Season 6, Episode 10

SOME UNTOLD STORIES FROM AMERICA'S PAST.

THIS WEEK:

DID THIS RECORD PLAY A DRAMATIC ROLE

IN THE ALLIED VICTORY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR?

Gwendolyn: DOES THIS LETTER LINK AMERICA'S FIFTH PRESIDENT

TO THE HIGH-SEAS PIRACY OF U.S.

MERCHANT SHIPS

IN THE EARLY 1800s?

Tukufu: AND, IN AN ENCORE PRESENTATION,

DOES THIS BAR OF SOLID SILVER HOLD A SECRET

FROM ONE OF SPAIN'S MOST VALUABLE SHIPWRECKS?

Elvis Costello: ♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫I GET SO ANGRY WHEN THE TEARDROPS START♫

♫BUT HE CAN'T BE WOUNDED 'CAUSE HE'S GOT NO HEART♫

♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

Gwendolyn: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE Elyse: OUR FIRST STORY INVESTIGATES

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN AN OVERSIZED RECORD

AND AN AMBITIOUS MILITARY PROGRAM TO BOOST MORALE

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

WHEN WORLD WAR II BREAKS OUT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC,

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT READIES AN ARMY.

WITH A BOOST FROM THE FIRST PEACETIME DRAFT

IN U.S. HISTORY,

TROOP NUMBERS JUMP FROM 174,000 IN 1939

TO THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILLION IN 1941.

SOON THE U.S. IS AT WAR,

AND AMERICAN G.I.s ARE IN COMBAT ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE.

THE MILITARY IS FACED WITH THE PROBLEM

OF KEEPING UP THE MORALE OF TROOPS

SPREAD OUT IN THEATERS OF WAR AROUND THE WORLD.

BUT THERE ARE SOME PLACES THAT THE U.S.O.

CAN'T GO,

AND EASILY DISTRIBUTED MEANS

FOR SOLDIERS TO ENTERTAIN THEMSELVES IS NEEDED.

AN INGENIOUS MUSICAL SOLUTION IS PROPOSED.

[♫]

MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY LATER,

GORDON GREB OF CHICO, CALIFORNIA,

WONDERS IF THE OLD DISC HE'S SAVED FOR MANY YEARS

MAY HAVE BEEN CONNECTED TO THE AMERICAN WAR EFFORT.

WHEN I WAS A SOLDIER, I FOUND THIS OLD RECORDING

THAT SAID IT WAS A BLUEPRINT SHOW,

AND I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT.

HI.

HI, ELYSE.

COME ON IN.

THANK YOU.

SO, GORDON, WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR ME?

WELL, I HAVE THIS 16-INCH DISC HERE

THAT I BROUGHT BACK FROM FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY,

AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II IN 1945.

WHERE'D YOU FIND IT?

WELL, I WAS WORKING AS A RECORDING ENGINEER AT WDIX,

THE BASE RADIO STATION, AND I WAS GOING TO DO ANOTHER SHOW.

SO I WAS LOOKING INTO THE LIBRARY TO FIND A BLANK DISC,

PULLED THIS OUT.

INSTEAD OF A BLANK DISC, GORDON HEARD TWO UNFAMILIAR SONGS

AND WHAT SOUNDED LIKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT

FOR A MUSICAL THEATER SHOW CALLED HI, YANK,

TO BE PERFORMED AT FORT DIX IN AUGUST 1944.

THE RECORDING LEFT HIM PUZZLED.

THERE'S A NARRATOR ON ONE OF THE CUTS

THAT SAYS THAT IT'S A BLUEPRINT SHOW,

PRESUMABLY TO BE TAKEN OVERSEAS TO ENTERTAIN G.I.s AT THE FRONT.

BY THE TIME I FOUND THIS RECORD AND WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT IT,

ALL THE G.I.s THAT MADE IT HAD SHIPPED OUT, THEY WERE GONE.

AND THE QUESTIONS I ASKED ABOUT IT, NOBODY KNEW.

GORDON WANTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE THEATER PRODUCTION

ADVERTISED ON HIS RECORD

AND WHY IT'S CALLED "A BLUEPRINT MUSICAL."

AND HE HAS ANOTHER QUESTION:

DID THE ARMY EVER SEND THIS SHOW OVERSEAS

TO ENTERTAIN OUR TROOPS ON THE FIGHTING FRONT?

WELL, CAN I LISTEN TO IT NOW?

NOT ON HOME EQUIPMENT.

IT'S A BIG 16-INCH DISC; YOU NEED PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT.

SIXTY YEARS AGO, GORDON'S RADIO STATION HAD THAT EQUIPMENT,

BUT NOW IT'S LONG OBSOLETE.

SO I'M TAKING THE RECORD

TO THE NATIONAL AUDIO-VISUAL CONSERVATION CENTER

AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

THE SLEEVE SAYS "GLASS,"

AND THERE'S MORE INFORMATION ON THE LABEL.

THERE'S SOMETHING HANDWRITTEN,

AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT SAYS 5/18/44.

THAT DATE IS LESS THAN ONE MONTH BEFORE

THE ALLIED D-DAY INVASION OF EUROPE DURING WORLD WAR II,

CERTAINLY AN INTERESTING TIME

TO BE FOCUSED ON A MUSICAL THEATER SHOW.

AND IT DOES SAY "FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY."

AND HANDWRITTEN ON THERE, IT SAYS THE PROGRAM IS HI, YANK.

"FITZGIBBONS INTERVIEW," WHICH IS TWO MINUTES LONG,

"GUARD MOUNT," AND "THE BIGGEST JOB."

THOSE MUST BE THE SONGS GORDON HEARD,

BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW TO PLAY THIS DISC

WITHOUT POTENTIALLY DAMAGING IT.

SO I'M MEETING GENE DeANNA,

HEAD OF THE RECORDED SOUND SECTION HERE AT THE LIBRARY,

WHICH IS HOME TO MORE THAN 2 MILLION HISTORIC RECORDINGS.

OKAY, SO HERE'S THE RECORD.

WELL, THE RECORD IS A 16-INCH TRANSCRIPTION DISC

COATED IN LACQUER.

TRANSCRIPTION DISCS WERE USED BY RADIO STATIONS

IN THE YEARS BEFORE TAPE WAS INVENTED.

STARTED REALLY BEING USED ABOUT 1935.

DURING THE WAR, '40 TO '45,

THEY USUALLY USED GLASS BECAUSE OF AN ALUMINUM SHORTAGE.

BUT DESPITE SAYING "GLASS" ON THE DISC SLEEVE,

GENE SAYS THAT'S NOT THE CASE HERE.

THIS IS A WARTIME ERA DISC.

THAT IT'S ACTUALLY ON ALUMINUM, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT UNUSUAL.

HE EXPLAINS THAT ALUMINUM WAS A KEY WARTIME METAL

USED FOR MAKING AIRPLANES AND WAS IN SHORT SUPPLY.

THAT JUST TELLS ME THAT THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT IT.

I WANT TO LISTEN TO IT.

IS THERE ANYONE HERE THAT CAN HELP ME DO THAT?

WE HAVE AN AUDIO ENGINEER WHO CAN PLAY IT BACK.

FOLLOW ME.

FIRST, THE 60-YEAR-OLD DISC GETS A MUCH-NEEDED CLEANING

BY RECORDING ENGINEER BRAD McCOY.

THIS ARM HAS A VACUUM, AND IT SUCKS THE FLUID OFF

AS WELL AS ANY MATERIALS THAT MAY BE DOWN IN THE GROOVE.

THEN BRAD MAKES A DIGITAL COPY TO TAKE WITH ME

AND I GET SET UP AT A STUDIO WHERE I CAN FINALLY HEAR

WHAT GORDON FIRST HEARD MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY AGO.

[ song plays ]

IT'S A SONG CALLED "THE BIGGEST JOB."

♫THIS IS THE BIGGEST THE TOUGHEST♫

♫THE RUGGEDEST AND THE ROUGHEST♫

♫THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB I EVER HAD♫

"THE BIGGEST JOB" SENDS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE.

IT TALKS ABOUT HOW HARD THE SOLDIERS HAVE TO WORK

AND HOW THE FATE OF OUR NATION IS IN THEIR HANDS.

GORDON'S RECORD IS PROMOTING THE SHOW

WITH PREVIEWS OF CERTAIN MUSICAL NUMBERS.

Man on record: This show, Hi, Yank, is a real soldier's show.

It's taken right from the pages of Yank, the Army weekly,

which I am told is read by at least 7.5 million soldiers

from Burma to Normandy.

YANK MAGAZINE: IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING I SHOULD LOOK INTO.

It is a blueprint show,

blueprint because after its premiere at Fort Dix,

then it will be compiled into the blueprint,

and with complete instructions,

sent to troops overseas for final production.

IT SOUNDS LIKE THE BLUEPRINT BEING ADVERTISED

IS A SET OF INSTRUCTIONS FOR SOLDIERS

ON HOW TO STAGE A MUSICAL THEMSELVES.

