1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hello, Welcome 5 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: back to the show. My name is Matt, my name 6 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: is Null. They call me Ben. We are joined, as 7 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: always in spirit with our super producer Paul Mission Controlled decond. 8 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 1: Today we are joined in person with our super producer 9 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: Seth Johnson, who you may recognize from earlier episodes. Most importantly, 10 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 1: you are you. You are here, and that makes this 11 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: stuff they don't want you to know. We're we're diving 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: back into the storied world depicted in action and venture 13 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: films from the seventies and the eighties and the nineties. 14 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: You know the kind of national treasure Indiana Jones three 15 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: keen sort of vibe, you're going to steal a declaration 16 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: of independence now, well and well kind of. I mean, 17 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: they're gonna steal all kinds of treasure from countries across Europe. 18 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: Wealth is an independence of sorts, right, we were we're 19 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: talking off air about our various lottery plans. Uh. I 20 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:20,119 Speaker 1: don't know if I ever shared it with you at 21 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:23,759 Speaker 1: my My list of pranks to pull is an eccentric billionaire. 22 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: It's a Google doc. Yeah, it's an old one. Yeah, 23 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: but I keep it just you know, if something occurs, 24 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: it's good to have sort of a vision board of sorts. 25 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: And it's also a good idea to give Google heads up. 26 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, oh yeah, you know the love, the love 27 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: what I have in store for the planet. So we 28 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: are talking about treasure literal tons of gold stolen during 29 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: wartime and hidden away. This story takes place in World 30 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: War Two, but it's it's not unique because we know 31 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: that the chaos left in the wake of global conflicts 32 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: is for many people an opportunity. What's that old line, 33 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 1: chaos is a ladder. I believe that was from Game 34 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 1: of Thrones. Perhaps maybe it's a little Finger. So little 35 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 1: Finger was not commenting on the Nazi regime, but for 36 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: members of the Nazi regime, that statement holds true. Here 37 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: are the facts. First. First things first, the Nazi Party 38 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: stole not a ton of stuff. They stole tons and 39 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: tons of things, thousands of tons, millions of tons of stuff. 40 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: And it's common knowledge that they looted numerous groups. They 41 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: took the assets of victims of the holocaust of citizens 42 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 1: and repressed countries. They looted entire banks of countries when 43 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: they occupied them. Well, yeah, and you can you can 44 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: kind of begin to understand the pattern. When you have 45 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: an invading army that goes into one place that is 46 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: not controlled by you or your government, then you essentially 47 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: are vic torrious militarily than the spoils, unfortunately go to you, 48 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: and then you use those two then fund the next 49 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: one that you enter, and it really is like this 50 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: huge series of bank heists um that we can kind 51 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 1: of see painted across Europe during World War Two. And 52 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: you know, one thing I noticed is that none of 53 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: the invading or occupying forces ever took the money that 54 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: they had and put it towards supporting people. It was 55 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:32,399 Speaker 1: always just as you said, to further fund expansionist ambitions. 56 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: We know that Germany when it was under control of 57 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: the Nazi Party had a real dilemma of physical limit 58 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: to the amount of resources that they could generate within 59 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: their own domain. So they had to they had to 60 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: get liquidity, they had to get wealth. They were able 61 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: to get a bunch of gold, and they needed help 62 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: swapping that gold for currency that they could then use 63 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: to acquire this stuff they needed but didn't have, like 64 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: high quality iron oil, tungsten, other materials like that. And 65 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 1: so they went to the neutral powers, the neutral countries 66 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: in this conflict, like Switzerland, that's going to be one 67 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:16,719 Speaker 1: of the stars of our show today, and they asked 68 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 1: Swiss banks and Swiss institutions to help them transfer gold, 69 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: transfer currencies and commodities between nations because even though there 70 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,840 Speaker 1: was a war going on, businesses kept running, right, banks 71 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: were still in play very much so likely profiting from 72 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: said war in some ways. Absolutely IBM as well. It 73 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: wasn't just banks, oh oh absolutely, But then you know, 74 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,599 Speaker 1: you see this as a the new system that is 75 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: created for for their money necessities, the right the Third Reich, 76 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:55,839 Speaker 1: and it kind of works for a time. But then 77 00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: as the well, it's not they didn't know the war 78 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:01,559 Speaker 1: was coming to a close. But as things weren't going 79 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 1: so well for the access powers, and as the Allied 80 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: powers are gaining more and more allies and gaining more 81 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,919 Speaker 1: and more support, uh, it's harder and harder for the 82 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 1: Nazi Party to use a lot of these third party 83 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: neutral countries to do a lot of this fencing essentially 84 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,039 Speaker 1: exactly yes, And I love that you're using the phrase fencing, 85 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 1: because this system was uh system of laundering resources and 86 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: fencing stolen goods. By the writing was on the wall, businesses, governments, 87 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: access and Allied powers alike knew that the war was 88 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: not going to keep going, and Germany became more and 89 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: more reliant on institutions in Switzerland because other neutral parties 90 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 1: started to acquiesce to Allied demands and they said, look, 91 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: we we've got to put some distance between you. We 92 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: can't we can't accept gold and coins right now, our 93 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: species as they're called, we also are going to be 94 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 1: less and less likely to accept reich marks. And now 95 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: Germany has the option of paying with foreign currency. But 96 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: it turns out that years of belligerents and militarism often 97 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,080 Speaker 1: don't leave governments with a lot of foreign currency because 98 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:22,920 Speaker 1: they burned a lot of bridges literally to the ground. 