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June 27th, 2017.
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Michael Riconosciuto has finally
been released from prison.
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Twenty-six years earlier,
Michael gave an affidavit
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describing his role
in hacking the PROMIS software.
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Eight days later,
he was arrested on drug charges.
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What's your plan now?
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First order of business,
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I have to call the US probation officer
that's assigned to my case,
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or else I'm gonna be back in prison
for the next 11 years.
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In 72 hours,
he is supposed to be in Washington state
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for a federal court hearing
on the conditions of his release.
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But he says he's afraid
of who might be waiting for him there.
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Uh, hello, Miss Johnson.
This is Michael Riconosciuto.
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I was picked up at the bus station,
uh, by a journalist.
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I will keep you advised
as to what my location and itinerary is.
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Instead, he's heading south
to find his lawyer
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who will advise him on what to do next.
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In the meantime,
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Christian now has unfettered access
to Danny's key source.
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I've been wanting to ask you
these questions for a really long time.
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Do you remember how you first met Danny?
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- Danny Casolaro?
- Yeah.
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Danny was a serious player,
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and we knew some of the same people and...
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started talking about Inslaw.
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And then Danny
started digging into things.
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And I told him
not to talk to certain people,
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not to raise certain issues,
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and he says, "I'm a journalist.
I can ask any questions I want."
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Well, he learned,
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as did a number of other journalists
that I dealt with directly.
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So you just introduced yourself
to Bill Hamilton.
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How did this come about?
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I was a little hesitant to actually get
myself involved in all of this, but, uh...
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A little scary?
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Yeah, it's a little scary.
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- Should be a whole lot scary.
- Yeah, it's...
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Yeah.
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You know, people have second-guessed
what I was trying to warn them about,
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and they all met the same fate.
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There's just too many people dead
in this case.
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I talked to Danny
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when he got back from Washington state
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{\an8}to meet with Michael Riconosciuto.
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{\an8}Apparently, he was...
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{\an8}He was in search of a tape
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that supposedly Michael Riconosciuto had
that would prove his story,
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and he couldn't find it.
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After that, I think he was
beginning to get less convinced
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that Michael Riconosciuto
was going to be a valuable source.
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How about this? A reliable source.
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I think he was valuable.
Not sure how reliable he was.
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{\an8}Once you get involved with these people,
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{\an8}it's a world that makes no sense
to the average person.
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This is LocTel.
You have a collect call from...
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Mike.
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Dr. John Nichols
and Wackenhut, they, uh,
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tried to rope me into
all of their government projects,
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and then people started questioning
what Wackenhut was up to.
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And first, Alvarez gets murdered,
and then Paul gets murdered.
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Who is Paul?
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Uh, Paul Morasca was my business partner.
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You know, anybody
that's cooperated or helped me,
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they've just been mercilessly fucked with.
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We're dealing with some nasty,
gruesome people that will stop at nothing.
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Murder ain't nothing to these people.
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Michael told me
of his best friend, Paul Morasca,
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who had been murdered in San Francisco
six months after Fred Alvarez.
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Among the Cabazon associates,
Paul Morasca was the money trader,
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with access to offshore bank accounts
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amounting to over a billion dollars,
according to Michael.
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But no one is supposed to talk about it.
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We are getting new details on
a homicide investigation in San Francisco.
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It was a cold-blooded killing
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that took place
in what residents say was a quiet area.
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During my 23 years in homicide,
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I worked quite a few serial killings,
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a lot of high-profile homicide cases,
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{\an8}but the murder investigation
of Paul Morasca in San Francisco
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{\an8}was the most... uh, bizarre,
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convoluted, and frustrating
murder cases that I ever worked on.
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On January 14th, 1982, I received a call
from an attorney in Los Angeles.
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Hello? Yeah.
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Okay, will you be...
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And he had information from a client
who he didn't identify
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that if police were to go to an address
on Kearny Street in San Francisco,
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they would find a body.
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We found the body of Paul Morasca.
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His wrists were bound behind his back,
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and then there was a wire running
from around his neck to his ankles,
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and that wire strangled him when he was
no longer able to keep his legs bent.
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It appeared to be a form of torture.
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I called this attorney.
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He said his client was a guy
by the name of Michael Riconosciuto.
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That he had found this body.
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And that he panicked
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{\an8}and drove all night
from San Francisco to Indio, California,
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{\an8}to the Cabazon Indian Reservation,
which is about 500 miles away.
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And it was all very unusual.
All very strange.
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What do you remember about Paul?
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Uh, we've known each other
since we were teenagers.
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What was he like?
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Well, Paul was a financial guy.
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What I was to technology,
Paul was to economics.
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And, um,
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we got sucked in.
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And, you know, Paul figured it out first.
I was too engrossed in my work.
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Riconosciuto told us
that he had been working with this man
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by the name of Dr. Nichols.
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And so my partner and I
went down to Indio,
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where we interviewed Dr. Nichols,
who was running this casino.
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Today's date is February 16th, 1982.
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Uh, Dr. Nichols,
I wish to ask you some questions
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regarding the... death of Paul Morasca.
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Were you in business with Paul and Mike?
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Not really.
The way the thing came about, uh...
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I do some work with Wackenhut.
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- You know who Wackenhut is?
- Mm-hmm.
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Mike came in
because he's an inventive genius,
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but he has certain problems
psychologically.
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- And you're a psychiatrist?
- No, sir. I'm a social worker.
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- A social worker.
- Psychiatric social worker...
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My question was,
are you in business with these fellas?
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I'm explaining all these people.
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He was a very difficult guy to...
to pin down.
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Strange guy.
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Told me that he was
working with Michael Riconosciuto,
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developing weapons with the government.
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{\an8}And then we found out
that Michael's friend,
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Paul Morasca, had invested
hundreds of thousands of dollars
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into this operation.
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So there was a lot of money
connected with Morasca.
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I got involved
in setting this thing up with them.
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Mm-hmm.
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Mike was brought to me
by his father, originally.
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How did you end up at Cabazon?
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Well, I've known John Philip Nichols
since I was very young,
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through family friends.
George Wackenhut, since I was very young.
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This is just the circles my father was in.
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{\an8}He was doing a lot of lobbying
in Washington, D.C.
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{\an8}for various government agencies.
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Do I need to say any more? He was...
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In the intelligence world, I guess?
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Well, obviously, yes.
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I have found government files
that corroborate that, actually.
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We talked to a number of people
that vouched for Nichols
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as being somebody who had
worked with the government before,
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that he had contacts
and connection with the CIA.
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We began to wonder,
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is this case
some kind of a government operation
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that we're not aware of?
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The FBI told us that, as far as they knew,
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it wasn't.
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But they also candidly said if it was,
and if the CIA's involved,
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they're not gonna tell us either.
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Back in San Francisco, my partner and I,
we spoke to Morasca's girlfriend.
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He was afraid for his life.
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Something was coming down.
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She told us that there was
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{\an8}a man by the name of Jason
that Paul was very frightened of.
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Paul had told her
this guy was a, uh, CIA hit man.
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He was introduced
by either Dr. Nichols or Michael.
