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00:00Absolute discretion, esoteric science, work of the shadow, mysterious rituals from the depths of time.
00:19Are secret societies the entrails of evil?
00:23One thing is certain, they feed on innumerable conspiracy theories.
00:31They are accused of aiming at the devil.
00:35They would like to rule the world.
00:38Unless that is already the case.
00:44Everywhere, there is suspicion of conspiracy.
00:49Are these accusations really founded?
00:52Or is it pure fiction, inspired by successful authors such as Dan Brown?
01:00The occult fraternities have existed for millennia.
01:04Their members are among us.
01:07They are everywhere.
01:09Welcome to the dark world of secret societies.
01:19Secret Societies
01:40Marian Fussell is a historian at the University of Göttingen.
01:45He wants to reconstruct the true history of the Freemasons.
01:49His quest will lead him around the world.
01:56Kate Raphael is an Israeli archaeologist.
01:59She searches for the remains of a legendary order, the Templars.
02:06Donald Ritchie lives in Washington.
02:09He decrypts the secret symbols scattered throughout the American capital.
02:16I, George Herbert...
02:41In Hamburg, summer is coming to an end.
02:46In the venerable St. Michael's Church,
02:49the members of the world's largest secret society are going to celebrate a jubilee.
02:54These are the Freemasons.
02:59The first German lodge was founded in 1737.
03:09The elite of the fraternity meet in Hamburg for the occasion.
03:14A television crew is allowed to film a ritual,
03:17which usually takes place in a closed room.
03:28The Freemasonry has 5 million members around the world.
03:32In some countries, it is forbidden,
03:34and the brothers gather at the risk of their lives.
03:39Who are these men who act in the shadows?
03:42What are the secrets they exchange in the lodges?
03:45And why do they have to keep quiet about what is happening?
03:53It is a dark world, with its symbols and its strange rituals.
03:57A universe that unfolds before our eyes.
04:13The Freemasonry
04:24Marian Fussell is a specialist in Freemasonry.
04:27He has been studying it for many years.
04:30The Freemasonry
04:39For centuries, a multitude of myths and legends have surrounded the Freemasonry.
04:44Its members cannot disclose what is happening in the world.
04:48They have sworn to keep silent,
04:50and that is precisely what excites the curiosity of outsiders.
04:54The cult of secrecy feeds suspicions.
04:57Therefore, it is not surprising that all sorts of machinations have been attributed to them throughout their history.
05:04The Freemasonry chooses its members by co-optation.
05:07Many of them are famous.
05:10Mozart was one of them.
05:12Just like Goethe.
05:16But also Walt Disney.
05:20Winston Churchill.
05:24Louis Armstrong.
05:26The famous jazzman.
05:28And George Washington, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America.
05:34What is lurking behind the closed doors of the Masonic temples?
05:40Is the Freemasonry program reduced to the moral perfection of its members?
05:45For many, the purpose of these strange rites has nothing philanthropic.
05:52Each Freemason commits himself to silence.
05:55Nothing must filter out of the lodge.
05:59However, some have spoken,
06:01and we can, thanks to them, reconstruct some of the rituals.
06:05Upon arrival, a brother is first learned.
06:08He then becomes a companion, before being raised to mastery.
06:13At initiation, the profane dies symbolically,
06:16before being reborn in the circle of his brothers.
06:26The flesh leaves the mind.
06:34This initiation ritual may seem strange at first glance.
06:38But it is crucial for Freemasons,
06:40because it unites the members of the lodge.
06:46To be part of a lodge, it is not enough to want it.
06:50You have to be co-opted,
06:52and this particular status that one will then try to preserve,
06:55one does not enter this brotherhood as one joins a club.
06:59One must be chosen.
07:01And this simple fact of being elected
07:03increases the feeling that an individual makes himself of his personal value.
07:09To stand out from others, to be part of an elite,
07:12to know more than the common mortal.
07:15The desire to belong to a secret society often has nothing to do with disinterest.
07:19It is more about selfishness.
07:28In a way, Freemasonry fulfills a dream specific to the mass society,
07:33the desire to be unique.
07:36To satisfy this, the candidates are ready to accept many things.
07:41The initiation rite binds each brother to his lodge.
07:49We raise our voices, and sing over time and dust.
07:53Let the leaves fall, the flowers and the flowers.
08:00London, the British capital,
08:03is the nerve center of Freemasonry worldwide.