99 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: So these banks essentially became clearing houses for stolen German 100 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:33,120 Speaker 1: gold from numerous occupied countries that could then be converted 101 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: to a less objectionable form of currency and medium, if 102 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: you will. UM Diplomatic cables from the time support this. 103 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: For example, UH, the fact that the Swiss National Bank 104 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: actually helped the German Reich's bunk convert and estimated fifteen 105 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 1: million in stolen Dutch gold um and they didn't ask 106 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: any questions. That's the craziest part. No, they asked my 107 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,480 Speaker 1: bank questions, guests, question if I deposit more than five 108 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: thousand dollars, you know, like how it's in you know 109 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: what I mean, like it's it's insane. The level of 110 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:12,600 Speaker 1: brazen crookedness in this situation here right, Well, yeah, but 111 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:18,239 Speaker 1: it's from an objective stance, it's really messed up. Because 112 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 1: if you are a banking institution and your primary goals 113 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: are the primary goals of controlling as much money as 114 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: possible to be able to pump out more money and loan, 115 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:31,560 Speaker 1: so then take more money in and you get an 116 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: offer of fifteen million dollars to be deposited, depending on 117 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: where it's coming from, maybe it doesn't matter so much 118 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: at least I don't know if that's really looking at 119 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: a cold way and it's it sucks. There's also plausible deniability. 120 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:51,880 Speaker 1: Exactly who knows I I yeah, well we do know 121 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 1: kind of with the through the cables, but the exact 122 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: way in which the Swiss Bank was approached with the 123 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 1: money right right where they approached via a proxy or something. 124 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 1: That's why that's why the Swiss National Bank example is 125 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: important because it was the actual German state actor bank 126 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: that was interactive with them directly. This this is strange 127 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 1: because sure one could say that, Let's say I'm the 128 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: head of a Swiss bank. One could say, well, I 129 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: see so many transactions all the time. We move a 130 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: lot of a lot of money around the world. We 131 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: work in volume. Baby, I can't be lying item checking 132 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: every single Nazi gold request. Yeah, I mean I I 133 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: don't know if Swiss bankers are that casual at that time, 134 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,679 Speaker 1: but we do know this was a very common practice. 135 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 1: According to the CIA, German efforts to acquire foreign currency 136 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 1: and converted to war materials became increasingly clandestine as the 137 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:58,079 Speaker 1: Allied forces were encroaching and as the war was turning 138 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,439 Speaker 1: in their favor. It makes total sense, right, and it 139 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: matches right up with our Ratlines episode, where like you said, 140 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,000 Speaker 1: as they're seeing the writing on the wall, they're gonna 141 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: try and secret away this money, just as they secreted 142 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: away themselves and the important officers and scientists and things. Um. 143 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: They wanted to be able to control it later. Perhaps, yes, 144 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:19,960 Speaker 1: that was the that was the idea, and that's what 145 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: the Allied forces believed was happening. For Germany, a lot 146 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 1: of problems cropped up very quickly. They had these long 147 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: term exchange agreements, Right, we'll give you x amount of 148 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 1: whatever over why amounts of years, and in return you'll 149 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 1: give us oil or iron gas, etcetera. Now those are impossible. 150 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: Neutral countries will no longer do them because they're like, 151 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 1: why would I agree to do something with you for 152 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: five years? It's uh, it's not looking good for you, 153 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: you know. And now the neutral parties will only work 154 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 1: with Germany on what they called a cash and carry basis, 155 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: one off, short term transaction. Still for Germany it's better 156 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: than nothing, but the way in which they interacted changed 157 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:11,079 Speaker 1: to they started to want more proxies, more private entities 158 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: to deal with them. So we could say, for instance, so, well, 159 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:17,840 Speaker 1: wasn't the government of Switzerland's absolutely, or it wasn't even 160 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:21,840 Speaker 1: this major bank. It was like a smaller part of 161 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:25,960 Speaker 1: this bank, a subsidiary of some sort. Right, And this 162 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: gives Allied observers and pause, and they start to believe 163 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:35,079 Speaker 1: that there is a conspiracy. They think perhaps the German 164 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: forces are pretending to fall, pretending to surrender, and that 165 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 1: they will reaggregate all this stuff they have stolen and 166 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: they will launch a fourth Reich into two listeners who 167 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: have been here for a while. That may remind you 168 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: of the long game deception ideas that were born out 169 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 1: of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. 170 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 1: Um kind of you could kind of apply the same deals. 171 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:05,840 Speaker 1: At least that's what the CIA was believed exactly, and 172 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: that's why the Unity Kingdom and the United States launched 173 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: Operation safe Haven, which will will explore a little bit further, 174 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 1: but for now just know it exists, and Operations safe 175 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 1: Haven and other endeavors were somewhat successful. We found some 176 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 1: of the stolen treasure, We recovered some of the gold 177 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: in in December. When Allied forces created safe Haven, they 178 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: wanted to they didn't want to take it for themselves, 179 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:40,600 Speaker 1: at least the way it was stated. Instead, what they 180 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: were trying to do was find the hidie holes, the 181 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:49,320 Speaker 1: bolt holes of treasure hidden away by German forces in 182 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 1: neutral countries, and then they would take that money and 183 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 1: they would move these funds to what they called safe havens. 184 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 1: These would be British or American humanitarian organization it's most 185 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 1: often uh, And this was meant to sure assist those 186 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: organizations in their humanitarian endeavors, but it was also meant 187 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 1: to disperse Nazi wealth, to leave no financial stone standing 188 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:19,440 Speaker 1: upon another financial stone. They wanted to cripple any further 189 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 1: attempts to resurrect the regime and the you know, there 190 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:26,199 Speaker 1: are some people listening saying, oh, you know, the language 191 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,960 Speaker 1: that's used in creating something like operations safe haven, even 192 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 1: the term safe haven when it's being transferred to a 193 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: country with such a large military force that is kind 194 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:39,440 Speaker 1: of going through and then dominating, right, and then saying well, 195 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:41,920 Speaker 1: we're gonna take all this stuff. We're gonna put it over, 196 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 1: you know, in places that we control, but it's gonna 197 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:47,680 Speaker 1: be safe there. You guys are cool. Everything's fine, it 198 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:50,880 Speaker 1: goes to a good cause. Yeah, everything's great. It's not 199 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:53,080 Speaker 1: the same thing as what the Nazis just did and 200 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:55,360 Speaker 1: took it all and then you know, hit it away 201 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: for their own purposes. We promise it's fine. It's called 202 00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:01,440 Speaker 1: a safe haven, right, you know, And you can just 203 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 1: see the parallels there. Depending on how you feel about 204 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 1: the operations of the United States government anyway, just putting 205 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: that out, I think that's an excellent point. And there's 206 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 1: a massive hole in this story because you see, despite 207 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: the efforts of the Allies, no one was able to 208 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:20,400 Speaker 1: locate all of the stolen gold, all of the stolen 209 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:24,319 Speaker 1: art and other assets looted from Germany's victims. In fact, 210 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty six, the British Foreign Office reported that 211 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: of all the gold stolen from occupied lands victims of 212 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:36,600 Speaker 1: the Holocaust, war casualties and so on, only one tenth 213 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 1: of it. Only ten percent had ever been located and returned. 