WEBVTT - Season 7 Episode 1: The Fall Without End (Pt.1 of 2)

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<v Speaker 1>Around two a m. On November twenty eighth, nineteen fifty three,

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<v Speaker 1>the grand colonnaded lobby of New York's Statler Hotel was

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<v Speaker 1>quiet as night manager armand pass Story ambled towards the

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<v Speaker 1>reception desk. The silence came as a relief to pass

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<v Speaker 1>Story after a hectic few hours dealing with boisterous guests

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<v Speaker 1>enjoying the Thanksgiving weekend. Now with pretty much everybody having

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<v Speaker 1>gone to bed, he could finally relax. Even the Manhattan

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<v Speaker 1>street outside was deserted as he approached the desk, when

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<v Speaker 1>the silence was suddenly punctured by the sound of shattering glass,

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<v Speaker 1>followed a few seconds later by the sense of something

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<v Speaker 1>outside falling and landing with a crunching thud on the sidewalk. Pastori,

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<v Speaker 1>his mind fuzzy with panic, immediately sprinted out into the

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<v Speaker 1>street outside on Seventh Avenue. He found a middle aged

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<v Speaker 1>man crumpled on the ground, his legs shattered and his

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<v Speaker 1>body twisted at an unnatural angle. He was wearing his

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<v Speaker 1>undershirt and shorts as though he'd just gotten out of bed.

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<v Speaker 1>Pastore glanced upwards at the vast, darkened facade of the

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<v Speaker 1>hotel and saw light shining through a broken window thirteen

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<v Speaker 1>floors up, a dangling curtain flapping in the breeze. Turning

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<v Speaker 1>back to the man, he saw with horror that he

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<v Speaker 1>was trying to speak. Incredibly, the man was still alive.

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<v Speaker 1>Pastore staggered forward and kneeled down beside him, Cradling the

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<v Speaker 1>man's head in his hands. He tried hard to understand

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<v Speaker 1>what he was mumbling in his faint, hoarsey voice, but

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<v Speaker 1>it was unintelligible. What's your name, he asked the man urgently,

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<v Speaker 1>but the man did not reply. I'm going to get help.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't move, he said, getting up quickly, But no sooner

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<v Speaker 1>had the words left his mouth, he could see that

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<v Speaker 1>it was too late. The stranger took one last labored

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<v Speaker 1>in hail, and then stopped breathing. His broken body went limp.

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<v Speaker 1>Pastore drew his hand up to his mouth and stepped back,

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<v Speaker 1>glancing up at the curtains still flapping in the wind above.

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<v Speaker 1>There was simply no way, he thought that the fall

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<v Speaker 1>was an accident. Either this poor man jumped from the

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<v Speaker 1>window himself, or he'd been thrown out of it. When

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<v Speaker 1>the police arrived moments later, Pastore escorted them to the

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<v Speaker 1>thirteenth floor. As they walked down the corridor towards Room

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<v Speaker 1>ten eighteen A, he prayed silently that they'd find the

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<v Speaker 1>answers they were looking for behind that locked door. You're

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<v Speaker 1>listening to Unexplained, and I'm Richard McLean Smith. Frank Olsen

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<v Speaker 1>never envisaged himself working for the CIA. Born to Swedish

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<v Speaker 1>immigrants in nineteen ten, he grew up in a small

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<v Speaker 1>mining town in Wisconsin and was entranced by agriculture and

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<v Speaker 1>rural life. But he was also an exceptional student, and

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<v Speaker 1>so instead of becoming a farmer like other young men

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<v Speaker 1>men in his area at the time, he went to college.

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<v Speaker 1>There he studied agronomy, the science of crop production, and

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<v Speaker 1>eventually earned a PhD in the subject. When World War

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<v Speaker 1>II broke out, Olson felt called to serve his country,

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<v Speaker 1>and he became an Army scientist for the US Chemical Corps.

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<v Speaker 1>Assigned to the Biological Warfare Program, he worked alongside a

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<v Speaker 1>handful of other scientists on aerosol technologies that could be

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<v Speaker 1>used against enemy combatants. Though the war ended in nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>forty five, the Army's efforts to produce biological weapons continued.

