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[Music]

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on the outskirts of paris

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there is an unusual home that has been

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turned into a museum of sorts

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it is a place filled with memories

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letters

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and electronic paintings all of them

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awaiting discovery by a larger world

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they are the expressions of a man who

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dreamt of exploring the heavens

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his was a complicated life filled with

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ironies and contradictions

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[Music]

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an american by birth he became a citizen

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of the world

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though trained as an engineer he was

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drawn to the creative arts

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highly articulate he found it difficult

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to express his feelings

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even with those closest to him he was a

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pacifist who built weapons

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and a socialist who became a millionaire

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he set aside personal convictions to

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help win a world war

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only to later see his country turn

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against him

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and declare him an international

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fugitive

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through it all he kept meticulous

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records hoping to ensure his pioneering

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role in american rocketry

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but today he has been largely forgotten

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few know of his contributions or even

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his name but from his passion for

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reaching beyond the boundaries of the

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earth

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would emerge the world's premier center

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for exploring the solar system

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this is the story of one man's reach for

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the stars

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and how his ideas and idealism put him

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on a collision course with the world

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it is the story of the american

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[Music]

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in the fall of 1934 a young college

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graduate climbed aboard a train in texas

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and headed west

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his college professors had chipped in to

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help buy his train ticket

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he was now headed for pasadena

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[Music]

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and orange trees

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[Music]

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the young texan who stepped off the

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train found himself in a land of orange

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groves

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mansions parades and one of the world's

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leading engineering

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universities the california institute of

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technology

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caltech had accepted him into its

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graduate aviation program

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[Music]

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his name was frank molina

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september 14 1934. dear folks

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i stayed all day looking over the school

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and finding a place to stay

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it is a fine school you can see that it

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has quality

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caltech and pasadena were a world away

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he was a first generation texan born of

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czech immigrant parents

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both of whom were musicians

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frank molina was expected to follow his

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father's musical footsteps

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but instead of music the young boy was

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drawn to science

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mathematics and art much to his father's

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dismay

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he made many cynical remarks about it

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that i bore very painfully

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he also i recall belittled my

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intelligence many times

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in other matters he was never really

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brutal about it

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explicitly but i knew that he carried

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many disappointments about his boy

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molina's forceful father expressed not

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only disappointments

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but the desire that his son should

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pursue a military career

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an expectation at odds with molina's own

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ambitions

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[Music]

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early on he showed signs of a strong

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independent streak

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in his senior high school yearbook he

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declared to the world that he would

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follow

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after high school the cash-strapped

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molina enrolled at texas a

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m he majored in mechanical engineering

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and played trumpet in the aggie band to

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help pay for his tuition

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though he did well in his studies he did

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not fit in with the military culture of

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the school

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refusing to curse like the other boys he

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turning inward molina became a voracious

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writer and reader

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he kept a detailed journal noting every

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believing himself destined for a place

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in history he encouraged others to

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safeguard his letters

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having before only dabbled with drawing

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he became

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serious about art and drew

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self-portraits

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on his dorm wall he put up depictions of

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famous figures

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some were from the past

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there were world war one generals

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and the famed aviator charles lindbergh

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whose solitary flight across the

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atlantic

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had only recently electrified the world

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aviation was pushing the outermost

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boundaries of technology

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and it was the place molina intended to

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make his own mark

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and to study aviation there was no

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better place in the world to be than cal

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tech

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here was a state-of-the-art wind tunnel

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and a professor world renowned for his

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work in aerodynamics

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who would take molina under his wing

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dear mr molina i'm very happy to inform

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you that you have been awarded a wind

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tunnel assistantship at the institute

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for the next year covering your tuition

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of three hundred dollars

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such work would be at the rate of 80

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cents

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an hour very sincerely yours

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theodore from carmen theodore von carmen

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was considered an

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undisputed genius a fact not lost to him

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when he ranked the greatest scientists

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of all time

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sir isaac newton was at the top for

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having had six original ideas

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next came einstein whom von carmen

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credited with having had

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four great ideas in my case

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i have had three great ideas maybe more

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yes perhaps three and a half great ideas

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von carmen was as sociable as he was

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intelligent

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he loved to smoke cigars drink bourbon

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out of tall glasses

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and flirt with beautiful women

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his home in pasadena was the site of

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apparently remarkable dinner parties

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where he drew intellectuals and other

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cultured figures from the los angeles

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area

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and seems to have been a rather

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remarkable kind of salon that went on

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for a number of years

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under his aegis and that of his sister

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and his mother

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besides the famous von carmen often

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invited his brightest students to his

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home for dinner and conversation

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he was like a mother hen with his chicks

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around him these were all

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young men whom he loved and felt very

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close to

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he was a mentor to all of them he was

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simply wonderful

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[Music]

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over time von carmen and molina became

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especially close

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the hungarian professor helped introduce

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his graduate student to a larger world

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and a dizzying swirl of subjects

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all of which molina shared in his weekly

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letter to his parents

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my brain is going round and round with

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airplanes

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socialism capitalism logic napoleon

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opera and thermodynamics our slide rules

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are being worn out

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i am certainly forced to learn a lot

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as molina's letter home hinted he was

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becoming intensely interested in

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politics

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and how to solve the great depression it

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was the era of roosevelt's new deal

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and socialism if not communism seemed to

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offer solutions for the stricken

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american economy

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[Music]

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in the 1930s he is not unlike a lot of

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intellectuals

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attracted to to marxism

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and learning a little bit about a sense

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of social and economic justice and how

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they might be able to achieve

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those and it's important to understand

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that in that era

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marxism did not necessarily have the

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broad negative connotations that it

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would gain during the cold war

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dear folks if the depression continues

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and war doesn't break out

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perhaps we will have some form of

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socialism even before some people think

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there is plenty of reason for the rich

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class to be afraid

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don't worry about me getting into

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politics that is unavoidable

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there were so many terrible things

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happening in this country with the

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depression

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so this was not a rare thing it's a

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great deal that was being talked about

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and particularly among people like

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that you had at caltech whose minds were

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very active and very bright

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of course they would be looking into

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this there's no question about it

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many political discussions that molina

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attended took place at the home of

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caltech research assistant sydney

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weinbaum

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the russian-born wine bomb was a

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formidable intellectual

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he was a theoretical physicist a

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talented pianist

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and a master of chess he was also the

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head of the pasadena branch of the

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communist party

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in the years to come molina's friendship

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with wine bomb

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would have far-reaching consequences

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[Music]

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i'm happy my cows have flown away a new

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day

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with nothing enjoying let's dance

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together

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though politically brash frank molina

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was no

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firebrand revolutionary his letters home

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quickly jumped from politics to opera to

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the aggie football team

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to a budding social life

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dear folks last night i went to a dance

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at the athenian

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i had a good dancing partner so i

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enjoyed the evening very much

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hope you get to see the athenaeum

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someday as it is really a beautiful

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place

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everything is kept as nearly as perfect

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there was yet another topic swirling in

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molina's mind

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might rocketry be worth pursuing as a

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career

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[Music]

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so far as respectable scientists were

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concerned

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rocketry was really buck rogers stuff

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no one wanting to advance their career

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in academia was thinking

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seriously of becoming a rocket scientist

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in fact

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the words rocket and scientist had yet

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to have been joined together as a

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it was very much an amateur sort of

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thing

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there was a widely used astronomy

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textbook

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published in the early 1930s which said

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that rocket flight was

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impossible it was something that was

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really not even on the fringes even

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beyond the fringes

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[Music]

291
00:12:52,389 --> 00:12:50,069
molina's interest in rockets might have

292
00:12:52,710 --> 00:12:52,399
been a passing whimsy had not two young

293
00:12:54,069 --> 00:12:52,720
men

294
00:12:56,790 --> 00:12:54,079
approached him with an intriguing

295
00:12:59,190 --> 00:12:56,800
proposal might the three of them

296
00:13:01,269 --> 00:12:59,200
these two strangers asked team up and

297
00:13:03,590 --> 00:13:01,279
build rockets

298
00:13:05,509 --> 00:13:03,600
their names were ed forman and john

299
00:13:07,110 --> 00:13:05,519
whiteside's parsons

300
00:13:09,670 --> 00:13:07,120
they had been friends since meeting on a

301
00:13:10,710 --> 00:13:09,680
schoolyard neither possessed a college

302
00:13:13,030 --> 00:13:10,720
degree

303
00:13:17,350 --> 00:13:13,040
but what they lacked in their education

304
00:13:19,269 --> 00:13:17,360
they more than made up for in enthusiasm

305
00:13:20,790 --> 00:13:19,279
apparently it was just electricity they

306
00:13:21,990 --> 00:13:20,800
shared this dream of building high

307
00:13:25,350 --> 00:13:22,000
altitude rockets

308
00:13:26,389 --> 00:13:25,360
and my dad must have been already

309
00:13:29,430 --> 00:13:26,399
thinking about it

310
00:13:30,630 --> 00:13:29,440
seriously and so

311
00:13:33,030 --> 00:13:30,640
it was just electric

312
00:13:35,030 --> 00:13:33,040
[Music]

313
00:13:37,509 --> 00:13:35,040
foreman was a mechanic who knew how to

314
00:13:39,350 --> 00:13:37,519
bend metal into rocket casings

315
00:13:42,310 --> 00:13:39,360
parsons was a chemist who could fill

316
00:13:44,230 --> 00:13:42,320
those casings with rocket fuel

317
00:13:46,470 --> 00:13:44,240
what they needed was the scientific

318
00:13:48,310 --> 00:13:46,480
discipline molina could provide

319
00:13:50,310 --> 00:13:48,320
and the sponsorship of a caltech

320
00:13:52,150 --> 00:13:50,320
professor

321
00:13:55,350 --> 00:13:52,160
von carmen with an affinity for the

322
00:13:57,990 --> 00:13:55,360
unorthodox gave the project his blessing

323
00:14:00,389 --> 00:13:58,000
but there were conditions they could

324
00:14:03,269 --> 00:14:00,399
make use of his laboratory but only in

325
00:14:03,990 --> 00:14:03,279
off hours and they would have to raise

326
00:14:07,829 --> 00:14:04,000
their own

327
00:14:08,870 --> 00:14:07,839
funds i was immediately captivated by

328
00:14:11,590 --> 00:14:08,880
the earnestness

329
00:14:13,110 --> 00:14:11,600
and the enthusiasm of these young men

330
00:14:15,430 --> 00:14:13,120
most young people are quite

331
00:14:17,990 --> 00:14:15,440
serious about their dreams so this in

332
00:14:20,870 --> 00:14:18,000
itself was not what interested me

333
00:14:23,910 --> 00:14:20,880
it was the unusually strong background

334
00:14:26,150 --> 00:14:23,920
and drive of these young rocketeers

335
00:14:27,829 --> 00:14:26,160
parsons and foreman told me that their

336
00:14:29,910 --> 00:14:27,839
backyards in pasadena

337
00:14:33,910 --> 00:14:29,920
were pockmarked from the effects of

338
00:14:39,350 --> 00:14:37,269
foreman and molina would never be close

339
00:14:40,710 --> 00:14:39,360
but molina and parsons found their

340
00:14:43,189 --> 00:14:40,720
interests meshed beyond

341
00:14:45,030 --> 00:14:43,199
rockets there were common interests in

342
00:14:47,509 --> 00:14:45,040
music and literature

343
00:14:48,629 --> 00:14:47,519
years later molina summed up parsons as

344
00:14:50,949 --> 00:14:48,639
rather exotic

345
00:14:54,150 --> 00:14:50,959
of the cultist type which of course was

346
00:14:55,829 --> 00:14:54,160
not unusual in california

347
00:14:57,430 --> 00:14:55,839
it was a clever but obscuring

348
00:15:00,069 --> 00:14:57,440
description of parsons

349
00:15:00,870 --> 00:15:00,079
who was in fact a practitioner of black

350
00:15:04,150 --> 00:15:00,880
magic

351
00:15:08,069 --> 00:15:07,030
parsons love to recite pagan poetry to

352
00:15:11,590 --> 00:15:08,079
the sky

353
00:15:16,550 --> 00:15:14,790
he stood six foot one with dark wavy

354
00:15:18,790 --> 00:15:16,560
hair a small mustache

355
00:15:23,189 --> 00:15:18,800
and penetrating black eyes which

356
00:15:27,750 --> 00:15:24,870
when parsons wasn't working with

357
00:15:29,430 --> 00:15:27,760
explosives he headed a local chapter of

358
00:15:33,030 --> 00:15:29,440
a religious sect

359
00:15:37,030 --> 00:15:33,040
the membership was sworn to obey the law

360
00:15:40,230 --> 00:15:37,040
there is no law beyond do what thou wilt

361
00:15:43,749 --> 00:15:40,240
do what thou wilt shall be the whole of

362
00:15:47,269 --> 00:15:45,350
i think my father went to some of those

363
00:15:49,269 --> 00:15:47,279
parties which were pretty wild but then

364
00:15:50,870 --> 00:15:49,279
you know i grew up in the 60s

365
00:15:52,870 --> 00:15:50,880
when parties were pretty wild as

366
00:15:54,790 --> 00:15:52,880
students

367
00:15:57,350 --> 00:15:54,800
certainly my dad had no interest in

368
00:15:59,749 --> 00:15:57,360
astrology or no interest in mysticism

369
00:16:01,509 --> 00:15:59,759
and so this was really very far from his

370
00:16:03,350 --> 00:16:01,519
view of the world and what made it tick

371
00:16:04,710 --> 00:16:03,360
and yet it was something that came with

372
00:16:06,470 --> 00:16:04,720
the package

373
00:16:08,230 --> 00:16:06,480
that must have been an innate part of my

374
00:16:10,069 --> 00:16:08,240
dad's personality was

375
00:16:15,829 --> 00:16:10,079
a tolerance for bright people with

376
00:16:20,230 --> 00:16:18,150
they made for an odd trio but they were

377
00:16:25,110 --> 00:16:20,240
bound together by their desire to build

378
00:16:28,550 --> 00:16:27,030
for months they sketched out blueprint

379
00:16:31,749 --> 00:16:28,560
drawings and then hammered them into

380
00:16:36,550 --> 00:16:34,829
finally they were ready for their first

381
00:16:38,470 --> 00:16:36,560
test

382
00:16:40,230 --> 00:16:38,480
parsons and foreman accustomed to the

383
00:16:41,350 --> 00:16:40,240
thrill of launching their rockets up

384
00:16:43,110 --> 00:16:41,360
into the sky

385
00:16:44,790 --> 00:16:43,120
found that molina demanded that the

386
00:16:46,550 --> 00:16:44,800
first test should simply measure the

387
00:16:48,790 --> 00:16:46,560
rocket's thrust

388
00:16:51,509 --> 00:16:48,800
to do so the motor was inverted with the

389
00:16:54,470 --> 00:16:51,519
exhaust nozzle pointing straight up

390
00:16:58,230 --> 00:16:54,480
this rocket engine was going nowhere or

391
00:17:02,710 --> 00:17:00,790
as the sun rose on saturday halloween

392
00:17:05,270 --> 00:17:02,720
day 1936

393
00:17:07,270 --> 00:17:05,280
molina parsons foreman and a handful of

394
00:17:09,909 --> 00:17:07,280
caltech students and supporters

395
00:17:11,829 --> 00:17:09,919
set out for the arroyo seiko a deserted

396
00:17:14,710 --> 00:17:11,839
mountain wash near the pasadena rose

397
00:17:17,990 --> 00:17:17,029
they assembled their rocket engine

398
00:17:20,949 --> 00:17:18,000
connected the pressure

399
00:17:26,069 --> 00:17:20,959
tanks then stacked sandbags to protect

400
00:17:29,630 --> 00:17:27,829
as the day wore on they took a break

401
00:17:30,950 --> 00:17:29,640
from their physical exertions

402
00:17:33,590 --> 00:17:30,960
[Music]