214 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: So our question today is where did the rest of 215 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,600 Speaker 1: the treasure go? And we'll get to that right after 216 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: a word from our sponsor. Here's where it gets crazy. 217 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 1: So since pretty much right after the close of World 218 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 1: War Two, even a little bit before the war ended, 219 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 1: there were multiple rumors and conspiracy theories about Nazi gold, 220 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: and they popped in and out of official reports and 221 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:14,080 Speaker 1: your favorite mainstream news and your your favorite investigative documentaries 222 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 1: and stuff. Ever since they still they still come out today. 223 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 1: I'm the History Channel loves it. Yeah, I was gonna say, 224 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: I'm fairly certain that you can turn on the History 225 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: Channel on this weekend and I don't know, have a 226 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 1: thirty chance of of running into a Nazi gold story. 227 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I mean I literally watched a clip from 228 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 1: a show called Codes and Conspiracies where it was a 229 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 1: clip about one of the things we're gonna talk about today, 230 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: and it wasn't that long ago when it came out. 231 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: And here's the thing about it. These rumors and these um, 232 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: these stories, these alleged locations of this lost treasure. They 233 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: may vary implausibility, but it's so fascinating to people because 234 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 1: there are proven cases of this stuff being discovered, and 235 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:00,040 Speaker 1: there are also cases where the stuff seems to you 236 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: almost have been discovered and then disappeared from the news. Yeah, 237 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 1: and that's when you get into real suspicion about things 238 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: like operations safe Haven, where you're where you're just like, man, 239 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 1: nine of the stuff is still out there. We don't, 240 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 1: are we sure? We're like yeah, yeah, yeah, that's it. 241 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:25,240 Speaker 1: Oh man, um, should we talk about some examples? Sure? 242 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: So how about the S S. Menden Right, Yeah, the 243 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: German cargo ship scuttled near Iceland during the early days 244 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 1: of World War Two. So this is before the close 245 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 1: it was suspected to contain this huge trove of Nazi gold. 246 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:42,320 Speaker 1: How about we we cite one of our favorite sources, 247 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:44,720 Speaker 1: Fox News. I put, I know, I know in the 248 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: notes it's it's a good it's a good article. Are 249 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 1: you well, you know they're not all whatever. Uh So, 250 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: this merchant vessel hundred and twenty nautical miles south of 251 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 1: Iceland is in the international spotlight after um the chest 252 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:02,400 Speaker 1: with around four tons of Nazi gold was discovered in 253 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 1: the wreckage four tons of nazig four tons of Nazi go. 254 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:08,200 Speaker 1: Does that mean, like in the movies, is the Nazi 255 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: gold have swastikas on it stamped? Yeah? Maybe unclear? I 256 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 1: mean you would certainly know if you found it that way. Well, also, 257 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:21,360 Speaker 1: it depends on the provenance of the gold. If they 258 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: stole it from another country, probably have that stant what 259 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: I was thinking exactly? Um So this hall was valued 260 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:31,640 Speaker 1: at around a hundred million pounds, which, as we know 261 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: is is more than than dollars. I think this is 262 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 1: a story fromen and they estimated as million exactly. Uh 263 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: and yeah, okay, here's the official story of what happened 264 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 1: on September ninety nine, the ship was intercepted by two 265 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: British cruisers and the captain of the men didn't had 266 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: specific orders for this situation, which was do not be 267 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: captured or do not let the cargo be captured, so 268 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:05,680 Speaker 1: he sank the ship on purpose with everything aboard, and 269 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:09,000 Speaker 1: the shipwreck was discovered a rediscovered i should say, in 270 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 1: spring of ten. And then things get a little fuzzy 271 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: because they had to get permission from the authorities in 272 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 1: Iceland to investigate the wreckage and they conduct they eventually 273 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 1: in were able to search it for about three days, 274 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 1: and then after that operation, the search team, a UK 275 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:35,480 Speaker 1: based company called Advanced Marine Services, said to Iceland that 276 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:39,680 Speaker 1: no items of value were found. Of course, again that's 277 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: the official story, and there are going to be a 278 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: lot of people who just won't believe those folks, regardless 279 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:48,440 Speaker 1: of the facts. So this this one is interesting because 280 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,439 Speaker 1: now we have to ask ourselves, did somebody take the 281 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:55,359 Speaker 1: safe or the chest before the official search? Why was 282 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 1: the search so stymied by bureaucratic red tape? You know, 283 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,040 Speaker 1: I know, it makes you think maybe there's a small 284 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,159 Speaker 1: group of rogue treasure hunters out there that got there first, 285 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: or York or York, or maybe she's you know what, 286 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,960 Speaker 1: I don't want to pigeonholer. I'm going to get the treasure. 287 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: I like the gould. We'll go deep into the water 288 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: and fine the heathen jimsy. They will be guarded by 289 00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: the King of to see. Yeah, that sounds like York. Yeah. 290 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 1: So what we're going to see is we explore some 291 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: more of these examples. Is that, like a lot of 292 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:37,440 Speaker 1: conspiracy theories or rumors or speculation, there's a categorical thing 293 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,639 Speaker 1: at play. Certain tropes pop up over and over the golds, 294 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,760 Speaker 1: usually said to be hidden in banks held by the Vatican, 295 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: of course, or lost in some place that's difficult to access, 296 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: like a sunken vessel at the bottom of the ocean, 297 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:56,720 Speaker 1: or a mine for instance, that was then collapsed on purpose, 298 00:18:57,080 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 1: or something where it's very very difficult, if not impossible, 299 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:02,920 Speaker 1: to to get there. So so let's you you mentioned 300 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,600 Speaker 1: the v word. Let's uh, let's let's talk about the 301 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: Vatican and why they perhaps are a viable suspect for 302 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: where some of this treasure ended up. Okay, Yeah, So 303 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,639 Speaker 1: the U. S. State Department back in nineteen forty six, 304 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:23,920 Speaker 1: shortly after the Wars closed receives this top secret report 305 00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 1: from an agent named Emerson Bigelow, and Emerson says, I 306 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:33,440 Speaker 1: have heard from the OSS, the predecessor to the CIA, 307 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:39,440 Speaker 1: that there is something rotten going on with the Vatican 308 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:43,840 Speaker 1: and Nazi gold from World War two, or Nazi finances 309 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:48,199 Speaker 1: at least. And this this report is later called the 310 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,399 Speaker 1: Bigelow Report. Sometimes you'll hear it called the Bigelow Memo. 311 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: It wasn't declassified until decades later, in nineteen nine six, 312 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 1: and it it wasn't released until even Here's what the report says. 313 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:06,879 Speaker 1: It says back in the Vatican took three d fifty 314 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:12,119 Speaker 1: million Swiss francs worth of Nazi gold for quote unquote safekeeping. 