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A backyard experiment insights a nuclear panic.
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WALTHER: When the investigators examine the shed,
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they find that it's highly radioactive.
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Mail delivery at rocket speed.
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And they're thinking, "Oh, God, please don't crash."
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And an atomic bombing in South Carolina.
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Eyewitness reports said there were plumes of smoke
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from the explosion.
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These are the mysteries at the museum.
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Set on the banks of the Santa Cruz River,
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the City of Sahuarita, Arizona,
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is known for its adobe buildings,
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jagged cacti,
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and magnificent desert panoramas.
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But buried beneath this sun-scorched terrain
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is an institution
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that recalls the region's darker side,
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The Titan Missile Museum.
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Housed in what was once a Cold War nuclear silo,
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the facility is home
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to a massive 103-foot-tall decommissioned missile.
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But there's another object here that is much smaller
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but was equally deadly.
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MORRIS: The artifact is rectangular in shape.
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It has 16 thumb wheels on it.
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It's got a couple of on-off switches
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and the words "code entry" are etched into the front.
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WILDMAN: This intricate machine recalls a chilling tale
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of two global superpowers on the brink of Armageddon...
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and the brave soul caught in the middle.
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This is a story about one of the most important decisions
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in mankind's history.
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WILDMAN: 1983. It's the height of the Cold War.
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The threat of nuclear war between the United States
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and the Soviet Union looms large.
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The U.S. possesses a massive arsenal
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of Titan II atomic missiles.
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Not to be outmatched, the USSR
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has their own inventory of nuclear warheads
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as well as an advanced satellite system
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that can detect American missiles
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entering Soviet airspace.
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Tasked with monitoring this early warning system
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is a 44-year-old Lieutenant named Stanislav Petrov.
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MORRIS: His specific purpose was to notify his superiors
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of missile launches from the United States
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directed towards the Soviet Union.
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WILDMAN: Should Petrov detect
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an incoming American nuclear missile,
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he's under strict orders
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to alert his commanders immediately
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so they can launch a counter attack.
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It had to be a crushing burden.
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WILDMAN: And his responsibilities
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are about to be put to the ultimate test.
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On the night of September 26th,
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Petrov is conducting routine satellite observations
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when suddenly...
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...the early warning alarm bell sounds.
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When Petrov checks the system,
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it shows an American missile is headed straight for Russia.
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MORRIS: Your heart stops, your mouth gets dry,
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your mind is telling you
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this can't possibly be happening.
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This is not happening.
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WILDMAN: Minutes later, the warning system signals
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that a second American missile is on its way.
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MORRIS: There's a second alarm
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and then a third and a fourth
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and finally in total, there were supposedly five missiles
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incoming towards the Soviet Union.
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WILDMAN: To Petrov and his men, it can mean only one thing.
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The United States has initiated a nuclear war.
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MORRIS: Everyone's sort of frozen.
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They are under attack.
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WILDMAN: According to protocol,
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Petrov must inform his superiors immediately
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so the Soviets can retaliate.
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But just as the veteran lieutenant
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is about to pick up the phone,
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he realizes something doesn't add up.
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MORRIS: If the United States
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were going to launch a pre-emptive strike
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against the Soviet Union,
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they would use more than five missiles.
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It would be hundreds of missiles, maybe thousands.
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His gut was telling him this is a mistake.
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WILDMAN: Petrov knows that time is running out.
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It only takes 23 minutes for an American Titan Missile
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to reach the USSR.
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The lieutenant faces an unimaginable choice.
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Follow protocol or trust his instincts.
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MORRIS: If he's wrong,
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the repercussions would be astronomic.
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WILDMAN: Petrov opens a secure communications link
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with Soviet Military Headquarters.
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He knows that what he tells his commanders
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could usher in a nuclear Armageddon.
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MORRIS: Petrov was afraid of making the wrong decision
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and contributing to the start of World War III.
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WILDMAN: With the fate of the entire world in his hands,
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Petrov makes his decision.
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He tells his superiors that there has been a mistake.
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He reported that the system was malfunctioning.
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And that the Soviet Union
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was not actually under missile attack.
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WILDMAN: All Petrov can do now is wait.
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And as the clock ticks down,
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it seems that his gut was correct.
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The alarm system suddenly returns to normal.
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MORRIS: Petrov must have been euphoric.
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He'd made the right call.
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WILDMAN: Stanislav Petrov's bold decision
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has saved the planet from nuclear devastation.
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But one question remains.
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What caused the system to malfunction
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and detect an American attack?
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MORRIS: It was revealed
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that the satellite had misinterpreted sunlight
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bouncing off of clouds as a missile launch.
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WILDMAN: In the wake of his nuclear near-miss,
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the Soviets fine-tuned their early warning system
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so it can't be thrown off like this again.
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The story of the world's brush
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with accidental annihilation remains a secret for years.
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But when the Cold War eventually thaws,
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the stunning incident
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is finally revealed to the world
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and Petrov is hailed as a hero.
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MORRIS: He could have taken the easy way out.
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But he took the high road
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and had the courage to listen to his gut.
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WILDMAN: Today this weapons launch dial
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that could have initiated nuclear Armageddon
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sits on display at the Titan Missile Museum.
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It recalls the story of a quick-thinking
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and cool-headed man who saved the world.
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Located on the grounds of West Virginia's luxurious
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Greenbrier Hotel is the Presidents' Cottage Museum --
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a shrine commemorating the 26 American Heads of State
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who have visited this palatial resort.
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But far removed from the timeless photos
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and elegant paintings
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sits one particularly pedestrian artifact
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that tells a riveting tale of power and paranoia
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in a world on the brink of destruction.
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WALLS: This may look like an old, ordinary television,
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but now we know this object represents
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something much, much bigger --
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something very top-secret.
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WILDMAN: So what insight does this common appliance provide
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into one of the most dramatic and intriguing episodes
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in our nation's history?
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West Virginia -- 1958.
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Deep in the heart of the Allegheny Mountains lies
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the elegant Greenbrier Hotel,
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a popular destination with Washington insiders
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and even President Dwight Eisenhower.
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On December 12th,
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the high-profile getaway announces plans
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for the construction of an opulent new wing
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featuring 88 new guest rooms and an underground exhibit hall.
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WALLS: It could be used by the guests for exhibits
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and also for parties, for huge dinner functions.
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WILDMAN: In late December,
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a crew breaks ground on the project,
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excavating a hole for the building's foundation.
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And by the spring of 1959, the workers have carved out
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a massive cavity in the Earth roughly the size
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of two football fields stacked underground.
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Soon, an endless procession of trucks arrives
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hauling an astonishing 50,000 tons of concrete
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to the cavernous site.
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WALLS: As you would guess,
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there were whispers about this project.
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People said, "What are they building,"
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because there was a huge amount of square footage
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that was unknown.
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WILDMAN: Adding to the speculation,
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it's revealed that a few select workers charged
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with hanging gigantic steel doors
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at underground entrances have been vetted by the FBI
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and forced to sign nondisclosure agreements
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about their involvement in the project.
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WALLS: Some of the local gossip said
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there was something here for the government.
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WILDMAN: Finally, in October 1962,
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the new annex, dubbed "The West Virginia Wing,"
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opens its doors.
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It was beautifully, beautifully done.
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There was the exhibit hall, the Mountaineer Room,
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good, theatre-style conference rooms.