403
00:17:35,830 --> 00:17:33,600
the moment captured on camera is known

404
00:17:37,830 --> 00:17:35,840
today as the nativity scene

405
00:17:39,830 --> 00:17:37,840
the first rocket experiment by the

406
00:17:42,870 --> 00:17:39,840
founders of what would become

407
00:17:44,710 --> 00:17:42,880
the jet propulsion laboratory

408
00:17:46,390 --> 00:17:44,720
what was kind of surprising also is that

409
00:17:48,549 --> 00:17:46,400
they brought cameras along

410
00:17:49,830 --> 00:17:48,559
so you know they had no doubt that they

411
00:17:54,070 --> 00:17:49,840
were doing something important

412
00:17:58,830 --> 00:17:56,070
by the early afternoon molina and

413
00:18:01,430 --> 00:17:58,840
parsons had the rocket motor ready for

414
00:18:03,669 --> 00:18:01,440
testing

415
00:18:05,909 --> 00:18:03,679
crouching behind sandbags they expected

416
00:18:07,510 --> 00:18:05,919
to hear a roar

417
00:18:11,669 --> 00:18:07,520
instead there was the disappointing

418
00:18:13,590 --> 00:18:11,679
sound of hissing air from a loose hose

419
00:18:15,510 --> 00:18:13,600
the second and third attempts netted the

420
00:18:17,590 --> 00:18:15,520
same result

421
00:18:18,630 --> 00:18:17,600
by now fuel had leaked all around the

422
00:18:21,590 --> 00:18:18,640
test area

423
00:18:23,669 --> 00:18:21,600
but a fourth try was made this time the

424
00:18:27,270 --> 00:18:23,679
rocket motor caught fire

425
00:18:31,029 --> 00:18:29,270
very many things happen that will teach

426
00:18:32,789 --> 00:18:31,039
us what to do next time

427
00:18:35,029 --> 00:18:32,799
the most excitement took place in the

428
00:18:37,669 --> 00:18:35,039
last shot when the oxygen hose

429
00:18:38,630 --> 00:18:37,679
for some reason ignited and swung around

430
00:18:41,350 --> 00:18:38,640
on the ground

431
00:18:43,110 --> 00:18:41,360
40 feet from us we all tore out across

432
00:18:44,950 --> 00:18:43,120
the country

433
00:18:46,950 --> 00:18:44,960
the rocket motor tests in the months

434
00:18:48,549 --> 00:18:46,960
that followed ebbed and flowed

435
00:18:52,390 --> 00:18:48,559
leaving the three men more often than

436
00:18:55,430 --> 00:18:54,470
and fissures between molina and his two

437
00:18:57,830 --> 00:18:55,440
partners began

438
00:18:59,750 --> 00:18:57,840
forming parsons and foreman were

439
00:19:02,870 --> 00:18:59,760
impatient to launch a rocket

440
00:19:04,390 --> 00:19:02,880
while molina demanded more tests

441
00:19:06,710 --> 00:19:04,400
knowing much could be gleaned through

442
00:19:08,230 --> 00:19:06,720
scientific calculations requiring no

443
00:19:10,150 --> 00:19:08,240
hardware at all

444
00:19:12,230 --> 00:19:10,160
molina added to the group a brilliant

445
00:19:16,070 --> 00:19:12,240
chinese graduate student

446
00:19:18,710 --> 00:19:16,080
named shui shen qian qian had come to

447
00:19:21,270 --> 00:19:18,720
the united states on a scholarship

448
00:19:22,789 --> 00:19:21,280
he was viewed as a human calculator who

449
00:19:25,430 --> 00:19:22,799
preferred to communicate through the

450
00:19:27,750 --> 00:19:25,440
language of equations

451
00:19:28,710 --> 00:19:27,760
his ambition he once declared was

452
00:19:35,270 --> 00:19:28,720
nothing short

453
00:19:39,669 --> 00:19:37,909
despite the addition of qien to the team

454
00:19:42,870 --> 00:19:39,679
the lack of funding threatened to put a

455
00:19:44,950 --> 00:19:42,880
halt to the whole effort

456
00:19:47,190 --> 00:19:44,960
attempts to join forces with the most

457
00:19:50,390 --> 00:19:47,200
well-known u.s rocket pioneer

458
00:19:52,390 --> 00:19:50,400
robert goddard were rebuffed much to von

459
00:19:55,029 --> 00:19:52,400
carmen's displeasure

460
00:19:57,029 --> 00:19:55,039
goddard it was said was the first man to

461
00:19:59,909 --> 00:19:57,039
fire a liquid rocket

462
00:20:01,190 --> 00:19:59,919
goddard's rocket reached an altitude of

463
00:20:03,990 --> 00:20:01,200
42

464
00:20:06,310 --> 00:20:04,000
feet however interesting this is

465
00:20:08,230 --> 00:20:06,320
historically i have never equated the

466
00:20:11,270 --> 00:20:08,240
characteristic of being first

467
00:20:13,669 --> 00:20:11,280
with being the greatest naturally

468
00:20:15,270 --> 00:20:13,679
we at caltech wanted as much information

469
00:20:16,710 --> 00:20:15,280
as we could get from goddard for our

470
00:20:19,990 --> 00:20:16,720
mutual benefit

471
00:20:23,270 --> 00:20:20,000
but goddard believed in secrecy

472
00:20:25,270 --> 00:20:23,280
there is no direct line from goddard to

473
00:20:27,820 --> 00:20:25,280
present-day rocketry

474
00:20:33,590 --> 00:20:27,830
he is on a branch that died

475
00:20:38,310 --> 00:20:36,149
now desperate for money parsons and

476
00:20:40,230 --> 00:20:38,320
molina began writing a science fiction

477
00:20:42,230 --> 00:20:40,240
treatment they hoped to sell as a movie

478
00:20:43,830 --> 00:20:42,240
script or novel

479
00:20:46,950 --> 00:20:43,840
and of course that film script turns out

480
00:20:48,789 --> 00:20:46,960
to be eerily anticipatory

481
00:20:50,710 --> 00:20:48,799
the storyline involves a group of

482
00:20:53,669 --> 00:20:50,720
liberal rocket researchers and their

483
00:20:55,750 --> 00:20:53,679
struggles with fascist capitalists

484
00:21:00,549 --> 00:20:55,760
one of the characters who resembles jack

485
00:21:05,430 --> 00:21:03,270
another character clearly qian returns

486
00:21:06,500 --> 00:21:05,440
to china when the us government fails to

487
00:21:08,789 --> 00:21:06,510
come to his aid

488
00:21:11,190 --> 00:21:08,799
[Music]

489
00:21:12,390 --> 00:21:11,200
and the character based on frank molina

490
00:21:14,070 --> 00:21:12,400
plays out his part

491
00:21:18,630 --> 00:21:14,080
trying to keep their rocket research

492
00:21:22,310 --> 00:21:20,549
the draft of the script was shopped

493
00:21:24,630 --> 00:21:22,320
around the studios

494
00:21:31,460 --> 00:21:24,640
but there were no takers for such an

495
00:21:40,870 --> 00:21:31,470
unrealistic plot

496
00:21:45,590 --> 00:21:43,350
rockets politics and classwork weren't

497
00:21:46,870 --> 00:21:45,600
all that were occupying molina's time

498
00:21:49,909 --> 00:21:46,880
[Music]

499
00:21:52,470 --> 00:21:49,919
in july of 1938 he met a young woman who

500
00:21:55,450 --> 00:21:52,480
aspired to be an artist

501
00:21:57,110 --> 00:21:55,460
her name was lillian darkore

502
00:22:00,710 --> 00:21:57,120
[Music]

503
00:22:01,430 --> 00:22:00,720
we started talking and frank began to

504
00:22:04,630 --> 00:22:01,440
ask me

505
00:22:05,029 --> 00:22:04,640
questions as people do when they first

506
00:22:08,470 --> 00:22:05,039
meet

507
00:22:11,110 --> 00:22:08,480
you know and it was just

508
00:22:12,390 --> 00:22:11,120
a very lovely evening very very simple

509
00:22:19,590 --> 00:22:12,400
and

510
00:22:23,430 --> 00:22:19,600
way

511
00:22:26,070 --> 00:22:23,440
playing a little tennis frank also

512
00:22:26,870 --> 00:22:26,080
took us to do archery which i had never

513
00:22:29,990 --> 00:22:26,880
done

514
00:22:31,909 --> 00:22:30,000
and we went to the beach

515
00:22:32,620 --> 00:22:31,919
we did all the things that young people

516
00:22:36,149 --> 00:22:32,630
do

517
00:22:38,549 --> 00:22:36,159
[Music]

518
00:22:40,549 --> 00:22:38,559
just 10 weeks after meeting lillian

519
00:22:43,990 --> 00:22:40,559
molina made a major announcement to his

520
00:22:49,669 --> 00:22:47,110
dear folks lillian and i are happy to

521
00:22:51,669 --> 00:22:49,679
announce that we have become engaged

522
00:22:53,029 --> 00:22:51,679
we will probably not marry before next

523
00:22:55,110 --> 00:22:53,039
june

524
00:22:56,149 --> 00:22:55,120
i am sure that you will love her as much

525
00:22:59,029 --> 00:22:56,159
as i do

526
00:23:00,549 --> 00:22:59,039
as she is pretty serious and a hard

527
00:23:02,630 --> 00:23:00,559
worker

528
00:23:04,710 --> 00:23:02,640
it was a whirlwind romance to which

529
00:23:05,990 --> 00:23:04,720
molina brought an unusual sense of

530
00:23:07,990 --> 00:23:06,000
urgency

531
00:23:09,270 --> 00:23:08,000
getting married molina confided to his

532
00:23:13,590 --> 00:23:09,280
fiancee

533
00:23:19,990 --> 00:23:17,029
i think he had everything under control

534
00:23:20,549 --> 00:23:20,000
he had it compartmentalized and he tried

535
00:23:23,830 --> 00:23:20,559
to

536
00:23:25,750 --> 00:23:23,840
live by that

537
00:23:28,470 --> 00:23:25,760
he had a good sense of humor you know

538
00:23:30,549 --> 00:23:28,480
when he let it go

539
00:23:32,630 --> 00:23:30,559
i always felt that it was like being

540
00:23:34,149 --> 00:23:32,640
held back a little bit

541
00:23:35,669 --> 00:23:34,159
it would have been so nice if he could

542
00:23:39,430 --> 00:23:35,679
have just you know let it

543
00:23:43,990 --> 00:23:41,750
many tell me that i am secretive

544
00:23:45,990 --> 00:23:44,000
something i can't understand

545
00:23:47,750 --> 00:23:46,000
i have always thought my actions were as

546
00:23:51,510 --> 00:23:47,760
transparent as could be

547
00:23:53,830 --> 00:23:51,520
perhaps too much so at times

548
00:23:56,230 --> 00:23:53,840
as their wedding date neared lillian

549
00:24:00,390 --> 00:23:56,240
began to have doubts

550
00:24:03,830 --> 00:24:00,400
i felt the distance between us

551
00:24:05,430 --> 00:24:03,840
always i didn't like that and i kept

552
00:24:08,870 --> 00:24:05,440
telling myself it was me

553
00:24:11,990 --> 00:24:08,880
that i was just being foolishly romantic

554
00:24:15,510 --> 00:24:12,000
and too young but

555
00:24:18,310 --> 00:24:15,520
i was a little bit aware of it then

556
00:24:19,990 --> 00:24:18,320
lillian's parents smitten with molina

557
00:24:20,789 --> 00:24:20,000
encouraged their daughter to go ahead

558
00:24:24,149 --> 00:24:20,799
with the marriage

559
00:24:31,350 --> 00:24:24,159
despite her doubts she was all of

560
00:24:35,669 --> 00:24:33,110
marriage did little to slow down

561
00:24:37,590 --> 00:24:35,679
molina's interest in rockets

562
00:24:38,789 --> 00:24:37,600
he shared very little of his work with

563
00:24:40,950 --> 00:24:38,799
his young bride who

564
00:24:42,149 --> 00:24:40,960
soon found herself alone as her husband

565
00:24:45,350 --> 00:24:42,159
and his colleagues

566
00:24:47,430 --> 00:24:45,360
worked late into the evenings

567
00:24:49,510 --> 00:24:47,440
i would come home from art school i

568
00:24:51,350 --> 00:24:49,520
would go do the marketing

569
00:24:53,590 --> 00:24:51,360
cook something awful because i didn't

570
00:24:55,750 --> 00:24:53,600
know how to cook in those days

571
00:24:58,549 --> 00:24:55,760
i think i was responsible for frank's

572
00:25:02,470 --> 00:25:01,590
and then they would come over and i

573
00:25:05,350 --> 00:25:02,480
could hear

574
00:25:06,710 --> 00:25:05,360
all the voices and the arguing and no

575
00:25:09,510 --> 00:25:06,720
yes and let's do this

576
00:25:12,149 --> 00:25:09,520
and let's do that this went on almost

577
00:25:15,110 --> 00:25:12,159
every night

578
00:25:16,870 --> 00:25:15,120
the group continued to expand as did the

579
00:25:20,149 --> 00:25:16,880
project's reputation

580
00:25:21,909 --> 00:25:20,159
but not for the better having been

581
00:25:23,350 --> 00:25:21,919
provided space in the basement of a

582
00:25:25,269 --> 00:25:23,360
caltech building

583
00:25:26,950 --> 00:25:25,279
the rocketeers chemical brews were

584
00:25:29,990 --> 00:25:26,960
raising eyebrows

585
00:25:32,710 --> 00:25:30,000
and an awful stench one of the liquids

586
00:25:35,269 --> 00:25:32,720
we are using gives off a very toxic gas

587
00:25:36,950 --> 00:25:35,279
that is heavier than air if there were

588
00:25:40,630 --> 00:25:36,960
any rats in the building

589
00:25:42,070 --> 00:25:40,640
they've probably left when toxic gases

590
00:25:44,149 --> 00:25:42,080
weren't being released

591
00:25:45,909 --> 00:25:44,159
unintended explosions were sometimes

592
00:25:48,950 --> 00:25:45,919
heard echoing through an otherwise

593
00:25:51,510 --> 00:25:48,960
tranquil campus

594
00:25:53,590 --> 00:25:51,520
one unexpected blast sent a piece of

595
00:25:55,669 --> 00:25:53,600
steel hurtling through the air

596
00:25:57,750 --> 00:25:55,679
just minutes earlier molina had been

597
00:25:58,180 --> 00:25:57,760
standing directly in the projectile's

598
00:25:59,350 --> 00:25:58,190
path

599
00:26:02,230 --> 00:25:59,360
[Music]

600
00:26:03,909 --> 00:26:02,240
dear folks i left about half an hour

601
00:26:06,710 --> 00:26:03,919
before the occurrence

602
00:26:07,909 --> 00:26:06,720
so that parsons and foreman were alone

603
00:26:10,470 --> 00:26:07,919
neither of them was hurt

604
00:26:11,909 --> 00:26:10,480
fortunately there will probably be very

605
00:26:13,990 --> 00:26:11,919
little financial loss

606
00:26:15,900 --> 00:26:14,000
as the institute carries insurance on

607
00:26:18,870 --> 00:26:15,910
all laboratory equipment

608
00:26:21,350 --> 00:26:18,880
[Music]

609
00:26:22,870 --> 00:26:21,360
the rocketeers began being referred to

610
00:26:26,070 --> 00:26:22,880
throughout the campus as

611
00:26:27,909 --> 00:26:26,080
the suicide squad it ruined our

612
00:26:29,029 --> 00:26:27,919
reputations one member of the group

613
00:26:42,630 --> 00:26:29,039
recalled

614
00:26:49,110 --> 00:26:46,950
in 1938 europe was verging on war

615
00:26:51,029 --> 00:26:49,120
military planners in the united states

616
00:26:53,909 --> 00:26:51,039
fanned out to universities across the

617
00:26:55,590 --> 00:26:53,919
country searching for new technologies

618
00:26:57,269 --> 00:26:55,600
should the country be drawn into the

619
00:27:01,190 --> 00:26:57,279
conflict

620
00:27:03,909 --> 00:27:01,200
one stop was at caltech

621
00:27:06,149 --> 00:27:03,919
dear folks a big shot from the army

622
00:27:08,230 --> 00:27:06,159
ordinance division was here today

623
00:27:09,830 --> 00:27:08,240
he told of the army's experience with

624
00:27:11,750 --> 00:27:09,840
rockets and thought there was

625
00:27:13,750 --> 00:27:11,760
little possibility of using them for

626
00:27:17,909 --> 00:27:13,760
military purposes

627
00:27:19,190 --> 00:27:17,919
i silently rejoiced i have no doubt that

628
00:27:21,430 --> 00:27:19,200
a war will break out

629
00:27:23,669 --> 00:27:21,440
sooner or later but i can't get very

630
00:27:25,890 --> 00:27:23,679
enthusiastic over making rockets for

631
00:27:27,830 --> 00:27:25,900
murdering purposes

632
00:27:29,750 --> 00:27:27,840
[Music]

633
00:27:31,350 --> 00:27:29,760
though the army's ordnance department

634
00:27:33,750 --> 00:27:31,360
passed on rockets

635
00:27:36,789 --> 00:27:33,760
hap arnold the general in charge of the

636
00:27:38,870 --> 00:27:36,799
army's air force saw possibilities

637
00:27:40,630 --> 00:27:38,880
arnold was acquainted with von carmen

638
00:27:42,549 --> 00:27:40,640
and was intrigued by what the professor

639
00:27:43,909 --> 00:27:42,559
had to say about his students rocket

640
00:27:46,630 --> 00:27:43,919
project

641
00:27:49,029 --> 00:27:46,640
hap arnold very perceptively understood

642
00:27:49,669 --> 00:27:49,039
the possibilities that rocketry would

643
00:27:53,269 --> 00:27:49,679
have

644
00:27:56,710 --> 00:27:53,279
for the military perhaps he saw that

645
00:27:59,350 --> 00:27:56,720
simply at extension of ordinance

646
00:27:59,750 --> 00:27:59,360
or whatever it was he sensed that there

647
00:28:03,510 --> 00:27:59,760
was

648
00:28:06,470 --> 00:28:03,520
also close to

649
00:28:07,269 --> 00:28:06,480
von carmen and von carmen probably was

650
00:28:08,710 --> 00:28:07,279
able to

651
00:28:10,630 --> 00:28:08,720
whisper something to him that was

652
00:28:12,389 --> 00:28:10,640
persuasive in some way

653
00:28:14,310 --> 00:28:12,399
but it's that early army air force

654
00:28:17,990 --> 00:28:14,320
funding that really takes

655
00:28:20,549 --> 00:28:18,000
the early jpl group from being

656
00:28:21,669 --> 00:28:20,559
basically a student research project

657
00:28:24,470 --> 00:28:21,679
assisted by

658
00:28:25,590 --> 00:28:24,480
these rather kooky amateurs and turns it

659
00:28:31,029 --> 00:28:25,600
into

660
00:28:33,190 --> 00:28:31,039
a serious undertaking

661
00:28:35,510 --> 00:28:33,200
general arnold was interested in getting

662
00:28:37,909 --> 00:28:35,520
planes especially bombers quickly into

663
00:28:41,190 --> 00:28:37,919
the skies on shorter runways

664
00:28:43,430 --> 00:28:41,200
and he thought rockets might help

665
00:28:45,190 --> 00:28:43,440
under von carmen's signature molina

666
00:28:46,110 --> 00:28:45,200
prepared a proposal for the army's

667
00:28:47,990 --> 00:28:46,120
consideration

668
00:28:51,190 --> 00:28:48,000
[Music]