08:06The Freemasons Hall houses the seat of the country's oldest lodge.
08:19Marianne was alone and came to visit the venerable building.
08:29Will the historian learn more about the real goals of Freemasonry?
08:34He hopes to get answers from John Hamill.
08:37His business card indicates that he is charged with special issues.
08:49Everywhere, objects and symbols offer a glimpse of the representation of the Masonic world.
09:02John Hamill knows the legends that circulate about his brotherhood.
09:06On the Internet, the theories of the conspiracy flourish.
09:09Freemasonry would be responsible for the French Revolution.
09:13World War I would also be on the list of its misdeeds.
09:20For a long time, we have not paid attention to these theories.
09:26We ignored the outside world, and we paid for it.
09:30But today, we have reversed the trend.
09:33We are completely transparent, and this building is open to the public.
09:40But why, then, do Freemasons have to hide what is happening inside their lodge?
09:45And what is the meaning of the bas-reliefs that decorate the heavy bronze door of the temple?
09:50They show builders at work, and seem straight out of ancient Babylon.
10:06Inside the temple, many signs refer to the symbolic roots of Freemasonry.
10:16In front of the Grand Master's seat, a pentagram.
10:21These five branches represent the five virtues.
10:24Wisdom, justice, strength, measure, and zeal.
10:31Geometric figures show the importance of mathematics.
10:35For Freemasons, this discipline governs the actions of men.
10:40The temple is inspired by a legendary model, the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, as we know it from the Bible.
10:47The columns that flank the Grand Master's seat represent the entrance to the biblical sanctuary.
10:57The two columns, called Yachin and Boaz, were part of the first temple in Jerusalem.
11:04The building must have inspired the diva's fear.
11:16Jerusalem today.
11:18Here, perhaps, we will learn why Freemasons attach so much importance to the Temple of Solomon.
11:24Our quest takes us, where it all began, to the Temple Mount.
11:30The Temple of Solomon once stood at the heart of the city.
11:35The Temple Mount is a holy place for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
11:49Kate Raphael is an archaeologist.
11:52She knows the history of the Temple Mount very well.
12:00King Solomon's Temple is the first that was built in the first time the capital was established.
12:13So it's the first time since the Jewish people left the desert, established the capital,
12:19and King Solomon's Temple was the first house of God, the first time built in stone.
12:30No building in the world is surrounded by so many myths and legends.
12:35Its construction has been described in detail in the Bible.
12:38But it is the only source we have.
12:41We have found no trace of it.
12:46Kate Raphael takes us to the underground world of the Holy City.
12:50Near the Wall of Lamentation, a labyrinth of galleries has been dug.
12:55With her colleagues, she regularly comes to this place full of history.
13:05Solomon's Temple was destroyed in 586 BC.
13:09The archaeologist is certain that its foundations were here.
13:17But why is this building so special?
13:20And why do Freemasons refer to it invariably?
13:24For the moment, the underground has not provided any answer.
13:34Very close to the Temple Mount,
13:36archaeologists gather what was discovered in the gallery system.
13:40This is the result of decades of campaigns of excavation.
13:43The smallest handful of earth can hold a key clue
13:46for understanding the history of the Temple Mount.
13:54This is the result of decades of excavations.
14:05Gabriel Barquet reigns master on this fabulous archaeological mine.
14:10It's beautiful.
14:21We have discovered pieces of great value,
14:24including an arrowhead from the army of Nabucodonosaurus,
14:28which was fired during the destruction of the Temple.
14:32We have seals and seal imprints,
14:35we have pots of teacups,
14:38and even objects with inscriptions.
14:41We have enough material from the time of the first Temple
14:45to affirm that there was a great human activity
14:48upon the Temple Mount in that time.
14:56The Book of Kings describes in detail
14:59the plans for the construction of this sombre temple.
15:02Each can build a representation of it,
15:05as the Freemasons did.
15:12But it is the Crusaders who, the first,
15:15brought back the myth of the Temple to Europe.
15:18At the beginning of the 11th century,
15:21they left their country for the East.
15:24They wanted to free Jerusalem from the hands of the Muslims.
15:27In 1099, after many bloody battles,
15:30the Crusaders reconquered the Holy City.
15:45The Crusaders were the first Europeans to explore the Temple Mount.
15:49What they are looking for under the wall of lamentation remains a mystery.
15:53Are they divine secrets or relics of value?