BUT IT'S NOT CLEAR HOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS WERE DELIVERED

OR WHETHER THIS MUSICAL WAS EVER PERFORMED OVERSEAS.

ACCORDING TO THE LABEL, THE RECORD LIKELY ORIGINATED

FROM AN OFFICE CALLED SPECIAL SERVICES.

WHY WOULD THE ARMY GO THROUGH ALL THIS EFFORT AND EXPENSE

JUST FOR SOLDIERS TO DO THEATER?

I THINK THE BEST PLACE FOR ME TO START

IS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPECIAL SERVICES.

VETERAN DR. JACK PULWERS HAS WRITTEN

ON ENTERTAINMENT IN THE MILITARY

AND IS AWARE OF HI, YANK, THOUGH HE HAS NEVER HEARD IT.

IT WAS DONE BY THE THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS

OF THE SPECIAL SERVICES

AND PRODUCED UNDER THE AEGIS OF GENERAL FREDERICK OSBORN,

WHO WAS THE CHIEF OF SPECIAL SERVICES AT THE TIME.

DURING WORLD WAR I, ATTEMPTS TO BOOST MORALE

INVOLVED TENDING TO THE GENERAL WELFARE

AND RECREATIONAL NEEDS OF SOLDIERS.

BUT GENERAL OSBORN WAS ORDERED TO TAKE A DIFFERENT TACK

AND USED MUSICAL THEATER TO COMBAT A SPREADING THREAT

TO AMERICA'S DEFENSES THAT HAD BEGUN AT HOME

EVEN BEFORE THE U.S.

WENT TO WAR.

EVEN THOUGH THE ARMY TRIPLED IN SIZE

WHEN EUROPE FIRST ERUPTED IN CONFLICT,

THE U.S.

STILL HOPED TO REMAIN NEUTRAL.

JACK EXPLAINS THAT

THE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS WATCHING AND WAITING

TOOK A HEAVY TOLL ON THE ENLISTED MEN.

THEY WERE REALLY IN BAD SHAPE.

BEFORE PEARL HARBOR,

SOLDIERS WERE STAGNATING IN PLACES LIKE ALASKA

OR DOWN IN PANAMA GETTING BIT BY MOSQUITOES

AND HAVING NOTHING TO DO

AND SWELTERING IN THAT HOT HEAT.

SUICIDE RATE HAD ESCALATED TO NEW HEIGHTS.

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT DECIDED THAT THE TROOPS HAD HAD ENOUGH.

AN ENTIRE DIVISION WAS CREATED WITHIN THE U.S. ARMY

DEVOTED TO ENTERTAINING TROOPS AND MAINTAINING MORALE.

BUT AS TROOPS WERE SENT INTO COMBAT OVERSEAS,

PROFESSIONAL ENTERTAINMENT COULDN'T ALWAYS REACH THEM.

SO WHEN YOU ASKED WHERE THE ENTERTAINMENT WAS

IN WORLD WAR II,

THE ENTERTAINMENT DIDN'T COME FROM THE BOB HOPES

AS MUCH AS IT DID FROM THE SOLDIERS THEMSELVES

TO PRODUCE SHOWS LIKE THIS.

JACK RECOGNIZES A SOFT PROPAGANDA MESSAGE

IN BOTH SONGS.

Man on recording: Ready, huh!

Repeat the general orders!

♫GO WALK MY POST IN A MILITARY MANNER♫

♫KEEPING ALWAYS ON THE ALERT...♫

"WELL, DARN IT, I'M GOING TO MAKE THE BEST OF IT.

"EVEN THOUGH I'M IN THE MUD, I'M FIGHTING IN THE MUD,

I GUESS I'LL STAY THERE UNTIL THIS THING IS DONE."

TO HELP GET THE MESSAGE OUT,

THE ARMY CHOSE FOR ITS MAIN CHARACTER A FAMILIAR FIGURE

FROM THE POPULAR WEEKLY MAGAZINE YANK.

SAD SACK WAS THE ACTUAL PICTURE OF THE LONELY, NEGLECTED G.I.

PUSHED AROUND BY HIS SERGEANT, KICKED AROUND IN THE FOXHOLES.

THE SOLDIER UNDERSTOOD THAT SAD SACK WAS HIM,

THAT HE WAS JUST A COMMON EVERYDAY SOLDIER

WHO WANTED TO FIGHT FOR PRINCIPLES AND FOR HIS COUNTRY,

AND THERE WAS SOMETHING THEN TO FIGHT FOR.

PRODUCTIONS OF HI, YANK CIRCULATED

AROUND MILITARY BASES IN THE UNITED STATES.

RECORDS LIKE GORDON'S WERE PLAYED ON ARMY RADIO STATIONS

LIKE WDIX AT FORT DIX, WHERE GORDON WORKED,

TO LET G.I.s KNOW WHAT WAS COMING UP

ON THE ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE.

BUT JACK HAS NEVER SEEN THE BLUEPRINT FOR HI, YANK

DESCRIBED ON THE RECORD,

AND HE DOESN'T KNOW IF IT WAS EVER PERFORMED

BY THE FIGHTING TROOPS OVERSEAS EITHER.

SO I'M HEADED TO FORT BELVOIR IN VIRGINIA

TO SPEAK WITH NICK CREDGINGTON,

WHO OVERSEES THE ARMY'S THEATER PROGRAM

OF MORE THAN 250 ANNUAL PRODUCTIONS.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A RECORD LIKE THIS BEFORE, NICK?

NO, I HAVEN'T, AND IT WAS A VERY GREAT SURPRISE

TO FIND THAT YOU HAD COME UP WITH ONE,

BECAUSE RECORDING THIS SORT OF STUFF DURING WORLD WAR II

WAS NOT EASY AND WAS NOT COMMON.

SO THIS IS A RARE PIECE?

IT'S A RARE PIECE, VERY RARE.

NICK SAYS HE'S FOUND AN EQUALLY RARE DOCUMENT FOR ME,

THE ACTUAL BLUEPRINT, OR INSTRUCTIONAL MANUAL,

FOR THE SHOW THAT GORDON'S RECORD WAS PROMOTING.

THESE BLUEPRINT SPECIALS WERE THE MOST DETAILED BOOK

ON HOW TO DO A SHOW EVER WRITTEN.

THIS 185-PAGE BOOKLET

HAS EVERYTHING A SOLDIER WOULD NEED TO STAGE A PERFORMANCE,

FROM A SCRIPT TO SHEET MUSIC

AND INSTRUCTIONS ON LIGHTING AND SET DESIGN,

USING WHAT THE TROOPS HAD IN THEIR FOOT LOCKERS,

MESS KITS, OR EVEN THE TRASH.

"CONCHITA."

YES.

ALL HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER: "SMALL 'T' SHIRT DYED YELLOW.

"SEW SHREDDED YELLOW PAPER ON SLEEVES

AS INDICATED IN SKETCH."

ALL VERY, VERY DETAILED.

ALL DESIGNED TO BE DONE WITH WHAT COULD BE FOUND.

THE SCRIPT INCLUDES ALL THE DETAILS OF THE SHOW

ONLY HINTED AT ON GORDON'S PROMOTIONAL RECORDING.

SCENES DEPICTING THE MISADVENTURES

OF THE BUMBLING SOLDIER NAMED SAD SACK

ARE FULL OF INSIDE JOKES ABOUT ARMY LIFE.

THIS ISN'T THE DETAIL I PUT YOU ON.

HOW COME YOU'RE NOT OUT POLICING THE AREA?

I GOT TOO FRIGHTENED.

I SAW A BIG SNAKE ON THE GROUND,

AND WHEN I TRIED TO SMACK IT,

IT TURNED OUT TO BE A PIECE OF WOOD.

WHAT'S SO FRIGHTENING ABOUT THAT?

NOTHING, BUT THE THING I PICKED UP TO HIT IT WITH

TURNED OUT TO BE A SNAKE.

THAT'S CUTE.

ALL RIGHT, NOW I GET IT.

IF WE COULD DO IT, ANYBODY COULD DO IT, RIGHT?

THAT'S RIGHT.

VERY SIMPLE, FUNNY, SKITS AFTER SKIT.

THE SHOW ALSO HAS SERIOUS SCENES ABOUT NOSTALGIA FOR HOME

AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVING ONE'S COUNTRY.

IS THERE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT WHO WROTE IT,

WHO PUT IT TOGETHER?

MOST OF THESE PUBLICATIONS WERE NOT REALLY CREDITED

TO ANY INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE THEY WERE ARMY PUBLICATIONS.

IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, IT'S SORT OF UNIQUE

IN THAT WE DO KNOW.

THE MANUAL INCLUDES A SAMPLE PROGRAM

AND PRODUCTION CREDITS LISTING SEVERAL WRITERS,

AMONG THEM, PRIVATE FRANK LOESSER

AND LIEUTENANT ALEX NORTH.

FRANK LOESSER WROTE SUCH SHOWS AS GUYS AND DOLLS.

