1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,400 A windswept beach linked to an epic deception was a hoax that fooled Adolf Hitler himself. 2 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:17,800 A harrowing hike into the Wyoming wilderness, he knew that he was going to die. 3 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:21,040 And a nefarious tale of cops turned robbers. 4 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:27,000 This story speaks to how powerful greed is. 5 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:32,240 Sometimes the greatest secrets lie in plain sight. 6 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:41,840 These are the mysteries of the monument. 7 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:47,280 London, England, winding through the heart of this capital city, is the River Thames. 8 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:55,520 This waterway, the longest in the land, has witnessed 2,000 years of this city's history. 9 00:00:55,520 --> 00:01:02,320 On its north bank looms an imposing structure that has shaped the course of Britain for centuries. 10 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:10,240 It stands over 90 feet high, contains 1,100 rooms, and stretches over 8 acres. 11 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,680 These are the houses of parliament. 12 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:19,760 Today, the stunning complex is the revered seat of the national government. 13 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:28,080 But this gothic masterpiece once sat at the center of an explosive tale of treachery, lies, and deception. 14 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:31,680 It was the most audacious plot in England's history. 15 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:38,640 The consequences were unimaginable. 16 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,080 1604, England. 17 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:47,040 A Protestant king, James I, sits upon the royal throne. 18 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,000 But his rule is under constant threat. 19 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:55,200 Rebellious Catholics want to restore their own monarch to power. 20 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,520 They didn't want a Protestant king. 21 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,760 They want a Catholic England, and they want it now. 22 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:05,640 And there's one Englishman who has resolved to change the balance of power. 23 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,160 His name is Guy Fox. 24 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:14,640 Guy Fox was from Yorkshire. He was a soldier, and he was a devout Catholic. 25 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:21,920 Over the past decade, the 34-year-old Fox lived in exile and served in Spain's Catholic army. 26 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:30,080 But now he has returned to England, determined to overthrow his king. 27 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:35,280 On May 20th, Fox meets with a group of like-minded friends at a London inn. 28 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:37,760 I've had enough of this king's oppression. 29 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:45,440 The collaborators devise a dastardly plot to blow up the houses of parliament with the monarch inside. 30 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:53,200 It'd be something akin to the White House and the Capitol building being blown up in a single instance. 31 00:02:53,200 --> 00:03:00,560 If it succeeds, the brazen scheme could open the door for a Catholic to take the throne. 32 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,640 The plan was to dig a tunnel through the foundations, 33 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,720 stack the tunnel with gunpowder, and then blow the building. 34 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:15,200 But burrowing through the Mammoth Stone Foundation is easier said than done. 35 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:18,560 The actual digging was incredibly painstaking. 36 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:23,600 The foundation wall was about three foot deep, made of concrete. 37 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:27,040 But then the conspirators get a lucky break. 38 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:34,480 One night, the diggers in the tunnel are startled by a strange whistling sound coming from above. 39 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:44,080 Fox goes to investigate and is astonished to discover just above their half-finished passageway is an empty cellar. 40 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,320 It was essentially a vault directly beneath the House of Lords. 41 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:51,200 They couldn't have had a better space for their gunpowder. 42 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,960 Abandoning the dig, the men change their plan. 43 00:03:55,920 --> 00:04:02,880 Pleaverly posing as merchants looking for storage space, the plotters immediately rent out the vacant cellar. 44 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:08,240 Then Fox stocks the room with 5,500 pounds of gunpowder. 45 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:14,720 If that had exploded in the confined area of the House of Lords, the blow would have been unbelievable. 46 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:21,920 The rebels learn that King James himself will appear before Parliament on November 5th. 47 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,480 All that's left is to wait for that day and light the fuse. 48 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:33,600 But little do they know, their careful plan is about to be dealt a fatal blow. 49 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:41,600 October 26th, 1605. 50 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:48,880 William Parker, better known as the 4th Lord Montiegel, receives an anonymous letter. 51 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:54,560 Lord Montiegel was in the House of Lords and he was a very prominent Catholic. 52 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,680 The mysterious note includes a dire warning. 53 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,920 It warned him not to go to Parliament on the 5th of November. 54 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,920 It said that anyone who did so would receive a terrible blow. 55 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,720 Unsure what to make of the cryptic note, Montiegel immediately alerts the authorities. 