16:00One thing is certain,
16:03they are fascinated by this place and its history.
16:06They are inspired by the founding of an order.
16:09Its members are called the Poor Knights of Christ
16:12and the Temple of Solomon, the Templars.
16:25In front of the patriarch,
16:29in front of the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem,
16:32they make a wish for poverty, chastity and obedience.
16:41The Templars quickly become one of the main orders of knights.
16:45These members are considered as an elite,
16:48the spearhead of Christianity.
16:51Soon, they know the underground of the Temple Mount in every nook and cranny.
17:05Do they discover the fabulous treasure of King Solomon?
17:09Or do they hide their own wealth,
17:12collected over time?
17:22Many are still looking for the treasure of the Templars.
17:26But what is its exact nature?
17:29We talk about relics, gold, even the Holy Grail.
17:33Some even evoke a secret,
17:36having entered this temple that the knights worshipped so much.
17:41The Templars knew it was possible
17:44that the treasure was still in these places.
17:47They ruled over the Temple Mount for 80 years.
17:58The Templars also knew that their treasures
18:01had not yet been discovered.
18:04The Templars also knew that their treasures
18:07They roamed the Temple Mount for 80 years.
18:10They could have searched the Temple Mount more than anybody that came after them.
18:17But we have no evidence, we don't have archaeological evidence,
18:21we have no historical evidence that they ever found anything and took it with them to Europe.
18:32Over the years, the Templars became more and more powerful.
18:35They did not intend to surrender to any ruler.
18:38The Order acted at the time like the great multinationals of today.
18:54The Templars produced goods, took care of commerce and especially finance.
19:00From the 12th century, their network extended throughout Western Europe.
19:05The Order became an elitist community and, so to speak, hermetic.
19:17Their activities left their mark in Europe.
19:20The myth of the Temple of Solomon influenced other confrères, such as the Freemasons.
19:30In London, they built their own church.
19:34The round nave of the Temple Church is inspired by the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
19:45In 1185, the Patriarch of Jerusalem came to bless it in person.
19:50Paris.
19:52This is where the General Quarter of the Order of the Temple was found for a long time.
20:02In 2011, in favor of a construction site, the remains of the enclosure of the Templars were discovered.
20:08In 2011, in favor of a construction site, the remains of the enclosure of the Templars were discovered.
20:23In the capital, only the names of the streets keep the memory of this mysterious Order.
20:29Marianne Fussell wants to know if there is a link between the Templars and other confrères, such as the Freemasons.
20:35Her research leads her to the National Archives.
20:38Her research leads her to the National Archives.
20:43Original documents from the time of the Templars are kept there.
20:47A historical treasure that could help Marianne Fussell in her enterprise.
21:00Guylain Brunel studied these documents for years.
21:04The sudden disappearance of this powerful international organization has never ceased to amaze researchers.
21:16We can only speculate on the exact reasons for the persecutions of the Templars.
21:23But you should know that the Order was a military power.
21:26These members were trained in war and they did not drop their weapons in time of peace.
21:35It is possible that they constituted a growing threat to the king, because their influence represented a challenge to his power.
21:46It is not only their military strike force that irritates the king of France.
21:51The monarch also has his eyes on the treasure of the Order.
21:57Philippe Lebel therefore forges a plan to annihilate the Templars.
22:11On October 13, 1307, at dawn, the soldiers of the king attack their commandery.
22:18The Templars are arrested.
22:21This Black Friday has remained in history.
22:25Since that day, it has been said that Friday the 13th brings misfortune.
22:39The Templars are very quickly neutralized.
22:42For medieval Europe, it is a shock equivalent to the collapse of our banking system.
22:50The king wants to suppress the Templars.
22:53The archives report this story in detail.
22:56Philippe Lebel would have simply invented accusations in order to justify his brutality against the Order.
23:04The Templars are very quickly neutralized.
23:07For medieval Europe, it is a shock equivalent to the collapse of our banking system.
23:12For medieval Europe, it is a shock equivalent to the collapse of our banking system.
23:17Philippe Lebel would have simply invented accusations in order to justify his brutality against the Order.
23:28During this reception rite, the new Templar had to spit on the cross three times.
23:33He had to deny Christ three times.
23:36The one who received him kissed him on the mouth, on the navel, at the bottom of the back.
23:42Homosexuality is a classic accusation against heretics.
23:45Since the 13th century, heretics have been accused of homosexuality, of trading with the devil, and of worshipping idols.
