
of Colonel George Thorpe,
678
00:32:17,352 --> 00:32:21,522
he's a very highly decorated,
deeply respected Marine.
679
00:32:21,523 --> 00:32:23,357
Because of the
nature of her family,
680
00:32:23,358 --> 00:32:25,401
she spends a lot
of her youth abroad
681
00:32:25,402 --> 00:32:27,027
moving from country to country
682
00:32:27,028 --> 00:32:30,239
and learning the very
valuable skillset
683
00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:34,035
of blending in with the
upper echelon of society.
684
00:32:34,995 --> 00:32:38,706
But at 19, she finds
herself in a bit of a pickle,
685
00:32:38,707 --> 00:32:40,542
because she's pregnant;
686
00:32:42,294 --> 00:32:44,587
and the real tough part is,
687
00:32:44,588 --> 00:32:46,590
she doesn't know
who the father is.
688
00:32:47,299 --> 00:32:51,427
This kind of thing could
ruin a gal at that time,
689
00:32:51,428 --> 00:32:54,305
it is like social suicide.
690
00:32:54,306 --> 00:32:56,474
So she has to be creative.
691
00:32:57,392 --> 00:32:58,767
To avoid this disaster,
692
00:32:58,768 --> 00:33:02,271
Betty uses the most
powerful tool she has,
693
00:33:02,272 --> 00:33:04,274
charm,
694
00:33:04,441 --> 00:33:07,610
and sets her sights on a
British diplomat, Arthur Pack.
695
00:33:07,611 --> 00:33:09,904
A couple months into
their relationship,
696
00:33:09,905 --> 00:33:12,823
Betty convinces Arthur
that the baby is his;
697
00:33:12,824 --> 00:33:16,494
and, voila, she
marries a diplomat.
698
00:33:17,495 --> 00:33:18,621
It's the first time
699
00:33:18,622 --> 00:33:20,707
Betty turns intimacy
into leverage,
700
00:33:21,875 --> 00:33:23,834
and it won't be the last.
701
00:33:23,835 --> 00:33:25,169
After the baby's born,
702
00:33:25,170 --> 00:33:27,504
they end up giving
it up for adoption,
703
00:33:27,505 --> 00:33:30,382
but, nevertheless, she
follows him on assignment
704
00:33:30,383 --> 00:33:33,761
and she's playing the
role of a diplomat's wife
705
00:33:33,762 --> 00:33:37,723
and really learning how the
world of geo-diplomacy works.
706
00:33:37,724 --> 00:33:39,850
In 1938, her husband,
Arthur,
707
00:33:39,851 --> 00:33:43,270
gets assigned to a
diplomatic post in Warsaw,
708
00:33:43,271 --> 00:33:47,441
where she soon gets into an
affair with a Polish diplomat
709
00:33:47,442 --> 00:33:49,985
named Edward Kulakowski.
710
00:33:49,986 --> 00:33:52,655
It doesn't take long
before this Polish diplomat
711
00:33:52,656 --> 00:33:55,699
reveals to her that Poland
is secretly cooperating
712
00:33:55,700 --> 00:33:56,993
with Nazi Germany.
713
00:33:58,411 --> 00:33:59,995
Armed with this
information,
714
00:33:59,996 --> 00:34:02,331
she passes the intel
onto John Shelley
715
00:34:02,332 --> 00:34:03,832
at the British Embassy.
716
00:34:03,833 --> 00:34:04,959
And through Shelley,
717
00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:06,835
she is actually
brought into MI6,
718
00:34:06,836 --> 00:34:10,881
because they realize they
have a really valuable asset
719
00:34:10,882 --> 00:34:13,091
on their hands in Betty.
720
00:34:13,092 --> 00:34:14,593
Betty's first
official assignment
721
00:34:14,594 --> 00:34:17,428
is to seduce Count
Michal Lubienski,
722
00:34:17,429 --> 00:34:20,350
chief aide to Poland's
Foreign Minister, Joseph Beck.
