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{\an1}- Tonight, a fortune
worth hundreds of billions
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{\an1}of dollars plundered by
Japan during World War II.
3
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{\an1}- Artwork, priceless treasures,
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00:00:12,679 --> 00:00:16,929
{\an1}a hundred billion or more
in gold and silver alone.
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{\an1}- It’s whereabouts
are still unknown
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{\an1}and shrouded in mystery.
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{\an1}- The Philippines is
7,000 plus islands.
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{\an1}You can’t think of a better
place to hide things.
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{\an1}- Now we explore
the top theories
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{\an1}about this infamous,
missing treasure.
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00:00:30,781 --> 00:00:33,161
{\an1}- The United States government
would be very interested
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{\an1}in finding out
where this gold was.
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{\an1}- [Stephanie] These aren’t
just treasure hunters,
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{\an1}these are CIA agents.
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{\an1}- The Marcoses aren’t
really doing a great job
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{\an1}of trying to hide the fact
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{\an1}that they suddenly
have a bunch of money.
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{\an1}- In retrospect, how
did they get so rich?
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{\an1}Nobody was asking that question.
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{\an1}- What really happened to the
lost gold of World War II?
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{\an1}(suspenseful music)
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{\an1}It’s the spring of 1942,
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{\an1}just a few months
after Pearl Harbor.
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{\an1}War is raging in the Pacific.
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{\an1}Japan’s vast empire
stretches from Manchuria
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{\an1}through Southeast Asia
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{\an1}all the way to the
Solomon Islands,
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{\an1}and in every
territory it conquers,
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{\an1}Japanese forces seize a fortune.
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{\an1}- The Japanese are actually
meticulous in their ability
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{\an1}to extract wealth and
they do so at every level.
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{\an1}So not only will they go after
things like national banks
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{\an1}and depositories of gold
bullion and silver bars,
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{\an1}but they will also
raid individual houses
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{\an1}to amass enormous
stockpiles of jewelry
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{\an1}and other symbols
of wealth and value.
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{\an1}- Think about the
entire national treasure
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{\an1}of 13 countries.
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{\an1}This is a lot of
value, a lot of money.
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{\an1}The value of what’s estimated
that the Japanese looted
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{\an1}is between 60 and a
100 billion dollars
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{\an1}in 1945 dollars.
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{\an1}You know what that
translates to?
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{\an1}Between three and
$5 trillion today.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] In March of 1942,
Japan has another conquest
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{\an1}in its sites, the US
territory of the Philippines.
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{\an1}- The Japanese going to
very quickly sweep south
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{\an1}toward the capital of Manila.
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{\an1}There they’re going
to run into elements
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{\an1}of the United States army
that’s been in placed
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{\an1}under Douglas MacArthur to
try to halt their advance.
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{\an1}But before that happens,
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{\an1}MacArthur and his
headquarters team are ordered
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{\an1}by President Roosevelt to
withdraw from the Philippines.
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{\an1}- So the Philippines
will fall in 1942
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{\an1}and MacArthur will
have to evacuate.
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{\an1}So he will leave
the Philippines.
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{\an1}He makes his sort
of famous promise.
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{\an1}I will return, I will be back,
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{\an1}back to help you
against the Japanese.
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{\an1}- In some ways, the Philippines
is the perfect place
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{\an1}for the Japanese to
amass a lot of the loot
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{\an1}that they’re pulling off
of the mainland of Asia.
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{\an1}And that’s because
the Philippines
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{\an1}is an island location.
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{\an1}It’s a very easy
transshipment point.
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{\an1}There’s a lot of great
ports and harbors
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{\an1}and there’s no possibility
of an enemy overrunning
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{\an1}any of those storage depots.
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{\an1}And so what they’re gonna do
is they’re going to consolidate
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{\an1}the material that
they’re stealing
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{\an1}in a few specific locations
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{\an1}and then they’re
going to transship it
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{\an1}directly back to Japan.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] But by early
1943, a US submarine blockade
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{\an1}has cut off the sea routes
back to Japan’s home islands.
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{\an1}The Japanese hold onto
the Philippines, for now.
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{\an1}- There’s still this
hope among the Japanese
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{\an1}that the Philippines will
be one of the last things
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00:03:48,478 --> 00:03:50,018
{\an1}that will kind of fall.
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{\an1}That they will continue to be
able to control that at least.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] By late 1944,
the tides of war are turning.
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{\an1}MacArthur makes good on
his promise to return
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{\an1}to the Philippines, arriving
with 200,000 troops.
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{\an1}His opponent, the
notorious Japanese General,
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00:04:07,456 --> 00:04:09,536
{\an1}Tomoyuki Yamashita.
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00:04:09,583 --> 00:04:12,093
{\an1}- Yamashita is one of
the great troubleshooters
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{\an1}of the Japanese army.
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{\an1}He’s widely perceived
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{\an1}as one of its greatest
field commanders.
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00:04:17,214 --> 00:04:20,385
{\an1}His job is to both
enhance the defenses
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{\an1}and make it as
costly as possible
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{\an1}for any potential
American invasion.
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00:04:24,973 --> 00:04:26,773
{\an1}- They called him
the Tiger of Malaya.
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{\an1}What a great name, from
his victory in Malaya.
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00:04:29,269 --> 00:04:31,849
{\an1}And what better a man
to lead the defense
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{\an1}of the Philippines than him.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] According to
some, fighting off the allies,
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{\an1}wasn’t Yamashita’s only mission?
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{\an1}- Some historians do suggest
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{\an1}that it wasn’t just
winning the war or staying
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{\an1}and keeping hold
the Philippines,
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{\an1}it was also what to do
with all of this wealth
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{\an1}that he had accumulated.
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{\an1}- If they’re gonna
lose the Philippines,
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{\an1}they have to hide this
treasure somewhere
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{\an1}where they can come back
in the future for it.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] The
following summer,
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{\an1}after the US drops
two atomic bombs
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{\an1}on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
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00:05:04,179 --> 00:05:06,509
{\an1}Emperor Hirohito
finally surrenders
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{\an1}on August 15th, 1945.
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{\an1}But Yamashita and his
army take another 17 days
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{\an1}to surrender, holding out in
the mountains of Northern Luzon
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{\an1}leading some to ask what were
they doing during that time?
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{\an1}- According to
Sterling Seagrave,
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{\an1}an author who’s an
expert in this field,
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{\an1}a General Yamashita,
was working in cahoots
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{\an1}with an organization
called the Golden Lily.
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00:05:32,207 --> 00:05:33,787
{\an1}Who was in the Golden Lily?
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00:05:33,834 --> 00:05:36,464
{\an1}Military strategists,
economic experts,
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{\an1}members of the
Japanese royal family,
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00:05:39,297 --> 00:05:43,257
{\an1}they had the job to
find, take and use,
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00:05:43,301 --> 00:05:46,051
{\an1}and ultimately hide
all of this treasure.
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00:05:49,975 --> 00:05:54,605
{\an1}So 1943, tons of gold and
treasure piling up in Manila
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00:05:54,646 --> 00:05:59,146
{\an1}and Emperor Hirohito hires
his brother Prince Chichibu,
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00:05:59,192 --> 00:06:02,452
{\an1}to head the Golden Lily and
to spearhead the operation
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{\an1}of securing the treasure.
129
00:06:04,197 --> 00:06:06,697
{\an1}- The Philippines is
7,000 plus islands.
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00:06:06,741 --> 00:06:09,371
{\an1}You can’t think of a better
place to hide things.
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00:06:09,411 --> 00:06:12,291
{\an1}Prince Chichibu arranged this
group to create locations
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{\an1}to place these
hundreds of tunnels.
133
00:06:14,541 --> 00:06:15,751
{\an1}- And you can’t do this alone.
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00:06:15,792 --> 00:06:17,292
{\an1}You need thousands of laborers
135
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{\an1}and the Japanese
had plenty of them.
136
00:06:19,170 --> 00:06:21,590
{\an1}- They would build these
tunnels with allied forces.
137
00:06:21,631 --> 00:06:23,971
{\an1}They would use American
and Allied POWs
138
00:06:24,009 --> 00:06:26,219
{\an1}and they would use
enslaved Filipinos
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{\an1}to construct these tunnels.
140
00:06:28,388 --> 00:06:31,598
{\an1}- They were really complex
so they weren’t just a tunnel
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{\an1}underground, they
were just massive.
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{\an1}There were all kinds of
little kind of secret ways
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{\an1}and a lot of things
designed to throw off anyone
144
00:06:41,067 --> 00:06:45,277
{\an1}who might go underground who
might discover the tunnels.
145
00:06:45,363 --> 00:06:48,033
{\an1}- The defensive aspects
of Japanese tunnels
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00:06:48,074 --> 00:06:50,704
{\an1}included booby traps and
these could take the form
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00:06:50,744 --> 00:06:52,044
{\an1}of physical traps.
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00:06:52,078 --> 00:06:54,038
{\an1}So pits with spikes
at the bottom of them.
149
00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:57,880
{\an1}Chemical weapon attacks, fragile
containers full of cyanide.
150
00:06:57,918 --> 00:06:59,418
{\an1}- They even used the water table
151
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{\an1}so that when people
would come in,
152
00:07:01,046 --> 00:07:02,256
{\an1}the water tables could rise
153
00:07:02,297 --> 00:07:04,337
{\an1}and the people in the
caves would drown.
154
00:07:04,341 --> 00:07:08,391
{\an1}Likely the last 17 days they
would seal these entrances
155
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{\an1}with concrete and then they’d
let the jungle take over.
156
00:07:14,059 --> 00:07:15,769
{\an1}- [Laurence] The story
of buried treasure
157
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{\an1}sounds like the stuff of myth,
158
00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:19,650
{\an1}but there’s at least
one witness who says
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00:07:19,689 --> 00:07:22,859
{\an1}he survived the destruction
of one treasure tunnel.
160
00:07:22,901 --> 00:07:27,071
{\an1}- Decades later, a Filipino
civilian Ben Valmores
161
00:07:27,113 --> 00:07:29,453
{\an1}came forward, claimed
he had information.
162
00:07:29,491 --> 00:07:32,541
{\an1}- As a kid, at 14 he was
hired to be the valet
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{\an1}for Prince Takeda.
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00:07:34,871 --> 00:07:37,831
{\an1}So Valmores claims he was
there when this massive tunnel
165
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{\an1}was built that was 225
feet below the ground.
166
00:07:41,461 --> 00:07:44,131
{\an1}And Yamashita says they
want to have a party
167
00:07:44,172 --> 00:07:46,762
{\an1}to celebrate the construction
of this massive tunnel
168
00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,430
{\an1}and he tells all the engineers
to go inside the tunnel.
169
00:07:50,470 --> 00:07:53,350
{\an1}At that time, Prince
Takeda calls Valmores out.
170
00:07:54,474 --> 00:07:55,734
{\an1}He says, "No, you’re
my valet come out.
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{\an1}You don’t get to
go to the party."
