- Hello, I'm James Holland and I'm a historian of
the second world war. History Hit is a bit like
Netflix but purely for history, and we've got hundreds of hours
of historical documentaries going all the way back to classical times right through to the cold war and beyond. Use the word warstories, all one word, for a massive discount when you join up. (projector sounds) - [Narrator] The secret society
that wants Chaplin dead. A barking mad plan to
create the woofwaffe. The one man army who mounts
bazookas on his plane. (explosion sound) And beware Russian boy
scouts bearing gifts. A new kind of war. Conflict on a scale never
seen before or since. - This is war at its weirdest. - [Narrator] Incredible experiments. - This has got to be one
of the most bizarre weapons ever mooted in the history of warfare. - What is even crazier
is that it seems to work. - [Narrator] Mysterious events. - This is brilliant. You couldn't make this up. - [Narrator] Unexplained phenomena. - This is all crazy. I kind of don't even know
where to begin with this. - [Narrator] When a world
goes to war with itself, things get really weird. (electricity sounds) (projector sounds) (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Charlie
Chaplin, comic genius. - The whole world loves
Charlie Chaplin, don't they? He's one of the greatest
comic actors of all time. - His quintessential
character is the tramp, but he was famous for films
like The Gold Rush and The Kid. - One of the most appealing
things about Chaplin is that he was in the
era of the silent movie. His films didn't need to
be subtitled, translated. They could be shown anywhere in the world. - The entire planet
was essentially charmed by Charlie Chaplin. - There is nobody at
this point more famous. - [Narrator] Yet super
stardom has its price. - Not many people know
that Charlie Chaplin survived three assassination
attempts in 1932. - He was targeted by a top secret society that was determined to
bring the world to war. - You couldn't make this up. The organization that wants
to kill Charlie Chaplin refers to itself as The League of Blood. (dramatic music) (projector sounds) (quirky music) - [Narrator] March, 1932. Comic icon Charlie Chaplin is
on a round the world cruise with his brother and
their Japanese assistant, Toraichi Kono. He accepts an invitation from
prime minister Inukai of Japan to visit the country and
attend a VIP reception. The appointment comes to the attention of Japanese Naval officer, Leftenant Koga. - Koga was not your normal, run of the mill Naval Leftenant. In fact, he was a member of
this top secret organization called The Black Dragon Society. - It sounds like something out of a Hammer House of Horror film, but
the aim of this society was basically to overthrow the government to bring back Imperial
Japan in all its glory. - No one can accuse them
of being unambitious because they decide that the
path to this Japanese greatness will be starting a big war with America. - [Narrator] And they are not alone. - The Black Dragons aren't
the only crazy guys in town. There's also this society called
The Nation Loving Society, which had murdered the predecessor
of prime minister Inukai by shooting him in the stomach. - The Cherry Blossom Society
which sounds very lovely but in fact was just as mad. - [Joshua] And it forced a border incident which led to the war with Manchuria. - And the National Foundation Society. (explosion sounds) They were relatively small time 'cause they'd just blown up
the Soviet embassy in 1928. - [Narrator] Secret societies
like this are the scourge of Japanese politics. Between 1912 and 1941, six
Japanese prime ministers would be murdered by members
of these extremist sects. Many of the military
societies are plotting with a civilian faction
that has the ominous name of The League of Blood. - The League of Blood. It sounds like something
out of a Fu Man Chew movie. It's almost hammy, isn't it? In fact, this society consists
of a very, very determined group of very dangerous people who really want to overthrow
Japan's civilian government and replace it with a military junta. - They were ultra right wing nationalists determined to restore Japan
to Imperial greatness, and they were willing to go
to any lengths to do that. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] In 1932, they
decide to kill Charlie Chaplin. - The logic behind dragging
poor Charlie Chaplin into this madness is that he
represents capitalist scum, and that if, when he
was on a visit to Japan, they offed him, then
America would be so outraged over the death of this film star that they would go to war
with Japan to avenge him. - [Narrator] The conspirators
know that Chaplin and his brother Sydney
are due to arrive in Kobe onboard the cruise ship,
Suemaru, on the 15th of May from where they will become the guests of prime minister Inukai. So the conspirators hatch a plan. - So Charlie Chaplin