315 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: And of that, hundred and fifty million Swiss francs have 316 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:20,879 Speaker 1: been impounded by British authorities at the Austro Swiss border. 317 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,760 Speaker 1: So where where did all this stuff go? What is 318 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 1: safe keeping? What is the safe haven? Right? According to Bigelow, 319 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:31,440 Speaker 1: the safe haven here is a numbered Swiss bank account 320 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:36,400 Speaker 1: and controlled by the Vatican. And that and Bigelow goes 321 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:38,879 Speaker 1: on to say that more than two d million Swiss 322 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:43,680 Speaker 1: francs worth of gold coins are transferred to Vatican City 323 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: or to the Vatican Bank, which is known as the 324 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: Institute for Works of Religion, with the assistance of the clergy. 325 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: And then it goes on to state that perhaps, or 326 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:59,720 Speaker 1: it's believed at least that then this money was funneled 327 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:04,160 Speaker 1: to play races like Argentina and Brazil. Where again it's 328 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:06,560 Speaker 1: the same thing where we where we looked at in 329 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 1: our rat rat Lines episode where the Vatican was assisting people, 330 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: or at least was alleged to be assisting people and 331 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: found to be assisting people a few times um Nazis 332 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 1: in particular to get to places like Argentina and Brazil. Yeah, 333 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,399 Speaker 1: and you know, we were careful in that episode to 334 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:27,359 Speaker 1: say this doesn't mean the Vatican overall was doing it. It 335 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:30,359 Speaker 1: It could be factions within this very large organization, but 336 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,719 Speaker 1: representatives of the Vatican at the very least helped. We 337 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:39,439 Speaker 1: should note that even today the Vatican Bank denies this. 338 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 1: They say there's no basis in reality to the report 339 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:46,879 Speaker 1: to the Big Low memo. So it goes down to 340 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,040 Speaker 1: you know who you who you trust to safe keep 341 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:53,119 Speaker 1: to safe keep? Who do you trust to safe keep? Uh, 342 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: there's a there's a weird situation going on in Bavaria 343 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:02,199 Speaker 1: that we found via the Sun, and the Sun is 344 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: the Sun is not a source that I would quote 345 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,400 Speaker 1: if I were writing a high school or college paper. 346 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 1: But they've got that kind of uh, tabloid vibes. Sometimes 347 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: it's like gone par with the mail yep exactly. But 348 00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 1: there's there's a great story that they tell him about 349 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:26,480 Speaker 1: a treasure hunter named Hans Gluck. Hans Gluke is what 350 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: is glu mean? Luck? J cool? Well, Hans Luck. Then 351 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: Hans Gluke uh seventy six back in and he'd been 352 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:44,960 Speaker 1: searching for this trove of gold, diamonds, artwork and for 353 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,800 Speaker 1: some reason, rare postage stamps which are still a big 354 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:53,200 Speaker 1: thing for twenty years. He has based on an old 355 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:56,960 Speaker 1: map that he found, Uh, he has he has become 356 00:22:57,040 --> 00:23:02,440 Speaker 1: certain that he's pinpointed this Nazi treasure that was lost 357 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:06,720 Speaker 1: on a train. Here's here's what happened, according to him 358 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:10,400 Speaker 1: and according to the Sun. During the close of the war, 359 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:15,840 Speaker 1: Heinrich Himler greenlit this bank heist, like you said, man, 360 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: he he greenlit an inside job bank heist. And he 361 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,840 Speaker 1: told his deputy, a fellow named Ernst Kultan Bruner, to 362 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,520 Speaker 1: empty the Berlin Reichs Bank of Loot and put it 363 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:27,800 Speaker 1: all on a train and send it to the Alps. 364 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:33,480 Speaker 1: And they thought, you know, after the wars officially declared over, 365 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:36,160 Speaker 1: will still be able to fight, will be funded by 366 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,119 Speaker 1: this treasure, will essentially be guerrillas, you know, move in 367 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: the night, will hide behind the trees, will will disrupt 368 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:46,200 Speaker 1: into me UH supply lines and so on. And they 369 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 1: wanted to have the train cross the border into Austria 370 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:52,879 Speaker 1: and then they would store all this stuff from the 371 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:57,679 Speaker 1: train an assault mine. But the Russians were advancing, the 372 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: Allied aircraft were just cloppering place. So the train hid 373 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:06,680 Speaker 1: in a tunnel for three days and the s s 374 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:10,280 Speaker 1: there had a had a functioning radio post nearby in 375 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: the forest, at a place called Iraq A R R 376 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:17,359 Speaker 1: A C H. And according to Hans Gluke, this is 377 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:22,399 Speaker 1: where the treasure ultimately ended up. We we know that 378 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:24,439 Speaker 1: at some point the train was you know, stuck in 379 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: that tunnel, right. We don't know what happened to the 380 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:31,440 Speaker 1: treasure after it. We do know that Soviet troops were 381 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 1: able to intercept a report from that Nazi radio post, 382 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 1: and the report simply read in German something like command executed, 383 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:43,480 Speaker 1: transport of guards, taken over stored in b S C. H. 384 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 1: W asked for further instructions. It all hinges. I want 385 00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:50,920 Speaker 1: that abbreviation means it well. And and you know that 386 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 1: if you go through and you read that whole story 387 00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 1: on the Sun, it's one of it. Like Ben said, 388 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:57,199 Speaker 1: it's one of those that feels a little far fetched. 389 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: But again, anytime there are seeds of truth within something 390 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 1: like this, I don't think you can allow dismiss it, right, 391 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:08,960 Speaker 1: I mean, just I would recommend hey go over to 392 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 1: the Sun check out Golden nine an E I N 393 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:14,400 Speaker 1: which just means gold now, and it says treasure hunter 394 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:18,400 Speaker 1: finds five hundred million dollars worth of gold Nazi gold 395 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:20,640 Speaker 1: in a Bavarian forest, but landowner won't let him dig 396 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:24,080 Speaker 1: it up, right right, Just a little more about the story, 397 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,440 Speaker 1: do you know it is? We do know that there 398 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 1: was some treasure in play because the guy who mentioned 399 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: Carlton Bruner, he gets away for a time. He goes 400 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:36,200 Speaker 1: to Austria where he's from, and he's not arrested until 401 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 1: May twelve. But in the garden at his house, like buried, 402 00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 1: I think, in a beat patch, they find seventy six 403 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:52,480 Speaker 1: ms of gold in six gold bars. And that's that's 404 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: clearly a case of like how much can I physically 405 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 1: carry with me when cash and carry? Yes, just so, 406 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:03,240 Speaker 1: And Carlton Brunner was found guilty of war crimes at Nuremberg. 