← REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana
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- [00:01]
Luke Lamanna
Love Unsettling stories. Wondery subscribers can listen to declassified mysteries early and ad free, as well as another twisted tale from Ballin Studios and Wondery called Wartime Stories, also hosted by me early and ad free on Wondery. Start your free trial today. Wonder A little after sunset on the night of March 26, 2022, a mother and daughter were finishing dinner at their home in a small fishing village in northwest Scotland when suddenly they both smelled smoke. Once they were sure it wasn't coming from inside their house, the mother stepped outside to look for the source. The smell was distinctly stronger outdoors. She noticed something else, too, in the distance, a soft glow in the sky to the west. She hurried back inside, grabbed her car keys, and told her daughter to put on a coat. They were going to investigate. The road was empty. As they drove through the village towards the coast, the light on the horizon grew brighter. In the back of the mother's mind, old stories and memories began to stir. She did her best to push them away and focus on the road as they crested a hill and curved toward the water. At the bay, the mother parked and got out, astonished by what she saw. Her daughter came close and held her. They both stood there for a moment, staring in shock. Less than a mile across the dark water of the bay, the uninhabited Grunerd island was an inferno. Everything that was visible from the coast rippled with flames, and clouds of black smoke rose upwards. The daughter pulled out her phone to document the fire, but the mother's gaze remained set on the smoke. The wind was shifting, and it was now drifting towards the mainland. The mother's nerves tightened. Even with the bay between them and the flames, she felt too close. She wanted to get as far away from that island as possible. As the wind picked up, she urged her daughter to get into the car. The island terrified the mother, like it had for locals for generations. Everything buried and hidden there was was now being released, set adrift after so many years of dormancy. As they drove away, the mother shot a glance in the rearview mirror. She could see the smoke disappearing into the blackness of the night sky. Every minute it rose higher, carried by the winds, spreading farther across the Scottish Highlands. The old stories and memories came flooding back to her mind again. Instinctively, she reached for her daughter's hand and nudged the gas pedal. They needed to get away. Whatever the blaze had unleashed was now embedd in the air that she and her daughter were breathing. And if the island's past was truly as dark as the rumor suggested, it might already be too late. When a young woman named Desiree vanishes without a trace. The trail leads to Kat Turris, a charismatic influencer with millions of followers. But behind the glamorous posts and inspirational quotes, a sinister truth unravels. Binge all episodes of Don't Cross Cat early and ad free on Wondery.
- [03:20]
Cassie Depechel
Hey, I'm Cassie Depechel, host of Wondery's podcast Against the Odds in our new season. It's August 3rd, 1991. A cruise ship sails into a brutal storm off South Africa's Wild coast and soon starts flooding. But with no leadership in sight, the ship's entertainers take charge, leading a desperate evacuation before Oceanos sinks. Listen to against the Odds on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [03:46]
Luke Lamanna
From. Ballin Studios and Wondery. I'm Luke Lamanna, and this is Declassified Mysteries, where each week we shine a light on the shadowy corners of espionage, covert operations, and misinformation to reveal the dark secrets our governments try to hide. This week's episode is called the Secret of Churchill's Anthrax Island. In the spring of 1942, the Second World War was raging and going poorly. For the Allied forces, England's position in particular looked precarious. The Nazis were advancing through Europe, steadily gaining ground in the Pacific theater. The Japanese had just seized Singapore, taking 80,000 prisoners in the process. Across the globe, the tide of war seemed to be shifting in favor of the Axis powers. In London, Prime Minister Winston Churchill began to worry that unless extreme measures were taken, the Nazis might soon breach the United Kingdom. France had already fallen. England stood next in line. Churchill was determined to reverse the momentum of the war. So determined, in fact, that he began entertaining a range of experiments and desperate measures. Many were covert, most were legally questionable, even by wartime standards, and some even risked the lives of civilians England was fighting to protect. The country implemented a number of these covert measures, but not all would stay secret forever. And one of Churchill's experiments lives on to this day as an example of the staggering risks that governments are willing to take in the name of national security. The facts remain buried for decades, but its name has become synonymous with corruption, contamination, and controversy. Grunyard Island In February of 1942, Winston Churchill stood in an underground cabinet war meeting near Downing street in London. He let out a thick cloud of smoke from his cigar, rubbed his eyes, and looked down at a large map in front of him. Tonight, in this dimly lit room, the fate of the world was being decided. Adding to Churchill's worries were the new intelligence reports about the Nazi war effort. There were Rumors