is unwittingly sailing towards his demise and he's
gonna take one foot off the boat and they're gonna shoot
him and that'll be that and hurrah, a war! - Now the plan has to be
called off at the last minute because Chaplin contracts
this really nasty tummy bug and that, of course,
delays his trip to Japan. - He eats something dodgy and barley and it messes with his schedule. - [Narrator] But Charlie dodges the bullet by sitting on his private throne. (horn honking) (Japanese style music) - In actual fact, the
ship that Chaplin boarded raced to Japan and got there earlier than was even anticipated. So he was in Japan on the 15th of May. The assassination could have gone ahead, but it had already been canceled. So for now, Charlie Chaplin was safe. - So in some ways that bug saves Chaplin. - [Narrator] On the 14th of May, 1932, Charlie Chaplin lands at
Kobe to a rapturous welcome. - He's met by this swarm
of adoring tramp fans, presumably wearing the
little hats and waving. - There are thousands lining
the docks to welcome him. - There was even a fly pass mounted by the Japanese Air Force who dropped leaflets
welcoming Chaplin to Japan. - He's a huge star. - It's not the arrival that The League of Blood had hoped for. (Japanese style music) - [Narrator] As soon as they arrive, Chaplin's assistant, Toraichi Kono, escorts them to the
Japanese Imperial Palace where they bow at the gates
and pay their respects. - Now, he told Chaplin
that this was courtesy and good manners and indeed it was, but he had an ulterior motive. - This bow will be seen as highly symbolic and highly respectful towards
those within societies who actually despise a prime minister and rather wish that Chaplin
never met him at all. But by doing this bow,
this is hoped to appease and to ameliorate those in societies such as The League of Blood. - Obviously not because
they want him dead. (slow music) - [Narrator] It's going
to take more than a bow to satisfy The League of Blood. - Kono realizes that
they're being followed. - They were approached on
the street by a young man who asked Chaplin to
come back to his house because he had a collection
of pornographic prints printed on silk that he
wanted Chaplin to look at. - Presumably it was, I dunno,
less seedy than normal porn because it was painted on silk. But anyway, essentially this
total stranger comes up to him and says do you want to
come and look at my porn? To which Kono obviously says
thank you very much but no. (projector sounds) - [Guy] Later that very same evening, Charlie Chaplin and his
brother and Kono are dining in the private room of this very, very shi shi Japanese restaurant. - When suddenly porno
boy throws the doors open and comes in with five other
people looking threatening, and then what he does is he
kind of stalks around the table I presume with the old
ready for a fight walk and then he whispers
something in Kono's ear. - Chaplin asked what was going on. Kono says that this man says that you have insulted his ancestors by not agreeing to go home with him to look at his pornographic prints. - Charlie is not stupid. He may not speak Japanese but he recognizes that this
is just utter nonsense. - It's absolutely clear that these people are wanting to pick a fight and Chaplin's gotta do something and he's gotta do something fast if he's gonna diffuse the situation. - This is brilliant like
something out of one of his films, he gets up with his hand in his pocket, pointed like a gun and points it at them. - And demands to know what's going on. And of course, he's called the bluff of these Japanese absolutely brilliantly 'cause they look at Chaplin, they don't know if he's got a gun or not, he might well do, don't Yankees
always carry guns around? - The five guys back away and he survives attempt number two on his life. - [Narrator] It's not
clear whether the six men were part part of The League of Blood, but Kono is now acutely aware that Chaplin is being stalked. The next day, prime minister Inukai sends Chaplin an invitation
to attend his reception that evening. - The story goes that Chaplin
actually changed his mind at the last minute. Why? Because instead he wanted to
go to a sumo wrestling match. - Now, let's have a look at this. You've got the world's
greatest global superstar who is invited by a very important
head of state to an event who at the last minute decides no, I don't think I'll do this. I'd rather do my own thing instead. It looks like prima donna behavior that we're used to reading
about in the papers now from Hollywood stars. - So he doesn't even fake an
illness or more food poisoning. He says I'd rather be
watching sumo wrestling. - But it seems as that the PM doesn't worry too much about it. - Which is a little bit odd. - And even offers his son Takeru to accompany Chaplin to the sumo arena. (gong sounding) - [Narrator] So Charlie is