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<v Speaker 1>Olson stayed on at Fort Detrick in Maryland, where he

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<v Speaker 1>worked on a number of highly classified experiments involving airborne

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<v Speaker 1>viruses and toxic bacteria. There was a feeling of urgency

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<v Speaker 1>about this research, a sense that America was in a

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<v Speaker 1>high stakes arms race against an increasingly dangerous enemy. Military

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<v Speaker 1>and intelligence officials feared that the government of the Soviet

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<v Speaker 1>Union had already mastered airborne biological warfare, and that they

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<v Speaker 1>could at any moment launch an invisible attack on the

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<v Speaker 1>US that would be undetectable until it was too late.

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<v Speaker 1>In the early days of the Cold War, this paranoia

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<v Speaker 1>led to the creation of a brand new, highly classified

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<v Speaker 1>division at Detrich. The exact nature of the Special Operations

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<v Speaker 1>Division's work was a mystery to everybody except the select

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<v Speaker 1>few who worked there, and in nineteen forty nine, Frank

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<v Speaker 1>Olsen was invited to join them, rising quickly through the ranks,

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<v Speaker 1>within a year, he'd become chief of the Special Operations Division,

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<v Speaker 1>or SOD. But despite this rapid ascent, he seemed ill

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<v Speaker 1>suited to the work. Many of the sod's experiments involved

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<v Speaker 1>testing poisonous gases on animals, which never sat well with Olson.

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<v Speaker 1>At times, he would arrive at work in the morning

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<v Speaker 1>to find his laboratory littered with dead monkeys. Other colleagues

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<v Speaker 1>simply shrugged it off, but Olsen found it deeply upsetting.

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<v Speaker 1>By the early nineteen fifties, Olson was married with three

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<v Speaker 1>young children. It was about this time that his wife, Alice,

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<v Speaker 1>began to notice a change in her husband. He seemed

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<v Speaker 1>to have lost his energy and often came home from

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<v Speaker 1>Detrich in a dark, reflective mood. It seemed as if

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<v Speaker 1>his work was draining the life out of him. In

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<v Speaker 1>early nineteen fifty three, Olson resigned suddenly as chief of

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<v Speaker 1>the SOD, claiming that the stress of the job was

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<v Speaker 1>giving him stomach holsers. Nonetheless, he continued working within the

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<v Speaker 1>division in a reduced capacity, clearly unwilling to walk away

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<v Speaker 1>from his work completely. It was around this time that

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<v Speaker 1>Olson also joined the CIA, where he began work on

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<v Speaker 1>covert projects designed to preempt an enemy attack, including one

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<v Speaker 1>project known as m k Ultra, where now the focus

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<v Speaker 1>was on the mind rather than the body. The program

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<v Speaker 1>was established in response to the conviction among some in

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<v Speaker 1>the U. S Military that communist forces in the Soviet

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<v Speaker 1>Union and China had developed a strange brainwashing technique which

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<v Speaker 1>could be used to extract secrets from captured U S civilians,

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<v Speaker 1>and so the CIA began to develop a mind control

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<v Speaker 1>program all of its own. Of course, Olson couldn't discuss

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<v Speaker 1>the details of his work with anyone outside of the agency,

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<v Speaker 1>but it was clear to anyone around him that, for

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<v Speaker 1>some reason, his work was taking a heavy toll. After

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<v Speaker 1>a covert trip to Europe in the summer of nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>fifty three, he came back more withdrawn than ever. In fact,

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<v Speaker 1>he seemed almost haunted by something. But his wife's urging,

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<v Speaker 1>Frank agreed to take some time off. In August of

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<v Speaker 1>that year, he spent two weeks in the Adirondack Mountains

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<v Speaker 1>in northeastern New York State, helping his brother in law

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<v Speaker 1>to reroof a family cabin, but the trip had little

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<v Speaker 1>effect with Olson's His brother in law convinced that Frank

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<v Speaker 1>was in the grip of some deep moral crisis. He'd

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<v Speaker 1>even taken to reading the Bible every night, as if

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<v Speaker 1>he were seeking absolution for something. It was a few

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<v Speaker 1>months later when Olsen received an invitation to an off

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<v Speaker 1>site agency retreat hosted by Sidney Gottlieb, a senior chemist

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<v Speaker 1>who headed much of the CIA's most closely guarded research,

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<v Speaker 1>including MK ULTRA. Held at a cabin in Deep Creek Lake,

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<v Speaker 1>a quiet spot nestled in the picturesque mountains of West Maryland,

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<v Speaker 1>the retreat would be a chance for the CIA's most

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<v Speaker 1>trusted scientists to enjoy some well earned rest and relaxation

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<v Speaker 1>ahead of the Thanksgiving break, and discussed their ongoing projects.

