All language subtitles for A.E.S15E01.1080p.WEB.h264-CODSWALLOP_track3_[eng]

In New Jersey,
an illustrious complex

infiltrated by an infamous gang...

It spiralled into a nationwide
FBI investigation.

..become the city's
most notorious gangster.

..a tranquil Japanese island

with a poisonous legacy...

Doctors would perform surgery
on the victims to examine

the biological effects
in real time.

..a facility in Detroit that became
central to a national struggle

and witnessed an iconic speech...

It was a call for revolution,

and it was called
"The Ballot or the Bullet."

..and a top-secret bunker
in Lithuania

raided in the name of freedom.

If the Soviets had caught them doing
this, they would have put them up

against the wall and shot them.

Near the famous Jersey Shore
is a derelict facility

tied to an extraordinary tale
of corruption.

What is this place doing
gathering weeds,

just 15 minutes away from
a glamorous destination

like Atlantic City?

It's got a tall brick tower,

a large grandstand, and then,
this enormous overhanging roof.

There are dozens of rows
of stadium seats

overlooking an overgrown mess.

From the stands, you can
barely see its full scale.

It all looks over this oval track

that is not really wide enough to be

a racetrack for car racing,

but clearly something went around
here at a high rate of speed.

It was a spectacle that attracted
the rich and famous.

This became known
as Hollywood By The Sea.

It also had a dark side,
it attracted criminal elements.

And what unfolded was something
straight out of a Scorsese film.

And soon, the FBI were
closing its nets on one of

the most notorious criminal gang
leaders in the country.

The investigation into the crimes
that were committed here

would ultimately lead to
one of the biggest scandals

in US law enforcement history.

Maureen Bugden worked here up
until 2015.

Oh, my God.

When I see the structure now,

and how quickly it declined...

You remove the team,
the staff, right?

It's as if you remove the heart.

Maureen began as
a model and assistant,

and, over 20 years, worked herself
up to become president of

this exclusive club.

It was a facility
designed in the 1940s

to scream glitz and glamour.

Atlantic City was one of the top

vacation destinations in America,

it had the famous boardwalk, hotels,

restaurants, entertainment.

John B Kelly Senior,
an Olympic rower,

and successful Philadelphia
businessman was trying to capitalise

on Atlantic City's popularity.

Construction got under way in 1945.

A state-of-the-art clubhouse
was erected,

surrounded by restaurants, bars,
and a barber shop.

At its heart was the main draw,
a unique horse-racing track.

It was a mile-and-an-eighth long,

a distance that the horse racing
press soon started calling

"a smile and an eighth".

It cost around £875,000 -

the equivalent to over
£30 million in today's money.

But high-profile help was on hand.

In the post-war era,

horse racing was
a very glamorous sport.

It attracted famous movie stars
and celebrities,

it was written up in
every newspaper.

Everyone followed the names of
the top jockeys, and the top horses,

and discussed horse racing
with their friends,

the way people also discuss
baseball and football today.

The 22nd of July, 1946.

The Atlantic City Race Course
was ready for action.

It opened to a crowd of 25,000.

Among them were shareholders
Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope.

Also in attendance that day was
Kelly's young daughter,

she would soon become a name
the whole world knew -

Grace Kelly.

Nobody could've predicted
the smash hit

this place was going to be.

The opening-day betting came in
at nearly £350,000,

recouping more than a third
of the overall construction cost.

Over the coming months and years,

this track would become
a real magnet for all kinds

of celebrities and artists.

There was Jerry Lewis, Willie Mays,
and Sinatra's Rat Pack.

Even President Eisenhower
stopped by for a visit in 1965.

The nation's millions
of racing fans

are an interesting breed.

The vigorous enthusiasm
far surpassing that of

the followers of any other
spectator sport.

That's the jocks building,

where the jockeys would get
ready for the race.

That's the paddock walk ring,

where the horses are paraded
before the race, and,

just underneath is saddling stalls,

and a tunnel that runs
right through the building,

on to the racetrack surface itself.

As the jockeys emerged
from the tunnel,

the tension would build upstairs.

On a busy day, with 100 tellers,
you would have had lines

about ten deep, and the closer
you got to post time

for each particular race,
the more excited and anxious

those who are waiting in line
are going to be.

They're hoping they'll get their
bets in before they get shut out

and can't place.

Because the bell rings, bets are
locked, and the horses are off.

So, it would be a flurry
of activity.