669
00:28:54,230 --> 00:28:51,200
given the stigma associated with rockets

670
00:28:56,710 --> 00:28:54,240
that word was avoided in favor of jet

671
00:28:59,110 --> 00:28:56,720
propulsion

672
00:29:00,870 --> 00:28:59,120
what pleased me most was that uncle sam

673
00:29:02,950 --> 00:29:00,880
was going to supply money to help our

674
00:29:04,710 --> 00:29:02,960
boys with their rocket experiments

675
00:29:06,789 --> 00:29:04,720
so they would no longer have to dip into

676
00:29:10,830 --> 00:29:06,799
their own pockets

677
00:29:13,190 --> 00:29:10,840
the first contract was for one thousand

678
00:29:15,750 --> 00:29:13,200
dollars

679
00:29:18,310 --> 00:29:15,760
it was only the beginning a second grant

680
00:29:21,350 --> 00:29:18,320
in july of 1939 was for 10

681
00:29:24,950 --> 00:29:24,230
when hitler invaded poland money began

682
00:29:28,230 --> 00:29:24,960
to gush

683
00:29:31,990 --> 00:29:30,149
needing more space and no longer

684
00:29:34,789 --> 00:29:32,000
welcomed at cal tech

685
00:29:37,029 --> 00:29:34,799
a strip of land was leased in the arroyo

686
00:29:38,549 --> 00:29:37,039
the site of the very first rocket motor

687
00:29:41,909 --> 00:29:38,559
tests

688
00:29:43,909 --> 00:29:41,919
a dozen engineers were hired soon tin

689
00:29:46,070 --> 00:29:43,919
shacks began to appear though some

690
00:29:49,750 --> 00:29:46,080
workers had to use their automobiles as

691
00:29:52,950 --> 00:29:51,669
with the army's money came a need not

692
00:29:56,789 --> 00:29:52,960
only for expansion

693
00:29:59,750 --> 00:29:56,799
but official titles von karman was named

694
00:30:01,750 --> 00:29:59,760
director of the jet propulsion project

695
00:30:03,029 --> 00:30:01,760
parsons was put in charge of propellant

696
00:30:05,029 --> 00:30:03,039
development

697
00:30:06,310 --> 00:30:05,039
and foreman was made head of the machine

698
00:30:09,110 --> 00:30:06,320
shop

699
00:30:09,990 --> 00:30:09,120
day-to-day operations were run by molina

700
00:30:13,110 --> 00:30:10,000
who was named

701
00:30:15,190 --> 00:30:13,120
chief engineer construction has started

702
00:30:16,789 --> 00:30:15,200
on the shacks for the rocket station

703
00:30:18,549 --> 00:30:16,799
we have plenty of pressure on us to

704
00:30:20,549 --> 00:30:18,559
produce something quick

705
00:30:22,310 --> 00:30:20,559
perhaps we will be lucky and get some

706
00:30:23,909 --> 00:30:22,320
gadget to work but

707
00:30:25,750 --> 00:30:23,919
this isn't the type of problem that can

708
00:30:27,909 --> 00:30:25,760
be solved on order

709
00:30:29,830 --> 00:30:27,919
i need a good physicist foreman and

710
00:30:30,710 --> 00:30:29,840
parsons are all right for some type of

711
00:30:33,110 --> 00:30:30,720
work

712
00:30:36,230 --> 00:30:33,120
sometimes they're like inventors in the

713
00:30:38,789 --> 00:30:36,240
worst sense of the word

714
00:30:42,710 --> 00:30:38,799
in the summer the corrugated shacks were

715
00:30:46,549 --> 00:30:44,630
with rockets being fired off there was a

716
00:30:47,110 --> 00:30:46,559
constant dread of setting off a brush

717
00:30:48,630 --> 00:30:47,120
fire

718
00:30:49,860 --> 00:30:48,640
that would spread deep into the san

719
00:30:52,549 --> 00:30:49,870
gabriel mountains

720
00:30:54,789 --> 00:30:52,559
[Music]

721
00:30:56,389 --> 00:30:54,799
in winter there was no heat and rain

722
00:30:57,750 --> 00:30:56,399
rushing down from the mountains would

723
00:31:02,830 --> 00:30:57,760
flood the arroyo

724
00:31:09,190 --> 00:31:04,549
encampment

725
00:31:12,310 --> 00:31:11,110
one day when molina showed up for work

726
00:31:14,310 --> 00:31:12,320
wearing a suit

727
00:31:16,830 --> 00:31:14,320
a worker made a fashion statement by

728
00:31:19,990 --> 00:31:16,840
taking scissors and cutting his tie in

729
00:31:23,430 --> 00:31:22,710
on a more serious occasion a distraught

730
00:31:25,590 --> 00:31:23,440
employee

731
00:31:28,789 --> 00:31:25,600
fed up with growing bureaucracy

732
00:31:31,269 --> 00:31:28,799
threatened molina with an axe

733
00:31:32,070 --> 00:31:31,279
they're starting under very primitive

734
00:31:35,669 --> 00:31:32,080
conditions

735
00:31:38,870 --> 00:31:35,679
here so tension is bound to flare

736
00:31:40,470 --> 00:31:38,880
attracting people to the early jpo was

737
00:31:43,669 --> 00:31:40,480
not so easy

738
00:31:45,909 --> 00:31:43,679
because rocketry still had that taint of

739
00:31:47,190 --> 00:31:45,919
not being quite respectable it wasn't

740
00:31:49,430 --> 00:31:47,200
clear where it was going

741
00:31:50,710 --> 00:31:49,440
was there a future and so it took a lot

742
00:31:53,669 --> 00:31:50,720
of persuasion

743
00:31:54,549 --> 00:31:53,679
to get people to be involved at that

744
00:31:56,230 --> 00:31:54,559
point

745
00:31:59,669 --> 00:31:56,240
you're really making a bet on your

746
00:32:04,470 --> 00:32:02,230
one phd recruit arrived at the site

747
00:32:05,430 --> 00:32:04,480
after a bumpy ride in on the dirt road

748
00:32:09,430 --> 00:32:05,440
and uttered

749
00:32:12,389 --> 00:32:09,440
my god what have i gotten into

750
00:32:13,590 --> 00:32:12,399
but the work went on the team first

751
00:32:17,269 --> 00:32:13,600
intended to build

752
00:32:19,269 --> 00:32:17,279
a solid rocket so many explosives

753
00:32:21,509 --> 00:32:19,279
experts believe we were embarking on a

754
00:32:24,389 --> 00:32:21,519
wild goose chase

755
00:32:26,789 --> 00:32:24,399
i remember well the repeated and

756
00:32:30,070 --> 00:32:26,799
occasionally unnerving explosion

757
00:32:31,750 --> 00:32:30,080
of parsons rockets i began to wonder

758
00:32:34,630 --> 00:32:31,760
whether our original idea

759
00:32:43,190 --> 00:32:34,640
was practical and i continue to listen

760
00:32:45,190 --> 00:32:43,200
to more explosions

761
00:32:47,350 --> 00:32:45,200
by now the government had decided that

762
00:32:49,190 --> 00:32:47,360
the work was to be classified

763
00:32:51,110 --> 00:32:49,200
there would be security checks made on

764
00:32:53,190 --> 00:32:51,120
everyone and chen

765
00:32:54,310 --> 00:32:53,200
a foreign national was refused a

766
00:32:57,590 --> 00:32:54,320
clearance

767
00:33:00,230 --> 00:32:57,600
a decision that left molina fuming

768
00:33:02,470 --> 00:33:00,240
this secret business is very childish

769
00:33:04,789 --> 00:33:02,480
everything now is very confidential and

770
00:33:09,430 --> 00:33:04,799
we have to suspect spies under every

771
00:33:14,630 --> 00:33:12,950
but the war was nearing in early 1941

772
00:33:16,310 --> 00:33:14,640
an intelligence report warned that

773
00:33:18,149 --> 00:33:16,320
germany was also trying to lift

774
00:33:19,509 --> 00:33:18,159
airplanes off the ground by using

775
00:33:21,350 --> 00:33:19,519
rockets

776
00:33:25,970 --> 00:33:21,360
the news further underscored the

777
00:33:29,350 --> 00:33:27,669
[Music]

778
00:33:33,350 --> 00:33:29,360
in august they believed they were ready

779
00:33:36,870 --> 00:33:35,430
their modest plan called for mounting

780
00:33:40,070 --> 00:33:36,880
six canisters called

781
00:33:43,230 --> 00:33:40,080
jet assisted takeoff rockets or jatos

782
00:33:45,830 --> 00:33:43,240
to the smallest plane they could find a

783
00:33:50,549 --> 00:33:45,840
753 pound aircraft called

784
00:33:54,870 --> 00:33:52,789
one of von carmen's graduate students

785
00:33:58,149 --> 00:33:54,880
army lieutenant homer boucher

786
00:34:00,710 --> 00:33:58,159
volunteered to be the pilot

787
00:34:02,630 --> 00:34:00,720
a week or so before the flight boucher

788
00:34:05,990 --> 00:34:02,640
came down to the arroyo seco

789
00:34:08,230 --> 00:34:06,000
to see how the rockets were working

790
00:34:09,750 --> 00:34:08,240
parsons had set up a packet of rockets

791
00:34:13,589 --> 00:34:09,760
which simulated the rack

792
00:34:16,869 --> 00:34:15,510
as the group gathered to watch from a

793
00:34:19,190 --> 00:34:16,879
safe vantage point

794
00:34:21,790 --> 00:34:19,200
he ran through a brief countdown and

795
00:34:24,389 --> 00:34:21,800
pushed the firing button

796
00:34:25,349 --> 00:34:24,399
explosions occurred like on the 4th of

797
00:34:28,629 --> 00:34:25,359
july

798
00:34:31,990 --> 00:34:28,639
and nozzles flew off in all directions

799
00:34:36,310 --> 00:34:34,310
parsons came to realize the longer the

800
00:34:37,750 --> 00:34:36,320
rockets were stored the greater the odds

801
00:34:39,490 --> 00:34:37,760
of an explosion

802
00:34:42,869 --> 00:34:39,500
but no one knew why

803
00:34:44,710 --> 00:34:42,879
[Music]

804
00:34:46,829 --> 00:34:44,720
the first static rocket test was

805
00:34:50,149 --> 00:34:46,839
conducted with the plane secured to the

806
00:34:55,829 --> 00:34:52,389
a nozzle on one of the jatos blew off

807
00:34:58,710 --> 00:34:55,839
tearing a hole in the tail of the plane

808
00:35:01,030 --> 00:34:58,720
at least one of the rocketeers joked it

809
00:35:03,910 --> 00:35:01,040
isn't a big hole

810
00:35:05,190 --> 00:35:03,920
i must express my admiration for

811
00:35:08,150 --> 00:35:05,200
boucher's courage

812
00:35:08,870 --> 00:35:08,160
and faith for he did not give up his

813
00:35:11,990 --> 00:35:08,880
agreement

814
00:35:13,670 --> 00:35:12,000
to go ahead with the tests there's a

815
00:35:16,790 --> 00:35:13,680
certain amount of gallows humor

816
00:35:18,550 --> 00:35:16,800
about all this looking at the small hole

817
00:35:20,630 --> 00:35:18,560
and fuselage

818
00:35:21,750 --> 00:35:20,640
for one of the tests they take off the

819
00:35:23,510 --> 00:35:21,760
propeller

820
00:35:24,870 --> 00:35:23,520
paste one of the safety posters that was

821
00:35:27,510 --> 00:35:24,880
around during the war

822
00:35:29,190 --> 00:35:27,520
over where the propeller had been i

823
00:35:30,710 --> 00:35:29,200
think there is always a sense that

824
00:35:33,150 --> 00:35:30,720
you're living on the edge

825
00:35:37,750 --> 00:35:33,160
a bit in these situations

826
00:35:42,829 --> 00:35:40,870
a few days later on august 12 1941

827
00:35:43,990 --> 00:35:42,839
with carmen and molina overseeing

828
00:35:46,150 --> 00:35:44,000
preparations

829
00:35:49,750 --> 00:35:46,160
six freshly made jatos were mounted

830
00:35:51,910 --> 00:35:49,760
underneath the wings of the light plane

831
00:35:53,190 --> 00:35:51,920
as bouchet climbed into the air coop

832
00:35:55,910 --> 00:35:53,200
that day

833
00:35:56,470 --> 00:35:55,920
i am sure we all shared a certain tingle

834
00:35:59,750 --> 00:35:56,480
of

835
00:36:01,990 --> 00:35:59,760
mounting excitement we knew that this

836
00:36:04,950 --> 00:36:02,000
test was vital to convince the air corps

837
00:36:07,349 --> 00:36:04,960
that our rockets worked

838
00:36:10,150 --> 00:36:07,359
but were there any other unknowns that

839
00:36:11,910 --> 00:36:10,160
we hadn't considered

840
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:11,920
would there be troubles with the

841
00:36:15,090 --> 00:36:21,030
[Music]

842
00:36:24,470 --> 00:36:23,109
as the plane rolled down the field and

843
00:36:27,829 --> 00:36:24,480
gathered momentum

844
00:36:31,589 --> 00:36:27,839
he kicked the ignition switch

845
00:36:33,990 --> 00:36:31,599
smoke billowed out as the rocket ignited

846
00:36:38,790 --> 00:36:34,000
the plane shot off as if released from a

847
00:36:44,470 --> 00:36:41,109
none of us had ever seen a plane climb

848
00:36:46,950 --> 00:36:44,480
at such a steep angle

849
00:36:48,710 --> 00:36:46,960
to emphasize the achievement they rolled

850
00:36:51,430 --> 00:36:48,720
the film camera again

851
00:36:53,349 --> 00:36:51,440
and had two planes take to the skies one

852
00:36:56,790 --> 00:36:53,359
powered by jato rockets

853
00:36:58,550 --> 00:36:56,800
the other only propeller driven

854
00:37:00,390 --> 00:36:58,560
the strapped on jatos had cut the

855
00:37:04,550 --> 00:37:00,400
distance needed to take to the air

856
00:37:06,870 --> 00:37:04,560
almost in half the team was ecstatic

857
00:37:09,510 --> 00:37:06,880
but because the work was now classified

858
00:37:11,109 --> 00:37:09,520
there were no public celebrations

859
00:37:13,990 --> 00:37:11,119
molina could only hint of the

860
00:37:15,990 --> 00:37:14,000
accomplishment in a letter home

861
00:37:18,390 --> 00:37:16,000
we have had success this week with our

862
00:37:20,069 --> 00:37:18,400
rocket project that exceeded our highest

863
00:37:25,670 --> 00:37:20,079
expectation

864
00:37:30,550 --> 00:37:28,550
the flight test was a major step forward

865
00:37:34,069 --> 00:37:30,560
but the problem of the short shelf life

866
00:37:35,829 --> 00:37:34,079
of the fuel continued to hamper them

867
00:37:37,910 --> 00:37:35,839
after a few days of storage the

868
00:37:40,230 --> 00:37:37,920
canisters were more likely to explode

869
00:37:42,870 --> 00:37:40,240
than fire off

870
00:37:44,550 --> 00:37:42,880
but in a moment of insight parsons

871
00:37:46,470 --> 00:37:44,560
tossed out some of the traditional

872
00:37:48,790 --> 00:37:46,480
ingredients of black powder

873
00:37:50,150 --> 00:37:48,800
in favor of an unusual combination of

874
00:37:53,109 --> 00:37:50,160
asphalt and potassium

875
00:37:54,470 --> 00:37:53,119
perchlorate the storage problem was

876
00:37:57,270 --> 00:37:54,480
solved

877
00:37:58,630 --> 00:37:57,280
jack parsons solid fuel concoction would

878
00:38:01,270 --> 00:37:58,640
prove to be one of the most

879
00:38:07,260 --> 00:38:01,280
important rocket science advances of the

880
00:38:07,270 --> 00:38:16,950
[Music]