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{\an1}They blow this thing up.
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{\an1}Everyone dies inside.
174
00:08:04,442 --> 00:08:06,112
{\an1}So Prince Takeda saves Valmores,
175
00:08:06,152 --> 00:08:08,492
{\an1}who is the witness to
watching the Japanese kill
176
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{\an1}their own engineers again
to keep everything silent.
177
00:08:11,616 --> 00:08:13,656
{\an1}- The Japanese were really
interested in secrecy.
178
00:08:13,702 --> 00:08:16,702
{\an1}They wanted to preserve
what they had done,
179
00:08:16,746 --> 00:08:19,956
{\an1}making it off limits
knowledge-wise to the allies.
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00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,790
{\an1}Anybody who knew about
this gold was gone.
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00:08:22,836 --> 00:08:23,876
{\an1}- [Laurence]
According to Seagrave,
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{\an1}the loot is so cleverly hidden,
183
00:08:26,381 --> 00:08:30,011
{\an1}Golden Lily members will
need maps to find it again.
184
00:08:30,051 --> 00:08:32,760
{\an1}- Maps were produced in
blue for the engineers
185
00:08:32,804 --> 00:08:35,313
{\an1}who actually designed
the various vaults
186
00:08:35,347 --> 00:08:36,847
{\an1}throughout the Philippines.
187
00:08:36,890 --> 00:08:39,811
{\an1}And then maps were
designed in red
188
00:08:39,852 --> 00:08:42,403
{\an1}to tell people how to
find the treasure.
189
00:08:42,438 --> 00:08:44,399
{\an1}And these maps would have flags
190
00:08:44,482 --> 00:08:46,902
{\an1}that pointed in one direction
if they were to be read
191
00:08:46,943 --> 00:08:48,993
{\an1}in a mirror and in
the other direction
192
00:08:49,029 --> 00:08:51,819
{\an1}if they were to
be read normally.
193
00:08:51,865 --> 00:08:55,085
{\an1}- So even if you
can read this map
194
00:08:55,118 --> 00:08:56,618
{\an1}and you can find
where the vault is,
195
00:08:56,661 --> 00:08:58,201
{\an1}you could have the
map upside down.
196
00:08:58,246 --> 00:08:59,656
{\an1}You could have the map backwards
197
00:08:59,706 --> 00:09:02,626
{\an1}and realize that you go the
wrong place, you can die.
198
00:09:04,461 --> 00:09:06,671
{\an1}- [Laurence] The cartographers
supposedly draw up
199
00:09:06,713 --> 00:09:08,381
{\an1}several copies of the maps
200
00:09:08,381 --> 00:09:10,681
{\an1}which go only to the
highest ranking members
201
00:09:10,717 --> 00:09:11,877
{\an1}of the Golden Lily.
202
00:09:11,926 --> 00:09:13,676
{\an1}- The Golden Lily was
really counting on
203
00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:15,350
{\an1}keeping the Philippines
for the peace talks,
204
00:09:15,388 --> 00:09:17,268
{\an1}to allow ’em to go back
and get the treasure
205
00:09:17,307 --> 00:09:19,057
{\an1}to refund the imperialist army.
206
00:09:19,100 --> 00:09:20,350
{\an1}They didn’t get that.
207
00:09:20,393 --> 00:09:22,062
{\an1}So Japan has to keep
not only the treasure
208
00:09:22,062 --> 00:09:24,022
{\an1}in the Philippines now because
they can’t transport it,
209
00:09:24,064 --> 00:09:26,114
{\an1}they’ve gotta keep it secret.
210
00:09:26,149 --> 00:09:28,569
{\an1}- [Laurence] But did
Yamashita and his soldiers
211
00:09:28,610 --> 00:09:31,280
{\an1}really hide billions in gold?
212
00:09:31,362 --> 00:09:34,741
{\an1}- There are lots of maps to
this gold in the Philippines
213
00:09:34,741 --> 00:09:36,241
{\an1}that start cropping up, why?
214
00:09:36,284 --> 00:09:37,584
{\an1}’Cause everybody wants to
go hunting for treasure.
215
00:09:37,619 --> 00:09:40,039
{\an1}The question is,
are these maps real?
216
00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:42,620
{\an1}- Ben Valmores claims
that as Prince Takeda
217
00:09:42,665 --> 00:09:44,625
{\an1}prepared to leave Japan,
218
00:09:44,667 --> 00:09:48,457
{\an1}he approached him and gave him
a satchel that included maps
219
00:09:48,505 --> 00:09:52,935
{\an1}to 175 different treasure sites
throughout the Philippines.
220
00:09:52,967 --> 00:09:54,927
{\an1}- Takeda was on a
submarine fleeing,
221
00:09:54,969 --> 00:09:56,929
{\an1}and in case the submarine sunk,
222
00:09:56,971 --> 00:09:59,181
{\an1}he wanted someone to
know where the gold was.
223
00:10:00,058 --> 00:10:01,558
{\an1}- So Prince Takeda goes back,
224
00:10:01,643 --> 00:10:05,943
{\an1}he instructs Valmores to bury
these maps, these 40 maps,
225
00:10:05,980 --> 00:10:08,070
{\an1}and he does, he buries
them in his backyard.
226
00:10:08,108 --> 00:10:09,978
{\an1}Keep in mind that Prince
Takeda saved his life
227
00:10:10,026 --> 00:10:12,446
{\an1}when that tunnel was exploded,
he called him out of there.
228
00:10:12,487 --> 00:10:15,777
{\an1}And so maybe there’s a sense
of duty on Valmores’ part.
229
00:10:15,782 --> 00:10:16,952
{\an1}- It’s sort of weird,
230
00:10:16,991 --> 00:10:19,291
{\an1}you think if he got
these maps from Takeda
231
00:10:19,327 --> 00:10:21,367
{\an1}that maybe he would’ve
gone and dug one up
232
00:10:21,412 --> 00:10:23,122
{\an1}and gone and gotten some gold
233
00:10:23,164 --> 00:10:25,924
{\an1}and lived an immensely
luxurious life, no.
234
00:10:25,959 --> 00:10:27,919
{\an1}- [Laurence] Despite
allegedly being in possession
235
00:10:28,002 --> 00:10:30,592
{\an1}of so many of the
Golden Lily’s maps,
236
00:10:30,630 --> 00:10:33,420
{\an1}Valmores never seems
to profit from them.
237
00:10:33,466 --> 00:10:36,426
{\an1}- Publicly, Valmores
never found anything,
238
00:10:36,469 --> 00:10:38,139
{\an1}never became a rich man.
239
00:10:38,179 --> 00:10:39,809
{\an1}- But think about
it for a second.
240
00:10:39,848 --> 00:10:41,968
{\an1}If you have a map and
you find treasure,
241
00:10:42,016 --> 00:10:43,346
{\an1}are you gonna tell anyone?
242
00:10:43,393 --> 00:10:44,643
{\an1}I wouldn’t.
243
00:10:44,686 --> 00:10:47,096
{\an1}(suspenseful music)
244
00:10:51,693 --> 00:10:53,493
{\an1}(suspenseful music)
245
00:10:53,528 --> 00:10:55,698
{\an1}- [Laurence] It’s
the fall of 1945.
246
00:10:55,780 --> 00:10:57,530
{\an1}The Pacific War is over,
247
00:10:57,615 --> 00:11:00,325
{\an1}but the US maintains a
strong military presence
248
00:11:00,368 --> 00:11:01,618
{\an1}in the Philippines.
249
00:11:02,996 --> 00:11:05,496
{\an1}America’s prime mission
is to rebuild the country
250
00:11:05,540 --> 00:11:08,500
{\an1}and provide relief for
its suffering people.
251
00:11:08,543 --> 00:11:12,803
{\an1}But there are also
whispers of hidden gold.
252
00:11:12,839 --> 00:11:14,339
{\an1}- Think about this.
253
00:11:14,382 --> 00:11:17,385
{\an1}Estimates are that the value
of just the gold between 60
254
00:11:17,385 --> 00:11:19,845
{\an1}and a billion
dollars in 1945 money
255
00:11:19,888 --> 00:11:23,888
{\an1}that’s between three
and $5 trillion today.
256
00:11:27,061 --> 00:11:30,231
{\an1}- It’s a pretty history
altering amount of wealth,
257
00:11:30,231 --> 00:11:31,731
{\an1}if it does exist.
258
00:11:31,816 --> 00:11:34,316
{\an1}And it wouldn’t just be
Japan that would want it,
259
00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:36,990
{\an1}it might be other nations
who might be interested
260
00:11:37,030 --> 00:11:38,410
{\an1}in getting it as well.
261
00:11:41,075 --> 00:11:43,985
{\an1}- [Laurence] According to some,
President Truman is briefed
262
00:11:44,037 --> 00:11:47,077
{\an1}on the Golden Lily hoards
and orders the fortune
263
00:11:47,081 --> 00:11:49,331
{\an1}to be found and seized.
264
00:11:52,921 --> 00:11:55,511
{\an1}- There starts to be
rumors that again soldiers,
265
00:11:55,548 --> 00:11:59,888
{\an1}American soldiers know of
perhaps former Japanese soldiers
266
00:11:59,928 --> 00:12:02,348
{\an1}or people who knew
Japanese soldiers
267
00:12:02,388 --> 00:12:04,518
{\an1}who had heard about
Yamashita’s wealth
268
00:12:04,557 --> 00:12:07,177
{\an1}and they know someone who
knows where to look for it.
269
00:12:07,227 --> 00:12:08,517
{\an1}- [Laurence] According
to this theory,
270
00:12:08,561 --> 00:12:11,361
{\an1}Japanese officers
looking for leniency
271
00:12:11,397 --> 00:12:13,357
{\an1}begin sharing information
272
00:12:13,399 --> 00:12:16,359
{\an1}about the Golden Lily’s
top secret operation.
273
00:12:16,402 --> 00:12:18,612
{\an1}That doesn’t mean
they know exactly
274
00:12:18,696 --> 00:12:20,696
{\an1}where the treasure
filled tunnels are,
275
00:12:21,783 --> 00:12:24,743
{\an1}but apparently there’s
one prisoner who might.
276
00:12:24,744 --> 00:12:26,454
{\an1}- The person that
has the information,
277
00:12:26,537 --> 00:12:28,867
{\an1}most information is Yamashita,
who they have in custody.
278
00:12:28,915 --> 00:12:30,585
{\an1}He is in prison in Manila.
279
00:12:30,625 --> 00:12:32,045
{\an1}How do you get that
information from him?
280
00:12:32,126 --> 00:12:34,086
{\an1}You can’t torture him,
it’d be a war crime.
281
00:12:34,128 --> 00:12:35,708
{\an1}So US is trying to
think what they can do
282
00:12:35,755 --> 00:12:37,255
{\an1}to get this information.
283
00:12:37,298 --> 00:12:39,258
{\an1}Yamashita will never give
it up because in his eyes,
284
00:12:39,300 --> 00:12:41,300
{\an1}this is the future
of imperial Japan.