723
00:34:21,685 --> 00:34:25,145
During Betty's tender
moments with the Count,
724
00:34:25,146 --> 00:34:29,358
she surreptitiously copies
different reports and documents
725
00:34:29,359 --> 00:34:31,568
that are in his attache case.
726
00:34:33,029 --> 00:34:35,155
Polish code-breaking
methodology,
727
00:34:35,156 --> 00:34:37,448
a reconstructed enigma machine,
728
00:34:37,449 --> 00:34:38,994
and all of this information
729
00:34:39,159 --> 00:34:42,788
will eventually allow famous
British inventor, Alan Turing,
730
00:34:42,789 --> 00:34:47,042
to create the German
code-deciphering machine
731
00:34:47,043 --> 00:34:49,878
that ultimately help
turn the tide of the war
732
00:34:49,879 --> 00:34:52,256
in the favor of the Allies.
733
00:34:52,257 --> 00:34:55,301
But their success
in Europe comes at a cost.
734
00:34:55,302 --> 00:34:58,345
In 1941, Betty leaves
her marriage behind
735
00:34:58,346 --> 00:35:01,098
and heads to Washington, DC,
736
00:35:01,099 --> 00:35:03,934
where a more audacious
target awaits.
737
00:35:03,935 --> 00:35:07,271
Betty sets her sights
on Charles Brousse,
738
00:35:07,272 --> 00:35:09,315
who is a Vichy French diplomat.
739
00:35:09,316 --> 00:35:12,067
At this time, the Vichy regime
740
00:35:12,068 --> 00:35:14,945
is secretly collaborating
with the Nazis.
741
00:35:14,946 --> 00:35:18,490
Her goal is to get her
hands on secret naval codes
742
00:35:18,491 --> 00:35:21,368
that are being held
in the embassy's safe.
743
00:35:21,369 --> 00:35:23,913
Even though Brousse
is a married man,
744
00:35:24,748 --> 00:35:27,374
Betty manages to seduce him.
745
00:35:27,375 --> 00:35:28,917
But the
mission isn't complete
746
00:35:28,918 --> 00:35:31,962
until she gets her hands
on those naval codes.
747
00:35:31,963 --> 00:35:33,589
So Betty convinces Brousse
748
00:35:33,590 --> 00:35:36,634
to sneak her along
with a safe cracker
749
00:35:36,635 --> 00:35:39,011
into the French Embassy.
750
00:35:39,012 --> 00:35:43,307
This is an extremely
dangerous operation.
751
00:35:43,308 --> 00:35:46,769
And while the safe
cracker is doing his job,
752
00:35:46,770 --> 00:35:49,146
a security guard approaches,
753
00:35:49,147 --> 00:35:52,483
and Betty thinks
incredibly fast,
754
00:35:52,484 --> 00:35:56,612
she tells Charles to get
undressed, she does the same,
755
00:35:56,613 --> 00:35:59,114
and they start to make out.
756
00:35:59,115 --> 00:36:01,075
Betty's little ruse
works perfectly,
757
00:36:01,076 --> 00:36:03,118
the safe cracker is undisturbed,
758
00:36:03,119 --> 00:36:06,163
they get those naval codes
and cipher materials,
759
00:36:06,164 --> 00:36:10,210
and they never alert the
enemy in the process.
760
00:36:11,169 --> 00:36:13,462
This becomes Betty's
greatest act of espionage
761
00:36:13,463 --> 00:36:16,173
because with the secrets
that were in that safe,
762
00:36:16,174 --> 00:36:19,885
US military intelligence is
able to anticipate movements
763
00:36:19,886 --> 00:36:21,762
of the French Vichy fleet
764
00:36:21,763 --> 00:36:24,306
that enables them to
then take North Africa,
765
00:36:24,307 --> 00:36:27,935
which is the first step to
the defeat of Nazi Germany.
766
00:36:29,896 --> 00:36:32,690
Betty and Charles did
eventually get married,
767
00:36:32,691 --> 00:36:35,943
proof that sometimes
spying on someone
768
00:36:35,944 --> 00:36:37,862
really is the fastest
way to their heart.
