Things became even worse. There was no blood or any sign of struggle. Andrew Gough. And so, while we all love a story of lost gold and would thrill to plunge a shovel into a green hillside that we suspect conceals an endless fortune, the urban legend of Yamashita's Gold is another of those most unlikely to have a happy ending. That is exactly what United States Captain Edward Lansdale and Intelligence Officer Santa Romana are alleged to have done to those loyal to Japanese General Yamashita Tomoyuki, who was posted to the Philippines at the end of the Second World War. 0000003204 00000 n I scaled the second descending passage with slightly greater confidence and speed than the first, and as I arrived at the bottom and crept along the next tunnel passage to where Klaus was standing, I was amazed to see that the floor and walls were perfectly smooth. Cathcart and his team had done their homework. As the uniformed men began kicking in the door, they warned Roxas, whose family and friends were acting as bodyguards while he slept upstairs, that they had three minutes to let them in or they would be killed. My neck was pressed against the sharp edge of the rusted metal tricycle roof. Los Angeles Times Communications LLC, 6 Mar. She watched it and became convinced that I was the one that the spirit of Roxas had alluded to. For the most part the program was the story of Roger Roxas, the Filipino locksmith who discovered a golden buddha and, allegedly, an enormous chamber full of gold bullion (both of which were later stolen by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos), only to have the US Supreme court demand that Roxas be awarded what amounted to the largest civil settlement in history: US$22 billion. I tried not to think about it as I descended the first sixty-foot shaft with a bamboo ladder that afforded my already wet and slippery wellies only about three inches of grip before my toes became jammed against the edge of the tunnel. When sharp protests came from Manilas lovers, who lost the use of the historic tourist site as a traditional trysting place, the presidential guard put up a sign at the forts front gate declaring simply, Closed for Renovations.. It smelled remarkable. The director was beaming with approval. Curtis to meet privately with a . Cathcart shared how his office had received a call saying that Imelda Marcos had ordered the killing death by poison and that the CIA had carried out her orders. In the process I sought to confirm that Japanese treasure hoards in the Philippines were not only real, they were about to be unveiled in all their glory. Little did they know the arduous effort that a successful excavation would require. It was time to see an excavation in progress. Thirty years after the disappearance, David Paulides, a former police officer and researcher on missing people, filmed the video above and brought the case to the attention of the Colorado government. Can it? "Yamashita's Gold." The director reluctantly agreed to film her, but she became tense and anxious in the spotlight of the film crew. See Photos. Then it occurred to me. The massive and disproportionately large cemetery under construction in Klauss humble village It was entirely out of context of our discussion to have done so. Twice a day I climb into each of the sites that we are excavating to check for cyanide, he added in his authoritative Austrian accent. Privacy Policy. I was also looking forward to seeing Patrick again, a larger-than-life friend of Klauss whom I had met on my first trip. Anyway, it keeps me fit, he added with bravado. In 1971, Dametz claimed that (The AntiChrist) will be a political, religious, commercial autocrat of the world.. They needed money to purchase the land and were offering a very comprehensive excavation plan. Rather, Klaus and others embark on a more laborious, albeit secure and spiritually attuned, process using a hammer and chisel, while observing the symbols that the Shinto priests had left behind, and heeding the vital guidance that they provide. According to Curtis, he had helped the dictator dig up $14 billion in gold bars, with over $85 billion remaining to be found. The weather was only suitable for mosquitos and snakes. It read, I understand you met with my brother, Henry, in Baguio. The caretaker had lost fingers and toes from chemicals released in the treasure site I made a note to myself; next time I visit I must avoid the monsoon season. Andrew Gough. April 30, 2019 I was moved by Cathcarts story; it was epic, tragic and inspirational. Many treasure chambers were sealed with explosives, trapping the workers who constructed them inside. Whats more, during 1974 and 1975 he excavated the tunnel behind the hospital in Baguio and personally witnessed gold bars falling from wooden crates as they were removed from the site. So he headed to the location with some hiking supplies and his dog. The more cameras the better, he chuckled. The show aired on the American History Channel in the United Statesand was well received. We embarked on the long drive back to Klauss village and our last night as a team. 0000003549 00000 n Andrew Gough. Whatever they did plunder had likely been well spent building the Imperial Navy well before the end of the war. On the taxi ride home I unexpectedly wept for the cobra. One was named Billy Murray. She was clearly in her 90s, and yet it was a long shot, but lo and behold we hit the jackpot. In a separate but related ruling, Roxas was awarded $6 million for the torture and false imprisonment he endured. All six bullets had apparently been fired at whoever or whatever had killed him.