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<v Speaker 1>At least that was the pitch. The true purpose of

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<v Speaker 1>the meeting was something else entirely. On Wednesday, November eighteenth,

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<v Speaker 1>Frank drove out to Deep Creek Lake, where he soon

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<v Speaker 1>met up with his colleagues. The first evening was uneventful.

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<v Speaker 1>The group gathered for drinks and dinner and compared notes

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<v Speaker 1>on their current research. All of the men present worked

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<v Speaker 1>on highly classified projects and shared the same security clearance.

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<v Speaker 1>As much as anything, it was a relief simply to

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<v Speaker 1>be all the way out there where they could speak

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<v Speaker 1>freely about their work outside of the lab, far from

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<v Speaker 1>civilian ears. That convivial atmosphere continued into the next day,

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<v Speaker 1>and after spending the afternoon fishing and boating on the lake,

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<v Speaker 1>the men dined together again. Once they'd finished with dessert,

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<v Speaker 1>As the men lit cigarettes and cigars and settled a

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<v Speaker 1>little deeper into their chairs. Sydney Gottlieb poured out glasses

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<v Speaker 1>of quantroll for everyone. Together. They raised their tumblers, clinking

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<v Speaker 1>them jovially, and made a toast to the future. Within

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<v Speaker 1>half an hour, the atmosphere began to shift. Some of

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<v Speaker 1>the men fell silent or became unsteady on their feet.

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<v Speaker 1>Are any of you feeling strange? Gottlieb basked. Frank looked

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<v Speaker 1>down at the ground the room suddenly feeling strange and distant,

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<v Speaker 1>as the pattern of the rug seemed to be shifting,

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<v Speaker 1>undulating like a snake twisting around his feet. His thoughts

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<v Speaker 1>flashed back to the toast. An image of Gottlieb floated

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<v Speaker 1>across his mind, pouring quant but not taking a drink

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<v Speaker 1>for himself. The sound of Gottlieb's voice brought him back

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<v Speaker 1>to the room. He tried to focus on the words

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<v Speaker 1>coming out of his mouth. It was something about the

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<v Speaker 1>quantroe being spiked with LSD by sergic acid diethylamite or LSD,

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<v Speaker 1>first synthesized in nineteen thirty eight by Swiss chemist Albert Hoffmann,

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<v Speaker 1>is a fast acting and highly potent psychedelic drug. It

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<v Speaker 1>works by flattening the function of the brain, where ordinarily

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<v Speaker 1>separate networks of the brain work independently to control how

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<v Speaker 1>we see, move, hear, and comprehend. With LSD, those barriers

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<v Speaker 1>are broken down. Things we take for granted as being

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<v Speaker 1>solid and immutable start to dissolve. Depending on the dosage,

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<v Speaker 1>its effects can range from mild shifts in perception and

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<v Speaker 1>mood to extremely vivid hallucinations and bizarre thoughts. The experience

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<v Speaker 1>can be euphoric or utterly terrifying. It's not clear exactly

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<v Speaker 1>what causes someone to have a bad trip, but research

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<v Speaker 1>suggests that the effects of psychedelics depend heavily on a

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<v Speaker 1>person's social surroundings, their mindset when they take the drug,

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<v Speaker 1>and their expectations of it. It's known as set and setting.

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<v Speaker 1>Being unknowingly dosed with LSD at a work gathering was

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<v Speaker 1>not a healthy combination. Back at their table in the restaurant, Sydney,

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<v Speaker 1>Gottlieb told the astonished men that they were all guinea

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<v Speaker 1>pigs in an experiment designed to test what would happen

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<v Speaker 1>if an American song scientist was captured and drugged with LSD.

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<v Speaker 1>Would they be able to resist the drug's effects, or

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<v Speaker 1>would they betray their country and reveal the CIA's secrets.