881
00:38:24,390 --> 00:38:21,190
witnessed this morning's a distant view

882
00:38:27,589 --> 00:38:24,400
a brief people battle off pearl harbor

883
00:38:33,430 --> 00:38:27,599
and a severe bombing of pearl harbor by

884
00:38:35,750 --> 00:38:33,440
enemy planes undoubtedly japanese

885
00:38:36,950 --> 00:38:35,760
dear folks we got up this morning and

886
00:38:39,270 --> 00:38:36,960
turned on the radio

887
00:38:41,430 --> 00:38:39,280
to listen to the symphony concert

888
00:38:43,510 --> 00:38:41,440
instead we heard the first news of the

889
00:38:47,270 --> 00:38:43,520
attack on hawaii and manila by the

890
00:38:50,150 --> 00:38:47,280
japanese fascists

891
00:38:53,990 --> 00:38:50,160
that morning is etched in your mind you

892
00:38:57,349 --> 00:38:56,390
frank was sitting in the one arm chair

893
00:38:59,750 --> 00:38:57,359
in the living room

894
00:39:00,950 --> 00:38:59,760
that we had he was looking at some

895
00:39:04,470 --> 00:39:00,960
papers

896
00:39:06,310 --> 00:39:04,480
and i was on the floor kind of leaning

897
00:39:09,829 --> 00:39:06,320
against the chair

898
00:39:11,910 --> 00:39:09,839
with the newspaper when this came on

899
00:39:14,630 --> 00:39:11,920
the announcement that pearl harbor had

900
00:39:17,910 --> 00:39:14,640
been attacked

901
00:39:21,750 --> 00:39:17,920
that's where we were and of course

902
00:39:25,990 --> 00:39:23,829
here in southern california all

903
00:39:28,470 --> 00:39:26,000
servicemen are called from leads

904
00:39:29,430 --> 00:39:28,480
the police and firemen air raid

905
00:39:32,550 --> 00:39:29,440
personnel

906
00:39:34,150 --> 00:39:32,560
are all called to their posts the whole

907
00:39:40,230 --> 00:39:34,160
state of affairs seems

908
00:39:44,790 --> 00:39:42,230
with the united states entry into world

909
00:39:45,750 --> 00:39:44,800
war ii the work of the rocketeers took

910
00:39:47,670 --> 00:39:45,760
on a wartime

911
00:39:52,150 --> 00:39:47,680
urgency and they were given new

912
00:40:05,430 --> 00:39:54,069
the team was now experimenting with

913
00:40:09,750 --> 00:40:07,349
in charge of that effort was martin

914
00:40:11,030 --> 00:40:09,760
summerfield molina's former caltech

915
00:40:12,870 --> 00:40:11,040
roommate

916
00:40:15,430 --> 00:40:12,880
summerfield was given what seemed an

917
00:40:17,109 --> 00:40:15,440
impossible assignment

918
00:40:19,190 --> 00:40:17,119
building a rocket engine that could

919
00:40:20,550 --> 00:40:19,200
deliver a thousand pounds of thrust for

920
00:40:22,630 --> 00:40:20,560
at least a minute

921
00:40:25,270 --> 00:40:22,640
enough to help lift a twenty thousand

922
00:40:27,349 --> 00:40:25,280
pound bomber into the sky

923
00:40:29,430 --> 00:40:27,359
some speculated it would require an

924
00:40:31,349 --> 00:40:29,440
engine the size of a house

925
00:40:32,950 --> 00:40:31,359
but summerfield went to work designing

926
00:40:36,390 --> 00:40:32,960
an engine employing a small

927
00:40:41,349 --> 00:40:39,349
by april of 1942 the problem seemed to

928
00:40:43,270 --> 00:40:41,359
have been solved as a bomber called the

929
00:40:58,069 --> 00:40:43,280
havoc was pulled out of the hangar

930
00:41:01,750 --> 00:40:59,990
given the possibility of an explosion

931
00:41:03,270 --> 00:41:01,760
that would ignite the liquid propellants

932
00:41:05,910 --> 00:41:03,280
and doom the plane

933
00:41:06,950 --> 00:41:05,920
only two men were allowed on board the

934
00:41:08,790 --> 00:41:06,960
pilot

935
00:41:25,860 --> 00:41:08,800
and an operator stationed in the rear

936
00:41:25,870 --> 00:41:34,630
[Music]

937
00:41:38,790 --> 00:41:37,349
the entire team including von carmen

938
00:41:41,109 --> 00:41:38,800
molina and parsons

939
00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:41,119
stood and watched as the bomber taxied

940
00:41:50,790 --> 00:41:48,770
into position for takeoff

941
00:41:53,349 --> 00:41:50,800
[Music]

942
00:41:54,309 --> 00:41:53,359
the engines revved up the rockets

943
00:41:56,870 --> 00:41:54,319
ignited

944
00:41:57,750 --> 00:41:56,880
and suddenly the bomber took off with a

945
00:42:00,630 --> 00:41:57,760
roar

946
00:42:01,270 --> 00:42:00,640
almost straight up as smoke billowed

947
00:42:03,670 --> 00:42:01,280
forth

948
00:42:04,550 --> 00:42:03,680
the plane continued to rise as though

949
00:42:07,910 --> 00:42:04,560
scooped up

950
00:42:09,030 --> 00:42:07,920
by a sudden draft it was a wonderful

951
00:42:12,150 --> 00:42:09,040
sight

952
00:42:16,150 --> 00:42:12,160
and the beginning of practical rocketry

953
00:42:18,150 --> 00:42:16,160
in the united states

954
00:42:20,309 --> 00:42:18,160
was as excited as von carmen with the

955
00:42:25,109 --> 00:42:20,319
test and rushed out to congratulate the

956
00:42:30,390 --> 00:42:27,270
soon afterwards he shared with his wife

957
00:42:32,790 --> 00:42:30,400
his pride in the accomplishment

958
00:42:34,710 --> 00:42:32,800
i have not written to you for some time

959
00:42:35,510 --> 00:42:34,720
mainly because of the pressure of work

960
00:42:39,030 --> 00:42:35,520
during the past

961
00:42:40,870 --> 00:42:39,040
hectic two weeks the most important fact

962
00:42:43,589 --> 00:42:40,880
is that this weekend the outlook for the

963
00:42:45,829 --> 00:42:43,599
future is the brightest it has ever been

964
00:42:47,349 --> 00:42:45,839
we have something that really works and

965
00:42:53,510 --> 00:42:47,359
we should be able to help give the

966
00:42:59,030 --> 00:42:56,710
perhaps anticipating success just a few

967
00:43:01,430 --> 00:42:59,040
days before the first bomber test flight

968
00:43:04,309 --> 00:43:01,440
molina came forth with a decidedly

969
00:43:07,109 --> 00:43:04,319
capitalist proposal

970
00:43:09,270 --> 00:43:07,119
with the rocket work expanding why not

971
00:43:11,670 --> 00:43:09,280
molina proposed to the core team

972
00:43:13,030 --> 00:43:11,680
incorporate and sell mass-produced

973
00:43:16,630 --> 00:43:13,040
versions of their rocket

974
00:43:21,430 --> 00:43:19,030
von carmen agreed and he was immediately

975
00:43:25,829 --> 00:43:21,440
named president of a company they named

976
00:43:28,069 --> 00:43:25,839
aerojet parsons foreman and summerfield

977
00:43:30,150 --> 00:43:28,079
were made vice presidents

978
00:43:31,829 --> 00:43:30,160
molina was put in charge of managing the

979
00:43:34,470 --> 00:43:31,839
money for what looked to be

980
00:43:35,910 --> 00:43:34,480
a fly-by-night seat of your pants

981
00:43:37,589 --> 00:43:35,920
operation

982
00:43:39,270 --> 00:43:37,599
i have been running around like a

983
00:43:41,589 --> 00:43:39,280
chicken with its head cut off

984
00:43:43,670 --> 00:43:41,599
everything is going so fast around me

985
00:43:45,750 --> 00:43:43,680
that it's bewildering

986
00:43:48,470 --> 00:43:45,760
the company will either be a wonderful

987
00:43:51,750 --> 00:43:48,480
success or a glorious flop

988
00:43:52,950 --> 00:43:51,760
there won't be any in between the lines

989
00:43:55,990 --> 00:43:52,960
of authority between

990
00:43:58,069 --> 00:43:56,000
aerojet and caltech were vague but no

991
00:43:59,829 --> 00:43:58,079
one had the time to worry about overlaps

992
00:44:01,670 --> 00:43:59,839
in wartime

993
00:44:02,870 --> 00:44:01,680
parsons and foreman moved over to the

994
00:44:05,109 --> 00:44:02,880
new company

995
00:44:06,829 --> 00:44:05,119
von carmen who was officially in charge

996
00:44:09,589 --> 00:44:06,839
was spending more of his time in

997
00:44:12,470 --> 00:44:09,599
washington which left molina to run both

998
00:44:14,550 --> 00:44:12,480
operations he found running a growing

999
00:44:15,270 --> 00:44:14,560
business and dealing with government red

1000
00:44:18,550 --> 00:44:15,280
tape

1001
00:44:19,109 --> 00:44:18,560
not to his liking we have come across

1002
00:44:22,309 --> 00:44:19,119
the most

1003
00:44:24,390 --> 00:44:22,319
foolishness incompetence helplessness

1004
00:44:26,069 --> 00:44:24,400
ignorance and stubbornness that you can

1005
00:44:28,950 --> 00:44:26,079
possibly imagine

1006
00:44:30,630 --> 00:44:28,960
what a mess we ran into i have lost my

1007
00:44:34,150 --> 00:44:30,640
temper so many times that

1008
00:44:35,270 --> 00:44:34,160
i have no temper left there were other

1009
00:44:37,109 --> 00:44:35,280
problems

1010
00:44:39,270 --> 00:44:37,119
parsons interest in the occult was

1011
00:44:41,670 --> 00:44:39,280
deepening and rumors of his activities

1012
00:44:44,069 --> 00:44:41,680
were spreading to the press

1013
00:44:45,510 --> 00:44:44,079
molina's wife lillian became so alarmed

1014
00:44:47,589 --> 00:44:45,520
that she wrote to her husband

1015
00:44:50,870 --> 00:44:47,599
warning of the dangers of continuing to

1016
00:44:52,790 --> 00:44:50,880
associate with parsons dear frank

1017
00:44:54,550 --> 00:44:52,800
the most disconcerting thing i've heard

1018
00:44:57,430 --> 00:44:54,560
this week is a story concerning

1019
00:44:59,270 --> 00:44:57,440
friend parsons it seems that certain

1020
00:45:00,790 --> 00:44:59,280
people are not taking his cult as

1021
00:45:03,109 --> 00:45:00,800
lightly as you are

1022
00:45:04,630 --> 00:45:03,119
the story goes further in as much as the

1023
00:45:06,069 --> 00:45:04,640
fbi is on their trail

1024
00:45:07,829 --> 00:45:06,079
because they are sure there is some

1025
00:45:11,589 --> 00:45:07,839
honest-to-god leak in the whole

1026
00:45:13,910 --> 00:45:11,599
organization i think you and anyone else

1027
00:45:19,430 --> 00:45:13,920
in erijet who is not of their ilk

1028
00:45:21,430 --> 00:45:19,440
is in serious danger lillian

1029
00:45:23,910 --> 00:45:21,440
i think that the suicide squad was a

1030
00:45:26,390 --> 00:45:23,920
pretty strange group of characters

1031
00:45:27,109 --> 00:45:26,400
i assumed that as the war effort started

1032
00:45:29,270 --> 00:45:27,119
wrapping up

1033
00:45:30,390 --> 00:45:29,280
files on all these people right and

1034
00:45:32,630 --> 00:45:30,400
anybody that

1035
00:45:34,069 --> 00:45:32,640
that started having a profile that was a

1036
00:45:36,470 --> 00:45:34,079
little bit strange

1037
00:45:38,150 --> 00:45:36,480
they would have started investigating

1038
00:45:38,950 --> 00:45:38,160
persons file must have been really

1039
00:45:40,390 --> 00:45:38,960
interesting

1040
00:45:42,309 --> 00:45:40,400
i mean they were busy looking at the

1041
00:45:43,829 --> 00:45:42,319
parties he was holding trying to figure

1042
00:45:45,829 --> 00:45:43,839
out what was going on there

1043
00:45:47,430 --> 00:45:45,839
and certainly you know given my father's

1044
00:45:48,950 --> 00:45:47,440
situation

1045
00:45:51,349 --> 00:45:48,960
very quickly he must have gotten a lot

1046
00:45:53,990 --> 00:45:51,359
of attention

1047
00:45:56,630 --> 00:45:54,000
molina had no way of knowing it but his

1048
00:45:58,550 --> 00:45:56,640
political activities in the late 1930s

1049
00:46:00,230 --> 00:45:58,560
had come to the personal attention of

1050
00:46:03,270 --> 00:46:00,240
the fbi's director

1051
00:46:05,589 --> 00:46:03,280
j edgar hoover

1052
00:46:06,870 --> 00:46:05,599
hoover convinced molina was a member of

1053
00:46:08,950 --> 00:46:06,880
the communist party

1054
00:46:12,230 --> 00:46:08,960
based on the report of an informant

1055
00:46:14,870 --> 00:46:12,240
ordered his agents to find the proof

1056
00:46:16,309 --> 00:46:14,880
a review of the report fails to reflect

1057
00:46:18,230 --> 00:46:16,319
definite information

1058
00:46:19,589 --> 00:46:18,240
that the subject is a member of the

1059
00:46:21,990 --> 00:46:19,599
communist party

1060
00:46:23,510 --> 00:46:22,000
it is suggested that further efforts be

1061
00:46:25,990 --> 00:46:23,520
made by your office

1062
00:46:27,750 --> 00:46:26,000
to determine whether subject is actually

1063
00:46:29,829 --> 00:46:27,760
a communist party member

1064
00:46:31,910 --> 00:46:29,839
in order that additional consideration

1065
00:46:35,120 --> 00:46:31,920
may be given to the preparation

1066
00:46:37,349 --> 00:46:35,130
of a security index card concerning him

1067
00:46:40,390 --> 00:46:37,359
[Music]

1068
00:46:41,990 --> 00:46:40,400
what's now known from released fbi files

1069
00:46:45,109 --> 00:46:42,000
is that molina had been of interest

1070
00:46:47,270 --> 00:46:45,119
to the bureau as early as 1942

1071
00:46:50,150 --> 00:46:47,280
with a dozen informants having provided

1072
00:46:51,829 --> 00:46:50,160
information about him

1073
00:46:53,589 --> 00:46:51,839
one of them told of molina having

1074
00:46:55,589 --> 00:46:53,599
attended and hosted

1075
00:46:57,430 --> 00:46:55,599
communist party meetings prior to

1076
00:47:02,390 --> 00:46:57,440
america's entry into world war

1077
00:47:04,630 --> 00:47:02,400
ii after two years of investigative work

1078
00:47:06,390 --> 00:47:04,640
the fbi's los angeles office reported

1079
00:47:08,550 --> 00:47:06,400
back to a disappointed hoover

1080
00:47:10,230 --> 00:47:08,560
that their investigation failed to

1081
00:47:13,190 --> 00:47:10,240
indicate that molina was

1082
00:47:15,270 --> 00:47:13,200
actually a member of the communist party

1083
00:47:17,510 --> 00:47:15,280
the memo went on to recommend molina

1084
00:47:18,790 --> 00:47:17,520
not be placed on a list of security

1085
00:47:20,950 --> 00:47:18,800
risks

1086
00:47:22,069 --> 00:47:20,960
there the matter rested but was not

1087
00:47:24,230 --> 00:47:22,079
forgotten

1088
00:47:25,990 --> 00:47:24,240
whatever suspicions the fbi may have had

1089
00:47:28,710 --> 00:47:26,000
about molina and others

1090
00:47:30,470 --> 00:47:28,720
they did not act upon them for when top

1091
00:47:32,390 --> 00:47:30,480
secret reports arrived with the news

1092
00:47:33,430 --> 00:47:32,400
that the nazis were building ballistic

1093
00:47:35,109 --> 00:47:33,440
missiles

1094
00:47:37,030 --> 00:47:35,119
the talents of the rocketeers were

1095
00:47:39,910 --> 00:47:37,040
needed more than ever

1096
00:47:53,430 --> 00:47:39,920
the world's first missile arms race was

1097
00:47:57,270 --> 00:47:53,440
about to get underway

1098
00:48:00,390 --> 00:47:57,280
in july of 1943 theodore von carmen was

1099
00:48:02,150 --> 00:48:00,400
shown a series of top-secret photographs

1100
00:48:04,309 --> 00:48:02,160
they were pictures of what looked like

1101
00:48:06,549 --> 00:48:04,319
ramps being constructed off the coast of

1102
00:48:08,950 --> 00:48:06,559
german-occupied france

1103
00:48:11,270 --> 00:48:08,960
what the army wanted to know could they

1104
00:48:15,190 --> 00:48:14,069
when carmen gets some super secret

1105
00:48:17,910 --> 00:48:15,200
photographs

1106
00:48:18,710 --> 00:48:17,920
probably through cap arnold what looked

1107
00:48:21,990 --> 00:48:18,720
like these

1108
00:48:23,270 --> 00:48:22,000
giant ski slopes and they want to know

1109
00:48:25,910 --> 00:48:23,280
what's going on here

1110
00:48:27,510 --> 00:48:25,920
what does this look like to you when

1111
00:48:30,710 --> 00:48:27,520
carmen analyzes it

1112
00:48:32,790 --> 00:48:30,720
and decides that

1113
00:48:45,349 --> 00:48:32,800
probably the germans have a rocket

1114
00:48:51,270 --> 00:48:48,790
the v-1 the v stood for vengeance weapon

1115
00:48:54,470 --> 00:48:51,280
was an early cruise missile first used

1116
00:48:57,190 --> 00:48:54,480
in june 1944

1117
00:48:59,490 --> 00:48:57,200
over 8 000 of these subsonic buzz bombs

1118
00:49:00,829 --> 00:48:59,500
were launched against england and

1119
00:49:04,309 --> 00:49:00,839
[Music]