285
00:12:41,302 --> 00:12:44,932
{\an1}- [Laurence] But Yamashita’s
driver, Major Kojima Kashii
286
00:12:44,973 --> 00:12:46,813
{\an1}is a much easier target.
287
00:12:48,142 --> 00:12:51,562
{\an1}- Yamashita’s driver finds
himself in a small dark cell
288
00:12:51,646 --> 00:12:53,806
{\an1}being interviewed by a
couple of OSS operatives,
289
00:12:53,898 --> 00:12:55,648
{\an1}the precursor to the CIA.
290
00:12:55,733 --> 00:12:57,283
{\an1}It wasn’t a good day for him.
291
00:12:58,152 --> 00:13:00,492
{\an1}- According to Seagrave’s
notorious American spook
292
00:13:00,571 --> 00:13:02,991
{\an1}Edward Lansdale and a
293
00:13:03,074 --> 00:13:04,494
{\an1}Filipino National by the name of
294
00:13:04,575 --> 00:13:06,785
{\an1}Santa Romana, who is referred to
295
00:13:06,828 --> 00:13:08,658
{\an1}generally as Santy,
296
00:13:08,663 --> 00:13:10,163
{\an1}were the people
who were involved
297
00:13:10,248 --> 00:13:12,828
{\an1}in the torture of
Yamashita’s driver.
298
00:13:12,834 --> 00:13:15,134
{\an1}- So the driver
cracks, big surprise.
299
00:13:15,169 --> 00:13:16,339
{\an1}What’s he do?
300
00:13:16,421 --> 00:13:19,671
{\an1}He leads Santy and
Lansdale to a dozen or so
301
00:13:19,674 --> 00:13:22,974
{\an1}of the more easily
accessible treasure troves.
302
00:13:23,011 --> 00:13:24,431
{\an1}What do they find?
303
00:13:24,470 --> 00:13:28,516
{\an1}Gold bars, platinum bars,
diamonds, gold Buddhas.
304
00:13:28,516 --> 00:13:32,686
{\an1}They not literally, but
figuratively find Fort Knox.
305
00:13:32,770 --> 00:13:35,440
{\an1}- [Laurence] While Santy
and his team are supposedly
306
00:13:35,481 --> 00:13:37,651
{\an1}breaking open more vaults,
307
00:13:37,692 --> 00:13:40,692
{\an1}Lansdale flies to Washington
to brief President Truman
308
00:13:40,778 --> 00:13:42,358
{\an1}about the find.
309
00:13:42,447 --> 00:13:43,657
{\an1}- Truman consults
with his cabinet
310
00:13:43,698 --> 00:13:45,948
{\an1}and makes a really
pivotal decision.
311
00:13:45,992 --> 00:13:47,792
{\an1}He says like, we
are gonna keep this.
312
00:13:47,827 --> 00:13:49,537
{\an1}We are gonna keep all of this,
313
00:13:49,620 --> 00:13:51,870
{\an1}but we’ve got to
keep it under wraps.
314
00:13:51,873 --> 00:13:54,709
{\an1}- You’re looking
ahead to a cold war
315
00:13:54,709 --> 00:13:57,709
{\an1}that the US is
gonna be engaged in.
316
00:13:57,795 --> 00:14:02,375
{\an1}And the fear of communist
domination was at a fever pitch.
317
00:14:04,052 --> 00:14:08,062
{\an1}Pragmatic approach is to say
we have access to these funds,
318
00:14:08,139 --> 00:14:13,019
{\an1}we can keep off the books to
advance US democratic interests
319
00:14:13,061 --> 00:14:14,061
{\an1}around the world.
320
00:14:15,063 --> 00:14:17,313
{\an1}And why would we give that up?
321
00:14:17,357 --> 00:14:19,567
{\an1}- To use this wealth, you
have to keep it a secret.
322
00:14:19,650 --> 00:14:20,900
{\an1}And what does that mean?
323
00:14:21,569 --> 00:14:23,649
{\an1}It means silencing Yamashita.
324
00:14:24,197 --> 00:14:26,817
{\an1}- [Laurence] On
October 29th, 1945,
325
00:14:26,866 --> 00:14:29,406
{\an1}an American military
tribunal in Manila
326
00:14:29,494 --> 00:14:33,004
{\an1}begins presenting its case
against General Yamashita
327
00:14:33,039 --> 00:14:36,829
{\an1}for war crimes relating to his
campaign in the Philippines.
328
00:14:36,876 --> 00:14:38,836
{\an1}It’s a controversial move.
329
00:14:38,878 --> 00:14:40,918
{\an1}- So you think about how long
these tribunals usually take.
330
00:14:41,005 --> 00:14:42,835
{\an1}You think about like the
Nazis that were brought up
331
00:14:42,882 --> 00:14:43,672
{\an1}on trial.
332
00:14:43,716 --> 00:14:44,676
{\an1}It takes a long time.
333
00:14:44,717 --> 00:14:45,927
{\an1}Sometimes it takes decades.
334
00:14:46,010 --> 00:14:49,430
{\an1}Yamashita’s trial is run
through very, very fast.
335
00:14:49,430 --> 00:14:52,430
{\an1}- [Laurence] Yamashita, once
Japan’s outstanding general
336
00:14:52,433 --> 00:14:53,933
{\an1}takes the stand.
337
00:14:54,018 --> 00:14:56,768
{\an1}Before him witnesses have
presented harrowing evidence
338
00:14:56,854 --> 00:14:59,364
{\an1}of atrocities committed
under his command.
339
00:14:59,399 --> 00:15:01,899
{\an1}- The big question is what’s
Yamashita’s guilty of?
340
00:15:01,943 --> 00:15:03,783
{\an1}Yes, he was a Japanese general,
341
00:15:03,861 --> 00:15:06,280
{\an1}but he is not on record
ordering the death of,
342
00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:08,116
{\an1}for example, American POWs.
343
00:15:08,116 --> 00:15:14,036
{\an1}- Yamashita himself
says he was not aware of
344
00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:16,040
{\an1}half the stuff
he was charged with.
345
00:15:16,082 --> 00:15:19,252
{\an1}In his position and with the
number of troops he oversaw,
346
00:15:19,293 --> 00:15:20,628
{\an1}he couldn’t have been.
347
00:15:20,628 --> 00:15:23,088
{\an1}- [Laurence] On
December 7th, 1945,
348
00:15:23,131 --> 00:15:25,421
{\an1}the four year anniversary
of Pearl Harbor,
349
00:15:25,425 --> 00:15:27,385
{\an1}they deliver their verdict.
350
00:15:27,427 --> 00:15:30,097
{\an1}- The commission finds
you guilty as charged
351
00:15:30,138 --> 00:15:33,388
{\an1}and sentences you
to death by hanging.
352
00:15:33,433 --> 00:15:36,233
{\an1}- Yamashita is really
the first commander
353
00:15:36,269 --> 00:15:38,559
{\an1}to be held
responsible for things
354
00:15:38,646 --> 00:15:41,066
{\an1}that his men commit
without him knowing it.
355
00:15:41,107 --> 00:15:44,647
{\an1}And that feeds into this
idea of why the execution?
356
00:15:44,735 --> 00:15:46,895
{\an1}Well, if the government
does want the money,
357
00:15:46,946 --> 00:15:48,066
{\an1}you wanna keep him quiet
358
00:15:48,114 --> 00:15:51,624
{\an1}and that’s how and
why he is executed.
359
00:15:51,659 --> 00:15:53,619
{\an1}- [Laurence] The notorious
general is hanged
360
00:15:53,661 --> 00:15:56,751
{\an1}on February 23rd, 1946.
361
00:15:56,789 --> 00:15:59,749
{\an1}Whatever secrets he’s
hiding about buried gold,
362
00:15:59,792 --> 00:16:02,292
{\an1}go to his grave with him.
363
00:16:02,336 --> 00:16:05,006
{\an1}- What happens to the
wealth that supposedly
364
00:16:05,089 --> 00:16:06,969
{\an1}as historians
claim was collected
365
00:16:07,008 --> 00:16:08,588
{\an1}by the United States government?
366
00:16:08,634 --> 00:16:09,844
{\an1}Well it has to go somewhere.
367
00:16:09,927 --> 00:16:13,257
{\an1}And that’s this secret
banking society,
368
00:16:13,306 --> 00:16:17,346
{\an1}this secret wealth container
system, the Black Eagle Trust.
369
00:16:21,314 --> 00:16:22,524
{\an1}- And according
to the Seagraves,
370
00:16:22,607 --> 00:16:25,437
{\an1}this is a trust which
now houses all the funds
371
00:16:25,526 --> 00:16:26,936
{\an1}of the loot seized
from Yamashita,
372
00:16:26,986 --> 00:16:29,946
{\an1}but also all the loots
seized from the Nazis.
373
00:16:29,989 --> 00:16:31,529
{\an1}And it wasn’t
until decades later
374
00:16:31,616 --> 00:16:35,036
{\an1}that a former deputy
director of the CIA Ray Cline
375
00:16:35,036 --> 00:16:38,536
{\an1}admits to Seagraves
that this money
376
00:16:38,623 --> 00:16:43,293
{\an1}was put into 176 different
banks spanning 42 countries.
377
00:16:45,379 --> 00:16:47,879
{\an1}Now a lot of historians
will sort of question that idea.
378
00:16:47,965 --> 00:16:49,465
{\an1}Was there really a
Black Eagle Trust?
379
00:16:49,509 --> 00:16:51,219
{\an1}Is this a conspiracy theory?
380
00:16:51,302 --> 00:16:55,222
{\an1}But the reality is that when
Santy, Santa Romana died,
381
00:16:55,223 --> 00:16:58,392
{\an1}he left hundreds of
millions of dollars.
382
00:16:58,392 --> 00:17:01,562
{\an1}- Some historians say it
was because he had access
383
00:17:01,646 --> 00:17:03,396
{\an1}to the looted Yamashita Gold
384
00:17:03,397 --> 00:17:06,146
{\an1}for his role that he was able
to play in uncovering it.
385
00:17:06,192 --> 00:17:07,692
{\an1}If you wanna
question this theory
386
00:17:07,734 --> 00:17:10,895
{\an1}or think about how
truthful this is,
387
00:17:10,905 --> 00:17:12,906
{\an1}one question would be, well,
388
00:17:12,906 --> 00:17:17,696
{\an1}why does the United States
care about keeping this secret?
389
00:17:17,703 --> 00:17:21,833
{\an1}One explanation could be
all of the logistic trouble
390
00:17:21,874 --> 00:17:24,844
{\an1}that we would have to
go through in admitting
391
00:17:24,877 --> 00:17:27,497
{\an1}that this stuff came
from victims of war.
392
00:17:27,547 --> 00:17:29,507
{\an1}- This is the fruit
of the poison tree.
393
00:17:29,549 --> 00:17:32,679
{\an1}I didn’t steal the money,
but it’s stolen money.
