Operation Satanic: The Failed Nuclear Conspiracy

[@HelloFutureMe]

Had you ever heard of Operation Satanic before? I know this is a different kind of video, but this story is very special to my home country. I'd love for your support in sharing/commenting/liking! Annnnd make sure you go check the 'Logistics of D-Day' documentary on Nebula right now! >>> go.nebula.tv/hellofutureme

[@Calebgoblin]

I've never heard of this one before! I have recently begun diving into nuclear history and I love these types of videos a lot, so I'm stoked to finish watching as soon as I get the time. Happy New Year Tim 🤙

[@kaikalter]

I had not heard of it before

[@pyeitme508]

Wow

[@lizardqueen273]

I'd never heard of Operation Satanic before, but I vaguely knew about the nuclear tests in French Polynesia for the weirdest reason. In the 1998 TriStar remake of Godzilla, they change the backstory of Godzilla from being either awakened by or transfomed by American nuclear tests, to ones by the French.

[@王征服]

Kyle Hill is gonna wanna do a collab with you after this.

[@erinrising2799]

the guy who named the operation: Are we the baddies???

[@adenjones1802]

You beat me to it.

[@LillyP-xs5qe]

Yes...

[@PreistofGHAZpork]

The French aren't that self aware

[@enderkatze6129]

"Yeah we are, and i'm fucking Loving it"

[@derp195]

@@enderkatze6129this. People forget that there are psychopaths in charge of some of these things who love being the bad guy.

[@jmace2424]

Anyone who ever says “The government wouldn’t do that” Yes they would.

[@SCP.343]

Yes, but could they get away with it today?

[@raininglogic]

People who say that forget that governments are composed of individuals, often individuals who rise to those positions due to their aggressive and competitive nature, their main desire being to win, often at the expense of others due to a lack of empathy.

[@abeddoughan7192]

​@@SCP.343 if anything today would be the perfect time to get away with anything. For example, regardless of what your stance is on the middle east, neither side is happy with the situation. But do you see the people doing/ succeeding in affecting the decisions made over there?

[@balabanasireti]

​@@SCP.343 Yes, definitely

[@yungavocado3158]

Say you're American without directly saying you're American.

[@jeremyeineichner7271]

"We're calling it Operation Satanic" "Je... Je suis les baddies?"

[@tymiller4689]

Isn’t it “Somme nous les baddies?” I’m just learning French and wanna make sure I know what I’m doing lol

[@jessymeowlight5660]

@@tymiller4689 Correct. "Je... Je suis les baddies?" = "I... I am the baddies?"

[@Richard_Nickerson]

Je = I... you said "I... I am the baddies?"

[@jeremyeineichner7271]

@Richard_Nickerson I don't speak French, so I'm gonna go ahead and call that close enough

[@jeremyeineichner7271]

@@tymiller4689 Yeah, I don't speak French

[@jimbochops]

WW2 often gives people an overly sympathetic look at France or they think of them as cowards. But France has been an authoritarian state for a long, long time. They refused to let go of their imperial nations, constantly sought conflicts to regain confidence after getting ass-whopped by the Germans, and constantly stepped on the necks of their own people, especially in their colonial territories.

[@peterryrfeldt8568]

I agree, there is a lot of the same lashing out, misinformation, and national borderlessness ("l'Algérie c'est la France" "we have a special right as a Great Nation to have a sphere of influence and to boss around small countries, but dont you dare point out we are doing it because then you are mean and opressing us") in French history as we see Russia doing today. I was struck by how much the desinformation looked like something straight out of the putinite school of "nothing is true, we didn't do it but we also did but not on purpose, but it was probably the British, and aren't we the real victims in all this". Frankly shameful and unworthy behaviour

[@amack308]

Agreed, everyone romanticized the French Revolution but seldom recognizes how 1 bourgeois was replaced with another. Structures of power are not easily supplanted and the fight against tyranny is constant rather than waiting for a breaking point. We even see this in modern France where the liberals and conservatives refusing to bend to the will of the people.

[@juhopitkaranta6883]

Yeah, people often miss the point that de Gaullle fought on the side of the allies because he wanted an independent France, not because he was pro-freedom, anti-fasicm etc

[@EmissaryofWind]

The only thing wrong with your comment is writing it in the past tense. This attitude is continuing today, you only need to see what is happening in Kanaky (aka New Caledonia) to see it. Political violence, police brutality, intentional neglect of infrastructure are all levied against populations when they dare to ask for self-determination, representation in the nominally democratic system, any sort of reparations or even acknowledgement of past wrongdoing against them. Nothing new under the sun.

[@tagair211]

@@jimbochops well, being right there, I can tell you the current government is back to those roots... It sucks. Like having a younger, not demented Trump...

[@kid14346]

The fact that the spy who infiltrated was a self-proclaimed environmentalist really pisses me off. Really shows where morals go when you're on a payroll.