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WILDMAN: And there is also a new office set up to tend
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to one important guest amenity.
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There was a television repair shop
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that maintained all of the Greenbrier's televisions.
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WILDMAN: For the next 30 years, the West Virginia Wing becomes
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a boon for the Greenbrier,
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playing host to hundreds of events
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and entertaining thousands of guests.
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And eventually, the rumors surrounding the addition
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become a distant memory.
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Then, in 1992, a journalist named Ted Gup is
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researching the history of The Cold War
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and how the United States would have handled the fallout
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from a nuclear catastrophe.
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In the course of his investigation,
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a political insider tips him off
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to an ongoing, covert government operation
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being carried out at the Greenbrier Hotel's
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West Virginia Wing.
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What clandestine activity could this exclusive resort
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possibly be concealing?
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In 1958, the Greenbrier Hotel,
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an upscale resort in the mountains of West Virginia,
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was expanded to include an elaborate new wing
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and an underground exhibit hall,
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but the high level of security surrounding the project
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soon gives rise to rumors of a top-secret
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government operation.
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It's 30 years before an investigative journalist
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uncovers the truth on this subterranean mystery.
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On May 31, 1992,
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journalist Ted Gup publishes a shocking article
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in The Washington Post that lifts the shroud of mystery
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that surrounds the Greenbrier Hotel's
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West Virginia Wing.
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Interviews with various construction contractors,
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hotel executives, and former government officials
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confirm rumors that began spreading back in the 1950s.
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WALLS: Leading from the Greenbrier
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into the exhibit hall was a false wall,
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and no one knew that, behind this cover door,
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was an 18-ton blast door.
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This door could have been closed,
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sealing the huge bunker.
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WILDMAN: This extraordinary bunker,
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kept secret for over 30 years,
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is revealed to be a 153-room nuclear fallout shelter
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built as a safeguard for the 535 members
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of the United States Congress in case of nuclear attack.
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WALLS: During the period of The Cold War,
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President Eisenhower had bunkers built to ensure
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that our government would have continued
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in the event of an emergency.
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The Greenbrier was chosen as one location for this
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because it's nestled in the mountains
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within a 250-mile radius of Washington, D.C.
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WILDMAN: In addition to its strategic and secluded location,
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this enormous refuge, buried 720 feet into a hillside,
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houses all the conveniences of life above-ground.
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WALLS: There were 18 dormitories.
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There was a huge communications area,
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a huge infirmary complete with operating rooms,
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and a huge power plant.
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And thousands of guests have been in the conference rooms.
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Little did they know that they were actually seated
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in rooms that would have been used as chambers
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for the House of Representatives and for the Senate.
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WILDMAN: But the question remains --
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how did the United States government maintain
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this immense bunker without the hotel staff catching on?
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00:14:12,653 --> 00:14:17,189
The answer lies in an object so mundane and ordinary
265
00:14:17,191 --> 00:14:18,856
it provided the perfect cover.
266
00:14:18,892 --> 00:14:21,593
WALLS: The people who were running the bunker
267
00:14:21,662 --> 00:14:23,928
were disguised as television repairmen,
268
00:14:23,964 --> 00:14:28,400
but they were actually employees of the United States government.
269
00:14:28,402 --> 00:14:32,270
Many of them were individuals with military experience.
270
00:14:32,339 --> 00:14:37,008
They maintained this bunker on a daily basis and ensured
271
00:14:37,144 --> 00:14:40,077
that all of the equipment in the power plant
272
00:14:40,114 --> 00:14:42,414
and all of the communications equipment
273
00:14:42,483 --> 00:14:45,984
was in ready condition.
274
00:14:47,554 --> 00:14:50,222
WILDMAN: Following the exposé in The Washington Post,
275
00:14:50,357 --> 00:14:54,225
the U.S. government ceases operations at the shelter.
276
00:14:54,261 --> 00:14:55,960
After three decades,
277
00:14:55,996 --> 00:14:58,697
the television repairmen leave their posts,
278
00:14:58,699 --> 00:15:02,100
and the bunker is made open to the public for tours.
279
00:15:04,271 --> 00:15:07,506
But today, the Greenbrier Hotel still clings
280
00:15:07,508 --> 00:15:11,776
to this old television set, one last vestige left behind
281
00:15:11,845 --> 00:15:14,378
by the men who worked behind-the-scenes
282
00:15:14,415 --> 00:15:18,016
to ensure the government's stability in time of crisis.
283
00:15:21,054 --> 00:15:23,121
New Orleans, Louisiana,
284
00:15:23,123 --> 00:15:25,123
the city's grand mansions,
285
00:15:25,125 --> 00:15:28,460
stately gardens, and historic French Quarter
286
00:15:28,529 --> 00:15:31,396
all date back to the 18th century.
287
00:15:31,465 --> 00:15:34,265
But those seeking to experience a different slice
288
00:15:34,301 --> 00:15:38,003
of history can head to the National WWII Museum.
289
00:15:41,475 --> 00:15:44,809
Its collection includes an amphibious landing boat,
290
00:15:44,845 --> 00:15:47,745
a 33-ton armored tank,
291
00:15:47,781 --> 00:15:50,081
and a four-engine bomber plane.
292
00:15:52,453 --> 00:15:54,886
But in the midst of these enormous machines
293
00:15:54,888 --> 00:15:57,689
of war is a much smaller object.
294
00:15:57,691 --> 00:16:01,226
DAVIS: The artifact is a metal cylinder.
295
00:16:01,361 --> 00:16:03,495
It's about 4 feet tall
296
00:16:03,630 --> 00:16:06,498
by about 3 feet in diameter.
297
00:16:06,500 --> 00:16:08,700
There's some black paint,
298
00:16:08,835 --> 00:16:13,238
but also there is the red color of corrosion.
299
00:16:15,642 --> 00:16:18,910
WILDMAN: This steel keg once contained an ingredient
300
00:16:18,979 --> 00:16:20,846
that had the explosive power
301
00:16:20,981 --> 00:16:23,781
to change the course of history forever.
302
00:16:23,817 --> 00:16:28,320
DAVIS: This is a story of patriotism, courage,
303
00:16:28,421 --> 00:16:32,424
sabotage, and the race to build the atomic bomb.
304
00:16:38,131 --> 00:16:43,735
WILDMAN: February 27th, 1943 -- Nazi-occupied Europe.
305
00:16:43,804 --> 00:16:45,870
A team of crack Allied commandos
306
00:16:45,939 --> 00:16:49,140
are headed to Norway on a top-secret mission --
307
00:16:49,276 --> 00:16:53,478
to sabotage the Nazi's nuclear weapons program.
308
00:16:53,547 --> 00:16:55,080
The Allies have intelligence
309
00:16:55,082 --> 00:16:57,348
that the German's have built a plant
310
00:16:57,417 --> 00:17:01,018
that will make a key ingredient for an atomic bomb.
311
00:17:01,054 --> 00:17:04,022
It's called heavy water.
312
00:17:04,091 --> 00:17:08,560
DAVIS: Heavy water was a vital component in a nuclear reaction.
313
00:17:08,629 --> 00:17:14,032
It could significantly influence the course of the war.
314
00:17:14,034 --> 00:17:15,367
WILDMAN: The Allies need to destroy
315
00:17:15,369 --> 00:17:19,037
the heavy water plant at all costs.