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<v Speaker 1>But it soon became clear to Gottlieb that the experiment

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<v Speaker 1>was a failure. After the men recovered from the shock

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<v Speaker 1>of finding out they'd been drugged, Gottlieb could only look

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<v Speaker 1>on in frustration as they quickly descended into laughter and

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<v Speaker 1>marveled at the strange colours and sounds their drugged brains

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<v Speaker 1>were conjuring up. The details of exactly what happened during

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<v Speaker 1>the rest of that bizarre, acid fueled night are known

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<v Speaker 1>only to the men who were there. The next morning,

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<v Speaker 1>still feeling the residual effects of the drugs, the men

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<v Speaker 1>all departed the cabin and drove home to their family

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<v Speaker 1>in time for the weekend. It can take up to

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<v Speaker 1>a day for LSD to leave your system, but even

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<v Speaker 1>once it does, the psychological effects can linger for days, weeks,

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<v Speaker 1>or even longer. When Frank Olsen returned to his home

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<v Speaker 1>in Frederick, Maryland, his wife Alice immediately noticed that something

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<v Speaker 1>was wrong. If he spoke at all, he was monosyllabic

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<v Speaker 1>at best, and he had withdrawn further into himself. When

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<v Speaker 1>she pressed him for details about what had happened. At

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<v Speaker 1>the cabin, Frank was reluctant to tell her anything. Eventually,

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<v Speaker 1>he said only that the meeting had not gone well.

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<v Speaker 1>He'd lost control, he said, and made a terrible mistake.

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<v Speaker 1>Frank seemed consumed by shame and said his colleagues had

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<v Speaker 1>laughed at him. A confused Alice tried to get him

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<v Speaker 1>to tell her what the mistake was, but it was

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<v Speaker 1>to no avail. Perhaps if Alice had known about the LSD,

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<v Speaker 1>she might have thought her husband's mood was simply down

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<v Speaker 1>to paranoia, a common side effect of a bad trip,

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<v Speaker 1>but as it was, she was left bewildered and alarmed.

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<v Speaker 1>Frank didn't seem himself at all. On Monday morning, he

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<v Speaker 1>headed into work early and went straight to see his boss,

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<v Speaker 1>Vincent rwit Rewit had been at the retreat too, and

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<v Speaker 1>had found his own LSD experience deeply frightening. That morning,

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<v Speaker 1>he was on edge, so when Frank showed up at

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<v Speaker 1>his office, his face gaunt and pale, Ruit wasn't surprised,

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<v Speaker 1>but he didn't anticipate what happened next. Olson became agitated

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<v Speaker 1>and asked Ruit if he wanted to fire him or

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<v Speaker 1>if he should quit. Sensing Olson's suddenly insecurity. Ruitt did

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<v Speaker 1>his best to try and calm him down, telling him

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<v Speaker 1>that his work was invaluable and that there was absolutely

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<v Speaker 1>no reason for him to resign, and eventually Frank relented,

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<v Speaker 1>but the following morning, he was back in Ruitt's office

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<v Speaker 1>demanding that he accept his resignation. After calming Olsen down

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<v Speaker 1>once more, Vincent Rwitt called Sidney Gottlieb to report what

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<v Speaker 1>was going on. Olsen clearly had had some kind of

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<v Speaker 1>mental break on account of the LSD trip, surely thought

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<v Speaker 1>Gottlieb had planned for something like this. Gottlieb then met

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<v Speaker 1>with Olson himself, and after concurring with Ruitt's assessment, he

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<v Speaker 1>and his deputy, Robert Lashbrook, arranged for Olsen to see

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<v Speaker 1>a doctor in US York City named Harold Abramson. Abramson

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<v Speaker 1>was chosen because he had deep ties to the CIA

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<v Speaker 1>and was also involved in their mind control research. He

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<v Speaker 1>had equal security clearance, which meant that Olson could speak

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<v Speaker 1>freely in his presence. There was just one problem. Abramson

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<v Speaker 1>was not a psychiatrist. He was an allergist whose pioneering

0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:31.480
<v Speaker 1>research into LSD was currently being funded by the CIA.

0:18:32.359 --> 0:18:36.040
<v Speaker 1>He had absolute loyalty to the agency, which is why

0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:41.640
<v Speaker 1>Gottlieb trusted him with such a sensitive matter. During their

0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:46.199
<v Speaker 1>meeting in Manhattan, Olsen told Abramson that he hadn't felt

0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:51.399
<v Speaker 1>like himself ever since being dosed with LSD. He wasn't

0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:55.720
<v Speaker 1>sleeping well, had lost his ability to concentrate, and was

0:18:55.760 --> 0:19:02.720
<v Speaker 1>struggling with basic cognitive tasks. Sadly for Olsen, Abramson had

0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:07.520
<v Speaker 1>no interest in providing him with any psychiatric advice, nor

0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:12.439
<v Speaker 1>did he have any ability to do so. Instead, he

0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:15.879
<v Speaker 1>prescribed a sedative and a bottle of bourbon for his

0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:19.399
<v Speaker 1>sleeping troubles, and assured him that the rest of his

0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:23.119
<v Speaker 1>symptoms would clear up once he got a good night's rest,

0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:28.119
<v Speaker 1>and for the next few days it worked. Frank seemed

0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:32.959
<v Speaker 1>calmer after seeing Abramsom, much to Gottlieb and Lashbrook's relief,

0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:36.480
<v Speaker 1>but they wanted to make sure he was absolutely on

0:19:36.520 --> 0:19:41.920
<v Speaker 1>the right track and recommended another expert that he should see.