Throughout history, gambling
has always had a dark underbelly,

and this place was no exception.

And they're off, a good start!

By the early '70s, there was
a guy named Anthony Ciulla,

he was known as Big Tony in
classic mobster parlance,

and he claims that he was able to

fix races in almost
every state in the country.

At the Atlantic City Race Course,

he could rely on support from
the notorious Winter Hill Gang

and one of its leaders,
Whitey Bulger.

This is a famous name
to anyone who understands

the history of organised crime.

Whitey Bulger was this
brutal crime lord in Boston.

He had rivals executed,

he was involved in all kinds
of criminal enterprises.

Big Tony went about bribing jockeys
and drugging horses

so that less-favoured
horses would win,

and that would give him
and his cronies a huge pay-out.

Big Tony could offer these jockeys
as much as $10,000 to throw a race,

and, if the jockey resisted,

he also had the muscle of
the mob behind him.

On a grand July 4th race in 1975,

jockey Peter Fantini was
a little too obvious

in holding back his horse.

When Fantini threw that race,
the Feds got interested.

They pulled him in for questioning.

Pretty soon,
he rolled over on Big Tony.

Fantini admitted that Big Tony
bribed him to throw the race,

he even agreed to go to
Big Tony's hotel

wearing a wire to implicate him.

So, Big Tony was given a choice -

he could either snitch
on his cohorts,

or he could face
a very long sentence.

His cooperation led to
the conviction of over 40 people,

and implicated over half of
the jockeys now in the Hall of Fame.

His testimony included Whitey Bulger

and 20 other members of
the Winter Hill Gang.

In 1979, they were nearly all

sent to prison for race fixing.

But, mysteriously, Bulger was
soon back on the streets -

and now, he was the top boss.

Of all the people investigated
in this horse racing investigation,

Whitey Bulger was never indicted
or prosecuted.

Why was he untouched?

It turned out that Bulger was
an FBI informant,

and he was being protected by

a corrupt agent named
John Connolly.

Bulger would tip Connolly off about
what various Boston mobsters

were up to, so he got rid of
some of his competitors that way.

Meanwhile, John Connolly was
tipping Whitey Bulger off about

what the FBI was up to,
and who the other informants were.

A lot of those informants wound up

getting knocked off themselves.

Connolly was later convicted for
his role in one of these murders.

He also tipped Bulger off

when the FBI was finally about
to arrest him in 1994.

Whitey Bulger escaped,
went underground,

and he lived undercover for years.

Meanwhile, the Atlantic City
Race Course began to see

legal and cultural changes eat away
at its allure and popularity.

As casino gambling was legalised
in New Jersey in the 1970s,

and they started building
the big casinos in Atlantic City,

traffic to the racetrack
began to drop off.

It continued to operate for decades,

but was eventually abandoned
in 2015.

The future of this legendary
racecourse remains uncertain,

but the scandal that was
sparked here in 1975

has left a damaging legacy.

Whitey Bulger went on to become

the FBI's public enemy number one,

and was only captured in 2011.

In 2018, he was brutally
beaten to death in prison.

But the relationship between
FBI agent John Connolly

and Whitey Bulger was a scandal

that the FBI took years
to really own up to.

To this day, it's a stain
on the reputation of the agency.

In Lithuania,

15 miles from the capital, Vilnius,

is a facility shrouded in secrecy.

We're in these dense,
misty forests that really feel like

they're in the middle of nowhere.

If you were hoping
to hide away from prying eyes,

this would be the perfect place.

And then, in this clearing,

there's what appears to be
an office building.

But what's kind of strange
is that there's this inner complex

with this big fence around it.

There's clearly more here
than first meets the eye.

There's an entrance to something
buried in the hillside.

Chosen for its isolation,

this site was built with
one purpose in mind -

to control a nation.

There's this really kind of
strange mix here.

There's racks of electronics,
but then there's kitchens

and a dining area.

And it has all kinds of space
for storage and for personnel,

but also one room after another

clearly fitted
as a recording studio.

This was the site of a daring raid,

right under the noses of
Soviet special forces.

If they were caught inside here,

they'd be put up against
a wall and shot.

It was part of a larger struggle
that culminated in

a dramatic face-off
that would shock the world.

They levelled their rifles
at unarmed protestors

and ploughed into the crowds
in their tanks.

Since 2008,

Mindaugas Vanagas has been
researching this site,

trying to piece together
the rumours that swirl around it.

