Scent of a Traitor

Summary

Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities
Episode: "Scent of a Traitor"
Date: February 17, 2026
Host: Aaron Mahnke

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Overview

In this episode, Aaron Mahnke shares two fascinating, bite-sized tales focused on the curious interplay between ambition, secrecy, and the scent of notoriety. First is the incredible life story of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, whose drive for power led her from orphanage to the heights of Parisian haute couture, but also into controversial wartime collaboration. The second story unearths the mysterious 2004 discovery of a secret underground cinema deep within the Paris Catacombs, exposing the covert activities of a group called Les UX, modern urban explorers with a penchant for restoration—and mischief.

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Tale #1: The Ambitious Orphan – Coco Chanel

(Start: 00:23)

Key Discussion Points

• Early Hardship and Formation

  • Gabrielle Chanel was born in 1883 in western France and orphaned at 12. Raised by strict nuns, she detested their austere lifestyle but gained indispensable skills in sewing and cleaning.

    “[The nuns] taught her how to sew and clean. She developed a preference for a clean home and immaculate hygiene. And these skills and traits would define her life and even lead her to change the world.” (00:52)

• Rise to Fashion Icon

  • By age 20, living in Paris, Gabrielle opened a successful hat shop in 1910 that quickly drew attention from local performers and high society.
  • Noted for her impeccable hygiene, she was dismayed by the lack of cleanliness in her wealthy clientele, leading her to foray into perfume, commissioning and eventually selling the now-legendary Chanel No. 5.

    “Not only would it make her money, but it would keep her from having to smell the BO of her clients as she fitted them for hats and dresses.” (01:44)

• The Little Black Dress

  • Chanel’s innovations included the iconic "little black dress," a symbol of women’s liberation in fashion.

    “She also invented the first little black dress, which is a simple and slim dress. In contrast to the big gowns of previous decades. She had liberated women’s fashion, but she wasn’t exactly a feminist.” (02:06)

• Ambition Over Allegiance

  • Chanel’s personal ambition drew her into the spheres of the elite—both in romance and power, including English royalty and Winston Churchill.
  • During WWII, her affair with Nazi officer Hans Gunther von Dincklage led her to collaborate with the occupiers:

    “Gabrielle quickly struck up an affair with German officer Hans Gunther von Dincklage. In addition to having the most German name imaginable, he was also a spy tasked with infiltrating the French Resistance. This seems to have been Gabrielle’s most long lived and passionate affair.” (03:01)

• Controversy and Legacy

  • Chanel attempted to exploit Nazi laws to wrest her company away from Jewish business partners but was ultimately thwarted.

    “She tried to essentially steal their stake from them under Nazi laws... This ultimately failed when those Jewish partners smartly sold their stake to a different French industrialist before fleeing to the United States.” (03:31)

  • After the liberation of Paris, Chanel was arrested but quickly released, possibly due to her influential friends.
  • Her legacy remains complicated: celebrated for her contributions to fashion yet stained by collaboration.

    “Curiously, her insatiable desire for power actually undermined her success in the long run. If she had remained loyal to France, she would be remembered today as the saintly godmother of all modern fashion. Maybe she should have listened to those nuns. After all.” (05:48)

Notable Quotes

• On Chanel’s ambition:

  “More than anything, she just wanted success and the money and power that came with it. She wanted to be a part of high society, to show that she was more than just an orphan raised by nuns.” (02:18)

• On her post-war legacy:

  “She never again had the same prominence in the fashion world and died bitter and alone in 1971. Today, Gabrielle Coco Chanel, as she was better known, is respected for her contributions to the fashion world... Naturally, the extent of her antisemitism and collaboration with the Nazis will always be debated.” (05:27)

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Tale #2: The Catacombs Cinema – Les UX

(Start: 07:06)

Key Discussion Points

• The Paris Catacombs: City of the Dead

  • Under Paris lie over 170 miles of catacombs, harboring the bones of 6 million people. While most passages are off-limits, some are used for municipal purposes or, as this story reveals, secret adventures.

• Police Discovery in 2004

  • Officers training in the catacombs near Trocadero stumble upon a tarp labeled "Building Site No Access," leading to a bizarre setup:

    “Almost immediately, they discovered something unusual. A large tarp blocking a previously uncharted passage with a sign saying Building Site No Access.” (07:35)

  • Beyond the tarp: a desk, a CCTV camera (recording everyone passing), and, triggered by motion, a sound system playing fierce dog barks.

• The Underground Cinema

  • The police uncover a full clandestine cinema:

    “Further down, the tunnel opened into a huge cavern, and inside the rock had been carved into seats and benches for people to sit in. Investigators found an enormous movie screen and projection equipment, along with a collection of movies... On the far side of the cavern was another room with a makeshift bar and a restaurant.” (08:07)

  • Unusually, the space is powered by electricity—with multiple phone lines, bar, restaurant, and a pressure cooker.

• The Culprits: Les UX

  • A group called Les UX (Urban eXperiment) claims credit for the cinema and various secret restoration projects in Paris:

    “Le ux, short for Urban Experiment, is a secret organization taking on urban renewal projects all over Paris, which the French government lacks funding for or chooses not to pursue.” (09:11)

  • Past feats include the covert restoration of the Pantheon’s clock (2007), a project carried out in secret over a year.