that Hitler was pushing his scientists to develop biological and chemical weapons. These had been banned since 1925 as part of the Geneva Protocol. But Churchill didn't trust Hitler to play by any rule book. If the Germans were going to fight dirty, then the English needed to be prepared to meet them at their level. Churchill knew that even discussing chemical weapons was a risky proposition. England considered itself morally superior to the Nazis. So if the British army was also discovered to be violating the Geneva Protocol, their credibility would be shattered. Not only that, it could provoke their enemies to fight even more ruthlessly, but given the circumstances, Churchill explained to his advisors that they must consider developing a chemical or biological weapon of their own. They couldn't risk getting caught without one. Several chimed in to make it clear that this was not an option. Such weapons were not on the table. Churchill nodded, acknowledging their concerns, then pointed down to the map on the table. It showed the location of German forces in Europe. Every country across the water from England was now Nazi controlled. France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. The United Kingdom was stranded and isolated. Nazi submarines patrolled their trade routes. Militarily, they were backed up against a wall. Churchill asked his advisors, what would England do if German warships sailed into one of Britain's ports, guns blazing? It would be ugly, extended fighting. The casualties would be high on both sides. To Churchill, with stakes like these, there was no more time for debate. England needed to have something up its sleeve in the awful event, Hitler decided to make a move. Something that would catch the Germans off guard and devastate them. There were murmurs throughout the room. Churchill could sense the group's hesitation. Everyone understood this was not a decision to be made lightly. As the murmurs eventually died away, it was Churchill who broke the silence. He admitted to his men that his proposal was not ideal. Deploying a bioweapon on the battlefield was the last thing he wanted to do. But to have one hidden in England's arsenal at least provided some peace of mind. Churchill locked eyes with his top generals. He reminded them that it was their sworn duty to protect their country and its people at all costs. Losing the war was not an option. If Britain fell, the entire Western world would be in danger. Anything was justified to stop this from happening. The majority of Churchill's men nodded in agreement. It was true that none of them knew how low the Nazis would stoop. Having a secret weapon of last resort seemed like a sensible precaution. Churchill made it clear the most important consideration was maintaining absolute secrecy. There could be no leaks. The entire project would remain highly classified with as small A team as possible. The first step was to secure a location for testing the weapon. It needed to be somewhere private and remote, but also close enough to Britain's military headquarters to transport the necessary materials and personnel. Somewhere, Churchill suggested, like the Scottish Highlands. Five months later, in early July, Churchill's plan was finally in action. On an obscure, uninhabited Scottish island over 600 miles north of London, a team of scientists fanned out across a lush, sloping meadow. Each of them wore thick rubber gloves and boots, as well as a heavy protective suit outfitted with a respirator. It was a bizarre sight to behold. They looked more like deep sea divers or primitive astronauts than scientists. At the center of the meadow were long rows of wooden cages spaced at even distances from one another. Sheep were forced inside with their heads sticking out through an opening and locked in place. A scientist approached each one of the animals, covering its head with a white cloth sack. Looking on from the edge of the meadow was a scientist named Dr. Paul Fildis. He ran the biology division at Porton Down, a military research facility in southern England where the country's chemical and biological weapons were developed. As the war continued to intensify, so did Churchill's urgency for the British army to have a field tested bioweapon ready to deploy at a moment's notice. Dr. Fildes had been tasked with achieving this. He understood the delicacy of the project and was a veteran of classified military operations. Even so, chemical weapons always felt to him like a risky pursuit. Their effects could be unpredictable, both in humans and the environment. Once all the sheep were hooded, the scientists joined Dr. Fildes at an observation station at the meadow's edge. Fildes flicked on a radio and announced that the animals were in position. A voice crackled back for them to take cover. The countdown had begun. Dr. Fildis and his team crouched behind a barricade of sandbags and watched with binoculars. An ocean breeze blew across the grass. Then there was a deafening boom and the meadow disappeared in an explosion of smoke. The scientists huddled against the ground and covered their heads. Gradually the noise rumbled away, and as the smoke thinned out, Dr. Fildis could see the dim shapes of the animals stomping and bucking inside their cages. Their hooded heads thrashed in a frenzy. Dr. Fildis scanned his binoculars across across the haze. But this time, as the smoke slowly lifted, the sheep were limp. A few still wriggled or kicked a bit, but Most were motionless. Dr. Fildes slowly lowered his binoculars. Although he had accomplished precisely what he'd