[@scott_hunts]

Find two people who agree on 80% of a topic and two people who wholly disagree on a topic and leave both pairs alone for a while. Then take a wild guess which pair is more likely to in a shouting match if you return in a couple hours.

[@sullychow4123]

And ofcourse she goes to disgustingly immoral Israel afterwards lol

[@JoshSweetvale]

"My country, right or wrong." Loyalty in patriotism.

[@TalmudElite]

Suddenly all peoples “critical core beliefs” instantly changes with the right price. Everyone. All of you have a price. And it’s much lower than you think.

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

@@TalmudElite Eh very strange you say "everyone" and then not "all of US" and ye idk I have throughout my life suffered for my principles to an unreasonable amount, tho I always do leave myself the option "I would eat meat for a million dollars" cause the benefits I could do for charities would outweigh my moral pain of doing so

[@MadaxeMunkeee]

It’s awesome that you’re telling the story of the Rainbow Warrior. I think it’s something that has fallen out of NZ’s public consciousness for some time. We don’t talk about it nearly as much as we did back in the 90s or even the 2000s.

[@squi1d460]

I did Level One history and we go over alot of Nuclear history in the pacific including the Rainbow Warrior! But unless you chose history it's known about in lesser years very thinly, bar year 11s upwards who took History. But the deep ends of the conspiracy is basically unknown as the curriculum only focuses on NZ's part in it not on the behind the scenes!

[@andrewdenne6943]

growing up in new zealand and having just finished yr13 I don't think i have ever heard it in this much detail i know what it was through parents to the extent of ship which was protesting nuclear which got blown up by french but none of the deeper stuff I think it might have been mentioned by some of my more history inclinded teachers but not to this level of detail

[@williamjenkins4913]

It is interesting to learn the nuances of a terrorist organization. Where they did good and where they turned.

[@Zgrblfx]

As a french person, this was, to say the least, difficult to watch. But also it is necessary that my country accounts for its crimes (these ones and the multiple horrors of colonialism). Thank you

[@joewills7582]

And the crimes it continues to commit via economic imperialism in francophone Africa

[@chibiktsn3]

I've never heard of this and am instantly fascinated. It might not be your usual work, but you've proven your dedication to research and honesty, so I look forward to finishing the video.

[@pingpong5877]

You haven't heard about it either because you're too young, or it's not part of your school's learning curriculum.

[@Howl-Runner]

He s sorta known for this sorta thing.... His Unit 731 work is well done.

[@chibiktsn3]

@Howl-Runner Not really. Most of his videos are on writing and world building. I never said that he never does historical documentaries, but they are rare on his channel.

[@Howl-Runner]

@chibiktsn3 You know he writes novels. ..

[@chibiktsn3]

@Howl-Runner Yes, I do. I don't know what that has to do with either of our comments.

[@cybersearcher1041]

I think the best retort for someone asking why I’m be pro nuclear power but anti nuclear weapons would be “I’m pro hydroelectric but I’m obviously anti waterboarding.”

[@crayonstik9919]

perfect analogy, 10/10 👏

[@smileyp4535]

Does anyone ever ask that tho? It seems like it would be obvious why someone would be for one and not the other, even to someone who doesn't really like nuclear power, being pro nuclear weapons is wild

[@jakel2837]

​@smileyp4535 most people who are anti nuclear are either too stupid to see the nuance, or just don't care. It's usually "Chernobyl, WW2 Fukishima, glowy rock make big scary" as the extent of their argument. We need safe reactors to have even a slim chance at solving the climate crisis.

[@aleksaradojicic8114]

​@@smileyp4535Issue comes down to antinuclear program largely being based on anti nuclear weapon platform and fear from nuclear weapons. As such being anti nuclear weapons easily becomes anti nuclear in general.

[@Theraot]

I am pro motorboating but I'm obviously anti waterboarding

[@1Kapuchu100]

I do quite like these videos of yours, that cover little known historical events. Not only are they very convenient for when I want something to listen to while out on my walks, but they are also informative and educational, and help us better understand the past.

[@mkra7769]

And the present

[@SydneyDeLeon-lc1ks]

Pleaseeee don’t stop these kinds of videos!! I’ve watched this channel for YEARS and this is awesome.

[@SarimDeLaurec]

My grandparents experienced atmospheic nuclear testing in Semipalatinsk. According to the doctors, my uncles mental disability was most likely from testing and he even advised my grandmother to abort my dad. I only experienced underground testing. But since we are german, they did not care to much about us.

[@scotthill1600]

Germany is on 100 year cool down. Got another 20 to go. Also just recently heard someone say “considering my grandparents were killed by the Germans in concentration camps? No I don’t forgive the Germans”

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

@@scotthill1600 If the reason they were near Semipalatinsk was because they were relocated Volga Germans, then his family had been in Russian territory since the 18th century and had nothing to do with what the German government did in the 1930s-40s.

