"Mysteries at the Museum" Cold War Secrets

1 00:00:03,137 --> 00:00:05,070 During the second half 2 00:00:05,072 --> 00:00:07,940 of the 20th Century, the U.S. and Soviet Union 3 00:00:07,942 --> 00:00:10,543 armed themselves with enough nuclear weapons 4 00:00:10,545 --> 00:00:13,412 to destroy the planet a hundred times over. 5 00:00:13,414 --> 00:00:16,015 It shall be the policy of this nation 6 00:00:16,017 --> 00:00:18,017 to regard any nuclear missile 7 00:00:18,019 --> 00:00:20,886 launched against any nation in the Western Hemisphere 8 00:00:20,888 --> 00:00:24,890 as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States. 9 00:00:24,892 --> 00:00:27,492 WILDMAN: It's a span of history known as the Cold War. 10 00:00:31,032 --> 00:00:32,698 I'm on a mission to reveal some 11 00:00:32,700 --> 00:00:35,968 of the most closely guarded secrets of the Cold War. 12 00:00:35,970 --> 00:00:37,836 This is actually an atomic-, biological- 13 00:00:37,838 --> 00:00:39,305 chemical-weapons- proof bunker. 14 00:00:40,974 --> 00:00:44,309 Find out how close we came to nuclear annihilation. 15 00:00:44,311 --> 00:00:46,779 All the tension comes down to this, 16 00:00:46,781 --> 00:00:49,848 to tanks facing off in the streets of Berlin. 17 00:00:49,850 --> 00:00:51,249 Gas, gas, gas! 18 00:00:51,251 --> 00:00:54,453 Discover how the Cold War began 19 00:00:54,455 --> 00:00:55,788 and whether it really ever ended. 20 00:01:03,263 --> 00:01:04,797 I'm Don Wildman. 21 00:01:04,799 --> 00:01:07,399 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 22 00:01:07,401 --> 00:01:09,000 examined rare artifacts 23 00:01:09,002 --> 00:01:10,335 and epic monuments. 24 00:01:10,337 --> 00:01:11,871 That is unbelievable. 25 00:01:11,873 --> 00:01:15,074 Now, I'm digging deeper into some of the most perplexing 26 00:01:15,076 --> 00:01:17,543 and famous cases in history. 27 00:01:17,545 --> 00:01:19,745 My goal? To get closer to the truth. 28 00:01:19,747 --> 00:01:21,012 Let's burn this place down. 29 00:01:21,014 --> 00:01:22,948 Burn it down. 30 00:01:22,950 --> 00:01:26,485 On this special episode of "Mysteries at the Museum," 31 00:01:26,487 --> 00:01:28,153 "Cold War Secrets." 32 00:01:31,425 --> 00:01:34,026 There may be no greater rivalry in history 33 00:01:34,028 --> 00:01:36,362 than the one between the United States of America 34 00:01:36,364 --> 00:01:37,697 and the Soviet Union. 35 00:01:37,699 --> 00:01:39,231 -Mr. Gorbachev, 36 00:01:39,233 --> 00:01:41,299 tear down this wall. 37 00:01:44,972 --> 00:01:49,508 For almost 50 years, it created global catastrophes, 38 00:01:49,510 --> 00:01:52,578 gave rise to a new type of warfare, 39 00:01:52,580 --> 00:01:54,647 and divided the world in two. 40 00:01:54,649 --> 00:01:57,383 NEWSREADER: German troops took control of the key section 41 00:01:57,385 --> 00:01:58,584 of the Berlin Wall 42 00:01:58,586 --> 00:02:01,186 at the Brandenburg Gate early this morning. 43 00:02:04,792 --> 00:02:07,092 When most people think of the Cold War, 44 00:02:07,094 --> 00:02:09,795 they think of famous names like Stalin, 45 00:02:09,797 --> 00:02:10,863 Reagan, 46 00:02:10,865 --> 00:02:12,331 Gorbachev. 47 00:02:12,333 --> 00:02:14,867 They think of spies and espionage, 48 00:02:14,869 --> 00:02:17,403 and of nuclear weapons. 49 00:02:17,405 --> 00:02:20,672 But, how much do we know about what really happened? 50 00:02:20,674 --> 00:02:22,741 Because, whether we realize it or not, 51 00:02:22,743 --> 00:02:26,078 the Cold War has shaped all our lives 52 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:29,682 and, if a few key decisions had been made differently, 53 00:02:29,684 --> 00:02:31,417 we might not even be here at all. 54 00:02:35,889 --> 00:02:39,091 Much of the Cold War was shrouded in secrecy. 55 00:02:39,093 --> 00:02:43,362 Now, 30 years on, top-secret files are being declassified, 56 00:02:43,364 --> 00:02:46,599 helping to answer some important questions, 57 00:02:46,601 --> 00:02:48,500 like "How did it start?" 58 00:02:52,206 --> 00:02:55,907 The Cold War officially began in 1947, 59 00:02:55,909 --> 00:02:57,376 but, a few years earlier, 60 00:02:57,378 --> 00:02:59,311 the United States and the Soviet Union 61 00:02:59,313 --> 00:03:02,114 had joined forces to defeat the Axis powers 62 00:03:02,116 --> 00:03:06,519 of Germany, Italy, and Japan, during World War II. 63 00:03:06,521 --> 00:03:10,322 So, how could allies become enemies so quickly? 64 00:03:10,324 --> 00:03:11,590 How you doing? -Nice to meet you. 65 00:03:11,592 --> 00:03:13,391 -Thank you very much. -Welcome to Zossen. 66 00:03:17,532 --> 00:03:19,732 -Military historian Nick Jackson 67 00:03:19,734 --> 00:03:21,801 has lived in Berlin for over 20 years 68 00:03:21,803 --> 00:03:25,404 and is an expert on its wartime past. 69 00:03:25,406 --> 00:03:28,473 He's brought me 25 miles south of Berlin, 70 00:03:28,475 --> 00:03:31,810 to the ruined bunker complex at Zossen. 71 00:03:31,812 --> 00:03:34,413 Close to Berlin, but hidden away in the forest, 72 00:03:34,415 --> 00:03:37,283 this strategic site was chosen by Hitler 73 00:03:37,285 --> 00:03:38,750 as the headquarters 74 00:03:38,752 --> 00:03:41,820 for the Supreme High Command of his German Army. 75 00:03:41,822 --> 00:03:44,623 It was the Nazi equivalent of the Pentagon, 76 00:03:44,625 --> 00:03:47,959 packed full of state-of-the-art German communications equipment. 77 00:03:50,965 --> 00:03:52,764 In July 1945, 78 00:03:52,766 --> 00:03:55,501 the Allies held a conference a few miles from here, 79 00:03:55,503 --> 00:03:57,236 at Potsdam. 80 00:03:57,238 --> 00:03:59,171 There, the big-three heads of state 81 00:03:59,173 --> 00:04:01,774 carved up postwar Germany. 82 00:04:01,776 --> 00:04:04,910 Zossen fell under Soviet control. 83 00:04:04,912 --> 00:04:07,847 So, World War II ends, Germans defeated, 84 00:04:07,849 --> 00:04:09,515 the Soviets come into this part, yeah? 85 00:04:09,517 --> 00:04:11,116 Yeah, and you can see what they did because, 86 00:04:11,118 --> 00:04:13,385 almost immediately after World War II, 87 00:04:13,387 --> 00:04:15,854 the Allied Control Council of the Four Powers in Berlin 88 00:04:15,856 --> 00:04:18,156 decided that it'd be a good idea 89 00:04:18,158 --> 00:04:21,460 to get rid of military- strength buildings, 90 00:04:21,462 --> 00:04:23,062 mainly left from World War II, 91 00:04:23,064 --> 00:04:25,730 and that was called Directive 22. 92 00:04:25,732 --> 00:04:27,199 And, very quickly after the war, 93 00:04:27,201 --> 00:04:29,134 end of '45, '46, 94 00:04:29,136 --> 00:04:31,736 these houses were then deliberately destroyed. 95 00:04:35,809 --> 00:04:38,877 Intentionally knocking down strategic Nazi sites, 96 00:04:38,879 --> 00:04:41,213 like Zossen, was meant to be a sign 97 00:04:41,215 --> 00:04:44,550 the U.S. and Soviets were serious about peace. 98 00:04:44,552 --> 00:04:49,487 But, in 1946, tensions between the countries were running high. 99 00:04:49,489 --> 00:04:51,290 U.S. President Harry S Truman 100 00:04:51,292 --> 00:04:54,093 was worried about the spread of communism. 101 00:04:54,095 --> 00:04:58,563 We are united in detesting Communist slavery. 102 00:04:58,565 --> 00:05:00,699 WILDMAN: Whereas Soviet leader Joseph Stalin 103 00:05:00,701 --> 00:05:03,635 hated the fact that the U.S. was the only country 104 00:05:03,637 --> 00:05:05,571 in the world with the atomic bomb. 105 00:05:07,908 --> 00:05:09,708 So, while the destruction as Zossen 106 00:05:09,710 --> 00:05:11,510 made it look like the Soviet Union 107 00:05:11,512 --> 00:05:13,245 was keeping up its end of the bargain... 108 00:05:13,247 --> 00:05:14,579 It's an underground bunker? 109 00:05:14,581 --> 00:05:15,847 That's right. 