316
00:17:19,172 --> 00:17:23,908
Leading the mission is 23-year-old Joachim Ronneberg.
317
00:17:23,977 --> 00:17:27,111
DAVIS: Joachim Ronneberg is an explosives expert.
318
00:17:27,180 --> 00:17:29,180
He was very skilled in techniques
319
00:17:29,216 --> 00:17:32,050
of marksmanship, camouflage skills,
320
00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:36,021
so he was the ideal special warfare operative.
321
00:17:38,325 --> 00:17:41,459
WILDMAN: Ronneberg has a tricky task ahead of him.
322
00:17:41,495 --> 00:17:43,995
DAVIS: The plant was well-defended by guards,
323
00:17:44,031 --> 00:17:46,264
floodlights, and a minefield.
324
00:17:46,399 --> 00:17:51,469
It was extremely difficult to enter into the plant.
325
00:17:51,605 --> 00:17:54,538
WILDMAN: The key to success will be a Norwegian mole
326
00:17:54,575 --> 00:17:56,875
who's working for the Allies.
327
00:17:56,877 --> 00:17:59,877
On the night of the mission, the mole will unlock the doors
328
00:17:59,913 --> 00:18:01,612
to the basement so that Ronneberg
329
00:18:01,648 --> 00:18:04,149
and his team can slip inside the facility,
330
00:18:04,284 --> 00:18:07,218
plant the bombs, and get out unseen.
331
00:18:07,254 --> 00:18:11,222
The fate of the free world could rest in their hands.
332
00:18:11,258 --> 00:18:12,824
DAVIS: They prepared meticulously,
333
00:18:12,959 --> 00:18:16,728
but on the night itself, anything could happen.
334
00:18:18,699 --> 00:18:21,365
WILDMAN: Just after midnight, Ronneberg and his men
335
00:18:21,401 --> 00:18:24,035
touched down in occupied Norway.
336
00:18:24,071 --> 00:18:26,371
The air is bitterly cold.
337
00:18:26,373 --> 00:18:30,041
But the frigid temperatures work to the team's advantage.
338
00:18:30,077 --> 00:18:32,710
DAVIS: Most of the guards inside the plant
339
00:18:32,746 --> 00:18:34,446
remained under shelter
340
00:18:34,581 --> 00:18:38,582
and were not paying close attention to their duties.
341
00:18:38,619 --> 00:18:42,120
WILDMAN: Ronneberg's group stealthily approaches the building.
342
00:18:42,189 --> 00:18:44,189
But when they reach the basement doors,
343
00:18:44,324 --> 00:18:48,326
their plan is stopped in its tracks.
344
00:18:48,461 --> 00:18:51,463
The doors were locked. They were firmly shut.
345
00:18:51,465 --> 00:18:53,131
WILDMAN: For reasons unknown,
346
00:18:53,266 --> 00:18:56,735
the mole hasn't unlocked the doors.
347
00:18:56,870 --> 00:18:59,070
Ronneberg is at a loss.
348
00:18:59,072 --> 00:19:01,873
DAVIS: Failure to get into the plant
349
00:19:01,942 --> 00:19:04,075
would alter the course of the war.
350
00:19:04,111 --> 00:19:05,944
WILDMAN: So will Ronneberg and his men
351
00:19:06,079 --> 00:19:08,146
complete their dangerous mission,
352
00:19:08,148 --> 00:19:11,182
or will their plan blow up in their faces?
353
00:19:21,428 --> 00:19:25,030
It's 1943 in Nazi-occupied Norway.
354
00:19:25,165 --> 00:19:28,099
Norwegian resistance fighter Joachim Ronneberg
355
00:19:28,234 --> 00:19:30,501
and a gang of brave saboteurs
356
00:19:30,537 --> 00:19:33,104
are on a mission to destroy a Nazi facility
357
00:19:33,106 --> 00:19:34,839
that contains heavy water,
358
00:19:34,908 --> 00:19:37,842
a key ingredient in making an atomic bomb.
359
00:19:37,878 --> 00:19:39,177
According to their intel,
360
00:19:39,312 --> 00:19:42,714
an entrance to the Nazi plant will be left unlocked.
361
00:19:42,749 --> 00:19:44,849
But when the group reaches the building,
362
00:19:44,918 --> 00:19:47,852
they find the doors are bolted shut.
363
00:19:47,888 --> 00:19:50,255
So will Ronneberg and his men succeed,
364
00:19:50,390 --> 00:19:52,590
or is this mission impossible?
365
00:19:54,928 --> 00:19:58,463
Ronneberg and his men have to act fast.
366
00:19:58,532 --> 00:20:00,131
They desperately search the grounds
367
00:20:00,266 --> 00:20:02,467
for another way in.
368
00:20:02,536 --> 00:20:05,069
Then Ronneberg spies a small vent leading
369
00:20:05,105 --> 00:20:06,538
into the facility.
370
00:20:06,673 --> 00:20:09,207
The team tentatively crawls through the chute.
371
00:20:09,342 --> 00:20:12,210
They had no idea what might be waiting for them
372
00:20:12,279 --> 00:20:16,748
once they got into the production facility itself.
373
00:20:16,750 --> 00:20:20,084
WILDMAN: By chance, they end up in an abandoned basement.
374
00:20:20,087 --> 00:20:22,286
From there, they make their way to the chamber
375
00:20:22,322 --> 00:20:24,489
where the heavy water is stored.
376
00:20:24,491 --> 00:20:27,559
There, they overpower a guard at gunpoint.
377
00:20:30,597 --> 00:20:32,096
Ronneberg places the explosives
378
00:20:32,099 --> 00:20:34,766
around the heavy water barrels,
379
00:20:34,768 --> 00:20:38,503
like this one at the National WWII Museum,
380
00:20:38,505 --> 00:20:41,172
and sets the timer.
381
00:20:41,174 --> 00:20:45,777
The men run out of the building and into the woods.
382
00:20:45,912 --> 00:20:48,646
Moments later, there is a deafening explosion.
383
00:20:53,820 --> 00:20:57,188
DAVIS: The operation was completely successful.
384
00:20:57,257 --> 00:21:00,258
They knew they'd done something significant.
385
00:21:00,260 --> 00:21:01,792
WILDMAN: Ronneberg and his men flee
386
00:21:01,828 --> 00:21:04,229
Norway and make their way to safety.
387
00:21:06,633 --> 00:21:08,867
After the war, Ronneberg and his team
388
00:21:09,002 --> 00:21:11,736
are hailed as heroes for helping to cripple
389
00:21:11,738 --> 00:21:14,272
Germany's nuclear weapons program.
390
00:21:14,274 --> 00:21:16,274
It was the perfect sabotage.
391
00:21:16,276 --> 00:21:17,942
It's a tremendous example
392
00:21:18,077 --> 00:21:20,545
of what humans can achieve
393
00:21:20,614 --> 00:21:25,015
in the face of a very evil enemy.
394
00:21:25,018 --> 00:21:28,886
WILDMAN: Today, this heavy water barrel at the National WWII Museum
395
00:21:28,922 --> 00:21:30,154
in New Orleans
396
00:21:30,223 --> 00:21:33,424
recalls a heroic band of saboteurs
397
00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:37,395
and the explosive plot to change the course of history.
398
00:21:41,101 --> 00:21:43,368
The desert west of Albuquerque, New Mexico,
399
00:21:43,370 --> 00:21:45,837
possesses one of the highest concentrations
400
00:21:45,972 --> 00:21:47,939
of uranium deposits in the world.