been ordered to do the scene deeply disturbed him. Technically, his report would declare the exercise a success, but Dr. Fildis couldn't help but imagine the situation reversed. A weapon like this in the hands of their enemy would be a horror. That same afternoon, only half a mile away, a seven year old boy named Roy McIntyre had been riding in the backseat of his parents car along the coast when he heard the faint sound of an explosion. Roy snapped alert, as did his parents, but none of them could tell where the noise came from. Then, just as Roy was settling back into his seat, he heard another, louder explosion. This time they all agreed the sound came from across the bay on Gruinard Island. As Roy rolled down the window and looked out at the island's sloping green hillsides, he noticed a rising plume of smoke. Roy's parents pulled over to take a look. They agreed it was a strange sight, but didn't know what to make of it. Roy understood his country was at war, but the recent changes in his hometown made him feel uneasy. Ever since the trucks had started arriving, the sleepy town he loved had changed. Now everyone seemed on edge. Rumors swirled about what the soldiers were doing there. He heard about boats full of sheep being ferried to the island but never returning. Roy's parents had told him not to worry. The military probably had a good reason for whatever was happening out on the island. After all, the highlands were spacious and isolated, which made them a good location for training exercises. But that night in bed while trying to sleep, Roy kept picturing the smoke he'd seen rising from the island. It floated so high it blended into the clouds. He wondered what could be happening over there to make sounds like the ones he'd heard and send up enough smoke to block the sun. Whatever it was, it was too close to home to feel safe anymore.
- [13:52]
Misha Brown
Every big moment starts with a big dream. But what happens when that big dream turns out to be a big flop? From Wondery and Ill Media I'm Misha Brown, and this is the Big Flop. Every week, comedians join me to chronicle the biggest flubs, fails, and blunders of all time. Like Quibi.
- [14:15]
Cassie Depechel
It's kind of like when you give.
- [14:16]
Luke Lamanna
Yourself your own nickname and you try.
- [14:18]
Cassie Depechel
To, like, get other people to do it.
- [14:19]
Misha Brown
And the 2019 movie adaptation of Cats.
- [14:23]
Luke Lamanna
Like, if I'm watching the dancing and I'm noticing the feet aren't touching the ground, there's something wrong with the movie.
- [14:28]
Misha Brown
Find out what happens when massive hype turns into major fiasco. Enjoy the big Flop on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to the Big Flop early and ad free on Wondery. Get started with your free trial@wondery.com plus.
- [14:48]
Cassie Depechel
Today is the worst day of Abby's life. The 17 year old cradles her newborn son in her arms.
- [14:56]
Luke Lamanna
They all saw how much I loved him.
- [14:58]
Cassie Depechel
They didn't have to take him from me. Between 1945 and the early 1970s, families shipped their pregnant teenage daughters to maternity homes and forced them to secretly place their babies for adoption in hidden corners across America. It's still happening. My parents had me locked up in the godparent home against my will. They worked with them to manipulate me and to steal my son away from me. The godparent home is the brainchild of controversial preacher Jerry Falwell, the father of the modern evangelical right and the founder of Liberty University, where powerful men, emboldened by their faith determine who gets to be a parent and who must give their child away. Follow Liberty Lost on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [15:58]
Luke Lamanna
Two days after the explosions, the meadow on Gruinard island was littered with dozens of sheep carcasses. Dr. Fildes and his team had to begin the grisly task of conducting the autopsies. Once again, he and his men donned their protective suits, but even with their respirators, the stench was overpowering. The men fanned out across the field of carnage. After each autopsy was completed, they hauled the sheep into a pit for incineration. The fire burned all day long as Dr. Fildes watched the smoke billowing into the sky. Sky. He couldn't help but notice the direction of the wind blowing east towards the mainland. The first step of their experiment had gone as planned. The test was a success. But he wondered what the military would do with this weapon. The project might stay locked in a vault like they discussed, only to be accessed during a military emergency. Or perhaps the urge to use what they had created would become too tempting to resist. Only time would tell whether Churchill would keep his word. As the weeks passed and the scientists on Gruinard island returned to their work at Porton down, their activities sparked a deepening concern and distrust among the locals. The rumors grew increasingly wild until one day overnight, large official signs bearing the symbol of the British military had been posted along the shore of the island. They read, do NOT land. Danger. Keep away. Now everyone knew who was responsible for the explosions. But the signs raised even more questions than they answered about why it was now dangerous to step foot on Gruinard Island. And if the British Military had left for good. Why were they so emphatic about forbidding locals to access this uninhabited piece of land? Soon after the signs were installed, a series of strange incidents occurred on the nearby