1120
00:49:07,510 --> 00:49:06,549
but even more alarming reports began to

1121
00:49:09,270 --> 00:49:07,520
arrive

1122
00:49:11,430 --> 00:49:09,280
all pointing to a rocket far

1123
00:49:13,349 --> 00:49:11,440
outstripping anything being undertaken

1124
00:49:16,309 --> 00:49:13,359
by the allies

1125
00:49:23,750 --> 00:49:16,319
it was the v2 the world's first

1126
00:49:27,829 --> 00:49:26,790
flying at supersonic speeds the v-2 gave

1127
00:49:30,390 --> 00:49:27,839
no warning

1128
00:49:32,630 --> 00:49:30,400
was invulnerable to counter-attack and

1129
00:49:36,460 --> 00:49:32,640
could take out an entire city block

1130
00:49:41,430 --> 00:49:38,390
[Music]

1131
00:49:43,589 --> 00:49:41,440
the u.s army wanted its own v-2

1132
00:49:45,270 --> 00:49:43,599
and looked to the pasadena rocketeers to

1133
00:49:47,430 --> 00:49:45,280
deliver it

1134
00:49:51,990 --> 00:49:47,440
frank molina was given the assignment of

1135
00:49:55,910 --> 00:49:54,710
we may have a big blank canvas facing us

1136
00:49:57,750 --> 00:49:55,920
in research

1137
00:49:59,750 --> 00:49:57,760
since there is a probability that the

1138
00:50:00,790 --> 00:49:59,760
new program from washington will come

1139
00:50:02,710 --> 00:50:00,800
through

1140
00:50:04,230 --> 00:50:02,720
i feel a little frightened in tackling

1141
00:50:07,589 --> 00:50:04,240
such a big job

1142
00:50:10,069 --> 00:50:07,599
and dr von carmen is also hesitant

1143
00:50:11,109 --> 00:50:10,079
no final decisions have been made so

1144
00:50:12,710 --> 00:50:11,119
that i do not know

1145
00:50:14,470 --> 00:50:12,720
exactly where we stand

1146
00:50:16,630 --> 00:50:14,480
[Music]

1147
00:50:17,750 --> 00:50:16,640
molina quickly turned to his caltech

1148
00:50:20,549 --> 00:50:17,760
colleague shui

1149
00:50:22,230 --> 00:50:20,559
shin chen in the past chen had been

1150
00:50:24,150 --> 00:50:22,240
excluded from working on secret

1151
00:50:25,349 --> 00:50:24,160
government projects due to his foreign

1152
00:50:27,349 --> 00:50:25,359
status

1153
00:50:29,430 --> 00:50:27,359
but that concern was discarded given the

1154
00:50:33,430 --> 00:50:29,440
news of the v2 and the need for his

1155
00:50:36,950 --> 00:50:35,670
the proposal written by molina and tien

1156
00:50:39,510 --> 00:50:36,960
with von carmen's name

1157
00:50:42,549 --> 00:50:39,520
prominently attached called for a crash

1158
00:50:45,910 --> 00:50:42,559
american rocket program

1159
00:50:47,030 --> 00:50:45,920
issued on november 20th 1943 the report

1160
00:50:50,870 --> 00:50:47,040
carried the name of

1161
00:50:53,430 --> 00:50:50,880
jpl one the first time the words jet

1162
00:50:55,650 --> 00:50:53,440
propulsion laboratory were ever used in

1163
00:50:56,950 --> 00:50:55,660
combination

1164
00:50:59,190 --> 00:50:56,960
[Music]

1165
00:51:01,109 --> 00:50:59,200
the plan was quickly accepted and

1166
00:51:02,470 --> 00:51:01,119
suddenly millions of dollars were made

1167
00:51:07,030 --> 00:51:02,480
available to the one-time

1168
00:51:10,950 --> 00:51:09,510
but rather than rejoicing frank molina

1169
00:51:14,230 --> 00:51:10,960
was having misgivings

1170
00:51:15,910 --> 00:51:14,240
that he shared with his wife dearest

1171
00:51:17,990 --> 00:51:15,920
sweetheart

1172
00:51:19,750 --> 00:51:18,000
the past few days i have been thinking

1173
00:51:21,990 --> 00:51:19,760
about the future

1174
00:51:23,190 --> 00:51:22,000
trying to formulate a post-war plan for

1175
00:51:25,990 --> 00:51:23,200
myself

1176
00:51:27,349 --> 00:51:26,000
and dreaming about the two of us i have

1177
00:51:29,430 --> 00:51:27,359
learned on this trip

1178
00:51:31,190 --> 00:51:29,440
that the culmination of my efforts with

1179
00:51:33,109 --> 00:51:31,200
many others in pasadena

1180
00:51:34,829 --> 00:51:33,119
will probably be a permanent jet

1181
00:51:38,069 --> 00:51:34,839
propulsion laboratory at cal

1182
00:51:39,190 --> 00:51:38,079
tech i still have a part to play mainly

1183
00:51:42,630 --> 00:51:39,200
at cal tech

1184
00:51:44,710 --> 00:51:42,640
in trying to start the jp lab on its way

1185
00:51:47,349 --> 00:51:44,720
then i'm going back to school for a year

1186
00:51:50,549 --> 00:51:47,359
or two to study human beings

1187
00:51:52,549 --> 00:51:50,559
their ways and how they live together i

1188
00:51:53,750 --> 00:51:52,559
am convinced that i must do something

1189
00:51:55,829 --> 00:51:53,760
like this

1190
00:51:57,670 --> 00:51:55,839
for i would rather be a failure in that

1191
00:52:00,309 --> 00:51:57,680
sphere of human endeavor

1192
00:52:01,109 --> 00:52:00,319
than a recognized success at the end of

1193
00:52:04,950 --> 00:52:01,119
my life

1194
00:52:07,190 --> 00:52:04,960
in the field i am now working in

1195
00:52:10,549 --> 00:52:07,200
i think it was very much on his mind

1196
00:52:13,910 --> 00:52:10,559
that all the work he was doing

1197
00:52:16,790 --> 00:52:13,920
was really for killing people

1198
00:52:17,990 --> 00:52:16,800
in the end that's what it was for he was

1199
00:52:21,030 --> 00:52:18,000
very disturbed about

1200
00:52:21,510 --> 00:52:21,040
that because he was a humanitarian i

1201
00:52:24,470 --> 00:52:21,520
mean

1202
00:52:25,349 --> 00:52:24,480
he was a great idealist i think and i

1203
00:52:28,870 --> 00:52:25,359
think he had

1204
00:52:31,430 --> 00:52:28,880
difficulty oh

1205
00:52:32,309 --> 00:52:31,440
how would i say matching his life with

1206
00:52:35,589 --> 00:52:32,319
what he

1207
00:52:38,309 --> 00:52:35,599
really thought life should be

1208
00:52:39,670 --> 00:52:38,319
so i would ask him but what can you do

1209
00:52:42,790 --> 00:52:39,680
what can we do about it

1210
00:52:44,630 --> 00:52:42,800
what do you have any ideas you can't

1211
00:52:45,990 --> 00:52:44,640
stop what you're doing he said no i

1212
00:52:48,630 --> 00:52:46,000
can't i have to go on

1213
00:52:50,390 --> 00:52:48,640
with this so i said so do it you know at

1214
00:52:51,589 --> 00:52:50,400
least that you're helping the war effort

1215
00:52:53,990 --> 00:52:51,599
this is

1216
00:52:54,870 --> 00:52:54,000
very worthwhile and we would leave it

1217
00:52:57,990 --> 00:52:54,880
like that

1218
00:53:00,069 --> 00:52:58,000
and he had made

1219
00:53:02,230 --> 00:53:00,079
his peace with i guess what he

1220
00:53:04,069 --> 00:53:02,240
considered a compromise that's all i can

1221
00:53:08,390 --> 00:53:04,079
say

1222
00:53:12,630 --> 00:53:10,230
molina who had been an officer in the

1223
00:53:15,030 --> 00:53:12,640
army reserve going back to his texas a

1224
00:53:17,270 --> 00:53:15,040
m days was sent to london and france to

1225
00:53:20,150 --> 00:53:17,280
witness firsthand the destructive power

1226
00:53:27,270 --> 00:53:21,990
and to see what might be gleaned from

1227
00:53:31,990 --> 00:53:29,750
sunday i got into uniform for the first

1228
00:53:34,710 --> 00:53:32,000
time in 10 years

1229
00:53:35,670 --> 00:53:34,720
i had to buy it here and considering

1230
00:53:39,190 --> 00:53:35,680
everything

1231
00:53:40,630 --> 00:53:39,200
it fits fairly well since i am here as a

1232
00:53:43,270 --> 00:53:40,640
technical representative

1233
00:53:44,069 --> 00:53:43,280
therefore wear no officer insignia but

1234
00:53:47,349 --> 00:53:44,079
do wear an

1235
00:53:49,349 --> 00:53:47,359
officer's uniform the gis have to salute

1236
00:53:52,790 --> 00:53:49,359
me when i pass them

1237
00:53:55,190 --> 00:53:52,800
some do some don't and some get their

1238
00:53:56,150 --> 00:53:55,200
arm halfway up before deciding against

1239
00:53:59,349 --> 00:53:56,160
it

1240
00:54:01,670 --> 00:53:59,359
i have had some good laughs

1241
00:54:02,870 --> 00:54:01,680
that was what he wrote to his parents

1242
00:54:06,309 --> 00:54:02,880
but to lillian

1243
00:54:10,630 --> 00:54:08,549
i still haven't been able to rid myself

1244
00:54:14,230 --> 00:54:10,640
of that subconscious feeling of

1245
00:54:16,870 --> 00:54:14,240
anticipating flying bombs or v2 rockets

1246
00:54:18,549 --> 00:54:16,880
sailing through the air one of them with

1247
00:54:21,109 --> 00:54:18,559
my number on it

1248
00:54:22,950 --> 00:54:21,119
i went to bed very early this evening

1249
00:54:26,150 --> 00:54:22,960
and i had a very vivid dream

1250
00:54:26,390 --> 00:54:26,160
just before midnight as you know there

1251
00:54:32,790 --> 00:54:26,400
is

1252
00:54:35,190 --> 00:54:32,800
of physical pain

1253
00:54:37,430 --> 00:54:35,200
not so much for myself but when it

1254
00:54:39,670 --> 00:54:37,440
happens to others

1255
00:54:43,190 --> 00:54:39,680
i know there must be some suppressed

1256
00:54:45,589 --> 00:54:43,200
fear that gives rise to these reactions

1257
00:54:47,270 --> 00:54:45,599
as i think back i am conscious of a

1258
00:54:49,190 --> 00:54:47,280
great fear of my father

1259
00:54:52,309 --> 00:54:49,200
who was very impatient with me if i

1260
00:54:54,630 --> 00:54:52,319
could not carry out his desires as you

1261
00:54:59,349 --> 00:54:54,640
know he was at one time a butcher

1262
00:55:02,630 --> 00:55:01,510
those were molina's tortured thoughts at

1263
00:55:04,390 --> 00:55:02,640
night

1264
00:55:06,549 --> 00:55:04,400
during the day he moved ahead with

1265
00:55:07,070 --> 00:55:06,559
creating a missile he was reluctant to

1266
00:55:08,309 --> 00:55:07,080
build

1267
00:55:10,870 --> 00:55:08,319
[Music]

1268
00:55:11,670 --> 00:55:10,880
he's constantly ringing his hands about

1269
00:55:14,069 --> 00:55:11,680
how

1270
00:55:15,270 --> 00:55:14,079
this is oh he just hates doing this and

1271
00:55:17,349 --> 00:55:15,280
and building things that are going to

1272
00:55:19,109 --> 00:55:17,359
kill people and break things

1273
00:55:20,549 --> 00:55:19,119
is not what he really wants to do and

1274
00:55:22,390 --> 00:55:20,559
it's not what he's about

1275
00:55:24,950 --> 00:55:22,400
and he always comes back at the end of

1276
00:55:27,910 --> 00:55:24,960
this after he has this soul-searching

1277
00:55:29,270 --> 00:55:27,920
exercise to say but you know we have to

1278
00:55:31,910 --> 00:55:29,280
defeat the nazis

1279
00:55:33,190 --> 00:55:31,920
we must win this war and if we don't

1280
00:55:38,549 --> 00:55:33,200
it's going to be in new

1281
00:55:43,670 --> 00:55:41,910
dear folks i got back to pasadena on a

1282
00:55:45,670 --> 00:55:43,680
b-17 bomber

1283
00:55:48,710 --> 00:55:45,680
i am gradually getting used to the

1284
00:55:49,589 --> 00:55:48,720
absence of explosions i will have a new

1285
00:55:51,750 --> 00:55:49,599
title

1286
00:55:56,470 --> 00:55:51,760
something like acting director of the

1287
00:56:01,510 --> 00:55:59,030
molina was by now managing an evolving

1288
00:56:04,310 --> 00:56:01,520
operation that had moved beyond jatos to

1289
00:56:04,320 --> 00:56:08,950
[Music]

1290
00:56:13,030 --> 00:56:11,510
the jplers named their first missile the

1291
00:56:15,190 --> 00:56:13,040
private a

1292
00:56:16,150 --> 00:56:15,200
the rocket's modest rank was fitting

1293
00:56:20,230 --> 00:56:16,160
given its small

1294
00:56:22,390 --> 00:56:20,240
size the engine was a jato

1295
00:56:24,300 --> 00:56:22,400
fitted with a cone head and four fins

1296
00:56:28,789 --> 00:56:24,310
serving as flight stabilizers

1297
00:56:31,190 --> 00:56:28,799
[Music]

1298
00:56:33,430 --> 00:56:31,200
to achieve liftoff the private required

1299
00:56:35,430 --> 00:56:33,440
a small launch tower with guide rails

1300
00:56:44,520 --> 00:56:35,440
and a booster stage containing four

1301
00:56:53,430 --> 00:56:44,530
smaller solid rockets

1302
00:56:56,309 --> 00:56:53,440
[Music]

1303
00:56:57,030 --> 00:56:56,319
the brainchild of molina and chen the

1304
00:56:59,270 --> 00:56:57,040
private a

1305
00:57:00,630 --> 00:56:59,280
exceeded their expectations by reaching

1306
00:57:03,150 --> 00:57:00,640
a flight distance of over

1307
00:57:04,470 --> 00:57:03,160
10 miles when first launched in december

1308
00:57:08,890 --> 00:57:04,480
1944

1309
00:57:12,950 --> 00:57:10,549
[Music]

1310
00:57:14,870 --> 00:57:12,960
emboldened by the private a's success

1311
00:57:17,670 --> 00:57:14,880
wings were added in hopes of increasing

1312
00:57:22,710 --> 00:57:17,680
the rockets range

1313
00:57:27,270 --> 00:57:25,190
the first of 17 rounds were shot off at

1314
00:57:28,190 --> 00:57:27,280
fort bliss texas beginning on april

1315
00:57:29,380 --> 00:57:28,200
fool's day

1316
00:57:32,630 --> 00:57:29,390
1945.