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As we begin hearing about all of this,
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we go back to the FBI.
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We tell 'em that we're interested in a guy
by the name of Jason.
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He said, "Why?"
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I said, "Well, we think he's likely
a suspect, one of our suspects."
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And he said,
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"That's our informant,
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{\an8}and his real name is
Philip Arthur Thompson."
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{\an8}He had a very lengthy arrest record.
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{\an8}Many violent crimes.
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Kidnapping, robbery,
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rape, escape,
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murder, attempted murder.
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No doubt a violent individual.
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But served very little time.
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That would certainly
be indicative of the fact
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that he was an informant for the FBI.
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Can you describe him?
You've met him.
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- Thompson?
- Yeah.
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Yeah. I never knew him
until he showed up on my doorstep.
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He had committed several murders
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while he was under the control
of his FBI handlers,
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and the FBI let him stay out of jail
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and authorized, uh, using him against me.
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The funny thing about Michael is
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you just never knew
when he was telling the truth
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because some of the stuff
was kinda so... outlandish,
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you tended to think,
"Well, that's just crazy."
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And then we would find out
he was telling the truth.
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In fact, the FBI had introduced
Philip Arthur Thompson
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into an investigation of Paul Morasca
and Michael Riconosciuto.
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They told us that these fellas are dealing
in millions and millions of dollars
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in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
196
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And Michael Riconosciuto was a chemist.
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This was a major drug operation
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with banks in the Bahamas and Switzerland.
199
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So Thompson was
investigating you for drugs?
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00:12:58,527 --> 00:13:01,572
Well, the FBI sent him
with a cockamamie story,
201
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and I immediately called Nichols.
I was still trusting the Wackenhut group.
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00:13:07,536 --> 00:13:10,790
And they checked him out, and they said
he was okay. They vetted him.
203
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Mike told you that Philip Thompson
came to his house and said,
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"The FBI is asking me to look into you."
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To set him up.
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00:13:18,714 --> 00:13:22,468
Everything, you know,
seemed strange about this thing,
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00:13:22,551 --> 00:13:26,889
and then where it really gets crazy,
we find out Dr. Nichols recommended
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00:13:26,972 --> 00:13:29,725
that Michael's father,
Marshall Riconosciuto,
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hire Philip Arthur Thompson.
210
00:13:31,644 --> 00:13:34,939
He was paying a monthly salary
to look after Michael.
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00:13:35,815 --> 00:13:39,527
You recommended Mr. Thompson
to look after Mike?
212
00:13:40,110 --> 00:13:42,112
Mike is not a well person.
213
00:13:42,613 --> 00:13:44,782
Mike has all these imaginary fears,
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and I felt he needed to get somebody
that he could relate to.
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Because, you see,
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a sociopath can help a psychopath.
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00:13:53,624 --> 00:13:55,876
"Sociopath can help a psychopath."
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Yeah.
219
00:13:59,171 --> 00:14:02,675
The FBI seems to have
a good relationship with Phil.
220
00:14:04,218 --> 00:14:06,720
Uh, Philip Thompson bragged to me
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00:14:06,804 --> 00:14:08,514
that what he did to Paul
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00:14:08,597 --> 00:14:13,269
was one of the most horrible things
that he'd ever done in his life,
223
00:14:13,352 --> 00:14:14,895
the way he killed Paul.
224
00:14:17,022 --> 00:14:20,734
I believe John Philip Nichols
directed him to do it.
225
00:14:21,819 --> 00:14:25,906
As best we could, we're trying to
concentrate on the murder of Paul Morasca,
226
00:14:25,990 --> 00:14:31,078
but we keep being led down these trails
involving other issues and other crimes.
227
00:14:34,456 --> 00:14:37,293
Um, so what was it
that Danny was looking into?
228
00:14:37,376 --> 00:14:41,046
- He was looking into so many things...
- Well, I've got it all figured out.
229
00:14:41,130 --> 00:14:42,840
I've got a matrix link analysis,
230
00:14:42,923 --> 00:14:46,510
and it's impossible to sit here
and talk about it piecemeal.
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00:14:46,594 --> 00:14:47,612
- Okay.
- Okay?
232
00:14:47,636 --> 00:14:50,055
- It would take days to go through it.
- Okay.
233
00:14:50,139 --> 00:14:52,558
I think I've made
enough of a showing to you
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00:14:52,641 --> 00:14:55,352
that I've got enough
objective evidence here,
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00:14:55,436 --> 00:14:58,898
and it just takes a lot of time
to go through it.
236
00:15:00,941 --> 00:15:03,193
We have the drug operation,
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00:15:03,694 --> 00:15:05,529
the Wackenhut Corporation.
238
00:15:06,530 --> 00:15:09,950
We have organized crime figures
involved with the casino.
239
00:15:10,451 --> 00:15:13,662
We have murders of Alvarez
and two of his friends.
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00:15:14,288 --> 00:15:16,498
And we have an FBI informant.
241
00:15:18,500 --> 00:15:19,960
To get to the bottom of that,
242
00:15:20,544 --> 00:15:24,798
it's beyond what a couple
of local detectives can do.
243
00:15:25,299 --> 00:15:26,884
If the federal government says,
244
00:15:27,843 --> 00:15:29,603
"We don't know what you're talking about..."
245
00:15:32,806 --> 00:15:36,477
this case remains, uh, unsolved.
246
00:15:40,314 --> 00:15:44,985
These are the people
that are putting pressure on me,
247
00:15:45,069 --> 00:15:47,404
and nobody wants to listen to my story.
248
00:15:48,697 --> 00:15:51,116
They want me to put myself in harm's way.
249
00:15:52,993 --> 00:15:56,455
So I have to choose between
putting myself in harm's way,
250
00:15:56,538 --> 00:15:58,666
or going back to prison.
251
00:16:05,381 --> 00:16:07,883
- There it is.
- Where are we meeting George at?
252
00:16:07,967 --> 00:16:09,593
Place called Duke's.
253
00:16:18,602 --> 00:16:19,602
Okay.
254
00:16:20,437 --> 00:16:22,356
We arrived at our destination
255
00:16:22,856 --> 00:16:25,359
to meet Michael's lawyer, George Granby.
256
00:16:26,944 --> 00:16:27,945
George?
257
00:16:45,379 --> 00:16:47,756
Michael told us
he'd rather go back to prison
258
00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:51,802
than return to Washington state
for his parole hearing
259
00:16:52,302 --> 00:16:55,055
without protection from the people
he had once worked with.
260
00:16:58,142 --> 00:17:00,060
'Cause I'm fighting for my life.
261
00:17:00,144 --> 00:17:04,815
What happens in front of the judge
in the next 48 hours is what matters.
262
00:17:07,151 --> 00:17:09,486
- All right.
- All right, Michael.
263
00:17:09,570 --> 00:17:11,030
Let me come back to you.
264
00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:17,286
Michael left us
265
00:17:17,369 --> 00:17:20,205
to discuss his next moves
in private with George Granby.
266
00:17:29,965 --> 00:17:34,053
Christian seemed overwhelmed
by the answers he extracted from Michael.
