All language subtitles for Butterfly.Effect.S02E05_English

- [Narrator] August 29th, 2161.

Red Square Moscow.

Nuclear bunker number 214.

200 years ago, following a
global thermonuclear war,

humanity was almost annihilated.

Those who were able to hide
in vast underground shelters

just before the
final strike survived

two centuries of nuclear winter.

The others succumbed
to radioactive fallout.

Cut off from the outside world,

new generations were
raised into belief

that the planet had
become uninhabitable,

and yet, profiting from
the absence of man,

to reclaim its own,
and its almost entirely

wiped out all traces
of human civilization.

But none of this ever happened.

A few decades earlier,
two leaders will manage

to keep cool heads and
avoid the apocalypse.

Our history is no more than a
series of incredible events.

Every one of us can
influence its course.

(intense music)

The most infinitesimal
of our decisions

can influence the
future of humanity.

To know the past is
to foresee the future.

December second, 1956.

Fidel Castro, a
former lawyer in exile

lands on the Cuban shores
with 81 guerrilla fighters.

October 14th, 1962, an
American U-2 spy plane

flies over mystery installations

in the heart of
the island of Cuba.

October 27th, 1962, the
commander of a Soviet submarine

is on the point of
launching a nuclear torpedo

at a U.S. Navy vessel.

These three intimately
connected events

are the key moments of
the Cuban missile crisis,

and they took humanity to the
brink of a third world war.

Cuba.

A Caribbean island.

It becomes a Spanish
colony in 1492,

and then an American
protectorate.

In reality, at the beginning
of the 20th century,

the imposing neighbor
controlled the country.

A succession of dictators obtain

political and military
support from the Americans

in return for
commercial advantages.

Following the coup of 1952,

Colonel Batista becomes
the Cuban head of state.

After increasing his
salary by five times,

he suspends the Constitution,

reintroduces capital punishment,

and bans the right to strike.

On the island, corruption
is the only thing

rising faster than poverty.

Batista, close to the
mafia, welcomes gambling,

prostitution, money
laundering,
and drug trafficking.

The United States
lets it happen.

Trade relations with the island

are more important
than Cuban's rights.

But poverty and deprivation

are portal ground
for opposition.

On December second,
1956, Fidel Castro,

a former lawyer in
exile turned guerrilla,

lands with 81 partisans.

The rebellion rapidly swells.

It turns into a civil war.

At the beginning of 1959,
the dictator Batista flees.

Castro, at the head
of the revolution,

can implement his
political program.

Promotion of
education and health,

equality between men and women,

the right to vote,
but most important,

nationalization of
American companies.

The American
government sees red.

For them, Castro is a
communist,
and therefore, an enemy.

Relations between the two
countries rapidly
deteriorate.

In October, 1960, the United
States imposes a trade embargo,

then cuts off al
diplomatic relations.

No more American goods,
sugar exports plunge.

Cuba is throttled.

Deprived, isolated, the
island has just lost

its principle trading partner,

and doesn't know to
whom they could turn.

- [Narrator] Welcome to
the memory of humanity.

Here, we can control
time, analyze and compare

billions of events
and alter them

to rewrite history endlessly.

All the events in our history,

however minute they might be,

are memorized and
interconnected.

It only requires
one to be changed

for all the others to
be shaken to the core.

What is the difference between
an embargo and a blockade.

An embargo is an
economic sanction imposed

by one country against another.

It means cessation of
all commercial exchange

with that state
in order to put it

in a position or shortage,
and force it to negotiate.

A blockade is an act of war.

It means the forceful
prevention of exchanges

between a country, and
the rest of the world.

Whether maritime, land, or
aerial, it is like a siege.

Nobody can enter or
leave the country.

In 1977, the UN
embargo on arms sales

to South Africa contributed
to the questioning

of the Apartheid regime.

In 1990, the UN embargo on
Iraq ruined the country,

and produced grave consequences

for the health of
its population.

In 1960, an official
embargo is placed

on Cuba by the United States.

In reality, it is a blockade.

Deprived of its
principle partner,

the island is left isolated.

Faced with shortages,
people may radicalize.

The situation then
becomes worse than before.

- [Narrator] 1960,
the port of Havana.