769
00:36:41,908 --> 00:36:42,991
When it comes to
concealed weapons,
770
00:36:42,992 --> 00:36:45,035
sometimes it's not
the size that matters,
771
00:36:45,036 --> 00:36:46,870
but how quickly you
can whip it out.
772
00:36:48,998 --> 00:36:50,624
It's the end of
World War I
773
00:36:50,625 --> 00:36:53,627
and a German soldier
named Louis Marquis
774
00:36:53,628 --> 00:36:56,547
is captured by the Russians
and taken to a prison camp.
775
00:36:56,548 --> 00:36:57,923
But he's more than
just a soldier,
776
00:36:57,924 --> 00:37:01,051
he's an inventor and
an engineer as well.
777
00:37:01,052 --> 00:37:03,762
Conditions in this
prison camp are harsh
778
00:37:03,763 --> 00:37:06,890
and Marquis becomes
obsessed with one idea:
779
00:37:06,891 --> 00:37:08,475
a concealed weapon,
780
00:37:08,476 --> 00:37:11,478
small enough to hide,
fast enough to use,
781
00:37:11,479 --> 00:37:13,313
deadly enough to matter.
782
00:37:13,314 --> 00:37:16,316
Marquis spends
years planning out this idea,
783
00:37:16,317 --> 00:37:18,026
and when he is finally
released from prison,
784
00:37:18,027 --> 00:37:19,654
he patents his design.
785
00:37:20,905 --> 00:37:22,948
It looks like
a simple belt buckle,
786
00:37:22,949 --> 00:37:25,492
but inside, it packs a punch.
787
00:37:25,493 --> 00:37:27,870
A lever releases
a spring-loaded buckle,
788
00:37:27,871 --> 00:37:30,581
which flips down to
reveal the barrel.
789
00:37:30,582 --> 00:37:32,374
Each of the two or four rounds
790
00:37:32,375 --> 00:37:35,712
has its own individual trigger
mechanism ready to fire.
791
00:37:37,630 --> 00:37:39,298
Meanwhile, Nazi
intelligence
792
00:37:39,299 --> 00:37:41,550
is on the hunt for
covert weapons,
793
00:37:41,551 --> 00:37:44,095
and Marquis' design
catches their attention.
794
00:37:45,096 --> 00:37:47,598
By 1944, two versions
exist,
795
00:37:47,599 --> 00:37:51,894
a four-barrel.22 caliber,
and a two-barrel.32 caliber,
796
00:37:51,895 --> 00:37:54,898
both concealed inside
of the Nazi belt buckle.
797
00:37:56,107 --> 00:37:59,067
The idea is for a
weapon of last resort.
798
00:37:59,068 --> 00:38:01,278
Say you are a high
ranking SS officer,
799
00:38:01,279 --> 00:38:02,488
and you're captured,
800
00:38:02,489 --> 00:38:04,531
and you have one
chance to make it out.
801
00:38:04,532 --> 00:38:06,200
The belt lock pistol
802
00:38:06,201 --> 00:38:07,701
is that chance.
803
00:38:10,580 --> 00:38:12,539
We don't know if SS
soldiers
804
00:38:12,540 --> 00:38:15,834
ever used one of these belt
guns to get out of a jam,
805
00:38:15,835 --> 00:38:17,461
but to aim this thing,
806
00:38:17,462 --> 00:38:19,922
you're gonna have to use some
of your pelvic hip gyration,
807
00:38:19,923 --> 00:38:22,216
or pelvic thrust,
to be on target.
808
00:38:24,010 --> 00:38:25,469
That is one escape plan
809
00:38:25,470 --> 00:38:28,055
you really don't want to
backfire.
810
00:38:28,056 --> 00:38:31,683
The belt pistol was designed
to catch its target off guard.
811
00:38:31,684 --> 00:38:32,976
Another device decided
812
00:38:32,977 --> 00:38:35,729
it was better to catch
the target outright.