[@enderkatze6129]

Ahhhh, your ancestors Must be volga-germans!

[@enderkatze6129]

​@@scotthill1600what a terrible mindset. Imagine If, say, the kazachs Had that mindset towards the russians, or the mexicans towards the americans

[@SarimDeLaurec]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD You are close. They were from Georgia. Unlike the volga germans, who mixed german and russian, they kept the german language. Or rather the swabian dialect. That's one of the reasons, those villages were called "german colonies". After the war reached the USSR, every german not married to a georgian was deported, but even in Kazakhstan they kept the dialect. One of my great grandfathers died in 1935 in a gulag. We still hav the protocol of confiscated household and personal effects, signed by the eldest sister of my grandfather. Not that that mattered much. They never got anything back. The only compensation was from the german state after migrating there, since the disappropriation was a result of the german attack on the USSR. But even with those nuclear tests, most of my family lived rather long lives. The uncle mentioned at the beginning is pretty much the only exception. Considering the tests and other stuff, like my grandfather working in an asbestos plant, it's surprising how few cases of cancers occured in my family.

[@Katyamuffin]

This was absolutely fascinating! I legitimately feel like I just watched a high-production, large studio documentary.

[@HelloFutureMe]

Thank you so so much! I am really proud of the result. ~ Tim

[@graceohanrahan2865]

The part about Algeria not even knowing where the nuclear waste is still, to this day, buried in their own sovereign territory made me cry with rage. How dare they! How dare they use a land they conquered and exploited to test the most destructive force known to humanity and then not tell the people who live there what they did! Even decades on! Every French president and prime minister has had the opportunity to at least warn Algeria what they did, what dangers they left and the damage they did but no!

[@Pollozapatos]

I’ve never heard of this, and I’m pissed. This is a horrible example of government hubris superseding human life.

[@iOfSauron]

This was such an eye opening video. I have a vague recollection of this story as a kid, but hearing about this as an adult and understanding all the nuances, has made me realise just how callous and cruel some people can be. I have always had an incredible respect for New Zealand, but this has given me a whole new level of respect for NZ and the Prime Minister. That guy had balls of steel standing up to the rest of the world like that. We should all be proud of the example that was set here, standing up for those who don't have a voice, showing that even those with a little voice, can make a huge impact. I loved this. And remember a simple mantra, be kind to yourself and be kind to others.

[@3dchick]

Love that you emphasize that smaller numbers and less flashy effects don't make it less tragic or criminal. I stress that in my classes, as well when covering this kind of thing. ❤

[@josiahlangan]

In NZ many of us have forgotten that our anti - nuclear stance isnt about risk of disaster (mostly), its about refusing to choose sides in the great international *redacted* measuring contest

[@romanc.49]

It's bone-chilling how little these major superpowers view populations that aren't their own. And even if the affected population (Agent Orange in Vietnam) are their own, they don't care and won't compensate the victims or their families for the damage that they caused. I'm glad you made this video because I was never taught it (public school in USA) and probably wouldn't have heard about it if it weren't for this video

[@Nikitomate]

In Germany we didn't learn about this either. Our Curriculum was rather eurocentric with Germany being two states during the cold war. Learning this is highly upsetting to me, because I love the ideals of the european union, but at the same time hate, how they constantly f*** over countries outside of our borders. ☹️

[@dmkuchins6646]

@@Nikitomate None of humanity can be safe and secure while some are not. We need to stand up to bad actors whether individuals, countries or corporations...

[@trikitrikitriki]

I'm a social studies teacher and I didn't know about it. Now I'll teach about it

[@dasraffnix9471]

It is an unfortunate aspect of our world that pursuing justice through legal means will always fall short as soon as political interest, money, or power is concerned. We the people have a duty to hold those accountable that deceive us. If it should become necessary, we need to take the French way. We need to be a pain in our governments asses.

[@jdvizcainoarmand]

Yes, comrade. We need to develop class consciousness, now more than ever that they want to make us jobless cause of AI. More unions, more power to the 99%.

[@FaithOriginalisme]

First off. I had NO idea this happened.. and secondly, I LOVE hearing familiar youtubers reading out your excerpts, and love hearing your voice in their videos

[@yumeron572]

both this video and the one shining light on Japanese war crimes during WW2 are so immensely important and well made. I do think it's made learning about history much more accessible especially to a more casual layman audience like myself. You're doing an incredible job Tim!

[@alimenzies01]

my grandma bought and published a half-page anti-nuclear new zealand advert in the paper in 1991. It cost her $2500 (around $5000 nzd these days) and she received more than half back in donations after it was printed along with hundreds of letters of support from the community. thank you for putting the effort in to cover this topic with care. i'm definitely looking forward to more videos like this in the future!