mainland. A shepherd in the hills discovered several of his sheep dead in the grass. Not far from there, a farmer's cow suddenly slumped to the ground and went cold. A family's horse got loose and was found down the road by the coast, lying on its side, lifeless. Gradually, a panic set in as locals began spinning conspiracies about what was happening to their home. In the taverns, patrons argued over whether the soldiers had infected the water or the air, or if they'd brought in a foreign disease that was killing their animals. Eventually, these accusations reached the halls of power in London. The British government realized that the Scots would need to be given an official explanation to stop their paranoia from spiraling. After much internal discussion, they invented one. The British government blamed the animals deaths on a Greek cargo ship transporting livestock. Allegedly, while passing along the Scottish coast, one of the animals became ill, so a crew member threw it overboard. The drowned animal then washed up on the mainland and its disease spread. The British government assured the public, however, that the situation was under control. Those affected by the outbreak were told to write a letter and explaining their circumstance and restitution would be quickly paid. Most locals took the money and moved on. The world was at war, after all. There were bigger problems than some dead farm animals. But others doubted the story. They wondered why a Greek ship would be transporting livestock around the Scottish Highlands while a war was raging throughout Europe. Their suspicions were reasonable and accurate. The British government was lying to them, as it would continue to for more than 20 years, until the truth was finally and forcibly exposed to the world. One morning In January of 1981, a Scottish man named Stuart Flett unchained his small boat from the dock, climbed in and pushed off into the bay. It was a trip he made once a year, every year, to Gruinard Island. But despite how many times he'd been there, he always found it an unsettling place. He had first gone 14 years ago, in 1967. That was the year the British government abruptly came clean about their war era activities on Gurnard island and installed new signs along the coast that served as both warning and explanation. The ground is contaminated with anthrax and dangerous landing is prohibited by order. Locals felt betrayed and were furious. England had used Scottish land as a dumping ground for deadly bacterial weapons, then abandoned the place. It was common knowledge that anthrax was intensely toxic and dangerous. And it was unknown just how much of the bacteria had been detonated on the island. This explained why for years, locals had not only been warned to stay away from the island, but they were threatened with arrest if caught trespassing. The British government had declared it illegal to step foot on an island that they had bombed and ruined. Ironically, England's attempt to tell the truth only stirred the pot. The fact that they had lied for so long made the locals hesitate to believe anything they said. Stuart Flett was one of them. When he was first offered a job by the British government, he was skeptical. The assignment was simple enough. Update the year marked on the signs along Grunerd island to keep them current. But there were big strings attached. For one, the island was still contaminated. They warned him that anyone that stepped foot on it would have to undergo a seven month regimen of vaccinations first and still wear a full body protective suit. Also, the pay was meager. But Flett was a young man without mentioning options and he needed the money. So despite his concerns, he agreed. Now, as he motored across the bay to the island for the 14th time, an icy wind stung his cheeks. But the ride was quick, and soon he was hiking across the rocks with a stack of signs displaying the current year, 1981. Although Flett had mixed feelings about his job, he believed that his work helped keep the community safe. People needed reminding that the island was dangerous, and the British government's warning was serious. At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder about his own safety. London had lied to his town for decades. Maybe they still were. No one really knew what Flett was exposing himself to on Gruinard Island. Despite his concerns, he trudged on, walking the entire perimeter of the island, updating each sign by hand. Just after finishing, a cold rain began to fall. Flett hurried to his boat, hopped in and pushed into the choppy water. As he motored toward the mainland, he glanced back at the island, where small streams of rainwater were already beginning to form and head straight for the sea. Whatever poisons lurked in the island's soil, he thought, they would ultimately run off the island, and from there they would drift into the currents and wash up on the mainland where people lived and farmed. It didn't take a scientist to see how that could be a recipe for disaster. And Flett wasn't the only one putting the pieces together. Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, at that very moment, forces were in motion that would finally uncover the dark history of Grignard island. Once and for all. One night In October of 1981, a young man sat at a typewriter in a cramped office, surrounded by a group of colleagues. He was writing a letter to the Glasgow Herald newspaper on behalf of Dark Harvest, an activist group they were all members of. The contents of this letter were provocative, so much so that if published, he felt confident there would be repercussions throughout the United Kingdom and even beyond. The letter's accusations concerned events that happened 40 years ago, that during World War II, the British had knowingly poisoned Scottish land with anthrax spores while testing illegal biological weapons. They had done this without the knowledge or consent of the civilian population whose lives were at risk ever since. Dark Harvest believed that the public deserved to know the truth behind these military experiments because anthrax spores, if inhaled, ingested or even touched, could be fatal. And anthrax bacteria can lay dormant for decades. Which MEANT Even now, 40 years later, Gruinard island still posed a massive health risk to the entire area. British authorities had tested their anthrax weapons on unknown numbers of sheep, but the public was never told where the carcasses had gone. Dark Harvest had a theory, but they had yet to prove. Was time to remind the world of this crime against humanity. Generations of Scots had grown up in the shadow of this disaster, and London had done nothing but lie and downplay the severity of the situation and bribe their way out of facing any consequences. They wanted to treat World War II like ancient history, out of sight and out of mind. But the Scottish soil did not forget, and Dark Harvest was here to jog the world's memory. The young man ended the letter with a chilling. By the time you read this, the campaign will have started in earnest. The first delivery will have been made, and where better to send the seeds of death than to the place from whence they came? Dark Harvest had already put the first part of their plan into action. A package had been delivered to Porton down, the facility where scientists still researched biological and chemical agents. It contained soil from Gruinard island, the very soil that their scientists had contaminated with anthem racks. Once the letter had been passed around the group and met with everyone's approval, the man folded it and placed it in a plain white envelope. Within days, it would land on the desk of the Glasgow Herald. It was time to find out if London was ready to clean up its mess or whether Dark Harvest would have to resort to more extreme measures. Days later, R.G. watson was sent into a panic. As the director of Porton down, he oversaw all of the government's scientific military research. And was used to managing a high level of stress. But ever since Dark Harvest's letter was published, Watson's office had been besieged by calls. All of England was in an uproar. Articles denouncing the British government's behavior were published daily. Within hours of Watson receiving the news about the letter, one of his secretaries came to him with an even more more disturbing development. One of Porton Down's security guards had found a bucket on the perimeter of the property next to where a railway line ran along the edge of the complex. Inside the bucket was a package filled with dirt. At first, the guard assumed the bucket must have fallen off a passing train, until he noticed a piece of paper attached to it. On it were two words typed with a typewriter. Dark Harvest. Watson immediately ordered the soil to be sent to the lab for testing. The results were due any minute. As he paced his office waiting anxiously, he couldn't believe his staff had been thrust into the center of a controversy started by Porton down employees from 40 years ago. He and his team had nothing to do with Gruinard Island. Some of them hadn't even been born yet. Of course, neither had many of the people currently living in the Scottish Highlands. No one knew how long the anthrax contamination would last. Dark Harvest claimed the island could remain uninhabitable for anywhere between 200 and 1,000 years. But something else Dark Harvest wrote in their letter worried Watson even more. They had threatened that if British authorities didn't act to fix the situation, they would continue leaving soil in what they called appropriate places. To Watson, this could mean only one thing. Government offices. As Watson's mind swirled with worst case scenarios, an aide suddenly interrupted. The results from the lab were in and the tests were conclusive. The soil was positive for anthrax spores. Watson tried to remain composed, but inside he was panicking. One of the most deadly weapons his country had ever created had come back to haunt them. It was if his team didn't act fast. This bacteria would continue to show up on the doorsteps of anyone Dark Harvest deemed guilty. The weapon that was never supposed to be used would finally be unleashed. Hello, I'm Gordon Carrera, national security journalist. And I'm David McCloskey, CIA analyst turned special novelist. Together we're the co host of the Rest Is Classified, where we bring you the best stories from the world of secrets and sparks. We have just released a series on the decades long battle between the CIA and Osama Bin Laden. And this week we are stepping into the devastation of the 911 terror attacks. To understand how Osama Bin Laden was able to carry out such a plot right under the nose of the CIA. It was a moment that changed global politics forever, shifting the focus of spy agencies away from nation states towards hunting for terrorists and understanding the extremist ideology that drove them. We will then go into the decade long manhunt for Osama Bin Laden, which culminated in a dramatic raid at his compound in Pakistan in 2011 which killed the world's most wanted terrorist. Listen to the rest is classified. Wherever you get your podcasts.