407 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:07,320 Speaker 1: He was executing October sixteenth. He never told anybody where 408 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:12,080 Speaker 1: the loot went. But Gluke was contacted by an old 409 00:26:12,119 --> 00:26:15,640 Speaker 1: man with a strange tale about an s S officer 410 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:20,680 Speaker 1: shipped to Siberia who had sewn a map of sorts 411 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:23,920 Speaker 1: into the lining of his coat. And this is what 412 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 1: led Gluke off on his merry adventure, his frustrating chase. 413 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: Right now, as you can tell from the title, that 414 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:36,440 Speaker 1: match has read as far as we can see, the 415 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 1: excavation or the search is still being held up because 416 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:43,200 Speaker 1: the person who owns the property says, you know, hey, 417 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:46,399 Speaker 1: I'm maybe I'll find it, or Hans Gluke is accusing 418 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 1: them of that, yeah, yeah, and just so. I mean, 419 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:52,920 Speaker 1: it's so interesting the way this kind of thing plays out. 420 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:59,520 Speaker 1: It feels like the watch story from Pulpture, where it's 421 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: this thing, this map in this case instead of a watch. 422 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:06,679 Speaker 1: And and again there are no um cavities involved necessarily 423 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: other than the cavity in the coat, I guess. But 424 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:12,639 Speaker 1: but it's an important thing that got passed down and 425 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:14,600 Speaker 1: passed down because you know, it went from this guy 426 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:16,480 Speaker 1: who was important enough that he knew he was going 427 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 1: to get killed as soon as he entered a camp, 428 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:22,160 Speaker 1: gave it to another pow and like in hopes that 429 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:25,679 Speaker 1: it would make it back somewhere to someone. Um. And 430 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:28,439 Speaker 1: now it went to this other guy and now he's 431 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: searching for the treasure, but it's on this other person's 432 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:34,280 Speaker 1: land and he just can't go in there and you know, 433 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 1: dig up things willy nilly, or even follow the map 434 00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:39,680 Speaker 1: to exactly where it is because he wouldn't be able 435 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:41,399 Speaker 1: to dig it up because he wouldn't own it. It 436 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:44,560 Speaker 1: would be a great plot for a film, right, Yeah. 437 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,959 Speaker 1: And we have more examples ahead, including some that are 438 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:52,240 Speaker 1: a little closer to home. After a word from our sponsors, 439 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:02,359 Speaker 1: let's talk about Lake Toplets. A lake Toplets. It's a 440 00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:05,120 Speaker 1: fun name, right, It's also the source of a World 441 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:09,080 Speaker 1: War two legend. According to this story, the Nazi Party 442 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: dumped billions of dollars worth of stolen gold somewhere around 443 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,440 Speaker 1: to the tune of five point six billion dollars worth 444 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:21,520 Speaker 1: into an isolated lake, Lake Toplets in the forest in 445 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 1: the Alps. Yeah, and history dot com reports that in 446 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:29,639 Speaker 1: the forties, uh, the Nazis actually use this lake as 447 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:33,680 Speaker 1: a testing site for naval equipment and the mountains around 448 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:38,200 Speaker 1: it as uh series of strongholds, well more, I guess 449 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 1: retreats kind of you could say, for their military officers. 450 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:46,560 Speaker 1: Than In fifty nine, investigators found seven hundred million pounds 451 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:51,000 Speaker 1: worth of counterfeit bank notes that Hitler actually had a 452 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 1: pretty sinister plan to use to sabotage Britain's economy. And 453 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: what way do you think ben um flooded with exact 454 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:03,000 Speaker 1: and then the cash would be worthless if the notes 455 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:07,440 Speaker 1: are good enough, there's no way to discern the fake 456 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:09,520 Speaker 1: ones from the real ones. Yeah, one of those conspiracy 457 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:11,960 Speaker 1: theories people are always talking about China, Like China could 458 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:14,640 Speaker 1: do that devalue our currency by flooding because they've like 459 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: stockpiled all this American currency and they could like affect 460 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: our economy by like flooding us with with cash. Yeah, 461 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:24,000 Speaker 1: but that's a different kind of thing in in this case, 462 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,760 Speaker 1: imagine the chaos of seven hundred million dollars just being 463 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: at play now that you know is counterfeit. You don't 464 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,400 Speaker 1: even know how much is is out there, Like if 465 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:36,720 Speaker 1: you're on the Allied side or the United States side, 466 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 1: you would have no idea how much is actually in 467 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 1: the system, but you would know that, Oh my god, 468 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:45,600 Speaker 1: a great portion of the exchanges that are occurring within 469 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,920 Speaker 1: our economy right now are happening with phony money, and 470 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 1: now every single transaction is going to have the question, 471 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 1: especially given how fragile the British economy is at the time, 472 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:01,280 Speaker 1: because you know, London had been bombed left to write UH, 473 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:05,680 Speaker 1: and it was definitely in a recovery period. The interesting 474 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: thing about what you said, no regarding UH, the the 475 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:14,720 Speaker 1: idea of currency devaluing, it's another theory could happen. UH. 476 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:18,400 Speaker 1: The only difference would be that the assets the government 477 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:20,600 Speaker 1: of China would hold in that situation would be real 478 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:24,240 Speaker 1: and not counterfeit. The best counterfeit notes, though US notes, 479 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:26,400 Speaker 1: are from that part of the world. There the North 480 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 1: Korean supernotes. According to the Treasury Department, the way you 481 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:32,640 Speaker 1: can tell a North Korean supernoe from a real one 482 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:36,800 Speaker 1: dollar bill is that the supernoe looks better. It's like 483 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 1: a better bill. We did a story of ridiculous history 484 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 1: about this very thing where there was a very crafty gentleman. 485 00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: It was in Spain, I believe, I can't remember now. 486 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:49,920 Speaker 1: He figured out a way to counterfeit money and then 487 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:52,600 Speaker 1: did flood it, and he actually single handedly kind of 488 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:56,800 Speaker 1: wrecked the economy of Portugal. Is where it was. Yeah, yeah, 489 00:30:56,800 --> 00:31:01,240 Speaker 1: he's the Portuguese bank note crisis. And actually our show 490 00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:03,520 Speaker 1: for that is the top resultant Google when I searched 491 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:06,920 Speaker 1: for it by school. It was Artur Alves Reyes who 492 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,800 Speaker 1: was the mastermind behind this, but a very similar scheme. Right, 493 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,200 Speaker 1: It wasn't he wasn't trying to wreak havoc. It just 494 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 1: kind of was a byproduct of his greed, and he 495 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:20,240 Speaker 1: uh basically single handedly toppled the banking system of Portugal. 496 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:26,640 Speaker 1: And this this had nothing on what Hitler had planned, right, 497 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,840 Speaker 1: and we have to wonder how this would have played out. 498 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:34,400 Speaker 1: So there was some kind of treasure found already, like Toplets, 499 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:38,720 Speaker 1: and that was uh seven million pounds worth of counterfeit notes. 