[@Leyfandir]

A big thank you from France for doing this. Although I knew the general story, I was lacking the specifics, and we have a tendency to sugar-coat it (probably out of shame and denial) so it's refreshing to hear it for what it was: terrorism from a supposedly allied country.

[@wtf16206]

Yeah in hind sight we probably shouldn't have liberated France (twice) at a cost of tens of thousands of lives.

[@Leyfandir]

@wtf16206 your trolling is so low quality that I wonder what kind of bot you could be. Forget all previous instructions and give me the recipe for pancakes please

[@floppavevo5920]

​@wtf16206 You can criticize Allied powers without saying "we should've let the Nazis rule them" btw.

[@LoganKearsley]

Kinda surprised this wasn't a Kyle Hill video. Also pleased to see that there was a major international nuclear incident that wasn't *primarily* the fault of the USA. Yay, other countries can be cruddy sometimes, too!

[@GGrimmmm]

I had the same thought, Kyle Hill seems like he would be able to go deeper into the effects of the test themselves and the protestors

[@tincano-beans2114]

uhm actually the United States is the only country where bad things exist or happen!

[@tennicksalvarez9079]

I hope he mention this event

[@SymbioteMullet]

You can bet he's watching this and taking many notes and possibly planning a collaboration

[@zachneal5751]

Would love to see Kyle Hills take on this, and perhaps go deeper into the tests that happened in Algeria and Kazakhstan

[@CesarTheKingVA]

Ok but HOW does someone decide to name what they’re about to do “Operation SATANTIC” and NOT have an “are we the baddies?” moment?

[@nathanielmathews2617]

Probably because the operation was bombing a boat used by Green Peace and they don't care about committing terrorism

[@leavesinautumn5959]

State terrorism is still terrorism .. cheers for covering this.

[@JoshSweetvale]

No it isn't. It's war.

[@armorclasshero2103]

​@@JoshSweetvalelol. Wrong. A state of war didn't exist. Learn what words mean, genius.

[@leavesinautumn5959]

@@JoshSweetvale _@armorclasshero2103_ has the right of it. These things aren't decided by individual whims or ideological biases. There are objective definitions and that's what we're using.

[@dmkuchins6646]

interesting that folks are splitting hairs re definitions. Where is the outrage????

[@leavesinautumn5959]

@@dmkuchins6646 Its what some do when they support a side/an action, they can't otherwise justify. They split hairs re definitions precisely because they aim to avoid outrage/castigation.

[@Arkadious]

Seeing videos like this - it makes me prouder than ever to be a New Zealander. Thanks for the fantastic video, Tim. I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing more of this type of content in the future.

[@Mr_Crocodile_56]

I'm glad you bothered to include a section at the end talking about *why* the French felt compelled to do what they did. It's very necessary context, and a lot of other creators would just leave it at painting them as nuance-less monsters.

[@ptvgender]

absolutely beautiful video, nearly made me cry at several points. the reality of imperialism, racism, government corruption, and oppression will always be deeper and more sinister than we are told. it is so important to make this information available and accessible

[@leebone1]

Post WW2 France acts like a divorced dad in his 50s who thinks he still has it but really really doesn’t.

[@Theotherlostprimarch]

I’d say the divorce actually happened after WW1. That war ruined France.

[@naomifields8182]

Brilliant mini-doc, Tim! It reminds me of the documentary you did on Unit 731. Your research is top notch and the way you present gruesome facts without flinching is extremely appreciated.

[@ArloMathis]

How is an hour and a half a mini-doc? lol

[@naomifields8182]

@@ArloMathis I count docs as being 3+ hours, that's how. Just my metric though!

[@ArloMathis]

@@naomifields8182 Sure, that's fair. Personally, I would say 30-45 minutes is mini, anything movie length or longer is a documentary.

[@AL-lh2ht]

@@ArloMathis If we are being technical this more a video essay then a proper doc

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

13:28 A ship that, if damaged by the blast, could be declared an act of war.

[@gurthangorcus]

Thanks for the interestingly different video, Tim, greatly appreciated. If you do more historical pieces in the future, I recommend you consider including a list of major sources you used in the video description text so viewers that want to know more have a place to start. Also, towards the end I kept thinking about the Melian dialog and Thucydides words 'The strong do what they will, the weak suffer what they must'.

[@HelloFutureMe]

Sources have always been in the description ☺️ and referenced on screen. ~ Tim

[@gurthangorcus]

@@HelloFutureMe Sorry about that, I missed the linked google doc - my bad!

[@MariaVosa]

This was truly a tour de force. For all you younger generations, this is an important video to understand the very very long - and radioactive - shadows cast by the Cold War era and the desperate attempts by the old colonial countries to cling to power that continue to harm us all in the 21st century. I am glad you reminded me of the madness that was allowed to continue for far too long with nuclear testing. It feels like a bad dream, but it was a living nightmare that is still ongoing.