- [29:41]
Misha Brown
In the early hours of December 4.
- [29:44]
Luke Lamanna
2024, CEO Brian Thompson stepped out onto the streets of midtown Manhattan. This assailant pulls out a weapon and starts firing at him.
- [29:53]
Misha Brown
We're talking about the CEO of the biggest private health insurance corporation in the world and the suspect he has been identified as Luigi Nicholas Mangione became one.
- [30:02]
Luke Lamanna
Of the most divisive figures in modern criminal history. I was targeted, premeditated. Admit to sow terror. I'm Jesse Weber, host of Luigi, produced by Law and Crime and Twist. This is more than a true crime investigation. We explore a uniquely American moment that.
- [30:19]
Misha Brown
Could change the country forever.
- [30:20]
Cassie Depechel
He's awoken the people to a true issue.
- [30:23]
Luke Lamanna
Free finally.
- [30:26]
Cassie Depechel
Maybe this would lead rich and powerful people to acknowledge the barbaric nature of our healthcare system.
- [30:32]
Luke Lamanna
Listen to Law & Crime's Luigi exclusively on Wondery Plus. You can join Wondery plus on the.
- [30:37]
Misha Brown
Wondery app, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
- [30:49]
Luke Lamanna
Less than one week later, on October 14, 1981, Watson stood at the head of a conference table at Porton down, packed with his entire staff. Looking around the room, he could see their eyes were ringed with dark circles. They had been working extended shifts to try and figure out Dark Harvest's next possible targets. But they had very little to go on. Watson was in the midst of discussing his team's next move when an assistant burst in with news. A call had just come in. The activists had struck again. This time their target was a complex of tower buildings in Blackpool where a Conservative Party conference was being held. Two soil drops in five days. The first contained anthrax spores. It seemed almost certain this one would too. Watson felt dizzy. The situation was escalating. Watson went to his office and called a contact in Blackpool for details. This time, Dark Harvest's stunt was even more threatening. The soil had been found within a tin box inside the tower, which meant someone had made it past locked doors and heavy security to physically place the dirt where the conference was taking place. The soil was already en route to Porton down for testing. But in the meantime, Watson told his team to update and refine their list of potential targets. It seemed clear that Dark Harvest intended to take this as far as necessary. To prove their point, Watson ordered his staff to notify the entire British government. Police in Scotland were contacted to set up a special task force investigation. The Ministry of Defense began canvassing suspects. Even the press was brought into the loop to publish information for submitting anonymous tips regarding Dark Harvest. Days later, another letter from the group landed on the desk of several UK newspapers. They made it clear there would be no negotiating if actions were not taken soon to clean up the island, Dark Harvest's campaign would continue. They had the supplies to do it, too. They claimed to have collected 300 pounds of contaminated soil. Pound by pound, Dark Harvest would force this dirt onto those who tried to sweep it under the Rug of History Throughout October of 1981, Stuart Flett was fascinated and horrified by the daily news about Dark Harvest and their eco terrorism campaign. He couldn't believe that the empty island where he'd been updating signs every year was now the center of an international political scandal. Along with Flett, everyone in the area was fixated on the Gruinard island story. Although most of his neighbors didn't support Dark Harvest's methods, they also didn't trust the British authorities. To them, it was just another case of England overstepping its bounds. They were loyal to their own Scottish community, not some military bigwigs in London finally getting their comeuppance after the first soil drop. British police had come to Flett's town asking about Dark Harvest, but the locals turned them away. They wouldn't even let the officers use their docks to go to the island. One afternoon, Flett decided to go out there himself and have a look around. As he walked down to the dock, he noticed his boat had turned around. When he got closer, he saw the chain had been cut and loosely draped around the hitch. Wedged under the chain was a folded piece of paper. Flett's hands were shaking as he opened and read the note. Sorry about the chain. Thanks for the boat, Dark Harvest. He almost laughed. He glanced up and down the coast, but there was no one around. It seemed Dark Harvest had transported their 300 pounds of soil using his boat. As it turned out, one of the recent Dark Harvest letters had explained their method. They had brought two microbiologists with them to assist with collecting the soil and were also helped by some locals from the mainland. Flett wasn't sure if he would have helped. The activists had he been asked. But he couldn't believe he had played even a small role in such a high stakes political and criminal saga. The investigation into Dark Harvest campaign continued