56 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,400 On November 4th, the Kings Guards search Parliament. 57 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:24,240 And just before midnight, in a cellar beneath the House of Lords, 58 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:26,080 they find the traitor Guy Fox. 59 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:35,040 Fox were seized and they discovered 36 barrels of gunpowder. 60 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:42,320 The plot to blow up Parliament and kill the King has been foiled. 61 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:47,280 As for the anonymous letter writer who unwittingly saved the government, 62 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:50,640 it is believed that he was one of Fox co-conspirators, 63 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,040 who happened to be related to Lord Montiegel. 64 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:59,440 Authorities arrest and for two days brutally torture Guy Fox. 65 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,400 Finally, he gives up the names of his accomplices. 66 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:09,600 In short order, they are arrested and along with Fox, executed. 67 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:16,080 The doomed conspiracy comes to be known as the gunpowder plot. 68 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:21,200 And to commemorate its failure, every year on November 5th, 69 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:26,560 Guy Fox Night is celebrated across the United Kingdom with bonfires and fireworks. 70 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:36,080 Today, this iconic London landmark still harbors the memory of a treasonous plot 71 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:39,360 that almost killed a King and overturned his government. 72 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:46,080 Reno, Nevada bills itself as the biggest little city in the world. 73 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:51,760 And perhaps its greatest attraction is the glitz and glamour of its thriving gaming industry. 74 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:59,200 Every year, throngs of tourists spend more than $600 million in the hopes of striking it rich. 75 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:06,400 But away from the neon glow of the casinos is the century old Mountain View cemetery. 76 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:14,240 Here, amidst the tombstones stands an imposing memorial that tells a bizarre tale of power and politics. 77 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:18,720 This monument is 15 feet in height. 78 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,400 It's cold to the touch, made of marble. 79 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:28,320 And it has a beautiful base relief of one of Nevada's shrewdest politicians. 80 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:34,880 This is the grave of Keith Pittman, who held his seat in the U.S. Senate for 27 years. 81 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:42,320 But according to curator, Sheryl Lynn Hayzorn, the Senator's years of devoted service 82 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,840 are overshadowed by a strange and grisly rumor. 83 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:51,280 It's a shocking tale of a famous life, infamous death and possible fraud. 84 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:57,920 Reno, autumn 1940. 85 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:05,200 It's election season and the Democratic Party is fighting to hold on to its majority in the U.S. Senate. 86 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:13,760 And locked in one of the country's most contentious races is Nevada's Democratic Senator, Keith Pittman. 87 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:21,920 Pittman lived in brief politics. He really was a dynamic individual and he was very persistent. 88 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:25,120 He wouldn't stop until he got what he needed. 89 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,760 Pittman is an incumbent veteran of the U.S. Senate. 90 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:34,640 But he faces a formidable opponent in his Republican challenger. 91 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:36,400 Attorney Sam Platt. 92 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,240 It was really important for the Democrats to retain this seat. 93 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:48,560 So Pittman went from place to place around the state to meet with his supporters. 94 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:55,600 On November 4th, after a rigorous final day of campaigning, 95 00:08:55,600 --> 00:09:01,040 the Senator retires to Reno's Riverside Hotel for some drinks with his most trusted aides. 96 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:05,280 The next morning, Nevada's voters go to the ballot boxes. 97 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:08,800 And as the results are tallied, the winner is revealed. 98 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,800 Senator Pittman wins by over 10,000 votes. 99 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:17,760 That night, the Democratic Party celebrates their victory. 100 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,320 But the Senator is strangely absent. 101 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:25,120 Once Pittman doesn't arrive to his acceptance speech party, 102 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:29,120 the press and the public start to question, where is Pittman? 103 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:30,320 Why wasn't he there? 104 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:33,920 When a reporter pushes for details on Pittman's whereabouts, 105 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:35,920 When will the Senator be arriving? 106 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:40,320 Once staffer explains, the worn out Senator simply needed a break. 107 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:42,240 The Senator is exhausted. 108 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:47,200 The aide then makes an off the cuff remark that will later come back to haunt them. 109 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,760 We're keeping him on ice. 110 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,480 Over the next few days, the victorious politician 111 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:58,000 is nowhere to be seen. 112 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:04,720 Then on November 10th, just five days after his election, there is shocking news. 113 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:10,080 68 year old, Keith Pittman has succumbed to a fatal heart attack. 