110 00:05:15,849 --> 00:05:17,716 ...beneath the surface, 111 00:05:17,718 --> 00:05:19,918 it was a different story. 112 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,855 Here we go. In we go. 113 00:05:22,857 --> 00:05:25,457 Because, at Zossen, the Nazis had also built 114 00:05:25,459 --> 00:05:28,727 an underground complex of top-secret bunkers. 115 00:05:31,265 --> 00:05:35,534 And, quietly, the Soviets repurposed them. 116 00:05:35,536 --> 00:05:38,937 Each subterranean floor is the size of a football field. 117 00:05:42,543 --> 00:05:45,276 Holy mother, look how deep this thing goes. 118 00:05:45,278 --> 00:05:50,415 That's about 40, 50, feet down, and three different levels. 119 00:05:50,417 --> 00:05:53,352 The Soviets turned Zossen back into a high-tech 120 00:05:53,354 --> 00:05:56,688 military installation and, later, in the Cold War, 121 00:05:56,690 --> 00:06:00,092 all air-patrol operations along the crucial Western border 122 00:06:00,094 --> 00:06:01,493 were controlled from here. 123 00:06:04,698 --> 00:06:08,901 In 1947, relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union 124 00:06:08,903 --> 00:06:12,838 broke down further when Truman introduced the Marshall Plan, 125 00:06:12,840 --> 00:06:17,042 an economic aid package to rebuild war-torn Europe. 126 00:06:17,044 --> 00:06:18,376 Stalin wouldn't allow 127 00:06:18,378 --> 00:06:21,513 any countries under his control to accept the money 128 00:06:21,515 --> 00:06:25,384 and, instead, tightened his grip on Eastern Europe. 129 00:06:25,386 --> 00:06:28,854 From Stettin in the Baltic 130 00:06:28,856 --> 00:06:31,056 to Trieste in the Adriatic, 131 00:06:35,529 --> 00:06:39,931 So, these two former allies are now enemies watching each other. 132 00:06:39,933 --> 00:06:41,533 That's right. As tensions start 133 00:06:41,535 --> 00:06:44,069 to rise in the years after World War II, 134 00:06:44,071 --> 00:06:45,737 both sides start making sure 135 00:06:45,739 --> 00:06:47,006 they're got the information, 136 00:06:47,008 --> 00:06:50,676 fearing the other is about to launch a strike. 137 00:06:50,678 --> 00:06:55,080 But the real catalyst for the Cold War happened in 1949. 138 00:06:55,082 --> 00:06:56,815 That is the moment the Soviet Union 139 00:06:56,817 --> 00:06:58,083 finally developed 140 00:06:58,085 --> 00:06:59,884 a nuclear bomb of its own. 141 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:07,074 142 00:07:08,896 --> 00:07:10,963 When the Soviet Union got the atomic bomb, 143 00:07:10,965 --> 00:07:14,299 it ended the U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons, 144 00:07:14,301 --> 00:07:16,835 but both countries quickly realized that, 145 00:07:16,837 --> 00:07:18,704 if war did break out, 146 00:07:18,706 --> 00:07:21,774 it could end with both sides being wiped off the map. 147 00:07:21,776 --> 00:07:23,242 It created a stalemate. 148 00:07:23,244 --> 00:07:24,910 That's why it's called the Cold War. 149 00:07:30,050 --> 00:07:32,851 The nuclear standoff between the U.S. and Soviet Union 150 00:07:32,853 --> 00:07:35,521 was at the heart of the Cold War. 151 00:07:35,523 --> 00:07:38,791 One false move could lead to nuclear annihilation, 152 00:07:38,793 --> 00:07:40,326 so both countries wanted to know 153 00:07:40,328 --> 00:07:42,727 how many nukes the other side had 154 00:07:42,729 --> 00:07:44,596 and where they were positioned. 155 00:07:44,598 --> 00:07:46,065 But the problem was -- 156 00:07:46,067 --> 00:07:48,199 How do they find out? 157 00:07:48,201 --> 00:07:49,935 The answer was spies. 158 00:07:54,809 --> 00:07:58,810 The Cold War became the age of espionage 159 00:07:58,812 --> 00:08:00,946 and the best place to find information 160 00:08:00,948 --> 00:08:03,015 was Berlin. 161 00:08:03,017 --> 00:08:06,284 That's because, at the end of World War II, 162 00:08:06,286 --> 00:08:09,755 none of the Allies wanted to give up a presence here, 163 00:08:09,757 --> 00:08:13,091 so the city was divided into four sectors -- 164 00:08:13,093 --> 00:08:15,761 one for each of the occupying nations, 165 00:08:15,763 --> 00:08:17,295 British, French, 166 00:08:17,297 --> 00:08:19,732 U.S., and Soviet. 167 00:08:19,734 --> 00:08:23,635 In reality, though, there were two halves. 168 00:08:23,637 --> 00:08:26,905 It created a tense environment where East and West 169 00:08:26,907 --> 00:08:30,642 came into contact like nowhere else in the world. 170 00:08:30,644 --> 00:08:32,043 And, at one point, the U.S. had 171 00:08:32,045 --> 00:08:35,380 15 separate intelligence agencies working here. 172 00:08:49,330 --> 00:08:51,196 As the front line of the Cold War, 173 00:08:51,198 --> 00:08:52,797 Berlin acquired a reputation 174 00:08:52,799 --> 00:08:55,867 as the capital city of espionage. 175 00:08:55,869 --> 00:08:58,336 So, what was it like to be a spy here, 176 00:08:58,338 --> 00:09:01,540 in this city of spies, during the Cold War? 177 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:08,680 Treptow Park, in former East Berlin, 178 00:09:08,682 --> 00:09:11,149 was a popular meeting place for spies. 179 00:09:11,151 --> 00:09:14,018 It's also home to the Soviet War Memorial, 180 00:09:14,020 --> 00:09:17,355 a tribute to the 80,000 Red Army soldiers who died 181 00:09:17,357 --> 00:09:21,159 in the 1945 Battle for Berlin. 182 00:09:21,161 --> 00:09:23,428 I'm here to meet Nigel Dunkley, 183 00:09:23,430 --> 00:09:25,030 who served in the British military 184 00:09:25,032 --> 00:09:27,566 and was stationed in Berlin during the Cold War. 185 00:09:32,506 --> 00:09:35,640 So, you worked in Berlin back in the day. 186 00:09:35,642 --> 00:09:36,775 Yeah, back in the day. 187 00:09:36,777 --> 00:09:38,309 What years? 188 00:09:38,311 --> 00:09:41,113 I first came here in about 1978. 189 00:09:41,115 --> 00:09:44,916 I was then deployed into Communist East Germany 190 00:09:44,918 --> 00:09:49,921 as a covert intelligence- gathering agent or officer. 191 00:09:49,923 --> 00:09:51,189 We don't like the word spy, 192 00:09:51,191 --> 00:09:52,457 but that's basically what we were. 193 00:09:52,459 --> 00:09:54,726 -You were a spy. Okay. -We were a spy. 194 00:09:54,728 --> 00:09:56,528 And what were you looking for? 195 00:09:56,530 --> 00:09:57,929 Why were you spying? 196 00:09:57,931 --> 00:10:01,733 The top of the list was, of course, nuclear weapons. 197 00:10:01,735 --> 00:10:04,803 What kind of nuclear weapons were they, 198 00:10:04,805 --> 00:10:06,939 were they tactical, battlefield nuclear weapons 199 00:10:06,941 --> 00:10:09,207 or were they intercontinental ballistic missiles? 200 00:10:09,209 --> 00:10:10,342 -Yeah. -Did they have all 201 00:10:10,344 --> 00:10:12,343 of those types of nuclear weapons? 202 00:10:12,345 --> 00:10:13,811 And the answer is yes, they had nukes. 203 00:10:13,813 --> 00:10:15,614 Yes, they did, and we had to, therefore, 204 00:10:15,616 --> 00:10:18,550 go and confirm what was being seen 205 00:10:18,552 --> 00:10:20,819 from satellites, which, in those days, 206 00:10:20,821 --> 00:10:23,021 was probably just a fairly fuzzy image 207 00:10:23,023 --> 00:10:24,556 with not too much detail. 208 00:10:24,558 --> 00:10:25,957 So, you were the eyes and ears, 209 00:10:25,959 --> 00:10:27,492 on the ground, -Yes. 210 00:10:27,494 --> 00:10:28,560 -of the West. -Yeah. 211 00:10:34,235 --> 00:10:36,167 WILDMAN: Much of the Soviet nuclear arsenal 212 00:10:36,169 --> 00:10:39,171 didn't have the range to be launched from Moscow. 213 00:10:39,173 --> 00:10:41,506 Instead, the Soviets placed their weapons 214 00:10:41,508 --> 00:10:43,842 as close to the West as they could. 