escorted to the sumo match by Inukai Takeru, where he
is treated like royalty. (gong sounding) - Charlie has a fabulous
night at the sumo wrestling and he's really interesting to look at it from his perspective
as a silent film star, whether he was looking to
cast them in a future film, who can say? But he was very entertained. - As the Chaplin party,
accompanied by Inukai Takeru, settle down to watch an
evening of big fat men trying to push one another off a mat, something far more deadly is taking place at the residence of prime minister Inukai. - A group of armed men break into the prime minister's residence
and overcome his security. - Chaplin was very interested
by the sumo wrestling. It appealed to his theatrical instincts and also a sense of competition. - The armed men identify
themselves as Black Dragons and they demand to know
where Charlie Chaplin is. So it's at this point that the
prime minister steps forward and says he's not here. (dramatic music) - [Joshua] If you didn't
know what was going on, it looked very comical, but
it was a genuine contest with genuine dignity as well. - The prime minister now
extraordinarily calmly asked the men not to murder him in front of his wife and daughter. (Japanese style music) - [Joshua] The effect was
hypnotic and thrilling. - The assassins agree to his request and they take the prime
minister out of the room. (gun shots) (dramatic music) - An hour later, Takeru received a message at the sumo wrestling that his
father had been assassinated. Chaplin went back to the
prime minister's residence that evening and he saw a
large stain of wet blood on the carpet. - And you just wonder, the
prime minister took that snub over dinner with such good grace and that was he aware that
something might happen? Was he taking his son out of harm's way? We'll never know but it's
an interesting point. - In the trial that
follows, Leftenant Koga and his co-conspirators receive
extremely lenient sentences. - The nuttiness continues
because the authorities receive a petition
signed by 350,000 people asking for their release
and supporting their cause, and the key thing is that the signatures are all done in blood. - Now 350,000 signatures signed in blood is a pretty big hint
and the court took it. - [Narrator] Koga is even
allowed to make a statement to the court. - At the trial, Koga
admitted that they wanted to kill Charlie Chaplin
because he was an American icon and that by killing him, it
was bound to provoke a war with the United States. - Now, as Chaplin himself pointed out when he learns of this,
he wasn't an American. He was British. - You think that if you
murder an English bloke who's had some Hollywood
film blockbusters, then the whole of America
will rise up against you and (scoffs) and what? (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Still, with the
death of prime minister Inukai, The League of Blood gets
what they wished for. - This event, at which Charlie Chaplin was at the very center,
had huge ramifications. - The assassination of
Inukai did indeed result in the end of civilian rule
in Japan for many, many years. And he was replaced of course,
by this military junta. - And you see what happens to Japan at the end of world war II. So The League of Blood actually
did get what they wanted but perhaps they didn't
want quite that much blood. (explosion sound) - [Narrator] Coming up. (dogs barking) Man's best friend can also be his ally. - The German army was
farsighted enough to realize that dogs could be used
as instruments of war. - But in the dark days of world war II, the Nazis took this to extremes. - Surely Hitler had more important things to concern himself with than
making an army of talking dogs. I don't know, what was he gonna call it? The woofwaffe? - [Narrator] Did Hitler
really try to recruit a talking dog army? - To me, this sounds like
a very shaggy dog story. (banging sounds) (marching sounds) - [Narrator] The German army
needs fresh troops for battle. - And this time they're all four legged. (quirky music) - [Narrator] The Fuhrer is only
interested in top recruits. - Some apparently can
even bark out numbers. - [Narrator] Can the
woofwaffe save Hitler's war? (explosion sound) - It's a barking idea
but it just might work. (banging sounds) (projector sounds) (artillery sounds) - [Narrator] 1942. Hitler's army is sweeping through Europe. - They're both fighting
the allies in North Africa and they're also on the Russian front, but to cover such a vast area, Hitler needs lots and lots of troops. (slow music) - [Narrator] To relieve
the pressure of command and to come up with a solution,
he goes to walk the dogs. - If you can believe it,
Hitler is a massive softy when it comes to cuddly animals. He has two pet German
shepherds and not surprisingly, his two favorite traits are