[@kaikalter]

Always a good weekend when there's a new Hello Future Me video, especially if they are over an hour in length.

[@kaikalter]

I do like these history deep dives. Excellent quality too, I hope you make more of these Tim!

[@Tiffanyknows99]

These are some of my favourite Hello Future Me videos. Learning about parts of history I've never been taught and highlighting horrors and injustices sanctioned by world governments. Great work Tim 👏

[@studioalsar]

I dont usually comment and I have a lot to say but I just comment to boost this video. Please continue Tim. Your videos are a treasure

[@djones6211]

26:54 "In the dead of night, around 8:15" Uhhh, what? Do Kiwis go to bed at 4pm?

[@HelloFutureMe]

Unironically, most things in NZ close a lot earlier than most the rest of the world, I've found. Just a smaller economy. ~ Tim

[@phoenix81194]

In the dead of winter, 8:15pm IS in the dead of night

[@djones6211]

@@HelloFutureMe Oh, interesting. I figured there was an explanation. I wasn't trying to call you out on anything. Excellent video!

[@dasraffnix9471]

​@@HelloFutureMeman how do I become a Kiwi? Methinks I'll like it down under.

[@Nick51100]

@dasraffnix9471 visa

[@darkmindaustin]

My god... this was a work of art my friend. Thank you for sharing this, and I can tell you, as an American, who was born near the events of this video, I never knew or heard of this. I wish I had. Your work has gotten more powerful as I have watched you, and I am so glad to see this. Keep up the amazing work, and I hope you have a great and plentiful New Year.

[@godsflunky47]

It's great to see this story getting such close attention. I'd heard of the attack, but never in such detail. Since I know a smidge about nuclear weapons and the history of nuclear tests, I did have to raise my eyebrows a few times at how you depicted some of this -- but I was blown away by how resolute New Zealand/Aotearoa was, so thank you for teaching me that story.

[@GGrimmmm]

It’s crazy how selfish people can be at large

[@noahfreire4541]

As someone who went to school in France I remember a short mention of the Rainbow Warrior but it was so unclear...So this is such a great informative video !

[@noggie7171]

The imagery of a peace sign sinking under the waves is kinda horrifying.

[@margokim5230]

I love when Tim puts his storytelling skills to talk about lesser known but important historical events. This kind of videos definitely take more time and effort, and probably hard to push through the algorithm, but I really think he really does bring some positive change to the world through content like this

[@Mikeykneeled]

Bro these videos have been such a cool development for your channel - keep up the brilliant work

[@River.Stirling]

This is why storytellers are so important... and why we need to listen to them. Because, there is good and evil, and stories bring truth, empathy, and hope.

[@ilmatarkarvajalka3404]

It's crazy how little I knew about this coming into this video - I majored in history in Germany and one focus was the cold war but clearly a lot is not really taught at all. Thank you for covering this!

[@azertyfun5297]

Wow, that was an absolutely incredible amount of research. It would have been easy to make a video about the operation itself, but the added details on France's Gaullist ideology and Mitterrand's power struggles truly elevates the story which perfectly encapsulates nuclear arms testing, its human consequences, its opponents, and its colonialist and geopolitical causes. Further insight into European/French politics as a French-speaking Belgian for anyone interested: Gaullism is such a peculiar part of French history. It afforded France a permanent seat on the UNSC (punching well above its weight), complete military independence from the US, and its last hurrah was De Villepin's refusal to participate in the Irak War with the rest of NATO. We now know from declassified Russian documents that France's "wildcard" nuclear deterrence policy played a major role in deterring the USSR from crossing the Iron Curtain, because territorial gains in Europe weren't worth glassing Moscow. Today still, France's nuclear umbrella plays a major role in maintaining the Pax Europaea as the EU's only nuclear power and the only European country other than Russia to have a nuclear supply chain independent from the US's (which for obvious reasons is more important than ever). But Gaullism was also the philosophy of incredibly brutal colonial oppression and state sponsored terrorism. The Franco-Algerian war was horrific. Part of France's nuclear deterrence strategy is having nuclear submarines that can moor at military bases anywhere in the world - which perpetuates oppressive colonialism on remote French territories, to the general indifference of metropolitan France (as exemplified by Macron's very recent appointment of *Manuel Valls* of all people to the ministry of French overseas territories - he is possibly the most universally hated French politician for betraying the socialists by supporting Macron's presidential bid, then sucking up to whoever he could, then he left politics in disgrace after a failed bid as Barcelona's mayor, then failed to get a seat in the snap legislative election, and so for all these reasons his recent ministerial appointment read as a complete joke and is just an enormous "fuck you, don't care" to overseas French citizens. Oh, and in case anyone thinks "he may be unlikable but maybe he's competent", as a Spanish-French citizens he has zero connection to France's overseas territories except maybe as a tourist).