267
00:17:37,848 --> 00:17:39,558
What's your takeaway?
268
00:17:40,392 --> 00:17:42,144
- From today?
- Yeah.
269
00:17:43,687 --> 00:17:47,566
{\an8}About Michael's life? I think
that that guy has a lot of problems.
270
00:17:47,649 --> 00:17:51,737
And many of them
are imposed on him from the outside,
271
00:17:51,820 --> 00:17:54,114
and I think some of them are self-created.
272
00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:57,743
And it's really hard
to parse what is what.
273
00:17:58,952 --> 00:18:00,245
I feel bad for him.
274
00:18:29,733 --> 00:18:31,443
As time went on,
275
00:18:31,944 --> 00:18:33,862
information was harder to come by.
276
00:18:35,656 --> 00:18:38,408
But years later, I got a phone call
277
00:18:38,492 --> 00:18:41,745
from a man by the name of Danny Casolaro.
278
00:18:43,247 --> 00:18:46,750
He had come up with
quite a bit of information on his own.
279
00:19:06,770 --> 00:19:09,606
If you look at the outline
for Danny's book,
280
00:19:09,690 --> 00:19:12,818
it starts with the death of Paul Morasca.
281
00:19:13,652 --> 00:19:16,363
{\an8}And Danny refers to his murder
as "the link."
282
00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:20,659
{\an8}But, like, the link between what?
283
00:19:23,954 --> 00:19:28,625
When Michael told me, in the car,
after we picked him up from prison,
284
00:19:28,709 --> 00:19:33,672
that there were dozens of murders
up and down the coast of California
285
00:19:33,755 --> 00:19:36,383
that Philip Arthur Thompson had committed,
286
00:19:36,466 --> 00:19:41,013
it sounded like total lunatic raving.
287
00:19:41,096 --> 00:19:45,893
But... I went through old newspapers
and investigative files
288
00:19:45,976 --> 00:19:48,437
from the decade before Paul's death,
289
00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:51,356
and I found a string of murders
and violent crimes
290
00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:55,444
where Philip Arthur Thompson
was the lead suspect in each one.
291
00:19:57,154 --> 00:20:01,241
{\an8}Thompson doesn't ever do any real time
for the crimes that he commits,
292
00:20:01,325 --> 00:20:04,244
and the FBI's helping him stay free.
293
00:20:05,913 --> 00:20:09,333
What is he providing
the federal government
294
00:20:09,416 --> 00:20:11,543
that's of such value
295
00:20:11,627 --> 00:20:15,881
that he is allowed to walk the streets
296
00:20:16,381 --> 00:20:20,510
raping, robbing, and killing people?
297
00:20:21,553 --> 00:20:23,698
Mr. Thompson,
we wish to ask you some questions
298
00:20:23,722 --> 00:20:25,766
regarding the death of a Paul Morasca.
299
00:20:26,850 --> 00:20:30,479
Do you know Dr. John Nichols,
who resides in Indio, California?
300
00:20:30,562 --> 00:20:31,562
I've met him.
301
00:20:32,272 --> 00:20:34,316
And what is your relationship with him?
302
00:20:35,234 --> 00:20:36,234
Uh...
303
00:20:36,985 --> 00:20:38,487
You'd have to ask him that.
304
00:20:38,570 --> 00:20:40,280
How long have you known Nichols?
305
00:20:40,364 --> 00:20:42,044
I won't comment on that either.
306
00:20:53,377 --> 00:20:55,417
The thing
that nobody's putting together
307
00:20:55,462 --> 00:20:58,215
is that John Philip Nichols' casino
is bankrupt.
308
00:21:00,676 --> 00:21:04,096
They filed for bankruptcy
in December of 1981,
309
00:21:04,179 --> 00:21:06,431
one month before Paul was murdered.
310
00:21:06,515 --> 00:21:08,225
{\an8}And John Nichols knew
311
00:21:08,308 --> 00:21:11,603
{\an8}Paul had all these drugs
and all this money.
312
00:21:13,146 --> 00:21:13,981
{\an8}That same month,
313
00:21:14,064 --> 00:21:19,611
there's a meeting at Vanessi's restaurant,
which is right here on the corner.
314
00:21:20,112 --> 00:21:24,741
He invited me
to an Italian restaurant on, uh, Broadway.
315
00:21:24,825 --> 00:21:26,905
- Vanessi's.
- Yes, that's correct.
316
00:21:26,952 --> 00:21:29,663
And all of the key players
in Paul's murder
317
00:21:29,746 --> 00:21:32,082
are in attendance at this meeting.
318
00:21:32,165 --> 00:21:35,294
It's Michael's father,
his name's Marshall Riconosciuto,
319
00:21:35,377 --> 00:21:39,464
John Philip Nichols,
and Philip Arthur Thompson,
320
00:21:40,132 --> 00:21:44,136
all people that seem to have connections
to the intelligence world.
321
00:21:44,678 --> 00:21:49,808
And when I learned about this meeting,
I recognized Vanessi's.
322
00:21:49,891 --> 00:21:52,352
Like, "Wait, they all met at Vanessi's?"
323
00:21:52,436 --> 00:21:55,939
And I realized, "Oh shit, you can see
Paul's house from Vanessi's,
324
00:21:56,023 --> 00:21:57,566
and he wasn't at the meeting."
325
00:22:00,777 --> 00:22:03,530
I think they were just like,
"That's the apartment. Go up..."
326
00:22:03,613 --> 00:22:04,781
"Go up there and get him."
327
00:22:06,616 --> 00:22:09,828
And as he was slowly dying,
328
00:22:09,911 --> 00:22:11,997
I'm sure he was promised that, you know,
329
00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,416
"We'll untie you. Just tell us where the...
330
00:22:14,916 --> 00:22:16,585
where the chemicals are."
331
00:22:16,668 --> 00:22:18,879
"Tell us what the bank codes are."
332
00:22:19,463 --> 00:22:23,884
He was tortured when he was murdered,
and then all of his shit disappeared.
333
00:22:25,844 --> 00:22:30,015
His Swiss bank accounts were drained.
His drugs disappeared.
334
00:22:31,433 --> 00:22:32,976
I mean, that's the motive.
335
00:22:34,561 --> 00:22:35,979
That's the link.
336
00:22:37,606 --> 00:22:41,068
Covert operations
funded by Paul's drug money.
337
00:22:42,444 --> 00:22:45,197
That's the connection
Danny was trying to make.
338
00:22:46,114 --> 00:22:49,409
Where does that leave you
with Michael? Sort of...
339
00:22:49,493 --> 00:22:53,663
Yeah, I mean, it brings me back to
a lot of conversations I had with Michael
340
00:22:53,747 --> 00:22:57,626
that I thought were totally insane,
341
00:22:57,709 --> 00:23:00,962
but they were actually pretty lucid,
you know, um,
342
00:23:01,046 --> 00:23:02,756
and he was telling me the truth.
343
00:23:05,801 --> 00:23:08,929
I mean, some of the stuff, though, it's...