114 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,720 His unexpected passing leaves his constituents stunned. 115 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:19,200 It also means that a seat in the U.S. Senate is now vacant. 116 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:25,200 Due to Pittman's untimely death, state protocol allowed the government to be held in the Senate. 117 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:29,680 State protocol allowed the governor to appoint a successor for Senator Pittman. 118 00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:33,200 A fellow Democrat is appointed to serve out Pittman's term, 119 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:36,560 allowing the party to maintain its majority in the U.S. Senate. 120 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:42,320 Yet the events surrounding Pittman's death may not be what they seem. 121 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:49,520 More than two decades later, a sensational expose is published, 122 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:52,480 revealing stunning allegations about his demise. 123 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:55,920 The book is called The Green Felt Jungle. 124 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:02,800 Its unnamed sources allege that Pittman actually died before the 1940 election. 125 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:11,280 The claim stems from the bizarre comment made by one of the Senator's aides at his victory party. 126 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:13,680 We're keeping him on ice. 127 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,600 As well as his strange absence following the election. 128 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:25,120 The writer claims that Pittman's staff puts his body in a bathtub full of ice, 129 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,560 preserving his body until after the election. 130 00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:35,760 According to the book, Pittman's body stayed on ice until his death was officially announced, 131 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,000 almost a week after the votes came in. 132 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:44,640 People are questioning whether or not Pittman was even alive by the time the election results came in. 133 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:46,800 Did they elect a dead man? 134 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:56,480 It's the 1970s in Nevada. 135 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:01,360 For years, a bizarre rumor has been circulating about former Democratic Senator 136 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:05,920 Keith Pittman. During a run for reelection, the statesman is said to have suddenly died. 137 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:12,400 But to avoid losing the election, his colleagues reportedly preserved his corpse in an ice-filled 138 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:17,520 bathtub for several days and then only announced the death once their candidate had won. 139 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:20,960 So did Nevada voters elect a dead man? 140 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:31,280 In 1977, a young historian named Guy Rocha lands a rare position working for the state archives. 141 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:38,800 With access to decades of Nevada history, he investigates a story that has long fascinated him, 142 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:41,600 that of Senator Keith Pittman's death. 143 00:12:42,560 --> 00:12:48,080 Guy dug up the death certificate and discovers the name of Pittman's personal physician. 144 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:52,640 The historian tracks down Pittman's now retired doctor, 145 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:56,080 who agrees to go on record about the senator's final hours. 146 00:12:57,680 --> 00:13:02,000 According to the physician, on the eve of the 1940 election, 147 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,360 he was frantically summoned to Reno's Riverside Hotel. 148 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:10,240 After a night of revelry, Senator Pittman had collapsed. 149 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:18,880 The physician examines Pittman and realizes that he's had a major heart attack and that he's literally dying. 150 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:25,360 Worried the news would upset the election, Democratic operatives played off Pittman's 151 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:31,120 fatal condition as mere fatigue. Then they crossed their fingers and willed the senator 152 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:39,680 to stay alive until the polls closed. Miraculously, the fading politician clung to life for another five days. 153 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:47,920 The doctor's story proves once and for all that in 1940, Nevadans did not elect a dead man. 154 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:51,200 They did, however, elect one who was dying. 155 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:57,840 As to the Democrats keeping the secret of a dying man being on the ballot at that point, 156 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:01,440 was it true politics or election fraud? Who's to say? 157 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,640 Today, this memorial at the Mountain View Cemetery in Reno 158 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:14,160 marks a respected leader whose impressive political life was eclipsed by the mystery surrounding his death. 159 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:25,760 Medford, Massachusetts. In 1775, Paul Revere crossed the Mystic River here during his patriotic ride. 160 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:33,200 But just a few blocks from the waterfront is a contraption that speaks to a less 161 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:39,440 distinguished chapter from Medford's past. It's about a foot wide and a foot tunnel. On the left hand 162 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:45,600 side, there's one key lock for access and etched on it in white lettering, or the words, for night deposits. 