that they're obedient and loyal, which he likes of his humans as well. - One evening Hitler gets
invited to a dog performance at a place called the
Hundesprechschule Asra. Now that is a school for talking dogs. Yep, talking dogs. - Asra is the star of the dog school. She is a great dane. She's amazing apparently, and she's the mother to
all the other dogs as well. (dogs barking) - The school, set up by
Margaret Schmidt in 1930, quickly becomes famous in all Germany for teaching dogs new tricks. - [Guy] According to one witness, these animals are absolutely incredible. They can even tell the
time, correct spellings, and even identify people. - Apparently the dogs are actively trying to vocalize human words. Is that even biologically possible? I don't think so but they can
respond in a code of barks and bells and things. - In my opinion, I think
Hitler has been sold a pup. (quirky music) - [Narrator] There were also
other reports of German dogs allegedly able to talk with humans. - There's a dachshund called Coano and he or she can spell words out by different numbers of
barks for each letter. (dogs barking) What happens when you get to zed? Does it have to bark 26
times to spell out zed? I dunno. - There were even rumors
of a dog called Don who was able to inform
people that he was hungry by just barking the words hauben hauben, and he could even request cakes by apparently shouting kuchen! - [Narrator] If that's not
enough, there was also Rolph. - There's an Airedale terrier
who apparently dabbles in mathematics, politics, and religion, and then Hitler is impressed
by Rolph in particular because Rolph expresses
a desire to go to war because he hates the French. (slow music) - [Narrator] Hitler was captivated
by these dogs' abilities and it gives him a barking mad idea. - Hitler logic in this instance
is I need lots of troops. I'll make dog troops. I don't know, what was he gonna call it? The woofwaffe? Anyway, this is his logic is he's gonna create an army of dogs to fight the second world war. So there are Nazi officials,
men that are employed to go out and find clever dogs and enroll them in talking dog school. - [Narrator] The third Reich is soon turning into a third Reich. - Actually for dogs, the third Reich is rather
beneficial for them because the Nazis pass various
laws that protect them, including the banning
of the clipping of ears and the docking of tails. - [Narrator] And it's not just dogs that get preferential treatment. - As soon as the Nazi party
comes to power in 1933, actually one of the
earliest laws it passes is one that will give you a
two year stretch in prison if you're caught mistreating a pet. (quirky music) - [Narrator] This attitude to animals reveals a bizarre inconsistency. - [Guy] Actually, you've
got this horrific irony because the Nazis actually
care more about these animals than they do about
millions of human beings who they're willing to destroy. - Gehring even threatens to
send anyone who mistreats an animal like it's an inanimate object to a concentration camp. There's some logic in there somewhere. It's just crazy people logic. - But actually this support for animals makes a kind of philosophical
sense in the tenets of Nazism because part of that was a
reconnection with the earth, a reconnection with nature, a reconnection with the simpler life. So that's why animals are venerated. - [Narrator] Hitler himself
is a passionate advocate of animal rights. - He thinks that hunting is murder and it's even rumored that he
may have been a vegetarian. The name Adolf even means noble wolf. The name that nobody's
ever given anywhere now because of this man. - [Narrator] Hitler has two of
his own loyal furry soldiers, the German shepherds, Blondie and Bella. - He's particularly fond of Blondie. Now, this is a German
shepherd who he takes to the Fuhrer bunker in January, 1945, and Blondie is gonna be
with him right to the end. - She sleeps in the bed with him, which Eva Braun doesn't like because she's got two Scottish terriers and presumably they all didn't get along. Maybe they all argued. - He tells his minister of
armaments and war production, Albert Speer, that only two
things are loyal to him, his bad luck and Blondie,
his German shepherd. (slow music) - [Narrator] In his darkest days, huddled in the Fuhrer bunker
with the Soviets closing in, Hitler only keeps faith
with his favorite dog. - Hitler was absolutely terrified of what would happen to
Blondie if Blondie fell into the hands of the invading Red Army. - So he really does
hold her in high regard until he murders her. (dog whimpering) He keeps a cyanide capsule next to his bed in case he needs to take it at any point, and he suddenly gets into this paranoia about what if it doesn't work? So he thinks I know, I'll
test it on my only true friend in the world. - It's a somewhat strange