394
00:17:32,718 --> 00:17:34,888
{\an1}You’re responsible and
you’re accountable.
395
00:17:34,929 --> 00:17:37,509
{\an1}So that’s why the US government
would probably want to keep
396
00:17:37,557 --> 00:17:39,517
{\an1}the existence of these
billions and billions
397
00:17:39,559 --> 00:17:41,889
{\an1}and billions of
dollars, a state secret.
398
00:17:41,936 --> 00:17:43,726
{\an1}It begs a very
tantalizing question.
399
00:17:43,771 --> 00:17:47,571
{\an1}If the US government got their
hand on billions of dollars
400
00:17:47,608 --> 00:17:51,358
{\an1}from 12 sites, what
happened to the other 163?
401
00:17:51,445 --> 00:17:52,355
{\an1}So what does that mean?
402
00:17:52,446 --> 00:17:54,566
{\an1}Billions of dollars today,
403
00:17:54,615 --> 00:17:57,025
{\an1}trillions of dollars could
be sitting hidden in caves
404
00:17:57,076 --> 00:17:59,746
{\an1}throughout the Philippines
waiting to be discovered.
405
00:18:05,876 --> 00:18:07,286
{\an1}(suspenseful music)
406
00:18:07,295 --> 00:18:08,805
{\an1}- [Laurence] If in fact
hundreds of millions of dollars
407
00:18:08,879 --> 00:18:11,299
{\an1}in treasure was buried in
tunnels in the Philippines
408
00:18:11,299 --> 00:18:13,589
{\an1}during the end of World War II,
409
00:18:13,634 --> 00:18:15,594
{\an1}then where did it go?
410
00:18:15,636 --> 00:18:18,136
{\an1}Was it handed to a secret
government slush fund
411
00:18:18,139 --> 00:18:21,976
{\an1}as some believe or did
it end up somewhere else.
412
00:18:21,976 --> 00:18:23,436
{\an1}- Decades after the war,
413
00:18:23,477 --> 00:18:25,807
{\an1}one of the most infamous
dictators in world history
414
00:18:25,813 --> 00:18:28,323
{\an1}in the 20th century, he
becomes part of the story.
415
00:18:29,817 --> 00:18:32,647
{\an1}- [Laurence] It’s 1986
and the eyes of the world
416
00:18:32,653 --> 00:18:34,113
{\an1}are on the Philippines.
417
00:18:34,155 --> 00:18:38,955
{\an1}As notorious dictator
Ferdinand Marcos is overthrown
418
00:18:38,993 --> 00:18:40,953
{\an1}in a popular uprising.
419
00:18:40,995 --> 00:18:43,255
{\an1}- There’s a lot of complaints
living under a dictator,
420
00:18:43,289 --> 00:18:46,629
{\an1}but living under the Marcoses
has a very specific complaint.
421
00:18:46,667 --> 00:18:50,337
{\an1}While the Filipinos are
living in abject poverty,
422
00:18:50,338 --> 00:18:51,958
{\an1}Ferdinand Marcos and his wife,
423
00:18:52,006 --> 00:18:53,836
{\an1}they’re living in
the lap of luxury.
424
00:18:53,966 --> 00:18:56,636
{\an1}- I vividly remember
being a kid in the 1980s
425
00:18:56,677 --> 00:19:00,347
{\an1}and reading about these million
dollar shoe shopping sprees
426
00:19:00,431 --> 00:19:02,641
{\an1}that Imelda Marcos went on.
427
00:19:02,683 --> 00:19:05,313
{\an1}- The Marcos aren’t just rich,
428
00:19:05,353 --> 00:19:09,313
{\an1}they’re significantly wealthier
than most of the country.
429
00:19:09,357 --> 00:19:12,526
{\an1}And the way they spend money
is in complete contrast
430
00:19:12,526 --> 00:19:15,316
{\an1}to the way that most
Filipinos are living
431
00:19:15,363 --> 00:19:17,873
{\an1}after World War II
in the Philippines.
432
00:19:17,948 --> 00:19:20,448
{\an1}- There’s the one story that
they went to Rome on vacation
433
00:19:20,493 --> 00:19:22,453
{\an1}and on the way back they
had to turn the plane around
434
00:19:22,495 --> 00:19:23,875
{\an1}because Imelda
Marcos had forgotten
435
00:19:23,954 --> 00:19:26,044
{\an1}that she wanted to buy a
particular kind of cheese.
436
00:19:26,123 --> 00:19:28,376
{\an1}- The Marcoses aren’t
really doing a great job
437
00:19:28,376 --> 00:19:29,836
{\an1}of trying to hide the fact
438
00:19:29,877 --> 00:19:31,545
{\an1}that they suddenly
have a bunch of money.
439
00:19:31,545 --> 00:19:33,045
{\an1}The good only question comes,
440
00:19:33,047 --> 00:19:34,297
{\an1}where’s that money coming from?
441
00:19:34,340 --> 00:19:37,218
{\an1}It’s obviously not from
his government salary.
442
00:19:37,218 --> 00:19:39,048
{\an1}- [Laurence] There are
accusations that Marcos
443
00:19:39,053 --> 00:19:42,890
{\an1}and his cronies embezzled
upwards of $10 billion
444
00:19:42,890 --> 00:19:45,059
{\an1}from the Philippines treasury.
445
00:19:45,059 --> 00:19:47,349
{\an1}But is there more to this story?
446
00:19:47,395 --> 00:19:50,365
{\an1}Could their wealth in fact
come from another source?
447
00:19:50,398 --> 00:19:54,735
{\an1}- So if the Marcos are in
charge of the Philippines,
448
00:19:54,735 --> 00:19:56,895
{\an1}then they have such vast
power in the Philippines.
449
00:19:56,987 --> 00:20:00,657
{\an1}One explanation could be,
were the Marcos are drawing
450
00:20:00,700 --> 00:20:03,040
{\an1}from Yamashita’s gold.
451
00:20:03,077 --> 00:20:05,867
{\an1}- [Laurence] If that’s the
case, it all begs the question,
452
00:20:05,913 --> 00:20:09,923
{\an1}how did the Marcoses get their
hands on Yamashita’s gold?
453
00:20:14,422 --> 00:20:16,672
{\an1}The Marcos chapter of the
lost gold saga
454
00:20:16,716 --> 00:20:19,216
{\an1}really begins in 1961,
455
00:20:19,260 --> 00:20:24,180
{\an1}with the 17 year old
boy named Rogelio Roger Roxas.
456
00:20:24,223 --> 00:20:26,183
{\an1}- Enter Rogelio Roxas,
457
00:20:26,225 --> 00:20:29,385
{\an1}who is born towards the end
of the war in the Philippines.
458
00:20:29,437 --> 00:20:32,227
{\an1}And keep in mind the Philippines
is an impoverished country.
459
00:20:32,273 --> 00:20:34,113
{\an1}Roxas is born into poverty,
460
00:20:34,191 --> 00:20:37,111
{\an1}but he’s also born into
the legend of this gold.
461
00:20:39,613 --> 00:20:45,623
{\an1}- And he meets this Japanese
man who claims to know
462
00:20:45,703 --> 00:20:49,543
{\an1}from a Japanese soldier where
Yamashita’s gold is located.
463
00:20:49,582 --> 00:20:53,382
{\an1}So he claims to know of a
site of one of these tunnels.
464
00:20:53,419 --> 00:20:55,629
{\an1}He has a map and he
knows where it is.
465
00:20:56,797 --> 00:20:58,467
{\an1}- If he’s interpreting
this map correctly,
466
00:20:58,549 --> 00:21:00,759
{\an1}it says that one of
the Golden Lily vaults
467
00:21:00,801 --> 00:21:02,761
{\an1}is actually very close to
his hometown of Baguio.
468
00:21:02,803 --> 00:21:04,763
{\an1}In fact, right by the hospital.
469
00:21:04,805 --> 00:21:06,885
{\an1}Roxas thinks he’s
actually onto something.
470
00:21:07,767 --> 00:21:09,137
{\an1}- [Laurence] In early 1970,
471
00:21:09,268 --> 00:21:13,438
{\an1}Roxas gets a permit from a
local judge to begin excavation.
472
00:21:13,481 --> 00:21:17,441
{\an1}That judge’s name
is P.O. Marcos.
473
00:21:17,485 --> 00:21:19,820
{\an1}- Roxas didn’t really
make the connection,
474
00:21:19,820 --> 00:21:24,160
{\an1}but the judge that grants the
excavating permit to Roxas
475
00:21:24,241 --> 00:21:26,951
{\an1}is actually connected
to the Marcos family.
476
00:21:26,994 --> 00:21:32,084
{\an1}So he is part of, you know,
this vast network of Marcos.
477
00:21:32,750 --> 00:21:37,500
{\an1}It connects Roxas to Marcos
and to Yamashita’s gold.
478
00:21:37,588 --> 00:21:42,008
{\an1}So now Yamashita’s Gold is
part of the Marcos story.
479
00:21:42,009 --> 00:21:43,929
{\an1}- [Laurence] In May of 1970,
480
00:21:43,969 --> 00:21:46,639
{\an1}Roxas and his team
start hacking away
481
00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,850
{\an1}through dense vegetation
near the hospital.
482
00:21:49,850 --> 00:21:52,480
{\an1}- So after two months
they find a cave.
483
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,310
{\an1}While the bad news is about a
hundred yards inside the cave,
484
00:21:55,356 --> 00:21:58,776
{\an1}it’s caved in and it appears
to have been dynamited shut.
485
00:21:58,818 --> 00:21:59,988
{\an1}What does that mean?
486
00:22:00,027 --> 00:22:02,197
{\an1}They’re gonna have
to tunnel around it.
487
00:22:02,279 --> 00:22:06,199
{\an1}- [Laurence] Weeks go by, the
men are running out of money.
488
00:22:06,283 --> 00:22:08,453
{\an1}- Treasure hunting,
it’s like gambling.
489
00:22:08,494 --> 00:22:10,004
{\an1}You’re sitting at
a roulette wheel
490
00:22:10,037 --> 00:22:11,705
{\an1}and you just can’t get up.
491
00:22:11,705 --> 00:22:13,825
{\an1}It’s that last spade of dirt.
492
00:22:13,874 --> 00:22:16,464
{\an1}It’s that last pass
with the metal detector
493
00:22:16,502 --> 00:22:18,379
{\an1}and that’s like Roxas.
494
00:22:18,379 --> 00:22:20,669
{\an1}They’re about to quit and
Roxas decides to give it
495
00:22:20,714 --> 00:22:22,383
{\an1}one last look with
his metal detector.
496
00:22:22,383 --> 00:22:23,343
{\an1}And (makes buzzing sound),
497
00:22:24,635 --> 00:22:26,555
{\an1}the metal detector
senses something.
498
00:22:28,013 --> 00:22:29,973
{\an1}- Full of adrenaline, they
start digging and digging.