215 00:10:43,844 --> 00:10:48,447 It was up to spies, like Nigel, to find out where they were. 216 00:10:48,449 --> 00:10:51,850 Today, we're driving 50 miles south of Berlin, 217 00:10:51,852 --> 00:10:53,718 to a place called Jueterbog, 218 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:57,389 an area where Nigel conducted covert operations. 219 00:10:57,391 --> 00:10:59,391 During the Cold War, it was a garrison town 220 00:10:59,393 --> 00:11:02,727 for the Red Army, housing around 40,000 troops, 221 00:11:02,729 --> 00:11:05,196 making it the largest contingent of military 222 00:11:05,198 --> 00:11:07,332 outside the Soviet Union. 223 00:11:07,334 --> 00:11:10,269 And, hidden deep in the surrounding forest, 224 00:11:10,271 --> 00:11:14,072 lay some of their most closely guarded secrets. 225 00:11:14,074 --> 00:11:17,075 So, we just pulled off the public highway. 226 00:11:17,077 --> 00:11:19,211 This normally would be 227 00:11:19,213 --> 00:11:21,746 looking quite innocent here, this kind of thing. 228 00:11:21,748 --> 00:11:23,014 -Yeah. -We would start creeping 229 00:11:23,016 --> 00:11:25,016 through the woods. 230 00:11:25,018 --> 00:11:26,084 We would have the lights off. 231 00:11:26,086 --> 00:11:28,687 We'd make sure that it was low-key 232 00:11:28,689 --> 00:11:30,222 and as covert as possible. 233 00:11:31,358 --> 00:11:33,692 I feel like we're doin' somethin' wrong here. 234 00:11:33,694 --> 00:11:34,959 Good. That's a good feeling. 235 00:11:34,961 --> 00:11:36,094 It's exciting. 236 00:11:36,096 --> 00:11:37,696 So, this would have been 237 00:11:37,698 --> 00:11:39,564 crawling with military, obviously. 238 00:11:39,566 --> 00:11:41,766 Yes. 239 00:11:41,768 --> 00:11:43,969 I'm spying in East Germany. 240 00:11:43,971 --> 00:11:45,971 Getting deeper and deeper into trouble here. 241 00:11:47,441 --> 00:11:50,041 Not even this car can get past this. 242 00:11:50,043 --> 00:11:51,777 All right, we're goin' for a walk. 243 00:12:01,921 --> 00:12:03,788 This is not new. 244 00:12:03,790 --> 00:12:04,856 This was here at the time, 245 00:12:04,858 --> 00:12:06,791 as a last-ditch 246 00:12:06,793 --> 00:12:09,328 -To block off. -vehicle block, yeah. 247 00:12:09,330 --> 00:12:12,397 I can see, from the barbed wire fencing, 248 00:12:12,399 --> 00:12:13,898 that we're moving towards something here. 249 00:12:13,900 --> 00:12:15,667 Ever closer. Ever closer, yeah. 250 00:12:27,014 --> 00:12:30,215 So, average, you know, German forest, right? 251 00:12:30,217 --> 00:12:31,950 Nothin' much out here. 252 00:12:31,952 --> 00:12:34,285 But then you start to see this -- these features. 253 00:12:34,287 --> 00:12:36,621 Look, this is the old barbed wire. 254 00:12:36,623 --> 00:12:38,090 It stretches the whole perimeter. 255 00:12:38,092 --> 00:12:40,492 You can see these posts are all the way along here. 256 00:12:40,494 --> 00:12:44,562 And look at this, this old guard outpost. 257 00:12:44,564 --> 00:12:46,632 What's distinctive about this? 258 00:12:46,634 --> 00:12:49,033 It's still camouflaged. 259 00:12:49,035 --> 00:12:51,970 Look, it's still painted with the camouflage, 260 00:12:51,972 --> 00:12:55,707 to keep this from being photographed from the air. 261 00:12:55,709 --> 00:12:58,510 And what all this is, this barbed wire fencing, 262 00:12:58,512 --> 00:13:03,048 these pillboxes, these guard sentry posts, is 263 00:13:03,050 --> 00:13:04,783 guarding that mound of earth over there, 264 00:13:04,785 --> 00:13:06,985 which is a Soviet warhead bunker. 265 00:13:09,722 --> 00:13:11,389 I'm on a mission to reveal some 266 00:13:11,391 --> 00:13:14,192 of the most closely guarded secrets of the Cold War, 267 00:13:14,194 --> 00:13:16,995 and they don't get much more protected than this. 268 00:13:16,997 --> 00:13:18,930 Wow, look at that. 269 00:13:38,364 --> 00:13:41,031 In recent years, we've learned the clandestine work 270 00:13:41,033 --> 00:13:43,634 carried out by spies during the Cold War. 271 00:13:43,636 --> 00:13:45,836 It's giving us a unique insight 272 00:13:45,838 --> 00:13:49,840 into top-secret strategic military installations, 273 00:13:49,842 --> 00:13:52,709 like the nuclear weapons storage facility at Jueterbog. 274 00:13:55,380 --> 00:13:58,181 Here we go. 275 00:13:58,183 --> 00:13:59,983 Wow, look at that blast door, right off the bat. 276 00:13:59,985 --> 00:14:01,318 Isn't that fantastic? Look at that. 277 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:03,720 Look at the size of the hinges as well. 278 00:14:03,722 --> 00:14:04,921 -Yeah. So they were -Check that out. 279 00:14:04,923 --> 00:14:06,389 seriously worried about gettin' 280 00:14:06,391 --> 00:14:07,591 -Yeah. -attacked here. 281 00:14:11,697 --> 00:14:12,462 -Wow. Look at that. -Yep, there it is. 282 00:14:12,464 --> 00:14:14,598 That's incredible. 283 00:14:19,003 --> 00:14:20,470 Spooky place. 284 00:14:20,472 --> 00:14:22,405 -Spooky place, isn't it? - God. 285 00:14:22,407 --> 00:14:23,473 And, when you think about it, 286 00:14:23,475 --> 00:14:26,009 you are in the absolute epicenter 287 00:14:26,011 --> 00:14:28,812 of what was the most important weapon, 288 00:14:28,814 --> 00:14:30,547 throughout the Cold War, 289 00:14:30,549 --> 00:14:32,215 that the Soviets had -Yeah. 290 00:14:32,217 --> 00:14:34,885 to be used against us, and that's nuclear weapon 291 00:14:34,887 --> 00:14:37,554 warhead storage we've got here. 292 00:14:37,556 --> 00:14:39,022 I mean, when you're talkin' about 293 00:14:39,024 --> 00:14:42,559 what the Cold War was all about, it was about a place like this. 294 00:14:42,561 --> 00:14:43,760 Absolutely correct, yeah. 295 00:14:43,762 --> 00:14:44,894 -Crazy! -Absolutely correct. 296 00:14:44,896 --> 00:14:46,496 And you were snoopin' the whole time. 297 00:14:46,498 --> 00:14:48,097 We were snooping. 298 00:14:48,099 --> 00:14:50,233 The nuclear warheads stored at Jueterbog 299 00:14:50,235 --> 00:14:52,569 were intended for missiles aimed at key targets 300 00:14:52,571 --> 00:14:54,971 in the West, like Paris and London. 301 00:15:02,647 --> 00:15:04,647 So, this is where the warheads were stored. 302 00:15:04,649 --> 00:15:06,983 So, basically, they'd come in on the crane. 303 00:15:06,985 --> 00:15:09,786 Yeah, on the overhead gantry, lowered down, 304 00:15:09,788 --> 00:15:11,854 and then, finally, put into the storage 305 00:15:11,856 --> 00:15:13,991 -Okay. -facilities on both sides. 306 00:15:13,993 --> 00:15:15,525 How many am I talkin' about, here? 307 00:15:15,527 --> 00:15:17,860 Each storage bay -- there are four of them -- 308 00:15:17,862 --> 00:15:20,530 I think, held about 139 warheads. 309 00:15:20,532 --> 00:15:21,932 In each? There's three rooms. 310 00:15:21,934 --> 00:15:23,200 In each of these. There are four of them, actually. 311 00:15:23,202 --> 00:15:25,201 So, there's hundreds of warheads down here. 312 00:15:25,203 --> 00:15:26,603 Yes, absolutely. 313 00:15:26,605 --> 00:15:28,071 This is why it was so spectacularly 314 00:15:28,073 --> 00:15:31,208 sensitive and important. 315 00:15:31,210 --> 00:15:34,110 The full extent of the Soviet nuclear capabilities 316 00:15:34,112 --> 00:15:36,079 at Jueterbog was only discovered 317 00:15:36,081 --> 00:15:39,082 when the troops finally left in 1992. 318 00:15:53,298 --> 00:15:55,165 This is incredible. I mean, you're 319 00:15:55,167 --> 00:15:59,235 basically standing at the heart of the Cold War. 320 00:15:59,237 --> 00:16:01,637 I mean, the information, the spying, 321 00:16:01,639 --> 00:16:04,240 all the espionage, was being conducted 322 00:16:04,242 --> 00:16:11,047 in order to find out what was being held in this very space. 323 00:16:11,049 --> 00:16:12,382 So wild. 324 00:16:21,994 --> 00:16:25,862 Nuclear weapons were one source of tension during the Cold War; 325 00:16:25,864 --> 00:16:29,065 differing ideologies were another. 