Many knew it only as
Object Number 523.

People who worked here told me
that they were just told to

get to the bus, and they would
drive to some kind of place.

They didn't know
where they were going.

Nobody knows about the place,
where exactly it is.

Built during the Soviet Union's
occupation of Lithuania,

this complex was designed
to be used in the fallout

from a nuclear strike.

This is a decontamination zone.

When somebody gets into
the bunker from outside,

he is washed and cleaned,

just to keep the contaminated
materials out of this bunker.

At the height of the Cold War,

the arms race between the
United States and the Soviet Union

really made nuclear conflict
a real possibility.

Constructed between 1983 and 1985,

this is the Nemencine
communications bunker...

..part of a network that would
enable the Soviet government

to take over the Lithuanian media,

and control the information war.

This place was going to be one of

the critical nodes where there
would be a communications studio

to transmit to the people of

the region what was going on,

or what the regime wanted them
to think was going on.

So that's a radio studio.

If you see, there's sound-proofing
walls all around.

The triple glass.

So, at one side was somebody sitting
who's kind of speaking,

and the other side was guys
who work with the sound.

Inside, there were television
and radio studio facilities,

a full video and audio library,

as well as offices for
the journalists and technicians.

Here you had everything getting
produced and recorded,

it would then send it along
to another bunker,

which was linked to
the television tower in Vilnius,

the capital of Lithuania.

In the event of war,

the Lithuanian staff would be
rapidly replaced by KGB personnel,

who would take control
of the bunker.

But as the Soviet Empire
began to crumble,

the threat of
nuclear attack subsided,

and the people of Lithuania
sensed an opportunity.

The Berlin Wall famously
comes down at the end of 1989,

and this triggers ferment all
over the old Warsaw Pact.

As all the old subject nations
of Russia start clambering

for independence,
declaring independence,

and this is what happens
in Lithuania.

The country held
multiparty elections

for the first time since 1940.

Radio and television footage
of these events

was beamed around the country.

The footage also included uprisings
taking place in other countries

across the Soviet Union.

The Soviets were desperate to severe
these lines of communication

that were allowing
the opposition to organise.

On January 11th, 1991,

the Soviets had finally had enough.

They launch a full-cale attack
to retake control of the country.

But the Soviet special forces
sent into Lithuania

didn't go straight to the capital.

They prioritise the Nemencine
communications bunker

just outside Vilnius.

On the first night of the invasion,

heavily-armed units appeared
out of the darkness,

and stormed the compound.

And these elite secret police units
called Omon - O-M-O-N -

they go into the bunker,
to secure it, to make sure

the Lithuanians can't use
its facilities.

Two days after having secured
this secret radio

and television facility,
Soviet forces turn to

the capital's television
building and tower.

This is where the events
unfolding across

the country were being broadcast,

this is where people were
getting their information

and understanding what was going on.

The TV tower was broadcasting
footage of the invasion

and the Lithuanian
independence movement.

Soviet forces arrived
to take control of the narrative,

but found crowds of citizens had
surrounded the buildings.

Ready to defend their
freedoms at any cost,

it escalated into a deadly face-off.

The Soviets finally ran their tanks
into these human shields.

They kill 14 people,

and they wound more than 600
at the TV tower,

and other buildings around the city.

You can actually see footage of
the Soviet soldiers

breaking into the studio and
cutting the broadcaster's feed.

With the bunker and tower now
under Soviet control,

TVs and radios across
the nation fell silent.

In the coming days,
pro-independence journalists

and broadcasters scrambled
to continue covering

the story by any means necessary.

Lithuanian people needed to know

that our government
is still working,

and we are not going to give up

and give everything
to Russian soldiers.

Across the city, makeshift offices
and studios were set up,

but there was a real shortage
of equipment needed

to continue broadcasting.

This closely-guarded bunker held
that much-needed equipment.

It was one guy who kind of
built this bunker.

He was looking after all
the building site,

and he knew the bunker very well,

so he decided to help
Lithuanian journalists.

One thing that the Soviet guards
didn't know was that there was

a tunnel connecting the bunker
to apartments nearby.

This man put his life on the line

and decided to sneak in
past the guards.

So, he used this long corridor,

and he was taking
all the equipment silently,

and bringing all that stuff
to Lithuanian journalists.

And, obviously, if the Soviets
had caught them doing this,

they would've put them up against
the wall and shot them.

The man's bravery paid off.