499
00:22:30,015 --> 00:22:31,515
{\an1}They break through, they find,
500
00:22:31,559 --> 00:22:33,189
{\an1}you know a whole
chamber underneath them.
501
00:22:33,227 --> 00:22:35,727
{\an1}- And they look down and
what do they see inside?
502
00:22:35,729 --> 00:22:40,029
{\an1}28 inch tall, golden
Buddha, Burmese style.
503
00:22:40,067 --> 00:22:41,317
{\an1}They’ve hit the jackpot.
504
00:22:42,903 --> 00:22:43,903
{\an1}- The thing weighs a ton.
505
00:22:43,988 --> 00:22:45,488
{\an1}It’s only this big.
506
00:22:45,531 --> 00:22:47,911
{\an1}They get it up and
they bring it back
507
00:22:47,992 --> 00:22:50,332
{\an1}and he stores it in his closet
508
00:22:50,369 --> 00:22:51,869
{\an1}because they want to
get back to excavating
509
00:22:51,912 --> 00:22:53,332
{\an1}and digging more.
510
00:22:53,372 --> 00:22:54,712
{\an1}- [Laurence] That’s
when Roxas claims
511
00:22:54,748 --> 00:22:56,918
{\an1}to have bound another chamber,
512
00:22:57,001 --> 00:23:01,341
{\an1}crammed with wooden boxes
from floor to ceiling.
513
00:23:01,380 --> 00:23:05,340
{\an1}- He opens one of the
boxes, inside gold bars.
514
00:23:05,384 --> 00:23:07,554
{\an1}And if Roxas is
telling the truth,
515
00:23:07,595 --> 00:23:09,395
{\an1}this is a massive
quantity of treasure.
516
00:23:09,430 --> 00:23:11,010
{\an1}It’s a mind blowing experience.
517
00:23:11,056 --> 00:23:13,846
{\an1}It’s like something out
of an Indiana Jones movie.
518
00:23:13,893 --> 00:23:15,273
{\an1}This is too much gold
to move in a day.
519
00:23:15,352 --> 00:23:17,442
{\an1}They’re gonna go
home, sell the Buddha
520
00:23:17,521 --> 00:23:19,231
{\an1}and use the money
to hire more workers
521
00:23:19,273 --> 00:23:20,773
{\an1}and get more personnel.
522
00:23:20,774 --> 00:23:23,074
{\an1}Go back up in the cave and
get the rest of the gold.
523
00:23:23,110 --> 00:23:25,240
{\an1}And Roxas of course
wants to celebrate.
524
00:23:25,279 --> 00:23:26,906
{\an1}He has his brother
take a picture of him
525
00:23:26,906 --> 00:23:28,276
{\an1}next to the Buddha.
526
00:23:28,407 --> 00:23:30,237
{\an1}- We’ve got this picture
of the one thing of Roxas
527
00:23:30,284 --> 00:23:33,287
{\an1}with this golden Buddha and
a prospective buyer comes
528
00:23:33,287 --> 00:23:35,367
{\an1}and looks at it, test the gold
529
00:23:35,414 --> 00:23:37,794
{\an1}and finds it is
actually 22 karat.
530
00:23:37,875 --> 00:23:41,755
{\an1}- [Laurence] The mysterious
buyer offers Roxas a $160,000
531
00:23:41,795 --> 00:23:42,545
{\an1}for the Buddha.
532
00:23:43,714 --> 00:23:45,634
{\an1}Roxas says, he’ll
think about it.
533
00:23:45,716 --> 00:23:47,296
{\an1}- And as he’s thinking about it,
534
00:23:47,301 --> 00:23:49,761
{\an1}he’s looking at this
Buddha and he notices
535
00:23:49,803 --> 00:23:52,893
{\an1}what just imperceptively
looks like a fine liner
536
00:23:52,932 --> 00:23:54,472
{\an1}on the neck of the Buddha.
537
00:23:54,558 --> 00:23:56,888
{\an1}So he takes this and he looks
at it and he starts to strike.
538
00:23:56,936 --> 00:23:58,476
{\an1}It takes a fricking wooden stick
539
00:23:58,562 --> 00:24:01,442
{\an1}and he starts hitting this
thing until it comes loose,
540
00:24:01,482 --> 00:24:05,322
{\an1}removes the head and inside
are handfuls of diamonds,
541
00:24:05,402 --> 00:24:05,902
{\an1}cut and uncut.
542
00:24:09,949 --> 00:24:12,579
{\an1}- Is all that glitters in
the Philippines really gold?
543
00:24:12,618 --> 00:24:16,118
{\an1}More than 20 years after
the Japanese Imperial Army
544
00:24:16,163 --> 00:24:17,963
{\an1}surrenders the islands,
545
00:24:17,998 --> 00:24:21,418
{\an1}Rogelio Roxas digs up
what appears to be part
546
00:24:21,460 --> 00:24:23,960
{\an1}of Yamashita’s
legendary treasure.
547
00:24:24,046 --> 00:24:27,006
{\an1}But just as Roxas is
celebrating his find,
548
00:24:27,049 --> 00:24:31,009
{\an1}the tale of the lost gold
takes another dramatic twist.
549
00:24:33,305 --> 00:24:37,225
{\an1}- April 5th, 1971, 2:30 am and
there’s a knock at the door.
550
00:24:37,267 --> 00:24:39,847
{\an1}Bad thing in the
Philippines, opens the door,
551
00:24:39,895 --> 00:24:41,305
{\an1}it’s the police.
552
00:24:41,397 --> 00:24:45,397
{\an1}They come in, they arrest
Roxas, they seize the statue,
553
00:24:45,442 --> 00:24:46,532
{\an1}they later put him in jail.
554
00:24:46,568 --> 00:24:47,938
{\an1}But guess who is there?
555
00:24:47,945 --> 00:24:50,785
{\an1}The buyer and Roxas knows
what’s going on, why?
556
00:24:50,823 --> 00:24:52,993
{\an1}Because on the rifles there
are these little red ribbons
557
00:24:53,033 --> 00:24:56,293
{\an1}and that means palace
guard, Ferdinand Marcos,
558
00:24:56,328 --> 00:24:57,698
{\an1}who knows who’s behind this.
559
00:24:58,789 --> 00:25:01,289
{\an1}(dramatic music)
560
00:25:01,333 --> 00:25:03,673
{\an1}- And if you go back and realize
that the permit originally
561
00:25:03,711 --> 00:25:06,591
{\an1}came from P.O. Marcos who was
related to Ferdinand Marcos,
562
00:25:06,630 --> 00:25:07,920
{\an1}connect the dots and you realize
563
00:25:08,007 --> 00:25:09,297
{\an1}that’s where their
information came,
564
00:25:09,341 --> 00:25:11,051
{\an1}then Marcos probably
sent that buyer
565
00:25:11,093 --> 00:25:12,553
{\an1}to make sure it was legit.
566
00:25:12,636 --> 00:25:15,596
{\an1}Then the palace guards come
and confiscate and arrest him.
567
00:25:15,639 --> 00:25:18,225
{\an1}- [Laurence] Outraged,
Roxas goes to the police
568
00:25:18,225 --> 00:25:20,805
{\an1}and the media with his story.
569
00:25:20,853 --> 00:25:22,653
{\an1}It’s not long before
the word spreads
570
00:25:22,688 --> 00:25:25,188
{\an1}of his treatment by Marcos.
571
00:25:25,232 --> 00:25:27,572
{\an1}- When the Buddha
is stolen from him,
572
00:25:27,609 --> 00:25:28,939
{\an1}this is really heartbreaking.
573
00:25:28,986 --> 00:25:30,736
{\an1}Again, it’s not just
about the money,
574
00:25:30,779 --> 00:25:33,659
{\an1}but what it meant to him and
what it meant for being able
575
00:25:33,699 --> 00:25:35,739
{\an1}to continue to
search for the truth.
576
00:25:35,784 --> 00:25:37,744
{\an1}- Everyone knows about
Roxas and this Buddha.
577
00:25:37,745 --> 00:25:39,505
{\an1}And so there’s this
enormous public outcry
578
00:25:39,538 --> 00:25:41,788
{\an1}when this happens ’cause
he’s sort of a folk hero
579
00:25:41,832 --> 00:25:44,882
{\an1}and Marcos decides
to return the Buddha.
580
00:25:44,918 --> 00:25:47,548
{\an1}But the Buddha that’s returned
isn’t the same Buddha.
581
00:25:47,588 --> 00:25:49,338
{\an1}Buddha that returned
isn’t made of gold,
582
00:25:49,381 --> 00:25:50,171
{\an1}it’s made of bronze.
583
00:25:50,215 --> 00:25:51,465
{\an1}The head is stuck on.
584
00:25:51,550 --> 00:25:52,800
{\an1}It’s just not the same
Buddha that gives this like
585
00:25:52,843 --> 00:25:55,353
{\an1}copycat Buddha to
try to appease the public.
586
00:25:56,430 --> 00:25:58,180
{\an1}- [Laurence] When
Roxas speaks out,
587
00:25:58,223 --> 00:26:01,063
{\an1}he’s arrested and spends
the next two years in jail.
588
00:26:02,352 --> 00:26:06,312
{\an1}- The guards then torture
Roxas and all of his teammates.
589
00:26:06,356 --> 00:26:09,146
{\an1}Roxas supposedly never
breaks, which makes sense,
590
00:26:09,193 --> 00:26:10,863
{\an1}being that driven as
a treasure hunter.
591
00:26:10,903 --> 00:26:12,993
{\an1}You’re not gonna break,
that’s your life’s goal.
592
00:26:13,030 --> 00:26:15,160
{\an1}But apparently one
of his team breaks
593
00:26:15,199 --> 00:26:17,159
{\an1}and gives up the location.
594
00:26:17,201 --> 00:26:19,161
{\an1}- [Laurence] After Roxas
is released from prison
595
00:26:19,203 --> 00:26:23,373
{\an1}on November 19th,
1974, he finds soldiers
596
00:26:23,415 --> 00:26:27,375
{\an1}standing outside tents near
the Baguio General Hospital.
597
00:26:27,419 --> 00:26:30,049
{\an1}- And the hospital staff later
actually remembers seeing
598
00:26:30,089 --> 00:26:32,419
{\an1}and they’ve reported seeing
soldiers come out of the cave
599
00:26:32,466 --> 00:26:34,676
{\an1}behind the hospital,
carrying wooden crates
600
00:26:34,718 --> 00:26:36,428
{\an1}and putting them
in military trucks.
601
00:26:36,470 --> 00:26:38,350
{\an1}They didn’t have to
guess what was inside,
602
00:26:38,388 --> 00:26:40,348
{\an1}’cause some of these
boxes they were rotten
603
00:26:40,390 --> 00:26:42,060
{\an1}and they broke up and now
they’re being carried.
604
00:26:42,101 --> 00:26:45,271
{\an1}And what falls out, gold bars
the size of cigarette boxes.