23:53In the accusation, there is also this passage about the fact that the Templars worshipped a bearded head, or an idol, or even a black cat, during their general chapter meetings.
24:03These accusations will be fatal to the Templars.
24:06Ignoring what is happening within the Order, the public willingly believes in these lies.
24:11The cult of secrecy feeds the rumour.
24:14Once so glorious, the Templars are condemned to death.
24:23March 18, 1314, Paris.
24:26Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Order, is led to the butcher.
24:31He carries with him the secret of the fabulous treasure of the Templars.
24:43The noise is so loud that in La Rochelle, ships of the Order would have lined up for an unknown destination, with the famous treasure on board.
25:02Was it just a legend?
25:05Perhaps Jacques de Molay knew the truth at the time of his execution.
25:10The King condemned him to burn on damp wood.
25:14A penalty of terrible cruelty, because the torturer was consumed by fire.
25:29Since that day, the Order of the Templars has been officially dismantled.
25:34However, countless stories attribute a second life to it, under a new face.
25:43Some Templars would have found refuge in Scotland.
25:56This land on the outskirts of Europe has always been considered a bastion of secret societies.
26:01But have we found material evidence of the presence of French brothers?
26:06Marianne Fusseul goes to Kilmartin, on the west coast.
26:21There is a cemetery there that could allow her to reconstruct the fate of the rescued Templars.
26:32Kilmartin, France
26:38Indeed, the historian of secret societies discovers unusual inscriptions.
26:43A very old tomb, adorned with swords, knights in armor, and flowers.
26:49A symbol that recalls the Order of the Temple.
26:52Kilmartin, France
26:55It is quite fascinating.
26:58Here we find a series of tombs that seem to date from the late 14th century, early 15th, and belong to knights.
27:05For many researchers, these could be tombs of Templars.
27:09It is possible that knights of the Order arrived in Scotland and were buried there in the 14th century.
27:21If indeed the knights settled in Scotland, maybe they are still there.
27:27Could it be that, from generation to generation, they passed on the secrets of the Temple of Solomon and its treasure?
27:44Dan Brown was able to draw from these legends.
27:47His novels and their cinematic adaptations have attracted thousands of readers and spectators.
27:53Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou play the two protagonists of the Da Vinci Code.
28:02In search of the Grail, they discover mysterious symbols in the chapel of Rosslyn in Scotland.
28:16Pagan.
28:18Temple Cross.
28:20Pyramid.
28:24This church, located in the outskirts of Edinburgh, is full of mysteries.
28:29Dan Brown has skillfully used his allusions to different religions and fraternities.
28:39Marianne Fussell examines the innumerable ornaments left by her architect, Sir William Sinclair.
28:46Knight figures.
28:59The Lamb of God.
29:01A symbol that is often found on the bones of the Templars.
29:06And then two columns that seem familiar to us.
29:17They are the same as those of the Freemason Temple in London.
29:25Marianne Fussell returns to the seat of the Grand Lodge, United in England.
29:29Obviously, the knowledge that the legendary Knights of the Temple of Solomon had inspired the first Freemasons.
29:36John Hamill shows him symbols that denote a fascination for architecture, including the square and the compass.
29:47The origins of Freemasonry are largely unknown, which leads to many speculations.
29:54Recent research attempts to place its origin in the Middle Ages, in the middle of the cathedral builders.
30:00The craftsmen were organized into corporations and grouped within what were called lodges.
30:06Over time, new structures have been superimposed on these lodges and have led to modern Freemasonry.
30:13These Masonic lodges and stone cutters cover the continent of majestic Gothic cathedrals, such as those of Chartres, Cologne or Salisbury.
30:29The builders enjoy immense privileges.
30:32They obey their own laws.
30:34Signs of the hand known alone allow the members of the lodges to recognize each other and indicate their rank.
30:42These builders give themselves the name of Freemasons.
30:46They go from cathedral to cathedral to offer their services.
30:53At that time, the people lived in low and dark cabins.
30:57In comparison, the Gothic cathedrals of the stonecutters are truly marvellous.
31:03The lodges are a place of worship.
31:05We are not talking here about simple Freemasons, but real architects.
31:10An intellectual elite that was admitted to the court, to the king, and therefore was at the top of the social ladder.
31:17This is not manual work.
31:20It is not the work of an architect.
31:23It is the work of an architect.
31:26It is the work of an architect.