ALEX NORTH WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MUSIC OF SPARTACUS.

NICK EXPLAINS THAT THE ARMY SOUGHT OUT TALENT

AMONG THE ENLISTED RANKS

AND PUT THEM TO WORK WITH SPECIAL SERVICES.

THESE PEOPLE WERE PERFORMING BETTER FOR THE ARMY DOING THIS

THAN SHOOTING BULLETS ON THE FRONT LINES.

IT WAS A FORMULA THAT WORKED.

IN THE BACK OF THE BLUEPRINT, THERE ARE RAVE REVIEWS

FROM MAJOR PUBLICATIONS.

"A LUSTY, FAST-MOVING SHOW," SAYS THE NEW YORK TIMES.

"A ROUSING HIT," SAYS VARIETY.

ANY INDICATION THAT THIS PLAY, HI, YANK, WENT OVERSEAS?

THE BOOK CERTAINLY WENT OVERSEAS,

BECAUSE THIS WAS ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT ENDED UP IN GERMANY.

BUT DID THE TROOPS OVERSEAS EVER MANAGE

TO STAGE A PRODUCTION OF HI, YANK?

NICK'S NOT SURE.

HEY, FRANK.

HELLO, ELYSE.

HOW ARE YOU?

FINE, YOURSELF?

ARCHIVIST FRANK SHIRER

AT THE U.S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY

IS SCOURING THEIR ARCHIVES FOR ANY MENTION OF HI, YANK.

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, SPALDING...

HERE WE GO, SPECIAL SERVICES DIVISION.

IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A LOT.

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF DOCUMENTS

RELATED TO THE SPECIAL SERVICES DIVISION.

BUT WE DON'T TURN UP ANY MENTION OF HI, YANK,

SO FRANK SUGGESTS A 13-VOLUME HISTORY OF SPECIAL SERVICES

THAT WAS PUBLISHED AFTER THE WAR.

I THINK WE'LL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE THERE,

SINCE THAT IS INDEXED.

THIS EXTRAORDINARY DOCUMENT LISTS

EVERY TYPE OF ENTERTAINMENT BEING PERFORMED

ALL OVER THE WORLD BY SPECIAL SERVICES.

THIS IS MAINLY ABOUT MOVIES.

OKAY, NOTHING HERE.

AFTER SOME MORE DIGGING,

WE FINALLY DISCOVER A MEMO TAGGED "HI, YANK."

HERE WE GO.

I SEE IT.

"REPORT ON RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE CIVILIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE,

8 SEPTEMBER, 1944."

IT LOOKS LIKE I CAN FINALLY CLOSE THE CURTAIN

ON THIS INVESTIGATION.

WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LET ME JUST THANK YOU,

BECAUSE THIS WAS A LOT OF FUN.

A BLUEPRINT IS A BOOK.

IT'S INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PUT TOGETHER

A THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE FROM A TO Z.

FANTASTIC.

I MEAN, I'M SO PLEASED THAT YOU FOUND THAT OUT.

I EXPLAINED HOW THE ARMY ENLISTED

A-LIST ENTERTAINMENT PROFESSIONALS

TO WRITE SHOWS LIKE HI, YANK FOR SOLDIERS.

AND I THINK YOU'LL FIND INTERESTING

THAT ONE OF THE PEOPLE WAS FRANK LOESSER.

GUYS AND DOLLS.

VERY GOOD.

THE LAST THING THAT YOU ASKED ME WAS,

WAS THIS PERFORMED OVERSEAS?

AND THAT WAS A TOUGH ONE.

IT WASN'T UNTIL I VISITED THE CENTER FOR MILITARY HISTORY

THAT I FOUND SOME REALLY SPECIAL DOCUMENTS.

TOURING UNITS.

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.

"A TOURING COMPANY HAS BEEN FORMED IN ITALY

TO TOUR A PRODUCTION OF 'HI, YANK.'"

THAT'S IT!

THIS IS PROOF THAT HI, YANK WAS BEING PERFORMED IN ITALY IN 1944

BY SOLDIERS FOR SOLDIERS,

AND THUS, THE RECORDING WAS A PRACTICE FOR THIS PERFORMANCE.

IN JUNE OF 1944,

AS ALLIED FORCES LANDED ON THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY,

AND IN ITALY, ADVANCED NORTH OF ROME,

THE DO-IT-YOURSELF FUN GAVE WEARY G.I.s

A MUCH-NEEDED BOOST TO THEIR MORALE.

THAT'S GREAT.

I'M REALLY PLEASED THAT IT HAD THAT KIND OF A BENEFIT

FOR THE WAR EFFORT.

I'M GLAD NOW I SAVED IT ALL THESE YEARS.

I GAVE GORDON THE DIGITAL COPY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MADE

OF THE RECORD HE'S HELD ONTO SINCE 1945.

YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT OWNING AN ORIGINAL COPY

OF A RECORDING FROM WORLD WAR II IS EXTREMELY RARE.

IT'S QUITE A FIND.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?

I'M GOING TO DONATE IT TO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN HEAR IT

AND SHARE IN THE PLEASURES OF THE MUSIC

THAT REPRESENTS WORLD WAR II.

Wes: FOR CENTURIES, MUSIC COULD BE ENJOYED

ONLY AS A PASSING PLEASURE,

BUT IN 1878, THOMAS EDISON TRIGGERED

A SERIES OF INVENTIONS THAT WOULD FOREVER CHANGE

HOW WE TURN ON AND TUNE IN.

EDISON'S FRAGILE FOIL-WRAPPED PHONOGRAPH CYLINDERS

RECORDED SOUND BUT SOON GAVE WAY TO EMILE BERLINER'S GRAMOPHONE

AND MORE DURABLE FLAT RUBBER DISCS.

YET IT WAS A TINY INSECT FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD

THAT MARCHED BIG BAND MUSIC AND THE BLUES

INTO HOMES ACROSS AMERICA.

SECRETIONS OF THE ASIAN LAC BEETLE,

WHEN TREATED, PRODUCE SHELLAC,

WHICH VASTLY IMPROVED RECORDINGS ON 78-RPM DISCS.

DURING WORLD WAR II, VINYL WAS SPUN

AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR SCARCE SHELLAC.

WITH MORE GROOVES, TURNING AT 33-1/3 RPM,

THIS LONG-PLAYING DISC COULD HANDLE

A HALF AN HOUR OF MUSIC PER SIDE.

IN THE '50s AND '60s, LOW-COST MAGNETIC TAPE

ALLOWED SMALL STUDIOS TO COMPETE WITH MAJOR LABELS,

AND FROM THESE INDEPENDENTS ROCK 'N' ROLL WAS BORN.

INEXPENSIVE SINGLES, OR 45s,

WERE PERFECT FOR QUICK BURSTS OF ADOLESCENT ADRENALINE.

TODAY, TURNTABLISTS MANIPULATE VINYL

AS IF IT WERE AN INSTRUMENT,

BUT WITH A WORLD THAT'S GONE DIGITAL ALMOST OVERNIGHT,

A DISC NOW MEANS A HARD DRIVE.

Gwendolyn: OUR NEXT STORY INVESTIGATES A POSSIBLE CONNECTION

BETWEEN A FAMILY OF NEW ENGLAND FISHERMEN

AND PIRACY ON THE HIGH SEAS.

AS THE 19th CENTURY BEGINS,

THE NEWLY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FACES PROFOUND CHALLENGES TO ITS SOVEREIGNTY.

LESS THAN 20 YEARS HAVE PASSED

SINCE GEORGE WASHINGTON DEFEATED KING GEORGE ON LAND,

BUT THE ROYAL NAVY STILL DOMINATES THE HIGH SEAS,

SEIZING AMERICAN SHIPS AND FORCING U.S.

SAILORS

TO WORK ON BRITISH VESSELS.

AS MARITIME MERCHANTS CRY FOR AN END TO THIS LAWLESSNESS,

A FUTURE AMERICAN PRESIDENT IS DISPATCHED TO LONDON

TO PREVENT ANOTHER COSTLY WAR BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS.

NOW, GAIL STEELE FROM SHARPES, FLORIDA,

HAS UNCOVERED A 200-YEAR-OLD LETTER FROM THIS PERIOD

SIGNED "J. MONROE," WHICH SHE BELIEVES

LINKS AMERICA'S FIFTH PRESIDENT, JAMES MONROE,

TO HER ANCESTORS.

AS FAR AS I KNEW, IT'S ADDRESSED TO THE MANWARINGS,

MY MOTHER'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY.

THEY WERE OLD NEW ENGLAND FISHERMEN.

SO I WAS QUITE AMAZED.

HI THERE.

HI, GWEN.

I'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU.

COME ON IN TO THE KITCHEN.

THANK YOU.

NOW, WHERE DID YOU FIND IT?

I FOUND IT IN THE BOTTOM OF A TUPPERWARE BOX

OF OLD PHOTOGRAPHS AFTER MY MOTHER PASSED AWAY.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A LETTER FOR A CLAIM

ON MONEYS MY FAMILY LOANED TO THE GOVERNMENT.