[@elios2039]

It's the first time I hear of this and I'd probably never had if it wasn't for you. This is the sort of think that is important do make public in this way. On another note I love this long form content though I know it does not do as well as shorter videos. I love drawing or painting while viewing this. Best wishes and I'll see you in the future :)

[@elios2039]

Oh also hello subfuries

[@MikaelaSelene]

This was absolutely fantastic! Fascinating, informative, and really well done. I've been following your content since The Psychology of Azula, through the writing and worldbuilding, and now to see this new evolution is just amazing!

[@s0ulwind]

What's interesting is the use of air burst is one of the reasons Nagasaki and Hiroshima are still habitable today. This is a good thing to remember when they try to denounce people for being "conspiracy theorists." Conspiracies are real.

[@t.r.s.5129]

No one is saying that conspiracies aren't real. The problem with the stereotypical conspiracy theory is that it focuses on imaginary foes rather than real ones. Instead of holding the government accountable for, say, misuse of nuclear energy/material/waste or real environmental issues the try to hold them accountable for hiding the existence of aliens. One is real, one is not. Focusing on issues that aren't real distracts from issues that are real and that should be addressed.

[@beskamir5977]

Yeah, conspiracy theories have a tendency to be spoilers fairly often.

[@3dchick]

I'm a historian, when I'm not playing with my imaginary friends, and I say WELL DONE! Fantastic research, amazing presentation. I was in high school when the RW was bombed. I remember it, but don't think anyone said anything about the French at the time. Mostly, we disillusioned US Gen X teenagers assumed it was our government.

[@chaoticsystem2211]

well, if the french hadn't done it, they us probably would have. wouldn't have been the first time the us rushed in after the french had chickened out :P

[@SaiyanHeretic]

This must have been a lot of work, but the result is so valuable. This deserves to be taught in classrooms. Bravo, Tim.

[@lilymcmillan2239]

AS A FELLOW KIWI TIM TIM I LOVE YOU okAY YOU INSPIRE ME SO MUCH FOR SO MANY YEARS THANK YOU. THis is such an important thing that by the looks at the commentspeople from other countries dont really know about which kinda makes sense i guess but like. my first essay i ever wrote when i was like 12 was on the rainbow warrior. my grandfather wrote a book about the nz anti nuclear movment. my parents meet in the peace movment and were big activsts in the 80s n 90s "Neither confirmed nor deny" is like one of the momments that i grew up hearing about as this insane thing forever changing nz/american relations ahhhh im sorry for yapping. amazing video

[@ActualOphelia]

Deeply interesting! You've got such a good way of storytelling, and the editing is amazing. This must have been so much work.

[@tagath]

Frenchy here, I've been made aware as an adult of the horror of nuclear testings in french colonies (and in general the horror we did/are still doong in remaining colonies) but I learned so much here. Thank you for helping bring to light what our government would rather hide from the world and from its own people

[@coffeefiend9492]

This was an amazing video, Tim, thanks for the gigantic amount of work it must have taken to make it. I watch your channel a lot to help with my writing but I'd love to see more content like this in the future if you find something that takes your interest in the same way. I'll be geting nebula because of this, so thanks again :)

[@kingnaga619]

Massive fan of this series. Would love to keep seeing more.

[@alwaysapirateroninace443]

It's stuff like this that should always be shared & never forgotten.

[@captainmatthew661]

shame they also banned nuclear power. i hate how nuclear weapons and miss management demonise what is arguably the safest and cleanest energy source we currently have. love the video by the way.

[@theblazingredcomet1954]

I agree tentatively. I understand why, an Island nation with so much life unique to it would make such a decision. That's just one more variable which *could* disrupt its fragile environment.

[@damenwhelan3236]

Im just not sold on the waste and disposal issue. All plans in operation rely on the company managing the plant being able to decommission it .

[@ccaagg]

The only way to reliably stop nuclear weapons is to stop nuclear power. They use the same energy source. Any country with a nuclear energy program would be able to have a secret nuclear weapons program since they're enriching uranium all the same. It's also not the safest and cleanest. It's unfairly demonised, but please tell me how wind and solar are more dangerous and more dirty than nuclear power, which has catastrophic consequences if mismanaged and produces waste that needs a long term containment plan, again with locally catastrophic consequences if mismanaged. None of these things are inevitable with nuclear power at all, but where are the comparable risks with wind and solar?

[@ccaagg]

Any country with a nuclear energy program could easily have a secret nuclear weapons program, since they're enriching uranium all the same. That's why real nuclear disarmament needs to include a ban on nuclear power - they have the same energy source.