• Evading Capture

  • Despite police and utility-company efforts to trace them, Les UX dismantle the entire cinema overnight, leaving only a note:

    “The note said simply, do not come searching for us.” (11:46)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the eerie catacombs entrance:

  “There are so many bodies down there that one sign above a public entrance reads, ‘stop. The empire of death lies here.’” (07:24)

• On the cinema’s sudden disappearance:

  “The tarp, the sign, and the camera were all gone. In fact, the entire theater had been emptied. No pressure cooker, no phone lines, no movie screens or liquor. The only sign that something had been in the cavern at all was a scrap of paper left in the center of the room addressed to the Parisian police. The note said simply, ‘do not come searching for us.’” (11:37)

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Episode Structure & Tone

• Aaron Mahnke’s narration combines intrigue, dark humor, and a journalist’s precision with a storyteller’s flourish.
• Both stories explore ambition manifesting in unexpected, often dubious ways—whether in fashion or urban exploration.
• The tales, while strange, are as much about curiosity and human nature as they are about the peculiar facts.

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Major Timestamps

• 00:23 – Introduction to Gabrielle Chanel’s early life
• 01:44 – Chanel’s entry into perfume and the creation of Chanel No. 5
• 03:01 – Chanel’s collaboration with Nazi officers
• 05:27 – Discussion of Chanel’s controversial legacy
• 07:06 – Introduction to the Paris Catacombs story
• 07:35 – Police discover the underground cinema setup
• 08:07 – Description of the complete underground cinema and restaurant
• 09:11 – Reveal of Les UX and their secret projects
• 11:37 – Police find the cinema dismantled, with only a warning note left behind

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Final Takeaways

• The dual stories are connected by the theme of secrecy and the pursuit of power or passion, whether in the public eye (Coco Chanel) or under literal cover of darkness (Les UX).
• Mahnke’s closing reminder: stay curious—the world always has another secret waiting around the corner.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Welcome to Erin Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mil. Our world is full of the unexplainable. And if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. Gabrielle was born in 1883 in western France. Her childhood was destined to be a difficult one. Her her mother died when she was 12, and her father wasn't willing to look after her and her siblings, so he left them in the care of nuns and never came back. The nun's impact on Gabrielle would be unexpected. She hated how strict and chaste they were. She saw the glamour and the riches of nearby Paris and couldn't understand why anyone would intentionally live a life of poverty. However, the nuns did teach her the important skills she needed. They taught her how to sew and clean. She developed a preference for a clean home and immaculate hygiene. And these skills and traits would define her life and even lead her to change the world. By the time Gabrielle was 20, she was living in Paris and pursuing that glamorous life. She used her sewing skills to open up a hat shop in 1910, which immediately became a success. Some of the local cabaret performers took to wearing her hats, making them even more popular throughout the country. She soon began designing dresses as well. Gabrielle's preference for immaculate hygiene led her to notice that some of her rich clients were actually less hygienic than her. She thought many of them even smelled. She learned more about the world of perfumes, which up until this point was still not widely used. They had existed for millennia. But the advent of modern chemistry meant that safe synthetic fragrances could be developed that were affordable and would last on the skin for a long time. And so Gabrielle immediately commissioned a whole variety of perfumes, and she eventually settled on a scent that she wanted to sell. Not only would it make her money, but it would keep her from having to smell the BO of her clients as she fitted them for hats and dresses. All throughout the 1920s, Gabrielle became a Paris fashion icon. In addition to her popular perfume, she also invented the first little black dress, which is a simple and slim dress. In contrast to the big gowns of previous decades. She had liberated women's fashion, but she wasn't exactly a feminist. More than anything, she just wanted success and the money and power that came with it. She wanted to be a part of high society, to show that she was more than just an orphan raised by nuns. And so all throughout the 1930s, Gabrielle became known for having affairs with powerful men. At first, this was members of high society in France, but soon she was even involved with English royalty and friendly with the likes of people like Winston Churchill. And because of all of this, you would think that she would have sided with the Allies when World War II darkened over Europe. But again, all Gabrielle cared about was her own success. When the Nazis conquered France, Gabrielle quickly struck up an affair with German officer Hans Gunther von Dincklage. In addition to having the most German name imaginable, he was also a spy tasked with infiltrating the French Resistance. This seems to have been Gabrielle's most long lived and passionate affair. The fact that the Nazis were conquerors and anti Semites didn't seem to bother her. The reality is that most of the Western world was pretty anti Semitic at the time. It was a matter of degrees to her. The English, French and Americans tended to segregate Jews and keep them from positions of power, but they drew the line at systematically murdering them like the Germans did. Gabrielle, however, took full advantage of the Nazis anti Semitic laws. She had a few Jewish business partners with a stake in her business and she tried to essentially steal their stake from them. Under Nazi laws that stated Jews couldn't own their own businesses. This ultimately failed when those Jewish partners smartly sold their stake to a different French industrialist before fleeing to the United States. Toward the end of the war, as the Nazis continued to lose ground, Gabrielle and Hans tried to save face by negotiating a truce behind Hitler's back with Winston Churchill. But the Allies weren't interested. They continued their advance and retook Paris, arresting Gabrielle. In 1944, Hans fled to Switzerland. While Gabrielle was a Nazi collaborator, it seems that the Allies felt that she wasn't responsible for any crimes and she was released. Some believe her connections with English high society just might have had a hand in that. But her time as a collaborator remained a stain on her legacy. She never again had the same prominence in the fashion world and died bitter and alone in 1971. Today, Gabrielle Coco Chanel, as she was better known, is respected for her contributions to the fashion world. Her perfume, Chanel no. 5 is still in use. And of course, the black little dress is practically its own genre of clothing. Naturally, the extent of her antisemitism and collaboration with the Nazis will always be debated. Curiously, her insatiable desire for power actually undermined her success in the long run. If she had remained loyal to France, she would be remembered today as the saintly godmother of all modern fashion. Maybe she should have listened to those nuns. After all.

