Brief Summary
This documentary explores the captivating and perilous history of the D.B. Cooper hijacking, the CIA's mind control experiments, the Roswell incident, the Boston Strangler case, the Romanov murders, and the Apollo moon missions. It pieces together newly uncovered evidence, witness testimonies, and expert analyses to unravel the mysteries surrounding these events.
- The D.B. Cooper case remains the only unsolved skyjacking in commercial aviation history.
- The CIA's secret experiments involved germ warfare, brainwashing, and potential assassinations.
- The Roswell incident continues to fuel debate about whether the US military recovered extraterrestrial beings and their spaceship.
- The Boston Strangler case raises questions about whether Albert DeSalvo was really the killer.
- The Romanov murders are still shrouded in mystery, with disagreements between scientists and the Russian Orthodox Church.
- The Apollo moon missions were humankind's greatest adventure, but also its riskiest.
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper
In 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper hijacked a Northwest Orient flight, demanding $200,000 and four parachutes. After receiving the ransom and releasing the passengers, he jumped from the plane and was never seen again. The FBI launched a massive manhunt, but all that was recovered was a tie, tiepin, a sports parachute, an opened safety chute, and some cigarette butts. Over the years, the FBI interviewed over 1,000 suspects, but the case remains unsolved.
The Investigation and New Leads
The FBI recruited the public to help solve the case, with citizen sleuths examining Cooper's tie for microscopic fibres and pollen. In 1980, $5,800 of the ransom money was found on the banks of the Columbia River, more than 20 miles outside the original search area. In 2007, a new suspect emerged, Kenneth Christiansen, a flight attendant for Northwest Orient Airlines. However, the FBI found no concrete evidence to link Christiansen to the crime.
The Fate of the Ransom Money and Cooper's Survival
Tom Kaye and his team visited the banks of the Columbia River, where the bundles of cash were found. They determined that the money was not buried by Cooper and came out of the river within a few months. The new evidence points to the conclusion that the bag of money landed in a nearby river. Larry Carr believes that Cooper was not an experienced parachutist and that he died that night.
The Final Verdict and Enduring Legend
The FBI suspended active investigation of the D.B. Cooper skyjacking case on July 8, 2016. However, fresh evidence could still bust the case wide open. The legend of D.B. Cooper paints him as a gentleman thief who got away with the perfect crime. Despite the lack of hard evidence, many people still believe that he survived.
The CIA's Secret Experiments: Germ Warfare, Brainwashing, Even Murder?
In the wake of World War II, the U.S. government engaged in secret medical experiments designed to help win the Cold War. These experiments involved exposing unknowing members of the public to biological and chemical agents and developing techniques for mind control. Dr. Sidney Gottlieb spearheaded these undercover efforts, working closely with Army scientists at Fort Detrick, Maryland.
Frank Olson's Mysterious Death
Frank Olson, a biological weapons researcher for the Army and the CIA, died in 1953 after falling from a hotel window in New York City. The circumstances of his death were mysterious, and his family learned of his death early Saturday morning. Olson's specialty was aerosol delivery systems, and he was involved in top-secret research into germ warfare.
Mind Control and the Search for a Manchurian Candidate
To combat the Communist threat, the CIA launched its own quest to master the art of mind control. They looked at chemical substances, such as LSD, and electroshock. The CIA established safe houses in Manhattan and San Francisco, enlisting prostitutes to lure in possible suspects and slip them LSD.
Extreme Interrogations and the CIA's Experiments
In occupied Germany, the CIA honed its techniques for getting at the truth. The potential victims for interrogation were endless: defecting scientists, suspected double agents, all were fair game for the CIA. Frank Olson witnessed these experiments and was deeply disturbed by what he saw.
The Death of Frank Olson and the CIA's Cover-Up
In 1975, The Washington Post reported on a civilian scientist who was unwittingly given LSD and jumped from a Manhattan hotel window. The Olsons decided to sue the Agency for their father's wrongful death. The family received $750,000 for Frank Olson's death.