401
00:21:49,976 --> 00:21:52,310
So it's no surprise that the city has been dubbed
402
00:21:52,379 --> 00:21:55,113
the nuclear capital of the nation.
403
00:21:55,115 --> 00:21:57,782
And celebrating this rich legacy
404
00:21:57,851 --> 00:22:00,919
is the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.
405
00:22:03,089 --> 00:22:06,324
Here, visitors can view devices that have affected human life,
406
00:22:06,393 --> 00:22:09,527
from a decommissioned British nuclear bomb
407
00:22:09,596 --> 00:22:11,796
to a gamma ray camera
408
00:22:11,865 --> 00:22:15,233
and even a shoe store's foot x-ray machine.
409
00:22:17,370 --> 00:22:19,337
But tucked away in a glass case
410
00:22:19,472 --> 00:22:22,406
is one item devoid of technical function.
411
00:22:22,442 --> 00:22:25,276
The artifact is only about
412
00:22:25,345 --> 00:22:27,278
the size of a silver dollar,
413
00:22:27,347 --> 00:22:30,081
woven of cloth, brightly-colored,
414
00:22:30,150 --> 00:22:33,284
and it was worn on a uniform.
415
00:22:33,286 --> 00:22:35,553
WILDMAN: This unassuming emblem speaks to
416
00:22:35,555 --> 00:22:37,822
an inconceivable experiment.
417
00:22:37,891 --> 00:22:39,824
It reveals a brush with disaster
418
00:22:39,893 --> 00:22:42,026
that placed a small town in grave danger.
419
00:22:42,062 --> 00:22:44,362
WILDMAN: What is this badge,
420
00:22:44,431 --> 00:22:47,498
and what role did it play in an explosive tale
421
00:22:47,634 --> 00:22:49,834
of atomic intrigue?
422
00:22:49,903 --> 00:22:52,103
1994,
423
00:22:52,172 --> 00:22:54,772
Commerce Township Michigan --
424
00:22:54,841 --> 00:22:58,242
17-year-old David Hahn is a chemistry whiz kid.
425
00:22:58,245 --> 00:23:00,978
Using his parents' shed as a lab,
426
00:23:01,014 --> 00:23:04,448
he has conducted dozens of highly-advanced experiments.
427
00:23:04,484 --> 00:23:08,119
But now, David is doggedly pursuing
428
00:23:08,188 --> 00:23:10,321
a singular goal.
429
00:23:10,456 --> 00:23:12,590
David is a Boy Scout, and he wants
430
00:23:12,725 --> 00:23:14,993
to become an Eagle Scout.
431
00:23:15,128 --> 00:23:17,328
WILDMAN: To achieve Eagle rank,
432
00:23:17,330 --> 00:23:19,463
David must accomplish two things --
433
00:23:19,532 --> 00:23:22,266
earn 21 merit badges of his choosing,
434
00:23:22,335 --> 00:23:25,003
one of which is the atomic energy badge,
435
00:23:25,138 --> 00:23:28,806
like this one on display at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History,
436
00:23:28,875 --> 00:23:31,809
and demonstrate leadership
437
00:23:31,845 --> 00:23:34,145
by completing a special project.
438
00:23:34,214 --> 00:23:37,749
For this, most Scouts pursue traditional activities,
439
00:23:37,751 --> 00:23:40,884
like planting trees or constructing park benches.
440
00:23:40,921 --> 00:23:44,822
But David has something far more ambitious in mind.
441
00:23:44,891 --> 00:23:48,226
David planned to build a nuclear reactor.
442
00:23:50,630 --> 00:23:53,564
This is a fairly ludicrous idea.
443
00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,801
With millions and millions of dollars at their disposal,
444
00:23:56,803 --> 00:24:00,571
scientists still had trouble creating these reactors,
445
00:24:00,573 --> 00:24:02,707
and here David was going to try and make one
446
00:24:02,776 --> 00:24:05,175
in his mother's potting shed.
447
00:24:05,211 --> 00:24:08,513
WILDMAN: David, however, is confident in his abilities.
448
00:24:08,648 --> 00:24:11,982
He just needs to find the right materials.
449
00:24:12,018 --> 00:24:15,052
A reactor creates nuclear energy
450
00:24:15,088 --> 00:24:17,855
by splitting atoms with the help of radioactive elements,
451
00:24:17,991 --> 00:24:19,857
like plutonium or uranium.
452
00:24:19,993 --> 00:24:21,859
WALTHER: Luckily for all of us,
453
00:24:21,995 --> 00:24:24,128
these materials are extremely hard to get.
454
00:24:24,164 --> 00:24:26,597
WILDMAN: But David has a plan.
455
00:24:26,666 --> 00:24:30,468
He learns that everyday items, like smoke detectors,
456
00:24:30,470 --> 00:24:32,737
gas lanterns, and old clocks,
457
00:24:32,806 --> 00:24:35,806
often contain minute amounts of radioactive material.
458
00:24:35,875 --> 00:24:38,008
WALTHER: David orders
459
00:24:38,044 --> 00:24:40,611
a large quantity of smoke detectors,
460
00:24:40,613 --> 00:24:43,948
and he takes the little tiny piece of americium out of them.
461
00:24:43,950 --> 00:24:46,150
WILDMAN: He gathers gas lanterns for their thorium,
462
00:24:46,285 --> 00:24:48,486
and old clocks for their radium.
463
00:24:48,488 --> 00:24:52,156
Then, using a Geiger counter to monitor radiation levels,
464
00:24:52,291 --> 00:24:55,693
he combines the elements together in tin foil blocks,
465
00:24:55,695 --> 00:24:59,163
creating his own version of a nuclear core.
466
00:24:59,232 --> 00:25:03,101
Inside it were things that were highly radioactive.
467
00:25:03,236 --> 00:25:06,336
WILDMAN: Next, he fashions a contraption to trigger fission.
468
00:25:06,339 --> 00:25:08,773
WALTHER: David built a device with a lead block,
469
00:25:08,842 --> 00:25:10,775
placing radium inside it.
470
00:25:10,844 --> 00:25:14,779
The radium emitted radiation that could be pointed at
471
00:25:14,848 --> 00:25:17,514
the other materials that he had on hand.
472
00:25:17,550 --> 00:25:19,717
This became a neutron gun.
473
00:25:19,719 --> 00:25:22,453
WILDMAN: When the radium neutrons bombard the blocks,
474
00:25:22,588 --> 00:25:25,789
he expects to see a dramatic increase in radiation,
475
00:25:25,825 --> 00:25:28,192
but much to David's disappointment,
476
00:25:28,228 --> 00:25:30,194
it doesn't seem to work.
477
00:25:30,329 --> 00:25:33,464
While small amounts of heat are being generated,
478
00:25:33,466 --> 00:25:35,466
his Geiger counter indicates
479
00:25:35,468 --> 00:25:38,136
that there is no sustained nuclear reaction.
480
00:25:38,138 --> 00:25:40,137
WALTHER: David is becoming frustrated.
481
00:25:40,206 --> 00:25:42,473
In his mind, it should work.
482
00:25:42,509 --> 00:25:45,977
WILDMAN: He sets aside the experiment to rethink his approach.