1317
00:57:34,549 --> 00:57:32,640
[Music]

1318
00:57:37,190 --> 00:57:34,559
the rockets blasted out of the launcher

1319
00:57:39,510 --> 00:57:37,200
as planned but then promptly corkscrewed

1320
00:57:42,150 --> 00:57:39,520
into the ground

1321
00:57:43,510 --> 00:57:42,160
the letter f the joke went stood for

1322
00:57:45,640 --> 00:57:43,520
either failure

1323
00:57:51,349 --> 00:57:45,650
or fiasco

1324
00:57:56,309 --> 00:57:53,030
locating the errant rockets in the

1325
00:57:58,470 --> 00:57:56,319
desert was an adventure of its own

1326
00:58:02,470 --> 00:57:58,480
given the truncated flight paths the

1327
00:58:07,670 --> 00:58:02,480
fuel was not always entirely consumed

1328
00:58:11,589 --> 00:58:09,589
the hunting expeditions included not

1329
00:58:13,589 --> 00:58:11,599
only tracking down the privates

1330
00:58:27,700 --> 00:58:13,599
but in a moment of levity captured on

1331
00:58:31,990 --> 00:58:29,270
[Music]

1332
00:58:32,950 --> 00:58:32,000
as the war was ending in europe theodore

1333
00:58:35,910 --> 00:58:32,960
von carmen

1334
00:58:37,589 --> 00:58:35,920
and shui shin chin also donned u.s

1335
00:58:39,670 --> 00:58:37,599
officer uniforms

1336
00:58:40,789 --> 00:58:39,680
von carmen was given the simulated rank

1337
00:58:43,829 --> 00:58:40,799
of a general

1338
00:58:45,829 --> 00:58:43,839
then a colonel they traveled to germany

1339
00:58:49,510 --> 00:58:45,839
to see firsthand the technologies of the

1340
00:58:53,750 --> 00:58:51,910
von carmen who had once lived studied

1341
00:58:59,990 --> 00:58:53,760
and worked in germany

1342
00:59:03,990 --> 00:59:02,789
i was deep in a country which i had once

1343
00:59:05,520 --> 00:59:04,000
believed was the fulcrum

1344
00:59:08,309 --> 00:59:05,530
of world science

1345
00:59:10,950 --> 00:59:08,319
[Music]

1346
00:59:11,670 --> 00:59:10,960
now it was rubble abandoned machinery

1347
00:59:13,670 --> 00:59:11,680
and dull

1348
00:59:16,950 --> 00:59:13,680
spiritless faces along the road

1349
00:59:25,990 --> 00:59:19,109
reminders of the deep tragedy that had

1350
00:59:30,870 --> 00:59:28,950
i thought to myself how much misery had

1351
00:59:33,190 --> 00:59:30,880
been brought to a highly civilized

1352
00:59:39,510 --> 00:59:33,200
people by stupidity

1353
00:59:44,150 --> 00:59:42,549
as the german army collapsed von karman

1354
00:59:45,829 --> 00:59:44,160
and chen fanned out in different

1355
00:59:47,589 --> 00:59:45,839
directions searching for german

1356
00:59:51,349 --> 00:59:47,599
engineers and scientists

1357
00:59:55,589 --> 00:59:53,109
von carmen found more than he had

1358
00:59:58,309 --> 00:59:55,599
bargained for

1359
00:59:59,990 --> 00:59:58,319
we went on to nordhausen which lies in

1360
01:00:02,470 --> 01:00:00,000
the hearts mountains

1361
01:00:04,150 --> 01:00:02,480
here work on v2 rockets had been carried

1362
01:00:05,990 --> 01:00:04,160
out

1363
01:00:07,829 --> 01:00:06,000
the visit proved to be one of the most

1364
01:00:11,030 --> 01:00:07,839
ghastly experiences i

1365
01:00:15,270 --> 01:00:12,870
the nazis had developed a fiendish

1366
01:00:22,230 --> 01:00:15,280
scheme of executing their prisoners

1367
01:00:24,760 --> 01:00:23,990
this was the most horrible thing i had

1368
01:00:27,270 --> 01:00:24,770
yet heard of

1369
01:00:29,829 --> 01:00:27,280
[Music]

1370
01:00:33,990 --> 01:00:29,839
a perversion of science beyond anyone's

1371
01:00:37,190 --> 01:00:36,069
twenty thousand inmates died at

1372
01:00:40,829 --> 01:00:37,200
nordhausen

1373
01:00:43,910 --> 01:00:40,839
from starvation and being worked to

1374
01:00:49,030 --> 01:00:46,390
the v2 was the creation of nazi party

1375
01:00:51,109 --> 01:00:49,040
member werner von braun

1376
01:00:53,430 --> 01:00:51,119
von braun was not responsible for the

1377
01:00:56,549 --> 01:00:53,440
nordhausen facility where his v2 was

1378
01:00:58,789 --> 01:00:56,559
mass produced by slave labor but he knew

1379
01:01:01,430 --> 01:00:58,799
what took place there

1380
01:01:02,549 --> 01:01:01,440
at the war's end in europe von braun and

1381
01:01:05,190 --> 01:01:02,559
members of his team

1382
01:01:07,910 --> 01:01:05,200
surrendered to the american army jen was

1383
01:01:10,230 --> 01:01:07,920
among the first to interrogate him

1384
01:01:12,710 --> 01:01:10,240
eventually the army secretly moved these

1385
01:01:14,390 --> 01:01:12,720
spoils of war to the united states

1386
01:01:16,870 --> 01:01:14,400
to learn more about their knowledge of

1387
01:01:19,510 --> 01:01:16,880
rockets

1388
01:01:20,630 --> 01:01:19,520
at the same time entirely intact v2s

1389
01:01:22,630 --> 01:01:20,640
captured by the us

1390
01:01:24,150 --> 01:01:22,640
army were also making their way back to

1391
01:01:27,430 --> 01:01:24,160
the united states

1392
01:01:29,510 --> 01:01:27,440
some of them came to jpl

1393
01:01:31,829 --> 01:01:29,520
during the weekend we received two

1394
01:01:34,630 --> 01:01:31,839
complete v2 rockets

1395
01:01:36,950 --> 01:01:34,640
they came on open flat cars lots of

1396
01:01:38,870 --> 01:01:36,960
people in pasadena came to the railroad

1397
01:01:41,430 --> 01:01:38,880
station to see them

1398
01:01:44,150 --> 01:01:41,440
i found them very interesting after

1399
01:01:46,950 --> 01:01:44,160
hearing them land in london

1400
01:01:49,190 --> 01:01:46,960
molina had been unscathed by v2s raining

1401
01:01:51,190 --> 01:01:49,200
down on london during his time there

1402
01:01:54,470 --> 01:01:51,200
but in the years to come he would become

1403
01:01:56,710 --> 01:01:54,480
a casualty of the v2 in a different way

1404
01:01:57,829 --> 01:01:56,720
for in a twist of fates it would be

1405
01:02:01,190 --> 01:01:57,839
verner von braun

1406
01:02:03,430 --> 01:02:01,200
and his german v2 team not frank molina

1407
01:02:05,910 --> 01:02:03,440
and his pasadena rocketeers

1408
01:02:23,990 --> 01:02:05,920
who would be chosen to lead the u.s

1409
01:02:30,230 --> 01:02:27,829
on july 16 1945 the first atomic bomb

1410
01:02:32,829 --> 01:02:30,240
was detonated at a new mexico test site

1411
01:02:36,870 --> 01:02:35,109
trinity

1412
01:02:38,630 --> 01:02:36,880
three weeks later the united states

1413
01:02:43,670 --> 01:02:38,640
dropped atomic bombs on the japanese

1414
01:02:47,510 --> 01:02:46,630
in a matter of days japan surrendered

1415
01:02:50,560 --> 01:02:47,520
world war

1416
01:02:52,710 --> 01:02:50,570
ii was over

1417
01:02:56,470 --> 01:02:52,720
[Music]

1418
01:02:59,270 --> 01:02:56,480
august 23 1945.

1419
01:03:00,950 --> 01:02:59,280
dear folks it is a long time since i

1420
01:03:03,029 --> 01:03:00,960
have written to you

1421
01:03:04,870 --> 01:03:03,039
so many things have happened in the last

1422
01:03:07,270 --> 01:03:04,880
10 days

1423
01:03:08,630 --> 01:03:07,280
the end of the war still does not appear

1424
01:03:11,990 --> 01:03:08,640
a reality

1425
01:03:14,069 --> 01:03:12,000
but i guess it is true the development

1426
01:03:17,029 --> 01:03:14,079
of atomic energy is here

1427
01:03:18,549 --> 01:03:17,039
and no one knows for sure what it means

1428
01:03:21,349 --> 01:03:18,559
except that another war

1429
01:03:23,029 --> 01:03:21,359
might be worse than the last one if that

1430
01:03:25,190 --> 01:03:23,039
is possible

1431
01:03:26,870 --> 01:03:25,200
you asked if i had anything to do with

1432
01:03:30,230 --> 01:03:26,880
the atomic bomb

1433
01:03:31,990 --> 01:03:30,240
no i did not although many of us knew

1434
01:03:33,910 --> 01:03:32,000
that that work was going on

1435
01:03:37,270 --> 01:03:33,920
and that whoever succeeded would

1436
01:03:42,069 --> 01:03:39,670
as you know i have never been convinced

1437
01:03:43,270 --> 01:03:42,079
that what i was doing the past 10 years

1438
01:03:46,470 --> 01:03:43,280
was right

1439
01:03:47,829 --> 01:03:46,480
at least in my own mind technical

1440
01:03:50,870 --> 01:03:47,839
developments are now

1441
01:03:53,670 --> 01:03:50,880
so far ahead of other human arrangements

1442
01:03:54,870 --> 01:03:53,680
it appears nonsensical for one who sees

1443
01:03:58,150 --> 01:03:54,880
the gap

1444
01:04:00,230 --> 01:03:58,160
to make it even wider

1445
01:04:02,230 --> 01:04:00,240
molina was wrestling with his conscience

1446
01:04:03,990 --> 01:04:02,240
because he knew that the next generation

1447
01:04:07,670 --> 01:04:04,000
of missiles he was helping to create

1448
01:04:09,589 --> 01:04:07,680
would carry atomic warheads

1449
01:04:11,990 --> 01:04:09,599
a follow-on to the private rocket was

1450
01:04:14,309 --> 01:04:12,000
already underway

1451
01:04:17,190 --> 01:04:14,319
molina also proposed another missile

1452
01:04:19,589 --> 01:04:17,200
known as the wac corporal

1453
01:04:21,109 --> 01:04:19,599
this liquid-fueled rocket molina thought

1454
01:04:27,670 --> 01:04:21,119
could be used for science

1455
01:04:30,069 --> 01:04:27,680
rather than military purposes

1456
01:04:30,950 --> 01:04:30,079
whack was shorthand for without attitude

1457
01:04:32,950 --> 01:04:30,960
control

1458
01:04:37,670 --> 01:04:32,960
a way of indicating the missile had no

1459
01:04:43,750 --> 01:04:39,670
the wac corporal's increased range

1460
01:04:52,710 --> 01:04:46,150
the spot chosen was white sands new

1461
01:04:56,870 --> 01:04:55,589
white sands was chosen for this kind of

1462
01:05:00,390 --> 01:04:56,880
experimentation because

1463
01:05:02,150 --> 01:05:00,400
it was remote it's very much a kind of

1464
01:05:05,190 --> 01:05:02,160
roughing it barracks type

1465
01:05:08,470 --> 01:05:05,200
environment we are near the spot that

1466
01:05:10,150 --> 01:05:08,480
the first atomic bomb was set off

1467
01:05:14,470 --> 01:05:10,160
and we will probably have a look at the

1468
01:05:19,990 --> 01:05:17,270
we are very comfortable the food is fine

1469
01:05:21,589 --> 01:05:20,000
and we should have a pleasant time

1470
01:05:38,230 --> 01:05:21,599
provided we do not have too many

1471
01:05:44,150 --> 01:05:41,230
white sands proving grounds october 11th

1472
01:05:47,589 --> 01:05:44,160
1945.

1473
01:05:50,130 --> 01:05:47,599
dearest sweetheart today was the day

1474
01:05:59,260 --> 01:05:50,140
and i don't think i will ever forget it

1475
01:06:04,069 --> 01:06:01,910
[Music]

1476
01:06:05,560 --> 01:06:04,079
our little lady performed beautifully on

1477
01:06:15,349 --> 01:06:05,570
her maiden flight

1478
01:06:17,980 --> 01:06:17,349
tomorrow night we plan to celebrate

1479
01:06:20,470 --> 01:06:17,990
juarez

1480
01:06:22,870 --> 01:06:20,480
[Music]

1481
01:06:25,349 --> 01:06:22,880
the lady has one bad habit which we have

1482
01:06:27,910 --> 01:06:25,359
not been able to cure

1483
01:06:28,950 --> 01:06:27,920
in the overall picture however she is

1484
01:06:30,789 --> 01:06:28,960
mighty good

1485
01:06:32,789 --> 01:06:30,799
and we think that we will be able to get

1486
01:06:33,349 --> 01:06:32,799
her to do one more stunt before our

1487
01:06:37,589 --> 01:06:33,359
program

1488
01:06:39,109 --> 01:06:37,599
is completed i will enjoy telling you

1489
01:06:41,910 --> 01:06:39,119
about her someday

1490
01:06:43,190 --> 01:06:41,920
she is very pretty and up to now we love

1491
01:06:46,309 --> 01:06:43,200
her dearly

1492
01:06:50,069 --> 01:06:46,319
give everyone my regards all my love

1493
01:06:51,990 --> 01:06:50,079
frank molina was ecstatic

1494
01:06:53,270 --> 01:06:52,000
because his wac corporal the world's

1495
01:06:57,510 --> 01:06:53,280
first sounding rocket

1496
01:06:59,750 --> 01:06:57,520
reached an altitude of 235 000 feet

1497
01:07:01,349 --> 01:06:59,760
the highest any human-made object had

1498
01:07:03,270 --> 01:07:01,359
ever reached

1499
01:07:04,950 --> 01:07:03,280
it was what rocketeers had always

1500
01:07:09,190 --> 01:07:04,960
dreamed of achieving

1501
01:07:14,150 --> 01:07:11,430
of the original group molina was the

1502
01:07:16,309 --> 01:07:14,160
only one to witness the achievement

1503
01:07:18,230 --> 01:07:16,319
his mentor theodore von carmen was in

1504
01:07:19,990 --> 01:07:18,240
such demand by the pentagon

1505
01:07:22,150 --> 01:07:20,000
that he had all but set up permanent

1506
01:07:24,710 --> 01:07:22,160
residence in washington

1507
01:07:26,150 --> 01:07:24,720
jack parsons and ed forman had cashed in

1508
01:07:29,270 --> 01:07:26,160
their aerojet stock

1509
01:07:33,430 --> 01:07:29,280
and moved on even chen was gone

1510
01:07:38,390 --> 01:07:36,470
molina was alone in another way even as

1511
01:07:39,829 --> 01:07:38,400
he celebrated the heights of success of

1512
01:07:42,710 --> 01:07:39,839
his little lady

1513
01:07:45,990 --> 01:07:42,720
his personal life was coming apart the

1514
01:07:48,069 --> 01:07:46,000
fbi was once again investigating him

1515
01:07:49,430 --> 01:07:48,079
while he was away on a trip his wife was

1516
01:07:51,750 --> 01:07:49,440
warned by a friend

1517
01:07:53,910 --> 01:07:51,760
that the fbi was searching the pasadena

1518
01:07:55,270 --> 01:07:53,920
homes of people suspected of communist

1519
01:07:57,960 --> 01:07:55,280
party activity

1520
01:07:59,670 --> 01:07:57,970
and that molina was next on the list

1521
01:08:02,150 --> 01:07:59,680
[Music]