605
00:26:45,312 --> 00:26:46,982
{\an1}- To give you an
extent of how much gold
606
00:26:47,022 --> 00:26:51,032
{\an1}we’re talking about, it’s 10
boxes a day going up every day
607
00:26:51,068 --> 00:26:51,988
{\an1}for a year.
608
00:26:52,736 --> 00:26:55,106
{\an1}- [Laurence] Roxas is
certain Marcos’s soldiers
609
00:26:55,155 --> 00:26:57,945
{\an1}have found his tunnel
and stolen his treasure,
610
00:26:57,991 --> 00:27:01,791
{\an1}but there’s nothing he can
do, at least not for now.
611
00:27:02,913 --> 00:27:05,583
{\an1}Meanwhile, Ferdinand
Marcos is on the hunt
612
00:27:05,624 --> 00:27:09,504
{\an1}for even more
Golden Lily vaults.
613
00:27:09,545 --> 00:27:11,425
{\an1}- Fast forward not
long after this,
614
00:27:11,463 --> 00:27:13,723
{\an1}Marcos allegedly gets his
hand on something else.
615
00:27:13,757 --> 00:27:17,337
{\an1}Not more treasure, but a
full set of Golden Lily maps.
616
00:27:18,679 --> 00:27:21,349
{\an1}So, remember those maps that
Valmores had 10, 15 years ago?
617
00:27:22,266 --> 00:27:23,926
{\an1}Maybe the same maps.
618
00:27:23,976 --> 00:27:26,016
{\an1}- [Laurence] Allegedly
Marcos uses these maps
619
00:27:26,061 --> 00:27:29,611
{\an1}to successfully excavate
five more tunnel complexes
620
00:27:29,648 --> 00:27:33,938
{\an1}piled high with dizzying
amounts of gold and jewels.
621
00:27:33,944 --> 00:27:36,914
{\an1}- Ferdinand and Imelda
constantly spend money
622
00:27:36,947 --> 00:27:39,067
{\an1}and they do it
with wild a abandon
623
00:27:39,116 --> 00:27:41,906
{\an1}if it is connected
to this hoard.
624
00:27:41,952 --> 00:27:43,622
{\an1}Well that goes back to this idea
625
00:27:43,662 --> 00:27:46,212
{\an1}of whose money are
they actually spending.
626
00:27:46,248 --> 00:27:49,748
{\an1}They’re not spending just
Japanese captured goods,
627
00:27:49,793 --> 00:27:53,303
{\an1}they’re spending goods that
belong to all different people
628
00:27:53,338 --> 00:27:54,918
{\an1}across the Pacific.
629
00:27:55,007 --> 00:27:56,677
{\an1}- So if Marcos is
gonna make this work,
630
00:27:56,717 --> 00:27:58,967
{\an1}he’s gotta make this gold
appear like it didn’t come
631
00:27:59,011 --> 00:28:01,601
{\an1}from the Japanese, stolen
from other countries.
632
00:28:01,638 --> 00:28:04,268
{\an1}So Marcos hires a mining expert
633
00:28:04,308 --> 00:28:06,308
{\an1}and a metallurgist
named Robert Curtis.
634
00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:12,650
{\an1}- The theory is that
one of the things
635
00:28:12,691 --> 00:28:15,361
{\an1}that Robert Curtis was
able to do for Marcos
636
00:28:15,402 --> 00:28:18,112
{\an1}is to doctor the
gold or make it seem
637
00:28:18,155 --> 00:28:19,825
{\an1}through playing around
with the properties
638
00:28:19,865 --> 00:28:22,125
{\an1}that it did actually
come from the Philippines
639
00:28:22,159 --> 00:28:23,869
{\an1}and didn’t come
from someplace else
640
00:28:23,911 --> 00:28:26,711
{\an1}and wasn’t captured and
brought to the Philippines.
641
00:28:26,747 --> 00:28:30,627
{\an1}- [Laurence] But in 1986,
Marcos’s plans change
642
00:28:30,667 --> 00:28:33,627
{\an1}when over a million
Filipinos take to the streets
643
00:28:33,670 --> 00:28:36,630
{\an1}to protest his corrupt regime.
644
00:28:36,673 --> 00:28:40,343
{\an1}On February 26th, 1986,
645
00:28:40,344 --> 00:28:43,474
{\an1}the Marcos family flees
the Philippines undercover
646
00:28:43,513 --> 00:28:46,933
{\an1}of darkness and having
been granted asylum
647
00:28:46,975 --> 00:28:50,395
{\an1}by President Reagan
take up a life of exile
648
00:28:50,437 --> 00:28:52,477
{\an1}in Honolulu, Hawaii.
649
00:28:52,522 --> 00:28:54,022
{\an1}- But when the Marcos flee,
650
00:28:54,024 --> 00:28:57,154
{\an1}they leave behind
a lot of mystery.
651
00:28:57,194 --> 00:29:00,454
{\an1}There’s a lot of questions
about what happened to
652
00:29:00,489 --> 00:29:02,069
{\an1}you know the rest of
Yamashita’s hoard.
653
00:29:02,115 --> 00:29:03,365
{\an1}Is it still there?
654
00:29:03,408 --> 00:29:05,618
{\an1}And that’s something
that fuels Roxas.
655
00:29:05,661 --> 00:29:07,831
{\an1}- Roxas is trying to
figure out what he can do.
656
00:29:07,871 --> 00:29:10,291
{\an1}He’s not gonna
get the gold back.
657
00:29:10,332 --> 00:29:13,002
{\an1}He decides to turn to the
law and he files a civil suit
658
00:29:13,043 --> 00:29:15,303
{\an1}in Hawaii against the Marcoses
659
00:29:15,337 --> 00:29:18,047
{\an1}and the suit goes through
the courts for years
660
00:29:18,090 --> 00:29:18,840
{\an1}and years and years.
661
00:29:18,882 --> 00:29:20,382
{\an1}It takes forever.
662
00:29:20,425 --> 00:29:23,335
{\an1}- [Laurence] Meanwhile, Roxas’s
lawsuit against the Marcoses
663
00:29:23,387 --> 00:29:25,347
{\an1}takes another turn.
664
00:29:25,389 --> 00:29:26,599
{\an1}- The suit’s still going on.
665
00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:29,430
{\an1}Roxas dies in a fairly
suspicious manner.
666
00:29:29,476 --> 00:29:32,056
{\an1}- Official cause of
death is tuberculosis.
667
00:29:32,104 --> 00:29:35,774
{\an1}But there are questions
about how is it that he died.
668
00:29:36,984 --> 00:29:38,574
{\an1}- According to his family,
669
00:29:38,610 --> 00:29:40,240
{\an1}he never had any signs of
symptoms of tuberculosis.
670
00:29:41,613 --> 00:29:42,953
{\an1}- [Laurence] But
despite his death,
671
00:29:42,990 --> 00:29:46,200
{\an1}Roxas has one trump
card still left to play.
672
00:29:46,243 --> 00:29:51,213
{\an1}In 1993, the court hears Bob
Curtis’s sworn testimony.
673
00:29:52,666 --> 00:29:54,166
{\an1}- [Speaker] Can you raise
your right hand to be sworn.
674
00:29:54,209 --> 00:29:55,789
{\an1}Do you solemnly swear the
testimony you’re about to give
675
00:29:55,836 --> 00:29:57,546
{\an1}is constantly the
truth, so help you God.
676
00:29:57,587 --> 00:29:59,007
{\an1}- I do.
677
00:29:59,047 --> 00:30:00,627
{\an1}- [Speaker 2] Your name
again on the record please.
678
00:30:00,674 --> 00:30:02,934
{\an1}- Robert H. Curtis.
679
00:30:02,968 --> 00:30:05,388
{\an1}- [Laurence] Bob Curtis
claims he was hired by Marcos
680
00:30:05,429 --> 00:30:08,009
{\an1}to launder Yamashita’s gold.
681
00:30:08,056 --> 00:30:11,936
{\an1}He testifies to seeing another
item in Marcos’s possession,
682
00:30:11,977 --> 00:30:16,227
{\an1}a solid gold Buddha
with a removable head.
683
00:30:16,273 --> 00:30:20,613
{\an1}The very same golden Buddha
Roxas is photographed with.
684
00:30:20,652 --> 00:30:22,452
{\an1}Curtis’s testimony
helps the court
685
00:30:22,487 --> 00:30:24,027
{\an1}to come to a final decision.
686
00:30:25,407 --> 00:30:29,157
{\an1}In 1996, the court awards
the Roxas estate damages
687
00:30:29,202 --> 00:30:30,702
{\an1}of $22 billion.
688
00:30:31,872 --> 00:30:35,212
{\an1}The largest civil
settlement in history.
689
00:30:35,250 --> 00:30:36,670
{\an1}- 20 billion is a lot of money.
690
00:30:36,752 --> 00:30:39,502
{\an1}This was what the treasure
was worth from that one vault
691
00:30:39,546 --> 00:30:40,456
{\an1}that he found.
692
00:30:40,464 --> 00:30:42,594
{\an1}There were 175 vaults.
693
00:30:42,632 --> 00:30:44,592
{\an1}But even more important from
like a history perspective,
694
00:30:44,634 --> 00:30:45,974
{\an1}it’s not about the money,
695
00:30:46,011 --> 00:30:49,061
{\an1}it’s the that a court of
law actually validated
696
00:30:49,097 --> 00:30:50,967
{\an1}that the existence
of these vaults,
697
00:30:51,016 --> 00:30:54,186
{\an1}that these things were real,
that Yamashita did bury these,
698
00:30:54,227 --> 00:30:57,057
{\an1}and that this legend is
actually based in fact.
699
00:30:57,064 --> 00:30:58,524
{\an1}- [Laurence] It was
a hard fought victory
700
00:30:58,607 --> 00:31:02,357
{\an1}for the Roxas family, but
a largely symbolic one.
701
00:31:02,402 --> 00:31:04,492
{\an1}Despite Bob Curtis’s testimony,
702
00:31:04,529 --> 00:31:07,869
{\an1}the Marcos fortune is still
caught up in legal wrangling.
703
00:31:07,908 --> 00:31:10,738
{\an1}The Roxas family has
yet to see a penny
704
00:31:10,744 --> 00:31:14,504
{\an1}and the mystery of Japan’s
lost gold still lingers.
705
00:31:14,539 --> 00:31:18,169
{\an1}- Now this just gives
even more sort of proof
706
00:31:18,210 --> 00:31:20,960
{\an1}if you subscribe to this
theory of Yamashita’s hoard
707
00:31:21,046 --> 00:31:22,836
{\an1}that there’s more
to be discovered.
708
00:31:28,053 --> 00:31:30,263
{\an1}- [Laurence] Some people
are convinced whatever gold
709
00:31:30,263 --> 00:31:32,563
{\an1}the Japanese may have
hidden in the Philippines
710
00:31:32,599 --> 00:31:35,559
{\an1}was cleaned out by
Ferdinand Marcos.