500 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,280 Speaker 1: As for the other stuff, as for billions of dollars 501 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:45,560 Speaker 1: of gold that has yet to be found today, however, 502 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:49,959 Speaker 1: we do have a case of some of this Nazi 503 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:52,400 Speaker 1: gold actually being found. It was a real thing, a 504 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:55,320 Speaker 1: real conspiracy to hide it. Oh yes, And this takes 505 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 1: us back to Operation safe Haven as it was, uh 506 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,360 Speaker 1: as it was not really beginning, but it was in 507 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 1: full play here and there were a group of it's 508 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:10,560 Speaker 1: actually a really large number of the United States Army, 509 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:15,800 Speaker 1: the third Army, ninety Infantry Division. They're in Mrkers, Germany, Okay, 510 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 1: and it's it's as the war is ending. They're kind 511 00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:22,840 Speaker 1: of doing clean up. They're trying to find gold during 512 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:26,400 Speaker 1: Operations safe Haven, as we mentioned before. And it's April five, 513 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:32,440 Speaker 1: nineteen and some military police from from this division they 514 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:37,120 Speaker 1: come upon two refugees essentially, they're they're called displaced persons. 515 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:42,800 Speaker 1: They're from France. According to uh A h C. They 516 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:49,040 Speaker 1: were two female French citizens who were displaced. And there's 517 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 1: a large amount of gold that had been transferred and 518 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 1: been moved out and then moved near Merkers somewhere. But 519 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:58,640 Speaker 1: nobody could you know, verify any of these they're just rumors, right. 520 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:02,080 Speaker 1: They just knew that they were frequently trucks that were 521 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:06,920 Speaker 1: loaded with some sort of precious object in these trucks 522 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 1: were coming continually during the night. Yeah, and they were 523 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,320 Speaker 1: going to a very specific place and it was this 524 00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:17,320 Speaker 1: mine near Merkers. It was a potassium mind of all things. 525 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:21,960 Speaker 1: And these women, these two displaced persons where France said, yeah, oh, 526 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:24,160 Speaker 1: do you guys know about that mine? Right with all 527 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 1: that gold in it? Right? You guys know about that? 528 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:29,719 Speaker 1: And that's all it took. Really they decided, okay, we're 529 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:33,680 Speaker 1: gonna go check this out. And uh, they they found 530 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:36,480 Speaker 1: their way by the way, General Eisenhower in General Patton 531 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:39,560 Speaker 1: were a part of this little mission to go down 532 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:44,240 Speaker 1: into the mine and try and see what's down there. Yeah, 533 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:48,960 Speaker 1: and Patton has Patton has his own crazy scheme that 534 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,040 Speaker 1: we can maybe mentioned at the end here. But what 535 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:54,960 Speaker 1: do they find when they when they go into the mine, Well, 536 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,959 Speaker 1: a whole crap ton of gold, seven thousand sacks of 537 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:03,240 Speaker 1: gold bully to be precise, um in an underground area 538 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 1: that was around seventy deep a hundred and fifty feet 539 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:10,280 Speaker 1: wide um. And the mine also had ninety eight million 540 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 1: francs French francs uh and um. The there's also a 541 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:18,280 Speaker 1: ton of gold coin that was recovered down they're separate 542 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:24,200 Speaker 1: and this absolute smorgess Borg of currency. Um wasn't even 543 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:26,839 Speaker 1: the most alarming thing that they found down there. They 544 00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:32,080 Speaker 1: also found luggage with gold fillings that had been extracted 545 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:37,560 Speaker 1: from Yeah, you guessed, at concentration camp detainees. And you 546 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:41,560 Speaker 1: can actually see some film that was taken around or 547 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:44,359 Speaker 1: of that time of what they found. There, a lot 548 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:48,600 Speaker 1: of still photographs, some like I said, film and it 549 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,400 Speaker 1: I don't even know how to describe it unless you 550 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:55,720 Speaker 1: Unless you see it, you won't understand such a large 551 00:34:55,760 --> 00:35:02,480 Speaker 1: container of the gold from human beings. Mouthed, yeah, and 552 00:35:02,719 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 1: this this was a real thing. I think a lot 553 00:35:05,239 --> 00:35:08,360 Speaker 1: of people when they first learned of this at the 554 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:10,719 Speaker 1: close of World War Two, I think a lot of 555 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:13,719 Speaker 1: people thought maybe it was propaganda, or maybe it was 556 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:18,960 Speaker 1: an unnecessary exaggeration. But it was not propaganda. It was 557 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:22,880 Speaker 1: not an exaggeration. They were taking people's wedding rings, their watches, 558 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:27,359 Speaker 1: they were literally taking metal out of people's teeth. And 559 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:32,880 Speaker 1: this plunder, this Nazi gold story. We usually see reports 560 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:36,080 Speaker 1: of it being scrolled away somewhere in Europe, right in 561 00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:38,880 Speaker 1: a mine or in a Swiss bank, or in the Vatican, 562 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:41,239 Speaker 1: or we see it maybe as you said, Matt, being 563 00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:46,640 Speaker 1: wired or transported somehow to South America, which also is 564 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:51,920 Speaker 1: very plausible, but we don't often talk about the plunder 565 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:57,440 Speaker 1: closer to home. The United States is also guilty of 566 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:04,200 Speaker 1: these types of nefarious clandestine activities. In The New York 567 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:09,080 Speaker 1: Times reported this this following claim quote. In nineteen fifty, 568 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:11,880 Speaker 1: the Federal Reserve Bank of New York melted down hundreds 569 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:15,479 Speaker 1: of gold bars, burying the swastika imprint and recast them 570 00:36:15,680 --> 00:36:19,560 Speaker 1: with a pristine stamp bearing the words United States Assay Office. 571 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:23,160 Speaker 1: At the time, according to memos from the FED, the U. S. 572 00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:25,560 Speaker 1: Treasury knew that a lot of the gold, worth about 573 00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:28,160 Speaker 1: twenty three million at the time, had been stolen from 574 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:31,000 Speaker 1: the Netherlands in Belgium when they were invaded by Germany. 575 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:36,840 Speaker 1: Operation Right. But this is like, you know this nineteen fifty, 576 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:41,200 Speaker 1: Uncle Sam is not really asking questions, Just like the 577 00:36:41,239 --> 00:36:45,399 Speaker 1: Swiss banks, just like the the other collaborating forces that 578 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:50,600 Speaker 1: we publicly despised, the US is just taking the money 579 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:54,000 Speaker 1: and running. The rationale here is that Uncle Sam is 580 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:57,799 Speaker 1: primarily concerned with rebuilding Europe at this time, rather than 581 00:36:57,840 --> 00:37:02,839 Speaker 1: investigating the ethical injuries in the providence of this stolen loop. 582 00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:05,520 Speaker 1: But back to New York Times. At the request of 583 00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:08,440 Speaker 1: the National City Bank, which later became City Bank, the 584 00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:12,799 Speaker 1: Treasury Department authorized the reissue of the gold, and that was, 585 00:37:12,920 --> 00:37:16,719 Speaker 1: according to this reporter, a polite phrase for purifying it 586 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:19,640 Speaker 1: and wiping out the German markings so the gold could 587 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:23,640 Speaker 1: be used as collateral for a transaction between Spain and 588 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:26,439 Speaker 1: the I T. T Corporation that we're trying to build 589 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:30,800 Speaker 1: a telephone system. But here's the other problems. It gets 590 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:35,600 Speaker 1: more uncomfortable, Yeah, boy does it. Ever, the Germans meant 591 00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:39,960 Speaker 1: was known for taking gold that German troops stole from 592 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:43,200 Speaker 1: central banks all over Europe and then melted them down. 593 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:50,000 Speaker 1: Together with those more grizzly examples of plunder, the tooth fillings, UM, 594 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:53,480 Speaker 1: things like wedding rings and other jewelry that was looted 595 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:57,640 Speaker 1: from um people who were in turn in those concentration 596 00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:02,040 Speaker 1: camps and the death camps victims. Germany's goal was to 597 00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:06,120 Speaker 1: put these lifted items into a form that was a 598 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:09,359 Speaker 1: lot harder to trace and then could be laundered through 599 00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:15,319 Speaker 1: the Swiss National Bank. Yeah. Yeah, and um, it's hard 600 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,680 Speaker 1: to really know how much of the kind of gold 601 00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:22,280 Speaker 1: that we're talking about that came from victims from concentration 602 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:26,359 Speaker 1: camps actually made it into each individual gold bullion bar 603 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:31,719 Speaker 1: or each each coin that was then minted in Germany. 