1522
01:08:04,950 --> 01:08:02,160
when i got home that evening the house

1523
01:08:08,870 --> 01:08:04,960
had indeed been broken into

1524
01:08:13,109 --> 01:08:08,880
and things on frank's dest had been

1525
01:08:16,950 --> 01:08:13,119
rummaged around drawers had been opened

1526
01:08:21,030 --> 01:08:16,960
someone had been through the whole place

1527
01:08:23,590 --> 01:08:21,040
it was just chaos tired of being alone

1528
01:08:25,189 --> 01:08:23,600
fearful of the fbi and no longer sure of

1529
01:08:27,430 --> 01:08:25,199
whom she was

1530
01:08:29,269 --> 01:08:27,440
lillian told molina she wanted out of

1531
01:08:31,829 --> 01:08:29,279
the marriage

1532
01:08:35,990 --> 01:08:31,839
she left pasadena and moved to new york

1533
01:08:41,269 --> 01:08:39,110
this must have been absolutely awful for

1534
01:08:42,149 --> 01:08:41,279
frank i mean for me to do that at that

1535
01:08:45,510 --> 01:08:42,159
time

1536
01:08:47,669 --> 01:08:45,520
was terrible here i am

1537
01:08:50,390 --> 01:08:47,679
leaving him just at the worst time in

1538
01:08:52,390 --> 01:08:50,400
his life you know

1539
01:08:54,229 --> 01:08:52,400
but i knew i had to get out of there i

1540
01:08:56,390 --> 01:08:54,239
just had had it

1541
01:09:00,630 --> 01:08:56,400
had enough i couldn't i couldn't take it

1542
01:09:08,709 --> 01:09:04,229
woman of my heart i cannot sleep

1543
01:09:12,070 --> 01:09:08,719
i cannot think my heart is sorely bent

1544
01:09:14,789 --> 01:09:12,080
why must humans suffer as i am suffering

1545
01:09:16,789 --> 01:09:14,799
and i know that you have suffered more

1546
01:09:19,430 --> 01:09:16,799
it is only when one is alone

1547
01:09:20,950 --> 01:09:19,440
that one realizes the things that really

1548
01:09:23,590 --> 01:09:20,960
matter

1549
01:09:25,590 --> 01:09:23,600
and still i am afraid that tomorrow the

1550
01:09:27,990 --> 01:09:25,600
gears will enmesh me

1551
01:09:29,269 --> 01:09:28,000
and somehow i i don't care where they

1552
01:09:32,309 --> 01:09:29,279
carry me

1553
01:09:33,910 --> 01:09:32,319
and then again i do and you do

1554
01:09:35,669 --> 01:09:33,920
for we were born to fight for the

1555
01:09:38,229 --> 01:09:35,679
worthwhile

1556
01:09:41,269 --> 01:09:38,239
i have torn myself apart and tried to

1557
01:09:43,910 --> 01:09:41,279
look in my darkest corners

1558
01:09:47,510 --> 01:09:43,920
i have made mistakes and have eaten

1559
01:09:52,390 --> 01:09:49,349
as you read the news release on the

1560
01:09:53,669 --> 01:09:52,400
rocket i wondered if you experienced the

1561
01:09:55,510 --> 01:09:53,679
sensation of

1562
01:09:59,270 --> 01:09:55,520
at least being the midwife to the

1563
01:10:02,149 --> 01:09:59,280
creature whose father i am called

1564
01:10:03,189 --> 01:10:02,159
i know you are as happy as i am that the

1565
01:10:07,270 --> 01:10:03,199
good success

1566
01:10:11,510 --> 01:10:07,280
was achieved new york city

1567
01:10:14,709 --> 01:10:11,520
april 1 1946 dear frank

1568
01:10:16,709 --> 01:10:14,719
you failed to see so many things

1569
01:10:18,550 --> 01:10:16,719
with any degree of common sense you

1570
01:10:19,430 --> 01:10:18,560
could not expect me to read of your

1571
01:10:24,229 --> 01:10:19,440
success

1572
01:10:26,149 --> 01:10:24,239
without me having pride and feeling part

1573
01:10:28,870 --> 01:10:26,159
in all of it

1574
01:10:30,149 --> 01:10:28,880
that has passed and i can only tell you

1575
01:10:33,350 --> 01:10:30,159
that i sweated it through

1576
01:10:35,350 --> 01:10:33,360
in more ways than you realize that is of

1577
01:10:37,750 --> 01:10:35,360
no importance in itself

1578
01:10:38,950 --> 01:10:37,760
for i say truthfully that the reports i

1579
01:10:42,229 --> 01:10:38,960
read of your success

1580
01:10:45,990 --> 01:10:42,239
made me very happy and made me know that

1581
01:10:47,500 --> 01:10:46,000
it was all to some very good purpose

1582
01:10:49,110 --> 01:10:47,510
lillian

1583
01:10:52,709 --> 01:10:49,120
[Music]

1584
01:10:53,990 --> 01:10:52,719
dear lillian i appreciate the kind words

1585
01:10:55,830 --> 01:10:54,000
about me

1586
01:10:59,750 --> 01:10:55,840
but i have finally caught hold of the

1587
01:11:02,870 --> 01:10:59,760
idea that i can't force you to love me

1588
01:11:08,940 --> 01:11:02,880
i wish it had been possible

1589
01:11:23,750 --> 01:11:10,830
[Music]

1590
01:11:29,750 --> 01:11:26,950
molina's marriage was over he believed

1591
01:11:31,830 --> 01:11:29,760
he was being pursued by the fbi

1592
01:11:32,950 --> 01:11:31,840
and the more molina learned in pentagon

1593
01:11:35,030 --> 01:11:32,960
meetings about how

1594
01:11:36,470 --> 01:11:35,040
missiles would be put to use in a future

1595
01:11:38,550 --> 01:11:36,480
nuclear war

1596
01:11:40,470 --> 01:11:38,560
the more conflicted he became about the

1597
01:11:43,270 --> 01:11:40,480
purpose of his work

1598
01:11:44,470 --> 01:11:43,280
the war plans molina later wrote were a

1599
01:11:48,790 --> 01:11:44,480
form of national

1600
01:11:50,870 --> 01:11:48,800
insanity dear folks

1601
01:11:53,590 --> 01:11:50,880
i have notified the institute that i

1602
01:11:55,910 --> 01:11:53,600
want a year leave of absence

1603
01:11:57,270 --> 01:11:55,920
what i really want to do i am not at all

1604
01:11:59,590 --> 01:11:57,280
certain

1605
01:12:01,590 --> 01:11:59,600
the way the world looks now too many

1606
01:12:05,110 --> 01:12:01,600
people are getting ready for world war

1607
01:12:06,870 --> 01:12:05,120
iii but he certainly talks about how

1608
01:12:08,470 --> 01:12:06,880
upset he was that all the people around

1609
01:12:09,030 --> 01:12:08,480
him were preparing for the third world

1610
01:12:10,790 --> 01:12:09,040
war

1611
01:12:13,189 --> 01:12:10,800
right and so from the military

1612
01:12:15,189 --> 01:12:13,199
perspective as soon as the atom bombs

1613
01:12:16,550 --> 01:12:15,199
were successfully developed the next

1614
01:12:17,110 --> 01:12:16,560
problem was to how to put them on

1615
01:12:19,350 --> 01:12:17,120
missiles

1616
01:12:20,950 --> 01:12:19,360
and and that that just made him sick to

1617
01:12:23,669 --> 01:12:20,960
his stomach

1618
01:12:26,149 --> 01:12:23,679
seeking answers he traveled to princeton

1619
01:12:28,790 --> 01:12:26,159
to meet albert einstein

1620
01:12:31,189 --> 01:12:28,800
einstein was in very good humor and

1621
01:12:33,910 --> 01:12:31,199
talked and listened for an hour

1622
01:12:35,990 --> 01:12:33,920
he is like almost all scientists

1623
01:12:37,750 --> 01:12:36,000
disturbed over the hysteria that is

1624
01:12:39,750 --> 01:12:37,760
current in the u.s

1625
01:12:42,310 --> 01:12:39,760
he said all of us in international

1626
01:12:47,110 --> 01:12:42,320
organizations must have courage to fight

1627
01:12:52,550 --> 01:12:50,310
in the spring of 1947 molina boarded the

1628
01:12:54,310 --> 01:12:52,560
queen elizabeth bound for france and a

1629
01:12:55,590 --> 01:12:54,320
new career working for the united

1630
01:12:58,229 --> 01:12:55,600
nations education

1631
01:12:59,910 --> 01:12:58,239
scientific and cultural organization or

1632
01:13:01,590 --> 01:12:59,920
unesco

1633
01:13:03,510 --> 01:13:01,600
molina's role there was to help

1634
01:13:06,790 --> 01:13:03,520
scientists from around the globe

1635
01:13:08,390 --> 01:13:06,800
find ways of collaborating just as at

1636
01:13:11,189 --> 01:13:08,400
cal tech and rockets

1637
01:13:12,550 --> 01:13:11,199
i have to provide leadership and push

1638
01:13:14,390 --> 01:13:12,560
there is much to be done

1639
01:13:16,470 --> 01:13:14,400
if we are going to be at all effective

1640
01:13:18,870 --> 01:13:16,480
in stopping another war

1641
01:13:20,229 --> 01:13:18,880
i am now in a much better position to

1642
01:13:22,870 --> 01:13:20,239
grasp things and

1643
01:13:28,550 --> 01:13:22,880
in a little longer i will be really able

1644
01:13:31,669 --> 01:13:30,790
a year into his job he met a young

1645
01:13:36,310 --> 01:13:31,679
british woman

1646
01:13:38,070 --> 01:13:36,320
marjorie duckworth in 1949 they married

1647
01:13:39,830 --> 01:13:38,080
shortly after their wedding molina

1648
01:13:40,709 --> 01:13:39,840
journeyed with his bride to the united

1649
01:13:43,110 --> 01:13:40,719
states

1650
01:13:44,390 --> 01:13:43,120
just as a political bombshell exploded

1651
01:13:47,910 --> 01:13:44,400
over pasadena

1652
01:13:49,189 --> 01:13:47,920
and the nation former cal tech student

1653
01:13:50,870 --> 01:13:49,199
frank oppenheimer

1654
01:13:52,630 --> 01:13:50,880
brought before the house committee on

1655
01:13:54,390 --> 01:13:52,640
un-american activities

1656
01:13:56,229 --> 01:13:54,400
testified that he had been an active

1657
01:13:57,750 --> 01:13:56,239
member of the pasadena chapter of the

1658
01:14:01,189 --> 01:13:57,760
communist party

1659
01:14:03,030 --> 01:14:01,199
professional unit 122

1660
01:14:05,510 --> 01:14:03,040
what made oppenheimer's testimony of

1661
01:14:08,310 --> 01:14:05,520
such tremendous interest was his brother

1662
01:14:09,669 --> 01:14:08,320
robert oppenheimer the physicist who led

1663
01:14:12,709 --> 01:14:09,679
the scientific effort

1664
01:14:14,950 --> 01:14:12,719
to build the first atomic bomb

1665
01:14:16,630 --> 01:14:14,960
during his testimony frank oppenheimer

1666
01:14:18,709 --> 01:14:16,640
was pressed to name other members of

1667
01:14:20,950 --> 01:14:18,719
unit 122.

1668
01:14:22,470 --> 01:14:20,960
among the names inquired about was frank

1669
01:14:25,270 --> 01:14:22,480
molina

1670
01:14:27,669 --> 01:14:25,280
oppenheimer refused to implicate others

1671
01:14:27,990 --> 01:14:27,679
but molina's name was mentioned so often

1672
01:14:29,910 --> 01:14:28,000
that

1673
01:14:31,350 --> 01:14:29,920
clearly he was of special interest to

1674
01:14:33,200 --> 01:14:31,360
the committee

1675
01:14:35,510 --> 01:14:33,210
but why

1676
01:14:37,910 --> 01:14:35,520
[Music]

1677
01:14:39,750 --> 01:14:37,920
a memo by j edgar hoover written just

1678
01:14:41,270 --> 01:14:39,760
days before oppenheimer's appearance

1679
01:14:42,149 --> 01:14:41,280
before the un-american activities

1680
01:14:45,510 --> 01:14:42,159
committee

1681
01:14:47,510 --> 01:14:45,520
provides one possible answer

1682
01:14:49,189 --> 01:14:47,520
a complete and thorough review of your

1683
01:14:51,350 --> 01:14:49,199
files should be made

1684
01:14:53,030 --> 01:14:51,360
particularly the information reflecting

1685
01:14:54,950 --> 01:14:53,040
molina's possible connection

1686
01:14:56,709 --> 01:14:54,960
with the loss of certain documents and

1687
01:15:01,110 --> 01:14:56,719
blueprints relating to the

1688
01:15:02,390 --> 01:15:01,120
wac corporal based on information from

1689
01:15:05,590 --> 01:15:02,400
an informant known as

1690
01:15:06,709 --> 01:15:05,600
t1 hoover suspected someone had passed

1691
01:15:08,790 --> 01:15:06,719
to the french government

1692
01:15:10,709 --> 01:15:08,800
a complete set of classified information

1693
01:15:13,750 --> 01:15:10,719
on the wac corporal rocket

1694
01:15:15,830 --> 01:15:13,760
the loss of these documents t1 suggested

1695
01:15:18,390 --> 01:15:15,840
had happened during the time of molina's

1696
01:15:20,709 --> 01:15:18,400
directorship of jpl

1697
01:15:22,790 --> 01:15:20,719
the informant went on to raise concerns

1698
01:15:24,870 --> 01:15:22,800
about others who had or were still

1699
01:15:27,830 --> 01:15:24,880
working at jpl

1700
01:15:29,030 --> 01:15:27,840
they included martin summerfield sydney

1701
01:15:34,950 --> 01:15:29,040
weinbaum

1702
01:15:37,990 --> 01:15:36,830
there was hysteria throughout the

1703
01:15:40,149 --> 01:15:38,000
country

1704
01:15:41,669 --> 01:15:40,159
it was inevitable that attention would

1705
01:15:44,149 --> 01:15:41,679
be turned to caltech

1706
01:15:46,470 --> 01:15:44,159
the little california institution with a

1707
01:15:50,390 --> 01:15:46,480
reputation of harboring many odd

1708
01:15:53,669 --> 01:15:52,550
martin summerfield security clearance

1709
01:15:55,750 --> 01:15:53,679
was revoked

1710
01:15:58,550 --> 01:15:55,760
along with his ability to be involved in

1711
01:16:01,110 --> 01:15:58,560
government projects

1712
01:16:03,830 --> 01:16:01,120
molina's close friend sydney weinbaum

1713
01:16:06,149 --> 01:16:03,840
lost his job at jpl

1714
01:16:07,990 --> 01:16:06,159
weinbaum was another prime suspect in

1715
01:16:10,149 --> 01:16:08,000
the alleged loss of whack corporal

1716
01:16:11,990 --> 01:16:10,159
documents to the french

1717
01:16:14,470 --> 01:16:12,000
for a while the fbi considered

1718
01:16:16,870 --> 01:16:14,480
developing weinbaum into a double agent

1719
01:16:18,870 --> 01:16:16,880
but ultimately he was brought to trial

1720
01:16:21,030 --> 01:16:18,880
charged with perjury for denying his

1721
01:16:23,110 --> 01:16:21,040
communist party membership

1722
01:16:27,750 --> 01:16:23,120
he was convicted and sentenced to four

1723
01:16:31,430 --> 01:16:30,149
chen who had returned to caltech after a

1724
01:16:34,550 --> 01:16:31,440
stint at mit

1725
01:16:36,630 --> 01:16:34,560
was also targeted in september as

1726
01:16:38,950 --> 01:16:36,640
weinbaum's trial was underway

1727
01:16:41,030 --> 01:16:38,960
chen was arrested in front of his family

1728
01:16:43,910 --> 01:16:41,040
and held for two weeks

1729
01:16:44,709 --> 01:16:43,920
the charge that he too had lied about

1730
01:16:48,550 --> 01:16:44,719
membership

1731
01:16:51,270 --> 01:16:48,560
in the communist party

1732
01:16:53,270 --> 01:16:51,280
jen's security clearance was revoked he

1733
01:16:55,270 --> 01:16:53,280
was allowed to teach at caltech

1734
01:16:57,669 --> 01:16:55,280
but was kept under constant surveillance

1735
01:17:00,229 --> 01:16:57,679
for the next five years

1736
01:17:01,590 --> 01:17:00,239
that was when enough time had passed u.s

1737
01:17:03,350 --> 01:17:01,600
authorities hoped

1738
01:17:05,189 --> 01:17:03,360
to make his knowledge of missiles less

1739
01:17:07,750 --> 01:17:05,199
than state of the art

1740
01:17:09,990 --> 01:17:07,760
only then was chen allowed to leave the

1741
01:17:12,229 --> 01:17:10,000
united states

1742
01:17:14,229 --> 01:17:12,239
the deportation of qin one u.s

1743
01:17:16,870 --> 01:17:14,239
government official later said

1744
01:17:18,950 --> 01:17:16,880
was the stupidest thing this country

1745
01:17:21,110 --> 01:17:18,960
ever did

1746
01:17:22,630 --> 01:17:21,120
how could this tragedy for america have

1747
01:17:25,350 --> 01:17:22,640
come about

1748
01:17:26,790 --> 01:17:25,360
his story is a strange one i think it

1749
01:17:29,110 --> 01:17:26,800
holds important lessons

1750
01:17:30,390 --> 01:17:29,120
for all of us on the problems of science

1751
01:17:33,669 --> 01:17:30,400
and politics

1752
01:17:36,630 --> 01:17:33,679
and simple human justice

1753
01:17:37,990 --> 01:17:36,640
i am not opposed to reasonable security

1754
01:17:40,630 --> 01:17:38,000
but i must say

1755
01:17:44,390 --> 01:17:40,640
that governments often pass foolish and

1756
01:17:46,950 --> 01:17:44,400
harmful laws in this area

1757
01:17:49,830 --> 01:17:46,960
even von carmen did not avoid the red

1758
01:17:52,470 --> 01:17:49,840
scare of the fifties

1759
01:17:53,270 --> 01:17:52,480
von carmen called the fbi investigation

1760
01:17:57,189 --> 01:17:53,280
of him

1761
01:18:02,550 --> 01:17:57,199
an inexcusable insult no charges were

1762
01:18:06,709 --> 01:18:04,709
all of these events frank molina watched

1763
01:18:08,870 --> 01:18:06,719
unfold from paris

1764
01:18:10,870 --> 01:18:08,880
out of hoover's reach he filed away

1765
01:18:12,149 --> 01:18:10,880
newspaper clippings of his friends as

1766
01:18:15,510 --> 01:18:12,159
they fell to the red

1767
01:18:18,070 --> 01:18:15,520
scare unable to build a viable case that

1768
01:18:20,070 --> 01:18:18,080
molina had been involved in espionage

1769
01:18:22,070 --> 01:18:20,080
the u.s state department refused to

1770
01:18:24,149 --> 01:18:22,080
renew molina's passport

1771
01:18:26,070 --> 01:18:24,159
[Music]