Journalists took the smuggled
equipment and got to work.

Images of the independence movement
were shared around the world.

International pressure mounted and,
after several more months,

the Soviets eventually backed down.

It would take until September 1991

for the Soviet Union to recognise
Lithuanian independence.

With that, they withdrew
their troops from the capital

and abandoned the bunker.

So, the bunker was left
without radio equipment,

and the cameras were stolen and,
after the Russian soldiers left,

this bunker was left
without any purpose and use.

For a long time, the authorities
weren't really sure

what to do with the bunker.

Today, it's been put to
a rather surprising new use.

The bunker is host to
a sort of simulator,

of what it was like to live
under Soviet control.

For three hours,
we are kind of taking people back

to Soviet times underground,

and we are kind of showing them all
the baddest things of these times,

like interrogations and so on.

It's a reminder that many of
the freedoms we hold dear

are often more on a knife-edge

than we would like to believe.

In mid-town Detroit,

two unusual structures straddle

an otherwise typical
suburban street.

They seem to be a sort of conflation

of an industrial building with
something else more ornate.

One is low and almost fortress-like,

and the other is a mix of styles.

It's almost as if you sandwiched

a historic building
in between two factories.

It's an intriguing mix.

They may look different,

but they're very much connected.

Inside the older structure,

there's no mistaking what
this once was.

As we enter, we see
the stained-glass windows,

the pews, but no parishioners,

and we see a stage and an altar,
but no priest.

This church and
the surrounding complex

was more than a place of worship.

This building did not only
provide a foundation for

the civil rights movement,

but many might argue
that it was here that

the first speech around
Black power was given.

It would also produce some of
Motown's most iconic performers.

It was a famous centre
of gospel music,

and it gave rise to one of
the most successful vocal groups

of all time.

After the First World War,

there was an influx
of white southerners

drawn to cities like Detroit,

because of the high wages
in the auto industry.

In 1921, a Baptist church
was formed in this building

to cater to some of those
new southern residents.

It was called Temple Baptist Church,

and it had an all-white
segregated congregation.

But a bigger migration was
already under way.

And when the church
was put up for sale,

a cultural shift would send it
in a new direction.

Motivated by the desire
to escape racial violence,

and pursue greater
economic opportunity,

there was an exodus
of Black Americans

from the Jim Crow South.

The need for industrial workers
in Detroit and other northern cities

drew millions of African Americans
from the South.

It's part of what became known
as the great migration.

In 1952, an all-Black church

that was really trying to cater
to these southern transplants

decided to make this place
their home.

It was transformed into
the King Solomon Baptist Church.

Current Reverend,
Charles Williams II,

knows all too well the scale of
the challenge they were taking on.

When King Solomon,
one of the first Black churches

on a major street in
the city of Detroit,

purchased Temple Baptist Church,

which was originally
a white separatist church,

they purchased 150,000 square feet.

That meant two buildings -
one auditorium building,

and one education building
with recreation,

as well as a sanctuary.

This was more than a church,

it was really the heart
of the community.

Youth Outreach Programmes
were run here,

with facilities ranging from
an indoor roller-skating rink

to a boxing ring.

Thomas the Hitman Hearns,
the first boxer

to win world titles
in five weight divisions,

began his career right here.

There was a poetry centre
that attracted

the likes of Langston Hughes,

and it's where so many of
the world's finest performers

graced the stage.

So, this facility served
as an opportunity,

and a place for gospel concerts.

Everybody played King Solomon.

If you were Lou Rawls...

..Sam Cook, who we all
know and love,

played King Solomon.

And then, of course,
we're strategically placed

right around the corner
from Motown Museum.

With its 5,000-seater auditorium,

it became a regular stop on what was
known as the Chitlin' Circuit -

a collection of key venues
that top performers would hit

on their tours across America.

This was one of the places on
that Chitlin' Circuit that all of

the gospel artists wanted to play,

because it was the largest facility
where you could have

a real knock-down concert.

Berry Gordy, the founder
of Motown Records,

was actually sitting here
in the audience,

when he heard three young
talented women do an audition.

And their names were Mary Wilson,
Florence Ballard, and Diana Ross.

This audition ultimately landed them
a deal with Motown Records,

but there was just one condition.

Gordy insisted the group
change their name,

and The Supremes were born.

The size of the church ensured
that it served not only

as a community centre,

but also a hub
of political activism.