way to show your affection towards a beloved pet. The following day, the
30th of April, 1945, Hitler and Eva Braun kill themselves. (projector noises) - Eva Braun takes a cyanide capsule. Presumably Hitler hasn't
got his anymore, has he? 'Cause he gave it to the dog, but he shoots himself in the head and his body's found next
to that of the poor dog. - [Narrator] Blondie's fate
was sealed by Hitler himself, but what happened to the dog army? - Surely Hitler had more important
things to concern himself with than making an army of talking dogs, but questioning whether
Hitler was in his right mind is a moot point anyway. So they thought their
dogs could talk and joke and philosophize with them. They're all stark raving mad clearly. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Coming up. This mad Major's on a mission. - He had a job to do but
it wasn't enough for him. - [Narrator] When the
Germans face Bazooka Charlie, they know they've got
a fight on their hands. - He goes into this incredibly
dangerous corkscrewing dive. - [Narrator] Because you don't
get called Bazooka Charlie for doing nothing. - He didn't just want to
report back to the artillery, he wanted to be the artillery. (banging sounds) - [Narrator] One pilot is on
a mission to defeat the Nazis, but he hasn't even got a gun. - What do you do if your
aircraft is completely unarmed? - Well, it's pretty simple. You just attach some bazookas to it. - [Narrator] The second
world war makes heroes of many ordinary soldiers
but Bazooka Charlie is like a battalion on his own. - A one man army. (banging sounds) (projector sounds) (upbeat music) - [Narrator] 1942. World war II is in full swing
and the US Army needs troops. Small town high school
teacher, Charles Carpenter is one of the rookies
who've just signed up to the US Air Force. - After basic training, Carpenter is sent to join the artillery where he's gonna fly a little spotter plane. Spotter planes are small,
light, vulnerable aircraft that fly over enemy positions, relay them back to the artillery which they can then use
to accurately shell them. - [Narrator] Carpenter spends two years in the United States racking up air miles and perfecting his flying. He eventually achieves the rank of Major. (upbeat music) - Carpenter immediately begins to fly artillery reconnaissance
missions in his Piper Club L4H light aircraft but he swiftly
becomes pretty disillusioned with his role. - He had a job to do but
it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to actually fire on the targets that he was seeing. He didn't just want to
report back to the artillery. He wanted to be the artillery. - [Narrator] When a German
U-boat off the coast of France becomes a key target for allied bombing, Carpenter is keen to get involved. He's just lacking a bomber. - Carpenter was so frustrated
by the lack of weaponry on his aircraft that he decided he was gonna do something
about it himself. - So he goes to his commanding
officer and gets permission to attach some weaponry. Helped by an ordinance technician and a couple of crew chiefs,
Carpenter manages to attach two M1 bazookas to the
struts of his aircraft. - And then realized he could
get away with a bit more. So he added another two bazookas and then another two bazookas. So this tiny little plane was
with bristling with rockets. - With his six bazookas,
Carpenter now has the gall to even name his plane
Rosie the Rocketeer. - [Narrator] Each bazooka
can fire a rocket propelled anti-tank grenade. (explosion sounds) Carpenter operates them from the cockpit using a small toggle switch. - This sounds absolutely nuts
but actually it's ingenious. - Bazookas are pretty powerful. They can pierce through
three inches of armor when fired from the ground. The trouble is that the German tanks are very, very heavily protected. Their armor is very strong, but what Carpenter had spotted
was if he fires from the air, that he can fire down
onto the top of the tank where the armor is very much weaker. He had found the tank's Achilles heel. - [Narrator] Carpenter is
now ready for the Germans and he's surprisingly effective. - Carpenter then scopes out his target and when he finds one, he then goes into this
incredibly dangerous, I would say frankly
insane, corkscrewing dive straight down on top
of it before releasing his bazooka grenade which
will hopefully explode in the right place. Now, his firepower
doesn't usually allow him to take out enemy tanks but it certainly stops
them from advancing. - [Narrator] Soon he is credited with immobilizing four Nazi tanks and knocking out a German armored car. - Now not surprisingly,
the Army being the Army, Carpenter started to pick up nicknames. He was known first of
all as the Mad Major. - But then there's another
nickname that sticks even better and that's Bazooka Charlie. - [Narrator] Encouraged by his success, Charlie soon finds a way to