After crossing the
Atlantic ocean,

thousands of barrels
of oil are landed

from imposing cargo ships.

Imported from the USSR,

Soviet oil is allowing
Cuba to hold out.

For Nikita Khrushchev,
leader of the Soviet Union,

this is the chance
to strike a blow

to his American adversary.

For 15 years, the two super
powers have been engaged

in an unofficial
war, the Cold War.

Yet, in 1945, the two
states were allies.

Together they defeated Hitler.

But that alliance was fragile.

The United States is an
economic
and military superpower.

The Soviet Union
aspires to become one.

Very quickly, there's
a misunderstanding

between the two former allies.

The two powers are
based on incompatible,

ideological and
economic systems.

Each tries to attract
other countries to it.

Countries that join them,
by choice, or by force.

Capitalists against communists.

Western block against
eastern block.

The world is divided.

An iron curtain
descends over Europe.

In 1949, tension ratchets up
with the creation of NATO.

The armies of western
Europe align themselves

with those of the united States.

In August of the same year,

the Soviets develop
their first nuclear bomb,

catching up to the Americans.

All through the
decades that follow,

the two nuclear
superpowers never

confront each other directly.

The conflict is waged by proxy,

by intermediate
countries, the Korean War,

Berlin Wall, Vietnam War.

In 1962, the Soviet Union
seizes the occasion.

Cuba, lying less that 100
miles from the American coast,

is a strategic position for
the new nuclear missiles.

- [Narrator] Victory comes
from superior firepower.

During World War Two,
the Americans developed

the first nuclear bomb.

In 1957, the Soviets launched
the Sputnik satellite

using the most powerful
space rocket ever designed.

These two technological advances

are the two pillars
of one of the most

destructive weapons
ever invented,

the ballistic nuclear missile.

This weapons was designed
to reign nuclear fire

at the other end of the earth.

The largest missiles
are 32 meters high,

like the Soviet R36.

They are autonomous, and
can travel a distance

of up to 11,000 kilometers,

and hit a target on the
other side of the globe

within an accuracy
of 700 meters.

There are many variants.

Some are launched
from giant land silos

spread across the country.

Others are placed on
mobile transporters.

Finally, some are invisible
'til the last moment,

fired from submarines
that have infiltrated

to the very coasts of the enemy.

The objective is total
annihilation of the enemy.

In case of a conflict
with another country

disposing of similar
weapons, the only certainty,

is that it's best
to strike first.

- [Narrator] April 17th, 1961.

1,400 anti Castro Cubans,
trained and equipped by the CIA

land in Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.

Supported by the United States,

this military
invasion's objective

is to overthrow the
Cuban government.

It's a disaster.

For the United States,
it's a humiliation.

For years, the CIA has
been trying in vain

to destabilize the regime.

Bombing, sabotage, terrorism,

propaganda, embargo,
nothing works.

On the contrary...

Each attack brings Cuba a
little
closer to the Soviet Union.

And yet, Fidel Castro
is not a communist.

On several occasions,
he even tries

to resume relations
with United States.

All the Cuban leader
asks is for the right

to decide his own
political line.

But America's aggressive
attitude pushes Castro

into the arms of
the Soviet Union.

The point of no return
is being crossed.

At the end of 1961,
the United States begin

setting up 15 Jupiter class
ballistic missiles in Turkey,

aimed at the Soviet Union.

They are a direct
threat to Moscow.

In May, 1962, in response,
Castro and Khrushchev decide

to set up missiles
on the island of Cuba

to defend it against a
possible American invasion.

Castro moves over to the east.

At the beginning of July,

Khrushchev gives the green
light for Operation Anadyr.

50,000 soldiers, 36 long
range nuclear missiles,

40 Mig fighters, anti
aircraft batteries,

bombers, tanks and
four submarines.

All of this is transported
aboard 86 ships.

The Soviet Union is
flexing its muscles.

Highly strategic, this
operation is classified

as a defense secret.

During the first weeks,

the United States is
unaware of anything.

On September eighth, the
first missiles reach Cuba.

The first launch site
is rapidly set up.

On the 28th, a U.S. Air Force

reconnaissance plane
spots a cargo ship.

On its deck, it
photograph's plane parts

that seem to belong to bombers.

United States is then convinced

that the Soviets are
spending a fortune

transporting nuclear weapons.