Because of our classrooms
across the street,

and the auditorium right next door,

this became one of the
convention centres for,

quite frankly, Black America.

And this put it right at
the centre of a rapidly-unfolding

civil rights movement that was
really at a critical juncture.

1963 marked the centenary of

President Abraham Lincoln's
emancipation proclamation,

ending legal slavery in America.

To mark the occasion,
the church hosted

the Progressive National
Baptist Convention.

And the keynote speaker was
Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

His speech a week earlier,
during the march on Washington,

meant the eyes of the world
were now on the church,

where 10,000 people had gathered.

Coming so soon after
his I Have A Dream speech,

you can imagine the atmosphere.

It must have been electric.

This was a pivotal speech,

made at a time when America
was at the crossroads.

This place provided
the foundation for

the next phase of that movement,

a movement towards direct action,

and away from just
a theorising about equality.

Just a few weeks later,
another speaker came here,

and he offered a stark alternative
to MLK's vision.

On the 10th of November 1963,

Malcolm X delivered
a seminal speech.

It would inspire many in the
burgeoning Black Power movement.

He was heavily critical of the
nonviolent civil rights movement,

that was put forward by
the likes of MLK,

and he promoted revolution

with violence if necessary.

But his fiery rhetoric didn't go
down well with everyone

connected to the church.

Some ministers felt it might harm
the civil rights cause.

So, when he was scheduled
to make another appearance

in April of the following year,

the church actually tried
to prevent him from coming back.

Since Malcolm X had already paid for

and advertised the speech,

he took the matter to court
and prevailed.

When he arrived in April 1964,

a presidential election was looming,

but many Black Americans were still
being denied their right to vote.

We are in the balcony of

a place where individuals watched

Malcolm X give the speech
"Ballot or the Bullet".

His message was clear.

If Black Americans were
prevented from voting in

the upcoming election,
they should take up arms.

He declared they were no longer
willing to turn the other cheek.

So, 1964 was the year of
the Ballot or the Bullet.

Malcolm's speech was intended to

light a fire under resistance.

He was saying that, if the peaceful
civil rights movement doesn't work,

then armed resistance
is going to be necessary.

And in this sense, his speech was
extraordinarily dangerous

to the powers that be.

The following year,
he was assassinated.

Speculation over who was behind
his murder has been rife ever since,

and in 2024, his family sued
the CIA, FBI, and NYPD

over their alleged involvement.

In death, Malcolm X's teachings
and speeches continued to inspire

a growing Black Power movement,

which was further fuelled by

the assassination of Dr King
in 1968.

Riots swept through cities
like Detroit which, at this time,

was suffering economic decline,

driven by a collapsing
motor industry.

The city's population shrank
by 60% between 1950 and 2010,

and the church's congregation
shrank with it.

Eventually, they could
no longer afford the bills,

and so they moved into
the auditorium,

leaving the church building
to decay.

I'm honoured, and I've never
gotten used to the fact that

I stand in the same place
where Malcolm stood,

where Dr King stood.

The old church building
remains closed,

but community work and services

continue to take place
in the auditorium.

As we're getting back to our roots,

we're utilising the space
for the community,

a place where,
if you can't get childcare,

you can get childcare.

A place where if you need a meal,
you can get a meal.

A place where you can get
inspiration in song and prayer.

We want to continue on that legacy,
continue on that tradition -

and that's why the doors of
the church swing open today.

On the Japanese coast,

43 miles from Hiroshima,

is an island famed for its nature.

This island is one of 3,000
in this beautiful region,

and it really is tiny, less than
half a square mile in size.

The first thing you notice
is rabbits, they are everywhere!

Where did they all come from?

A closer examination reveals

a number of strange structures
camouflaged in the rock.

At the top of the hill, we find this
big stone expanse sunken into

the land, almost like an arena.

Underneath, we see arched
brick structures

and domed rooms,
perhaps for storage.

What was produced at this facility
has left a toxic legacy.

So for decades,
no trees could grow here,

because of what was buried
in the soil.

What happened here was so secret,

the island was erased from the map.

Local historian Naoto Shinmoto first
visited this site as a young boy.

Like many who grew up nearby,

Shinmoto was aware that
the island had an unsettling past.

This island was once a key part
of Japan's defence.

In the early 1900s,

a rapidly-modernising Japan
began fortifying the region.

On this island,

three gun batteries were constructed
as part of the Geiyo Fortress.