MM-HMM, NOW, WHY DO YOU THINK THAT?

BECAUSE IT'S ADDRESSED TO SOMEBODY "MANWARING,"

AND THAT'S MY MOTHER'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY.

AND THE DATE SEEMS TO BE --

I CAN'T QUITE MAKE IT OUT -- 1807.

WHY DON'T YOU READ THE WHOLE THING FOR ME?

I'LL SEE IT THROUGH YOUR EYES.

I'LL GIVE IT A TRY HERE.

"DEAR SIR, I HAVE THE PLEASURE

"TO SEND YOU A COPY OF MY NOTE TO LORD NORWICH

"ON THE SUBJECT OF MAJOR BRADBURY" --

I CAN'T READ THE NEXT WORD --

"CLAIMS ON THIS GOVERNMENT.

"MRS. MONROE AND MY BEST WISHES,

VERY TRULY, YOURS,"

AND THEN IT SAYS, "J.W.

MONROE."

YOU DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB WITH SOME DIFFICULT HANDWRITING.

I'VE PRACTICED IT A LOT.

WELL, TELL ME, GAIL, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE

FOR ME TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS LETTER?

WELL, I'D LIKE TO KNOW FIRST OF ALL IF THIS IS

AN AUTHENTIC JAMES MONROE SIGNATURE.

I'D LIKE TO KNOW TO WHOM IN MY FAMILY IT'S ADDRESSED.

YOU MEAN TO WHICH MANWARING?

YES, TO WHICH MANWARING.

GAIL ALSO WANTS TO KNOW WHO MAJOR BRADBURY

AND LORD NORWICH ARE,

AS WELL AS IF AND WHY HER RELATIVES

MAY HAVE LOANED THE GOVERNMENT MONEY.

EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS SOME OLD PHOTOS,

SHE KNOWS VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE MANWARINGS.

THEY MAY HAVE BEEN NEW ENGLAND FISHERMEN

IN THE EARLY 19th CENTURY.

I'LL HAVE TO TAKE IT WITH ME,

BUT I PROMISE I'LL TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF IT.

I WOULDN'T ENTRUST IT TO ANYONE

OTHER THAN THE HISTORY DETECTIVES.

WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GAIL.

THANK YOU, GWEN, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

THE LETTER APPEARS OLD,

BUT I HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT THE CONNECTION TO GAIL'S FAMILY.

GAIL'S CONVINCED THAT IT SAYS "MANWARING" HERE AT THE TOP,

BUT I SERIOUSLY DOUBT THAT.

I CAN'T TELL WHERE SHE'S GETTING IT FROM.

IT WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE TO HAVE THE PERSON'S NAME UP THERE.

THE DATE IS VERY CLEAR HERE: APRIL 2, 1807.

WHY ON EARTH WOULD A FAMILY OF NEW ENGLAND FISHERMEN

BE OWED MONEY BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

AND HAVE A FUTURE AMERICAN PRESIDENT WRITING TO THEM?

"DEAR SIR, I HAVE THE PLEASURE TO ENCLOSE YOU A COPY

"OF MY NOTE TO LORD NORWICH ON THE SUBJECT

"OF MISTERS BRADBURY AND CO.'S CLAIM

"ON THIS GOVERNMENT FOR MONEY DEPOSITED

AT BUENOS AYRES."

TO START, THE LETTER DOESN'T REFER

TO A "MAJOR" BRADBURY, AS GAIL THOUGHT,

BUT RATHER TO "BRADBURY AND CO."

WHOEVER THEY ARE, THEY CERTAINLY BELIEVE

THEY'RE OWED MONEY BY SOME GOVERNMENT

AND THAT THE FUNDS ARE IN BUENOS AIRES,

WHICH WAS PART OF A SPANISH COLONY.

FIRST I WANT TO AUTHENTICATE THIS LETTER

AND DETERMINE WHETHER THERE IS ANY RECORD

OF MONROE DEALING WITH A NEW ENGLAND FAMILY

CALLED THE MANWARINGS.

SO I'M HEADED TO FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA,

HOME TO THE JAMES MONROE MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL LIBRARY.

HI.

GWEN WRIGHT.

DAN PRESTON IS EDITOR OF THE PAPERS OF JAMES MONROE.

THIS IS THE ARCHIVES.

OKAY.

DAN HAS ROUGHLY 600 MONROE LETTERS

IN HIS COLLECTION.

NOW, YOU SAID THE LETTER WAS FROM -- WHAT YEAR WAS IT FROM?

1807.

OKAY, WELL, LET'S SEE.

I TELL DAN ABOUT GAIL'S LETTER, AND HE PULLS OUT

AN ORIGINAL MONROE SIGNATURE FOR COMPARISON.

WE HAVE YOUR LETTER ON THE RIGHT HERE,

AND THEN HERE'S OUR COPY ON THE LEFT.

I DON'T SEE ANY DOUBT ABOUT IT.

I THINK THAT YOUR LETTER IS CLEARLY SIGNED BY JAMES MONROE.

THE CONTRIBUTOR THINKS THAT THIS IS THE NAME

OF SOMEONE IN HER FAMILY, MANWARING.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

IT DOESN'T SAY "MANWARING."

I DIDN'T THINK SO.

IT SAYS "PORTLAND PLACE,"

WHICH WAS WHERE MONROE LIVED

WHEN HE WAS MINISTER TO GREAT BRITAIN.

SO THE LETTER APPEARS TO HAVE NOTHING TO DO

WITH GAIL'S FAMILY.

IT'S SOME OTHER MISSING PIECE OF HISTORY

SHE'S BEEN KEEPING ALL THESE YEARS,

BUT WHAT?

DAN SAYS THE DATE MAY HELP US.

IN 1807, JAMES MONROE WAS LIVING IN LONDON

AS AMERICAN MINISTER TO GREAT BRITAIN,

A KEY DIPLOMATIC POSTING.

HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO REPRESENT THE AFFAIRS

OF THE YOUNG REPUBLIC AS IT SOUGHT OUT

NEW TRADING PARTNERS AROUND THE WORLD.

BUT THE BRITISH WERE PREOCCUPIED

WITH FIGHTING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS AGAINST FRANCE.

TO AID THEIR WAR EFFORT,

THEY ASSAULTED THE AMERICAN MERCHANT FLEET AT WILL,

SEIZING SHIPS AND THEIR CARGO.

BUT WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH OUR LETTER?

"DEAR SIR, I HAVE THE PLEASURE TO ENCLOSE YOU

"A COPY OF MY NOTE TO LORD HOWICK."

SHE THOUGHT IT WAS LORD NORWICH,

BUT WHO WAS LORD HOWICK?

DAN EXPLAINS THAT LORD HOWICK

WAS AT THAT TIME THE OUTGOING BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER.

JAMES MONROE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN FREQUENT CONTACT WITH HIM.

BUT I CAN IMAGINE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIP,

CONSIDERING THE ONGOING TENSION BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS.

HE SAYS HE'S SENDING A COPY OF A NOTE.

DAN HAS COMPILED A CATALOG OF THE LETTERS

KNOWN TO BE WRITTEN BY JAMES MONROE.

WHATEVER MONROE WROTE TO LORD HOWICK

MAY BE SUMMARIZED HERE.

LET'S SEE, HERE'S 1805, 1807.

LET'S SEE, SO THIS IS APRIL.

FEBRUARY -- OH, HERE HE IS, HERE WE GO.

"30 JANUARY, 1807."

PERFECT.

"PRESENTS CLAIM OF BRADBURY & COMPANY

FOR COMPENSATION FOR SHIP AND CARGO SEIZED IN 1801."

IT'S THE BRADBURY COMPANY MENTIONED IN GAIL'S LETTER.

AS MINISTER TO BRITAIN FOR THE YOUNG UNITED STATES,

MONROE APPEARS TO BE INQUIRING

ABOUT A SHIP THAT'S BEEN SEIZED.

BRADBURY AND COMPANY,

DO YOU THINK THIS WAS AN AMERICAN COMPANY?

IT SEEMS LIKELY, IF MONROE AS THE AMERICAN MINISTER

IS PRESENTING THE CLAIM TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

LET ME SEE WHAT I CAN FIND

ON THIS COMPANY THAT JAMES MONROE WAS ASKING ABOUT

AND WHY THE BRITISH MAY HAVE SEIZED

THIS PARTICULAR SHIP.

HERE'S AN AD FROM THE BOSTON GAZETTE IN 1806.

"F. & C. BRADBURY" ARE SELLING SUGAR

AT BOSTON'S LONG-WHARF.

THAT WAS THE COMMERCIAL HUB OF BOSTON

IN THE EARLY 19th CENTURY.

HERE'S ANOTHER AD BY "CHARLES BRADBURY."

RUM FROM THE VIRGIN ISLANDS "OF AN EXCELLENT QUALITY."

LIVERPOOL WARE,

GERMAN STEEL, SPANISH IRON, AND HAVANA SUGAR.