326 00:16:29,067 --> 00:16:31,667 The U.S. feared the spread of Communism, 327 00:16:31,669 --> 00:16:34,003 leading to many pivotal Cold War events, 328 00:16:34,005 --> 00:16:37,073 like the Bay of Pigs and the Vietnam War. 329 00:16:37,075 --> 00:16:41,745 It was also behind one of the war's most iconic structures -- 330 00:16:41,747 --> 00:16:43,880 the Berlin Wall. 331 00:16:43,882 --> 00:16:47,818 It was erected in August 1961 by the East German government, 332 00:16:47,820 --> 00:16:50,553 in an attempt to stop thousands of its citizens 333 00:16:50,555 --> 00:16:52,488 from defecting to the West. 334 00:16:52,490 --> 00:16:56,226 It became one of the most fortified regions in the world. 335 00:16:56,228 --> 00:16:59,428 There were guard towers manned by armed soldiers. 336 00:16:59,430 --> 00:17:01,030 There was even a minefield. 337 00:17:04,102 --> 00:17:07,036 The Berlin War Memorial, on Bernauer Strasse, 338 00:17:07,038 --> 00:17:09,372 contains the last piece of Berlin Wall 339 00:17:09,374 --> 00:17:11,842 with the border fortifications behind. 340 00:17:11,844 --> 00:17:13,976 Check this out. You can sort of see, 341 00:17:13,978 --> 00:17:15,945 I mean, they have actually preserved 342 00:17:15,947 --> 00:17:18,848 a small segment of what used to be the wall, 343 00:17:18,850 --> 00:17:20,584 going all the way in both directions. 344 00:17:20,586 --> 00:17:23,787 But, boy, you can really see how oppressive that is, 345 00:17:23,789 --> 00:17:26,589 you know, how forbidding that strip was. 346 00:17:31,195 --> 00:17:32,395 The Berlin Wall is one 347 00:17:32,397 --> 00:17:35,798 of the most iconic symbols of the Cold War, 348 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:40,603 but there are surprising things about it you may not know. 349 00:17:40,605 --> 00:17:42,072 For some perspective, 350 00:17:42,074 --> 00:17:44,407 I've come to the wall's most infamous crossing point -- 351 00:17:44,409 --> 00:17:45,808 Checkpoint C, 352 00:17:45,810 --> 00:17:48,411 more commonly referred to as Checkpoint Charlie. 353 00:17:50,348 --> 00:17:52,549 A few hundred feet from the checkpoint 354 00:17:52,551 --> 00:17:55,085 there is a tethered hot air balloon. 355 00:17:55,087 --> 00:17:58,287 So, there's an important fact about geography here. 356 00:17:58,289 --> 00:18:00,690 Many people assume that the Berlin Wall 357 00:18:00,692 --> 00:18:03,092 was the division between East and West Germany. 358 00:18:03,094 --> 00:18:04,427 It's not. 359 00:18:04,429 --> 00:18:06,096 East Germany, the border of East Germany, 360 00:18:06,098 --> 00:18:09,198 is actually 100 miles to the west. 361 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:12,502 West Berlin is a tiny enclave of U.S.-controlled land 362 00:18:12,504 --> 00:18:15,639 deep behind Soviet lines, and the Berlin Wall 363 00:18:15,641 --> 00:18:18,040 is actually a loop, encircling it. 364 00:18:19,511 --> 00:18:23,847 This is what made this city so important during the Cold War. 365 00:18:23,849 --> 00:18:27,984 The Allied territory is inside Soviet-held territory 366 00:18:27,986 --> 00:18:30,119 and the Soviets hated this 367 00:18:30,121 --> 00:18:32,989 and they were trying every which way to get us outta here. 368 00:18:38,530 --> 00:18:41,665 After the Berlin Wall went up, the East German government 369 00:18:41,667 --> 00:18:44,801 imposed severe travel restrictions. 370 00:18:44,803 --> 00:18:48,938 So, to avoid global conflict, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev 371 00:18:48,940 --> 00:18:52,208 insisted the East Germans make an exception. 372 00:18:52,210 --> 00:18:55,745 American, British, and French civilians living in West Berlin 373 00:18:55,747 --> 00:18:59,683 wouldn't need to show their passports to travel to the East. 374 00:18:59,685 --> 00:19:01,817 But rather than defuse the situation, 375 00:19:01,819 --> 00:19:03,019 the gesture triggered one 376 00:19:03,021 --> 00:19:05,488 of the most dangerous moments of the Cold War. 377 00:19:07,492 --> 00:19:11,361 Most people have heard of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, 378 00:19:11,363 --> 00:19:14,231 but, the previous year, an equally perilous moment 379 00:19:14,233 --> 00:19:16,966 occurred right here at Checkpoint Charlie. 380 00:19:16,968 --> 00:19:18,235 What's surprising to learn 381 00:19:18,237 --> 00:19:21,304 is that it was triggered by the least likely person. 382 00:19:25,911 --> 00:19:28,511 On October 22, 1961, 383 00:19:28,513 --> 00:19:30,446 an American named Allan Lightner 384 00:19:30,448 --> 00:19:34,251 crossed Checkpoint Charlie on his way to the opera. 385 00:19:34,253 --> 00:19:37,186 East German guards demanded to see his passport, 386 00:19:37,188 --> 00:19:41,925 but Lightner, citing the Soviet exception, refused. 387 00:19:41,927 --> 00:19:43,727 The guards wouldn't back down, 388 00:19:43,729 --> 00:19:45,662 so, General Lucius Clay, 389 00:19:45,664 --> 00:19:48,865 the senior U.S. officer in all of occupied Germany, 390 00:19:48,867 --> 00:19:54,337 ordered ten M48 tanks to take up position at Checkpoint Charlie. 391 00:19:54,339 --> 00:19:55,739 Not to be outdone, 392 00:19:55,741 --> 00:19:59,542 the Soviets sent the same number to face down the Americans. 393 00:19:59,544 --> 00:20:01,477 The incident at Checkpoint Charlie 394 00:20:01,479 --> 00:20:03,279 was the only point during the Cold War 395 00:20:03,281 --> 00:20:06,082 when Soviet and American forces faced off 396 00:20:06,084 --> 00:20:08,418 and it pushed both sides to the brink. 397 00:20:08,420 --> 00:20:11,220 One nervous soldier, one overzealous commander, 398 00:20:11,222 --> 00:20:14,023 and the Cold War would go nuclear in a heartbeat. 399 00:20:16,762 --> 00:20:20,030 On one side stood a young, untested U.S. president, 400 00:20:20,032 --> 00:20:23,299 still reeling from the Bay of Pigs disaster. 401 00:20:23,301 --> 00:20:24,967 On the other, a Soviet premier 402 00:20:24,969 --> 00:20:27,970 under pressure from East Germany. 403 00:20:27,972 --> 00:20:29,972 The Cold War is heating up, 404 00:20:29,974 --> 00:20:33,176 so how close did we really come to nuclear Armageddon? 405 00:20:49,634 --> 00:20:52,636 The Cold War spanned five decades. 406 00:20:52,638 --> 00:20:55,505 Today, 30 years on, there are still moments 407 00:20:55,507 --> 00:20:58,107 we're only beginning to comprehend. 408 00:21:00,712 --> 00:21:04,648 Like the standoff that occurred on October 27, 1961, 409 00:21:04,650 --> 00:21:07,116 in the heart of Berlin. 410 00:21:07,118 --> 00:21:08,584 For 16 hours, 411 00:21:08,586 --> 00:21:12,255 U.S. and Soviet Union tanks stood opposite one another 412 00:21:12,257 --> 00:21:15,325 in one of the only armed confrontations of the Cold War. 413 00:21:17,062 --> 00:21:19,596 So, all this Cold War conflict, 414 00:21:19,598 --> 00:21:22,131 all the tension comes down to this, 415 00:21:22,133 --> 00:21:25,668 the tanks facing off in the streets of Berlin. 416 00:21:25,670 --> 00:21:27,670 Aahh! 417 00:21:27,672 --> 00:21:30,073 -Gas, gas, gas! -Ay yah yah! 418 00:21:35,547 --> 00:21:38,014 Some experts believe the incident in Berlin 419 00:21:38,016 --> 00:21:42,485 was more dangerous than the Cuban Missile Crisis. 420 00:21:42,487 --> 00:21:45,889 It seems incredible to think of these tanks all facing off 421 00:21:45,891 --> 00:21:48,691 in the streets of Berlin over the Berlin Wall. 422 00:21:48,693 --> 00:21:50,960 It's a nightmare, you know, claustrophobic. 423 00:21:50,962 --> 00:21:54,130 All these guys, they realize they are the trigger point 424 00:21:54,132 --> 00:21:56,832 of global thermonuclear warfare. 425 00:21:56,834 --> 00:21:59,101 The potential for World War III 426 00:21:59,103 --> 00:22:01,838 was only averted when President John F. Kennedy 427 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:04,707 contacted Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev 428 00:22:04,709 --> 00:22:08,111 and convinced him to withdraw his tanks. 