163 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:56,240 According to tour guide Mark Linehan, this antique night deposit box was once involved in a tale of greed, 164 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:02,800 fevery, and betrayal. This is a story of how a group of corrupt individuals 165 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:07,680 committed one of the largest bank robberies in United States history. 166 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:18,320 1979, Medford. This quaint Massachusetts town appears to be the picture of law and order, 167 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:25,440 but its citizens have no idea their community harbors a gang of crooks hidden in plain sight. 168 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:33,600 On the police force. There was a group of pretty greedy and very corrupt cops running around Medford. 169 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:41,200 Among them are Captain Gerald Clemente, Sergeant Joe Bangs, and Lieutenant Tommy Doherty. 170 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:46,960 Since the mid-70s, the three have used their positions on the force to line their pockets. 171 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:54,480 We're talking about card games, prostitution, drugs. But after years of small time hustles, 172 00:15:54,480 --> 00:16:02,720 the crooked cops are dreaming of something bigger, a bank heist, and that November they hung 173 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:10,480 in on the perfect hit. Doherty suggests that they hit the depositors trust company in Medford. 174 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:16,880 If they were able to break into this bank, they would never have to work another day in their lives. 175 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:22,800 But slipping past the building's heavy duty alarm system and into the vault, 176 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:28,960 calls for a seasoned bank robber. So the rotten threesome recruit a career criminal to help them, 177 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:36,560 an ex-con named Bucky Barrett. Security guard, that's who the browns. Bucky Barrett have just 178 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:42,960 the skill set they need to break into the bank. To get to the vault, the crooks decide to break 179 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:49,200 into a less secure neighboring shop and then blast through the connecting wall with sticks of dynamite. 180 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:54,480 They now feel ready to pull off the perfect foolproof heist. 181 00:16:55,520 --> 00:17:01,440 The gang chooses to strike Memorial Day weekend when all the businesses downtown are closed. 182 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:12,320 As planned, in the wee hours of Sunday, May 25th, the men steal into the shop next to the 183 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:15,680 depositors trust and set off the explosives. 184 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:28,400 Explosion is deafening and they are sure that they're going to be caught. 185 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:33,440 But Memorial Day weekend, there's no one around and it is unreported. 186 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:41,280 The blast has blown clear through the wall. So the men squeeze in through this hole into the vault. 187 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:49,920 They find gold, jewelry. They're looking at about $25 million worth of valuables. 188 00:17:53,120 --> 00:17:58,960 The crew makes a pact to lay low and not raise suspicion. The worst thing for them to do at 189 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:04,640 this point is to start flashing around a lot of money. They all agree we need to take it easy. 190 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:10,160 No big purchases, no showing off, nothing that will draw attention to ourselves. 191 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:15,040 But little do they know, temptation will push them to the brink. 192 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:27,360 It's the early 80s in Medford, Massachusetts. A gang of corrupt cops have pulled off a bank 193 00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:34,240 heist to the tune of $25 million. The crooks assume they've gotten away with the perfect crime, 194 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:36,080 but they're wrong. 195 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:42,080 Four years after the depositors trust bank robbery, authorities are struggling to keep the trail 196 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:47,040 from going cold. There's nothing physically linking the men to this crime, so the police 197 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:54,720 have nothing to go on. But a bizarre coincidence is about to blow the case wide open. On the night 198 00:18:54,720 --> 00:19:01,120 of October 16th, Medford police are alerted to a shooting in a local home. They're surprised to 199 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:07,280 learn that both the shooter and the victim are cops themselves. It seems that Tommy Doherty 200 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:14,160 has shot Joe Bangs. And when police arrive on the scene and search the premises, 201 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:22,720 they make a discovery that leaves them speechless. In the trunk of Bangs car, they find jewelry. 202 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:28,320 Shocked and suspicious, police interrogate the wounded Bangs about the jewels, 203 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:34,080 and he delivers a bombshell. Bangs tells them that it's part of the stolen haul 204 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:42,240 from the depositors trust company. Bangs is arrested. For the corrupt crew, the jig is finally up. 205 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:49,280 In exchange for full immunity for his crimes, Bangs rats out his own body. 206 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:57,280 Clemente, Doherty, and Barrett. But why were co-conspirators Bangs and Doherty involved in a shootout? 207 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:05,760 It seems that despite their pact to lay low, Joe Bangs and Tommy Doherty couldn't resist the lure of the 208 00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:12,400 high life. Over the years, both men developed insatiable cocaine habits and began dealing the 209 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:17,520 illegal drug for extra cash. The gang is now in the hands of the gang. 210 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:29,760 But the illegal trade soured their relations. During a cocaine-fueled argument, things turned violent. 