WHAT'S CLEAR FROM THESE OLD ADVERTISEMENTS

IS THAT BRADBURY AND COMPANY HAD SHIPS

COMING INTO BOSTON FROM ALL OVER,

FROM EUROPE AND THE CARIBBEAN.

DID THE BRITISH SEIZE GOODS LIKE THESE

FROM BRADBURY AND COMPANY FOR THEIR OWN WAR EFFORT?

AND IF SO, WHY DOES GAIL'S LETTER

REFER TO MONEY DEPOSITED AT BUENOS AIRES?

[ rings ]

I'M AT THE NAVAL WAR COLLEGE MUSEUM

IN NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.

THIS IS THE USS CONSTITUTION,

BUILT IN THE LATE 18th CENTURY.

PROFESSOR JOHN HATTENDORF IS DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM.

HE SAYS IT WASN'T JUST GOODS AND SUPPLIES

THAT WERE ABDUCTED FROM AMERICAN MERCHANT SHIPS.

THE ROYAL NAVY WOULD HALT AMERICAN VESSELS AT SEA,

BOTH WARSHIPS AND MERCHANT VESSELS.

THEY WOULD SEND AN OFFICER ABOARD AND HE'D EXAMINE THE CREW

AND DECIDE IF THEY FELT THAT ONE OF THOSE WAS A BRITISH SUBJECT

AND THEN TAKE THEM AWAY

AND IMPRESS THEM INTO SERVICE IN THE ROYAL NAVY.

THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS WERE IMPRESSED

AGAINST THEIR WILL IN THIS WAY.

JOHN SAYS IMPRESSMENT PUT JAMES MONROE

AT THE CENTER OF A STORM:

POTENTIAL WAR BETWEEN BRITAIN AND AMERICA.

CERTAINLY THERE WERE SOME 500 AMERICAN VESSELS

THAT WERE SEIZED BY THE BRITISH AND MAYBE 300 BY THE FRENCH.

SO THE OTHER EUROPEAN POWERS ALSO HAD LITTLE RESPECT

FOR THE AMERICAN FLAG ON THE WORLD'S OCEANS.

THE SPANISH, THE FRENCH WERE ALL INVOLVED IN THIS.

PERHAPS IT WASN'T THE BRITISH WHO SEIZED THE BRADBURY SHIP.

BUENOS AIRES WAS UNDER SPANISH CONTROL IN 1801.

BUT THEN WHY WOULD THE AMERICAN MINISTER TO BRITAIN

BE LODGING A CLAIM?

JOHN HAS A FINAL SUGGESTION,

AND IT INVOLVES THE CORRESPONDENCE

OF ANOTHER FUTURE AMERICAN PRESIDENT.

TO FOLLOW THE TRAIL ON THIS,

I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU LOOK AT THE CORRESPONDENCE

BETWEEN JAMES MADISON AND JAMES MONROE.

WHY MADISON?

JAMES MADISON WAS THE SECRETARY OF STATE IN 1807,

AND HE WOULD'VE DEALT WITH ALL SUCH CLAIMS

THAT THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT WAS DEALING WITH.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, JOHN.

THE PAPERS OF JAMES MADISON ARE BEING PUBLISHED

BY THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA,

WHERE MARY HACKETT IS AN ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ON THE PROJECT.

HI, MARY?

HELLO, HOW ARE YOU?

NICE TO MEET YOU.

I FOUND SOMETHING THAT I THINK MIGHT INTEREST YOU.

EXCELLENT.

I HAD E-MAILED MARY THE DETAILS OF MY INVESTIGATION,

AND SHE'S UNCOVERED AN 1806 LETTER

FROM THE BRADBURYS TO JAMES MADISON IN WASHINGTON.

THEY EXPLAIN THAT THEY ARE THE OWNERS --

PART OWNERS AND AGENTS -- FOR THE SHIP PHOENIX,

OF WHICH JOSIAH ROBERTS WAS THE MASTER.

FINALLY, THE BRADBURY SHIP HAS A NAME.

THE LETTER EXPLAINS THAT THE PHOENIX

SAILED FROM BOSTON IN JULY 1801

WITH A VALUABLE CARGO.

SO THEN WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PHOENIX?

WELL, IN DECEMBER OF 1801, THE SAME SHIP WAS CAPTURED

BY A SPANISH GOVERNMENT SCHOONER.

MARY SAYS THAT DESPITE COMPANY PLEAS TO RETURN THE SHIP,

SPAIN HELD ONTO IT FOR FOUR YEARS

BEFORE SELLING EVERYTHING.

THE CARGO WAS SOLD FOR THE SUM OF $124,000,

AND THE AMOUNT WAS DEPOSITED

IN THE SPANISH ROYAL TREASURY AT BUENOS AIRES.

THE SHIP WAS ALSO SOLD AT MONTEVIDEO,

AND THAT AMOUNT, $5,500,

WAS ALSO DEPOSITED IN THE SPANISH TREASURY.

SO THAT WOULD'VE BEEN ROUGHLY $130,000 AT THE TIME,

WHICH WOULD BE WORTH MILLIONS TODAY.

THAT WAS QUITE A PRIZE.

YES, IT WAS.

BUT THERE'S NO INFORMATION

ABOUT WHAT THE SHIP WAS CARRYING.

AND I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION.

WHY WOULD JAMES MONROE,

THE AMERICAN MINISTER TO GREAT BRITAIN,

BE SO CONCERNED ABOUT A SHIP

THAT HAD BEEN CAPTURED BY THE SPANISH

AND WAS THEN IN SOUTH AMERICA?

THE PLOT THICKENS.

OKAY.

WHAT MARY TELLS ME NEXT GIVES ME THE MISSING LINK.

I THINK GAIL IS GOING TO BE QUITE SURPRISED

BY WHAT I'VE LEARNED.

WELL, GAIL, YOU HAD WANTED TO KNOW

IF THIS LETTER WAS WRITTEN BY JAMES MONROE.

RIGHT.

AND IT WAS INDEED.

OH, GOOD.

THAT'S GREAT.

IN FACT, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT LETTER.

OKAY.

HOWEVER, YOU ALSO THOUGHT THAT THIS HAD BEEN WRITTEN

TO ONE OF YOUR ANCESTORS IN THE MANWARING FAMILY.

RIGHT.

AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE LETTER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM.

OH, ALL RIGHT.

ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED?

WELL, NOT REALLY, BECAUSE IF IT'S WRITTEN BY JAMES MONROE,

THEN I STILL HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE

OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

WHILE IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHO THE LETTER IS ADDRESSED TO

OR IF THE MATTER WAS EVER RESOLVED,

I TELL GAIL ABOUT THE SPANISH NAVY

SEIZING THE PHOENIX AND ITS CARGO

AND HOW TWO FUTURE PRESIDENTS GOT INVOLVED.

THAT'S AMAZING.

THAT'S A MUCH GRANDER SCOPE THAN I HAD ENVISIONED

WHEN I FIRST READ THE LETTER.

I ALSO FOUND OUT HOW THIS CLAIM

CAME TO BE DIRECTED AGAINST THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

IN JUNE OF 1806,

THE BRITISH SEIZED BUENOS AIRES.

THEY TOOK THE FUNDS FROM THE SPANISH TREASURY

AND SENT THEM BACK TO LONDON.

AND THE BRADBURYS ARE CONVINCED IN THIS LETTER THEY MENTION

THAT THEIR MONEY WAS PART OF WHAT WAS TAKEN

FROM THE SPANISH TREASURY AND WENT BACK TO LONDON.

AND THEY SAY, "WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE

"THAT THE PROCEEDS OF THE SALE OF THE CARGO ALLUDED TO

CONSTITUTED A PART OF THIS TREASURE AND IS NOW IN LONDON."

THAT'S TERRIFIC.

MONROE WAS MAKING A CLAIM ON BEHALF OF AN AMERICAN COMPANY,

BUT HE WAS ALSO MAKING A CLAIM ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES

AS A SOVEREIGN NATION.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

SO THIS PERIOD IN HISTORY THAT THIS LETTER IS A PART OF

WAS THE FIRST ASSERTION OF AMERICAN NATIONAL IDENTITY

AND ECONOMIC RIGHTS IN THE WORLD.

JUST TO OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY LIKE THAT IS SPECIAL,

EVEN THOUGH MY FAMILY'S NOT INVOLVED IN IT.

DO YOU THINK YOUR MOTHER KNEW SOMETHING ABOUT THIS LETTER?

MY MOTHER KNEW THAT SHE WAS DYING.

SHE HAD LUNG CANCER.

YOU WOULD THINK, WITH ONLY TWO DAUGHTERS,

THAT SHE WOULD'VE SAID,

"GIRLS, I HAVE THIS VALUABLE PIECE OF HISTORY

"IN THE BOTTOM OF A BOX

AND YOU NEED TO GET IT AND IT'S FOR YOU."

NOT A WORD.

JAMES MONROE HELPED DRAFT A POTENTIAL SOLUTION

TO THE WORSENING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRITAIN AND AMERICA.