increase his fighting experience with some ground warfare. (dramatic music) - One day, Charlie's inspecting these potential landing fields near Avranches in Northern France, when this German infantry
unit suddenly attacked them. - Charlie's instinct was not to run or to get out of the way, it
was to jump on a nearby tank and bring its machine gun into
action on the German troops. - And he's giving these
Germans a real pasting and he's rallying his men
to beat the Germans off and he successfully does so. - Now, Charlie got so excited
that he started firing at anything he could
find and unfortunately, one of the things he fired at was an American bulldozer tank and he ended up shooting away the business part of this bulldozer tank. - Charlie has placed under arrest for the friendly fire incident and faced with a court martial. - Now, of course it looks like Charlie's great military career, this mad cap military career is gonna come to an ignominious end, but then he's saved at the last moment by none other than General Patton himself. - Patton was always on the
lookout on the one hand cowardice for people hanging back, for people not using their
initiative to attack, and on the other hand, for people who were doing precisely that. Who were taking the fight to the Germans. - Charlie is just the type of
fighter he wants in his army and he even gives him a
silver star for bravery. So instead of being court martialed, he's now a decorated war hero. - [Narrator] But back on active duty, the Nazis are now wise to his exploits. - Now normally the Germans
don't fire on these little light aircraft 'cause they know they're from the US artillery
and they know that if they do, they're gonna give away their positions and that's going to then draw
more artillery fire upon them. - But Charlie changed all that. He was attacking them, so
they started attacking him. - They know that this
guy is seriously mad. - Charlie being the sort of guy he was took these attacks
completely in his stride. What he said was they
shoot whenever they see me, these bazookas must
really be making them mad. - Then he ups the ante even further. - [Narrator] On the
20th of September, 1944, Charlie hears that the
fourth armored division's battlefield HQ is under attack. - Charlie was flying through dense fog, just waiting for that fog to clear so he could start doing
what he loved doing. - This is seriously dangerous
flying but when they do clear, he suddenly spots this
column of Panzer tanks and armored personnel carriers and it's heading towards central command. (engines whirring) - Charlie started flying
like a man possessed. So he was coming under constant fire from the infantry on the ground. - Going through a hail of infantry fire coming back up at him. - And he started making
attack after attack. - He empties all his bazooka tubes. Now you think that might be enough, but he comes back for two more sorties. - So he flew three sorties in all. He knocked out two Panzer tanks. - Several armored personnel carriers. - He killed or wounded 12 German soldiers. (dramatic music) - His actions force the
German attack to retreat and thereby saving the support group of the fourth armored division. - He was actually having a
real effect on the battle and on the lives of people below. No wonder Patton loved him. - [Narrator] And he survives
all that without a scratch, gaining a new nickname in the process. The Lucky Major. - Charlie Carpenter was rewarded. He was promoted to Leftenant Colonel. He received the bronze star, the air medal with oak leaf cluster, the silver medal with oak leaf cluster. - That's a good chest full. - After the war, he reached
the pinnacle of his career. He went back to teaching
history in a school. - I love this story because
this is genuine heroism. He also seems to be a man of immense charm and resourcefulness and leadership and like all great heroes, he's got this moment where
he almost loses it all and then comes back fighting. - [Narrator] Coming up. The yanks in Moscow have got a problem. - Information is pouring
out of the American embassy and into Russian hands. - [Narrator] They've got a leak
but they just can't find it. - So the question is how
are Soviets getting this from the very heart of
the American embassy? - [Narrator] When they do find
it, it's out of this world. - It really is ingenious. - They realize this is
a really chilling weapon of the cold war. - And this was created by the same man who created sci-fi music. (banging sounds) - [Narrator] When the war goes cold, things get even weirder. (dramatic music) August, 1945. With the end of the
second world war in sight, a group of young boys from the Soviet all pioneer boy scout movement visit the US embassy in Moscow
bearing a gift of friendship. - The gift is a wooden hand carving of America's great seal
