History's Greatest Lies

52m · Documentary · War & Politics

Often forgotten, and rarely punished, the lies of those in power always achieve their goals: THEY CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY Who are the liars? Heads of state, politicians or military leaders, supported by their hierarchies. They have no qualms about lying to the radio, to television, to millions of people, end even, on oath, to the highest authorities and institutions. They use secret services, military strategy or communications agencies to make their lies more credible. The only motto is: «the bigger the lie, the more it will be believed!» In affairs of state, all and every means can be used to certify or conceal an operation. Lies are not just a matter of words, or of silence. They entail practical acts as well as technical support. Whole teams are sometimes necessary to construct believable illusions. In the service of a nation, lying just means reinventing the world.

Episodes

▶1. 1915: The Sinking of the Lusitania52m · On May 7th 1915, the British trans-Atlantic liner Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine. The Germans justified the action by claiming that the ship was transporting concealed weapons. The Americans denied this, and used the disaster to help shift public opinion against Germany, and therefore justify their eventual declaration of war.▶2. 1944: Operation Fortitude52m · 6th June 1944. The beaches of Normandy are the scene of the most spectacular military operation of all time: the Normandy Landings, a key moment that will alter the course of the Second World War. They owe their success, though, to a gigantic lie: a phantom army, armed with inflatable tanks and wooden rifles; but also to a whole network of double agents, most of them entirely fictitious. And leading this campaign of disinformation - the most sophisticated ever dreamt up – is one man: Winston Churchill.▶3. 1983: The Sniffer Planes52m · In 1979, in the midst of the second oil crisis, two eccentric inventors proposed to the French industrial oil giant, Elf, a concept for an aircraft able to detect oil deposits underground. Encouraged by « promising demonstrations », the French state administration eagerly backed the « avion renifleurs » …which turned out to be a complete hoax, and a financial swindle that would soon become a national scandal.

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