BUT PRESIDENT JEFFERSON REJECTED

THE MONROE-PINKNEY TREATY IN PART

BECAUSE IT FAILED TO PROVIDE AN END

TO BRITISH IMPRESSMENT OF AMERICAN SEAMEN.

ON JUNE 18, 1812, JAMES MADISON,

WHO HAD SUCCEEDED JEFFERSON AS PRESIDENT,

SIGNED A DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

THE WAR OF 1812 HAS BEEN CALLED

THE CONCLUSION OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

ALTHOUGH IT WASN'T A DECISIVE VICTORY FOR THE U.S.,

IT ESTABLISHED AMERICAN DIGNITY

BY STANDING UP TO THE BRITISH

AND DEMANDING RESPECT FOR OUR FLAG.

Elyse: I'M HERE AT THE HISTORY DETECTIVES OFFICE.

BEFORE A STORY COMES TO AIR,

A TON OF RESEARCH IS DONE HERE BEHIND THE SCENES.

AND ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO SORT THROUGH

ALL THOSE LETTERS IS STEPHANIE ANGELIDES.

WHERE DO ALL THESE STORIES COME FROM?

THE FIRST PLACE THAT WE USUALLY GO TO IS EXPERTS:

APPRAISERS, PROFESSORS, SOCIETIES.

THE SECOND PLACE IS JUST WORD OF MOUTH:

PEOPLE IN THE OFFICE, FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS.

AND THEN FINALLY, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE

IS JUST VIEWER SUBMISSIONS.

WE GET THOUSANDS OF SUBMISSIONS EVERY YEAR.

WHEN PEOPLE LOG ON TO pbs.org,

THERE'S THAT SPACE FOR THEM TO WRITE IN AND GIVE US IDEAS.

THEY'VE LED TO SOME GREAT STORIES FOR US.

AND THEN WHAT?

BASICALLY, TRY TO RESEARCH

AND WHITTLE DOWN THE LIST BEFORE WE BRING IT

TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCER TONY TACKABERRY.

SO WHAT MAKES A GOOD STORY?

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS WE LOOK FOR A STORY

THAT IS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT,

THAT TAKE US INTO REALLY IMPORTANT MOMENTS

IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

I THINK THAT'S KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE SERIES.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE,

A LOT OF RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATING GOES ON

BEHIND THE SCENES BEFORE THE CAMERAS START ROLLING.

TO FIND OUT MORE, GO TO HISTORY DETECTIVES AT pbs.org.

Tukufu: IN AN ENCORE PRESENTATION,

OUR LAST STORY EXAMINES THE STRANGE MARKINGS

ON A PIECE OF SUNKEN SPANISH TREASURE.

ON A CLEAR SEPTEMBER MORNING IN 1622,

THE SPANISH GALLEON NUESTRA SENORA de ATOCHA

SAILS FROM HAVANA HARBOR,

PACKED WITH OVER 30 TONS OF SILVER AND GOLD.

SPAIN EAGERLY AWAITS THE ARRIVAL OF THE SHIP,

BUT SHE NEVER COMES.

FINALLY A MESSAGE ARRIVES:

A MASSIVE HURRICANE HAS STRUCK.

THE ATOCHA AND HER TREASURE LIE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.

NOW SCUBA DIVER CHUCK SOTZIN OF CEDARTOWN, GEORGIA,

HAS A PIECE OF THAT TREASURE

WHICH HAS MYSTIFIED HIM FOR YEARS.

I WAS A DIVER RECOVERING TREASURE FROM THE ATOCHA.

I RECEIVED THIS SILVER BAR.

IT'S GOT SOME MARKINGS ON IT,

AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT SOME OF THESE MARKINGS MEAN.

I'M TUKUFU ZUBERI,

AND I'M MEETING CHUCK TO HAVE A LOOK AT HIS TREASURE.

SO, CHUCK, WHAT'S YOUR STORY?

CHUCK TELLS ME THAT AS A YOUNG MAN

HE JOINED HIS UNCLE, TREASURE HUNTER MEL FISHER,

ON HIS SEARCH FOR THE ATOCHA.

IT SEEMED ADVENTURESOME, SO I DECIDED TO GO DOWN TO KEY WEST

AND GIVE IT A TRY.

HE SHOWS ME SOME PHOTOS OF THE VICTORIOUS CREW

AND THEIR HISTORIC HAUL.

HERE'S THE SILVER BARS ON THE BACK OF THE DECK.

THAT'S WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE WHEN THEY'RE FOUND.

COOL.

BLACK AND CRUSTED.

NOW, THIS IS A SERIOUS STACK OF THEM HERE.

YEP, SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD THERE.

CHUCK TELLS ME THAT IN TWO YEARS, 1985 AND '86,

THEY BROUGHT UP 986 SILVER BARS.

IT WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST DISCOVERIES OF TREASURE

IN U.S. HISTORY.

NOW, YOU SAY YOU GOT A PIECE OF THIS TREASURE.

YEAH.

LET'S CHECK IT OUT.

THAT BABY LOOKS A LITTLE HEAVY THERE, HUH?

YEAH.

WHOA.

I GOT THIS AS PAYMENT.

I WORKED THERE FOR FIVE YEARS,

SO I GOT JUST ABOUT A HALF A PERCENT OF TREASURE.

HOW MUCH IS THIS WORTH?

$20,000, UP TO $50,000.

WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT FOR YOU?

WELL, I'D LIKE TO KNOW THE HISTORY OF THIS BAR,

WHAT THESE MARKINGS MEAN ON HERE.

WELL, YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY EXCITED

ABOUT THIS INVESTIGATION,

SO I WANT TO DO MY OWN TREASURE HUNT FOR YOU

AND SEE IF I CAN FIND A MOTHER LODE OF ANSWERS.

OKAY.

NOW, DO YOU MIND IF I TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BAR?

THAT'S FINE, YEAH.

ALL RIGHT.

IT'S -- I'M NOT GOING TOO FAR.

NO, YOU WON'T RUN TOO FAR.

MOST OF THESE MARKINGS SEEM TO HAVE SOME SYMBOLIC MEANING,

SOME OF IT OBVIOUS, SOME NOT.

I'LL HAVE TO CHECK THEM OUT.

LET'S SEE HOW MUCH THIS WEIGHS.

I KNOW ONE THING, IT'S NOT LIGHT.

SIXTY-EIGHT POUNDS.

I NEED TO TAKE SOME PICTURES BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY

I'M CARRYING THIS BIG, HEAVY PIECE OF SILVER AROUND.

[ shutter clicking ]

I'M HITTING THE LIBRARY TO SEE WHAT I CAN FIND OUT

ABOUT THE ATOCHA AND THE MARKINGS ON THE BAR.

CERTAINLY A LOT HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THE ATOCHA.

MAYBE I CAN FIND SOME ANSWERS HERE.

THE 1622 FLEET WAS ASSEMBLED IN AUGUST IN HAVANA, CUBA,

AND THE HEAVILY ARMED ATOCHA WAS PACKED

WITH OVER 30 TONS OF SILVER AND GOLD.

AND IT SAYS HERE,

IN ANTICIPATION OF THE 1622 FLEET,

"THEY KNEW ONLY TOO WELL, THOUGH,

"THAT THEIR PROSPERITY, EVEN THEIR SURVIVAL,

"MIGHT DEPEND UPON THE SUCCESSFUL PASSAGE

OF THE COMING YEAR'S FLEET."

SO THIS FLEET OF BOATS WAS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT

FOR THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT.

THIS IS INTERESTING.

MANY OF THE MARKINGS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DECIPHERED.

THIS IS A PRIVATE OWNERSHIP MARK.

IT SEEMS A FEW WEALTHY AND WELL-CONNECTED MERCHANTS

WERE ABLE TO GET THEIR PERSONAL SILVER ONTO THESE SHIPS.

THEY STOOD TO MAKE HUGE FORTUNES

ONCE THE SILVER ARRIVED IN SPAIN.

YOU CAN IMAGINE, THIS BOAT WAS JUST BRIMMING WITH SILVER.

IT WAS SO FULL THAT IT COULD BARELY FLOAT ON THE WATER.

AUGUST WAS THE BEGINNING OF HURRICANE SEASON,

NOT A GOOD TIME TO SAIL.

BUT ENEMY DUTCH WARSHIPS HAD BEEN SPOTTED IN THE AREA.

THE DECISION WAS MADE TO QUICKLY PREPARE THE SHIPS

AND SET SAIL.

BUT JUST TWO DAYS INTO THEIR VOYAGE,

THEY RAN STRAIGHT INTO THE JAWS OF A HURRICANE.

BAM!

DOWN IT GOES.

THE SPANISH MUST HAVE BEEN DEVASTATED BY THIS.

THIS IS CURIOUS.

MANY OF THE BARS, INCLUDING OUR OWN,

HAVE THIS DEEP CUT ON ONE CORNER,

BUT NOT ALL OF THEM.