31:29It is the work of an architect.
31:32It is not manual work, but the work of technicians who brought a precious know-how,
31:38and were able to exercise great power in society.
31:43Would Freemasons have come from an alliance between the last Templars and their ambitious builders?
31:50Marianne Fussell is allowed to consult historical documents
31:54kept in the archives of the Great House of England.
31:56Among them, the Statutes of the Brotherhood and the Constitutive Act of the Oldest Obedience in the World.
32:04They testify to a decisive turning point.
32:07The document was signed in 1717 by a certain Anthony Sayer, a gentleman.
32:13The first Grand Master was no longer an artisan.
32:17He was an educated man of bourgeois origin.
32:27The old artisan corporation has become a universalist brotherhood.
32:32For what reason?
32:35What do the brothers do when they meet?
32:38Do they pursue secret goals?
32:56The Freemasons have always been close to the powerful of their time.
33:00A feature that attracts as much as the cult of secrecy.
33:13In the 18th century, Freemasonry quickly became a fashion phenomenon.
33:18It was extremely attractive to the elite.
33:21At the time, there was a great need for conviviality beyond social barriers.
33:27A need to freely exchange with others, and in secret, on all kinds of subjects,
33:32apart from politics and religion.
33:35Freemasonry could largely meet this need.
33:41London and Hamburg have close commercial relations.
33:45Freemasonry has established itself in the 18th century.
33:49Freemasonry will soon settle there,
33:52and the first German lodge, the Hamburg Lodge, was founded in 1737.
33:57The German Freemasons are also trying to get closer to power.
34:09Far from pleasing the authorities, their ideals cause fear of anarchy and coup d'état.
34:15Frederick William I of Prussia hates the Freemasons.
34:19He trembles for his power.
34:25But the king himself cannot prevent the Brotherhood from infiltrating the ranks of the nobility.
34:38During a secret interview in Brunswick, his own son is welcomed into the Brotherhood.
34:43In the space of one evening, the future Frederick the Great reaches the rank of Grand Master.
34:51Is the entrenchment of the elites part of a secret plan, that of presiding over the destinies of the world?
34:57If not, for what reason would the Brotherhood strive to recruit the powerful?
35:06It is fascinating to see the speed at which the Freemasons have managed to recruit members in the highest spheres of society.
35:12They have found countless supporters among the powerful in Europe.
35:17It was not just a bourgeois organization.
35:20The nobles and princes were also part of the Brotherhood.
35:24But they continue to be attributed dark secrets.
35:28These rumors strongly impress the tormented mind of Heinrich Himmler.
35:32The absolute leader of the SS is looking for the Grail and thinks it is part of the treasure of the Templars.
35:43For Himmler, the Freemasons are closely linked to this old order.
35:48He thinks they can lead him to the treasure so coveted.
35:52In January 1937, he has the Hamburg lodge razed.
36:03Heil Hitler. Good evening.
36:06We have a hot trail.
36:07I hope so.
36:10Himmler thinks he is in the right place.
36:13For the Nazis, the Freemasons are part of a vast conspiracy that must be fought.
36:27For two centuries, the brothers practiced their rituals in the Temple of Hamburg,
36:32before the Nazis banned Freemasonry.
36:35Under the Third Reich, being a Freemason is a capital crime.
36:49This must have been the room where the secret rituals were held.
36:56The Nazis demolish the building stone by stone in the hope of finding its hypothetical secret.
37:05Himmler is obsessed with esotericism.
37:09He is surrounded by wizards and has the archaeologists of the Annenerbe,
37:14the Society for Research on Ancestral Heritage, working on occult sciences.
37:20The Freemasons are very far from Himmler's Germanic mysticism.
37:25The Nazis do not find any treasure in the Hamburg lodge,
37:29but they take a decisive blow to the Brotherhood.
37:32As long as they are in power, the Freemasons will have to hide.
37:41Rüdiger Templin is the Grand Master of the Great German Lodge.
37:45In the street, nothing distinguishes him from an ordinary citizen.
37:56But when he enters the lodge, he puts on his Freemason costume.
38:01The origin of the apron goes back to the artisan lodge.
38:04It protected the stonecutter from the splinters.
38:07The high form is a symbol of freedom.
38:10The white gloves represent the purity of feeling and action.
38:18The real secret is the development and becoming of a personality within the lodge,
38:24which begins with initiation.