until December 7, 1981, the date of the group's last letter. It was found pinned to the doors of St Andrew's House, the Scottish government headquarters in Edinburgh. This time there were no threats. The letter announced that the goals of their protest had been achieved. There would be no further actions taken. For now, as abruptly as they had sprung onto the world stage, Dark Harvest disappeared. They were never heard from again, nor were any of their members ever identified. At the time, British authorities claimed they didn't have sufficient evidence to justify the expense of testing Gruinard island or the mainland for contamination. But years later, internal documents from December of 1981 were declassified and these told a different story. The truth was that Dark Harvest's actions had forced England to reopen their files on the Gruinard island anthrax experiments of 1942. The director of Porton Down, R.G. watson, admitted in a letter to his colleagues that on at least one occasion a test was performed when the surface wind direction was at the limit of safety. It is possible that one or more clouds of the anthrax aerosol passed over the mainland coast. Even worse, he wrote, I do not believe that it would be sensible to disturb the sleeping dog of whether there is any anthrax contamination on either of the two headlands downwind of Gruinard Island. It would be extraordinarily expensive to sample and measure the area that could have been affected. We would be very lucky and miserable if a random test were to come up positive. Despite Watson's recommendation, British scientists returned to the island in 1986 with the goal of cleaning up the island once and for all. After undergoing extensive anthrax vaccinations beforehand, the scientists hiked out onto the island in protective suits and sprayed seawater and formaldehyde on the soil. Four years later, in 1990, the Ministry of Defense officially declared Gruinard island anthrax free. But after so many generations of secrets and lies, public response to the announcement was skeptical at best. Local spheres were reawakened 32 years later, in 2022, when a massive wildfire broke out on the island. The source of the blaze has never been confirmed, but the smoke spread for hundreds of miles. Whatever old anthrax spores might have been lurking in the dirt were now airborne and set adrift to infect new communities. The curse of Gruinard island seems destined to linger forever in the Scottish Highlands looming just off the mainland, like a constant reminder of the desperate measures taken during war. Follow Redacted Declassified Mysteries hosted by me, Luke lamanna on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're looking to dive into more gripping stories from Ballin Studios and Wonderee, you can also listen to my other podcast Wartime Stories early and ad free with Wondery. Start your free trial in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify today. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey@wondery.com survey from Ballin Studios and Wondery. This is Declassified Mysteries, hosted by me, Luke LaManna. A quick note about our stories we do a lot of research, but some details and scenes are dramatized. We use many different sources for for our show, but we especially recommend the BBC documentary the Mystery of Anthrax Island. The article 40 Years Dark Harvest Campaign over Anthrax island is back in spotlight by Ian MacDonald for the Scotland Herald and the article Gruinard Fire on Island used for Anthrax Experiments for the BBC. This episode was written by Brit Brown. Sound designed by Ryan Batesta. Our producer producers are Christopher B. Dunn and John Reed. Our associate producers are Ines Renick and Molly Quinlan Artwick Fact checking by Sheila Patterson for Ballin Studios. Our head of production is Zach Levitt. Script editing by Luke Baritz and Scott Allen. Our coordinating producer is Samantha Collins. Production support by Avery Siegel Produced by me, Luke Lamanna. Executive producers are Mr. Ballin and Nick Witters. For Wondery, our senior producers are Lora, Donna Palavota, Dave Schilling and Rachel Engelman. Senior managing producer is Nick Ryan. Managing producer is Olivia Fonti. Our executive producers are Aaron o' Flaherty and Marshall Louie. For Wondery.
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Misha Brown
You know those creepy stories that give you goosebumps? The ones that make you really question what's real? Well, what if I told you that some of the strangest, darkest and most mysterious stories are not found in haunted houses or abandoned forests, but instead in hospital rooms and doctor's offices? Hi, I'm Mr. Ballin, the host of Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries, and each week on my podcast you can expect to hear stories about bizarre illnesses no one can explain, miraculous recoveries that shouldn't have happened, and cases so baffling they stumped even the best doctors. So if you crave totally true and thoroughly twisted horror stories and mysteries, Mr. Ballin's medical mysteries should be your new go to weekly show. Listen to Mr. Medical Mysteries on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.