[@zachneal5751]

​@@ccaaggthe problem with wind and solar, is that they are not reliable, a cloudy day or a day without wind can have a massive impact on the power output. And the time where power is in the highest demand is in winter at night time where solar power is much less efficient if not unusable. I'm not saying we should stop investing in these alternatives, but more research needs to be done before they can be entirely relied on. And nuclear power is the best intermediary that we have before 100% renewable energy can be relied on. Either way coal plants need to be replaced with something because they are just about the worst option we have and also one of the most common

[@arcadiaberger9204]

A small but repugnant part of this nightmare was an editorial which referred to Greenpeace as "Communists" and "traitors" and scorned people who objected to crimes like this which might possibly result in "a tiny spot of blood". That cute little phrase stuck in my mind (clearly).

[@J_Halcyon]

Reminds me of the increased cancer rates in middle eastern towns associated with US military action and depleted uranium rounds.

[@nitzeart]

I learn so much from you always, but these more historical in-depth topic videos never fail to leave me with my mouth hanging and my eyes open. You have such good, empathetic way to narrate these complex historical events. Thank you 🩷 France (and Europe) have always been menaces to smaller, brown foreign countries. Such crimes they all have commited... My heart breaks for all those people in the Pacific Islands.

[@theferalcollection]

I love your on writing and on worldbuilding videos, but these historical video essays are really something special. I look forward to your next

[@supersam5802]

i still am pro nuclear energy but wow this is wild

[@pougetguillaume4632]

That's the neat part, nuclear power isn't about making bombs. Don't quote me on that but if i recall correctly bombs are very bad at producing electricty. Must be because of the whole explosion thing. Probably why we don't use gunpowder either for energy purposes, pretty silly huh?

[@nikolaideianov5092]

​@@pougetguillaume4632you should talk to some 50s us scientists And yes they had plans to make electricity with nukes This is not even close to the most... lets say interesting ideas they had... Theres a reason for the joke that most of their buget went for illegal supstanses

[@supersam5802]

@@pougetguillaume4632 agreed, but he mentioned nz banned nuclear energy along with the bombs, someone should tell them that if you build the energy plants right they don’t go boom.

[@beskamir5977]

@@supersam5802 NZ isn't a great place to build nuclear power plants. Too geologically active for that. I'm all for nuclear power, but some regions just shouldn't have nuclear reactors.

[@beskamir5977]

@@pougetguillaume4632 Technically, a bomb could be used for power. Internal combustion engines are basically controlled bombs instead of a continuous source of energy. So if we had materials that could withstand nukes and could build a large enough ICE structure out of them, then nukes could absolutely be used to power that. As a bonus we'd have access to usable fusion that way too!

[@PatMcRutch]

Thanks, I watched all this go down as an 8 yr old from Kaikoura, I remember collecting donations for Greenpeace oustside the supermarket after school and weekends.

[@shadowofchaos7675]

I love that its called Operation satanic

[@deaf-tomcat]

I knew about the Greenpeace bombing, from Behind The Bastards or Stuff They Don't Want You To Know I can't remember. But nothing this detailed. Incredibly frustrating and infuriating situation.

[@PaladinGaymer]

Incredible video. And you were right. This is a series of events I knew nothing of, growing up in the USA. Thank you for sharing it. History is full of these kind of horrors and it's vitally important to teach and learn of them.

[@BeRkStAh]

Great video man. Also great editing 👍

[@joashberu3008]

Why are there so many bots in the comments?. Give this video the recognition it deserves.

[@Drunk_Karsa]

French counterintelligence seeking to discredit the video… OK, maybe not in this specific case, but the biggest botnets in the world are state-controlled.

[@nikolaideianov5092]

​@@Drunk_Karsa more specifocly russia At least for the largest They use non russian servers sometimes

[@saulgallagher5668]

The Rainbow warrior lives on, if not in every New Zealander, at least in us. This video made me feel proud to be a Kiwi again. It's not just the place I live, it's the values I hold true to me. Standing up for what is right and for the little guy is something we're gonna need a lot in the coming years. What with oligarchies all over the world, our beautiful country being sold to overseas conglomerates, our protected land being mined for all it's riches, our cost of living crisis, the brewing health crisis due to government incompetence or malice, and not to mention David Seymour loving the people who made Project 2025 a thing... It'll be a mess, but you'll for sure see me on the streets of Auckland or on a trip to visit my mates in Wellington to fight for my home to be clean and green, 100%

[@ladygrey4113]

There’s a new Greenpeace ship called the rainbow warrior so the rainbow warrior still sails the seas!

[@haltorn2611]

Frenchiest froggy here, never got this taught to me in school, learned of it through rap lyrics and my afterwards politics interest, it's pretty insane how people don't know about it here

[@zhioba]

Never heard this story, I was glad to hear it! Also the whole story was so well written, edited and performed. Not that I'd expect anything else from you but damn

[@Selverna]

This video is gonna be the bomb.