and it's quite beautiful. - It's about two foot in diameter and it shows the American
Eagle clutching the 13 arrows and olive leaves that represent the first 13 United States. - But the Americans aren't fools, they don't trust Russians bearing gifts. So they give this present
a thorough going over. They examine it very closely. - What they decide is, oh, it is actually just a lump of wood and it's quite pretty. Hmm. - It really looks like this is
a genuine present after all. - [Narrator] US ambassador
W. Averell Harriman hangs it proudly on the
wall behind his desk, but this gesture of friendship
is much more than it seems and it will play a pivotal part in one of the greatest crises
of the entire cold war. (banging sounds) (projector sounds) (quirky music) - [Narrator] Ambassador
Harriman both lives and works in the US embassy at Spaso House. His office is at the
epicenter of US decisions on the ground in Moscow, and he's very aware that he and his staff are under constant surveillance. - The Americans know they're being bugged. Every visitor to Spaso
House is given a little card that tells them every room
in the embassy is bugged and every employee is a member of the KGB. - [Narrator] But there's one
room that's definitely clean. - The ambassador's office is sacrosanct. That is the place where
important guests come in, where they talk freely. - They regularly sweep it for
bugs and listening equipment, and they are constantly
on a mission to make sure that that room at least is secure. - Just think of the sort of luminaries who would be coming into this office. The people who would be talking freely, safe in the knowledge that
this place is free from bugs. - Even General Eisenhower
probably sat in that office discussing US Soviet relations at the end of the second world war. - [Narrator] Despite
all their precautions, there's a leak. - The Americans and the allies
are absolutely flabbergasted by the amount of information
that the Russians have got their hands on. Where has it come from? - Information is pouring
out of the American embassy and into Russian hands. The problem is so bad that in the end, the British won't tell America anything. They won't give them information because they know it will end up in the hands of the Soviets. - [Narrator] In 1951, the
Americans finally catch a break. - British engineer, Don Bailey,
is in the British embassy and he's monitoring Soviet
military aircraft traffic. To his astonishment, he hears the voice of the British Air Attache. Now, it's coming over the
Soviet military traffic. - Bailey knows that this
air attache is in a meeting at the US embassy in Moscow. So the obvious question is this, why is his big booming voice going out all over the Russian military airwaves? - He goes rushing to the US
embassy but as he gets there, the signal dies and he
can't hear anything. - This can only mean there's
been some sort of tip off. The question is how. - [Narrator] Bailey alerts his bosses. Deeply alarmed, the
Americans renew their efforts to find the source of the leak. - They know that it can't be a bug because they've just had
the whole place refurbished in anticipation of a
new ambassador arriving. - And this, of course, provides
an absolutely brilliant opportunity for the Russians
to plant bugs inside walls as they're being remodeled and rebuilt. - But they have gutted the place. They have swept the place and they know there are
no bugs in the building. - [Narrator] In a last ditch effort to find the source of the leak, The US State Department sends
surveillance specialist, Joseph Bezjian to the embassy in Moscow. Posing as a house guest,
he is secretly ordered to carry out the most
extensive bug search yet. - Bezjian gives the American
ambassador something to read. Now, it's actually completely innocuous, but it sounds as though it's important. It sounds as though it's full
of classified information. So the ambassador is sitting at his desk and he's reading this supposedly
classified information and while he does so,
Bezjian goes around the room searching for bugs using
monitoring equipment, and what he discovers is
that there is clearly a bug. - And to his absolute horror, he finds the source of the signal. It's coming from that giant wooden seal right behind the ambassador's desk. - [Narrator] When Bezjian
breaks open the seal, he discovers a mysterious device mounted in a cutout space inside. - This thing's definitely a bug but it's unlike any other bug seen before. - Suddenly it becomes completely clear why they've never detected it on any sweep because it has no electrical power source. - So it's not surprising
that it never turned up in any electronic sweep. - [Narrator] Bezjian has discovered a passive cavity resonator. - How it works is this, the sound from the conversations
in the ambassador's office enter underneath the eagle's beak in these tiny little holes