1772
01:18:27,270 --> 01:18:26,080
my father applied for political refugee

1773
01:18:30,630 --> 01:18:27,280
status in england

1774
01:18:31,350 --> 01:18:30,640
repeatedly was turned down they were

1775
01:18:33,110 --> 01:18:31,360
interviewed

1776
01:18:34,630 --> 01:18:33,120
a number of times with by the french

1777
01:18:36,709 --> 01:18:34,640
secret service

1778
01:18:37,750 --> 01:18:36,719
um and my mother always used to tell the

1779
01:18:39,669 --> 01:18:37,760
story later

1780
01:18:41,270 --> 01:18:39,679
about how she got to know the secret

1781
01:18:42,790 --> 01:18:41,280
service agents so well that she'd take

1782
01:18:43,750 --> 01:18:42,800
them coffee they were sitting in a car

1783
01:18:45,189 --> 01:18:43,760
at the end of the road

1784
01:18:47,750 --> 01:18:45,199
watching who was coming in and out of

1785
01:18:50,550 --> 01:18:47,760
our house she'd give them coffee on the

1786
01:18:52,149 --> 01:18:50,560
way to pick up her bread in the morning

1787
01:18:53,910 --> 01:18:52,159
that must have been a pretty frightening

1788
01:18:55,510 --> 01:18:53,920
time i mean they didn't know what was

1789
01:18:56,470 --> 01:18:55,520
going to come down next they didn't know

1790
01:18:58,070 --> 01:18:56,480
whether

1791
01:19:02,550 --> 01:18:58,080
the french were going to decide to turn

1792
01:19:06,950 --> 01:19:05,270
other pressures were brought to bear

1793
01:19:08,470 --> 01:19:06,960
president harry truman issued an

1794
01:19:10,790 --> 01:19:08,480
executive order

1795
01:19:12,550 --> 01:19:10,800
its purpose to root out american

1796
01:19:13,750 --> 01:19:12,560
subversives working for the united

1797
01:19:15,830 --> 01:19:13,760
nations

1798
01:19:17,510 --> 01:19:15,840
the order required u.s citizens to

1799
01:19:19,510 --> 01:19:17,520
disclose whether they had ever been

1800
01:19:21,030 --> 01:19:19,520
party of any activity considered

1801
01:19:23,430 --> 01:19:21,040
subversive

1802
01:19:25,930 --> 01:19:23,440
rather than submit to the inquiry molina

1803
01:19:27,430 --> 01:19:25,940
resigned from unesco

1804
01:19:29,189 --> 01:19:27,440
[Music]

1805
01:19:32,070 --> 01:19:29,199
news of molina's resignation was

1806
01:19:34,709 --> 01:19:32,080
immediately transmitted to the fbi

1807
01:19:37,830 --> 01:19:34,719
a warrant for molina's arrest was issued

1808
01:19:39,910 --> 01:19:37,840
and he was secretly declared a fugitive

1809
01:19:41,030 --> 01:19:39,920
but knowing the case against molina was

1810
01:19:44,229 --> 01:19:41,040
still weak

1811
01:19:46,550 --> 01:19:44,239
hoover again pressured his agents

1812
01:19:48,390 --> 01:19:46,560
the u.s attorney in los angeles has

1813
01:19:49,590 --> 01:19:48,400
indicated that the government's case

1814
01:19:52,229 --> 01:19:49,600
against the subject

1815
01:19:53,270 --> 01:19:52,239
is not a strong one if it has not

1816
01:19:54,950 --> 01:19:53,280
already been done

1817
01:19:56,310 --> 01:19:54,960
this case should be assigned to an

1818
01:19:58,790 --> 01:19:56,320
experienced agent

1819
01:19:59,990 --> 01:19:58,800
who has the desire the willingness the

1820
01:20:02,390 --> 01:20:00,000
aggressiveness

1821
01:20:04,229 --> 01:20:02,400
and the ability to get out and dig for

1822
01:20:08,790 --> 01:20:04,239
additional evidence of the subject's

1823
01:20:12,629 --> 01:20:11,750
but at the end of march the u.s justice

1824
01:20:15,430 --> 01:20:12,639
system

1825
01:20:17,350 --> 01:20:15,440
had had enough inasmuch as the bureau

1826
01:20:17,990 --> 01:20:17,360
has corresponded with the department on

1827
01:20:20,310 --> 01:20:18,000
a number of

1828
01:20:21,189 --> 01:20:20,320
cases regarding the prosecution of the

1829
01:20:23,270 --> 01:20:21,199
subject

1830
01:20:25,030 --> 01:20:23,280
it is recommended that the matter not be

1831
01:20:26,790 --> 01:20:25,040
again called to the department's

1832
01:20:36,810 --> 01:20:26,800
attention

1833
01:20:43,430 --> 01:20:41,270
[Music]

1834
01:20:45,990 --> 01:20:43,440
america's rocketeers were scattered by

1835
01:20:48,229 --> 01:20:46,000
the winds of the red scare

1836
01:20:50,470 --> 01:20:48,239
chen arrived in china and quickly went

1837
01:20:53,510 --> 01:20:50,480
to work building china's missile program

1838
01:20:55,350 --> 01:20:53,520
virtually from scratch while he may not

1839
01:20:56,070 --> 01:20:55,360
have been a communist when he arrived in

1840
01:20:58,390 --> 01:20:56,080
china

1841
01:21:00,070 --> 01:20:58,400
three years after his return he joined

1842
01:21:02,310 --> 01:21:00,080
the party

1843
01:21:03,189 --> 01:21:02,320
revered as the father of modern chinese

1844
01:21:05,189 --> 01:21:03,199
rocketry

1845
01:21:07,110 --> 01:21:05,199
he lived to see chinese astronauts

1846
01:21:10,390 --> 01:21:07,120
orbiting the earth

1847
01:21:13,990 --> 01:21:10,400
he died at the age of 97 on october 31st

1848
01:21:20,149 --> 01:21:14,000
2009 he outlived all of his

1849
01:21:25,189 --> 01:21:22,950
after leaving jpl and aerojet jack

1850
01:21:26,470 --> 01:21:25,199
parsons became more deeply involved in

1851
01:21:28,470 --> 01:21:26,480
cult activities

1852
01:21:30,310 --> 01:21:28,480
even as he continued to experiment with

1853
01:21:33,669 --> 01:21:30,320
explosives

1854
01:21:36,070 --> 01:21:33,679
he died in june 1952 following an

1855
01:21:39,510 --> 01:21:36,080
explosion at his home laboratory

1856
01:21:40,310 --> 01:21:39,520
he was 37 years old in honor of his

1857
01:21:42,629 --> 01:21:40,320
achievements

1858
01:21:45,350 --> 01:21:42,639
the international astronomical union

1859
01:21:51,510 --> 01:21:45,360
named a crater on the moon after him

1860
01:21:55,030 --> 01:21:53,430
ed forman one of the three original

1861
01:21:57,750 --> 01:21:55,040
rocketeers lived a far

1862
01:21:59,590 --> 01:21:57,760
more conventional life after leaving

1863
01:22:02,390 --> 01:21:59,600
aerojet he went to work for another

1864
01:22:05,060 --> 01:22:02,400
aerospace company in northern california

1865
01:22:07,270 --> 01:22:05,070
he died in 1973

1866
01:22:09,430 --> 01:22:07,280
[Music]

1867
01:22:11,669 --> 01:22:09,440
martin summerfield's association with

1868
01:22:14,310 --> 01:22:11,679
professional unit 122

1869
01:22:15,830 --> 01:22:14,320
cost him his security clearance he

1870
01:22:17,030 --> 01:22:15,840
became a professor at princeton

1871
01:22:21,910 --> 01:22:17,040
university

1872
01:22:26,310 --> 01:22:24,470
sydney weinbaum imprisoned for perjury

1873
01:22:28,070 --> 01:22:26,320
served three years of a four-year

1874
01:22:30,550 --> 01:22:28,080
sentence

1875
01:22:33,590 --> 01:22:30,560
with his science career destroyed he

1876
01:22:36,390 --> 01:22:33,600
found a job in the garment business

1877
01:22:37,750 --> 01:22:36,400
about his life he once said i can't

1878
01:22:42,229 --> 01:22:37,760
complain

1879
01:22:46,550 --> 01:22:44,310
frank molina's first wife lillian

1880
01:22:47,990 --> 01:22:46,560
wonderman lived out her dream of being

1881
01:22:52,070 --> 01:22:48,000
an artist in new york

1882
01:22:54,790 --> 01:22:52,080
where she still lives

1883
01:22:55,669 --> 01:22:54,800
frank molina without a passport without

1884
01:22:57,430 --> 01:22:55,679
a job

1885
01:23:00,310 --> 01:22:57,440
and with a warrant sworn out for his

1886
01:23:02,550 --> 01:23:00,320
arrest might have seemed in a precarious

1887
01:23:05,590 --> 01:23:02,560
place in 1953

1888
01:23:07,910 --> 01:23:05,600
but he had held on to his aerojet stock

1889
01:23:09,430 --> 01:23:07,920
and the stock made him independently

1890
01:23:12,070 --> 01:23:09,440
wealthy

1891
01:23:13,590 --> 01:23:12,080
the man accused of being a communist

1892
01:23:17,030 --> 01:23:13,600
became a millionaire

1893
01:23:19,350 --> 01:23:17,040
as a result of his capitalist endeavors

1894
01:23:22,310 --> 01:23:19,360
it's a tremendous irony that he's the

1895
01:23:24,229 --> 01:23:22,320
one who didn't sell his stock

1896
01:23:25,510 --> 01:23:24,239
it enables him to lead a very

1897
01:23:27,830 --> 01:23:25,520
comfortable life

1898
01:23:29,830 --> 01:23:27,840
and gives him the freedom to become an

1899
01:23:32,390 --> 01:23:29,840
artist

1900
01:23:34,070 --> 01:23:32,400
frank molina goes on to have a

1901
01:23:36,790 --> 01:23:34,080
successful career

1902
01:23:37,590 --> 01:23:36,800
as a kinetic artist really bringing

1903
01:23:39,669 --> 01:23:37,600
together

1904
01:23:42,149 --> 01:23:39,679
i suppose you could say the right and

1905
01:23:51,830 --> 01:23:42,159
left sides of the brain

1906
01:24:04,390 --> 01:23:54,950
it's almost as if you put calder mobiles

1907
01:24:08,870 --> 01:24:07,189
once again free to travel molina also

1908
01:24:09,830 --> 01:24:08,880
rekindled his interest in space

1909
01:24:11,910 --> 01:24:09,840
exploration

1910
01:24:13,830 --> 01:24:11,920
he joined theodore von carmen in

1911
01:24:15,189 --> 01:24:13,840
creating the international academy of

1912
01:24:17,990 --> 01:24:15,199
astronautics

1913
01:24:19,990 --> 01:24:18,000
its purpose to help thaw the cold war by

1914
01:24:23,669 --> 01:24:20,000
fostering space collaboration

1915
01:24:25,669 --> 01:24:23,679
among nations for years to come

1916
01:24:27,510 --> 01:24:25,679
melina would rub elbows and exchange

1917
01:24:30,229 --> 01:24:27,520
ideas with cosmonauts

1918
01:24:34,629 --> 01:24:30,239
astronauts and major space agency

1919
01:24:37,990 --> 01:24:36,790
theodore von carmen who had been center

1920
01:24:39,990 --> 01:24:38,000
stage for so long

1921
01:24:41,750 --> 01:24:40,000
found himself less in demand in his

1922
01:24:45,110 --> 01:24:41,760
later years

1923
01:24:47,350 --> 01:24:45,120
in 1963 there was one last moment in the

1924
01:24:49,750 --> 01:24:47,360
sun for the professor

1925
01:24:50,950 --> 01:24:49,760
it is hard to visualize what the world

1926
01:24:53,830 --> 01:24:50,960
would be like

1927
01:24:55,830 --> 01:24:53,840
without aircraft and jet propulsion

1928
01:24:58,070 --> 01:24:55,840
without the vision we have

1929
01:24:59,910 --> 01:24:58,080
just entering the realm of reality of

1930
01:25:01,750 --> 01:24:59,920
exploring space

1931
01:25:04,229 --> 01:25:01,760
i'm especially glad to present this

1932
01:25:06,709 --> 01:25:04,239
first national medal of science

1933
01:25:08,950 --> 01:25:06,719
to one of the pioneers who has helped

1934
01:25:12,229 --> 01:25:08,960
make all of this new and exciting age

1935
01:25:16,390 --> 01:25:12,239
possible science

1936
01:25:19,030 --> 01:25:16,400
is eternal its progress is continuous

1937
01:25:21,270 --> 01:25:19,040
being a philosopher's son i have always

1938
01:25:23,110 --> 01:25:21,280
felt it was necessary for me to believe

1939
01:25:25,669 --> 01:25:23,120
in something

1940
01:25:26,709 --> 01:25:25,679
i still believe that god will do right

1941
01:25:29,430 --> 01:25:26,719
by us

1942
01:25:31,270 --> 01:25:29,440
and that we will survive the spirit of

1943
01:25:34,310 --> 01:25:31,280
destruction

1944
01:25:36,790 --> 01:25:34,320
in short i am an optimist i believe in

1945
01:25:38,790 --> 01:25:36,800
the goodness of the future

1946
01:25:40,149 --> 01:25:38,800
and if i have done a small bit to help

1947
01:25:42,160 --> 01:25:40,159
bring it about

1948
01:25:44,870 --> 01:25:42,170
i am content

1949
01:25:46,629 --> 01:25:44,880
[Music]

1950
01:25:48,470 --> 01:25:46,639
shortly after his visit to the white

1951
01:25:51,750 --> 01:25:48,480
house in frail health

1952
01:25:52,550 --> 01:25:51,760
von carmen traveled to germany there he

1953
01:25:55,350 --> 01:25:52,560
died

1954
01:25:57,750 --> 01:25:55,360
five days short of his 82nd birthday in

1955
01:26:03,600 --> 01:25:57,760
the presence of his old student

1956
01:26:11,270 --> 01:26:07,750
[Music]

1957
01:26:13,189 --> 01:26:11,280
in 1968 molina returned to jpl to take

1958
01:26:16,709 --> 01:26:13,199
part in a celebration commemorating the

1959
01:26:19,430 --> 01:26:16,719
first rocket experiment 30 years before

1960
01:26:21,270 --> 01:26:19,440
it was a bittersweet moment for molina

1961
01:26:21,990 --> 01:26:21,280
the laboratory that he had played such a

1962
01:26:24,310 --> 01:26:22,000
large role

1963
01:26:26,229 --> 01:26:24,320
in bringing into being had gone on to

1964
01:26:28,070 --> 01:26:26,239
build the first u.s satellite

1965
01:26:29,830 --> 01:26:28,080
and other spacecraft that had traveled

1966
01:26:33,030 --> 01:26:29,840
to the moon to venus

1967
01:26:36,870 --> 01:26:33,040
and to mars most of the solar system

1968
01:26:39,350 --> 01:26:36,880
molina knew would soon be within reach

1969
01:26:41,510 --> 01:26:39,360
how different his life and the history

1970
01:26:43,990 --> 01:26:41,520
of american rocketry would have been

1971
01:26:46,229 --> 01:26:44,000
had he stayed in the united states no

1972
01:26:48,229 --> 01:26:46,239
one can say

1973
01:26:50,149 --> 01:26:48,239
what can be said is that america's

1974
01:26:51,750 --> 01:26:50,159
rocket program took a different route

1975
01:26:54,070 --> 01:26:51,760
with different players

1976
01:26:56,149 --> 01:26:54,080
and in doing so the pioneering

1977
01:26:57,910 --> 01:26:56,159
contributions of molina and his fellow

1978
01:27:04,870 --> 01:26:57,920
rocketeers today

1979
01:27:07,669 --> 01:27:04,880
have been largely forgotten molina died

1980
01:27:09,270 --> 01:27:07,679
in paris in 1981

1981
01:27:11,270 --> 01:27:09,280
he had never stopped working for

1982
01:27:13,270 --> 01:27:11,280
peaceful and international efforts in

1983
01:27:15,430 --> 01:27:13,280
the exploration of space

1984
01:27:16,950 --> 01:27:15,440
and he continued with his own work as a

1985
01:27:20,070 --> 01:27:16,960
kinetic artist

1986
01:27:22,709 --> 01:27:20,080
creating more than 250 works

1987
01:27:23,110 --> 01:27:22,719
nearly all of them speak of journeys to

1988
01:27:38,550 --> 01:27:23,120
far

1989
01:27:42,550 --> 01:27:40,390
most people like to have you in a

1990
01:27:44,629 --> 01:27:42,560
clear-cut cubbyhole

1991
01:27:46,310 --> 01:27:44,639
sometimes i find that my former

1992
01:27:48,870 --> 01:27:46,320
colleagues in scientific

1993
01:27:50,310 --> 01:27:48,880
and technical research regard me no

1994
01:27:53,669 --> 01:27:50,320
longer as such

1995
01:27:54,550 --> 01:27:53,679
and that now i'm an artist among the

1996
01:27:56,790 --> 01:27:54,560
artists

1997
01:27:57,830 --> 01:27:56,800
they find it very difficult to accept me

1998
01:28:01,750 --> 01:27:57,840
as an artist

1999
01:28:04,629 --> 01:28:01,760
and they say i'm an engineer well

2000
01:28:23,100 --> 01:28:04,639
it doesn't really much matter i'm a