211 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:39,920 Doherty shoots him at almost point blank range. After going to trial, both Clemente and Doherty 212 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:46,080 are sentenced to lengthy prison terms. But Barrett, the career criminal, never faces justice. 213 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:53,200 Months before Bangs gave him up, Barrett went missing. It's believed he was killed by a fellow mobster. 214 00:20:55,760 --> 00:21:00,800 It's a scandalous end to one of the bleakest chapters in the annals of law enforcement. 215 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:07,680 This story resonates today because it speaks to how powerful greed is. 216 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:15,280 Today, this bank deposit box in Medford is nearly all that remains of the depositors trust. 217 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:20,240 The sight of an audacious crime plotted by a gang of crooked cops. 218 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:30,640 Normandy, France, with spectacular cliffs, a 360-mile coastline, and vibrant meadows. 219 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:36,640 It's no wonder this stunning countryside captured the imagination of impressionist painters. 220 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:44,640 Each year, a million visitors descend upon the area, where a legendary stretch of land 221 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,280 endures as a symbol of a haunting event. 222 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:57,840 It's about five miles long. It's covered in sand and shingle. You've got cliffs at either end, 223 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:02,240 and you have a very strong sense that something important and that something very sad happened here. 224 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:04,800 This is Omaha Beach. 225 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,320 And as historian Joshua Levine reveals, 226 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:16,160 this lonely experience was at the center of an incredible tale of trickery that changed the 227 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:22,320 course of the Second World War. This was the greatest hoax of the war. It was a hoax that fooled 228 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:35,440 Adolf Hitler himself. 1943, Europe. As World War II enters its fourth year, 229 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:42,640 much of the continent remains under German rule. But now, the furor's spies have news that his 230 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:52,240 empire could be under threat. Allied forces are reportedly preparing a massive assault on Nazi-occupied France. 231 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:58,160 The news that the Allies really needed was to be able to land successfully in France. 232 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:02,000 But where the attack might take place is unknown. 233 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:10,480 So the Nazis set out to gather this vital intelligence by contacting their top spy in England. 234 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:15,200 His name is Juan Pujol Garcia. 235 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:20,400 Juan Pujol was a very ordinary looking man. He was losing his hair. He wasn't particularly tall. 236 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:24,000 You wouldn't have marked him out as being particularly distinctive. 237 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:30,720 Born in Spain, the 31-year-old secret agent pledged his allegiance to Hitler soon after the start of the war. 238 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:38,080 Pujol has proved himself over the last couple of years to be loyal and to provide information of an 239 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:45,040 absolutely unparalleled quality. No one was more trusted to deliver the location of the Allied attack than Juan Pujol. 240 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:54,320 In short order, Pujol confirms that preparations for an Allied invasion are indeed underway in 241 00:23:54,400 --> 00:24:02,880 Southeast England. And the intended target seems to be the coastal region of the Pada Calais in Northern France. 242 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:10,320 The Pada Calais is the obvious place to invade. It's the area of France which is closest to England. 243 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:16,400 Following up on Pujol's intelligence, German reconnaissance planes are sent to survey the 244 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:20,880 city of Dover, which lies directly across the English Channel from the Pada Calais. 245 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,960 There, Nazi scouts corroborate Pujol's reports. 246 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:31,280 There's a seeing landing craft. There's seeing tanks. What we have is a picture of this buildup 247 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:38,640 of an enormous army in Southeast England. In response, Hitler moves thousands of troops 248 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:42,240 from the surrounding regions to build up his defenses in Calais. 249 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:49,680 Hitler, by turning these divisions around, is putting other areas of great danger. 250 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:54,320 On the other hand, he's protecting the Pada Calais and that, after all, is where the bigger 251 00:24:54,320 --> 00:25:01,120 invasion is coming. But what the German dictator doesn't realize is that he's just made a fatal 252 00:25:01,120 --> 00:25:05,760 mistake, one that will ultimately seal the fate of the Third Reich. 253 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:18,800 It's June 1944, Nazi occupied France. Hitler and his army are bracing for an Allied invasion, 254 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:23,040 working off information provided by their spy, Juan Pujol Garcia. 255 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:27,920 They have committed the majority of their troops to the northern beaches of Calais, 256 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:31,840 but Hitler is about to get a big surprise. 257 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:40,400 In anticipation of a massive Allied assault, 19 divisions of the German army stand along the 258 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:47,520 coast of Calais. So the Germans are waiting. They have all these troops there. They wait. 259 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,320 And they wait. But the attack doesn't come. 260 00:25:54,720 --> 00:26:01,520 But 200 miles to the southwest, a small Nazi brigade in Normandy witnesses a formidable sight. 