0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:46.359
<v Speaker 1>John Mulholland was not a doctor. He was a magician

0:19:46.640 --> 0:19:50.560
<v Speaker 1>who'd been enlisted by the CIA some years earlier to

0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:55.720
<v Speaker 1>write a manual on the art of deception, concealment, and misdirection.

0:19:56.840 --> 0:20:00.840
<v Speaker 1>Why Olsen was taken to see mul Holland. Is a mystery.

0:20:01.840 --> 0:20:06.240
<v Speaker 1>Perhaps the CIA hoped that hypnosis could help to soothe

0:20:06.280 --> 0:20:22.119
<v Speaker 1>Olson's panic, but whatever Mulholland did, it backfired. Frank was

0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:25.679
<v Speaker 1>accompanied to his meeting with John Mulholland by his boss,

0:20:25.880 --> 0:20:31.200
<v Speaker 1>Vincent Ruitt and Sydney Gottlieb's assistant Robert Lashbrook, who both

0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:34.280
<v Speaker 1>seemed keen not to let him out of their sight.

0:20:35.400 --> 0:20:40.480
<v Speaker 1>Barely minutes after it started, Olson became distressed and disorientated

0:20:40.800 --> 0:20:45.280
<v Speaker 1>and didn't seem to understand what was happening. He asked Ruitt,

0:20:45.600 --> 0:20:48.040
<v Speaker 1>what are they trying to do with me? Are they

0:20:48.119 --> 0:20:53.360
<v Speaker 1>checking me for security? That night, once back at his hotel,

0:20:53.960 --> 0:20:58.960
<v Speaker 1>Frank somehow escaped from his CIA chaperones. He spent the

0:20:59.000 --> 0:21:04.200
<v Speaker 1>next few hours vacantly wandering the streets of Manhattan, discarding

0:21:04.240 --> 0:21:08.479
<v Speaker 1>his wallet and ID cards in the process. He seemed

0:21:08.520 --> 0:21:13.000
<v Speaker 1>calmer by the morning of Thanksgiving Day, November twenty sixth,

0:21:13.359 --> 0:21:16.040
<v Speaker 1>and was determined to make it home to his family

0:21:16.280 --> 0:21:21.040
<v Speaker 1>in time for dinner. So Olson, Ruit, and Lashbrook flew

0:21:21.080 --> 0:21:24.160
<v Speaker 1>back to Washington, d C. And started on the drive

0:21:24.280 --> 0:21:27.960
<v Speaker 1>back to Maryland. They were only a few minutes into it,

0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:32.520
<v Speaker 1>when Olson became agitated again. He yelled to the driver

0:21:32.720 --> 0:21:36.160
<v Speaker 1>to pull over and told Ruit that he couldn't bear

0:21:36.280 --> 0:21:39.600
<v Speaker 1>to face his family. He was too ashamed, he said,

0:21:40.040 --> 0:21:44.679
<v Speaker 1>and too mixed up. He begged Ruit just let me disappear,

0:21:45.280 --> 0:21:50.040
<v Speaker 1>but Ruit refused to let him out. Olsen then asked

0:21:50.119 --> 0:21:53.640
<v Speaker 1>Ruitt to turn him into the police instead. They were

0:21:53.680 --> 0:21:59.320
<v Speaker 1>looking for him anyway, he said, his tone desperate, disturbed,

0:21:59.359 --> 0:22:03.600
<v Speaker 1>and confused. Ruitt asked the driver to turn the car around.