[C]

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[B]

Paris, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, is famous for many things. The Eiffel Tower, of course, Notre Dame Cathedral, the River Seine. It's also famous for its mysterious and macabre network of underground tunnels, the catacombs, which pass beneath every part of the city and are estimated to hold the remains of over 6 million people. Those tunnels were built from old quarries left over from the Roman Empire and span over 170 miles. When Parisian cemeteries began to overflow in the 1700s, millions of bodies were transferred from where they had been laid to rest in cemeteries to the underground tunnels. There are so many bodies down there that one sign above a public entrance reads, stop. The empire of death lies here. Now, it must be said that only a very small section is open for tourists to explore, while other areas are used for municipal purposes, like sewer maintenance and, in some cases, training exercises for law enforcement. And in 2004, a branch of the Paris Police Department set out to do exactly that. Odd as it may seem, officers use the unusual environment to practice traversing difficult terrain and to check for anyone illegally visiting. On this occasion, officers entered through a sewer drain beside the Trocadero, not far from the Eiffel Tower. Almost immediately, they discovered something unusual. A large tarp blocking a previously uncharted passage with a sign saying Building Site no Access. Thinking that it may be part of the training exercise, the police pulled back the tarp to reveal a desk and a closed circuit TV camera, which recorded anyone who passed by the tarp, including the officers themselves. When someone passed in front of the camera, a box on the desk played a recording of snarling and barking dogs. The police quickly realized that this was no exercise, and the advanced security and camera equipment made it clear these were no teenagers exploring the creepy underground on a dare. This was something more sinister. They had no choice but to push forward. Further down, the tunnel opened into a huge cavern, and inside the rock had been carved into seats and benches for people to sit in. Investigators found an enormous movie screen and projection equipment, along with a collection of movies. None of the films were offensive, and none of them had been banned. On the far side of the cavern was another room with a makeshift bar and a restaurant. Nice bottles of spirits, tables and chairs, even a pressure cooker. Even stranger still, the restaurant and bar were clearly running on electricity, an impossibility in the catacombs, given that they were carved out centuries ago. One police officer said there were at least three phone lines down there. So who was responsible for the clandestine and, I must say, illegal cinema tucked inside Paris deadliest tunnels? Well, it didn't take long for one group to take the credit. Le ux, short for Urban Experiment, is a secret organization taking on urban renewal projects all over Paris, which the French government lacks funding for or chooses not to pursue. In the 1990s, L U X restored several medieval crypts beneath the city by creating underground workshops and accessing them after hours. In 2007, they secretly restored the Pantheon's clock with the help of expert clockmaker Jean Baptiste Voigt. The clock was originally made in 1851 and had stopped working in the early 1960s. Restoration took over a year and was mostly done at night, in secret, in a workshop set up by Le UX members. When the clock was fully repaired and La UX took public responsibility, the center for National Monuments in France attempted to bring charges against the group, but ultimately they failed. The spokesman for this otherwise secret society, Lazar Kunstmann, explained that In September of 1981, Liu X stole comprehensive maps of the catacombs from the city Planning Office. And these maps are instrumental to the planning and success of the group's projects and a key reason that its members are able to keep their identities secret. As far as the Cinema Goes Police returned the next day with members of the French electrical board. They wanted help finding out where the power had been routed from. But when they arrived at the entrance of the cavern, the tarp, the sign, and the camera were all gone. In fact, the entire theater had been emptied. No pressure cooker, no phone lines, no movie screens or liquor. The only sign that something had been in the cavern at all was a scrap of paper left in the center of the room addressed to the Parisian police. The note said simply, do not come searching for us. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities Podcast. The show was created by me, Aaron Manke, in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series and television show and you can learn all about it [e-mail] and until next time, stay curious. This show is sponsored by American Public University. Success starts with your drive and American Public University is here to fuel it. With affordable tuition and over 200 flexible online programs, APU helps you gain the skills and confidence to move forward. Whether you're changing careers, starting fresh, or pursuing a lifelong passion, APU's programs are designed for people who never stop. You bring the fire. Apu will fuel the journey. Learn more at Apu Apus. Edu.

[A]

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