261 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:10,320 Emerging from the Misty Ocean are more than 160,000 Allied troops. 262 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:17,440 So how could the Nazis have made such a grave miscalculation? 263 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:24,400 What happened to the anticipated Calais attack? What the Germans don't know is that they've 264 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:30,400 just been duped by none other than Juan Pujol Garcia, their most trusted secret agent. 265 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:36,400 Juan Pujol presented himself as somebody who wanted to do all he could for the Nazi cause. 266 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:41,520 But he wasn't. He was a double agent working for the British. 267 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:47,840 Pujol grew to despise fascism during the Spanish Civil War. 268 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:54,240 So when the Nazis rose to power, he vowed to do whatever he could to bring them down. 269 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:59,600 And for the past two and a half years, he has been working with the British to deceive the Germans. 270 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:06,240 The British code named him Garbo as a result of his acting talent. He was as good as Greta Garbo. 271 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:12,240 And the culmination of Pujol's efforts is the Allied invasion of Normandy. 272 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:20,480 He sent all these messages about this massive army which is ready to invade the Patec Alley. 273 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:25,200 But the information was all intended to deceive the Nazis. 274 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:32,640 To fool German air reconnaissance teams and back up Garbo's phony reports, 275 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:38,880 the Allies even installed a fake army directly across from Calais in southeast England. 276 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:46,720 So what you had was inflatable tanks. You had dummy landing craft made out of wood and metal frames, 277 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:50,240 which looked from a distance as though they were absolutely real. 278 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:53,680 These were all things that were intended to fool any Germans who were watching. 279 00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:59,760 Hitler's troops in Normandy are desperately outnumbered. 280 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:07,440 This hoax, along with Juan Pujol's spy craft, has laid the groundwork for a successful surprise attack. 281 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:11,360 The invasion in Normandy was the turning point of the war. 282 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:19,520 This was D-Day. It was the moment when the Germans were truly on the defensive and the Allies were on the offensive. 283 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:27,440 In the weeks that follow, Allied forces take control of France and then Germany. 284 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:34,400 And on May 8, 1945, the Nazi army surrenders, ending the war in Europe. 285 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:45,600 Today, Omaha Beach endures as a powerful memorial to all those who helped pull off this momentous campaign. 286 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:52,240 From the brave soldiers who stormed the shore to the masterful spy who first set the trap. 287 00:28:58,080 --> 00:28:59,360 Charlotte, North Carolina. 288 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:06,000 The towering financial institutions that dot the city skyline have given rise to a nickname, 289 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:07,440 Banktown. 290 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:15,840 But in the shadow of these modern skyscrapers is a monument that harkens back to the region's colonial past. 291 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:22,240 The statue's 14 feet tall, 3,000 pounds of solid gray bronze, 292 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:27,200 shows a revolutionary or era figure riding with determination. 293 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:32,720 This is a tribute to a little-known patriot named Captain James Jack. 294 00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:35,360 And according to author Scott Seifer, 295 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:41,040 this larger-than-life monument stands at the center of a revolutionary controversy. 296 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:47,680 The sculpture represents an episode that could have rewritten American history. 297 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,520 1819, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 298 00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:03,280 Physician Joseph McNitt Alexander is the proud descendant of one of the state's founding fathers, 299 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:05,440 John McNitt Alexander. 300 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:11,840 John McNitt Alexander had been very well known, very well respected for his leadership in the local community. 301 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:19,680 One night, Joseph is sorting through his late father's papers when he comes across something intriguing. 302 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:26,000 Notes that suggest his father and his father's peers, not Thomas Jefferson, 303 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,160 drafted the Declaration of Independence. 304 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:33,200 And not in 1776, but a full year earlier. 305 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,600 Some of the language in it is very similar to Jefferson's document. 306 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:41,520 Joseph is stunned. 307 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:47,200 If what he's reading is true, the North Carolinians who authored this document 308 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:49,680 are the nation's true founding fathers. 309 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:57,680 So Dr. Alexander publishes it in the local newspaper and then other newspapers pick up the story. 310 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:04,240 Yet while citizens in North Carolina celebrate the news, not everyone is pleased. 311 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:09,440 Soon, reports of these claims reach Thomas Jefferson himself. 