429 00:22:08,113 --> 00:22:10,580 The standoff was over. 430 00:22:10,582 --> 00:22:12,648 But the Berlin Wall remained. 431 00:22:15,787 --> 00:22:19,322 Its sudden presence shook Berlin. 432 00:22:19,324 --> 00:22:21,858 The wall ran right through the middle of neighborhoods, 433 00:22:21,860 --> 00:22:26,396 splitting up families and separating loved ones. 434 00:22:26,398 --> 00:22:28,865 Those in the West enjoyed continued freedom, 435 00:22:28,867 --> 00:22:31,334 but life for the people trapped in the East 436 00:22:31,336 --> 00:22:34,671 was full of hardship. 437 00:22:34,673 --> 00:22:36,272 Hello, Stephan. 438 00:22:36,274 --> 00:22:37,207 How you doin'? 439 00:22:37,209 --> 00:22:38,541 Greetings. Nice to meet you. 440 00:22:38,543 --> 00:22:39,743 Nice to meet you. 441 00:22:45,483 --> 00:22:47,951 Stephan Krawczyk is a notable folk musician 442 00:22:47,953 --> 00:22:50,619 who grew up in East Germany. 443 00:22:50,621 --> 00:22:52,621 He's brought me to the DDR Museum, 444 00:22:52,623 --> 00:22:56,759 which features a perfectly recreated East Berlin apartment. 445 00:22:56,761 --> 00:22:58,427 It's the best place in the world 446 00:22:58,429 --> 00:23:00,096 of an East German flat. 447 00:23:00,098 --> 00:23:01,898 There you go. 448 00:23:01,900 --> 00:23:03,165 I mean, it's very typical. 449 00:23:03,167 --> 00:23:05,368 It's not bad. 450 00:23:05,370 --> 00:23:07,971 So, everyone had sort of the same thing, right? 451 00:23:07,973 --> 00:23:09,171 Really. Really. 452 00:23:13,912 --> 00:23:16,112 As a professional musician in East Germany, 453 00:23:16,114 --> 00:23:19,315 Stephan needed to apply for a permit from the government 454 00:23:19,317 --> 00:23:21,717 in order to write and play. 455 00:23:21,719 --> 00:23:24,320 So, the music that you made had a message 456 00:23:24,322 --> 00:23:27,456 and it had to align with the ideology of East Germany, yes? 457 00:23:28,926 --> 00:23:31,727 INTERPRETER: Well, it was a development in the beginning. 458 00:23:31,729 --> 00:23:35,398 I started my career by winning a national song competition 459 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,467 and, back then, I was in line with everything that was wanted. 460 00:23:40,805 --> 00:23:43,539 WILDMAN: Stephan was celebrated as a national artist, 461 00:23:43,541 --> 00:23:46,075 which was one of the highest recognitions. 462 00:23:46,077 --> 00:23:49,212 But, in 1984, he moved to East Berlin 463 00:23:49,214 --> 00:23:51,414 and his life began to change. 464 00:23:51,416 --> 00:23:54,083 So, did you notice any discrepancies in the East, 465 00:23:54,085 --> 00:23:55,685 I mean, the iniquities of things? 466 00:23:56,888 --> 00:23:58,821 INTERPRETER: Definitely. The party leaders 467 00:23:58,823 --> 00:24:01,091 could buy all kinds of products from the West. 468 00:24:01,093 --> 00:24:04,160 They had Western cars and most of them lived 469 00:24:04,162 --> 00:24:05,962 in the city district called Wandlitz 470 00:24:05,964 --> 00:24:08,231 and we called that the Western village. 471 00:24:08,233 --> 00:24:10,967 And, when they were driven home to Wandlitz from work, 472 00:24:10,969 --> 00:24:13,035 everybody had to stop their cars 473 00:24:13,037 --> 00:24:14,637 and there were huge traffic jams 474 00:24:14,639 --> 00:24:17,106 because they needed the roads for themselves. 475 00:24:18,977 --> 00:24:23,112 WILDMAN: Stephan began to write songs about the inequalities he saw. 476 00:24:23,114 --> 00:24:26,115 It brought him to the attention of the East German authorities, 477 00:24:26,117 --> 00:24:29,385 who banned him from playing music altogether. 478 00:24:29,387 --> 00:24:32,388 But the government didn't stop there. 479 00:24:32,390 --> 00:24:34,390 What if everything you thought you knew 480 00:24:34,392 --> 00:24:37,393 about the people closest to you wasn't true? 481 00:24:37,395 --> 00:24:40,129 What if your friends and family were actually spying on you? 482 00:24:56,414 --> 00:24:58,414 Since the end of the Cold War, 483 00:24:58,416 --> 00:25:00,617 declassified documents have shed light 484 00:25:00,619 --> 00:25:04,620 on the inequality of life under a Communist regime. 485 00:25:04,622 --> 00:25:07,823 Many citizens in the East lived in poverty. 486 00:25:07,825 --> 00:25:12,228 Meanwhile, the governing elite had vast stately homes, wealth, 487 00:25:12,230 --> 00:25:14,830 even indoor swimming pools; 488 00:25:14,832 --> 00:25:17,299 and authorities were willing to go to great lengths 489 00:25:17,301 --> 00:25:19,568 to keep the status quo. 490 00:25:19,570 --> 00:25:22,906 The DDR Museum has recreated a surveillance room, 491 00:25:22,908 --> 00:25:25,374 the likes of which East German government officials 492 00:25:25,376 --> 00:25:29,445 could use to secretly listen in and record suspected dissidents. 493 00:25:31,516 --> 00:25:33,783 So, this would be a surveillance post 494 00:25:33,785 --> 00:25:35,985 that would be in a typical flat building? 495 00:25:35,987 --> 00:25:39,789 I mean, they would set up a post in the building? 496 00:25:39,791 --> 00:25:42,592 INTERPRETER: Yes. Well, in my case, the secret police had rented 497 00:25:42,594 --> 00:25:45,394 the whole flat right in front of my wife's flat. 498 00:25:45,396 --> 00:25:47,062 So, they needed to listen in on you 499 00:25:47,064 --> 00:25:50,532 because you were suspected of doing what? 500 00:25:50,534 --> 00:25:52,401 INTERPRETER: I think they wanted to find out 501 00:25:52,403 --> 00:25:54,537 when I was calling somebody from the West 502 00:25:54,539 --> 00:25:56,673 or meeting somebody from the West, 503 00:25:56,675 --> 00:25:58,274 because, then, they could use that 504 00:25:58,276 --> 00:26:03,145 to make me look like an enemy of the state, like a spy. 505 00:26:03,147 --> 00:26:06,549 WILDMAN: Stephan was eventually arrested and imprisoned. 506 00:26:06,551 --> 00:26:08,484 The government agency responsible 507 00:26:08,486 --> 00:26:11,554 was the State Security Service, 508 00:26:11,556 --> 00:26:13,489 more commonly known as the Stasi. 509 00:26:16,427 --> 00:26:21,230 Today, their old headquarters have been turned into a museum. 510 00:26:21,232 --> 00:26:23,232 Described as one of the most repressive 511 00:26:23,234 --> 00:26:26,035 intelligence organizations to ever have existed, 512 00:26:26,037 --> 00:26:30,573 at its peak, the Stasi had 91,000 full-time employees 513 00:26:30,575 --> 00:26:33,976 and, from a population of around 16 million people, 514 00:26:33,978 --> 00:26:37,646 the Stasi held files on almost half of them. 515 00:26:37,648 --> 00:26:39,381 After the fall of the Berlin Wall, 516 00:26:39,383 --> 00:26:42,518 the German Parliament passed a Stasi Records Law, 517 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:45,387 which gave Germans the right to view their Stasi files. 518 00:26:48,059 --> 00:26:50,793 So, what is in this file that hold, generally, 519 00:26:50,795 --> 00:26:52,795 is the surveillance over the years. 520 00:26:52,797 --> 00:26:55,131 No. No. This is only a little part. 521 00:26:55,133 --> 00:26:59,201 So just a sampling of a much bigger file on you? 522 00:26:59,203 --> 00:27:01,403 -Yes, a sample. - Wow. 523 00:27:01,405 --> 00:27:02,938 All right. I see a lot of black. 524 00:27:02,940 --> 00:27:04,540 What is this? - Names. 525 00:27:04,542 --> 00:27:07,944 Names from the people who observed me. 526 00:27:07,946 --> 00:27:09,612 All right, so, how many -- I mean, 527 00:27:09,614 --> 00:27:11,614 what did you find out from these files? 528 00:27:11,616 --> 00:27:15,284 I mean, how extensive was the network that was watching you? 529 00:27:15,286 --> 00:27:16,085 80. 