By the 1920s,
the gun emplacements were outdated

and the fortress was retired,

but the Japanese Imperial Army

would find a chilling new use

for the island.

They were inspired
by technological developments

on the European battlefields
during World War I.

The 22nd of April, 1915.

The German Army releases clouds
of poisonous chlorine against

British and Canadian soldiers
at the Second Battle of Ypres,

forcing the Allied troops from
their trench positions.

And this was a new weapon,
no-one was prepared for it,

no-one had gas masks,
so it caused quite a panic.

The physical effects of gas
were excruciating

but it also proved to be

a devastating psychological weapon.

Because of the horrific injuries and
indiscriminate nature of poison gas,

the Geneva Protocols of 1925
banned its deployment in warfare.

There are a lot of loopholes.

It didn't ban the development
of the technology,

and it didn't ban the
stockpiling of supplies either.

A new Japanese leader would soon

take advantage of these loopholes.

As Emperor Hirohito
took the throne in 1926,

an increased focus on militarism
took hold of the country.

The old Geiyo Fortress was converted

and expanded for industrial scale
production of a product

that would give the island its name.

This place was once known
as Poison Gas Island.

In choosing this island as
the site of a toxic gas factory,

the Japanese military was finding
a careful balance between

a site remote enough that
they could conceal it,

but close enough that
they could get workers to it.

Only a 15-minute commute
from the mainland,

Okunoshima ticked all the boxes.

Construction began in 1927,

and the factory started
operating in 1929.

It was soon producing
a range of terrible poisons.

Mustard gas, chlorine,

vomiting and sneezing agents,
and hydrogen cyanide.

When Japan launched a full-scale
invasion of China in 1937,

they unleashed a reign of terror.

Chinese troops were pounded
with poison gas shells,

had no gas-protective clothing,

and couldn't retaliate with
gas of their own.

During the Battle of Shanghai,

the Japanese attacked the Chinese

with gas 13 separate times.

The Imperial Japanese Army
quickly occupied huge swathes

of north-west China.

In Manchuria,
the use of chemical weapons

would reach disturbing new levels,

under the highly-secretive
programme, Unit 731.

It was masterminded by the army's
Surgeon General, Shiro Ishii.

Shiro Ishii was trying to develop
new techniques of chemical

and bacteriological warfare.

The gas developed
on Okunoshima was used by

the infamous Unit 731,

which was a group that conducted
human experiments.

Inside Unit 731, more than
3,000 Chinese prisoners of war

and civilians were subjected
to disgusting experiments.

Gas chambers were set up
to test subjects

with blister agents and nerve gas.

Doctors would perform surgery
on the victims

to examine the biological
effects in real time.

By 1944, the tide of war
was turning against Japan,

and the poison gas factory was
suffering due to a loss of labour

and necessary supplies.

They drafted in school girls
to fill the gap.

Girls as young as 14 were made
to produce poison gas.

But eventually, shortages forced
authorities to convert the site

to a different use -

developing ever more
outlandish weapons.

Balloon bombs were hydrogen-fuelled

and carried on jet streams
at high altitude across the Pacific.

These were fitted
with incendiary devices

that would be dropped randomly

across the United States.

Of the 9,300 balloons
that were sent,

only 300 of them
ever landed on US soil.

Although six people did die
when they came across

an unexploded balloon
at a camp ground in Oregon.

They were the only fatalities
on mainland America

inflicted by Axis forces.

After the Japanese
surrendered in 1945,

they tried to hide the evidence
by dumping the gas.

Large quantities were
quietly disposed of in China.

Most of the factory complex
was demolished,

and its employees
left to suffer alone,

as the government tried to
cover up the programme.

And it's thought that nearly 7,000
factory workers were left

with lung disease, cancers,
and other debilitating conditions.

The use of chemical weapons
wasn't even mentioned in

the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunals,

nor were the doctors
who were part of Unit 731.

In the 1990s, the Japanese
Government was finally forced

to confront the terrible legacy
of its chemical weapons programme.

Leaks from the gas dumps
in China began causing injury

and even deaths among
innocent civilians.

In the 2000s, Japan paid
compensation to some of the victims,

and built a facility to dispose of
abandoned mustard gas shells,

But many still live
with long-term conditions today.

As for the rabbits,

their origin remains a mystery.

Today, Okunoshima is a place
for people to come

and enjoy nature.

But the island does not shy away
from this dark chapter.

A museum was opened on the island

to chart and educate about
its dark past.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media