312 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:13,840 And upon hearing the story, the former president is enraged. 313 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:19,760 People are saying Thomas Jefferson plagiarized from the Mechler Declaration of Independence. 314 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,320 But Jefferson's response is that it's not true. 315 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:25,040 Look, I've never heard of this. Nobody I know has ever heard of this. 316 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:35,280 Still, many North Carolinians remain convinced their own statesmen authored the landmark document. 317 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:39,840 So the state legislature decides to prove it once and for all. 318 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:49,200 It's 1819 in North Carolina. 319 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:55,280 It's been more than 40 years since the American colonies broke with Great Britain and formed a new nation. 320 00:31:55,920 --> 00:32:01,920 And Thomas Jefferson has gone down in history as the author of the famous Declaration of Independence. 321 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:03,840 But are the history books right? 322 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:10,160 Many North Carolinians believe that their fellow statesmen, 323 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,120 not Thomas Jefferson, penned the famous document. 324 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:17,920 State legislators launched a special commission to find out the truth. 325 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:22,960 And they soon unearth evidence they claim confirms the story. 326 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:26,080 The eyewitness account of one Captain James Jack. 327 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:31,520 The story Jack tells begins 55 years earlier. 328 00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:36,480 April, 1775, Lexington, Massachusetts. 329 00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:40,960 British troops fire the first shots of the American Revolution. 330 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:47,680 When word of the attack reaches North Carolina, a group of angry colonists leaps into action. 331 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:54,000 So what they do is they adopt a series of measures to declare the county independent of Great Britain. 332 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:57,360 They dissolved all political connection with the mother country. 333 00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:07,600 On May 20th, 1775, Captain Jack watches as 26 North Carolinians sign this rebellious document. 334 00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:12,000 The paper is described as the Mechelmer Declaration of Independence. 335 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:16,960 Eager to recruit other colonies to join their campaign, 336 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:22,080 the group decides to deliver the resolution to Philadelphia, home of the Continental Congress. 337 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:27,520 The man tapped for the job is the then 44-year-old James Jack himself. 338 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:35,680 Captain Jack carefully packs the document and rides North at breakneck speed. 339 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:39,840 Jack is undertaking a very perilous mission because if he's caught, 340 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:43,360 he would be hanged by any British or loyal officers who found him. 341 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:51,040 The Captain reaches Philadelphia in June, shortly after the arrival of Virginia delegate Thomas Jefferson. 342 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:55,680 According to Captain Jack, he delivers the declaration to the Congress. 343 00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:58,720 But its message falls on deaf ears. 344 00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:05,040 Far from breaking with England, the Continental Congress is presently considering reconciliation. 345 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:07,280 So they're not in favor of it. 346 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:09,840 They say, we find this very premature. 347 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:11,840 Thanks, but no thanks. And they send Jack home. 348 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:17,680 A heavy hearted James Jack returns to North Carolina with the disappointing news. 349 00:34:20,720 --> 00:34:27,120 But one year later, Thomas Jefferson authors his own version of the Declaration of Independence. 350 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:33,520 More than two centuries after its signing, the question of whether Jefferson plagiarized the 351 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:36,560 Declaration of Independence may never be answered. 352 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:43,040 But for North Carolinians, the day the Mecklenburg Declaration was signed is cause for celebration. 353 00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:49,040 They put the date May 20th, 1735 on the state flag. They put it on the state seal. 354 00:34:52,240 --> 00:34:55,040 And this statue in Charlotte, North Carolina, 355 00:34:55,040 --> 00:35:02,160 embodies the patriotic spirit that guided America's forefathers along the Rocky Road to independence. 356 00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:11,520 Yellowstone National Park spans three states and 3,500 square miles. 357 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:18,320 Near its north entrance stands a landmark that also speaks to its geologic origins. 358 00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:27,120 It's a high plateau that averages about 8,000 feet above sea level. It is made of sandstones and shales. 359 00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:29,520 It's kind of like this little castle in the sky. 360 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:37,760 This is Mount Everts. As park historian Lee Whittlesey can attest, this peak is named for a 361 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:43,440 settler whose struggle with the elements led to the formation of America's first national park. 362 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,440 It's an important part of the history of the United States. 363 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:52,160 It's an epic tale of one man's desperate fight to survive. 