483
00:25:47,981 --> 00:25:50,281
A few days later, David is driving home
484
00:25:50,350 --> 00:25:52,883
when he notices something odd.
485
00:25:52,919 --> 00:25:55,420
WALTHER: The Geiger counter that he had in his car
486
00:25:55,555 --> 00:25:57,821
began to ping way before
487
00:25:57,857 --> 00:25:59,957
he reached his house.
488
00:25:59,993 --> 00:26:02,693
He knew something was terribly wrong.
489
00:26:02,695 --> 00:26:06,363
WILDMAN: David rushes back to the shed, and his Geiger counter confirms
490
00:26:06,399 --> 00:26:09,167
that radiation levels have skyrocketed.
491
00:26:09,302 --> 00:26:11,235
The material that he was assembling
492
00:26:11,304 --> 00:26:14,705
was far more radioactive than he understood.
493
00:26:14,774 --> 00:26:16,841
WILDMAN: Now, the entire neighborhood is in danger,
494
00:26:16,910 --> 00:26:19,710
and there is no way to turn off the reactor.
495
00:26:19,746 --> 00:26:22,647
So what will it take to contain the fallout
496
00:26:22,782 --> 00:26:25,083
from this teen's nuclear experiment?
497
00:26:33,893 --> 00:26:36,927
It's 1994 in the suburbs of Detroit.
498
00:26:36,963 --> 00:26:39,997
Ambitious Boy Scout, David Hahn, is attempting
499
00:26:40,133 --> 00:26:42,466
to build a miniature nuclear reactor
500
00:26:42,535 --> 00:26:44,268
in his parents' shed.
501
00:26:44,304 --> 00:26:46,537
At first, the teen's convinced that his experiment
502
00:26:46,672 --> 00:26:49,540
has failed, but then, he detects dangerous levels
503
00:26:49,609 --> 00:26:51,943
of radiation and panics.
504
00:26:51,945 --> 00:26:54,612
So can David save his neighborhood from
505
00:26:54,614 --> 00:26:57,080
a major meltdown?
506
00:26:57,117 --> 00:26:59,416
It seems the teenager's only option
507
00:26:59,519 --> 00:27:02,486
is to undo all of his hard work.
508
00:27:02,555 --> 00:27:05,089
WALTHER: David disassembled his cores.
509
00:27:05,224 --> 00:27:07,424
He put them in a toolbox,
510
00:27:07,494 --> 00:27:09,827
locked it, and put it in the trunk of his car.
511
00:27:09,829 --> 00:27:12,563
WILDMAN: He is desperately searching for a place
512
00:27:12,698 --> 00:27:14,865
to dispose of the toxic materials
513
00:27:14,901 --> 00:27:17,568
when, at 2:40 a.m. on August 31st...
514
00:27:19,639 --> 00:27:22,039
police lights flash in his rearview mirror.
515
00:27:22,075 --> 00:27:24,842
WALTHER: The officers asked David what he was doing
516
00:27:24,977 --> 00:27:26,978
at 2:40 in the morning.
517
00:27:27,113 --> 00:27:29,446
David replied that he was waiting for a friend.
518
00:27:29,516 --> 00:27:31,782
WILDMAN: But the police don't buy it,
519
00:27:31,818 --> 00:27:34,051
and while searching his trunk,
520
00:27:34,087 --> 00:27:36,154
they discover the toolbox.
521
00:27:38,991 --> 00:27:40,991
WALTHER: David stopped them and said, "Don't touch it!
522
00:27:41,027 --> 00:27:43,394
It's highly radioactive."
523
00:27:43,529 --> 00:27:47,264
The police didn't know what they were confronting,
524
00:27:47,300 --> 00:27:49,399
thinking maybe it was an atomic bomb.
525
00:27:49,435 --> 00:27:52,002
They arrested David.
526
00:27:52,071 --> 00:27:55,272
WILDMAN: When police prod him on the contents of the toolbox,
527
00:27:55,308 --> 00:27:58,009
he confesses to everything.
528
00:27:58,011 --> 00:28:01,145
Federal investigators are rushed in.
529
00:28:02,916 --> 00:28:05,349
WILDMAN: On June 26, 1995,
530
00:28:05,351 --> 00:28:08,752
the EPA embarks upon a $60,000 cleanup
531
00:28:08,788 --> 00:28:10,887
of David's back yard,
532
00:28:10,924 --> 00:28:13,558
hauling everything away in drums.
533
00:28:13,693 --> 00:28:16,827
Meanwhile, the overly ambitious Boy Scout
534
00:28:16,829 --> 00:28:19,096
nervously awaits his fate.
535
00:28:19,165 --> 00:28:22,166
Because he purchased all of his materials legally,
536
00:28:22,235 --> 00:28:24,969
police are unable to charge him with a crime,
537
00:28:24,971 --> 00:28:27,171
and he is released.
538
00:28:29,342 --> 00:28:31,709
David is relieved,
539
00:28:31,844 --> 00:28:34,578
and despite nearly destroying the town,
540
00:28:34,581 --> 00:28:37,047
his nuclear know-how is rewarded
541
00:28:37,083 --> 00:28:39,516
with the coveted status of Eagle Scout.
542
00:28:39,586 --> 00:28:42,720
Today, this atomic energy badge,
543
00:28:42,789 --> 00:28:46,457
safely housed at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History,
544
00:28:46,459 --> 00:28:48,993
reminds us of one eager Boy Scout's
545
00:28:49,062 --> 00:28:51,429
radioactive ambition.
546
00:28:56,936 --> 00:28:58,602
Deep in the heart of South Carolina
547
00:28:58,605 --> 00:29:01,005
is the old railroad city of Florence,
548
00:29:01,074 --> 00:29:03,540
and on a quiet street downtown,
549
00:29:03,610 --> 00:29:06,610
is the institution dedicated to preserving its heritage --
550
00:29:06,679 --> 00:29:08,545
the Florence Museum.
551
00:29:08,581 --> 00:29:12,083
Here, crude surgical instruments,
552
00:29:12,085 --> 00:29:15,019
Civil War uniforms, and an early steam engine
553
00:29:15,021 --> 00:29:19,690
trace the over 150-year history of this Dixieland hub.
554
00:29:19,759 --> 00:29:21,892
But for many visitors,
555
00:29:22,028 --> 00:29:26,430
one curious, mangled artifact stands out from the rest.
556
00:29:26,466 --> 00:29:29,767
It's an eerie reminder of the day a nearby town
557
00:29:29,902 --> 00:29:32,303
was nearly wiped off the map.
558
00:29:32,438 --> 00:29:36,040
It's about 6 1/2 inches at its longest point,
559
00:29:36,175 --> 00:29:39,377
and it weighs about 1 1/2 pounds,
560
00:29:39,512 --> 00:29:41,979
and it's probably the object in the museum
561
00:29:42,048 --> 00:29:44,515
that gets more attention than anything else.
562
00:29:44,584 --> 00:29:46,983
WILDMAN: So, what is this gnarled fragment,
563
00:29:47,020 --> 00:29:51,388
and what part did it play in a near-catastrophic accident
564
00:29:51,424 --> 00:29:54,458
that brought terror to Main Street, America?
565
00:29:54,494 --> 00:29:56,794
It's 1958.
566
00:29:56,796 --> 00:29:58,195
Political tension
567
00:29:58,231 --> 00:30:00,264
between the United States and the Soviet Union
568
00:30:00,266 --> 00:30:02,266
is reaching a boiling point.
