Every Christmas Eve, millions of families around the world do the same thing.

They open a website.

They call a hotline.

They wait for updates from a military command center buried deep inside Cheyenne Mountain.

And they ask the same question:

Where is Santa?

What most people don’t realize is that the system tracking Santa Claus was originally built to detect Soviet nuclear bombers.

This episode of Stories From the Vault investigates the true origins of the NORAD Santa Tracker — from a Cold War emergency hotline, to early-warning radar nets aimed at the Arctic, to a tradition that now draws tens of thousands of volunteers every year.

Was it really just a typo in a 1955 Sears ad?

Or did the U.S. government accidentally — or intentionally — create the most successful and wholesome psychological operation in American history?

Using declassified records, historical reporting, and Cold War context, we examine how fear was transformed into reassurance… and how the same surveillance infrastructure designed for war became a bedtime story for children.

This isn’t an exposé meant to ruin Christmas.

It’s an investigation into how storytelling, trust, and institutions shape belief — and why this tradition still works nearly 70 years later.

🧭 Stories From the Vault explores declassified history, hidden systems, and the stories that quietly shape public consciousness.

👇 After watching, comment and tell us:

Do you think the Santa Tracker is just a harmless tradition… or America’s most successful PsyOp?

In this full investigation, we dive into the story of Joe Biden’s cognitive health and the alleged cover-up behind the scenes. From public moments of struggle, to insider accounts, to Kamala Harris’s memoir, Dr. Jill Biden’s role, and the controversial use of the AutoPen, this episode explores the transparency, accountability, and constitutional implications every American should understand.

Support our investigative reporting by liking, subscribing, and commenting on what topics you want covered next. Your questions shape the future investigations.

The most requested FBI file is finally uncovered. The Finders—a case of missing children, secretive adults, and a trail of unsettling events that barely anyone talks about.In this special Halloween episode of Stories from the Vault, we dig into the FBI’s records, explore the mysterious individuals involved, and ask the question: who’s requesting this file, and why?Be warned—some truths are darker than fiction.

National Airlines Flight 967 vanished without a trace in 1959, leaving investigators with only questions and cryptic records. Decades later, the FBI Vault still holds documents detailing the search, the evidence collected, and the lingering mysteries surrounding the DC-7’s disappearance.

In this episode of Stories From the Vault, we dive deep into the case, exploring what the files reveal—and what they don’t.

🔗 Access the official FBI records yourself: vault.fbi.gov

Subscribe for more untold stories from history’s hidden files.

Ruby Ridge, 1992. A standoff that ended in tragedy, sparking national outrage and questioning federal authority. Using FBI Vault documents, witness statements, and official reports, we revisit the events that led to the deaths of Vicki and Samuel Weaver, and the wounding of Kevin Harris.

This episode explores:

• The origins of the standoff

• Missteps and misjudgments by federal authorities

• The lasting impact on law enforcement accountability

🔗 Full FBI Vault access: vault.fbi.gov

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Ruby Ridge. 1992. A family. A standoff. A tragedy that should have never happened.

In this new episode of Stories from the Vault, we dive deep into FBI documents and firsthand accounts to revisit the events that led to the deaths of Vicki and Samuel Weaver, and the wounding of Kevin Harris.

This is more than history—it’s a warning about unchecked authority.

On April 19, 1995, a truck bomb ripped through the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people — including 19 children — and injuring hundreds more. It was the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.

In this episode of Stories from the Vault, Kyle Fields takes you inside the FBI’s OKBOMB investigation — one of the largest and most complex cases ever handled on American soil. Using original FBI Vault files, we trace how agents sifted through rubble, pieced together evidence, tracked down the suspects, and brought them to justice.

This is the story of how investigators turned fragments of metal and paper into a case that reshaped American security, law enforcement, and the nation’s understanding of domestic extremism.

🔎 Topics covered in this episode:

• April 19, 1995: The day of the bombing

• The FBI’s immediate response and formation of Task Force OKBOMB

• Forensic breakthroughs: reconstructing the Ryder truck

• Identifying and capturing the suspects

• The trial, convictions, and lasting legacy

• The Oklahoma City National Memorial and lessons learned

📂 All source material is pulled directly from the FBI Vault.

On June 12, 2016, the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando became the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. While the tragedy is widely known, few have seen the FBI’s internal perspective on the investigation.

In this episode of Stories from the Vault, we dive deep into the FBI’s records: the tactical response, crisis management, and investigative work that followed. Every detail, memo, and timeline preserved in the vault provides a rare and factual look into the federal investigation.

🧾 Access the full FBI files here: vault.fbi.gov

🎙️ Next episode: The Oklahoma City Bombing

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Two seventeen-year-old girls, separated by decades and continents. One survived the impossible, the other vanished without a trace.

In this Uncovered Investigates podcast-exclusive, we dive deep into:

•Juliane Koepcke (YOO-lee-ah-nuh KERP-kuh) and the harrowing LANSA Flight 508 crash in 1971, where she survived alone in the Peruvian rainforest.

•Phoebe Bishop, last seen May 15, 2025, in Queensland, Australia, whose disappearance remains a haunting mystery.

•Detailed timelines, last known messages, and analysis of possible scenarios surrounding Phoebe’s vanishing.

•A comparison of survival, fate, and the fragility of life across these two stories.

If you or someone you know has information regarding Phoebe Bishop’s disappearance, please contact:

•Queensland Police: 131 444

•Crime Stoppers Queensland: 1800 333 000

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Dive in, listen closely, and remember: every tip, every lead, and every voice matters when it comes to bringing clarity to the mysteries that haunt us.

Hear it here first before the video drops on YouTube!

On September 11, 2001, America changed forever. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. But behind the headlines, the FBI was working around the clock—documenting, investigating, and piecing together the most complex case in its history.

In this episode of Stories from the Vault, Kyle Fields takes you deep inside the FBI’s own records on 9/11. From urgent memos and field reports to command centers set up in parking garages, this documentary uncovers how agents responded in real time—and how the Bureau documented one of the darkest days in America.

What’s inside the vault:

• The FBI’s initial response on September 11, 2001

• How agents coordinated across New York, Washington D.C., and Shanksville

• The garage command post and unprecedented crisis logistics

• Evidence collection and forensic breakthroughs

• How conspiracy theories were handled in official reports

This is not speculation—it’s history, documented by the FBI itself.

Stories from the Vault brings you inside real FBI files, one case at a time.

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🔔 Subscribe for more never-before-seen stories hidden in plain sight.

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In this Uncovered Investigates podcast-exclusive episode, we take a deep dive into the chilling disappearances of Brianna Maitland (Vermont, 2004) and Leah Roberts (Washington, 2001). Separated by geography and time but connected by eerily similar circumstances, both young women vanished with abandoned vehicles, puzzling evidence, and no clear resolution.

Join us as we explore:

•The full story of each disappearance

•At least three investigative theories for both cases

•Our analysis of what likely happened

•Speculative angles, including connections to familiar individuals or unusual circumstances

If you have information that could help bring these cases closer to resolution, please contact the relevant authorities: FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI, Vermont State Police for Brianna, or Washington State Patrol for Leah.

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