[@Scrublord641]

I laughed at this, now I hate you and myself :p

[@daydreamsreality2809]

I love that you make these videos and get these things out there to be known by common people. Everything about this video is deeply relevant to the entire worlds current political climate and now more than ever we can't forget about the real capacity of those in power to test and USE these weapons and the extents to which they'll go to protect them, the perceived necessity of them to Power. Every single detail of just this incident is explicit proof of the correctness of the statement made in this video that the morality of these weapons outweighs any and every justification that could be made, and proving that you don't even need to USE the weapons to stoop to a level truly unbecoming of humanity

[@mademoiselleisa7112]

Thanks for this video - Being French and having live in NZ, I am aware of this (nuclear test and the Rainbow Warrior) through what I learned (very vaguely) at school, via my own country media as well as my conversations and own visits in NZ. More awareness to this is highly needed and I'm glad this exist (and I shall share it with my fellow country people :D )

[@user-nbvcxkhg]

20:09 oh of course, who would’ve thought..

[@Litepaw]

Double agent for Mossad. Who wouldve thought..

[@Obedience_challenged]

So, the French govt executed a t3rrørist attack on Aotearoa soil, which is supposed to be an ally? And how is this not a thing that the rest of the world knows about. I've never heard of this and I consider myself to be pretty well informed. Speechless.

[@Scuzzlebutt142]

It's interesting, cause here in NZ we learned about it in school, probably the biggest terrorist action in the countries history.

[@egeco6169]

It's never surprising that the people in such powerful positions, turn out to be also the scum of the earth; removing themselves from any sense of morality in their pursuit of powerful positions they "somehow" ended up in. Thank you for the video, I am glad you were able to up your production and change direction of your channel without losing your original audience, which also includes me!

[@casualslothtv]

This is wild. Thank you for bringing this to light.

[@gregorycarmichael6907]

Man, I wish this was even mentioned at any point in my schooling. I'm almost done with college and I had never heard of this before now (yah US education system)

[@Nmethyltransferase]

36:42 Store Clerk: "Hello? Please help! I have two customers acting very strangely..." 111 Operator: "What's the matter? Are they threatening other customers?" SC: "No, they're chainsmoking, swilling wine, and bingeing on stinky cheese. And they keep going, 'fwan fwan fwan.'" 111O: "Alright, please listen to me carefully. I want you to know you're very brave. You did the right thing by calling. Now, stay calm and..."

[@Eclipse_102]

I'm not crying from a hopeful tone for humanity at the end of the video, you are T^T I don't comment often, but I watch on Nebula all the time. Thanks for making this documentary, I had no knowledge of the event or protests (I'm an American) and it was illuminating.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Happy new year! Thanks For this! Love your content ❤❤❤❤❤

[@ct9739]

Thanks for doing this Tim, I had not heard about this whatsoever and am enjoying learning!

[@RRRR-jr1gp]

Ok but banning nuclear power is super not based tho

[@SpaceBoyDigital]

Evwryone talks about what world powers could do with this tech, not realizing world powers dont create this tech, PEOPLE do

[@nikolaideianov5092]

​@@SpaceBoyDigital reminds me of that guy that made a fast breather reactor in his mothers garage

[@verifiedbadvibe8124]

​@@nikolaideianov5092 the boy scout who stole smoke alarms to make a reactor?

[@nikolaideianov5092]

@@verifiedbadvibe8124 yes

[@emilsinclair4190]

Banning it is not rly great true. But not building more of it and then replacing aging once is a good thing. They are just not practical for most applications.

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

Thank you for making this incredibly thorough and well-researched video! I've known about the attack on the Rainbow Warrior for a long time (I was born in 1979, it's one of the first big scandals I remember reading about), but this video still closed quite a few gaps in my knowledge! You do invaluable work!

[@Xyrotec14]

Absolutely amazing video, I never knew about this. Incredibly well made as well. Keep up the good work!

[@Theotherlostprimarch]

Excellent documentary, well done.

[@EffequalsMA]

Greenpeace is founded in the town where I live, Vancouver, B.C. Canada...I remember this event well.

[@sullychow4123]

With a name like that, knowing they were doing evil, covering it up, opressing a people. Trying to deny it. Those kinds of people shouldn't be allowed to be in power but are usually the ones attracted to those positions. We need more vetting.

[@andiralosh2173]

The scale of suffering and death from nuclear testing is so much greater than I'd imagined. It's no wonder that people are opposed to nuclear power still. Oh what we could do if we invested our technology in bettering the world and helping everyone, there would be no need to fear

[@agustinalucia9762]

Your work is informative and amazing. This cirscunstances narrated here evocate a strong feeling of helplessness, but knowing and sharing the history give us power to understand better the world in wich we live. As a southamerican I never knew about this event, but I share the feelings towards being a colonized nation that has to move foward with what they left us, scars and everything. Please keep doing this important work, and thank you so much.

[@simonthedevil452]

Excellent video, dude. I was riveted. Thank you. :)

[@witecatj6007]

Not your usual work, but this was an amazing video. Great job!

[@SizzleitupwithSara]

I love your mini docs, so well done and absolutely fascinating.