569
00:30:02,335 --> 00:30:04,268
To prepare for the possibility of war,
570
00:30:04,270 --> 00:30:07,471
the American military routinely conducts
571
00:30:07,473 --> 00:30:09,473
simulated combat drills.
572
00:30:09,475 --> 00:30:12,310
But one of these missions is about to go horribly wrong.
573
00:30:14,213 --> 00:30:18,549
On the afternoon of March 11th, a B-47 bomber takes off
574
00:30:18,551 --> 00:30:21,885
from Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah, Georgia,
575
00:30:21,954 --> 00:30:25,222
en route to England, on one such training run.
576
00:30:25,224 --> 00:30:28,025
Along for the ride are three crew members
577
00:30:28,027 --> 00:30:31,828
and one extremely sensitive piece of cargo.
578
00:30:31,864 --> 00:30:36,033
The military needed to be ready in case of an actual war,
579
00:30:36,035 --> 00:30:40,304
and so there was a nuclear bomb on board the plane.
580
00:30:40,373 --> 00:30:42,306
WILDMAN: Called the MK 6,
581
00:30:42,375 --> 00:30:47,111
this 10-foot-long bomb weighs 7,600 pounds
582
00:30:47,180 --> 00:30:49,980
and is designed to house a plutonium core
583
00:30:50,016 --> 00:30:52,649
capable of creating utter devastation.
584
00:30:52,685 --> 00:30:54,985
If the bomb dropped,
585
00:30:54,987 --> 00:30:59,790
everything within 5 miles of the impact site
586
00:30:59,859 --> 00:31:02,860
would be completely destroyed.
587
00:31:04,397 --> 00:31:06,797
But less than an hour into the flight,
588
00:31:06,833 --> 00:31:10,000
while the B-47 is flying over South Carolina,
589
00:31:10,136 --> 00:31:12,402
a crew member notices something wrong.
590
00:31:12,438 --> 00:31:15,739
A flashing control-panel light indicates
591
00:31:15,775 --> 00:31:18,342
that the nuclear bomb's locking mechanism,
592
00:31:18,344 --> 00:31:21,412
which ensures the device's safety during the flight,
593
00:31:21,414 --> 00:31:24,281
is not properly engaged.
594
00:31:24,317 --> 00:31:28,085
MOTTE: He instructed the navigator, Captain Bruce Kulka
595
00:31:28,087 --> 00:31:31,222
to go and investigate the situation.
596
00:31:31,357 --> 00:31:34,625
WILDMAN: Captain Kulka heads back to the aircraft's bomb bay
597
00:31:34,694 --> 00:31:38,095
to figure out what could be causing the malfunction.
598
00:31:38,164 --> 00:31:40,097
Because he wasn't too much taller than the bomb,
599
00:31:40,099 --> 00:31:44,101
it was very hard for him to have a line of sight anywhere
600
00:31:44,103 --> 00:31:47,571
to look around for where the locking mechanism might be.
601
00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:50,040
In an attempt to get a better look,
602
00:31:50,176 --> 00:31:54,845
Kulka decides to hoist himself up onto the deadly detonator.
603
00:31:54,980 --> 00:31:56,647
MOTTE: As he leaned forward onto the bomb,
604
00:31:56,649 --> 00:31:58,849
he pulled something to stabilize himself.
605
00:31:58,885 --> 00:32:02,519
It's the bomb's emergency-release handle.
606
00:32:02,622 --> 00:32:04,522
In an instant,
607
00:32:04,524 --> 00:32:06,857
the massive nukes drops to the plane floor,
608
00:32:06,992 --> 00:32:10,594
landing squarely on top of the bomb-bay doors.
609
00:32:10,729 --> 00:32:13,730
Seconds later, the bomb-bay doors burst open,
610
00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:17,034
and the bomb fell from the plane.
611
00:32:18,638 --> 00:32:21,005
WILDMAN: It seems Captain Bruce Kulka
612
00:32:21,140 --> 00:32:26,177
has just dropped a nuclear bomb on South Carolina.
613
00:32:36,689 --> 00:32:38,755
March 11, 1958.
614
00:32:38,791 --> 00:32:41,759
United States Air Force Captain Bruce Kulka
615
00:32:41,761 --> 00:32:44,895
has just made an inconceivable mistake.
616
00:32:45,030 --> 00:32:48,699
Flying 15,000 feet over the East Coast in a B-47,
617
00:32:48,768 --> 00:32:51,635
he has accidentally dropped a nuclear bomb
618
00:32:51,704 --> 00:32:53,437
on South Carolina.
619
00:32:53,572 --> 00:32:56,239
So what will it take to contain the fallout
620
00:32:56,275 --> 00:32:58,842
from this domestic detonation?
621
00:32:58,845 --> 00:33:02,713
Mortified, Captain Kulka scrambles back
622
00:33:02,715 --> 00:33:04,848
to alert his fellow airmen.
623
00:33:04,917 --> 00:33:10,787
So, their next step was to radio back to Hunter Air Force Base.
624
00:33:10,823 --> 00:33:14,524
WILDMAN: As the B-47 is diverted back to Savannah,
625
00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:17,261
authorities in Florence County, South Carolina,
626
00:33:17,263 --> 00:33:20,998
are inundated with reports about a massive explosion.
627
00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:24,735
Several calls started coming in to the police
628
00:33:24,804 --> 00:33:27,404
from people who were in the city of Florence.
629
00:33:27,406 --> 00:33:31,341
They describe seeing two plumes of smoke about 6 miles away
630
00:33:31,377 --> 00:33:33,944
in the rural town called Mars Bluff.
631
00:33:34,013 --> 00:33:38,882
WILDMAN: Soon, the media picks up on the explosive story,
632
00:33:38,885 --> 00:33:40,817
sending Florence County residents
633
00:33:40,853 --> 00:33:42,686
into a panicked frenzy.
634
00:33:42,821 --> 00:33:45,822
There was a lot of fear that there was a potential
635
00:33:45,892 --> 00:33:48,926
for radiological contamination.
636
00:33:51,230 --> 00:33:53,964
WILDMAN: But when news outlets finally release images
637
00:33:53,966 --> 00:33:56,500
from the bomb's impact site in Mars Bluff,
638
00:33:56,569 --> 00:33:59,036
local citizens are confounded.
639
00:33:59,038 --> 00:34:02,973
There seem to be no signs of nuclear devastation.
640
00:34:03,108 --> 00:34:08,044
In fact, the damage seems confined to a single property,
641
00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:09,646
where the bomb has created
642
00:34:09,682 --> 00:34:12,048
a 75-foot-wide crater in the earth
643
00:34:12,084 --> 00:34:14,985
and knocked a small house off its foundation.
644
00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:18,855
The yard has also been sprayed with tiny bomb fragments
645
00:34:18,891 --> 00:34:22,660
just like this one, on display at the Florence Museum.
646
00:34:22,662 --> 00:34:25,195
Astonishingly,
647
00:34:25,264 --> 00:34:28,699
the blast has caused only a handful of minor injuries
648
00:34:28,768 --> 00:34:30,534
but no one has been killed.
649
00:34:30,603 --> 00:34:34,538
Mars Bluff seems to have been spared.
650
00:34:34,540 --> 00:34:35,672
But how?