813
00:38:37,398 --> 00:38:40,317
Say you're a
London police officer in 1969,
814
00:38:40,318 --> 00:38:42,694
a burglar has just
robbed a bank,
815
00:38:42,695 --> 00:38:44,321
and now they're
making a run for it.
816
00:38:44,322 --> 00:38:46,323
Your challenge is to stop them,
817
00:38:46,324 --> 00:38:48,158
but in a non-lethal way,
818
00:38:48,159 --> 00:38:50,452
without hurting or
killing a person.
819
00:38:50,453 --> 00:38:51,870
What do you do?
820
00:38:51,871 --> 00:38:54,414
A British inventor
named Colin Brown
821
00:38:54,415 --> 00:38:58,210
has a strange solution:
the net a thief.
822
00:38:59,838 --> 00:39:01,839
Out of this apparatus
shoots a giant net
823
00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:04,174
that has four weights on
the four corners of it,
824
00:39:04,175 --> 00:39:06,051
and ensnares the burglar.
825
00:39:06,052 --> 00:39:07,553
Besides being
non-lethal,
826
00:39:07,554 --> 00:39:09,972
what makes this such
a great secret weapon
827
00:39:09,973 --> 00:39:13,100
is the fact that the bad
guys just don't expect
828
00:39:13,101 --> 00:39:15,769
to get shot with a
net like in a cartoon,
829
00:39:15,770 --> 00:39:17,563
but this is real-life.
830
00:39:17,564 --> 00:39:22,150
Brown makes this video
to win over law enforcement,
831
00:39:22,151 --> 00:39:25,279
but nobody in the UK
picks up on the idea,
832
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:27,532
perhaps it's too bulky.
833
00:39:31,786 --> 00:39:33,954
While British police
never end up using it,
834
00:39:33,955 --> 00:39:38,083
the device does come in
handy later in the 1970s
835
00:39:38,084 --> 00:39:41,545
as a way to capture
stray dogs and wildlife.
836
00:39:41,546 --> 00:39:42,796
Cut to the
modern version,
837
00:39:42,797 --> 00:39:44,756
and now it's much more compact,
838
00:39:44,757 --> 00:39:46,758
it looks like a
large flashlight,
839
00:39:46,759 --> 00:39:50,220
and inside, there's
compressed gas or an explosive
840
00:39:50,221 --> 00:39:53,975
which launches the weighted
net 40-feet in two seconds.
841
00:39:55,435 --> 00:39:58,520
Net guns are also used
in the fight against drones,
842
00:39:58,521 --> 00:40:02,107
which are sometimes found
flying in unauthorized airspace.
843
00:40:02,108 --> 00:40:04,776
Quadcopters can be
a security threat
844
00:40:04,777 --> 00:40:07,446
when they're flying
close to sensitive sites
845
00:40:07,447 --> 00:40:11,074
like airports or
government installations.
846
00:40:11,075 --> 00:40:14,953
Plus, a lot of these drones
aren't just used by hobbyists,
847
00:40:14,954 --> 00:40:17,372
they're used for
criminal activity,
848
00:40:17,373 --> 00:40:21,210
illegal surveillance,
espionage, bombs.
849
00:40:23,046 --> 00:40:24,171
So let's say
you've got a drone
850
00:40:24,172 --> 00:40:25,797
somewhere it's not
supposed to be,
851
00:40:25,798 --> 00:40:28,884
a sporting event, an airport,
a secret celebrity wedding,
852
00:40:28,885 --> 00:40:30,677
just shoot that
thing up in the air,
853
00:40:30,678 --> 00:40:33,305
it ensnares the drone
in a net, takes it down,
854
00:40:34,349 --> 00:40:35,516
boom, problem solved.
855
00:40:38,561 --> 00:40:40,395
Reigning scorpions
on the enemy,
856
00:40:40,396 --> 00:40:44,316
sabotaging ammo, and
seducing your way to intel,
857
00:40:44,317 --> 00:40:47,945
these are the super secret
weapons so outlandish,
858
00:40:47,946 --> 00:40:50,156
they are truly unbelievable.