344
00:23:09,012 --> 00:23:14,559
I do know that he does tell untrue stories
345
00:23:14,643 --> 00:23:16,686
in a way that he seems to believe them.
346
00:23:16,770 --> 00:23:19,064
They're just stories
that don't make sense.
347
00:23:19,147 --> 00:23:22,859
Like him saying
he's never been involved with drugs.
348
00:23:25,737 --> 00:23:30,909
So it's like, do you just ignore
everything he says because he's a liar,
349
00:23:30,992 --> 00:23:32,828
or do you try to dig in deeper
350
00:23:32,911 --> 00:23:36,081
and try to figure out
what's real and what's not?
351
00:23:41,002 --> 00:23:42,712
It never ends!
352
00:23:43,630 --> 00:23:45,882
It never ends. It's...
353
00:23:48,718 --> 00:23:51,930
You know, you set out
to try to finish this story,
354
00:23:52,013 --> 00:23:54,724
and it just never fucking ends.
355
00:24:13,452 --> 00:24:15,662
There's a picture
of Philip Arthur Thompson.
356
00:24:16,204 --> 00:24:18,081
- Yeah, I've seen it.
- Yeah.
357
00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,752
Jason. All right. That's interesting.
Forgot about that one.
358
00:24:23,253 --> 00:24:25,964
When you start talking
to Michael Riconosciuto,
359
00:24:26,047 --> 00:24:29,009
he spins this web of intrigue,
360
00:24:29,092 --> 00:24:31,845
{\an8}and it becomes a mystery,
then it becomes a puzzle.
361
00:24:31,928 --> 00:24:35,974
{\an8}And ultimately, before you
even understand it, it becomes a game.
362
00:24:40,187 --> 00:24:43,482
I was a reporter
in a small town in California.
363
00:24:45,942 --> 00:24:48,028
This is me in Mariposa.
364
00:24:48,528 --> 00:24:50,572
I had been investigating
365
00:24:51,072 --> 00:24:55,994
why drugs were so prevalent
in central California.
366
00:24:58,497 --> 00:25:03,418
In my mind, what I was chasing after,
and I told this to Michael Riconosciuto,
367
00:25:03,502 --> 00:25:08,006
was government-sanctioned drug operations.
368
00:25:08,673 --> 00:25:10,634
That's basically who I was
369
00:25:10,717 --> 00:25:12,594
when I was speaking to
370
00:25:12,677 --> 00:25:16,097
and taking information from Riconosciuto
on the phone.
371
00:25:16,181 --> 00:25:17,015
Right.
372
00:25:17,098 --> 00:25:19,226
Not who I am today.
373
00:25:19,309 --> 00:25:20,310
And one day,
374
00:25:20,393 --> 00:25:23,939
I started reading about Danny Casolaro,
375
00:25:24,022 --> 00:25:26,983
right after his death in 1991.
376
00:25:28,652 --> 00:25:33,031
I'd found out we were running parallel
in our investigations.
377
00:25:33,615 --> 00:25:38,245
Danny delved deeper into areas
that I chose not to,
378
00:25:38,328 --> 00:25:41,248
because I was mostly interested
in the drug aspect,
379
00:25:41,331 --> 00:25:45,210
but no matter what direction he went in,
Danny hit drugs again,
380
00:25:45,919 --> 00:25:49,381
because the intelligence operations
were basically involved with drugs.
381
00:25:51,716 --> 00:25:54,886
And so I jumped on to Danny's trail.
382
00:25:56,096 --> 00:25:59,140
And then, on December 1st, 1991,
383
00:25:59,224 --> 00:26:02,769
Michael Riconosciuto contacted me
at 7:30 in the morning.
384
00:26:03,687 --> 00:26:07,649
And I was introduced
to my first contact with the Octopus.
385
00:26:08,900 --> 00:26:10,277
Hello? Cheri?
386
00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:12,612
Yeah. You authorize me to tape it?
387
00:26:12,696 --> 00:26:13,905
That's correct.
388
00:26:14,406 --> 00:26:16,950
I asked him why he called me.
389
00:26:17,033 --> 00:26:20,495
And he said because the media
and the government
390
00:26:20,579 --> 00:26:24,332
were making him out to be
nothing more than a drug dealer.
391
00:26:24,833 --> 00:26:29,963
He said, in fact, he had been involved
in many government operations,
392
00:26:30,046 --> 00:26:32,299
and he wanted people to know about it.
393
00:26:34,509 --> 00:26:38,346
The thing is, the government's
on the hook for the death of Paul Morasca.
394
00:26:38,430 --> 00:26:41,391
And the whole operation got out of hand.
395
00:26:41,474 --> 00:26:42,474
Yes?
396
00:26:42,517 --> 00:26:44,019
That's all there is to it.
397
00:26:45,061 --> 00:26:47,439
He said,
after Paul Morasca's death,
398
00:26:47,939 --> 00:26:50,692
he left Cabazon in a hurry.
399
00:26:51,192 --> 00:26:54,112
He felt threatened. He felt
that he was gonna be the next one to go.
400
00:26:55,614 --> 00:27:00,493
I left the orbit of Wackenhut
and John Philip Nichols.
401
00:27:00,577 --> 00:27:05,624
And it just turned into
a Kafkaesque nightmare
402
00:27:05,707 --> 00:27:07,167
from that point on.
403
00:27:08,251 --> 00:27:11,004
And that's when he went with
Robert Booth Nichols.
404
00:27:13,173 --> 00:27:16,843
And, uh,
my life hasn't been the same since.
405
00:27:18,178 --> 00:27:20,406
There's two Nicholses here,
I've gotta clarify.
406
00:27:20,430 --> 00:27:22,349
There's John P. Nichols,
407
00:27:22,849 --> 00:27:25,310
and there was Robert Booth Nichols,
408
00:27:25,810 --> 00:27:27,646
and they're not related.
409
00:27:28,772 --> 00:27:31,650
Riconosciuto said
that Robert Booth Nichols
410
00:27:31,733 --> 00:27:34,194
was the key to Danny's Octopus.
411
00:27:34,903 --> 00:27:38,823
The Indian Reservation
was small potatoes, okay?
412
00:27:38,907 --> 00:27:42,243
But he said repeatedly,
over and over told Danny,
413
00:27:42,327 --> 00:27:44,829
"Do not talk to Robert Booth Nichols."
414
00:27:45,830 --> 00:27:49,793
I was around Bob for years,
and I know how the man operates.
415
00:27:51,002 --> 00:27:53,546
The guy is absolutely scary.
416
00:27:57,384 --> 00:27:59,552
My name is Robert Nichols.
417
00:28:01,346 --> 00:28:02,806
Have you heard that name?
418
00:28:04,808 --> 00:28:09,062
Evidently, Michael wouldn't want
you speaking with me.
419
00:28:10,313 --> 00:28:15,652
Once you jump on the board with
Riconosciuto and Robert Booth Nichols,
420
00:28:15,735 --> 00:28:19,030
they definitely, pardon the expression,
"screw with your mind."