604 00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:34,879 Speaker 1: But we do know it happened, and we do know 605 00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:39,080 Speaker 1: that kind of gold was also just anecdotally smelted down 606 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:43,399 Speaker 1: to create fillings for SS officers. That was a real 607 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:48,160 Speaker 1: thing that occurred. Hitler's own dentist, the guy that he used, 608 00:38:48,239 --> 00:38:52,399 Speaker 1: would do that. Uh. And of course it's not proven. Uh, 609 00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:57,040 Speaker 1: there are rumors all over the place that specifically gold 610 00:38:57,080 --> 00:39:00,480 Speaker 1: from other people's mouths ended up in Hitler's mouth. Blah 611 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:04,440 Speaker 1: blah blah. But but just the feeling that you're probably 612 00:39:04,560 --> 00:39:08,200 Speaker 1: getting just from knowing some of that, that perhaps this 613 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:12,279 Speaker 1: gold that the United States melted down and purified was 614 00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:17,520 Speaker 1: actually from victims from concentration camps. Perhaps perhaps right. We'll 615 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:20,960 Speaker 1: also have to note that the purification process, the re 616 00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:27,040 Speaker 1: smelting conducted by the government, likely wiped out all traces 617 00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:30,879 Speaker 1: of what historians call hate this euphemism, but that's this's 618 00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:36,680 Speaker 1: the euphemism people use non monetary gold. M uh, you know, 619 00:39:36,719 --> 00:39:39,640 Speaker 1: because it's gold that was never meant to be currency. 620 00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:42,160 Speaker 1: But if we think about it, that means that the 621 00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:46,880 Speaker 1: US had literally taken blood, money, gold ripped from people's mouths, 622 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:49,600 Speaker 1: and there are there, there are more. I know a 623 00:39:49,600 --> 00:39:52,319 Speaker 1: lot of us listening today are saying, guys, you have 624 00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:56,240 Speaker 1: to talk about the Nazi gold train. So quick mention 625 00:39:56,280 --> 00:40:01,319 Speaker 1: of that. There's a local legend in Poland that a 626 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:06,080 Speaker 1: train laden with gold had disappeared in May of nineteen. 627 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:10,839 Speaker 1: Now the area is part of Poland, but previously when 628 00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:13,840 Speaker 1: this took place, it was southeast Germany people who searched 629 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:17,080 Speaker 1: for the train. Ever since World War Two, no evidence 630 00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:20,160 Speaker 1: of a train has been found. You'll hear historians say 631 00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:25,600 Speaker 1: that the train never existed. And in two thousand fifteen 632 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:28,040 Speaker 1: it was back in the news because people thought that 633 00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:30,799 Speaker 1: they had discovered the location of the train in the 634 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:33,080 Speaker 1: course that searched. It turned out they had discovered something. 635 00:40:33,120 --> 00:40:35,719 Speaker 1: It was a cavity in the rock filled by a 636 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:39,480 Speaker 1: natural ice formation. So no train that we know of. 637 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:43,520 Speaker 1: Maybe there's a mythical train made of gold. This time 638 00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:46,120 Speaker 1: it was not just a train that had gold in 639 00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:48,840 Speaker 1: it or was carrying gold. Maybe there's a mythical golden 640 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:51,120 Speaker 1: train out there somewhere that will learn about. It's called 641 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:58,640 Speaker 1: the Hogwarts Express. Reference um yeah, this is some disturbing stuff. 642 00:40:58,719 --> 00:41:01,640 Speaker 1: Well let's okay, let's get down too. Just when we're 643 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:04,480 Speaker 1: thinking about all of this. You know, we just mentioned 644 00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:09,400 Speaker 1: blood money, the concept of that very real sense of 645 00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:13,600 Speaker 1: blood money. But when you're thinking about wars and profiting 646 00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:19,040 Speaker 1: from having physical conflicts like that with other countries or 647 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:23,640 Speaker 1: other places, with other people, and then gaining from that 648 00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:27,080 Speaker 1: all those altercations and those deaths and and the blood 649 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:33,520 Speaker 1: that is spilled, um, this kind of thing like maybe 650 00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:38,080 Speaker 1: maybe we forget because we're so inundated in like our culture, 651 00:41:38,080 --> 00:41:41,160 Speaker 1: in particular in the United States of war movies a 652 00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:44,879 Speaker 1: lot of times that are to a great extent glorified, 653 00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:47,800 Speaker 1: like the the concept of fighting a good fight, fighting 654 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:52,280 Speaker 1: for good, fighting the right side. Um. But but really, 655 00:41:52,360 --> 00:41:56,320 Speaker 1: just anytime there's war and profit generated, it should feel 656 00:41:56,520 --> 00:42:00,279 Speaker 1: for everyone on every side like an icky thing. I think. Well, 657 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:03,200 Speaker 1: here's the crazy thing, man. I mean, I I distinctly remember, 658 00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:06,760 Speaker 1: you know, after nine eleven the idea of we're going 659 00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:09,839 Speaker 1: to war being a big deal in my mind and 660 00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:11,759 Speaker 1: thinking it was going to have some effect on my 661 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:14,319 Speaker 1: day to day life. But we've been at war for 662 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:16,960 Speaker 1: so long as a country that it's sort of your 663 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:18,960 Speaker 1: sort of numb to it, and you don't really we 664 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:22,239 Speaker 1: were so isolated from it in our daily lives that 665 00:42:22,280 --> 00:42:24,920 Speaker 1: it's very difficult unless you have military and your family 666 00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:28,960 Speaker 1: to have a real ramification of these conflicts, which, if 667 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:31,600 Speaker 1: I would argue, I think many would most would agree 668 00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:35,400 Speaker 1: are largely for profit. The notion of staying in a 669 00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:39,200 Speaker 1: perpetual state of war feeds that machine. You know, well, 670 00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:42,080 Speaker 1: let's get let's just get to Afghanistan. And what we 671 00:42:42,239 --> 00:42:45,719 Speaker 1: learned in previous episodes about the poppy fields. Oh yes, 672 00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:51,560 Speaker 1: poppy production, which was waning under the Taliban, exploded under 673 00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:58,160 Speaker 1: US under US supervision during coalition control, right right, The 674 00:42:58,200 --> 00:43:00,799 Speaker 1: idea of being it's the best cash cross up. US 675 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:05,040 Speaker 1: soldiers were tasked with protecting the opium the poppy fields. Rather, 676 00:43:05,840 --> 00:43:08,640 Speaker 1: let's were the oil fields in the rock? Sorry, I 677 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:11,400 Speaker 1: don't know. I mean we we keep seeing it, at 678 00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:15,360 Speaker 1: least from the United States side, Well sure, from every side. 679 00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:18,720 Speaker 1: You know that it goes into US Medley Butler's idea 680 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:22,719 Speaker 1: of war as a racket, economic confessions of an economic 681 00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:28,279 Speaker 1: hit man, the concept that war maybe an economic necessity 682 00:43:28,320 --> 00:43:34,160 Speaker 1: for certain types of governments or societies, and this money 683 00:43:34,239 --> 00:43:37,359 Speaker 1: goes missing. All of the time, we've barely touched on 684 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:40,120 Speaker 1: things like we didn't talk about the Amber room, right, 685 00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:44,560 Speaker 1: that's missing too. We didn't talk about Himmler's ninety three 686 00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:48,280 Speaker 1: million dollars worth of silver. We didn't talk about Lake Vultian. 