But for now, they
can prove nothing.

- [Narrator] If you want
peace, prepare for war.

After the horrific bombings
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,

no country has ever dared
to use nuclear bombs.

A weapon useless?

Not really.

The aim is not to use it,
but to threaten to use it.

That is the principle
of deterrence.

Nuclear deterrence uses terror.

The more nuclear arms
a country possesses,

the more it creates fear and
respect amongst its neighbors.

The United States
possessed as many as

33,000 nuclear war heads.

The Soviet Union, 41,000.

When you realize that a
single one of these weapons

can wipe a city the size
of London off the map,

you think twice before
you start a fight.

The problem with this strategy,

is that it relies entirely upon

the decisions of its leaders.

How do you interpret an aircraft

that's strayed from its route,

and enters your areal space?

How do you react to an accident

that you think
could be an attack?

In the middle of the Cold War,

when provocations
occur on a daily basis,

this doctrine can plunge
leaders into a real impasse.

With each threatening the
other with nuclear attack,

neither able to take
action, or retreat,

the situation can
become explosive.

- [Narrator] October 16th,
1962, 8:45 a.m., Washington.

American president, John
F. Kennedy is facing

an unprecedented situation.

His areal reconnaissance
experts are absolute.

The Soviets are setting up R-12

missile launch ramps in Cuba.

Miami is directly threatened.

According to the experts,
the missiles will be

operational with 10 days.

At once, under the
pretext of a full scale

military exercise,
the U.S. Navy deploys

off the coat of Cuba.

The strategic
defense alert level

is at level three
on a scale of five.

Level one, or Defcon one
means a country is at war.

Officially, the USSR is stating

that no nuclear missiles
are installed in Cuba.

However, during
the following days,

U-2 reconnaissance planes
photograph more launch sites,

and they appear
to be operational.

Over the North Pole, fleets
of B-52 strategic bombers

carry out continuous patrols,
armed with nuclear weapons,

they are ready to bomb the
Soviet Union at any moment.

At six p.m.,
Khrushchev is warned,

if the missiles
are not withdrawn,

the United States
will retaliate.

Seven p.m., Kennedy
addresses the nation.

He announces that
the United States

will not stand by
and do nothing,

and that he is placing
Cuba under quarantine.

October 23rd, the Cuban
army is on a war footing.

In Europe, the Soviet Armed
Forces are in a state of
alert.

At 6:51 p.m., Kennedy
informs Khrushchev,

the two sides must
make an effort

to avoid any incident erupting.

October 24th, an 800 kilometer
American naval blockade

is in place and
effective around Cuba,

officially, it is
still a quarantine.

The first Soviet freighters
arrive within the zone.

Faced with the impressive
American fleet,

they'll reduce speed,
or stop their engines.

Those carrying the last
of the nuclear missiles

are ordered to turn around.

Tension is at its height.

The least false move can
ignite the powder keg.

Under the water, invisible,
the Soviet submarines

brave the American warships.

Khrushchev writes to Kennedy,

the blockade is an
act of aggression,

he's going to ignore
it and carry on.

10 p.m., the United States
prepare for eminent war.

The defense alert level rises

from Defcon three to Defcon two.

In their silos, 145
nuclear missiles

are made ready to be launched
in less than 30 minutes.

China states its
support for the USSR.

The world is on the brink of war

between the two
nuclear superpowers.

On October 26th, Khrushchev
offers a compromise.

He is prepared to give
up the defense of Cuba

if the United States promises
never to invade the island.

On the same day, without
any knowledge of this offer,

Robert Kennedy, the
president's brother,

offers the withdrawal of the
American missiles in Turkey

in exchange of the dismantling

of the Soviet
installations in Cuba.

On the brink of the abyss,

a diplomatic solution
is on the horizon.

If Kennedy seizes
the opportunity,

the crisis can still be defused.

But on October 27th, a U-2 spy
plane is shot down over Cuba.

Khrushchev immediately orders

the Soviet commanders
to stop shooting.

Kennedy keeps a cool head and
calms his military command.

More seriously, right in
the heard of the blockade,

submarine B-59 has
just been detected.

It's being pursued by
11 U.S. Navy destroyers,

and an aircraft carrier.