38:27You have to have lived this experience, because it is difficult to describe.
38:32This is why the search for a secret is doomed to failure.
38:37It is this self-reflection that ignites the imagination and arouses the theories of the plot.
38:42Why all this secret if there is nothing to hide?
38:46Washington, USA
38:57The Freemasons are not as insignificant as they appear, as we see in Washington.
39:02The capital of economic and military superpowers is it, as many suppose,
39:07the center of an occult world governance?
39:16The Freemasons are particularly active there.
39:20We know that many presidents have belonged to several secret societies.
39:24Could it then be even to determine the guidelines of American politics?
39:33Marianne was alone and in Washington to try to answer this question.
39:37His research leads him first to the Capitol.
39:45Washington, USA
39:51He meets Donald Ritchie, who serves as historian of the American Congress.
39:57He knows the building in every detail.
40:00He explains to Marianne Fussell that the Capitol was built by the Freemasons,
40:04who did not hesitate to immortalize themselves in stone.
40:06George Washington, USA
40:12In the famous dome, we recognize George Washington in person.
40:17The president Freemason, who is enthroned here with the majesty of a god,
40:21laid the first stone of the Capitol.
40:30In the circles of leaders, he was not an exception.
40:34A third of the generals of the Army of Independence belonged to Freemasonry.
40:46In the building, Marianne Fussell spots everywhere signs and symbols used by Freemasonry.
40:52The seat of the American Congress is a great tribute to the confrérie.
40:56George Washington, USA
41:02All American presidents, or almost, have sworn on the same Bible as George Washington.
41:07A Masonic Bible.
41:10This is the case of George Bush Sr.
41:25But what interests does the president serve?
41:28Those of the American people, or those of the secret confrérie?
41:34We exercise democratic power only for a time,
41:38while we can belong to a secret society all our lives.
41:42And the problem is that we can have, in a way,
41:45a double personality and different allegiances.
41:49The state requires, as the oath says,
41:51an absolute loyalty of the president to the constitution in the exercise of his functions.
41:57But it is possible that this loyalty
42:00enters into conflict with the goals and objectives of many confréries.
42:06The United States has 3 million Freemasons.
42:09The largest temple in the capital is only a few blocks away from the White House.
42:13The founding father, who gave his name to the city, also has his monument.
42:17The imposing George Washington Masonic Memorial Monument
42:21is dedicated to Alexandria, not far from the capital.
42:28And there are not only the great monuments.
42:31The entire city would have been designed according to the secret plans of the Freemasons.
42:37The city is the center of the city.
42:40Donald Ritchie knows this theory well.
42:43To understand what it is about,
42:46you have to get up far above the ground
42:49and contemplate the city from the sky.
42:59Here is a satellite view of Washington.
43:02The city of Washington,
43:05here is a satellite view of Washington.
43:11According to conspiracy theorists,
43:14the city layout would draw a pentagram,
43:19a compass,
43:22and a right angle.
43:25So many symbols of Freemasonry.
43:29Was it intentional?
43:31The Kiplinger Library is the oldest library in Washington.
43:36Historians can consult the original plans there.
43:48The architect, Pierre Charles L'Enfant, was not a Freemason,
43:52contrary to his commanders,
43:54who wanted a city with a straight and geometric plan.
44:02We will never know if the contract required the drawing of a pentagram and a compass.
44:12The theories of conspiracy and speculation of all kinds do not date from yesterday.
44:17They affect our politics and our society.
44:21I am not surprised that people can see these figures in the city plan.
44:26It allows them to confirm their hallucinations.
44:32Maybe Freemasons do not work only on the moral perfection of their people.
44:37A case that occurred in 1982 will revive suspicions about them.
44:42In London,
44:44walkers make a macabre discovery.
44:47Under the Blackfriars Bridge,
44:49they see a man hanging by a nylon rope.
44:52He is Italian and his name is Roberto Calvi.
45:02The investigation led to Rome, to the Vatican more precisely.
45:06Roberto Calvi was the director of Banco Ambrosiano.
45:10Nicknamed the Banker of God,
45:12his role was to make the billions of Catholic Church fruitful.
45:22Marianne was alone for reasons related to the assassination of Roberto Calvi.
45:27What was he doing in London the days before his atrocious death?
45:37Mario Guarino may have answers.
45:40The journalist followed the case for years,
45:43because the official investigation dragged on.
45:46The investigation revealed that the Banker of God was a member of a conglomerate.