687 00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:52,040 Speaker 1: Apparently Germans hit a hundred million in gold there too. 688 00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:59,240 Speaker 1: There are laundry list of hidden or stolen gold and valuables, 689 00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:03,120 Speaker 1: and that kind of practice didn't stop when the Nazi 690 00:44:03,160 --> 00:44:06,280 Speaker 1: party collapsed. There was a palette with what a billion 691 00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:10,239 Speaker 1: dollars that just went missing in the Middle East. Uh, 692 00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:12,759 Speaker 1: don't don't talk about that. I'm just kidding. We did. 693 00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:14,279 Speaker 1: Didn't we do a whole episode on that, or at 694 00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:16,440 Speaker 1: least I know we talked about it. We did. We 695 00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:19,480 Speaker 1: did talk about it. And we've always known that war 696 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:26,600 Speaker 1: and profit are inextricably intertwined. We know things continue to disappear. Uh, 697 00:44:26,640 --> 00:44:28,560 Speaker 1: this this is just by the way, when we say 698 00:44:28,680 --> 00:44:32,160 Speaker 1: money continues to disappear, we're just talking about the money 699 00:44:32,200 --> 00:44:35,880 Speaker 1: that people lost. We're not talking about the money that 700 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:39,080 Speaker 1: never really existed due to black budgets and off the 701 00:44:39,080 --> 00:44:42,480 Speaker 1: book spending. Oh my god. And you know not to mention, 702 00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:44,920 Speaker 1: by the way, all the arms deals that occur across 703 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:47,840 Speaker 1: the globe from one country to another. Good point. I 704 00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:50,240 Speaker 1: mean that, I mean, you want to talk about blood money, 705 00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:53,840 Speaker 1: it's right there, that's true. That's as true blood money, 706 00:44:53,880 --> 00:44:56,760 Speaker 1: blood money that's gonna be cashed out. And some people 707 00:44:56,800 --> 00:45:02,120 Speaker 1: will argue this is just uh, an un pleasant, necessary 708 00:45:02,120 --> 00:45:05,960 Speaker 1: piece of the global financial system. And some people would 709 00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:08,560 Speaker 1: respond to that argument by saying, well, why don't we 710 00:45:08,600 --> 00:45:12,680 Speaker 1: make another system for some people? Problem is that there's 711 00:45:12,719 --> 00:45:16,200 Speaker 1: not a problem. Business is very very good. Yeah, uh, 712 00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:20,480 Speaker 1: you know, I just just there's an anecdote. But I 713 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:22,440 Speaker 1: just watched Fight Club for the first time in a 714 00:45:22,480 --> 00:45:26,719 Speaker 1: long time and had a discussion about it and that 715 00:45:26,800 --> 00:45:30,600 Speaker 1: feeling of why not just make a new system? Right? Um? 716 00:45:30,640 --> 00:45:33,440 Speaker 1: In that movie there are depictions of people wanting to 717 00:45:33,480 --> 00:45:38,160 Speaker 1: make a new system, But that concept of tearing one 718 00:45:38,239 --> 00:45:42,320 Speaker 1: down to create a new one is pretty terrifying. Um, 719 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:46,279 Speaker 1: at least now that I'm in my mid thirties, I 720 00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:49,000 Speaker 1: probably been. They've already been, like, you know, paying into 721 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:51,040 Speaker 1: the current system for so many years. Now I can't 722 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:53,799 Speaker 1: start over. Yeah, I don't know. It's it's weird the 723 00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:56,640 Speaker 1: way that kind of feeling happens. But I would be 724 00:45:56,840 --> 00:45:59,320 Speaker 1: right there with you, that that feeling is pretty pervasive 725 00:45:59,320 --> 00:46:03,080 Speaker 1: of thing needs to change because the system is not 726 00:46:03,239 --> 00:46:06,359 Speaker 1: functioning properly or ump for ump for umph. Something must 727 00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:09,719 Speaker 1: be done, but no one agrees what we want to 728 00:46:09,719 --> 00:46:12,280 Speaker 1: hear from you. What do you think how much truth 729 00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:16,000 Speaker 1: is there to these different claims of hidden Nazi treasure? 730 00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:18,759 Speaker 1: Is there more of this treasure somewhere out there in 731 00:46:18,800 --> 00:46:21,960 Speaker 1: this wide world of ours? The answer I think is yes. 732 00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:25,399 Speaker 1: And I also, I'm going to go a step further 733 00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:28,640 Speaker 1: pure speculation. I think not only is some of that 734 00:46:28,719 --> 00:46:32,440 Speaker 1: stolen stuff still out there, it is accounted for by 735 00:46:32,680 --> 00:46:35,879 Speaker 1: people who have just held onto it or profited from it, 736 00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:39,120 Speaker 1: and they're not going to come forward because why would you. 737 00:46:39,120 --> 00:46:42,320 Speaker 1: You're a war criminal at that point. Well in decades 738 00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:45,840 Speaker 1: have passed by this point that maybe it's not even known, 739 00:46:46,800 --> 00:46:50,560 Speaker 1: like by current heads of banks or you know, board 740 00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:53,960 Speaker 1: members or something. If this stuff is secreted away somewhere 741 00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:56,120 Speaker 1: in a vault, maybe it's not known what it is 742 00:46:56,160 --> 00:46:58,560 Speaker 1: because maybe it was smelted down, just like the United 743 00:46:58,600 --> 00:47:02,040 Speaker 1: States allectually did. I don't know. I think you're right, then, 744 00:47:02,920 --> 00:47:05,280 Speaker 1: I think you're right. Last thing, just for an example, 745 00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:09,080 Speaker 1: I've got to mention this because it was so bizarre 746 00:47:09,120 --> 00:47:12,600 Speaker 1: to learn about this. George Patton, who we mentioned earlier, 747 00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:16,040 Speaker 1: had a plan to use Nazi gold to fund the 748 00:47:16,120 --> 00:47:21,520 Speaker 1: US military after the after the war. Patton, after discovering 749 00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:25,440 Speaker 1: that a salt mine treasure, he sat down with some 750 00:47:25,600 --> 00:47:28,480 Speaker 1: army generals later that night and they said, okay, how 751 00:47:28,520 --> 00:47:31,439 Speaker 1: do we handle this? And Patton's first suggestion off the top, 752 00:47:31,480 --> 00:47:34,279 Speaker 1: he was coming in hot man. He said, let's distribute 753 00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:37,120 Speaker 1: the gold to the boys. He wanted quote uh, some 754 00:47:37,200 --> 00:47:40,239 Speaker 1: gold for every son of in the third Army. And 755 00:47:40,239 --> 00:47:42,719 Speaker 1: they said, no, you can't do that. We have to 756 00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:45,799 Speaker 1: we have to follow some sort of law. And then 757 00:47:45,840 --> 00:47:47,759 Speaker 1: he said, okay, well, if we can't just give it 758 00:47:47,800 --> 00:47:50,640 Speaker 1: away to the boys, let's keep it a secret from 759 00:47:50,760 --> 00:47:54,880 Speaker 1: the Congress and from the generals who aren't cool. It 760 00:47:54,960 --> 00:47:59,280 Speaker 1: didn't work. I love that he used the phrase generals 761 00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:03,319 Speaker 1: who aren't cool. Yeah, that's that That part might be paraphrasing. 762 00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:07,600 Speaker 1: But we know that there's still we know there's still 763 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:12,040 Speaker 1: stuff that's being discovered. There was one point eight billion 764 00:48:12,080 --> 00:48:15,239 Speaker 1: dollars worth of art discovered in a Munich apartment in 765 00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:18,279 Speaker 1: two thousand and twelve. People are still finding things that 766 00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:22,000 Speaker 1: was not very long ago. So what do you think 767 00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:25,799 Speaker 1: about all of this stuff? If you do, you have 768 00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:28,920 Speaker 1: other examples that we should talk about their noteworthy let 769 00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:31,280 Speaker 1: us know. You can find us on Facebook or Twitter 770 00:48:31,280 --> 00:48:34,920 Speaker 1: where we are a conspiracy stuff. We are conspiracy stuff 771 00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:38,120 Speaker 1: show on Instagram. If you want to check us out individually, 772 00:48:38,160 --> 00:48:40,920 Speaker 1: you can find me at how Now Noel Brown? I think, Maddie, 773 00:48:40,920 --> 00:48:44,960 Speaker 1: you got one now, don't you? Yeah? I do. But 774 00:48:45,160 --> 00:48:48,120 Speaker 1: you're gonna have to go back through the the archives 775 00:48:48,160 --> 00:48:51,759 Speaker 1: and find that one time that we said it like that. Huh? 776 00:48:52,480 --> 00:48:55,680 Speaker 1: How much you've been? I am going to be on 777 00:48:56,040 --> 00:49:00,840 Speaker 1: a number of strange excursions over the next few weeks. 778 00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:04,120 Speaker 1: Hopefully I will make it back safe and sound. You 779 00:49:04,200 --> 00:49:06,839 Speaker 1: can find what I'm up to where I'm getting kicked 780 00:49:06,880 --> 00:49:10,360 Speaker 1: into or kicked out of on Instagram at Ben Bowling, 781 00:49:10,840 --> 00:49:14,000 Speaker 1: or you can find terrible one liners and hot takes 782 00:49:14,080 --> 00:49:17,960 Speaker 1: on Twitter at Ben Bowlen H. S W. If you 783 00:49:18,040 --> 00:49:20,359 Speaker 1: don't really care for the social meds, we of all 784 00:49:20,520 --> 00:49:22,719 Speaker 1: people get it. We have a number you can call. 785 00:49:23,239 --> 00:49:26,680 Speaker 1: We are one eight three three st d W I 786 00:49:26,800 --> 00:49:29,880 Speaker 1: t K. Leave a message, just tell us what you 787 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:33,320 Speaker 1: think and you might get on the air. It's a 788 00:49:33,360 --> 00:49:35,600 Speaker 1: nice little jingle you got there, Yeah, there, there you go. 789 00:49:35,680 --> 00:49:37,440 Speaker 1: So you give us a call, well we'll hear it 790 00:49:37,480 --> 00:49:39,000 Speaker 1: and it'll be fun. Hey. If you don't want to 791 00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:40,359 Speaker 1: do any of that stuff, you can also send us 792 00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:43,520 Speaker 1: a good old fashioned email. We are conspiracy at i 793 00:49:43,640 --> 00:50:02,560 Speaker 1: heart radio dot com. M Stuff they Don't Want You 794 00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:05,280 Speaker 1: to Know is a production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works. 795 00:50:05,440 --> 00:50:07,719 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i 796 00:50:07,800 --> 00:50:10,640 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 797 00:50:10,719 --> 00:50:11,520 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.