[2]. When Curtis was finally convinced that the Aquino government was sincere about protecting and encouraging treasure hunters, he organized his company and moved in, McDougald said. In one 1999 case hundreds of men signed an affidavit attesting to the fact that they had worked on a so-called restoration project that had covertly performed massive digging operations to recover thousands of metric tonnes of gold, not to mention precious gemstones. My experience with dowsers was not good. Andrew Gough. He was there as the Imperial Japanese army ransacked much of China and southeast Asia, and he was there for the duration of World War II; and he grew up knowing little about the Japanese besides that they were the world's aggressors, and the brutal assailants of a peaceful people. COVID origins? Rodger is also known as the father of Darrell Miklos, a TV personality and a treasure hunter too. In the Philippines treasure reclamation requires a permit that entitles the government to 30% of the findings. Andrew Gough. 0000011401 00000 n In yet another act of serendipity, Roxas was given a map of the tunnel system at Baguio Hospital by Ben Valmores, a Filipino, who as a young man had assisted Japanese Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda in the construction of complex treasure sites in the Philippine Highlands. He met his wife Peggy in the United States after both had become prominent figures in JFK assassination conspiracy theories. Did the Japanese deposit immense quantities of gold in the Philippines? Find your friends on Facebook. Ten days later she was cured. Andrew Gough, A leaf of the bogtalay tree He was integrity personified. The United States had stumbled upon the greatest treasure hoards in history, including more gold bullion than was known to be in existence, and would use this unfathomable wealth to influence world affairs, win the Cold War, launch a space programme, and create a new world order. Roxas was determined to get it out of the chamber as fast as he could, but even with a group of strong young men they struggled to extract it, until finally applying a technique involving rolling logs and rope. But it never works out that way. Locals commented that everyone knows to stay away from that area in the summertime because the extreme heat can be dangerous.[10]. I was intrigued and found myself engrossed in the mystery once more. Henrys pride and respect for his father touched us all. I have to! Klaus retorted. The six-hundred-pound gorilla at the site was a guy whose mother had been alive when the Japanese had arrived and asked if they could create a tunnel complex in their back garden for the purpose of depositing large quantities of boxes. It was different than that. Many versions of this story have long been floating around, but by far the best known and most influential is a series of books by Sterling & Peggy Seagrave. Andrew Gough. Klaus and I continued our daily Skype calls and I could sense he was making real progress. Needless to say, Klaus was buoyant with the news. What convinced you to take this seemingly ludicrous case? I enquired. I didn't wana lose the map so I quickly hogtied the npc and stole the map. Throughout his career in mainstream journalism, Seagrave descended deeper and deeper into conspiracy mongering. Now they moved with a kinetic energy I had never experienced before. I was enthralled with Cathcart (then retired and in his eighties and suffering from Parkinsons disease), and surprised by what a stoic figure he was, despite his frailties. The healer, operating with nothing but his fingers 24 Aug. 2005, Newspaper. Andrew Gough. They were in their sleeping bags, but their heads were missing. Amelia also recounted how the spirit of Roxas had instructed her to wake up and look at her Facebook page, and in doing so she would discover someone who could help the Roxas family reclaim what was rightfully theirs. Andrew Gough, A young Henry Roxas pays his loving respects to his late father So why have so many devoted so much to this tale? The year was 1976. It seems Burgess was so impressed with the man-made-tunnel footage that he had changed his mind and was open to the possibility that Klaus was close to a discovery. I was riveted as Cathcart recalled that tragic day and was leaning forward in anticipation as he spoke, when suddenly his carer abruptly corrected him and blurted out facts about the case that I found startling and incongruous from a healthcare professional who had claimed to know nothing about the affair. The vaults would remain secret. Amelia with me at Soho House, Los Angeles Imelda Marcoss mother had been a big fan of the healer. Before long they gained access to the tunnel system, including tracks, rails and side tunnels. Prepared: kneepads, waterproof shorts and gloves I was fitted with wellies, an old helmet and a rusty harness that consisted of a single metal hook that latched onto a solitary harness strap on my back. Night fell, and Billy never returned. I had tried dowsing before with little or no success. 20 Nov. 2003, Volume 25, Number 22: 3-6. It was peculiar and appeared to be a topographical map. I stuffed a generous amount of notes into a contribution vase, said goodbye to Klaus and headed for the airport, via a cobra farm. Back in Tokyo, the healer worked on the Princes daughter, who was suffering with a brain tumour. Santy, as he was known, tortured Yamashitas driver, Major Kojima Kashii, until he gave up his secrets; the Japanese had buried unthinkable quantities of gold and vast hoards of ancient treasure in subterranean vaults across the Philippines. Those who tired or died in the process were quickly replaced. 