364 00:35:56,880 --> 00:36:00,880 August 17th, 1870, the Montana Territory. 365 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:06,160 The American West is a vast and largely uncharted land. 366 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:12,640 There weren't many tales of incredible geographic and geologic wonders. 367 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:19,200 As the U.S. expands westward, there's a demand to map every square foot of land. 368 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:24,960 And one group of men is about to do just that. The Washburn Expedition. 369 00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:33,360 The Washburn Expedition consisted of 19 men, 40 horses, and a dog. And they were headed south 370 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:41,280 to explore the Yellowstone River. From the city of Helena, the crew plans to trek 200 miles southeast 371 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:47,440 to the source of the river in the Wyoming Territory. Among this team of professional 372 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:54,400 surveyors and army scouts is an unlikely explorer, an unemployed accountant named Truman Everts. 373 00:36:55,200 --> 00:37:02,320 Truman Everts, the oldest member of the group, age 54, nearsighted, not in good physical shape. 374 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:09,840 Everts had no wilderness training for him. The expedition was kind of a between jobs vacation. 375 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:14,240 The first three weeks of the expedition pass uneventfully. 376 00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:21,760 But when the men reach the northern Wyoming woods on September 9th, their good fortune ends. 377 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:26,320 The Washburn Party was hacking through a dense forest. 378 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:30,400 And Everts became separated from the rest of the party. 379 00:37:32,720 --> 00:37:38,400 Everts decides his best bet for rejoining the group is to study the ground for hoof prints. 380 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:47,120 He dismounts from his horse and walked into the forest looking down to see their tracks. 381 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:53,760 But suddenly something spooks the horse and it takes off into the underbrush. 382 00:37:56,480 --> 00:38:04,240 His heart sank because he realized that in the saddlebag tied to the horse were his gun, 383 00:38:04,240 --> 00:38:08,880 his coat, his food gone. 384 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:18,000 Besides the clothes on his back, Everts now has nothing but a pair of opera glasses to protect him. 385 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:27,680 It hit him. I'm lost. I have no food. I'm scared. One false move and he could be dead. 386 00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:38,480 It's 1870 in the Wyoming territory. 54 year old explorer Truman Everts 387 00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:44,080 has become separated from the rest of his expedition and is lost in uncharted wilderness. 388 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:51,120 He has no horse, no food and no idea how he'll escape this deadly predicament. 389 00:38:52,080 --> 00:39:00,400 Everts knows that if he is going to make it, his first priority must be to find food. 390 00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:07,120 Everts didn't have a gun anymore. He had to focus his attention on finding plants and roots. 391 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:10,240 The problem was he didn't know which were poisonous and which were safe. 392 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:14,720 Eventually he yanks a spiky plant out of the ground. 393 00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:17,760 And he washed it off. 394 00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:27,280 And it was palatable. He could eat it. To his great relief, the root Everts has found is thistle, 395 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:33,200 a pulpy fibrous vegetable. It was a delicious meal for a starving man. 396 00:39:34,800 --> 00:39:41,040 But as the days pass and the temperature drops, he realizes that food alone will not keep him alive. 397 00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:49,200 What Everts needs is a way to make a fire. Suddenly it hits him. He had his opera glasses. 398 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:56,560 He could easily pop out the eyepiece and focus it using the sunlight to create fire. 399 00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:02,720 After several unsuccessful attempts, the dry wood finally begins to smolder. 400 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:09,040 He was just overjoyed. I have fire. I can survive. 401 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:16,880 But his high spirits don't last long. Winter is approaching. If Everts can't make it back 402 00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:24,320 to his party soon, his days will be numbered. He was hungry and cold and malnourished and weak and 403 00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:33,680 tired. He wanted to give up. Two feeble to walk. He resorts to crawling on his hands and knees 404 00:40:33,680 --> 00:40:41,520 in search of help. At that point he knew that he was going to die. But then just when he's on the 405 00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:48,880 brink of total collapse, he hears the sounds of human voices. Everts uses the last of his strength 406 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:56,480 to drag his battered body toward the sound. Finally, he reaches a clearing and there he sees the figure 407 00:40:56,480 --> 00:41:06,080 of a man. Truman? Is that you Truman? A man said, we have come to rescue you. You're alive. After nearly 408 00:41:06,080 --> 00:41:11,360 40 days in the punishing Wyoming wilderness, Truman Everts is saved. 409 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:20,720 The accountant returns to a quiet life in Montana. The following year, his incredible story is 410 00:41:20,720 --> 00:41:26,720 published in a national magazine. And this tale sparks an effort to preserve the wonders of the 411 00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:34,800 magical wilderness surrounding Yellowstone River. In 1872, it becomes America's first national park. 412 00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:44,720 And today, this 8,000-foot mountain is named Mount Everts after the man who survived in its deadly 413 00:41:44,720 --> 00:41:54,080 shadow. From an explosive plot to an unlikely pioneer, crooked cops to a missing senator, 414 00:41:55,280 --> 00:42:00,320 I'm Don Wildman and these are the Mysteries at the Monument.