651
00:34:35,708 --> 00:34:37,808
The policy of the Air Force at the time
652
00:34:37,943 --> 00:34:42,212
was that the actual nuclear core of the bomb
653
00:34:42,248 --> 00:34:44,214
had to be on the plane,
654
00:34:44,250 --> 00:34:47,618
but it was not inserted into the bomb
655
00:34:47,620 --> 00:34:51,755
unless it became necessary to arm the weapon.
656
00:34:51,757 --> 00:34:55,291
That core was not loaded into the bomb
657
00:34:55,328 --> 00:34:57,428
that fell on Mars Bluff.
658
00:34:57,563 --> 00:35:00,297
In the wake of the extraordinary blast,
659
00:35:00,366 --> 00:35:03,433
authorities conduct a thorough cleanup of the area,
660
00:35:03,469 --> 00:35:04,702
and eventually,
661
00:35:04,704 --> 00:35:06,236
the government compensates the victims
662
00:35:06,272 --> 00:35:09,106
for their hardships.
663
00:35:09,108 --> 00:35:11,508
But for some Mars Bluff residents,
664
00:35:11,577 --> 00:35:17,514
the memories of March 11, 1958, continue to linger.
665
00:35:17,583 --> 00:35:20,717
MOTTE: You know, it's been 54 years since the event,
666
00:35:20,786 --> 00:35:22,319
but it still does live on
667
00:35:22,321 --> 00:35:25,055
in the minds of the people who experienced it.
668
00:35:25,190 --> 00:35:27,590
WILDMAN: And today, at the Florence Museum,
669
00:35:27,627 --> 00:35:29,726
this bomb fragment remains on display,
670
00:35:29,762 --> 00:35:33,063
a mangled relic from a tragic accident
671
00:35:33,099 --> 00:35:36,233
that brought the Cold War to America's doorstep.
672
00:35:39,271 --> 00:35:41,071
Washington, D.C.
673
00:35:41,107 --> 00:35:43,407
America's capital city is the headquarters
674
00:35:43,476 --> 00:35:45,875
for hundreds of Federal agencies,
675
00:35:45,911 --> 00:35:48,078
including the Postal Service,
676
00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:50,747
and this institution's illustrious history
677
00:35:50,816 --> 00:35:54,184
is celebrated at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum.
678
00:35:56,188 --> 00:35:58,355
Its collection features such rare items
679
00:35:58,424 --> 00:36:00,957
as an envelope that was sent to the moon,
680
00:36:00,993 --> 00:36:04,628
a postmark dating back to America's independence,
681
00:36:04,630 --> 00:36:07,498
and a 1918 stamp,
682
00:36:07,633 --> 00:36:10,367
which was famously printed upside-down.
683
00:36:10,369 --> 00:36:13,504
But among these postal anomalies
684
00:36:13,639 --> 00:36:16,573
sits an object that appears rather ordinary.
685
00:36:16,709 --> 00:36:18,709
HARTZMAN: It's a metal box.
686
00:36:18,844 --> 00:36:20,911
It's about a foot long, foot wide,
687
00:36:20,913 --> 00:36:24,114
and a foot deep, and it's painted red, white, and blue.
688
00:36:24,116 --> 00:36:26,650
WILDMAN: This simple container embarked
689
00:36:26,652 --> 00:36:29,920
on an unprecedented, gravity-defying journey.
690
00:36:30,055 --> 00:36:33,056
HARTZMAN: This looks like a pretty ordinary post office box,
691
00:36:33,059 --> 00:36:36,593
but this box had ambitions that were completely out of this world.
692
00:36:36,729 --> 00:36:38,862
WILDMAN: What futuristic first
693
00:36:38,898 --> 00:36:40,730
did this box deliver,
694
00:36:40,766 --> 00:36:42,700
and how did it help safeguard the nation?
695
00:36:45,537 --> 00:36:48,205
It's 1957 in Washington, D.C.
696
00:36:48,340 --> 00:36:51,008
In the years following World War II,
697
00:36:51,143 --> 00:36:54,011
the country has been growing by leaps and bounds.
698
00:36:54,013 --> 00:36:57,414
And one institution is struggling to keep up--
699
00:36:57,549 --> 00:36:59,883
the Postal Service.
700
00:36:59,952 --> 00:37:02,552
HARTZMAN: Their mail influx is increasing by 30 percent.
701
00:37:02,621 --> 00:37:05,355
They have to figure out new ways to handle all the mail.
702
00:37:05,424 --> 00:37:08,358
WILDMAN: The man tasked with tackling this challenge
703
00:37:08,494 --> 00:37:11,562
is the highly motivated national postmaster general,
704
00:37:11,697 --> 00:37:13,696
Arthur Summerfield.
705
00:37:13,733 --> 00:37:16,232
HARTZMAN: He said, "I've got to figure out new ways
706
00:37:16,268 --> 00:37:19,169
"to advance the postal service, to bring new information,
707
00:37:19,205 --> 00:37:21,704
new ideas into this business."
708
00:37:21,741 --> 00:37:24,841
WILDMAN: Summerfield begins by focusing on the sorting process.
709
00:37:24,910 --> 00:37:28,378
For decades, it has been executed by hand
710
00:37:28,414 --> 00:37:30,447
and is wildly inefficient,
711
00:37:30,449 --> 00:37:33,050
so he introduces a mechanized system
712
00:37:33,185 --> 00:37:35,385
that is exceptionally fast.
713
00:37:35,387 --> 00:37:38,288
It would sort 15,000 letters per hour.
714
00:37:40,926 --> 00:37:43,126
WILDMAN: Then Summerfield turns his attention
715
00:37:43,129 --> 00:37:45,262
to mail transport.
716
00:37:45,264 --> 00:37:47,597
Increased demand across longer distances
717
00:37:47,633 --> 00:37:51,334
has put a strain on the aging door-to-door delivery system.
718
00:37:51,370 --> 00:37:54,604
Summerfield is struck with inspiration
719
00:37:54,673 --> 00:37:57,140
from the strangest of sources --
720
00:37:57,143 --> 00:38:00,410
America's Cold War defense technology.
721
00:38:00,446 --> 00:38:02,146
HARTZMAN: So he starts thinking,
722
00:38:02,281 --> 00:38:05,215
"Maybe we can deliver mail through missiles."
723
00:38:05,350 --> 00:38:07,217
With a guided missile, you could send
724
00:38:07,352 --> 00:38:09,219
a lot of mail really, really fast.
725
00:38:09,354 --> 00:38:11,822
WILDMAN: Summerfield knows it's a long shot,
726
00:38:11,824 --> 00:38:14,491
but nonetheless, he pitches Missile Mail
727
00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:16,493
to the Defense Department.
728
00:38:16,562 --> 00:38:18,495
HARTZMAN: And to his surprise, they actually agree.
729
00:38:18,564 --> 00:38:22,132
Top Navy brass says, "Yeah, let's send mail by missiles."
730
00:38:22,201 --> 00:38:25,569
WILDMAN: Over the next few weeks, Summerfield eagerly works
731
00:38:25,638 --> 00:38:28,104
with the Navy to flesh out the idea.
732
00:38:28,174 --> 00:38:31,642
The plan is to use a specialized version
733
00:38:31,777 --> 00:38:34,377
of a Regulus 1 nuclear missile.