45:50His name was Propaganda Due, or P2.
46:05P2 was a government that was very conservative.
46:09It was a government that was very conservative.
46:13P2 was a kind of parallel government.
46:17Its objective was not to destroy the State,
46:21but to seize it with the support of deputies, senators, businessmen and bankers.
46:27It controlled the world of finance,
46:30because many banks were presided over or managed by its members.
46:42Marianne was the only one to touch a sensitive point.
46:45Propaganda Due was a simple Masonic lodge,
46:49before it was flooded by criminals.
46:52Its secret meetings were held at the Excelsior Hotel.
47:09In Italy, the lodge is sadly famous.
47:12Initially, it was dedicated to social projects.
47:18But at the time of Calvi,
47:21it had already become a dangerous network that no one knew the real goals of.
47:25Do members of the far right want to make P2 a shadow government?
47:30The activities of the lodge are guided by the hatred of communism,
47:34the thirst for power and voracity.
47:38It is supported by the United States.
47:43The court will later establish
47:47that the men who meet at the Excelsior Hotel finance other criminals.
47:51They want to create an atmosphere of terror in the country,
47:55then exploit it to serve their interests.
48:06Roberto Calvi follows the orders of unscrupulous businessmen
48:09who want to re-manage Italy.
48:17In 1980, in the Bologna station,
48:20a bomb attack killed 85 people.
48:28Two years earlier, the president of the council,
48:31the Christian democrat Aldo Moro, was kidnapped and murdered.
48:39The trail still leads to Propaganda Due.
48:42Was the objective to carry the responsibility of this murder to the communists?
48:54In these multiple accusations, it is difficult to unravel the truth from the false.
48:59Propaganda Due keeps its secrets.
49:02One thing is certain.
49:04Politicians, bankers and members of the mafia met here.
49:09They forged plans and concluded criminal cases.
49:18Roberto Calvi wants to be part of this network.
49:21The director of Banco Ambrosiano wants to provide free money to the church
49:25for the fight led by Christians in Eastern Europe.
49:31Investigators think that Calvi has borrowed money from the mafiosi of Propaganda Due.
49:37He wants to speculate.
49:39But the profits do not come.
49:41The mafia then wants to recover its stake.
49:44Calvi will understand too late that he has concluded a pact with the devil
49:48and that he will not escape it anymore.
49:50There are also other interesting people.
49:53I do not depend on you.
49:55Or is it a fascination for the criminal world that would have attracted Calvi to Propaganda Due?
50:11We had confirmation, especially during the trial,
50:16that criminals belonged to this secret organization
50:20which pursued criminal objectives.
50:23We also know that this organization did not hesitate to manipulate the members who were not criminals at the beginning.
50:31The latter could have thought that it could be useful to them to be linked to this milieu.
50:36Especially in Italy, where the mafia has infiltrated almost all institutions.
50:44In the end, the contacts that Roberto Calvi maintains with the mafia will be fatal to him.
50:50The debts of his bank amount to the equivalent of 750 million euros.
50:55Desperate, the banker shouts to the Pope.
50:58He blames him for abandoning him.
51:01A few days later, Roberto Calvi is found dead, hanging from a bridge.
51:11The trial of Calvi's murder is settled by a non-lawyer.
51:15Questions still exist.
51:18But this murder shows that some secret societies can be dangerous.
51:23Propaganda Due was banned, but this procedure had no impact on Freemasonry itself.
51:29From the point of view of conspiracy theorists and people who attribute great power to secret societies and organizations,
51:37a non-lawyer proves nothing.
51:40On the contrary, he confirms their doubts, because it is the proof that they acted in the dark.
51:45In fact, it is impossible to escape the possibility of a conspiracy theory.
51:50In fact, it is impossible to escape the possibility of a conspiracy theory.
51:54In fact, it is impossible to escape the possibility of a conspiracy theory.
51:58In fact, it is impossible to escape the possibility of a conspiracy theory.
52:02In the end, I believe that if these secret organizations do have a power,
52:06it lies more in the myth that surrounds them than in their real actions.
52:12Secret societies.
52:15They have always had a fascination for men.
52:19What are their real goals?
52:21We are reduced to speculation.
52:25Yet their motivations and actions are often simple, sometimes even banal.
52:32But the imagination of men is not satisfied,
52:36and we will still look for a long time to unravel the mystery of these secret orders.
52:51To be continued...