1988. A notoriously horrific acid trip that Robert Hunter endured in June 1969, thanks to apple juice dosed with "probably a full gram of crystal LSD worth perhaps $50,000," was the lyrical impetus for "Black Peter.". The Cultural Committee is investigating whether the search should continue. Fineman, M. "Japanese War Loot Sought: Gold Diggers May Help Manila Pay Off Huge Debt." The Japanese, in particular, were notorious for this. That would be too dangerous. Olof Jonsson: a Las Vegas-based psychic employed by Marcos to help find Japanese treasure sites. Cathcart recounted how one afternoon a notice was sent to law offices across the country, detailing how a Filipino locksmith was suing his president, Ferdinand Marcos, for having stolen a golden buddha and assorted treasure that he had discovered in the Philippines. He finished and I sat up, slightly dazed and in disbelief. Explaining how the fatal cave-in happened, McDougald began to sound as if he was talking about the Temple of Doom, as well as looking the part. Remarkably, Roxas never revealed the location of his treasure site, for he knew that doing so would result in his death sentence. In the ensuing days Klaus reshot the tunnel footage himself (on his phone) and I re-did my studio interview at the more civilised time of 10am, and with my good friend Burgess directing. Roxas estimated the golden buddha to have weighed one metric tonne and thus, with considerable difficulty, he transported it to his home where he placed it in a spare bedroom and covered it with a blanket. Dan Cathcart at his home, taking me through his Roxas v Marcos file I had seen the photos, but they did not prepare me for the sheer enormity of the quest he was undertaking. I thought. Regarding the claimed gold buried in the Philippines, the fact that not a single piece has ever been found is exactly in line with our expectations. I had felt the same energy when I was dowsing with Klaus. When the Japanese were covering up the (treasure) chamber, they put in layers of clay, then sand, then clay, then sand. No sooner than I was reflecting on the creepiness of being there, Klaus screamed. But Japan needed that money badly to pay for its war effort; it would not have converted it to gold bars and sent it away to be buried. The next morning he arrived in his office to discover that the cleaning crew had not visited the night before. Another of Roxass helpers was the American, John Ballinger, who had fought in a guerrilla unit in the region during the war. Reluctantly, I selected a cobra, which was promptly placed in a barrel-shaped mesh cage. Japanese armies did indeed seize valuables and plunder national treasuries of southeast Asian countries. Marcos wanted more and, in addition to Santy, he sought Ben Valmores, whom his people understood to have been the keeper of the treasure maps. Tunnels filled with a foot of water One mans wallet was apparently thrown near his remains. Prior to his death, Fuchigamis father presented him with a coded map of the treasure complex. Sign Up. Most of it, he said, is Curtis own money. Estimates of the total buried treasure start at $100 billion and soar to a high of $2 trillion in gold bullion, a figure cited by a respected Manila columnist, Hilarion Henares. Roxas reported the incident to the police, who predictably ignored his pleas. You climb down and back up each of these sites twice a day? I asked in disbelief. A rare photograph of Roxas in the Baguio tunnel system. Dont get me wrong. A love of China and its people ran deep in young Sterling's blood. A look of relief radiates from his face He heard of what the locals called Second World War ghost ships; large Japanese freighters that arrived in the evening and, after unloading countless boxes into a tunnel system, had disappeared by daybreak. The plane landed with a thud at Heathrow airport, and normality soon ensued. They investigated and validated first-hand testimony that corroborated the existence of the golden buddha and the gold bullion. One year later, after an extensive search-and-rescue effort, all three bodies were finally recovered. Im in the Philippines. And over here we have a marker stone, Klaus added in his patented Austrian deadpan. 0000005407 00000 n Random encounter with treasure hunter. Its a known Japanese symbol that means the seeker is going to love what is below, he added in his hypnotic Austrian drawl. I believe its here. Holes are being dug in virtually every one of the 73 Philippine provinces by treasure hunters like McDougalds group, all of whom believe that fleeing Japanese generals left behind billions of dollars in booty when Gen. Douglas MacArthurs forces retook the islands in 1945. 1.5 metres by 1.5 metres thats the size of shaft you just entered. He said, until recent times a large metal stake had been secured by the Japanese in a nearby tree that pointed to the spot. Regarding Operation Golden Lily, although evidence fails to show such a program existed with that name, the basic idea makes sense. The initial award was $43 billion the largest civil judgement in history. Treasure comes in two forms: Treasure Maps Unique Gold Bars In order to find a treasure, the player must obtain a Treasure Map, decipher it, and travel to the location depicted. Oihara promised to purchase the golden buddha and to return in a few days with a down payment of one million pesos. If found, 75 percent of it goes to the government. Andrew Gough, Henrys father with the famous detachable buddha head photo One sudden stop or turn and my head would be severed. Parts of it appeared carved. In January 2016, 54-year-old Randy Bilyeu wanted to find the treasure. Klaus Dona before settling in the Philippines Roxas was convinced there was treasure buried around the Baguio Hospital, but was unsure exactly where to look. Each day after class she dug in the back garden of the schoolyard. When will Klaus enter his first chamber? Whilst on trial, General Yamashita defended the charges of war crimes that were levelled against him: My command was as big as MacArthurs or Lord Louis Mountbattens. Many return home empty-handed. New York: Verso, 2003. The director films Klaus in the flooded tunnel complex over two hundred feet below the surface I wanted to leave, but the caretaker said I mustnt; the healer had sent me, and I needed to complete his process. Andrew Gough. They soon discovered a ten-feet-thick concrete slab beneath a layer of dirt. There was no follow-up after Bilyeu was pronounced dead. Off camera, Patrick asked what I felt to be the most illuminating question of the afternoon. Andrew Gough. Could these mysterious deaths have been murder, or as some believe, could something supernatural have been afoot? The police, who was suffering with a brain tumour excavation plan, an! And became convinced that I was dowsing with Klaus sooner than I was moved Cathcarts... 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