734
00:38:34,446 --> 00:38:36,847
Instead of equipping it with a warhead,
735
00:38:36,982 --> 00:38:39,116
the projectile will be packed with mail
736
00:38:39,251 --> 00:38:41,651
and guided by remote control.
737
00:38:41,687 --> 00:38:43,987
It had a parachute, it had wheels,
738
00:38:44,056 --> 00:38:47,324
so when there was impact, it would actually land.
739
00:38:47,393 --> 00:38:49,593
It wouldn't just hit the ground and explode.
740
00:38:49,662 --> 00:38:51,595
WILDMAN: But if they simply place mail
741
00:38:51,664 --> 00:38:53,864
directly in the missile's empty chamber,
742
00:38:53,933 --> 00:38:55,999
it would incinerate during takeoff,
743
00:38:56,001 --> 00:38:58,735
so Summerfield and Navy technicians
744
00:38:58,871 --> 00:39:01,572
create a container to house the letters
745
00:39:01,673 --> 00:39:04,007
and position it where the nuclear warhead
746
00:39:04,009 --> 00:39:06,142
would typically lie.
747
00:39:06,212 --> 00:39:08,678
On June 8, 1959,
748
00:39:08,747 --> 00:39:11,014
this metal box, today on display
749
00:39:11,149 --> 00:39:14,818
at the National Postal Museum, is filled with mail.
750
00:39:14,820 --> 00:39:17,087
It's then loaded into the Regulus 1
751
00:39:17,089 --> 00:39:19,423
on a submarine that ventures dozens of miles
752
00:39:19,558 --> 00:39:22,025
off the Florida coast.
753
00:39:22,127 --> 00:39:25,228
HARTZMAN: The missile is carefully aimed at Naval Auxiliary Air Station,
754
00:39:25,231 --> 00:39:27,631
about 100 miles out in Mayport, Florida.
755
00:39:27,700 --> 00:39:29,566
WILDMAN: Waiting at the landing strip,
756
00:39:29,701 --> 00:39:32,302
the anxious Summerfield holds his breath.
757
00:39:32,371 --> 00:39:36,273
They put the missile mail into the payload and fire it off.
758
00:39:38,277 --> 00:39:40,377
WILDMAN: Then the postmaster and his team
759
00:39:40,512 --> 00:39:42,712
fervently scan the horizon.
760
00:39:42,781 --> 00:39:45,916
HARTZMAN: And they're thinking, "Oh, God, please don't crash,"
761
00:39:45,918 --> 00:39:48,852
hoping, praying that this thing is actually gonna work.
762
00:39:48,854 --> 00:39:51,521
WILDMAN: Will this revolutionary flight deliver success,
763
00:39:51,590 --> 00:39:53,256
or will Summerfield's dream
764
00:39:53,325 --> 00:39:55,359
of mail by missile crash and burn?
765
00:40:04,069 --> 00:40:06,737
It's 1959 off the coast of Florida.
766
00:40:06,739 --> 00:40:08,939
Arthur Summerfield, the nation's new
767
00:40:09,074 --> 00:40:11,875
postmaster general, has what would seem to be
768
00:40:12,010 --> 00:40:16,213
a preposterous idea -- use missiles to deliver the mail.
769
00:40:16,215 --> 00:40:18,482
Amazingly, the Defense Department
770
00:40:18,484 --> 00:40:20,683
supports his endeavor and has just launched
771
00:40:20,719 --> 00:40:22,685
the first delivery.
772
00:40:22,721 --> 00:40:25,722
So can this explosive plan ever take off?
773
00:40:27,626 --> 00:40:30,093
WILDMAN: Twenty-two minutes into its maiden voyage
774
00:40:30,162 --> 00:40:32,696
the Regulus 1 comes into view.
775
00:40:32,831 --> 00:40:34,430
HARTZMAN: And finally, it comes down
776
00:40:34,466 --> 00:40:36,533
as a beautiful, soft precision landing.
777
00:40:38,037 --> 00:40:40,036
WILDMAN: Summerfield runs to the landing area
778
00:40:40,072 --> 00:40:42,105
and retrieves the mail container.
779
00:40:42,174 --> 00:40:44,308
And when he opens it up,
780
00:40:44,443 --> 00:40:46,709
he is elated.
781
00:40:46,745 --> 00:40:50,713
HARTZMAN: All the mail is there, nothing's been burnt, it's all nicely intact.
782
00:40:50,749 --> 00:40:53,550
His grand plan has worked perfectly.
783
00:40:53,552 --> 00:40:56,252
WILDMAN: The postmaster general proudly releases a statement
784
00:40:56,322 --> 00:40:58,254
that his institution is ready
785
00:40:58,324 --> 00:41:00,256
to blast off into the future,
786
00:41:00,326 --> 00:41:03,259
and the news spreads around the globe.
787
00:41:03,295 --> 00:41:07,197
He's ready to start launching missiles all across the world filled with mail.
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00:41:07,199 --> 00:41:10,734
WILDMAN: But his lofty ambitions are about to come crashing down.
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00:41:10,869 --> 00:41:13,669
HARTZMAN: The U.S. Navy says,
790
00:41:13,706 --> 00:41:16,739
"Hang on a second, we can't do this thing all the time."
791
00:41:16,775 --> 00:41:19,009
This was just way too expensive.
792
00:41:19,144 --> 00:41:21,545
WILDMAN: Summerfield is stunned.
793
00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:23,613
Why was his mail missile concept
794
00:41:23,682 --> 00:41:26,549
even tested if it was deemed unfeasible?
795
00:41:26,618 --> 00:41:29,352
He soon discovers the truth.
796
00:41:29,421 --> 00:41:31,488
They have ulterior motives.
797
00:41:31,490 --> 00:41:33,490
The Navy was just using this as a stunt
798
00:41:33,492 --> 00:41:36,360
to show the world, its enemies, Russia and the Cold War,
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00:41:36,495 --> 00:41:38,628
that it could send a missile anywhere it wanted
800
00:41:38,664 --> 00:41:40,831
with perfect precision.
801
00:41:40,833 --> 00:41:43,166
The missile mail program was a one and done.
802
00:41:43,202 --> 00:41:45,168
It's over.
803
00:41:45,204 --> 00:41:47,304
WILDMAN: Summerfield is devastated,
804
00:41:47,439 --> 00:41:50,040
but over time, he refocuses his energies
805
00:41:50,109 --> 00:41:52,775
and spends his tenure as postmaster general
806
00:41:52,811 --> 00:41:55,545
industriously refining operations.
807
00:41:57,850 --> 00:42:00,116
And today, this simple metal box
808
00:42:00,152 --> 00:42:02,119
that was shot through the sky
809
00:42:02,254 --> 00:42:04,587
is on display at the National Postal Museum
810
00:42:04,656 --> 00:42:07,124
because of one man's improbable scheme
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00:42:07,126 --> 00:42:10,827
to rocket the nation's mail system into a fast-moving future.
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00:42:13,999 --> 00:42:16,199
From a radioactive Boy Scout
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00:42:16,201 --> 00:42:18,402
to the man who saved the world.
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00:42:18,537 --> 00:42:20,603
An upscale underground bunker
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00:42:20,672 --> 00:42:22,806
to rocket-powered mail.
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00:42:22,941 --> 00:42:25,609
I'm Don Wildman, and these are
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00:42:25,744 --> 00:42:27,444
the mysteries at the museum.
817
00:42:28,305 --> 00:43:28,327
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