The American's drop
training death charges

to force it to the surface.

These charges are harmless,

but the Soviet commander
doesn't know that.

Without news from
Moscow for 24 hours,

his officers hesitate,
and can't agree.

Has war broken out?

According to procedure,
when attacked,

they must retaliate
with a special torpedo,

a nuclear torpedo.

The weapons is loaded
into the torpedo tube,

the crew is prepared to open
fire on an American ship,

and start the third world war.

But, at the last moment, the
commander decides not to fire.

- [Narrator] We have just
reached a turning point.

A turning point is a key event
a crossroads in our history

where the world swings
one way, or the other.

The commander of
the Soviet submarine

decides not to launch
his nuclear torpedo.

Let's imagine what
might have happened

if he had followed procedure.

The explosion would
have impacted on all
ships in the area.

In reaction, the United States

would have moved to Defcon one.

The bombers patrolling the
North Pole would have been

ordered to drop their
bombs on the Soviet Union.

From the United
Stated territory,

100 intercontinental missiles

would have lifted off
into the stratosphere,

and then unleashed
their nuclear warheads.

The Soviet Union would
have immediately retaliated

with its nuclear
submarine launchers.

The third world
war would have been

a global thermonuclear war.

The last one.

From space, the
globe would have been

lit up by a host of strikes.

Within two hours, hundreds
of millions of people

would be dead, and
the planet would have

been plunged into
a nuclear winter.

Radioactive clouds
would have shrouded

the contaminated
earth for centuries.

The decision by a single man

that would have
annihilated humanity.

- [Narrator] On the
morning of October 28th,

humanity is still here.

The previous day,
president Kennedy accepted

the Soviet offer.

At nine o'clock,
on radio Moscow,

Khrushchev announces
the dismantling

of the missiles in Cuba.

Fidel Castro, abandoned
by his ally, is furious.

Kennedy publicly declares that

the United States will
never invade Cuba.

This is an enormous concession.

Secretly he promises
Khrushchev that he will

withdraw his
missiles from Turkey,

a decision considered
to be a weakness

by some of his military staff.

The two leaders, each
under militaristic

pressure from their advisors,

were able to keep cool
heads and common sense.

Throughout the crisis,
they never stopped

communicating with each other.

The Cuban missile crisis
is the only moment

in our history when the
defcon two level was reached.

On November 20th,
American land forces

returned to Defcon four.

The airborne defenses will only

return to level three in 1965.

This crisis brought the
world back to reality

by bringing it to the
brink of a total war.

From August, 1963, a permanent
liaison is established

between the Kremlin and the
white house, the hotline.

In 1972, assault
one treaties limit

strategic nuclear weapons.

The two superpowers
commit to limiting

the number of atomic weapons.

Today, there are still more
than 15,000 nuclear weapons.

In 2016, France, the United
States, the United Kingdom,

Russia, and Israel voted
against a UN resolution

aiming to bring
negotiations forward

on nuclear disarmament.

Nevertheless, 123
states voted for,

which will make 2017
the year of talks,

but that is another story.

- [Narrator] It's all
about communication.

For the American president,

as much for his
Soviet counterpart,

credibility,
reputation and prestige

seem to have been
essential to their

decisions as reasons of estate.

Having once reached
a certain point,

neither could retreat
without losing face

with his people, and
his political class.

Khrushchev had to show Castro,

and therefore all
the other leaders,

that he was strong and
able to protect them.

Kennedy had to prove
that he was able

to make the Soviets back down.

How do you not lose face?

Who has the courage to
lay down his arms first?

Who decides to fire?

But these personal
considerations

impacted upon billions
of human beings.

Today, after the end of
the Soviet union in 1991,

and the death of
Fidel Castro in 2016,

these tensions
appear to have eased.

And yet, the Russian Federation
has recently announced

the development of a
new intercontinental

missile of unparalleled power.

The Satan two, capable of
wiping out a whole region.

The saying goes, that
man is a wolf to man.

Throughout his history,
he is never ceased

to invent new weapons
to destroy himself.

But he has also learned
from his mistakes,

and been able to turn
back when necessary,

as during the Cuban crisis.

Because in 1962,
although humanity

was foolish enough
to go to the brink,

it was also intelligent
enough to step back.

(intense music)