711
00:31:35,602 --> 00:31:36,937
{\an1}- There’s another theory,
712
00:31:36,937 --> 00:31:39,106
{\an1}the Marcos regime just
pretended to find gold
713
00:31:39,106 --> 00:31:41,606
{\an1}so they could cover their
tracks for embezzlement.
714
00:31:41,608 --> 00:31:44,068
{\an1}- [Laurence] But others think
there’s reason to believe
715
00:31:44,111 --> 00:31:46,701
{\an1}that some Japanese
gold remained hidden
716
00:31:46,738 --> 00:31:50,778
{\an1}in the Philippine jungle
through the late 1980s.
717
00:31:50,784 --> 00:31:54,621
{\an1}It’s the promise of this gold
that brings retired US Army
718
00:31:54,621 --> 00:31:57,541
{\an1}General Jack Sinlaub
to the Philippines.
719
00:31:58,959 --> 00:32:03,589
{\an1}- So Jack is a retiree and
an amateur fortune hunter.
720
00:32:03,630 --> 00:32:04,798
{\an1}That’s what he says.
721
00:32:04,798 --> 00:32:06,588
{\an1}And the US Embassy,
they back up his claim,
722
00:32:06,633 --> 00:32:09,433
{\an1}they paint him to the local
media, just a hobbyist.
723
00:32:09,469 --> 00:32:10,799
{\an1}But no one believes this
724
00:32:10,929 --> 00:32:13,309
{\an1}because in addition to being
a rabid anti-communist,
725
00:32:13,390 --> 00:32:17,227
{\an1}he also happens to be one
of the founders of the CIA.
726
00:32:17,227 --> 00:32:21,147
{\an1}- Jack Sinlaub forms his own
treasure hunting organization
727
00:32:21,148 --> 00:32:22,978
{\an1}that he calls Nippon Star.
728
00:32:22,983 --> 00:32:25,113
{\an1}And his objective is to
go to the Philippines
729
00:32:25,152 --> 00:32:27,152
{\an1}and potentially take
advantage of information
730
00:32:27,237 --> 00:32:31,277
{\an1}he already knew about these
possible treasure troves.
731
00:32:31,324 --> 00:32:32,994
{\an1}- One of his associates,
Alan Foringer,
732
00:32:33,076 --> 00:32:36,496
{\an1}he’s the acting CIA head
at the embassy in Manila.
733
00:32:36,496 --> 00:32:37,956
{\an1}- And so there’s this idea
734
00:32:37,998 --> 00:32:40,498
{\an1}that these aren’t
just treasure hunters,
735
00:32:40,500 --> 00:32:43,500
{\an1}these are CIA agents
operating as part of a deeper,
736
00:32:43,503 --> 00:32:45,673
{\an1}darker, or more secret mission.
737
00:32:45,755 --> 00:32:48,585
{\an1}(dramatic music)
738
00:32:49,593 --> 00:32:51,143
{\an1}- [Laurence] According
to this theory,
739
00:32:51,178 --> 00:32:55,008
{\an1}Jack Sinlaub decides Nippon
Star needs to recruit someone
740
00:32:55,015 --> 00:32:56,985
{\an1}with proven insider information.
741
00:32:58,143 --> 00:33:00,103
{\an1}- All they need to
know is where to dig
742
00:33:00,145 --> 00:33:01,485
{\an1}and who has that information.
743
00:33:01,521 --> 00:33:06,026
{\an1}They know one guy who’s
got it, Bob Curtis.
744
00:33:06,026 --> 00:33:07,316
{\an1}- Bob Curtis is the metallurgist
745
00:33:07,360 --> 00:33:08,860
{\an1}that worked with
Ferdinand Marcos,
746
00:33:08,862 --> 00:33:12,162
{\an1}essentially to not only
decode Japanese maps
747
00:33:12,199 --> 00:33:14,199
{\an1}that were in
Marcos’s possession,
748
00:33:14,284 --> 00:33:16,834
{\an1}but also then to
effectively money launder
749
00:33:16,870 --> 00:33:18,620
{\an1}any loot that was discovered.
750
00:33:18,663 --> 00:33:21,541
{\an1}Bob Curtis saw himself
as an American patriot.
751
00:33:21,541 --> 00:33:23,841
{\an1}And according to one
version of the story,
752
00:33:23,877 --> 00:33:27,297
{\an1}President Reagan himself had
endorsed Sinlaub’s efforts
753
00:33:27,339 --> 00:33:30,719
{\an1}to recover stolen loot that
the Japanese had hidden
754
00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:32,550
{\an1}in the Philippines.
755
00:33:32,636 --> 00:33:34,136
{\an1}- [Laurence] With
all their expertise
756
00:33:34,179 --> 00:33:36,719
{\an1}and alleged deep pockets,
Jack Sinlaub’s team
757
00:33:36,848 --> 00:33:39,478
{\an1}should be well placed to
find Yamashita’s gold.
758
00:33:40,352 --> 00:33:44,147
{\an1}But their search for the
treasure doesn’t go to plan.
759
00:33:44,147 --> 00:33:46,897
{\an1}- Publicly, Nippon Star
is a, is an abject failure
760
00:33:46,900 --> 00:33:48,400
{\an1}throughout the 1980s.
761
00:33:48,485 --> 00:33:51,905
{\an1}There are a whole host of media
stories about their efforts
762
00:33:51,905 --> 00:33:54,375
{\an1}to uncover buried treasure
and their failures
763
00:33:54,407 --> 00:33:56,237
{\an1}to be successful
in those endeavors.
764
00:33:57,244 --> 00:33:59,504
{\an1}Is it possible that they
actually recovered treasure
765
00:33:59,538 --> 00:34:01,328
{\an1}and put out a cover story
766
00:34:01,373 --> 00:34:02,923
{\an1}that suggested that
they’d been a failure?
767
00:34:02,999 --> 00:34:06,589
{\an1}Of course, Curtis
claims he was inspired
768
00:34:06,670 --> 00:34:09,510
{\an1}to give his all towards these
treasure hunting efforts
769
00:34:09,547 --> 00:34:12,547
{\an1}because any treasure
recovered might be used
770
00:34:12,592 --> 00:34:15,342
{\an1}as a private funding
source for defense
771
00:34:15,387 --> 00:34:18,427
{\an1}and intelligence initiatives
on behalf of the United States.
772
00:34:18,514 --> 00:34:21,185
{\an1}- [Laurence] As Foringer
wrote in a letter to Curtis,
773
00:34:21,226 --> 00:34:24,096
{\an1}those initiatives included
the private funding
774
00:34:24,103 --> 00:34:27,107
{\an1}of defense projects
like the B-1 Bomber,
775
00:34:27,107 --> 00:34:31,027
{\an1}MX Missile and Ronald
Reagan’s Star Wars program.
776
00:34:31,027 --> 00:34:32,607
{\an1}- He appears to
have been convinced
777
00:34:32,612 --> 00:34:35,282
{\an1}that these private funding
sources might create
778
00:34:35,364 --> 00:34:37,705
{\an1}so-called black budget programs
779
00:34:37,742 --> 00:34:40,792
{\an1}that would protect the United
States from Soviet aggression.
780
00:34:40,870 --> 00:34:44,290
{\an1}- This money, if they find
the Golden Lily treasure
781
00:34:44,291 --> 00:34:48,628
{\an1}is going to be used to establish
a new arch conservative,
782
00:34:48,628 --> 00:34:52,878
{\an1}military industrial complex
controlled by the United States.
783
00:34:54,634 --> 00:34:57,137
{\an1}- [Laurence] But by 1990,
the pressure is growing
784
00:34:57,137 --> 00:34:58,547
{\an1}on Nippon Star.
785
00:34:59,639 --> 00:35:01,599
{\an1}And there are rumors
of Soviet agents
786
00:35:01,641 --> 00:35:04,811
{\an1}listening in on
their communications.
787
00:35:04,811 --> 00:35:06,980
{\an1}- While Foringer’s
vacationing in Hawaii,
788
00:35:06,980 --> 00:35:09,270
{\an1}he’s at the beach and
a passerby walks by
789
00:35:09,316 --> 00:35:11,276
{\an1}and something nicks his leg.
790
00:35:11,318 --> 00:35:12,818
{\an1}Within a day, he’s
in the hospital
791
00:35:12,819 --> 00:35:15,739
{\an1}suffering from
mysterious ailments.
792
00:35:15,780 --> 00:35:18,160
{\an1}And although he pulls through,
793
00:35:18,241 --> 00:35:20,581
{\an1}after returning to his
apartment in the Philippines,
794
00:35:20,619 --> 00:35:24,409
{\an1}the usually healthy 37 year
old begins having seizures
795
00:35:24,456 --> 00:35:26,576
{\an1}and his heart gives
out and he dies
796
00:35:26,625 --> 00:35:28,845
{\an1}under mysterious circumstances.
797
00:35:28,918 --> 00:35:31,498
{\an1}- You gotta ask, was Foringer’s
worked with Nippon Star?
798
00:35:31,504 --> 00:35:34,264
{\an1}Is there a connection
to his death?
799
00:35:34,299 --> 00:35:35,469
{\an1}You gotta ask the question.
800
00:35:35,508 --> 00:35:37,468
{\an1}Maybe that put a
target on his back.
801
00:35:37,510 --> 00:35:38,930
{\an1}- [Laurence] Despite
Foringer’s death,
802
00:35:38,970 --> 00:35:43,270
{\an1}no gold is ever officially
found by Nippon Star.
803
00:35:43,308 --> 00:35:47,018
{\an1}- Conspiracy theories
love unexplained deaths,
804
00:35:47,020 --> 00:35:49,360
{\an1}particularly to individuals
that are getting close
805
00:35:49,439 --> 00:35:50,689
{\an1}to the answers.
806
00:35:50,690 --> 00:35:52,859
{\an1}And we’ll often link
those deaths together
807
00:35:52,859 --> 00:35:55,109
{\an1}to suggest they’re part
of a bigger pattern.
808
00:35:56,196 --> 00:35:59,316
{\an1}Oftentimes humans die
for unknown causes.
809
00:35:59,366 --> 00:36:01,446
{\an1}Sometimes it really
is just an accident.
810
00:36:04,996 --> 00:36:07,326
{\an1}- [Laurence] Since the
end of World War II,
811
00:36:07,374 --> 00:36:11,174
{\an1}the legend of Japan’s lost gold
has captured the imagination
812
00:36:11,211 --> 00:36:12,921
{\an1}of treasure hunters worldwide.
813
00:36:14,214 --> 00:36:16,724
{\an1}But as the decades have passed
without new discoveries,
814
00:36:16,758 --> 00:36:19,468
{\an1}some question if the
treasure ever existed,
815
00:36:19,511 --> 00:36:22,601
{\an1}and if yes will
more ever be found?