530 00:27:16,087 --> 00:27:17,686 -80 people? -80. 531 00:27:17,688 --> 00:27:19,355 80 people were listed in here, 532 00:27:19,357 --> 00:27:21,090 who were spying on you? 533 00:27:21,092 --> 00:27:22,358 -Yes. -Oh, my gosh. 534 00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:24,227 That's amazing. 535 00:27:24,229 --> 00:27:28,097 And who were these people? They were colleagues and -- 536 00:27:28,099 --> 00:27:31,500 Colleagues and 537 00:27:31,502 --> 00:27:34,237 INTERPRETER: ...acquaintances and people I didn't know. 538 00:27:34,239 --> 00:27:36,039 And some people, like, for example, 539 00:27:36,041 --> 00:27:40,176 the owner of the bar I used to go to, and his wife. 540 00:27:40,178 --> 00:27:43,312 So, professional acquaintances, colleagues, 541 00:27:43,314 --> 00:27:45,982 the owners of venues that you played in, 542 00:27:45,984 --> 00:27:47,784 all of these, they had been organized 543 00:27:47,786 --> 00:27:49,652 -Yes. -into a network of people 544 00:27:49,654 --> 00:27:50,787 to watch you. 545 00:27:50,789 --> 00:27:52,388 This is overwhelming. 546 00:27:52,390 --> 00:27:55,991 How did this make you feel, to see this? 547 00:27:55,993 --> 00:27:58,794 INTERPRETER: It wasn't surprising, because I knew that observation 548 00:27:58,796 --> 00:28:01,064 had been going on for a long time. 549 00:28:01,066 --> 00:28:03,399 The only thing that really surprised me was 550 00:28:03,401 --> 00:28:05,134 the bad style it was written in. 551 00:28:05,136 --> 00:28:07,737 Okay. You were insulted. 552 00:28:07,739 --> 00:28:08,871 I'm a writer, you know. 553 00:28:08,873 --> 00:28:10,540 You were insulted by the writing. 554 00:28:10,542 --> 00:28:12,141 I understand. 555 00:28:12,143 --> 00:28:14,544 I don't know how you stay -- You're humorous about this. 556 00:28:14,546 --> 00:28:16,345 It's amazing to me. 557 00:28:16,347 --> 00:28:17,413 Wow. Yeah. 558 00:28:17,415 --> 00:28:19,282 In February 1988, 559 00:28:19,284 --> 00:28:21,751 Stephan was deported from East Germany. 560 00:28:24,155 --> 00:28:26,088 Despite the risk 561 00:28:26,090 --> 00:28:29,558 of being imprisoned, or even shot, by the Stasi, 562 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:32,895 many East Germans were still willing to try and escape, 563 00:28:32,897 --> 00:28:34,429 and the danger was real. 564 00:28:34,431 --> 00:28:37,232 At least 140 people were killed, 565 00:28:37,234 --> 00:28:40,903 trying to get over, under, or around the wall. 566 00:28:40,905 --> 00:28:44,306 However, some were able to beat the odds. 567 00:28:44,308 --> 00:28:46,509 You'll be surprised to learn the extreme lengths 568 00:28:46,511 --> 00:28:47,977 they went to to do it. 569 00:28:51,449 --> 00:28:53,449 In October 1964, 570 00:28:53,451 --> 00:28:55,651 Joachim Neumann and his college friends 571 00:28:55,653 --> 00:28:57,920 dug a 500-foot-long passageway, 572 00:28:57,922 --> 00:29:00,056 named Tunnel 57, 573 00:29:00,058 --> 00:29:03,792 for the 57 people who escaped through it. 574 00:29:03,794 --> 00:29:05,461 In May 1963, 575 00:29:05,463 --> 00:29:08,664 mechanic Heinz Meixner employed his engineering skills 576 00:29:08,666 --> 00:29:12,201 to modify his car and, with his girlfriend in the back, 577 00:29:12,203 --> 00:29:16,672 he limboed between the security barriers at Checkpoint Charlie. 578 00:29:16,674 --> 00:29:20,276 Other people used ziplines to escape over the wall. 579 00:29:20,278 --> 00:29:22,744 Some even built homemade hot air balloons. 580 00:29:26,083 --> 00:29:28,617 And then, there's Hartmut Richter. 581 00:29:28,619 --> 00:29:29,952 Since he was a teenager, 582 00:29:29,954 --> 00:29:33,489 Hartmut had been disillusioned with his life in the East. 583 00:29:33,491 --> 00:29:36,158 But he couldn't imagine how far he'd be forced to go, 584 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:39,294 in order to escape to the West. 585 00:29:39,296 --> 00:29:41,430 In the summer of 1966, 586 00:29:41,432 --> 00:29:43,699 Richter came here, to the Teltow Canal, 587 00:29:43,701 --> 00:29:46,768 on the outskirts of Berlin, which, during the Cold War, 588 00:29:46,770 --> 00:29:48,771 formed the border between East and West 589 00:29:48,773 --> 00:29:49,972 in this part of the city. 590 00:29:52,777 --> 00:29:54,710 So, was it like this back in the day? 591 00:29:54,712 --> 00:29:56,979 Was it very woodsy and everything? 592 00:29:58,649 --> 00:29:59,682 A death zone. Okay. 593 00:30:03,588 --> 00:30:05,922 Mm-hmm. So, nothing like the nice, 594 00:30:05,924 --> 00:30:07,523 natural scenery we're seeing today. 595 00:30:15,599 --> 00:30:18,801 Hartmut picked a bridge from which he could access the canal. 596 00:30:18,803 --> 00:30:21,937 From there, he planned to swim to an unprotected part 597 00:30:21,939 --> 00:30:25,207 of the border wall, then climb across. 598 00:30:25,209 --> 00:30:26,409 So, this is the bridge, huh? 599 00:30:26,411 --> 00:30:27,877 This is the bridge, yeah. 600 00:30:27,879 --> 00:30:29,144 Why risk your life? 601 00:30:29,146 --> 00:30:31,347 I mean, why was life so bad 602 00:30:31,349 --> 00:30:33,950 that you were willing to risk being shot to get away? 603 00:30:36,153 --> 00:30:40,489 INTERPRETER: Well, it was a continuous story of familiarization, basically. 604 00:30:40,491 --> 00:30:44,360 For example, when I was 16, I already hated the regime 605 00:30:44,362 --> 00:30:47,095 and I was a fan of the Beatles and the Stones 606 00:30:47,097 --> 00:30:49,631 and I had long hair, and they wanted 607 00:30:49,633 --> 00:30:52,635 all the young people in the region to look neat, 608 00:30:52,637 --> 00:30:56,238 so they caught me and cut my hair short. 609 00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:58,774 So, I felt very humiliated by this 610 00:30:58,776 --> 00:31:02,178 and, um, you couldn't say it to, to anybody, 611 00:31:02,180 --> 00:31:04,846 that you had a different opinion on anything. 612 00:31:04,848 --> 00:31:06,983 Okay, so tell me exactly what happened. 613 00:31:06,985 --> 00:31:09,252 Give me the method of your escape. 614 00:31:11,989 --> 00:31:15,657 INTERPRETER: Next to the bridge, where you had lots of barbed wire there, 615 00:31:15,659 --> 00:31:17,960 and I had to dive from reeds to reeds 616 00:31:17,962 --> 00:31:21,330 because I could hear dogs and voices of the guards, 617 00:31:21,332 --> 00:31:22,864 and I knew that, along the banks, 618 00:31:22,866 --> 00:31:24,667 they had alarm systems in place, 619 00:31:24,669 --> 00:31:27,203 so, I couldn't climb up the banks. 620 00:31:32,009 --> 00:31:35,010 WILDMAN: For four hours, Hartmut waded through the canal, 621 00:31:35,012 --> 00:31:38,280 fearful that, at any moment, he would be spotted and shot. 622 00:31:42,086 --> 00:31:44,754 INTERPRETER: I heard a dog and the dog was barking 623 00:31:44,756 --> 00:31:46,489 and I was hiding in my reeds 624 00:31:46,491 --> 00:31:48,557 and my jaws were clattering so much 625 00:31:48,559 --> 00:31:50,826 that I had to put my hand into my mouth 626 00:31:50,828 --> 00:31:52,762 to stop them from making such a noise, 627 00:31:52,764 --> 00:31:54,163 because I thought 628 00:31:54,165 --> 00:31:57,499 that the guards would hear my jaws clattering. 629 00:31:57,501 --> 00:31:59,702 WILDMAN: Hartmut Richter was trying to flee repression 630 00:31:59,704 --> 00:32:01,837 in the Communist East. 631 00:32:01,839 --> 00:32:06,108 But what price would he end up paying in his bid for freedom? 632 00:32:06,110 --> 00:32:07,976 You're a testament to the human spirit, 633 00:32:07,978 --> 00:32:09,779 you know, fighting for freedom. 634 00:32:23,794 --> 00:32:26,061 During the Cold War, some people in the East 635 00:32:26,063 --> 00:32:29,065 went to extraordinary lengths to escape. 