America's Top Secrets: Manhattan Project to Drone Warfare

American History Hit

History Hit

America, History

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 April 2023

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Much of American history has been redacted. Since the World War 2, the number of secrets the US government has kept has grown exponentially. There are some things they think are too dangerous for the public to know. Matthew Connelly, author of the Declassification Engine, takes Don through America's top secrets of the 20th century.

Produced by Benjie Guy. Mixed by Stuary Beckwith. Senior Producer: Charlotte Long.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It is June 1954 and President Dwight D. Eisenhower is hosting British Prime Minister
0:06.6	Winston Churchill at the White House.
0:09.2	After dinner, Churchill positions himself on a sofa, drink in one hand, no doubt cigar and the other, recalling
0:15.6	past events from an evening 14 years earlier.
0:19.6	It was December 7, 1941, the day that will live in infamy.
0:24.6	On that fateful evening, Churchill was the one hosting a dinner of his own at his country estate
0:29.2	in England.
0:30.4	His guests were American Ambassador John G. Wienet and Wall Street banker Avril Harriman.
0:36.0	According to a document which would be classified as top secret for 50 years after Pearl Harbor,
0:42.0	shortly before 9 p.m. still mourning in Honolulu, the butler
0:46.0	announced the news of a Japanese attack on the American fleet in Hawaii, expecting
0:51.0	his guests to be distraught upon hearing of the dreadful attack.
0:54.4	The sunken ships, thousands of American casualties.
0:57.8	Churchill is shocked to see both men embrace and dance around the room in delight.
1:02.9	According to Churchill, Ambassador Wainen insisted the attack was a marvelous thing.
1:08.6	That same evening at the White House, Churchill also described being informed that an aid to an American general
1:14.7	had failed to pass on deciphered Japanese messages before the attack
1:18.8	announcing that they were breaking off negotiations with the Americans.
1:22.4	These revelations are just two examples. making off negotiations with the Americans.
1:22.8	These revelations are just two examples of America's until recently redacted history,
1:27.9	which the U.S. government has considered too dangerous to reveal to the public.
1:32.2	It is an attitude and practice that has snowballed
	...

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