421
00:28:19,114 --> 00:28:20,699
They certainly did with me,
422
00:28:20,782 --> 00:28:23,868
and I have no doubt
that they did this with Danny.
423
00:28:24,494 --> 00:28:26,830
That's part of the game.
424
00:28:28,289 --> 00:28:30,041
You can't be shy.
425
00:28:30,125 --> 00:28:33,086
You have to ask questions,
or how do you know?
426
00:28:34,003 --> 00:28:37,298
One of his operations was
out at Cabazon,
427
00:28:37,382 --> 00:28:40,677
retrofitting and developing arms
for the Contras.
428
00:28:41,302 --> 00:28:45,098
That's where Michael Riconosciuto
became involved with him.
429
00:28:47,183 --> 00:28:52,147
But he was also doing all sorts
of other operations all over the world.
430
00:28:53,022 --> 00:28:56,192
It's amazing what the government
will do if you're of value to them.
431
00:28:56,276 --> 00:28:58,236
I mean, look the other way, right?
432
00:29:01,781 --> 00:29:02,824
Raise your hand.
433
00:29:02,907 --> 00:29:04,969
Do you swear the testimony
you're about to give today
434
00:29:04,993 --> 00:29:08,204
will be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth so help you God?
435
00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:10,623
- Speak.
- Yes.
436
00:29:13,209 --> 00:29:18,298
{\an8}Mr. Nichols, since you were
22 or 23 years old to the present date,
437
00:29:18,381 --> 00:29:22,343
{\an8}your primary way of making money
was to be employed by people
438
00:29:22,427 --> 00:29:25,305
{\an8}who claim to be associated
with government intelligence?
439
00:29:25,388 --> 00:29:26,598
{\an8}That's correct.
440
00:29:27,682 --> 00:29:30,643
I was told that this,
what is taking place today,
441
00:29:30,727 --> 00:29:32,353
would not happen to me.
442
00:29:33,396 --> 00:29:36,191
I do what I'm told to do.
I'm a facilitator.
443
00:29:36,775 --> 00:29:39,611
It is a very sensitive matter.
444
00:29:40,153 --> 00:29:43,490
Very sensitive to this country.
445
00:29:44,199 --> 00:29:48,161
And under no circumstance
can this reach the public.
446
00:29:48,244 --> 00:29:54,083
And you will never, ever be bothered
by your government ever.
447
00:29:57,462 --> 00:29:58,546
Period.
448
00:30:03,843 --> 00:30:06,596
{\an8}And what did you do
while working for these people?
449
00:30:08,264 --> 00:30:10,850
{\an8}Achieved objectives
that they set out for me.
450
00:30:18,024 --> 00:30:24,030
Danny recognized he was talking to...
a dangerous person.
451
00:30:24,989 --> 00:30:28,326
See, I have to be extremely careful
452
00:30:29,452 --> 00:30:32,747
because I am involved...
You know, when I say "involved,"
453
00:30:32,831 --> 00:30:36,918
I have knowledge
of the darker areas of US intelligence.
454
00:30:37,418 --> 00:30:39,546
But he felt that it was worth it
455
00:30:39,629 --> 00:30:42,090
{\an8}for this unfolding story.
456
00:30:43,508 --> 00:30:45,760
I had heard from numerous sources
457
00:30:45,844 --> 00:30:49,848
that he's worked for
all these various agencies.
458
00:30:50,849 --> 00:30:53,560
He was telling everybody
he worked for the DOJ.
459
00:30:53,643 --> 00:30:57,605
All his friends said
he worked for the NSA, NSC.
460
00:30:58,106 --> 00:31:00,567
There are many reasons
for doing things that, uh,
461
00:31:01,484 --> 00:31:02,861
are usually very veiled.
462
00:31:03,820 --> 00:31:06,906
He was a part of a cutout corporation,
463
00:31:06,990 --> 00:31:11,452
a front corporation
created for the National Security Council
464
00:31:11,536 --> 00:31:13,580
to work in Lebanon.
465
00:31:14,581 --> 00:31:18,418
And there are documents
from the White House about it.
466
00:31:25,174 --> 00:31:28,970
Documents showing all these
important, high-ranking people
467
00:31:29,053 --> 00:31:31,014
that are on this board of directors.
468
00:31:31,097 --> 00:31:34,684
They are directly connected to each other
and the intelligence world
469
00:31:34,767 --> 00:31:36,728
and to Robert Booth Nichols.
470
00:31:37,437 --> 00:31:42,150
I was, you know, involved in
certain project financing and funding.
471
00:31:42,233 --> 00:31:46,279
Robert Booth Nichols told Danny
he was going to show him
472
00:31:46,362 --> 00:31:49,115
all of the operations
that he had been involved in.
473
00:31:49,198 --> 00:31:52,243
Basically, show him the larger picture.
474
00:31:53,912 --> 00:31:57,582
See, things were described to me
as being in the national interest,
475
00:31:57,665 --> 00:32:00,126
and somewhere, something went wrong.
476
00:32:02,045 --> 00:32:04,672
And, you know,
what is the national interest?
477
00:32:04,756 --> 00:32:07,342
I mean, it's whatever interest
they want it to be.
478
00:32:12,055 --> 00:32:17,560
I remember that Danny thought he was
central to the story he was working on,
479
00:32:17,644 --> 00:32:19,938
so they decided to meet.
480
00:32:22,190 --> 00:32:25,276
"Robert Booth Nichols arrived
in Washington, D.C.
481
00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,403
on a three-day stopover."
482
00:32:30,323 --> 00:32:32,241
"I picked him up at the airport,
483
00:32:32,325 --> 00:32:35,620
and we drove to the Four Seasons hotel,
where he stayed."
484
00:32:37,956 --> 00:32:38,998
"That evening,
485
00:32:39,082 --> 00:32:41,542
we went out to dinner and then drinks,
486
00:32:42,377 --> 00:32:45,213
as we would each night
for the rest of his stay."
487
00:32:48,299 --> 00:32:50,343
"Though he was never outwardly drunk,
488
00:32:50,426 --> 00:32:53,054
he became talkative
as the night progressed."
489
00:32:53,930 --> 00:32:57,433
{\an8}Wackenhut are the backwaters
of US intelligence.
490
00:32:58,017 --> 00:32:59,644
You usually see
491
00:32:59,727 --> 00:33:03,731
anyone in the intelligence community
that's high up laced in there somewhere.
492
00:33:06,150 --> 00:33:08,403
"He instructed me
not to take notes,
493
00:33:08,903 --> 00:33:13,324
but I collected names and operations
on cocktail napkins
494
00:33:13,408 --> 00:33:15,660
that I would stuff into
my jacket pockets."
495
00:33:15,743 --> 00:33:18,913
You know, the activities
that I've been involved with,
496
00:33:18,997 --> 00:33:20,415
I can tell you very clearly,
497
00:33:20,498 --> 00:33:26,421
an effort for many years was made
to benefit a lot of important people.
498
00:33:31,259 --> 00:33:33,928
"'The cloak-and-dagger
arrangement at Cabazon
499
00:33:34,012 --> 00:33:37,265
between the criminal world
and the intelligence world
500
00:33:37,348 --> 00:33:40,351
was not an isolated venture, '
Nichols said."