816
00:36:27,435 --> 00:36:29,765
{\an1}- We do know, we’ve got
one great photo of Roxas
817
00:36:29,813 --> 00:36:30,903
{\an1}with that Buddha,
818
00:36:32,190 --> 00:36:35,440
{\an1}and after 80 plus years of
searching for that treasure,
819
00:36:35,485 --> 00:36:38,615
{\an1}that is the only real
proof that we have.
820
00:36:38,655 --> 00:36:40,245
{\an1}- Like a lot of theories,
821
00:36:40,281 --> 00:36:43,911
{\an1}there are certain key
points that you can see
822
00:36:43,952 --> 00:36:46,162
{\an1}or that you know are real.
823
00:36:46,204 --> 00:36:48,084
{\an1}And so with Yamashita’s hoard,
824
00:36:48,123 --> 00:36:50,583
{\an1}we certainly know that
the Japanese plundered.
825
00:36:51,710 --> 00:36:54,170
{\an1}- They stole tens of
billions of dollars.
826
00:36:55,255 --> 00:36:57,675
{\an1}The Japanese
conquered the Pacific,
827
00:36:57,716 --> 00:37:00,126
{\an1}they plungered like
there was no tomorrow.
828
00:37:00,176 --> 00:37:03,216
{\an1}They brought the wealth
back to the Philippines.
829
00:37:03,263 --> 00:37:05,513
{\an1}- There certainly was
looting in the Philippines
830
00:37:05,557 --> 00:37:07,517
{\an1}just like there was
looting by the Japanese
831
00:37:07,559 --> 00:37:10,189
{\an1}in really anywhere
that they went.
832
00:37:10,228 --> 00:37:11,478
{\an1}That is a fact.
833
00:37:12,564 --> 00:37:14,734
{\an1}- But there’s no
photos of vaults,
834
00:37:14,774 --> 00:37:18,364
{\an1}there’s no records of how much
gold was brought into Manila.
835
00:37:18,403 --> 00:37:20,283
{\an1}- Probably the
diamond filled Buddha
836
00:37:20,321 --> 00:37:22,741
{\an1}is a spoil of the
Japanese looting,
837
00:37:22,782 --> 00:37:25,122
{\an1}but maybe it’s more of a one-off
838
00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:26,950
{\an1}than the tip of the iceberg.
839
00:37:26,995 --> 00:37:29,215
{\an1}Maybe this was just one
tunnel that was filled
840
00:37:29,289 --> 00:37:30,409
{\an1}and we found it
841
00:37:31,583 --> 00:37:32,963
{\an1}and maybe there isn’t
this vast network
842
00:37:33,001 --> 00:37:34,711
{\an1}that was part of
the Golden Lily.
843
00:37:37,922 --> 00:37:41,182
{\an1}- [Laurence] Some also
point to logistical concerns
844
00:37:41,217 --> 00:37:44,387
{\an1}around Yamashita’s last
days during World War II
845
00:37:44,429 --> 00:37:47,269
{\an1}to question the extent
of the legendary treasure
846
00:37:47,307 --> 00:37:48,927
{\an1}he supposedly buried.
847
00:37:48,975 --> 00:37:51,765
{\an1}- If you think about just
how much gold was purported
848
00:37:51,811 --> 00:37:54,311
{\an1}to have existed, how
heavy and how much it was,
849
00:37:54,355 --> 00:37:57,935
{\an1}the logistical requirements
to move that kind of wealth
850
00:37:57,984 --> 00:38:00,074
{\an1}would’ve been not only
one of their main tasks,
851
00:38:00,111 --> 00:38:02,611
{\an1}it would’ve been the only
thing that they could do.
852
00:38:02,655 --> 00:38:05,735
{\an1}(suspenseful music)
853
00:38:08,203 --> 00:38:10,623
{\an1}I think one of the real
treasures in the Philippines
854
00:38:10,663 --> 00:38:14,626
{\an1}is that millions of dollars
spent on the local economy,
855
00:38:14,626 --> 00:38:16,586
{\an1}fortune hunting and
treasure hunting.
856
00:38:17,629 --> 00:38:20,379
{\an1}- Treasure hunters are
drawn to the Philippines
857
00:38:20,423 --> 00:38:22,303
{\an1}and the Philippines,
from my experience,
858
00:38:22,342 --> 00:38:25,302
{\an1}seemed quite easy
to embrace them,
859
00:38:25,345 --> 00:38:28,225
{\an1}comfortable embracing them
and trying to send them
860
00:38:28,264 --> 00:38:29,434
{\an1}to these sites.
861
00:38:29,474 --> 00:38:31,524
{\an1}And again, I think it’s,
from what I’ve seen,
862
00:38:31,559 --> 00:38:33,979
{\an1}it’s people who
really believe that
863
00:38:34,020 --> 00:38:37,440
{\an1}you can find these things
buried on the island.
864
00:38:37,482 --> 00:38:39,732
{\an1}- A lot of these legends
that sort of become folklore
865
00:38:39,776 --> 00:38:41,816
{\an1}that stay because they
become part of our history
866
00:38:41,861 --> 00:38:44,361
{\an1}and part of our culture and
the Filipino people like
867
00:38:44,405 --> 00:38:46,195
{\an1}are immensely proud people.
868
00:38:46,241 --> 00:38:48,661
{\an1}And in many ways they’re very,
very attached to this idea
869
00:38:48,701 --> 00:38:50,581
{\an1}that this could exist
and it could be here.
870
00:38:50,620 --> 00:38:53,040
{\an1}So it in many ways lives because
of the people themselves.
871
00:38:53,081 --> 00:38:54,666
{\an1}- Treasure in the
Philippine jungle,
872
00:38:54,666 --> 00:38:56,246
{\an1}it’s a story that never dies.
873
00:38:56,292 --> 00:38:59,422
{\an1}Just when you think it’s over,
it comes right back to life.
874
00:38:59,462 --> 00:39:03,342
{\an1}- [Laurence] Over the course
of one weekend in 2017,
875
00:39:03,383 --> 00:39:06,343
{\an1}a video is uploaded to YouTube.
876
00:39:06,386 --> 00:39:09,346
{\an1}It quickly gains hundreds
of thousands of views.
877
00:39:09,347 --> 00:39:11,557
{\an1}In a submerged cave
in the Philippines,
878
00:39:11,599 --> 00:39:15,186
{\an1}what appears to be gold bars.
879
00:39:15,186 --> 00:39:16,686
{\an1}- They were really
dirty and muddy,
880
00:39:16,729 --> 00:39:18,109
{\an1}but became this
internet sensation
881
00:39:18,147 --> 00:39:19,937
{\an1}where people found
them and all of a sudden
882
00:39:19,983 --> 00:39:21,943
{\an1}the Yamashita’s gold
legend comes back.
883
00:39:21,985 --> 00:39:23,995
{\an1}Maybe this is really happening.
884
00:39:24,028 --> 00:39:27,318
{\an1}That stokes the fire again and
makes that legend continue.
885
00:39:27,365 --> 00:39:29,525
{\an1}- Is there a connection
to Yamashita’s gold?
886
00:39:29,576 --> 00:39:32,236
{\an1}Maybe and a lot of viewers
like me, they remain skeptical.
887
00:39:32,328 --> 00:39:33,828
{\an1}Maybe they just want views.
888
00:39:33,872 --> 00:39:36,752
{\an1}It definitely warrants
further investigation.
889
00:39:36,791 --> 00:39:38,921
{\an1}- Now you have a lot of
amateur treasure hunters
890
00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:40,590
{\an1}who can upload videos.
891
00:39:40,628 --> 00:39:43,838
{\an1}They can upload what they claim
is proof of what they found.
892
00:39:43,882 --> 00:39:47,432
{\an1}And going back to Roxas
and his Buddha’s statue,
893
00:39:47,468 --> 00:39:49,598
{\an1}that’s something
that people can see.
894
00:39:49,637 --> 00:39:51,217
{\an1}And when you can see something,
895
00:39:51,264 --> 00:39:53,974
{\an1}it makes it a little
bit more real.
896
00:39:54,017 --> 00:39:56,437
{\an1}The fact that it does
still spark interest,
897
00:39:56,477 --> 00:39:58,517
{\an1}I think is something
that it’s still creating
898
00:39:58,563 --> 00:39:59,903
{\an1}the conversation.
899
00:39:59,939 --> 00:40:01,519
{\an1}And as long as there’s a
conversation around it,
900
00:40:01,608 --> 00:40:02,688
{\an1}it’ll never die.
901
00:40:04,027 --> 00:40:07,357
{\an1}- I have no doubt that
treasure went into the ground.
902
00:40:07,405 --> 00:40:11,195
{\an1}What I believe today is
that whatever is left there
903
00:40:11,242 --> 00:40:13,122
{\an1}is going to be
incredibly hard to find.
904
00:40:13,161 --> 00:40:17,121
{\an1}And based upon the stories
that we know about the way
905
00:40:17,165 --> 00:40:19,255
{\an1}that these places
are booby trapped
906
00:40:19,292 --> 00:40:20,712
{\an1}and trying to seek this treasure
907
00:40:20,752 --> 00:40:22,587
{\an1}would be incredibly dangerous.
908
00:40:22,587 --> 00:40:24,507
{\an1}And you know, I mean a
billion dollars worth of gold
909
00:40:24,547 --> 00:40:26,627
{\an1}would be really nifty to have,
910
00:40:26,674 --> 00:40:29,724
{\an1}but it’s also nice to be alive.
911
00:40:29,761 --> 00:40:31,471
{\an1}- We never run out of
treasure hunters
912
00:40:31,512 --> 00:40:34,852
{\an1}and people never stop dreaming
for being the one person
913
00:40:34,891 --> 00:40:37,231
{\an1}that’s gonna find this
thing, to be the next Roxas.
914
00:40:37,268 --> 00:40:39,848
{\an1}To find that next Buddha
and to pop open the head
915
00:40:39,896 --> 00:40:40,936
{\an1}and find diamonds.
916
00:40:40,980 --> 00:40:42,150
{\an1}Every treasure
hunter wants that.
917
00:40:42,190 --> 00:40:44,280
{\an1}And so that legend’s
never gonna diminish.
918
00:40:48,905 --> 00:40:51,866
{\an1}- For 80 years the lure
of Japan’s lost gold
919
00:40:51,866 --> 00:40:55,696
{\an1}has mesmerized world
leaders and commoners alike.
920
00:40:55,745 --> 00:40:58,835
{\an1}We won’t know the full truth
about this legendary treasure
921
00:40:58,873 --> 00:41:02,003
{\an1}until someone
finally strikes gold.
922
00:41:02,043 --> 00:41:05,003
{\an1}But with such a dazzling
fortune still on the line,
923
00:41:05,088 --> 00:41:07,208
{\an1}there is one certainty.
924
00:41:07,256 --> 00:41:10,336
{\an1}No one’s laying down their
treasure maps anytime soon.
925
00:41:11,344 --> 00:41:12,764
{\an1}I’m Laurence Fishburne.
926
00:41:12,804 --> 00:41:16,184
{\an1}Thank you for watching,
History’s Greatest Mysteries.
102276
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