I WONDER IF THE SALVAGE WORKERS COULD HAVE GOUGED THE BAR

WHEN THEY WERE CLEANING IT.

I'M HEADING TO THE SOUTHERNMOST CITY, KEY WEST, FLORIDA,

TO SEE MEL FISHER'S GRANDSON, SEAN.

LIKE CHUCK, HE'S A FISHER FAMILY MEMBER,

BUT SEAN'S STILL INVOLVED IN THE BUSINESS

AND IS FAMILIAR WITH HOW THE ATOCHA SILVER WAS HANDLED

AFTER THE DIVERS BROUGHT IT UP.

I'M TRYING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF A STORY

ON A SILVER BAR THAT CAME OFF OF THE ATOCHA

THAT SUPPOSEDLY YOUR GRANDFATHER DISCOVERED.

HE WAS THE WORLD'S GREATEST TREASURE HUNTER,

AND HE GOT THAT -- THAT LABEL BY FINDING THE ATOCHA.

SEAN SAYS THAT MEL FISHER WASN'T THE FIRST

TO GO LOOKING FOR THE ATOCHA.

WITHIN DAYS OF THE HURRICANE,

THE SPANISH HAD BEGUN SEARCHING FOR THE WRECK.

THEY SPENT 20 YEARS LOOKING FOR THE SHIP.

THEY WOULD ACTUALLY TAKE SLAVES AND OFFER THEM THEIR FREEDOM

IF THEY COULD FIND ONE SILVER BAR.

THE SPANISH FOUND THE WRECK SITE,

BUT IT WAS TOO DEEP,

AND THE SLAVE DIVERS WERE ONLY ABLE TO BRING UP A FEW BARS.

FOR 300 YEARS, THE SUNKEN ATOCHA TREASURE FLOATED

IN THE MINDS OF TREASURE HUNTERS THE WORLD OVER,

EVENTUALLY CAPTURING THE IMAGINATION OF MEL FISHER.

AND MY GRANDFATHER LOOKED AT MY GRANDMA AND SAID,

"WELL, WE CAN SIT HERE AND WE CAN PAY ALL OUR BILLS

OR WE CAN PACK THE KIDS UP AND GO TREASURE HUNTING."

YOU KNOW, AND GRANDMA SAID,

"WELL, LET'S GO TREASURE HUNTING."

[ chuckles ] ALL RIGHT.

SO THEN YOUR GRANDFATHER JUST GOT LUCKY

AND HE ROLLED UP ON THE ATOCHA.

WELL, NO, IT WASN'T REAL LUCKY, MAN.

WELL, I TELL YOU WHAT, WHY DON'T WE GO INSIDE.

I'LL SHOW YOU SOME CHARTS

AND GIVE YOU A GOOD IDEA OF WHERE IT'S AT.

OKAY, GREAT.

ALL RIGHT.

SEAN TELLS ME THAT MEL FISHER

WASN'T THE ONLY ONE LOOKING FOR THE ATOCHA.

HERE'S THE CHARTS I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT.

WHEN MY GRANDFATHER FIRST STARTED HUNTING FOR THE ATOCHA,

HE WAS ACTUALLY LOOKING WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER TREASURE HUNTERS

RIGHT...HERE WHERE IT SAYS "LOWER MATECUMBE KEY."

THE HUNT WAS ON

ALONG AN 80-MILE STRETCH OF THE MID-KEYS.

FISHER AND HIS TEAM NEEDED A COMPETITIVE EDGE.

IT CAME IN THE FORM OF HIS FRIEND EUGENE LYON,

A YOUNG ACADEMIC WHO HELPED FISHER LOCATE

17th-CENTURY MAPS OF THE AREA.

WE FOUND OUT THAT THE SPANIARDS REFERRED

TO ALL OF THE FLORIDA KEYS AS THE MATECUMBE KEYS.

SO THE LOWER MATECUMBES WOULD HAVE MEANT THIS AREA RIGHT HERE,

THE SOUTHERNMOST PART OF THE KEYS.

THEN LYON MADE ANOTHER IMPORTANT DISCOVERY

IN A WORM-EATEN DOCUMENT

IN AN ARCHIVE IN SEVILLE, SPAIN.

GENE SAW THE WORDS "CAYOS del MARQUES."

THAT'S WHEN WE KNEW WE HAD TO FOCUS OUR SEARCH EFFORTS

BY THE MARQUESAS KEYS,

ABOUT 35 MILES TO THE WEST OF KEY WEST.

THE FISHERS MOVED THEIR SEARCH TO KEY WEST

AND QUIETLY ZEROED IN ON THE MARQUESAS KEYS.

IN THE SUMMER OF 1985, AFTER 16 YEARS OF SEARCHING,

MEL FISHER'S DIVERS SAW SOMETHING

THAT HAD BEEN LOST FOR 350 YEARS.

IT WAS JUST A HUGE REEF OF SILVER BARS.

AS FAR AS YOU CAN SEE, ALL YOU CAN SEE IS SILVER.

AS THE ATOCHA SANK, IT BOUNCED ALONG THE OCEAN FLOOR

LEAVING A 10-MILE TRAIL OF TREASURE.

YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE PIECE OF GOLD LIKE THAT

STICKING OUT OF THE SAND AND YOU'LL START PULLING,

AND THE CHAIN WILL KEEP GETTING BIGGER,

AND THE SMILE ON YOUR FACE

WILL KEEP GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER AND BIGGER.

AND YOU'LL COME UP WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS,

AN 8-FOOT-LONG, 18-KARAT GOLD MONEY CHAIN.

WOW, NOW, THAT'S SERIOUS BUSINESS.

SEAN SAYS THAT TAXES COULD BE AVOIDED

BY TURNING TREASURE INTO JEWELRY.

A PASSENGER COULD BRING ABOARD AS MUCH AS THEY COULD WEAR.

MERCHANTS DID ANYTHING THEY COULD TO AVOID ROYAL TAXES,

AND SMUGGLING HAD BECOME WIDESPREAD.

I HAVE THIS BAR.

BEAUTIFUL BAR, MAN.

GREAT MARKINGS.

I TELL SEAN HOW CHUCK SOTZIN HAS GOTTEN CURIOUS

ABOUT THE MARKINGS ON ONE OF HIS SILVER BARS.

COULD THIS MARK HAVE BEEN PUT ON THE BAR

AFTER YOU BROUGHT IT UP IN YOUR CLEANING PROCESS?

OH, ABSOLUTELY NOT.

YOU'RE NOT IN THERE DOING ANYTHING

THAT COULD POSSIBLY DO THAT, NO.

HE SAYS THAT THEY WEIGHED AND CATALOGUED THE BARS

WHEN THEY CAME UP, THEN CLEANED THEM GENTLY.

BUT THERE'S SOMEONE IN TOWN WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP.

THE MARITIME HERITAGE MUSEUM IN KEY WEST

IS AN INDEPENDENT NONPROFIT GROUP

THAT BEARS MEL FISHER'S NAME.

MEL FISHER SOLD MUCH OF THE TREASURE TO PRIVATE BUYERS,

BUT A PORTION REMAINS AT THE MUSEUM.

STAFF ARCHAEOLOGIST COREY MALCOLM

HAS DONE SOME WORK ON THE ATOCHA SILVER.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

I HAVE THIS SILVER BAR THAT I'M INVESTIGATING,

AND I KNOW THERE IS A STORY IT WANTS TO TELL.

HE TELLS ME THAT THE TERM

FOR A BAR OF PRECIOUS METAL LIKE THIS IS AN INGOT,

AND HE IMMEDIATELY NOTICES SOMETHING ON CHUCK'S.

THIS TELLS US FOR SURE THAT THIS INGOT WAS MINTED AND MINED

IN THE TOWN OF POTOSI.

IT'S IN BOLIVIA TODAY; THAT WAS PERU BACK THEN.

THE MARKING HAS CONTEMPORARY SIGNIFICANCE, TOO.

THE MINES AT POTOSI TUNNEL INTO A MOUNTAIN OF SILVER SO MASSIVE

THAT THEY CONTINUE TO BE SOME OF THE WORLD'S RICHEST.

WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IN THIS ONE INGOT IS REALLY

THE BEGINNING OF THE GLOBALIZING OF WORLD ECONOMIES.

YOU HAVE SOUTH AMERICAN SILVER BEING USED TO PAY OFF DEBTS

AND FUND WARS THAT WERE HAPPENING IN SPAIN.

SILVER WAS FLOWING IN THE OTHER DIRECTION

ACROSS THE PACIFIC ON ANOTHER FLEET OF GALLEONS

AND TAKEN TO THE PHILIPPINES,

WHERE THE CHINESE WOULD THEN ABSORB IT INTO THEIR ECONOMY.

SO REALLY YOU HAVE FROM SOUTH AMERICA AND MEXICO

A BELT OF SILVER ENCOMPASSING THE GLOBE.

IT WAS THE PROMISE OF NEW WORLD SILVER AND GOLD, OF COURSE,

THAT HAD DRIVEN SPANISH EXPLORERS SUCH AS de SOTO

TO NORTH AMERICA, TOO.