501
00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:47,191
"It was simply my first glimpse
of a hidden network of operations
502
00:33:47,275 --> 00:33:48,735
that spans the globe,
503
00:33:49,235 --> 00:33:51,029
enlisting banks..."
504
00:33:51,112 --> 00:33:54,240
You know, this is like BCCI.
505
00:33:54,323 --> 00:33:58,411
The bank that is now under the biggest
criminal investigation in banking history.
506
00:33:58,494 --> 00:34:02,206
BCCI stands accused of dirty dealing
around the world.
507
00:34:02,290 --> 00:34:06,294
Allegedly involved in illegal
arms deals, drug-running, kidnapping,
508
00:34:06,377 --> 00:34:08,129
{\an8}and bribery of US officials.
509
00:34:08,212 --> 00:34:11,716
{\an8}In fact, BCCI had CIA money.
510
00:34:12,216 --> 00:34:14,010
The Nugan Hand thing.
511
00:34:14,093 --> 00:34:16,554
A bank in Australia
known as Nugan Hand.
512
00:34:16,637 --> 00:34:20,516
Illegal currency
transactions, big-time drug operations,
513
00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:23,186
and the Central Intelligence Agency.
514
00:34:23,269 --> 00:34:24,979
Money laundering.
515
00:34:25,063 --> 00:34:28,649
{\an8}The Savings and Loans scandal
could cost half a trillion dollars.
516
00:34:28,733 --> 00:34:31,778
The CIA may have used the proceeds
517
00:34:31,861 --> 00:34:36,532
to help pay for covert operations
that Congress was unwilling to support.
518
00:34:37,033 --> 00:34:38,242
"Gunrunners..."
519
00:34:38,326 --> 00:34:39,994
The sale of arms to Iran
520
00:34:40,078 --> 00:34:42,038
and the diversion of profits
to the Contras,
521
00:34:42,121 --> 00:34:44,916
it's hard to believe that it stayed
a secret as long as it did.
522
00:34:45,500 --> 00:34:46,620
"Former spies..."
523
00:34:46,667 --> 00:34:49,045
{\an8}Edwin Wilson,
the former CIA agent.
524
00:34:49,128 --> 00:34:52,423
{\an8}Under federal indictment for
selling weapons and explosives to Libya.
525
00:34:52,507 --> 00:34:55,259
There have also been charges
that Wilson recruited Americans
526
00:34:55,343 --> 00:34:57,386
to go to Libya and train terrorists.
527
00:34:58,513 --> 00:35:00,473
Those are just a few things.
528
00:35:00,556 --> 00:35:04,602
But, uh, all these stories are related.
529
00:35:05,436 --> 00:35:08,231
"'These scandals
that bubbled to the surface,
530
00:35:08,314 --> 00:35:11,359
they're all connected
through a rogue intelligence network
531
00:35:11,442 --> 00:35:13,986
that goes back decades, ' Nichols said."
532
00:35:14,070 --> 00:35:18,658
I'm speaking about people
that are in the intelligence areas
533
00:35:18,741 --> 00:35:21,077
internationally, across the board,
534
00:35:21,828 --> 00:35:23,663
not just the CIA.
535
00:35:27,875 --> 00:35:31,796
For Danny, this expands,
and expands, and expands.
536
00:35:33,881 --> 00:35:39,428
And it branches into
so many different aspects and tentacles.
537
00:35:39,512 --> 00:35:41,472
And now the story has become
538
00:35:41,556 --> 00:35:44,308
something completely different
than what it was originally.
539
00:35:46,018 --> 00:35:52,108
Now Danny was pursuing
these claims of international spy networks
540
00:35:53,151 --> 00:35:55,236
going back decades.
541
00:35:55,319 --> 00:35:58,072
Pender I knew very well from Beirut.
542
00:35:58,156 --> 00:36:00,741
Danny started focusing on
the good ol' boys
543
00:36:00,825 --> 00:36:03,244
before the CIA was created,
544
00:36:03,327 --> 00:36:04,954
and he was gonna bring it forward.
545
00:36:08,332 --> 00:36:10,877
He wanted to know who is involved.
546
00:36:11,961 --> 00:36:14,005
I'd stay away from that.
547
00:36:15,590 --> 00:36:19,218
"'You are not
to see the lies we tell, ' said Nichols."
548
00:36:20,052 --> 00:36:21,812
That's something I wouldn't wanna...
549
00:36:22,430 --> 00:36:25,016
wouldn't wanna... say.
550
00:36:28,686 --> 00:36:31,606
"At the end of the three days,
Nichols said,
551
00:36:31,689 --> 00:36:33,357
'I wish you weren't a writer.'"
552
00:36:33,858 --> 00:36:34,984
"'You know too much,
553
00:36:35,067 --> 00:36:37,153
and now you're gonna have to die.'"
554
00:36:39,155 --> 00:36:42,658
"Was this a sinister joke
or a friendly warning?"
555
00:36:43,743 --> 00:36:45,494
"I couldn't tell the difference."
556
00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:51,125
When Danny told me about the threats,
557
00:36:51,626 --> 00:36:54,462
it was hard to tell how to interpret that.
558
00:36:55,796 --> 00:36:59,467
I just know that he tried
to keep Danny on edge,
559
00:37:00,218 --> 00:37:03,387
but I don't know what was driving that.
560
00:37:08,267 --> 00:37:12,563
February 13th, 1992.
561
00:37:14,607 --> 00:37:16,859
I met with Robert Booth Nichols.
562
00:37:17,735 --> 00:37:22,365
I ultimately got this appointment
through a friend of his.
563
00:37:24,784 --> 00:37:26,744
This friend warned me. He said,
564
00:37:26,827 --> 00:37:29,497
"When you get into Nichols' apartment,
565
00:37:30,206 --> 00:37:34,627
they're gonna sit you on a couch
next to a lion,
566
00:37:34,710 --> 00:37:35,920
a stuffed lion,
567
00:37:36,420 --> 00:37:40,299
and the lion has a bug inside of it,
a listening device,
568
00:37:41,300 --> 00:37:42,677
and they're gonna be taping you."
569
00:37:51,727 --> 00:37:56,357
When I walked in the door,
Ellen Nichols was there, his wife.
570
00:38:05,866 --> 00:38:08,077
You know, court needed...
571
00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:10,663
Both sides are involved in projects...
572
00:38:11,580 --> 00:38:15,334
There was anaconda snake skins
on the wall,
573
00:38:15,418 --> 00:38:19,463
pictures of him with Saudi Arabians
and high-ranking officials,
574
00:38:19,547 --> 00:38:20,965
government officials.
575
00:38:21,757 --> 00:38:24,677
I got the feeling it was a safe house,
to tell you the truth.
576
00:38:25,469 --> 00:38:29,932
And then he sat me right down on the couch
next to a lion. A big stuffed lion.
577
00:38:37,106 --> 00:38:41,861
Nichols was very controlled
but very dramatic.
