Philosopher's Legacy
From the Metal Gear Wiki
The Philosopher's Legacy was one hundred billion dollars collected by the highest powers in China, the Soviet Union, and United States around the time of World War II. They called themselves the Philosophers. When the Philosophers started to disband after the war, Colonel Volgin's father started to take the Philosophers' Legacy and place it in banks throughout Switzerland, Australia and Hong Kong. The money was then passed down to Volgin himself, who used the money to build Graniny Gorki and Groznyj Grad, as well as investing in the Shagohod project. The transactions involving the laundering of the legacy are recorded on a microfilm, allowing anyone who has the microfilm to recover the money.
[edit] Operation Snake Eater
When Naked Snake had infiltrated Graniny Gorki, Granin told him about the Philosopher's Legacy. He explained that Colonel Volgin had inherited the Philosophers immense legacy. Apparently, Volgin's father was in charge of the Philosophers' money laundering activities. However, in the confusion of World War II, Volgin's father somehow ended up with the Philosophers' treasure, which Volgin then inherited.
With all the money he had, Volgin could spend it on whatever he wanted. As a result, Granin never had to worry about the military budget. The development costs were all paid by the money Volgin had inherited. Eventually, this money was also used to fund the development of the Shagohod. He then tells Snake that Volgin moved Sokolov to Groznyj Grad and that the Shagohod is also there.
Afterwards, just before Snake is about to infiltrate Groznyj Grad, he sees Volgin punching a steel barrel. The barrel starts to leak blood, and when Volgin delivers a powerful punch, Granin's body flies out of the barrel. Ocelot and The Boss then approach him and have a conversation, revealing that The Fear and The End have been defeated. The Boss then reveals to Volgin that the United States of America is out to destroy the Shagohod and get their hands on the Philosopher's Legacy.
Later, when Volgin tortures Snake, he reveals more information about the Legacy. He says that the Legacy is a secret fund established by the "three Great Powers" during the two World Wars, that it amounts to one hundred billion dollars, and that it is divided up and hidden all over the world. He then says that the Philosopher's Legacy is safe in his possession, in Groznyj Grad's underground vault.
After Snake has placed C3 around the Shagohod and is captured again, it is revealed that EVA had a microfilm on her that contained all of the information regarding the Legacy, which Volgin takes back. He then explains more about the Legacy. During World War II, the most powerful men in the United States, China, and the Soviet Union had a secret pact. The pact was a blueprint for defeating the Axis Powers and creating a new world order. To secure victory in the war, the three countries pooled their resources to conduct the most covert types of operations and research, such as the atomic bomb, rocket technology, and the Cobra Unit. The countries amassed a very large sum of money to fund these projects; enough to fight the war five times over. That wealth was the Philosopher's Legacy. After the war was over, the three countries were to divide the Philosopher's Legacy amongst themselves, which is why the United States and the Soviet Union were able to take the best scientific minds in Germany as soon as the war ended. Volgin's father was one of the men in charge of managing the Philosopher's Legacy, and that in the confusion that ensued after the war ended he devised a series of ingenious plots to ensure that the Soviet Union would have total control over the Legacy. The money was divided up and laundered through banks all over the world – Switzerland, Australia, and Hong Kong. The microfilm that EVA had contained a record of all those transactions. After the death of Volgin's father, he learned of this secret and obtained the microfilm. With the money and the support of Leonid Brezhnev and his allies Volgin built this fortress of Groznyj Grad and Granin's research facility. However, Granin failed to produce results, forcing Volgin to turn to Sokolov and his invention, the Shagohod. Volgin's position in GRU made it too troublesome to attack Sokolov's facility directly, though the spy network established by the secret pact still existed, which he used to contact The Boss and suggested she defect, to which the Boss agreed. The world was once one but the conflict between the Philosophers has torn it in two, though Voglin plans to use the Legacy to heal that rift and make the world whole again. To do this, they need the Shagohod and the Cobra Unit. He then hands the microfilm to The Boss.
After the completion of Operation Snake Eater, EVA leaves a recording for Snake revealing that her mission was to find out where Volgin was hiding the Philosopher's Legacy and steal it. She infiltrated his base as a KGB spy and that she was agent of the People's Republic of China. She goes on to say that the Philosopher's Legacy was originally held in common between the United States, the Soviet Union, and China, and that China couldn't let the Russians and the Americans take it all for themselves. She got the film containing the Legacy as well as the nuclear missile launch from the Shagohod, and that with this data China will be able to develop its own nukes. She also reveals that she is one of the Philosophers. Her orders from the government were to obtain the Legacy and to eliminate everyone who knew the truth about what happened, though she couldn't kill Snake because she made a promise to The Boss. She also reveals that The Boss' defection was a trick set up by the American government. It was all a drama staged by Washington so they could get their hands on the Philosopher's Legacy and that The Boss was "the star of the show". The American government planned it so that they could get the Legacy and destroy the Shagohod at the same time. Only a legendary hero like The Boss could have earned Volgin's trust. Finding out where the Philosopher's Legacy was hidden was to be her greatest mission. Everything was going according to plan until Colonel Volgin fired an American-made nuclear warhead at Sokolov's research facility. Khrushchev demanded that the American government provide proof that it wasn't involved, though they could not just abort the operation to steal the Legacy, resulting in the operation being greatly expanded and revised. Washington knew that in order to prove its innocence they'd have to get rid of The Boss, that one of their own would have to do it, and that the public could never find out about it.
In a secret conversation with a "Mr. Director", Ocelot reveals that the Philosopher's Legacy is now safe in America's hands. With the money, the Philosophers can finally be revived. He reveals that the film handed to the Chinese was a fake, though only half of the money has made it back to the United States, with Ocelot believing the KGB must still have part of the Legacy.
Later, in the 1970s, the United States accumulates the remainder of the Legacy. The American branch of the Philosophers changes its name to the Patriots.