0:22:04.359 --> 0:22:10.000
<v Speaker 1>They needed another session with Harold Abramson. The trio then

0:22:10.080 --> 0:22:13.440
<v Speaker 1>promptly returned to New York, where they shared a somber

0:22:13.640 --> 0:22:19.440
<v Speaker 1>Thanksgiving dinner in Midtown. While back in Frederick, Maryland, Alice

0:22:19.440 --> 0:22:23.639
<v Speaker 1>Olsen and the children ate their Thanksgiving dinner with an

0:22:23.680 --> 0:22:29.840
<v Speaker 1>empty chair at the table. The following day, Olson, Lashbrook,

0:22:29.920 --> 0:22:33.680
<v Speaker 1>and Ruit took a taxi to Abramson's weekend home in

0:22:33.800 --> 0:22:39.159
<v Speaker 1>Long Island. During his second session with Abramson, Olsen complained

0:22:39.480 --> 0:22:43.199
<v Speaker 1>that some people were out to get him, leading Abramson

0:22:43.359 --> 0:22:48.520
<v Speaker 1>to conclude that he was suffering from severe psychosis. After

0:22:48.560 --> 0:22:52.880
<v Speaker 1>convincing Frank that he needed to be hospitalized, Frank agreed

0:22:52.920 --> 0:22:57.760
<v Speaker 1>to check himself in voluntarily. Arrangements were made for Frank

0:22:57.840 --> 0:23:03.080
<v Speaker 1>to be admitted to Chestnut Lodge, a psychiatric hospital in Rockville, Maryland,

0:23:03.400 --> 0:23:08.400
<v Speaker 1>the following day. Later, he and Lashbrook returned to Manhattan

0:23:08.960 --> 0:23:20.400
<v Speaker 1>to stay one more night. On November twenty eighth, Lashbrook

0:23:20.400 --> 0:23:24.959
<v Speaker 1>and Olson checked into the Statler Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

0:23:25.880 --> 0:23:30.720
<v Speaker 1>They were given room ten eighteen, a thirteen floors up.

0:23:31.560 --> 0:23:36.240
<v Speaker 1>They ate dinner together at the hotel's restaurant. Olson seemed

0:23:36.320 --> 0:23:39.639
<v Speaker 1>much calmer and even a little relieved by the prospect

0:23:39.720 --> 0:23:43.600
<v Speaker 1>of being hospitalized. He told Lashbrook about the books he

0:23:43.640 --> 0:23:48.160
<v Speaker 1>planned to read during his time at Chestnut Lodge. Alice

0:23:48.200 --> 0:23:52.600
<v Speaker 1>was pleasantly surprised by Olson's relaxed tone when he called

0:23:52.640 --> 0:23:56.119
<v Speaker 1>her from the room that night. He seemed almost like

0:23:56.200 --> 0:23:59.720
<v Speaker 1>his old self. He told her that he was feeling

0:23:59.800 --> 0:24:02.880
<v Speaker 1>much better and looked forward to seeing her the next day.

0:24:03.840 --> 0:24:07.160
<v Speaker 1>Chestnut Lodge was a short drive from their home in Frederick,

0:24:07.440 --> 0:24:09.840
<v Speaker 1>and she planned to visit him as soon as he'd

0:24:09.880 --> 0:24:14.639
<v Speaker 1>been admitted. Olson and Lashbrook watched TV for about an

0:24:14.680 --> 0:24:19.040
<v Speaker 1>hour and then went to bed around ten thirty pm.

0:24:19.720 --> 0:24:23.520
<v Speaker 1>According to Lashbrook's account, he was jolted awake a few

0:24:23.560 --> 0:24:28.320
<v Speaker 1>hours later by the sound of glass shattering. Disorientated and

0:24:28.400 --> 0:24:32.640
<v Speaker 1>half asleep, he felt a vicious cold breeze whip through

0:24:32.640 --> 0:24:37.720
<v Speaker 1>the room. He fumbled for the bedside lamp, switching it on.

0:24:38.160 --> 0:24:41.240
<v Speaker 1>He saw that Olson's bed was empty, and that the

0:24:41.280 --> 0:24:46.840
<v Speaker 1>window was completely smashed and the floor covered in broken glass.

0:24:48.080 --> 0:24:51.840
<v Speaker 1>It's been speculated that Lashbrook must have gone to the window,

0:24:52.440 --> 0:24:56.199
<v Speaker 1>he must have seen Olson's body on the sidewalk, but

0:24:56.359 --> 0:24:59.600
<v Speaker 1>for some reason he didn't rush down to join hotel

0:24:59.640 --> 0:25:05.159
<v Speaker 1>manager Armand Pastore at his side. Instead, he stayed in

0:25:05.200 --> 0:25:09.960
<v Speaker 1>the room, picked up the phone and dialed Harold Abramson.