578
00:38:42,570 --> 00:38:47,033
And he would be very assertive
in his way of letting you know,
579
00:38:47,116 --> 00:38:49,201
"Don't ask me that question again."
580
00:38:58,544 --> 00:39:00,796
I asked him about Danny Casolaro.
581
00:39:01,839 --> 00:39:03,549
He believed Danny was murdered.
582
00:39:03,632 --> 00:39:05,760
He did not believe
that he committed suicide.
583
00:39:06,260 --> 00:39:10,639
He said that Danny was
very excited about going overseas.
584
00:39:11,432 --> 00:39:16,395
I pursued questions about why he died,
how he died, and Nichols said,
585
00:39:16,479 --> 00:39:21,692
"No journalist has done enough work
to deserve to know that answer."
586
00:39:23,569 --> 00:39:26,280
And then he invited me to go overseas
587
00:39:26,364 --> 00:39:28,532
and do exactly
what he invited Danny to do,
588
00:39:29,116 --> 00:39:31,118
and I would get my answers.
589
00:39:31,702 --> 00:39:33,621
And I said, "I'll think about it."
590
00:39:36,457 --> 00:39:38,709
Oh, the Zapruder Tape.
591
00:39:41,462 --> 00:39:44,548
He stands up,
and he starts playing this tape.
592
00:39:45,508 --> 00:39:48,844
It was the Zapruder Tape
of the Kennedy assassination,
593
00:39:49,345 --> 00:39:51,180
but then he slowed it way down.
594
00:39:52,056 --> 00:39:59,056
And it was so slow
that you could almost see the air moving.
595
00:40:00,731 --> 00:40:06,237
Then you saw the driver take a gun
and go like this
596
00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:07,863
and shoot Kennedy.
597
00:40:08,572 --> 00:40:11,617
And the bullet comes out of the gun
this slow.
598
00:40:11,700 --> 00:40:13,369
Very, very, very slow.
599
00:40:13,994 --> 00:40:16,122
And it hits Kennedy in the head,
600
00:40:16,205 --> 00:40:19,083
and you see everything
flying out of his head.
601
00:40:21,419 --> 00:40:22,628
And I'm thinking,
602
00:40:22,711 --> 00:40:24,755
"This isn't the tape I ever saw before."
603
00:40:25,881 --> 00:40:29,218
So I said, "Is this a doctored tape?
What's this about?"
604
00:40:29,718 --> 00:40:31,846
And he said, "This is the original one."
605
00:40:32,847 --> 00:40:35,933
And I said, "Uh, no," you know?
606
00:40:36,016 --> 00:40:39,728
He says, "I'm gonna show you
the one that you've seen on the media."
607
00:40:40,396 --> 00:40:43,774
The next tape is your typical one
where the driver just keeps driving.
608
00:40:43,858 --> 00:40:45,818
He never even flinches with the gun.
609
00:40:46,610 --> 00:40:48,195
And he stops the tape.
610
00:40:49,780 --> 00:40:51,449
And he says, "Look at the tree."
611
00:40:53,159 --> 00:40:56,120
And there's the top of a tree
growing in air.
612
00:40:57,204 --> 00:41:00,332
And he says, "This is the one
that you're seeing on the media,
613
00:41:00,416 --> 00:41:02,001
and it's been doctored."
614
00:41:02,668 --> 00:41:05,838
He looked very, very intently at me,
and he said,
615
00:41:05,921 --> 00:41:08,299
"Nothing is as it appears to be."
616
00:41:13,596 --> 00:41:17,475
That tape was the last thing he did
before I left.
617
00:41:18,058 --> 00:41:20,060
It occurred to me that that was shown
618
00:41:20,144 --> 00:41:25,232
so that it would provide deniability
for Robert Booth Nichols.
619
00:41:27,359 --> 00:41:29,236
He had to have doctored that,
620
00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:32,239
to have put half a tree in that film,
621
00:41:33,115 --> 00:41:36,702
so that, you know,
my ability to see the truth
622
00:41:37,244 --> 00:41:38,954
or to report the facts
623
00:41:39,538 --> 00:41:42,833
kind of goes out the window
when you start describing that film.
624
00:41:42,917 --> 00:41:44,877
Especially if you say you believed it.
625
00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:48,506
I can tell you right now, I saw it.
There's no question what I saw.
626
00:41:49,173 --> 00:41:53,719
But, like he said,
"Nothing is as it appears to be."
627
00:41:54,720 --> 00:41:57,223
In this world, their world.
628
00:42:08,776 --> 00:42:10,861
- Did he get in?
- On your right.
629
00:42:11,946 --> 00:42:13,364
Mary Ellen, you have...
630
00:42:15,533 --> 00:42:19,662
I remember Danny seemed tired,
and he just said, "I'm working a lot."
631
00:42:21,455 --> 00:42:23,958
Which is true. I know that was accurate.
632
00:42:28,337 --> 00:42:30,297
Danny's life
used to be filled with fun,
633
00:42:30,381 --> 00:42:33,551
{\an8}and laughter, and drinks,
and wine, and food.
634
00:42:36,554 --> 00:42:37,554
And then
635
00:42:38,055 --> 00:42:40,057
that life took a turn.
636
00:42:41,559 --> 00:42:45,104
It was filled with... this story,
637
00:42:45,604 --> 00:42:47,565
which changed him totally.
638
00:42:49,191 --> 00:42:51,151
He was making calls late at night
639
00:42:51,235 --> 00:42:55,239
to various people
he thought might be related.
640
00:42:55,322 --> 00:42:58,200
Having been trained
to fight communism,
641
00:42:58,284 --> 00:43:02,788
I saw an opportunity
to get aboard the secret agenda.
642
00:43:04,081 --> 00:43:08,460
He talked on the phone with these creeps
just about every night.
643
00:43:08,961 --> 00:43:10,796
It's almost like they were a network.
644
00:43:11,297 --> 00:43:13,549
Little bit of background,
if I may.
645
00:43:14,049 --> 00:43:16,135
I do not exist.
646
00:43:17,970 --> 00:43:21,348
There were hundreds of calls.
647
00:43:21,432 --> 00:43:24,101
Five years from now,
when Danny's with somebody else...
648
00:43:25,603 --> 00:43:28,355
I remember one remark
at a dinner party.
649
00:43:29,189 --> 00:43:33,068
He was talking about the story,
and we changed the subject.
650
00:43:35,237 --> 00:43:39,074
People just didn't wanna hear it anymore.
That's the only thing Danny talked about.
651
00:43:41,410 --> 00:43:43,704
And he just lashed out, like,
652
00:43:43,787 --> 00:43:47,082
"You guys don't know."
"People don't know what I know."
653
00:43:50,628 --> 00:43:53,672
That is how
conspiracy people talk to you.
654
00:43:53,756 --> 00:43:57,676
Like, "You really don't understand
what's going on,
655
00:43:57,760 --> 00:44:00,596
and I feel, you know, really bad for you."
656
00:44:01,430 --> 00:44:02,973
Which was not like him.
657
00:44:05,184 --> 00:44:09,938
He left... this wonderful life that he had,
658
00:44:10,439 --> 00:44:13,359
and he went with them.