636 00:32:29,067 --> 00:32:32,201 Worn down by years of an authoritarian regime, 637 00:32:32,203 --> 00:32:34,537 Hartmut Richter fled to the West. 638 00:32:34,539 --> 00:32:36,605 But standing between him and freedom 639 00:32:36,607 --> 00:32:39,742 was an iron fence that marked the border. 640 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:45,281 INTERPRETER: The dogs calmed down and they went away 641 00:32:45,283 --> 00:32:49,018 and then, um, I approached the side of the iron fence 642 00:32:49,020 --> 00:32:51,887 and there was a bit of a shadow there from the reeds 643 00:32:51,889 --> 00:32:54,690 and, in that place, I climbed over the iron fence, 644 00:32:54,692 --> 00:32:56,826 that was about three meters high. 645 00:32:56,828 --> 00:32:59,762 So, a combination of pure determination 646 00:32:59,764 --> 00:33:02,765 and a lot of luck gets you through. 647 00:33:04,902 --> 00:33:07,636 Remarkably, that isn't the end of Hartmut's story. 648 00:33:10,708 --> 00:33:14,043 In 1971, a new law was introduced, 649 00:33:14,045 --> 00:33:16,979 that would allow Hartmut to become a West German citizen 650 00:33:16,981 --> 00:33:21,450 and travel back to the East without any consequences. 651 00:33:21,452 --> 00:33:23,919 So, because of that law change, you were able to get back in 652 00:33:23,921 --> 00:33:26,722 and eventually help other people out, 653 00:33:26,724 --> 00:33:28,090 some 30 people, I understand. 654 00:33:31,328 --> 00:33:34,663 INTERPRETER: Yes, I helped 33 people flee the GDR 655 00:33:34,665 --> 00:33:38,401 and I did that by using the transit route with my car. 656 00:33:38,403 --> 00:33:40,803 I was helping these people because I saw myself 657 00:33:40,805 --> 00:33:43,939 in their situation, um, me as a refugee. 658 00:33:43,941 --> 00:33:47,142 I would so much have liked to be driven out in a trunk. 659 00:33:47,144 --> 00:33:48,811 That's why I was doing it. 660 00:33:51,548 --> 00:33:53,215 WILDMAN: In March 1975, 661 00:33:53,217 --> 00:33:54,950 Hartmut was caught trying to smuggle 662 00:33:54,952 --> 00:33:57,086 his sister and her boyfriend out. 663 00:33:57,088 --> 00:33:58,421 All three were arrested. 664 00:33:58,423 --> 00:34:00,823 And, in 1976, 665 00:34:00,825 --> 00:34:03,959 Hartmut was sentenced to 15 years in prison. 666 00:34:05,763 --> 00:34:09,098 While locked up, he went on a hunger strike three times 667 00:34:09,100 --> 00:34:11,767 and spent four years in solitary confinement, 668 00:34:11,769 --> 00:34:15,237 before eventually being released in October 1980. 669 00:34:18,176 --> 00:34:20,776 I know that a lot of Americans, myself included, 670 00:34:20,778 --> 00:34:24,246 don't appreciate how free we've been all of our lives. 671 00:34:24,248 --> 00:34:27,049 It's someone like you who shows us that. 672 00:34:27,051 --> 00:34:30,119 I mean, you're a testament to how the human spirit, 673 00:34:30,121 --> 00:34:31,987 you know, fighting for freedom. 674 00:34:31,989 --> 00:34:33,389 It's amazing. 675 00:34:33,391 --> 00:34:34,924 Thanks so much. -Same. 676 00:34:38,529 --> 00:34:39,862 WILDMAN: By the late '80s, 677 00:34:39,864 --> 00:34:41,596 relations between the United States 678 00:34:41,598 --> 00:34:43,799 and the Soviet Union were shifting. 679 00:34:43,801 --> 00:34:45,000 In the Kremlin, 680 00:34:45,002 --> 00:34:47,336 Mikhail Gorbachev was more open-minded 681 00:34:47,338 --> 00:34:49,138 than his predecessors, 682 00:34:49,140 --> 00:34:52,875 and U.S. President Ronald Reagan glimpsed a chance at peace. 683 00:34:52,877 --> 00:34:54,276 Mr. Gorbachev, 684 00:34:54,278 --> 00:34:56,612 tear down this wall. 685 00:34:59,683 --> 00:35:03,886 In response, a wave of uprisings spread across Eastern Europe, 686 00:35:03,888 --> 00:35:07,489 with people demanding freedom to travel to the West. 687 00:35:07,491 --> 00:35:10,025 In an effort to pacify its citizens, 688 00:35:10,027 --> 00:35:12,628 the East German government called a press conference 689 00:35:12,630 --> 00:35:14,696 to announce lifting travel restrictions 690 00:35:14,698 --> 00:35:16,431 in the coming months. 691 00:35:16,433 --> 00:35:18,834 Politburo member Guenter Schabowski was asked 692 00:35:18,836 --> 00:35:21,236 when the changes might take effect. 693 00:35:21,238 --> 00:35:22,571 His response triggered 694 00:35:22,573 --> 00:35:26,909 the most consequential moment of the entire Cold War. 695 00:35:26,911 --> 00:35:31,447 He said, "Immediately, without delay." 696 00:35:31,449 --> 00:35:33,115 What most people don't realize is that 697 00:35:33,117 --> 00:35:36,852 the fall of the Berlin Wall happened sort of by accident. 698 00:35:36,854 --> 00:35:40,789 The confusing press conference prompted thousands of Berliners 699 00:35:40,791 --> 00:35:42,658 to come to the wall and see for themselves. 700 00:35:42,660 --> 00:35:44,593 One of the focal points is right here, 701 00:35:44,595 --> 00:35:47,463 the Bornholmer Strasse Checkpoint. 702 00:35:47,465 --> 00:35:51,666 Thousands of people gathered, demanding to cross to the West. 703 00:35:51,668 --> 00:35:54,002 Receiving no instructions from their superiors, 704 00:35:54,004 --> 00:35:57,072 the overwhelmed border guards opened the crossing point here 705 00:35:57,074 --> 00:36:00,275 on their own, and other gates soon followed. 706 00:36:03,548 --> 00:36:06,214 Shortly after, people began congregating 707 00:36:06,216 --> 00:36:08,150 on top of the Berlin Wall, 708 00:36:08,152 --> 00:36:10,619 and scenes unthinkable days earlier 709 00:36:10,621 --> 00:36:12,421 played out across the city. 710 00:36:18,295 --> 00:36:20,429 NEWSREADER: Berliners from both East and West 711 00:36:20,431 --> 00:36:24,233 linked hands and danced round their liberated territory. 712 00:36:24,235 --> 00:36:27,102 WILDMAN: And it didn't stop there. 713 00:36:27,104 --> 00:36:28,771 Anti-Communist uprisings 714 00:36:28,773 --> 00:36:31,240 were springing up all over East Germany. 715 00:36:31,242 --> 00:36:34,376 What few people realize is how they jump-started the career 716 00:36:34,378 --> 00:36:36,112 of one of the world's most powerful men. 717 00:36:39,250 --> 00:36:41,383 In the East German city of Dresden, 718 00:36:41,385 --> 00:36:42,918 a crowd of angry protestors 719 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:46,855 threatened to storm the local offices of the KGB. 720 00:36:46,857 --> 00:36:49,724 The building was saved by one quick-thinking officer, 721 00:36:49,726 --> 00:36:51,059 who tricked the mob into believing 722 00:36:51,061 --> 00:36:54,330 a troop of armed soldiers was inside. 723 00:36:54,332 --> 00:36:56,198 The defiant officer was none other 724 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:59,802 than current Russian President Vladimir Putin. 725 00:36:59,804 --> 00:37:01,069 After the incident, 726 00:37:01,071 --> 00:37:05,740 Putin began a meteoric rise up the ranks of the KGB. 727 00:37:05,742 --> 00:37:08,944 Above all, it left Putin with huge anxiety 728 00:37:08,946 --> 00:37:12,214 about how easily political elites could be overthrown, 729 00:37:12,216 --> 00:37:14,817 something that motivates him to this day. 730 00:37:14,819 --> 00:37:17,485 A few months later, in October 1990, 731 00:37:17,487 --> 00:37:20,555 East Germany was reunified with the West; 732 00:37:20,557 --> 00:37:24,559 and, the year after that, the Soviet Union was dissolved. 733 00:37:24,561 --> 00:37:26,228 The Cold War was over. 734 00:37:26,230 --> 00:37:28,964 Or was it? 735 00:37:28,966 --> 00:37:31,300 Now, almost a quarter of a century on, 736 00:37:31,302 --> 00:37:34,503 relations with Russia have deteriorated again. 