The Search for a Manchurian Candidate and the Kennedy Assassination
In 1968, an assassination took place that seemed to resemble a Manchurian operation, the assassination of Robert Kennedy. Conspiracy theorists latched on to Sirhan's alleged memory loss, convinced that he was a Manchurian Candidate, hypnotized by the CIA to assassinate Kennedy.
The End of the CIA's Mind Control Program and the Aftermath
In 1972, Sidney Gottlieb terminated the Agency's research into the biological and chemical control of human behaviour. In 2013 US District Judge James E. Boasberg ruled that the case must be dismissed. The Olson family could not sue the US Government.
The Roswell Incident: The Discovery and Initial Reports
In the summer of 1947, rancher Mac Brazel came across some unusual debris in one of his fields. He took it to Sheriff George Wilcox, who then contacted local radio reporter Frank Joyce. Joyce broadcast the story that the US Army Air Corps had recovered a 'flying disk' from a ranch north of Roswell.
The Military's Retraction and the Rise of the Roswell Legend
Four hours later, base Commander General Roger Ramey called a press conference and told the media that the debris was from nothing more than a weather balloon. In late 1978, a UFO researcher was introduced to retired Major Jesse Marcel, who declared that there had been a cover-up and that what he'd found in Roswell in 1947 was not from this planet.
The Roswell Enigma: Eyewitness Accounts and Theories
Since 1978, over 100 witnesses have been persuaded to talk about their experience in Roswell. The Roswell story tells that one of the alien spaceships was struck by lightning, causing major damage. According to Ragsdale's testimony, four extraterrestrial bodies were found in the wreckage.
The Roswell Story: From Hoax to Science Fiction
In 1950, Frank Scully wrote a book, 'Behind the Flying Saucers', about a crashed UFO in Aztec, New Mexico. The story parallels Roswell in many ways. By then, the idea of extraterrestrial visitors in flying saucers had already captured the public's imagination.
Project Mogul: A Terrestrial Explanation for Roswell
In 1947, testing began on an American secret spying program called Project Mogul, which used large rubber balloons to carry listening devices into the higher atmosphere. Brazel's description of the debris matches Project Mogul perfectly. The paper-backed foil needed to be secured to the balsa-frame with both glue and scotch tape.
The Lingering Mystery and the Search for Truth
In 2013, 40 activists, former military witnesses and panellists from ten countries converged in Washington, D.C. to give testimony to former members of congress at the National Press Club. The government did cover-up the truth; Project Mogul was a category 1A top-secret spy mission, crucial to national security.
The Boston Strangler: The Murders and DeSalvo's Confession
In the summer of 1962, the city of Boston was besieged by an unprecedented series of gruesome murders. The bodies of eleven women were found strangled with their own nylons and lingerie. In 1965, jailed sex offender Albert DeSalvo confessed to being the strangler.
Doubts About DeSalvo's Confession and the Search for the Truth
Not everyone working on the case was convinced that DeSalvo was the strangler. There were just enormous discrepancies between Albert's version of the murders and the crime scene reports, autopsy reports, forensic reports. The police had six active suspects in the homicides.
The Forensic Evidence and the Unsolved Murders
The police had fingerprints, human hairs, blood and semen found at the crime scenes. There were also eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen the killer. The hard evidence proves that there was more than one Boston Strangler. The murders of the other ten women remain open and unsolved.
The Death of DeSalvo and the Lingering Questions
Six years after Albert DeSalvo confessed to being the Boston Strangler, he was stabbed to death inside Walpole maximum-security prison. Some think he was about to recant his confession. If there was a plot to kill Albert DeSalvo, the question is who was behind it?
The Psychology of a Serial Killer and the Expert Opinions
Dr. Katherine Ramsland specializes in the psychology of serial killers. She questions if DeSalvo had the violent streak to motivate the strangling's. The so-called Boston Strangler case does not strike me as the work of one killer.
DNA Testing and the Verdict on DeSalvo
On July 12, 2013, police exhumed DeSalvo's body to confirm all DNA samples were identical. The DNA results were an exact match. The tests indicate that Albert DeSalvo almost certainly murdered Mary Sullivan.