perforated into the wood. Now, those are obviously sound waves. They get picked up by the bug which has got a little membrane on it, which then vibrates with the sound waves. That gets transformed
into an electrical charge that's then transmitted by the antenna. - Bezjian guesses that
somewhere in the streets around the embassy is
a parked unmarked van. - All they have to do is sit
outside the American embassy and point a radio wave at it, and then it will pick up the vibrations and broadcast back what is being said. - Of course, the other
beauty of this system, as it lacks its own power supply, it's only active when
it's being activated, which means that it can only be detected when it's being used. So whenever the Soviets
feel like listening in to what's happening in
the ambassador's office, they just beam out a radio signal and they can listen to it all. - So they're always one
step ahead of the Americans. (quirky music) - This state of the art surveillance bug was developed by Russian
inventor, Leon Theremin. - You may well have
heard of Theremin before. That's because there's
a musical instrument that's named after him. It's that strange instrument
that's used in new wave music of the seventies. - So he took this to
America, it was successful. - The kind of unworldly
sounds it generated made it a real hit in
sci-fi movies at the time. It made all sort of woo woo sounds, and actually, it was
also that which drew it to the attention of the Soviets. - [Narrator] Forced to leave America, Theremin was arrested by the Soviets who installed him in a
laboratory in the gulags. - Whilst in the Soviet Union, he was put under pressure
by the authorities. He was told he would
end up in a labor camp or perhaps even worse if
he didn't work for them and create a bugging device. - And it's there that he develops this bug that will so successfully be
used to spy on the Americans. - [Narrator] Nicknamed the thing, the device is inspected by personnel from the radio and electric section of the FBI's technical laboratory. - The investigators are
absolutely blown away by the simplicity of this bug. - It's thrilling on so
many levels because one, it requires no power. It can feasibly last forever. - The fact that it just works
by being activated remotely by radio waves is a real breakthrough. - It really is ingenious. - They realize this is
a really chilling weapon of the cold war. So the Americans put the thing on ice. And after that, we probably
would never have heard of it unless it'd been for Gary Powers. (plane flying by) - [Narrator] 8 Years later in 1960, the Soviets shoot down
an American U2 spy plane encroaching on their airspace
flown by pilot, Gary Powers. - You've got to remember that this sparks a huge international incident. - [Alex] The Soviets accuse
the Americans of spying. - The Soviet Union now feels
it's got the moral authority to go to the UN Security Council. - Condemning the United States
for an act of aggression, demanding that the entire
U2 operation be closed out. - [Narrator] In response, the Americans indulge in
a carefully stage managed piece of theater. - The American ambassador to
the US, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., is forced to listen to hours and days of the Soviet Union moralizing
about how perfidious and evil and aggressive
the United States has by being dastardly spies
against the Soviet Union. - How they should be ashamed, how they have violated Soviet territory by the use of listening devices
with this aggressive act. - And of course, he full
knows the U2 spy plane program is just that, it's spying. The Americans can't deny it. - But then the United States ambassador to the United Nations stands up and he simply presents the bugging device. - He produces the thing. That thing, of course,
is this top secret bug that's been found in the seal
behind the ambassadors desk in the Moscow embassy. - And he demonstrates how
it works and it proves that the Soviets are every
bit as guilty as the Americans are of listening. - Clearly any spying that
the Americans are doing, the Soviets have been doing back to them, and so the draft resolution
is then voted down by a majority of seven to two. - [Narrator] Now, both
sides are free to continue spying on each other
throughout the cold war. When Theremin is released from the gulag, his musical invention goes
on to achieve cult status. - Theremin's a really influential figure. It caused Robert Moog
to invent a synthesizer that is well known in
seventies progressive rock. - I think it's right that
he's better remembered for his contributions to music. - It's a nice story. It's a man who had his
finger in some pretty diverse and odd pies. - Theremin's legacy is far
greater and more beneficial to mankind than bugs
installed in embassies during the cold war. (dramatic music)