0:25:11.119 --> 0:25:17.159
<v Speaker 1>When Abramson picked up, Lashbrook said three words, well he's gone,

0:25:18.000 --> 0:25:24.320
<v Speaker 1>and Abramson responded, that's too bad. Then Lashbrook hung up

0:25:24.400 --> 0:25:35.960
<v Speaker 1>the phone. When Statler hotel manager Armond Pastore and the

0:25:36.040 --> 0:25:39.480
<v Speaker 1>police knocked on the door of ten eighteen A, there

0:25:39.560 --> 0:25:44.280
<v Speaker 1>was no answer. Pastore opened it using his master key

0:25:44.680 --> 0:25:48.960
<v Speaker 1>and invited the officers to enter before him. The room

0:25:49.080 --> 0:25:52.879
<v Speaker 1>was empty and freezing cold from the broken window. The

0:25:53.000 --> 0:25:58.239
<v Speaker 1>curtain still fully drawn, belowed in the night air. One

0:25:58.320 --> 0:26:01.720
<v Speaker 1>of the officers noticed that the bathroom door was closed,

0:26:02.080 --> 0:26:07.879
<v Speaker 1>but the light inside was on. They pushed open the door. Inside,

0:26:07.960 --> 0:26:12.080
<v Speaker 1>they found Robert Lashbrook sitting on the closed toilet with

0:26:12.200 --> 0:26:16.320
<v Speaker 1>his head in his hands, seemingly in a state of shock.

0:26:16.760 --> 0:26:19.199
<v Speaker 1>He told the police that he'd been woken by the

0:26:19.240 --> 0:26:22.359
<v Speaker 1>sound of the window breaking, then switched on the light

0:26:22.800 --> 0:26:26.679
<v Speaker 1>to find that Olsen had gone. Only when he walked

0:26:26.720 --> 0:26:29.840
<v Speaker 1>over to the window did he realize what had happened.

0:26:31.000 --> 0:26:36.240
<v Speaker 1>He identified himself and Olson as government employees without mentioning

0:26:36.280 --> 0:26:39.880
<v Speaker 1>the CIA, and said that he had no idea why

0:26:39.920 --> 0:26:44.879
<v Speaker 1>Olsen had jumped. It seemed strange to pass dory. In

0:26:44.920 --> 0:26:47.840
<v Speaker 1>all of his years in the hotel business, he'd never

0:26:47.920 --> 0:26:52.000
<v Speaker 1>heard of anybody taking a running jump through a closed

0:26:52.119 --> 0:26:57.040
<v Speaker 1>sash window with the curtains still drawn. But the police

0:26:57.080 --> 0:26:59.879
<v Speaker 1>seemed to take it all at face value, and in

0:27:00.080 --> 0:27:04.720
<v Speaker 1>his official report, the lead detective described Olson's death as

0:27:04.720 --> 0:27:11.080
<v Speaker 1>a suicide. A few hours later, in Frederick, Maryland, Eric Olson,

0:27:11.480 --> 0:27:15.119
<v Speaker 1>Frank's nine year old son, was woken up by his mother.

0:27:16.320 --> 0:27:21.040
<v Speaker 1>She looked sad and pale. She took Eric downstairs and

0:27:21.119 --> 0:27:24.240
<v Speaker 1>led him into the living room, where his father's boss,

0:27:24.359 --> 0:27:29.440
<v Speaker 1>Vincent's Ruit, was waiting on the couch. Ruit told Eric

0:27:29.800 --> 0:27:33.359
<v Speaker 1>that there'd been an accident in New York. His father

0:27:33.800 --> 0:27:37.439
<v Speaker 1>had fallen or jumped to his death from the window

0:27:37.520 --> 0:27:42.520
<v Speaker 1>of his hotel room. Nine year old Eric Olson's grief

0:27:43.040 --> 0:27:47.840
<v Speaker 1>was fogged by confusion. Just two days before, he'd been

0:27:47.880 --> 0:27:53.280
<v Speaker 1>expecting his father home for Thanksgiving. Now he was dead,

0:27:53.560 --> 0:27:57.040
<v Speaker 1>and no version of the story seemed to make any sense.

0:27:58.080 --> 0:28:01.159
<v Speaker 1>But being only nine years old, he had no reason

0:28:01.200 --> 0:28:05.560
<v Speaker 1>to doubt what this respectable grown up man was telling him.