The Legacy of the Boston Strangler Case
The Boston Strangler case set many precedents. The Boston Strangler was a creation of the mass media. And Albert DeSalvo filled the shoes of the phantom fiend. The saga of the Boston Strangler keeps coming back.
The Romanov Murders: The Mystery and the Investigation
On the night of July 16, 1918, the last living tsar of Russia and his family were murdered. The trail went cold over 50 years of Soviet rule. The mysterious deaths are fuelling a heated battle between forensic scientists, religious leaders and Russia's political elite.
The Romanovs: From Power to Imprisonment
At the height of his reign, tsar Nicholas had been the richest, most powerful man in the world. In 1917, long simmering discontent with the tsarist government boils over into open rebellion. Nicholas is forced to abdicate the throne and the rebels drive him into exile far from the seat of power.
The Execution and the Initial Cover-Up
Yakov Yurovsky orders the tsar and his family down into the cellar of the Ipatiev House. Yurovsky reads aloud a brief and utterly shocking statement and then pulled out his gun and shot Nicholas point blank. The Soviets deny killing the German-born tsarina and her children.
Sokolov's Investigation and the Gruesome Details
Nicholas Solokov's investigation exposed gruesome new facts about the ultimate fate of the tsar and his family. Solokov claims that the entire family had indeed been executed at Ipatiev House along with the tsar. The soldiers stabbed and bludgeoned several of their victims to death.
The Legend of Anastasia and the Missing Fortune
Of all the possible stories of survival, none capture the public's imagination like those of the legendary Princess Anastasia. Anna Anderson first appears in the public eye in 1920, claiming to be the Russian princess. A vast fortune is at stake.
The Discovery of the Romanov Grave and the Forensic Analysis
In 1979, Alexander Avdonin and Geli Ryabov locate the Romanovs' hidden grave. In 1991, Boris Yeltsin dispatches a team of archaeologists to exhume the skeletal remains that are believed to be the royal family. The task of identifying the skeletons falls to Russian forensic anthropologist Sergei Abramov.
The DNA Testing and the Lingering Doubts
In 1992, Russian scientists transport fragments from each of the skeletons to England's forensic science service. Dr. Peter Gill conducts his analysis using mitochondrial DNA. On July 10, 1993, Dr. Gill announces that prince Philip's DNA is a near perfect match to the DNA found in the bones believed to be tsar Nicholas.
The Burial and the Ongoing Search for Answers
In 1998, Boris Yeltsin presides over the burial of the last tsar, Nicholas the second, his wife and three of their five children, in the cathedral in St. Petersburg. In 2007, local researchers find shards of bones and nails, which are identified as belonging to Tsarevich Alexei Nikolayevich, and his sister, Princess Maria Nikolayevna Romanova.
The Apollo 1 Fire and the Bold Decision to Go to the Moon
In January 1967, the Apollo 1 crew, Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, were killed by a flash fire that swept their moon ship. NASA vowed to stick to Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline. Before 1968 is out, a three-man Apollo team will become the first to leave earth for the moon.
Apollo 8: The First Mission to the Moon
On December 21, 1968, the crew of Apollo 8, Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and Bill Anders, braces for the most dangerous mission yet undertaken in space. On December 24, Apollo 8 swings around the moon's leading edge and enters lunar orbit.
Apollo 11: The First Moon Landing
On July 19, 1969, Apollo 11 enters lunar orbit. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin seal themselves inside Eagle. Neil Armstrong takes control of the spacecraft and lands on the moon. On July 21, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to set foot on another world.
Apollo 12 and the Perils of Space Travel
On November 14, 1969, Apollo 12 lifts off exactly on schedule. At about three minutes prior to go, Pete Conrad, Richard Gordon and Alan Bean launched into rain. The force of the giant Saturn hurtling into the rain-soaked clouds creates a massive electric current, that follows the rocket's exhaust into the ground.
Apollo 13: A Successful Failure
On April 13, 1970, an electric short inside an oxygen tank triggers a massive explosion and brings on the words that would become legendary. On April 17, 1970, Apollo 13 has just enough power to return to earth. The mission enters the books as a successful failure.