AND COREY SAYS ANOTHER MARKING TELLS

HOW THE SPANIARDS MASTERED A NEW TECHNOLOGY:

TO REFINE EXTREMELY PURE METAL.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS IN SPANISH COLONIAL MINING

WAS THE INTRODUCTION OF THE MERCURY AMALGAMATION PROCESS.

AND BASICALLY THEY WOULD TAKE SILVER ORE,

CRUSH IT INTO A POWDER,

AND THEN MIX THAT POWDER FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS

WITH LIQUID MERCURY.

THIS IS 2,380 POINTS OUT OF 2,400.

IT'S ESSENTIALLY PURE SILVER.

BUT THAT PURITY CAME WITH A HUMAN PRICE.

THOUSANDS OF NATIVE WORKERS DIED FROM MERCURY POISONING.

SO OUR BAR REFLECTS, REALLY, THE GLOBAL CONNECTIONS

OF THE WORLD AT THIS EARLY DATE.

ABSOLUTELY.

IT'S ALL TIED TOGETHER IN THIS ONE SILVER INGOT.

COREY SAYS THAT BECAUSE SMUGGLING WAS COMMON

ON BOARD THE TREASURE SHIPS,

A SYSTEM OF SERIAL NUMBERS WAS USED TO AUTHENTICATE BARS.

AND THIS WAS A UNIQUE SERIAL NUMBER.

THIS PARTICULAR ONE IS 254.

HE SHOWS ME COPIES OF METICULOUS MANIFEST RECORDS

IN PERIOD SCRIPT

LISTING EACH BAR LOADED ONTO THE ATOCHA,

ITS WEIGHT, AND ITS SHIPPER.

SO WE'LL LOOK AND SEE IF WE CAN'T FIND INGOT #254.

AND HERE YOU GO.

YOU SEE YOUR MARK RIGHT HERE.

WHOA!

THAT'S IT.

THAT'S YOUR NUMBER.

THIS PARTICULAR INGOT SHOULD WEIGH ABOUT 78 POUNDS TROY.

THIS WAS BEING SHIPPED BY A MAN NAMED J. DELGADO.

SO OUR GUY DELGADO PUT ALL HIS SILVER ON THIS BOAT

AND SENT IT OFF TO SPAIN.

WELL, HE WAS ON BOARD HIMSELF.

DELGADO WENT DOWN WITH THE BOAT?

YEAH, HE WENT DOWN WITH THE ATOCHA.

ALL WE HAVE IS HIS TREASURE TO SPEAK FOR HIM.

SO LASTLY, THE SLASH.

WELL, I HAVE TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.

THAT I CAN'T ANSWER.

WE SEE NO REFLECTION OF IT IN THE MANIFEST.

COREY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A RESEARCHER ON THE ATOCHA TEAM

WHO BECAME INTERESTED IN THE MARKINGS.

JOHN VAN HARP HAD REALIZED THAT MOST OF THE SLASHED BARS

WERE OWNED OR SHIPPED BY JUAN DELGADO.

BUT SOMETHING, QUITE LITERALLY, DIDN'T ADD UP.

I WROTE DOWN A MANIFEST WEIGHT,

AND THEN AFTER THAT I WROTE DOWN

THE RECOVERED AND CLEANED WEIGHT.

THE DIVERS HAD WEIGHED THE BARS IN POUNDS.

AS JOHN CONVERTED THOSE WEIGHTS INTO THE UNIT OF MEASUREMENT

USED ON THE OFFICIAL MANIFEST, TROY POUNDS,

HE MADE A BIZARRE DISCOVERY.

RIGHT AWAY I NOTICED SOMETHING REALLY ODD.

ALL THE BARS WERE OVERWEIGHT BY APPROXIMATELY FIVE POUNDS.

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT?

JOHN'S COME UP WITH A UNIQUE THEORY FOR THE CUT MARKS.

THE FACT THAT THESE BARS WEIGH MORE

THAN THE ORIGINAL MANIFEST WEIGHT

TELLS ME THAT DELGADO WAS SMUGGLING SILVER

IN THE BARS BACK TO SPAIN.

IN ORDER FOR IT TO WORK,

PEOPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE WOULD HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THE BARS

AND PASS THEM THROUGH THE SCALES WITHOUT CHECKING.

DELGADO WAS NOT ONLY A MAJOR BUSINESSMAN,

HE MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN A MAJOR SMUGGLER.

THERE'S REFERENCE HERE TO ANOTHER THEORY

THAT THE SLASH MARKED A CUT POINT

FOR AN ADDITIONAL DEFENSE TAX ON SHIPPERS.

THAT MAKES SENSE,

ALTHOUGH IT'S CURIOUS NOT ALL THE BARS HAVE THE MARKING.

I WANT TO RUN A CHECK.

JOHN NEVER WEIGHED ANY BARS HIMSELF.

OUR BAR WEIGHED 68 POUNDS.

OKAY, SO I NEED TO DO SOME CALCULATING

SO I GET MY STORY RIGHT.

ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL MANIFEST,

CHUCK'S BAR SHOULD WEIGH ABOUT 78 TROY POUNDS.

IS OUR BAR REALLY OVERWEIGHT?

I MEASURED THE BAR, AND IT CAME OUT TO 68 POUNDS.

IF I CONVERT THAT TO TROY -- GOT TO DO A LITTLE MATH.

I WANT TO SHOW MY RESULTS TO CHUCK.

THIS HAS BEEN AN INTERESTING

AND EDUCATIONAL INVESTIGATION FOR ME.

AND I MUST SAY THAT YOUR SILVER BAR

HAS GONE THROUGH QUITE A BIT IN ITS 385 YEARS.

OKAY.

I TELL CHUCK THAT THE MARKINGS ON HIS INGOT ARE A WINDOW

ON THE EARLIEST DAYS OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY,

AND THAT PEOPLE DIED MINING IT, MINTING IT, AND SHIPPING IT,

INCLUDING ITS ORIGINAL OWNER, JUAN DELGADO.

YOUR BAR OF SILVER IS NOT LIKE OTHER BARS OF SILVER,

AND WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL IS DELGADO AND THIS LINE.

WELL, WHAT'S THAT LINE SIGNIFY?

THAT'S WHERE THE STORY STARTS TO GET INTERESTING.

OKAY.

SO OUR 68 POUNDS CONVERTS TO 83 POUNDS TROY.

AND I SUBTRACT THE 78 POUNDS FROM THE MANIFEST.

I END UP WITH FIVE POUNDS OVERWEIGHT.

OH, WOW.

SO WHAT THAT MEANS...

I TELL CHUCK THE SLASH MARK COULD BE EVIDENCE

FOR A MILITARY TAX ON SHIPPERS.

BUT SMUGGLING WAS WIDESPREAD ON THE TREASURE GALLEONS,

AND IT IS POSSIBLE HE HAS A CONTRABAND SILVER INGOT.

WOW.

FIVE ILLEGAL POUNDS.

[ chuckles ]

WELL, THE STORY JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.

THERE YOU GO.

IT'S MAYBE EVEN MORE UNIQUE, YOU KNOW?

SO IN THE NAME OF THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT SPANISH PEOPLE,

I'M GOING TO HAVE TO CONFISCATE THIS BAR OF SILVER.

YEAH, RIGHT.

SURE YOU ARE.

FOR MORE ON THE ATOCHA SHIPWRECK,

VISIT THE HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.

Gwendolyn: WHEN MEL FISHER FOUND THE ATOCHA SILVER

DEEP IN THE GULF OF MEXICO,

IT TOOK THE HIGHEST COURT IN THE LAND

TO DECIDE IF FINDERS REALLY WERE KEEPERS.

AS FISHER CELEBRATED,

FLORIDA CLAIMED CUSTODY OF THE SHIP'S CARGO.

THE STATE'S ATTORNEYS ARGUED THAT FISHER WAS UNDERMINING LAWS

TO PROTECT HISTORIC SITES.

IN 1982, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT AGREED TO HEAR THE CASE.

FISHER CLAIMED THAT THE WRECK HAD BEEN IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS

AND THAT UNDER U.S. ADMIRALTY LAW,

ABANDONED SHIPWRECKS BECAME THE FINDER'S PROPERTY.

IT HAD BEEN OVER 300 YEARS

SINCE SPAIN HAD ATTEMPTED TO RECOVER THE VESSEL.

IN A 5-4 DECISION, MEL FISHER BEAT THE STATE

AND RECOVERED HIS BOOTY.

MANY OF THE OBJECTS WERE DONATED TO FEDERAL AND STATE MUSEUMS

AS A TAX WRITE-OFF.

RECENT CASES HAVE REVERSED THE FISHER RULING

THAT FINDERS ARE KEEPERS.

INCREASINGLY, THE COURTS ARE GIVING LEGAL TITLE

TO THE SHIP'S COUNTRY OF ORIGIN,

NO MATTER HOW MUCH TIME HAS PASSED.

Elvis Costello: ♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