0:28:06.880 --> 0:28:11.000
<v Speaker 1>Frank's wife, Alice, was later told that family members shouldn't

0:28:11.080 --> 0:28:14.400
<v Speaker 1>view the body due to the extent of the injuries

0:28:14.600 --> 0:28:24.560
<v Speaker 1>that Olson had suffered from his fall. A few days

0:28:24.560 --> 0:28:28.199
<v Speaker 1>after his death, Frank Hulsen's funeral was held with a

0:28:28.240 --> 0:28:33.240
<v Speaker 1>closed casket. Alice, unwilling or unable to talk about what

0:28:33.359 --> 0:28:37.720
<v Speaker 1>had happened, discouraged her children from asking questions about their

0:28:37.720 --> 0:28:41.920
<v Speaker 1>father's death. Over and over again. She would tell them,

0:28:42.400 --> 0:28:45.480
<v Speaker 1>you are never going to know what happened in that room.

0:28:47.200 --> 0:28:51.440
<v Speaker 1>The Medical Examiner's office listed Frank Olsen's cause of death

0:28:51.640 --> 0:28:57.680
<v Speaker 1>as multiple fractures, shock, and hemorrhages, but no autopsy was

0:28:57.720 --> 0:29:02.960
<v Speaker 1>ever performed on Olsen's body. As a result, nobody seemed

0:29:03.000 --> 0:29:05.880
<v Speaker 1>to take note of the distinctive head wound on his

0:29:06.000 --> 0:29:10.160
<v Speaker 1>left temple, and how inconsistent it was with the rest

0:29:10.160 --> 0:29:14.719
<v Speaker 1>of his injuries, both in its position and its severity,

0:29:15.640 --> 0:29:18.840
<v Speaker 1>the kind of injury caused by a sharp blow to

0:29:18.920 --> 0:29:24.040
<v Speaker 1>the head at close range. Had a pathologist seen it,

0:29:24.480 --> 0:29:28.000
<v Speaker 1>they might well have drawn the conclusion that Frank Olsen

0:29:28.160 --> 0:29:32.800
<v Speaker 1>had been knocked unconscious before he went through the window,

0:29:33.840 --> 0:29:38.440
<v Speaker 1>that he'd fought to stay alive and lost, and that

0:29:38.520 --> 0:29:42.000
<v Speaker 1>when he dasht through it to just let him disappear,

0:29:42.640 --> 0:29:46.280
<v Speaker 1>he wasn't simply lost in a fog of depression, but

0:29:46.640 --> 0:29:53.360
<v Speaker 1>was in fact a condemned man begging for his life.

0:29:53.640 --> 0:29:58.480
<v Speaker 1>You've been listening to Unexplained Season seven, episode one, The

0:29:58.600 --> 0:30:03.400
<v Speaker 1>Fall Without End, Part one. The second and final part,

0:30:03.600 --> 0:30:12.080
<v Speaker 1>will be released next Friday, August fourth. This episode was

0:30:12.120 --> 0:30:16.480
<v Speaker 1>written by Emma Dibden Unexplained as an Avy Club Productions

0:30:16.520 --> 0:30:21.080
<v Speaker 1>podcast created by Richard mclin Smith. All other elements of

0:30:21.120 --> 0:30:24.560
<v Speaker 1>the podcast, including the music, are also produced by me

0:30:24.800 --> 0:30:29.160
<v Speaker 1>Richard mc clain smith. Unexplained. The book and audiobook, with

0:30:29.360 --> 0:30:32.760
<v Speaker 1>stories never before featured on the show, is now available

0:30:32.760 --> 0:30:38.240
<v Speaker 1>to buy worldwide. You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones,

0:30:38.280 --> 0:30:42.120
<v Speaker 1>and other bookstores. Please subscribe to and rate the show

0:30:42.440 --> 0:30:45.320
<v Speaker 1>wherever you get your podcasts, and feel free to get

0:30:45.360 --> 0:30:48.760
<v Speaker 1>in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories

0:30:48.800 --> 0:30:51.600
<v Speaker 1>you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation

0:30:51.680 --> 0:30:54.280
<v Speaker 1>of your own you'd like to share. You can find

0:30:54.280 --> 0:30:57.800
<v Speaker 1>out more at Unexplained podcast dot com and reach us

0:30:57.840 --> 0:31:02.120
<v Speaker 1>online through Twitter at Unexplained and pod, and Facebook at

0:31:02.160 --> 0:31:05.880
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