659
00:44:15,527 --> 00:44:19,323
I knew that he was
consumed with pursuing this story.
660
00:44:20,240 --> 00:44:22,493
And, you know,
661
00:44:23,369 --> 00:44:27,956
if I just said to you, "Here are
the things that related," I'm more of a...
662
00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:29,958
I'm kinda like, "Uh, really?"
663
00:44:30,042 --> 00:44:32,461
But when he walked me through them,
I was like,
664
00:44:32,544 --> 00:44:35,756
"Actually, that doesn't sound
so unreasonable."
665
00:44:50,396 --> 00:44:53,982
"What you're about to read
is as unbelievable to me
666
00:44:54,066 --> 00:44:55,818
as it will be to you."
667
00:44:59,363 --> 00:45:03,659
"This story will rewrite American history
over the last 30 years."
668
00:45:04,493 --> 00:45:07,037
"Over the last 40 years."
"Over the last 50 years."
669
00:45:07,121 --> 00:45:11,667
"This story will rewrite American history
over the last 50 years."
670
00:45:12,167 --> 00:45:16,171
"What started as a brief look-see
into the PROMIS software scandal
671
00:45:16,255 --> 00:45:18,632
has revealed a web of thugs and thieves
672
00:45:18,716 --> 00:45:21,844
who roam the Earth
with their weapons and espionage."
673
00:45:25,472 --> 00:45:28,142
"This cabal was spawned 30 years ago,
674
00:45:28,225 --> 00:45:30,060
in the shadow of the Cold War,
675
00:45:30,144 --> 00:45:32,938
in the backwaters of US intelligence."
676
00:45:37,025 --> 00:45:40,654
"It was formed
by the alliances of 12 people."
677
00:45:40,738 --> 00:45:42,990
"It was formed by
the alliances of seven people."
678
00:45:43,073 --> 00:45:44,450
"Eight people."
679
00:45:45,159 --> 00:45:47,911
"It was formed by
the alliances of eight people."
680
00:45:50,122 --> 00:45:51,790
{\an8}"I've come to call this group
681
00:45:53,083 --> 00:45:54,334
{\an8}'The Octopus.'"
682
00:46:06,597 --> 00:46:07,806
"What you're going to learn."
683
00:46:09,057 --> 00:46:12,019
{\an8}"These eight men
came together in the 1950s."
684
00:46:12,102 --> 00:46:16,607
{\an8}"A loose collection rising from
the spy networks of the Second World War."
685
00:46:17,649 --> 00:46:20,369
{\an8}"They're not government officials."
"No longer government officials."
686
00:46:20,444 --> 00:46:23,572
"But their tentacles can reach
into any part of government,
687
00:46:23,655 --> 00:46:25,115
in almost any country."
688
00:46:25,699 --> 00:46:27,159
"They're not known criminals,
689
00:46:27,242 --> 00:46:31,205
but they have successfully penetrated
all factions of organized crime."
690
00:46:36,043 --> 00:46:40,255
"They gained momentum
in the late '60s and early '70s in Laos
691
00:46:40,339 --> 00:46:46,553
before moving into Australia, Angola,
Rhodesia, Iran, and Nicaragua."
692
00:46:48,972 --> 00:46:52,226
"The Cabazon operation
and the PROMIS software scandal
693
00:46:52,309 --> 00:46:54,228
were merely tentacles of the Octopus,
694
00:46:54,311 --> 00:46:57,648
which moves money and power
around the world
695
00:46:57,731 --> 00:47:00,025
to achieve its evolving goals."
696
00:47:06,740 --> 00:47:08,659
"My contacts from this world
697
00:47:08,742 --> 00:47:11,453
are riddled with contradictions
and hidden motives."
698
00:47:12,412 --> 00:47:15,999
"So a research trip is needed
to pierce the shrouds of secrecy."
699
00:47:19,086 --> 00:47:22,631
"A key source has offered his services
as a guide."
700
00:47:25,968 --> 00:47:31,473
"The itinerary for research completion is,
Lexington, Kentucky, two days."
701
00:47:31,557 --> 00:47:34,434
"Indio, California,
to the Indian reservation,
702
00:47:34,518 --> 00:47:37,521
and to meet with homicide investigators,
three days."
703
00:47:37,604 --> 00:47:41,483
"San Francisco,
to meet homicide investigators, one day."
704
00:47:41,567 --> 00:47:45,362
"Seattle, to meet again with
Michael 'Danger Man' Riconosciuto,
705
00:47:45,445 --> 00:47:47,155
in his jail cell, presumably,
706
00:47:47,239 --> 00:47:48,532
one or two days."
707
00:47:48,615 --> 00:47:51,201
"Santa Monica and Long Beach, California."
708
00:47:51,285 --> 00:47:55,163
"Thailand, Burma, and Laos,
to meet with tribal leaders and scholars."
709
00:47:55,247 --> 00:47:56,915
"Kuwait City, Saudi Arabia,
710
00:47:56,999 --> 00:47:59,418
Egypt, Tunisia, Israel,
Brussels, Zurich, London."
711
00:47:59,501 --> 00:48:01,670
"Fourteen days." "Two days."
"One day." "Three days."
712
00:48:05,966 --> 00:48:09,052
"Possession of a secret
is no guarantee of its truth."
713
00:48:09,136 --> 00:48:11,847
"And while these allegations
are indeed remarkable,
714
00:48:11,930 --> 00:48:14,600
they're also raw,
with undocumentable details
715
00:48:14,683 --> 00:48:17,936
that make a traditional
journalistic effort impossible."
716
00:48:19,146 --> 00:48:21,857
"It is for this reason
The Octopus is subtitled,
717
00:48:21,940 --> 00:48:23,859
'A True Crime Narrative.'"
718
00:48:25,903 --> 00:48:28,447
"I propose a book
that tells the ageless story
719
00:48:28,530 --> 00:48:31,575
of greed and envy, fear and hate,
720
00:48:31,658 --> 00:48:35,829
what simple men have always known to be
the real enemy, which is selfishness."
721
00:48:35,913 --> 00:48:38,707
"This is the only real secret
of the temple."
722
00:48:42,794 --> 00:48:46,840
"If I keep asking questions,
the answers will gradually fit together."
723
00:48:47,424 --> 00:48:48,884
"With best regards..."
724
00:48:50,761 --> 00:48:51,762
"Danny."
725
00:49:00,562 --> 00:49:03,357
Danny's... Uh, do you know...
have any idea... Do you even...
726
00:49:03,440 --> 00:49:07,861
Can you even speculate
on why, let's say, he was murdered?
727
00:49:08,362 --> 00:49:11,406
Uh, what would he possibly have
728
00:49:11,907 --> 00:49:13,617
that could have caused that?
729
00:49:13,700 --> 00:49:16,787
You know, uh,
something on the Justice Department?
730
00:49:18,163 --> 00:49:19,456
I would say,
731
00:49:19,957 --> 00:49:21,291
time will tell.
732
00:49:22,918 --> 00:49:24,127
Time will tell.
62826
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