737 00:37:34,505 --> 00:37:36,438 It's left some people wondering -- 738 00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:39,174 Are we facing a new Cold War? 739 00:37:53,858 --> 00:37:55,925 Today, the news is dominated by stories 740 00:37:55,927 --> 00:37:59,561 about Russia, nuclear war, and espionage. 741 00:37:59,563 --> 00:38:04,333 It's led some to speculate that we're entering a new Cold War. 742 00:38:04,335 --> 00:38:05,800 But, 30 years on, 743 00:38:05,802 --> 00:38:08,270 what would the reality of a nuclear war be like? 744 00:38:12,676 --> 00:38:15,611 To find out, I've come to the heart of Berlin, 745 00:38:15,613 --> 00:38:18,413 with historian Nick Jackson. 746 00:38:18,415 --> 00:38:20,616 So, we're right in the middle of town here. 747 00:38:20,618 --> 00:38:22,418 That's right, the city center. 748 00:38:22,420 --> 00:38:24,019 Okay. 749 00:38:24,021 --> 00:38:26,288 Nick is showing me a Cold War relic 750 00:38:26,290 --> 00:38:28,290 that might have a new purpose today. 751 00:38:28,292 --> 00:38:30,358 And we're going down into a subway station. 752 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:31,893 Well, it's not just a subway station, 753 00:38:31,895 --> 00:38:34,496 but, this is actually a multipurpose 754 00:38:34,498 --> 00:38:36,765 atomic, biological, and chemical bunker. 755 00:38:40,971 --> 00:38:43,238 Pankstrasse is one of the busiest stations 756 00:38:43,240 --> 00:38:46,041 in the city's U-Bahn subway system. 757 00:38:46,043 --> 00:38:49,311 But if we're facing nuclear war, this spot could be vital. 758 00:38:52,816 --> 00:38:54,917 That's crazy. 759 00:38:54,919 --> 00:38:56,651 Man, it's pristine, isn't it? 760 00:38:56,653 --> 00:38:58,787 So, this is, what? This is a bunker. 761 00:38:58,789 --> 00:39:01,523 This is one of the five entrances to this atomic-, 762 00:39:01,525 --> 00:39:03,725 biological-, chemical- weapons-proof bunker. 763 00:39:03,727 --> 00:39:05,927 Okay, so how many people would fit in here? 764 00:39:05,929 --> 00:39:08,597 The bunker is designed for 3,339. 765 00:39:08,599 --> 00:39:10,799 So, in the case of this nuclear attack, 766 00:39:10,801 --> 00:39:13,202 it's gonna be mayhem. 767 00:39:13,204 --> 00:39:15,003 It's gonna be a completely traumatized, 768 00:39:15,005 --> 00:39:16,738 panicking crowd and you're gonna need 769 00:39:16,740 --> 00:39:19,808 some way to control the number of people. 770 00:39:19,810 --> 00:39:21,009 And that's this door. 771 00:39:21,011 --> 00:39:24,346 So, this is what's called a people press. 772 00:39:24,348 --> 00:39:26,214 You can open it fully and allow the crowd 773 00:39:26,216 --> 00:39:28,350 just to storm in freely and then, gradually, 774 00:39:28,352 --> 00:39:30,352 you close that to limit the number of people 775 00:39:30,354 --> 00:39:31,686 that are coming through. 776 00:39:31,688 --> 00:39:32,821 So, there's a crowd of people. 777 00:39:32,823 --> 00:39:35,223 I'm the last guy in and I'm pushin' in 778 00:39:35,225 --> 00:39:37,359 and this thing is closing on me. -That's right. 779 00:39:37,361 --> 00:39:39,361 So, people would be squeezing through, 780 00:39:39,363 --> 00:39:41,230 but, as you can see, this bit gives. 781 00:39:41,232 --> 00:39:43,231 -Oh, I see. -So, at the final moment, 782 00:39:43,233 --> 00:39:44,566 it'll close on you. 783 00:39:44,568 --> 00:39:45,900 You could then push against it. 784 00:39:45,902 --> 00:39:47,836 -Gotcha. -And you get popped in or out. 785 00:39:47,838 --> 00:39:49,237 Then the door's shut and that's it. 786 00:39:49,239 --> 00:39:51,639 All right, so this is dealing with the reality that people 787 00:39:51,641 --> 00:39:52,908 are gonna be squeezing in there for their 788 00:39:52,910 --> 00:39:55,043 -That's right. -dear life. 789 00:39:55,045 --> 00:39:56,177 All right. And then they go 790 00:39:56,179 --> 00:39:57,513 through this door? -Exactly. 791 00:40:02,987 --> 00:40:05,187 WILDMAN: The nuclear bunker at Pankstrasse Station 792 00:40:05,189 --> 00:40:07,055 is still being funded today, 793 00:40:07,057 --> 00:40:11,126 so, if there were an emergency, it could be put into action. 794 00:40:11,128 --> 00:40:14,663 I'm thinking how different it was to be in Germany 795 00:40:14,665 --> 00:40:16,398 in the Cold War, versus the United States. 796 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:18,199 I mean, were people really hyped up 797 00:40:18,201 --> 00:40:21,870 and were they in drills, and so forth? 798 00:40:21,872 --> 00:40:24,006 There were drills and, of course, 799 00:40:24,008 --> 00:40:25,674 people were worried, 'cause you could start 800 00:40:25,676 --> 00:40:28,543 to see, at certain periods of the Cold War, 801 00:40:28,545 --> 00:40:30,211 that things might lead 802 00:40:30,213 --> 00:40:33,949 to the Cold War getting warmer, or hot. 803 00:40:33,951 --> 00:40:35,550 In fact, there's even a German word for that, 804 00:40:35,552 --> 00:40:39,354 this feeling of sort of a doomsday feeling, 805 00:40:39,356 --> 00:40:41,690 Weltuntergangstimmung, and I think people 806 00:40:41,692 --> 00:40:43,158 in West Berlin must've felt that 807 00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:47,229 more than others further to the west of Germany. 808 00:40:47,231 --> 00:40:48,764 Exactly. People in Iowa 809 00:40:48,766 --> 00:40:50,565 are digging their bunkers in their backyards, 810 00:40:50,567 --> 00:40:52,100 but, here, it's a whole different thing. 811 00:40:59,743 --> 00:41:01,910 Welcome to the dorm. 812 00:41:01,912 --> 00:41:03,444 It continues. 813 00:41:03,446 --> 00:41:04,513 Look at that! 814 00:41:04,515 --> 00:41:05,713 Oh, my goodness. 815 00:41:10,321 --> 00:41:12,154 Did they have a system for keeping 816 00:41:12,156 --> 00:41:13,322 families together, and so forth? 817 00:41:13,324 --> 00:41:15,724 I mean, the psychology of this is overwhelming. 818 00:41:15,726 --> 00:41:18,327 I think that's a very good point because, 819 00:41:18,329 --> 00:41:20,596 when you think of the entrance requirements, 820 00:41:20,598 --> 00:41:23,732 the doors would open and, as that people-press shut, 821 00:41:23,734 --> 00:41:25,334 it's possible that families were divided. 822 00:41:25,336 --> 00:41:26,868 -Yeah. -So, you imagine factoring that 823 00:41:26,870 --> 00:41:28,870 into the way people were feeling. 824 00:41:28,872 --> 00:41:30,005 "The future's unknown. 825 00:41:30,007 --> 00:41:31,673 Where's the other half of my family? 826 00:41:31,675 --> 00:41:33,141 Did they manage to get in? 827 00:41:33,143 --> 00:41:35,344 Are they still outside? What's happening outside?" 828 00:41:35,346 --> 00:41:36,678 Right. And nobody really knows 829 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:38,680 what happens to people under those conditions, 830 00:41:38,682 --> 00:41:40,148 'cause we've never had a nuclear war. 831 00:41:48,893 --> 00:41:50,625 The truth is that nuclear weapons 832 00:41:50,627 --> 00:41:54,029 have only been used in combat two times -- 833 00:41:54,031 --> 00:41:56,899 on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 834 00:41:59,903 --> 00:42:02,237 Since then, we've lived with the threat 835 00:42:02,239 --> 00:42:07,309 that they might be used again and, today, that danger is real. 836 00:42:09,646 --> 00:42:10,712 In North Korea, 837 00:42:10,714 --> 00:42:13,048 we face a seemingly unpredictable threat 838 00:42:13,050 --> 00:42:15,517 and, though the old Soviet Union is gone, 839 00:42:15,519 --> 00:42:17,552 Russia, under Vladimir Putin, 840 00:42:17,554 --> 00:42:20,922 is still a repressive and aggressive opponent. 841 00:42:20,924 --> 00:42:23,792 It's like a new Cold War has begun. 842 00:42:23,794 --> 00:42:26,195 Or maybe the fairer question to ask is -- 843 00:42:26,197 --> 00:42:28,931 Did the old one ever end? 843 00:42:29,305 --> 00:43:29,464 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm