This is Lakeview, California,
one of a score of American communities
which came into being during and after World War II.
This is the Lakeview Research Laboratory of Nuclear Physics.
One of the top secret government projects
vital to the national defence and security.
To be a worker at Lakeview,
one must be first an American of proven loyalty.
The task of guarding projects like Lakeview
is entrusted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Which explains Why Special Agent Daniel F O'Hara,
in charge of the Lakeview Security Detail,
remains in his office long after regular hours, night after night.
- Hi. - Hi.
What are you doing here this time of night?
Trying to win the Legion of Merit?
Just refreshing my memory.
Waiting for a phone call from Jimmy Colton.
He's out at Lakeview on a deal.
What are you doing here on your time?
Rechecking last week's applications for employment at Lakeview.
About 300 of them.
O'Hara.
Dan, this is Colton.
I'm talking from a booth at the Lakeview Arena.
I think I've run into something red hot.
You mean something connected with Radchek?
Yeah, that's right. Can you get over here right away?
- Twenty minutes. - That'll be...
Jimmy! Jimmy!
Jimmy!
Colton!
Whoever gave it to him sure got away clean.
With all the excitement and yellin' inside, nobody even heard the shots.
This young lady just happened to pass by the booth and glance inside.
It looks funny to her, so she opens the door,
lets out a yelp and faints dead away.
He was... He was sitting there. I thought he was tired or asleep, and...
And then I saw...
- You didn't see who did it? - No! No, I only saw him.
Just like that.
I phoned in the report.
The homicide squad should be here any minute.
I tried to identify him, but he didn't have anything on him.
His name is James Colton.
He lived at 110 F Street, here in Lakeview.
That's about all we can do here.
- Sergeant, will you... - I'll take care of everything.
I can't understand
why anyone would want to kill a fine, clean-cut boy like him.
All right, folks, that's it, break it up.
Come on, everybody move.
Please, break it up, break it up. You've got other places to go.
Come on, what's the matter? Read about it in the paper tomorrow.
Mmm-hmm.
Sorry to bring you back to the office this time of night, Mr North, but...
Well, I wanted your permission to follow this Radchek thing through to a finish.
I understand how you feel, Dan. Colton was a fine boy.
It must be demonstrated to Mr Radchek,
as it has been to others who have had the same idea,
that the murder of an FBI man
inevitably leads to very disagreeable consequences.
Radchek?
I remember the name. But it was some time ago.
About a year ago.
An order went out at that time to pick him up
on suspicion of illegal entry into the country.
Oh, yes. Now I remember.
He did a vanishing act before he could be brought in.
That's right.
And he didn't show again until I spotted him day before yesterday.
If I'd pick him up then, instead of putting Colton on him
to find out what he was doing in Lakeview, Jimmy would still be alive.
People die of old age too, Dan.
What could Colton have come up with
that forced Radchek to take such a crazy chance?
To commit murder, practically in front of a couple of thousand witnesses?
I'll remember to ask Radchek that when I meet him in person.
I've got all avenues out of Lakeview covered.
Good!
By the way, Mr North, do you remember...
Excuse me.
O'Hara.
Alison. At the Lakeview Bus Depot.
Subject just bought himself a ticket for San Francisco.
Good! Hang onto him.
Alison.
He's found Radchek. Lakeview Bus Depot.
- Bring him in, Dan. - Bring him in, and then what?
Not a shred of evidence to connect him with Colton's death.
Mmm... Stay with him long enough,
you'll probably win his confidence and get a confession.
Thanks, Mr North.
Thirty minutes later,
Anton Radchek boarded a bus at the Lakeview terminal.
O'Hara delayed arresting Radchek.
He was certain that Radchek had not murdered Colton
merely to escape a relatively minor charge
of illegal entry into the United States.
Using Radchek to point out any contacts he might have,
O'Hara and Alison trailed him to San Francisco.
As the bus crossed the big Bay Bridge,
Radchek's sense of smug satisfaction increased.
His growing sense of security fell in with O'Hara's plan of action,
which was to use Radchek as a bird dog
to lead them to whatever connections he had in San Francisco.
Connections which might explain the reason
for Radchek's presence in Lakeview.
At the bus terminal, Radchek took a taxicab,
and led O'Hara and Alison to a rooming house
in an older section of the city.
- See you later. - Right.
Aided by the agents
of the San Francisco office,
O'Hara set up a 24-hour surveillance of Radchek's hideout.
A motion picture camera was concealed in constantly changing vehicles,
and everyone who entered or left the rooming house
was secretly photographed.
The only telephone in the house was monitored
and every incoming or outgoing call recorded by an agent
whose equipment was set up in a basement of a house
on the next street.
But Radchek had no visitors,
and left the house only to take his meals
and to buy a newspaper at the corner restaurant.
Thank you, sir. Evening papers!
Get the evening paper here.
Evening paper!
MAN“. Hello.
Hello, Igor?
- Who is this? - Radchek.
- Good night. - Good night, Anton.
Yes?
- O'Hara? - Yes?
Gaines. Maybe I got something.
- I'll be right over. - Right.
At least he supports you and your kids.
All mine supports are a half a dozen bookies
and O'Leary's saloon down on the corner.
Wait till I get my hands on him.
That was Mrs Green.
We've been able to identify the voices of everybody in the house.
But this is a new one. It identifies itself.
Hello?
Hello, Igor?
- Who is this? - Radchek.
Oh, Anton.
About that business down south.
I think everything is safe now.
I understand. Where are you?
153 Octavia Street. Second floor, front.
You'll take care of things, Igor?
Of course 17! take care of things.
Thank you. Good night.
Good night, Anton.
That's what we want. Can you trace that call?
- Well, dial telephones are tough, but... - How long will it take?
The miraculous we do immediately,
the impossible takes a few minutes longer.
Good boy.
At 10:30 the next morning,
O'Hara was summoned to Radchek's hideout
by a telephone call from Alison.
What's the trouble?
I don't know. Maybe nothin',
- but I'm a little worried. - Why?
Well, every morning he goes for breakfast at eight o'clock, right?
Yeah.
Well, it's past 10:30 now and he hasn't even shown.
- That's why I called you. - Oh, I see.
- No visitors? - Nobody in or out.
I've gotta find out whether or not he's in that room.
Pull the wire inspector gag and see if he's there.
Right.
- All right, all right. - Well, don't try that anymore.
And make sure you're home in time for dinner.
Yeah, I'll be here.
Say, Dan.
I think you'd better come up.
- What's happened? - Take a look.
I guess that explains why he didn't go down to breakfast.
Right through the heart. Hardly any blood at all.
Rigor mortis is complete.
Probably been dead for hours.
That means he was killed sometime last night.
- No visitors, eh? - Not while I was on.
Maybe if he found out we had him boxed up and killed himself.
Uh-uh. This Los Angeles paper didn't walk in here by itself.
It's three days old.
The fella down at the corner where Radchek got his news
doesn't sell out-of—town sheets.
That means that the killer brought it with him.
He also brought that knife. He really came prepared.
I know, but a man with a knife, why didn't Radchek call out?
Well, look at him.
The position in the chair. Look at the room,
no sign of a struggle.
Whoever killed him, he trusted.
The way it looks, Mr Radchek suddenly
became an embarrassment to his friends.
He was just a little too hot to handle.
I'm going back down to the office and take a look at that film we shot.
- You stay here and call the police. - Right.
In the San Francisco office of the FBI,
O'Hara called together all of the agents working with him on the Radchek case.
In a projection room, they studied every foot of the film
photographed by the hidden camera.
That's Mrs Green. Lived there for five years.
As you can see, she loves to talk.
That's Mrs Katz, landlady.
That's Albert Green. Second floor rear.
Mrs Green's husband. He never gets a chance to talk.
Mrs Harmer, first floor front.
And the milkman.
He used to drop bombs. Now, he drops bottles.
That's old man Katz
coming home with a snootful.
What's his name?
Freeze it.
Miller?
- You shot this last night? - That's right.
Who is this gentleman?
Why, you can see for yourself. He's a clergyman.
- What time did he go in? - 11:48.
Potter, you were covering the front then. Did you see him?
- Why, yeah, sure. - Whom did he visit?
I don't know. He just came in and went upstairs.
Uh-huh. How long did he stay?
Well, not more than fifteen minutes.
He came back down at two minutes past twelve.
We know and have checked everyone
who went in or out of that house up to the minute of Radchek's murder.
He's the only person that we don't know.
Therefore, he's your killer.
But, Dan, a clergyman?
Oh, anybody can put on black suit and turn his collar around.
Who followed him?
Well, who followed him?
Well, I guess I was supposed to, Dan, but a clergyman, and I figured that...
Oh, great, Potter, great!
You figured.
Come in.
Oh, Dan.
Did the film give you any line on the Radchek killer?
Yeah. He got in and out of the house dressed as a clergyman.
That's a bad break. Any leads?
Only the telephone call that Radchek made last night.
It's a dial phone, you know, it's pretty tough to trace.
Yeah.
I was just about to ask you to come in.
I'd like to have your opinion on something else that's come up.
Yes, Mr Hunter?
Ask Mr Grayson to step into my office, please.
- Yes, sir. - Scotland Yard man.
Now, this might be in line with your assignment at Lakeview.
- Any luck, Grayson? - Not yet, sir.
Your handwriting men haven't been able to identify
the writing on the shipping label.
Oh, I see.
Uh, Dan, this is Mr Philip Grayson of Scotland Yard.
Dan O'Hara, Special Agent.
- How do you do? - How are you?
You're a little out of your territory, aren't you?
The way things are,
it's a little difficult to know where one's territory begins or ends.
How right you are.
Mr Grayson made a special trip from London with these.
This is a very nice painting
of San Francisco. But what is this?
Sir John Gart, our foremost authority on atomic research,
says that the mathematical equation
is a formula of the most advanced nature.
The solution to a problem in nuclear physics.
No, thanks.
Mr Grayson has flown over here with the hope
that we might identify the source.
Would you mind outlining it for him?
- Of course, sir. - Here you are.
Thanks.
For some months, we've had a very dangerous secret agent
under surveillance.
Thursday last, he received a crate shipped to him from San Francisco.
Express.
In the normal course, we intercepted it.
It contained a painting. That's a photograph of the painting.
- Mmm-hmm. - Now, we know our man is not the type
to be importing art from America for art's sake.
So, we sent it to our lab for examination.
Under ultra violet light, this formula,
cleverly worked in with the pigments of the painting, became visible.
That's a photo of the concealed equation.
I sent copies of those last night to the directors of each of our projects
in which atomic energy is involved.
Beck flew down to Los Angeles to check with Dr Townsend
at the Lakeview Project.
Excuse me.
Read this, gentlemen.
Mr Hunter, isn't Lakeview one of your top secrets?
Our Lakeview Laboratory is nearing the completion
of one of our most vital objectives of scientific research.
A combination of our most advanced knowledge
of the use of guided missiles and atomic force.
You know, this Radchek affair is beginning to shape up, Mr Hunter.
Colton was murdered by a suspected subversive in Lakeview.
From Mr Grayson here, we learn that in London
a secret agent received a painting
in which was concealed a mathematical formula,
which we have now traced to Lakeview.
Put those two facts together. What do they suggest?
What you've held from the beginning.
That Radchek wouldn't commit murder
just to escape the relatively minor charge of illegal entry.
Exactly.
And don't forget Colton's last words,
that he had stumbled on "something red hot".
Of course, it might be coincidental.
I don't think so, sir.
Come in.
How about it, Gaines, anyluck?
By counting the dial clicks on the record, we traced the call.
- Well? - You're not gonna like this, Dan.
But Radchek's friend, Igor, took the call at a public pay station.
That's all we needed.
Excuse me.
- Did you say Igor? - Yes, Igor.
That's interesting.
Sir, if you'll take your magnifying glass
and look at the photograph of the painting,
you'll see the name of the artist who signed it,
Igor... Igor Braun.
It all ties up, Dan. I think Braun's your man.
Sure, sure he's my man.
But where do I find him? Where is he?
May I make a suggestion, sir?
If you could find the spot where the picture was painted,
you might find the artist.
Mr Grayson,
- I'm glad you came over. - Thank you.
Mr Hunter, I'll need six men, born and raised in San Francisco,
who know every nook and corner of the city.
You've got them.
Yes, Mr Hunter?
Send Morgan in here, please.
With photographs of the painting
as the only clue, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
searched the city for the location shown in the picture painted by Igor Braun.
Well, what do you think?
That's it, all right.
It was painted from the rear of one of those houses on Clay Street.
Come on.
The point from which the painting
had been made was the rear of this building.
Igor Braun occupied a studio apartment on the third floor.
Because of the international involvements, Inspector Grayson
was given a special assignment to work with O'Hara on the case.
O'Hara set up a complete surveillance of Braun,
including an observation post
from which his every move could be watched.
O'Hara.
- Hi, Frank. - Hi, Dan.
Well, how are things on Observatory Hill?
- Okay. - Fine.
Not bad, not bad at all.
- May I? - Sure.
Well, you'd think he'd get nervous,
having us look over his shoulder like this.
He looks different from his photo.
He does? Let me take a look.
Oh, sure, sure he does. Now he's got his collar on right.
- What's he been doing? - Just painting.
- No visitors? - Not yet.
Any mail?
He got a gas bill and a light bill this morning.
Gaines checked with us ten minutes ago.
No telephone calls in or out.
- Didn't he go out? - He went out to breakfast.
Oh, and, Dan, this time I went with him.
Good boy, Potter.
He eats regularly at Wong's.
He takes about twenty minutes for lunch, forty-five for dinner.
He's due to go to lunch any minute now.
I'd like to have a look at that new picture he's painting.
Mmm-hmm. I've been playing around with the same idea.
But twenty minutes doesn't give us much time.
You think we could do it without giving ourselves away?
Do we have a choice?
- Oh, Dan. - Yeah.
He's leaving right now.
Okay, Potter. He's yours.
Let us know when he gets to the restaurant.
Right.
O'Hara.
Potter. He's at Wong's and he's started his lunch.
- You'd better hurry. - Fine.
Here we go.
Hmm. Quite good.
You know, this Braun could be a pretty fair painter.
Yes, if there wasn't so much red in his work.
That's right. It's a nice sense of perspective.
I'll let you give me a lecture on art appreciation sometime
when we've got more than twenty minutes to do it in.
Right now, I think we oughta get busy.
Merely a thought in passing.
There it is.
Yes, I see it.
Hold it steady, will you? I wanna check.
The formula on the painting is new, all right.
- Do you notice the difference? - Yes.
Your Lakeview people are in for another nasty shock.
Radchek came from Lakeview. Radchek saw Braun.
Exit Radchek. Braun paints a new formula.
- Hangs together very well, doesn't it? - Too well.
- Centre, will you, please? - Yeah.
They're sure stretching twenty minutes awfully thin.
Yeah.
Having Mr Braun's fingerprints on file might prove useful someday.
He's not attending a banquet, you know. He's just grabbing a bite of lunch.
We'll never have a better chance than this.
- No good, huh? - No.
- Alison. - Potter. Braun is on his way.
Check!
Ah, here are some beauties. All four fingers of the right hand.
Good. Move over a little, I'll get a picture of them.
That's it.
- We better leave by the back way. - All right.
On the following day,
Grayson and O'Hara watched Braun complete the painting,
which he Grated with great care.
An express company truck called at the studio
and Braun took a receipt for the painting from its driver.
O'Hara and Grayson followed the truck
through the streets of San Francisco to its destination.
There they established the fact
that the painting was consigned to London, England.
They decided not to intercept this painting.
They reasoned that such an act would be certain to alarm Braun
before his contacts at Lakeview could be uncovered.
That same afternoon, Igor Braun packed his bags
for what seemed an extended journey.
He went to the San Francisco Airport
and boarded a plane for Los Angeles.
Flight 136. Mainliner
to Los Angeles. Loading at Gate Three.
Flight 136. Mainliner to Los Angeles. Loading at Gate Three.
Without giving an indication
of knowledge that he was being shadowed,
Braun was met at the Los Angeles Airport
by a man driving an inconspicuous black sedan,
which led O'Hara and Grayson straight to Lakeview, California.
O'Hara to Johnson. Come in, please.
Johnson to O'Hara, over.
Cover the Lakeview Art Shop as quickly as possible.
- Air tight, understand? - Right.
Braun was received
with respectful cordiality by the proprietor
of the Lakeview Art Shop, one Adolf Mizner.
I trust you had a pleasant trip, Comrade.
- Yes, thank you. Very nice. - Oh, fine. Fine.
- Good evening, Comrades. - Good evening, Comrade Braun.
It's a great honour to have you visit us, Comrade Braun.
Thank you.
We have been gathered to receive you since your phone call.
It's good to see my friends again. Please.
There's been a slight dislocation in our method of operation,
which is responsible for my being here.
You refer to Comrade Radchek?
Yes.
Radchek will not be with us again.
A pity he was guilty of stupidity and clumsiness
in carrying out his last assignment.
We, who are dedicated to the ideal of world revolution,
understand that the individual counts for nothing.
We have the complete achievement of our work at Lakeview within our grasp.
We cannot permit the slightest risk ofjeopardising our success.
For that reason, I have decided to take personal command of the operation.
I promise you, the reward will be great.
Well, that's wonderful! Your presence will be an inspiration.
Comrade Braun?
Yes, Comrade Krebs?
About Radchek's misfortune.
I took this picture of the FBI man at Colton's liquidation.
A moment after the police discovered his body.
Really?
The two gentlemen in civilian clothes.
The one on the right is taking charge of the investigation.
Ah, interesting, most interesting.
Splendid work on your part, Comrade.
We must always remember, Comrades,
it's of vital importance to know your enemy,
but it's of even greater importance that the enemy does not know you.
Radchek made that mistake.
I trust there will be no more.
We will always cherish Radchek's memory.
And we will not forget this gentleman.
With Braun and the art shop
under complete surveillance,
O'Hara and Grayson next conferred with Dr Frederick Townsend,
director of the Lakeview Nuclear Research Laboratory,
the only person connected with the project
who knew O'Hara to be an agent of the FBI.
- Happy to see you again, Mr O'Hara. - Thank you, Dr Townsend.
Doctor, this is Mr Grayson, of Scotland Yard.
- Mr Grayson. - Doctor.
Because of the international ramifications of this matter,
Mr Grayson has been put on special assignment to work with me.
Something on the order of Reverse Lend-Lease, Doctor.
As a matter of fact, Doctor,
it was Mr Grayson here who uncovered the original leak.
Well, naturally, what you have discovered
comes as a tremendous shock to me.
Even in the face of such incontrovertible proof,
I can hardly bring myself to believe it.
Just how serious is it, Doctor? From the standpoint of your work?
It's more than serious, Mr Grayson. It's almost fatal.
We are coming very near to the completion of our project
and this formula, which found its way outside of this plant,
represents a vital stage in the structure of our research.
Well, I... I hate to add to your distress, Doctor, but...
Since that time, another formula has found its way into the wrong hands.
Until a week ago, this formula had not been conceived.
Whoever is guilty has a rapid and direct line of communication.
Well, it establishes, gentlemen, that up to this minute,
the ultimate recipient of this stolen information
knows as much about our work as... as I do.
I'm afraid that's the only conclusion, Doctor.
It is a monstrous thought, that one of the few of us in this laboratory
who share such knowledge, is a traitor.
I understand the urgency of your task, gentlemen.
Where would you like to begin?
Well, for my own satisfaction,
and because Mr Grayson is unfamiliar with it,
I'd like to re-check the physical security procedure.
Very well. This way, please.
O'Hara and Grayson searched
for a flaw in the security regulations
as they toured the plant with Dr Townsend.
The guards were specially chosen men,
each of them an ex—soldier, sailor or marine
who had proven his loyalty and love of country in battle.
The workers disrobed in a special guarded locker room
and then, stripped to the hide, passed into a second locker room,
in which they donned standardised working clothes
before being permitted to proceed to their posts.
This routine was mandatory
for every worker entering or leaving the plant.
As an additional safeguard,
it was necessary to submit to the search of this electronic eye,
which could detect the presence of the most minute particle of metal
upon the person of anyone passing before it.
Well, there you are, you've seen it all. What do you think?
Armed guards, barbed wire, electronics, seems pretty tight.
Evidently, not tight enough.
As I understand it, the creative brains here
are your colleagues, Allen, von Stolb, Forrest, and, of course, yourself,
with Dr Neva acting in the capacity of, er... confidential assistant
- and sort of a recording secretary. - That's correct.
Do all of you know about everything?
I mean, do you do your thinking together or is it every man for himself?
Each of us works on a different phase of the problem,
independent of the others.
Then, once a week, usually on Friday, we hold a conference
at which we pool all the developments of the week,
our progress is evaluated, and everyone is brought up to date.
I see.
Then, every Friday, for the moment anyway,
- everybody does know everything? - Exactly.
Where do you hold your conferences, Doctor?
Right here in this room.
Pardon me.
As you can see, this also contains the special vault
- where all our data is kept. - Mmm-hmm.
Does Dr Neva take part in these conferences?
Most certainly. A most important part.
She takes notes of everything.
Dr Neva is practically the hub around which our wheel revolves.
She is a most remarkable girl.
She must be, to hold such an important position.
Is this the door that leads to your private study, Doctor?
Yes.
Is it ever used during the conferences?
No, that's always kept locked. I have the only key to that.
- I see. - One more question, sir.
Are you and your associate scientists permitted to leave the premises?
Lakeview is not a penitentiary, Mr Grayson.
We are perfectly free to come and go as we wish,
governed by the same security regulations
that apply to everyone who works on the project.
- Well, thank you, sir. - Yes, thanks very much, Doctor.
We won't take any more of your time now.
- You've been most co-operative. - It's been a pleasure.
With the co-operation of Dr Townsend,
the mirror in his study door was secretly replaced
with a special type of glass,
through which they could observe and photograph
every move made at the Friday conference,
but which could not be seen through from the conference room side.
For the first time, Grayson and O'Hara could observe the key figures
of the Lakeview Project in action.
First, there was Dr Ritter von Stolb, a Viennese,
formerly Professor of Nuclear Physics at Heidelberg,
and an internationally famous mathematician.
After the Allied victory in Europe,
Dr von Stotb was persuaded to come to the United States
to give our government the benefit of his knowledge.
Second, there was Dr Homer Allen,
physicist and expert on rocket propulsion.
An American whose lineage could be traced back
to the original settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Then there was Dr William Forrest, English scientist,
whose experiments with heavy water contributed greatly
to the final achievement of atomic fission.
He was on leave from the British Atomic Commission
to the Lakeview Project.
Last, but far from least, there was Dr Anastasia Neva,
"Toni" for short,
Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Michigan,
mistress of five languages, including Russian,
and Townsend's secretary and confidential assistant.
In addition to being photographed,
a wire recorder preserved every word uttered within the room.
Now, Doctor, the point that still baffles us is the ratio of energy to be released
in offsetting the dynamic deceleration of the carrier vehicle.
Yes, I know. Von Stolb has been working on that.
If there is a solution to the problem, it's... it's purely mathematical.
Theoretical, rather. Almost fantasy.
My dear Allen, mathematics is a pure science,
which doesn't permit fantasy, only fact.
Eventually, all theory must be submitted to the proof of the law of numbers.
Which, I am happy to say, has established our theory to be factual.
Here.
This is amazing.
This is certainly the answer to our problem.
Mathematics may be completely factual as you say,
but, in your case, it's certainly blessed with a tremendous imagination.
In the beginning, Einstein's entire thesis was imagination.
- I'm so proud of you, Ritter. - Thank you, darling.
Well, isn't our doubting Thomas convinced?
Von Stolb, I don't quite understand the application of your second equation.
Well, I do, it's beautifully established.
I may be mistaken, but it strikes me as being a minus factor.
You've missed the inclusion of the element N Three
in the reconstruction of the nuclear pattern.
Oh, yes.
Ha!
I should have known you couldn't be guilty of error.
Oh, don't say that.
Again, our mathematical Babe Ruth hits a home run with the bases full.
That's what I would like to do, to play baseball.
Well, our game is nearly over.
One more inning like this, and I think we shall have won it.
Would you care to have dinner with me tonight and a game of chess, Ritter?
I think I have an engagement for dinner. No, thanks very much.
He has an engagement with... Guess who?
You'll take care of the notes, Toni?
Oh yes, of course, Doctor.
All right. That's enough, Dawson.
Well, there we saw it. Genius at work.
Mmm-hmm.
Notice anything out of the ordinary?
No, except for that little scene between von Stolb and Dr Neva.
And the fact that she was the last person to handle the paper
on which he wrote his equation.
If that's out of the ordinary.
Yet it's right after these conferences that information is slipped to Braun.
Close examination of the film
failed to provide a lead to the manner in which
information was being spirited out of Lakeview.
But deduction convinced both O'Hara and Grayson
that the time immediately following the Friday conferences
was the hot spot.
Acting on this reasoning,
O'Hara took immediate steps to have all the key figures
of the Lakeview Project shadowed.
- All right, Malone. - Okay, Dan, I've got him.
- Who's driving them? - Thompson.
Makes a pretty good cab driver, doesn't he?
Excellent.
O'Hara speaking.
MALONE“. The Professional Men's Club
- in Glendale. - Oh.
Made a speech, and went back to the plant.
Okay, Malone. Go to bed.
- No luck, huh? - No.
Townsend made a speech at the Professional Club in Glendale.
What a Mace to take your gm.
Hollywood Bowl. Wagner. Tristan and Isolde.
You couldn't say it wasn't romantic.
And you couldn't say von Stolb and Dr Neva weren't in the mood.
Hello?
O'Hara?
Yes, this is Dan.
- They ate dinner at the Prime Rib. - Mmm-hmm.
Talked science and went back to the plant.
All right, Thompson, call it a day.
Forrest and Allen had dinner alone at the Prime Rib.
Talked science and then went back to the plant. Period.
Do you snore, Scottie?
All Englishmen snore.
If I should tap you lightly on the head during the night with an ashtray,
you'll know what I mean.
Oh, boy, am I tired.
Nice people our scientific suspects.
Very nice. Very congenial.
Except one or more is a traitor
and an accessory before the fact of two murders.
Care to hazard a guess, Mr Grayson?
That's the rub, chum.
"You pays your money, you takes your choice."
- I'll take Toni. - Yes, she is rather attractive.
- Von Stolb does all right for a scientist. - Romance among the research.
Well, I suppose it can happen, even in such a sterilised environment.
Hmm, but what does it prove?
Seems to prove that von Stolb mixes a few red corpuscles
- with his protons and neutrons. - So what?
She had my red corpuscles playing leapfrog, too.
Your red corpuscles are probably in a constant state of agitation.
Is that bad?
You know, if a man like Townsend can be a traitor to his country,
I'm ready to resign from the human race.
Yes, I feel the same about Forrest.
How about Allen?
Pioneer American stock,
Union League Club, Boston Back Bay.
Oh, fine. We're practically proving
what has happened couldn't possibly have happened.
We've eliminated ourselves completely out of suspects.
- You know what I think? - No.
I think I need a good night's sleep.
Tackle this thing with a fresh mind in the morning.
Good night.
- O'Hara? - Hmm?
While your red corpuscles are bouncing
in pursuit of the dream image of the fair Toni,
it might be well to add these few random thoughts of her to your dreams.
Why don't you go to sleep?
Item. She is Townsend's confidential secretary
and is completely informed on all phases of the Lakeview Project.
Item. Only she, besides Townsend, knows the combination to the vault.
Item. She speaks five languages, including Russian.
Interesting, isn't it?
Well, good night.
Wait a minute.
Just what did you mean about Toni?
Hmm, that's what I keep asking myself. Just what do I mean?
Ah, we'll approach it with a fresh mind in the morning.
Good night.
On the Monday
following the Friday conference of Lake view scientists,
Igor Braun expressed another crate addressed to London, England.
Acting under special authority,
Grayson and O'Hara boarded the train, opened the crate,
and established that it contained another painting by Braun.
Later the same night, the painting was examined
in the laboratory of the Los Angeles office of the FBI.
I hope Dr Townsend hasn't a weak heart.
This is going to be an even greater shock to him.
And we'll have to let it go through.
To hold it any length of time is almost certain to arouse Braun's suspicions.
That's right.
We mustn't do that until we know how he gets the data out of the plant,
and who is supplying him with it.
And I'd be willing to take the stand
and swear that nothing can get out of that project but the laundry.
What was that again?
I said nothing can get out of there but the laundry.
You're so right!
Here it is.
Report on local people who have visited Braun.
The first name on the list is Carl Benish, night manager of the Elite Laundry.
- Let me see that. - Here.
Sure. The Elite Laundry.
Friday night after the conference. Toni and von Stolb.
Quite.
Looks like I'm about to get a new job in the laundry.
I think it's a job for Grayson, if he'll take it on.
It will do away with even the slightest risk
of having you or one of our other agents recognised by anybody in the laundry.
- How about it? - Of course I'll take it on.
Good.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
arranged to have Grayson planted in the Elite Laundry,
where, on the following Friday night at eight o'clock...
Because of the fact
that the Lakeview Project was within one step of completion,
it had been decided that no more of the secret data
could be permitted to fall into the hands of Igor Braun.
Hence O'Hara was forced to take direct action.
- Check that for latent prints, will you? - Right.
That's strange. A lady's handkerchief in a bundle of men's clothes.
You don't know just how strange it is.
Yeah, hand stitched, hand embroidered, Irish linen, never been laundered.
Fred, take a look at this for writing, will ya?
Okay.
Let's see what it shows underheat
No acid on it that reacts to heat.
- Let's try ammonium fumes. - Go ahead.
- What do you think? - Doesn't look like it's gonna work.
You boys better come up with something or I'm a dead duck.
We'll go to chemicals, it may take some time.
I'll wait.
Comrade Mizner?
- Yes, Comrade Braun. - Where is Krebs?
I don't know, he's never been this late.
Find out if he's left the laundry. —Yes, immediately.
Well?
- Maybe it's a silver salt solution. - Well, let's try for it.
- There she blows. - That's it.
That was what I was looking for.
Now that we've got it, how was it done?
With a draughtsman's round pointed pen, using a solution containing silver salts,
it's the same stuff that is used in emulsion of photographic film.
Then to bring it out, you treat it with a developer.
That turns the silver salts black.
Yes, it all checks.
Well, thanks, fellas, thanks a lot.
Oh, Fred, will you bake that out on your cook stove
- and shoot it down to my office? - Okay, Dan.
So, someone took
the package of laundry away from you, Comrade Krebs?
Yes, in the alley in the dark. I had no chance.
Do you realise what you are saying?
I'm trying to explain how it was.
Will you also explain how, at the very moment of our success,
you have brought us to the brink of disaster?
You are guilty of worse stupidity and greater negligence
than the late Comrade Radchek.
But, Comrade, I...
The man who took the bundle knew its contents.
He must have followed you from the laundry.
- Who was that man? - I... I don't know, Comrade.
I don't know. I didn't have a chance to see.
- Comrade Braun... - Well?
There is a man at the laundry, a new man.
What new man?
He came to work Tuesday on the night shift.
- What about him? - Well, it's nothing you can pick out
but he doesn't seem like the other laundry floaters
that take jobs like this.
I see. And you waited until now to tell me about this new man?
Well, I wasn't sure.
No, you weren't.
But we'll make sure.
Grayson had taken a cheap room
in the poorer and almost deserted section of town
as being more in keeping with his role of laundry worker.
Operator. - Mutual 72419, Los Angeles, please.
Deposit twenty cents for five minutes, please.
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mr Dan O'Hara, please.
I'll try to locate him for you.
O'Hara.
Oh, Mr O'Hara. I'm glad I caught you. I have a call for you from Lakeview.
Thank you.
Pardon my curiosity, Mr O'Hara,
but I'd like to keep myself posted on things.
How about the laundry?
Scottie, I think we've hit the jackpot.
The answer to the winner-take-all question.
I'm on my way out to Lakeview now
with the evidence to talk to Dr Townsend.
- Where are you? - Oh, I... I'm at home.
I'll pick you up on my way out.
Be there in about, oh, twenty-five minutes.
Right. Oh, be careful of the front steps. They're very tired.
Oh, I will, I will.
Stay put or I'll snap it.
- Walked right into it, eh? - Sure. I knew he would.
- Ivan, you and Feodor stay outside. - Right.
Keep out of sight.
Look, my friend, nobody in the house but you and the landlady here,
so don't worry about being disturbed.
Now, just who are you?
Do you always introduce yourself to strangers like this?
Your name is Grayson, isn't it?
I'm sorry, you have the advantage of me.
Look at his hands. It's like I said.
Never did a day's work before in his life.
I wouldn't say that.
Maybe you think we're playing games.
I wouldn't say that either.
See if he has anything on him.
Why did you go to work for the laundry?
My appetite.
You sound like you're British. What are you doing in Lakeview?
I came here for my health.
Hey! Pay attention.
Have you ever seen this man before?
- No. - You're lying.
Maybe you're an FBI man, too.
I'm not.
You were planted in that laundry for a reason.
What was it?
I don't know what you're talking about.
You saw me pick up a bundle of laundry tonight.
Tipped off your G-man partner.
What did he want with that bundle? Where did he take it?
I still don't know what you're talking about.
- It can get rougher, fella. - Wait a minute.
Maybe we can find out another way.
Look, I'm gonna ask you a couple of questions.
The answers better be right.
How long have you known this man?
He came to live here a week ago.
Has anyone come to visit him since he's been here?
Nobody.
I'll keep on refreshing your memory like that.
Now, who did he talk to on the telephone?
Who called him?
I don't know.
Have you ever seen this man around here?
- No. - You're lying.
He did come here. He came to see him.
No.
Come on. You can do better than that.
You're stalling.
Relax.
Don't worry about me, young man.
I see plenty fellows like these before I escape to this country.
This is not the first time I have been asked questions
in the same way by gentlemen like him.
My whole family was questioned... to death.
I'm the only one left to answer more questions.
You don't have to knock. Go right in.
Well, O'Hara!
What a pleasant surprise.
That's just part of what I owe you for that business in the alley.
Pretty smart, aren't you? So you found the answer.
Thank you for delivering it to me in person.
And this is the man you said you didn't know.
And you didn't know him either. He never came here.
All right, Curly, give us ten minutes.
Then you and Feodor remove these gentlemen.
I see. When you can't convince, you kill, eh?
We have a nicer word for it. "Liquidation."
- You know what to do. - Sure.
Just make sure they have no identification on them.
All right, Bonish.
Well, goodbye, gentlemen.
All right, on your feet. You too.
Come on, get going.
Stand over against the wall.
Put your hands over your heads.
Big boy, turn around.
Slip off your coat. Now get those cleaner's tags.
I haven't had it that long. It's brand new.
Too bad you won't be able to wear it longer.
And no funny business when you throw it.
Your watch.
Yours too.
I'll take that pen and pencil set too.
Mrs Zenko.
I know from your faces you are good men.
And I know from what those others said, what they are fighting for.
- I'll call an ambulance. - No.
Because I will not be here when it comes.
I am happy I can do such a small thing for my country.
A country that has done so much for me.
Immediately after seeing
their two prisoners jailed,
O'Hara and Grayson raided the Lakeview Art Shop.
The boys have got the back door covered.
Good. You fellas cover the alley. We'll take the front.
The capture of Braun and Krebs,
and the recovery of the handkerchief
containing a copy of the secret formula, was now of paramount importance.
Hey!
Clean getaway.
Didn't even have to show himself to the man we had watching.
I didn't think he'd be foolish enough to stay here and greet us.
I wonder where he's gone to wait for the final formula.
That I don't know. But I do know he's not gonna get it.
Dr von Stolb and Toni, guilty.
It's incredible, it's fantastic!
How far has your work progressed at this moment?
Dr von Stolb provided us with the final formula last night.
Has either Toni or von Stolb left the project since that time?
No, none of us.
- Good morning. - Good morning.
- You sent for me, Dr Townsend? - Yes.
This is Mr O'Hara, Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This is Mr Grayson, Scotland Yard.
- How do you do? - How do you do?
They would like to talk to you, privately.
Privately?
- Is there anything wrong? - Yes. I'm afraid there is.
Would you step into the study, please?
Yes, yes, certainly.
Doctor, I would like to know the minute von Stolb comes in, please.
Of course.
- Won't you sit down? - Thank you.
Cigarette?
Mr Grayson, I don't understand.
Do you understand the penalty for treason, Dr Neva?
Treason?
What is the purpose of this interview? What do you mean by treason?
It would be much better if you co-operated with us, Dr Neva.
We know that secret information has been sent out of this plant
- to foreign agents. - Oh, no, it couldn't have.
But it has.
Each Friday after the conferences
Von Stolb's calculations have been copied
in a solution of silver salts on one of your handkerchiefs.
Oh, that is impossible.
Later on the same evening, you've delivered that handkerchief
to the Elite Laundry, concealed among your other personal effects.
How long have you known this man, Braun?
Braun? I don't know anyone by that name.
Come now, Doctor. Surely you remember
the name of the man for whom this information was intended.
I've had enough of this. I won't be browbeaten.
I don't know what your motive is, but I refuse to be treated like a criminal.
How dare you insinuate that a handkerchief of mine
could be connected with theft or treason.
I'm not insinuating, Dr Neva.
I'm stating a fact.
Mr O'Hara, what you are trying to prove is absurd.
Let me remind you that I am not a mathematician
and I do not understand the formulas.
To copy them you wouldn't have to understand them.
If you have such a handkerchief, produce it.
- Prove that the handwriting is mine. - I can do better than that, Doctor.
We've never thought that you were in this alone.
I'll prove that you have an accomplice here in the project,
who furnished you with copies of the formulas
and helped you deliver them.
- An accomplice? - The man who created those formulas.
If you are referring to Ritter von Stolb, you're insane.
After all he has contributed here, it's ridiculous.
Ridiculous to accuse him of betraying a country he... he's come to love.
- Dr Neva. - Wait a minute, O'Hara.
We must give Dr Neva a chance to collect her thoughts.
After all, we are dealing with an intelligent, highly sensitive woman,
who quite naturally is emotionally upset.
I've seen Dr von Stolb.
I, uh... I think he's charming.
Oh, if you only knew him!
I can understand how he'd attract any woman.
Especially if he wanted to use her love to make a dupe of her.
I don't think I understand you.
Oh, but I understand you. You love him very much, don't you?
Yes, I do love him very much.
You understand I want to be lenient.
And I'm sure Mr O'Hara would make a strong recommendation for clemency.
Wouldn't you, Mr O'Hara?
I might in return for full co-operation.
There, you see? Practically a promise.
What a fool I am.
I thought for a moment you believed me.
You're very clever, Mr Grayson.
It's a pity I haven't a confession to make, even to you.
Your performance deserves one.
You didn't have to force me to admit that I love Dr von Stolb. I do.
So make the most of it. But I deny everything.
Every contemptible thing you've said or implied.
And that's all I have to say.
- Nice try. - Didn't do much good though.
Did Dr Neva...
For the time being, we're gonna confine her to her quarters.
I'll assign a man to see that she doesn't leave the project.
- She confessed? - What about von Stolb?
He hasn't reported to his office yet
and he doesn't answer his bungalow phone, but...
we were all up a little bit late last night.
Perhaps we'd better run over there, Doctor.
- I'll show you to his quarters. - Thank you.
I can't believe a man like von Stolb would do a thing like this.
I would have staked my life on his loyalty and integrity.
He must have discovered that you were going to question Toni.
His suicide is practically a confession.
I guess you could interpret it that way.
It is a terrible thing to say,
but if this puts an end to the whole ghastly affair...
Do you know if he had any visitors last night?
Yes, I know he did.
Who was here to your knowledge, Doctor?
Well, the conference lasted till about eleven.
I walked home, here, with von Stolb.
Toni dropped in after finishing her work.
About 12:30, Forrest came in and Allen. We were all here.
And shortly after that, Toni and I left.
Leaving Allen and Forrest alone with him.
Yes.
How was he dressed when you last saw him?
In his regular clothes.
- Not in his pyjamas? - No.
Well, I suppose you leave us to take care of the details, Doctor?
Yes, of course.
Looks like a perfect suicide set-up, doesn't it?
Perfect. Guilty man lacks courage to face arrest.
Of course that substantiates our case against von Stolb and Toni,
- right to the hilt. - It certainly appears that way.
Here's the glass he used for the poison.
That stuff is dynamite. Kills in a matter of seconds.
Paralyses the entire nervous system the instant it hits the throat.
-Say -Huh?
Can you imagine him drinking that here and then walking into there?
That's a good question.
Come here a minute.
Yes, I see it.
His glass couldn't have made
that large a mark.
There were two glasses here.
Looks like our friend von Stolb had a late visitor.
He couldn't have had his last drink,
and then removed the other glass from the table.
And then walked into the bedroom. He was carried, of course.
It's murder. It's got to be murder.
The killer came back after the others had left.
Von Stolb got out of bed, went to the door and let him in.
Which means it was somebody that he knew very well.
Exactly.
And murder blows our whole case right out the window.
Oh, what a mess I've made of this. I should get down to the office
and tell Mr North to take me off the assignment.
We're uncovered to the other side anyway, right out in the open.
Oh, wait a minute. Braun has a problem too.
By having Dr Neva in custody,
we've cut his line of communication with the Lakeview Project.
Yes, if it is Dr Neva.
But if it isn't Dr Neva, Braun might be forced to have
his collaborator inside the project bring that final formula out to him.
What else can he do?
You think he'd take such a chance
to risk exposing the connection he has in the plant?
He has to. He must have the final formula
to make the information he already has of any value.
The person we want inside the plant will lead us to the man we want outside.
I'd like to have another look at the film we made of the conference.
- Wouldn't you? - Yes, yes, I would.
Mathematics is a pure science,
which doesn't permit fantasy, only fact.
Eventually, all theory must be submitted to the proof of the law of numbers.
Let's keep our eyes on that paper in von Stolb's hand.
All right.
Which, I am happy to say, has established our theory to be factual.
Here.
This is amazing!
This is certainly the answer to our problem.
Mathematics may be completely factual as you say,
but in your case, it's certainly blessed with a tremendous imagination.
In the beginning, Einstein's entire thesis was imagination.
- I'm so proud of you, Ritter. - Thank you, darling.
Well, isn't our doubting Thomas convinced?
Von Stoib, I don't quite understand the application of your second equation.
Well, I do, it's beautifully established.
I may be mistaken, but it strikes me as being a minus factor.
You've missed the inclusion of the element N Three
in the reconstruction of the nuclear pattern.
Oh, yes.
Ha!
I should have known you couldn't be guilty of error.
Oh, don't say that.
ALLEN“. Again, our mathematical Babe Ruth
hits a home run with the bases full.
- You'll take care of the notes, Toni? - Oh, yes, of course, Doctor.
- Well? - I still can't figure it out.
Neither can I. And the paper was always in plain sight.
Except when Allen leaned across the table to check von Stolb's results.
Yes, but you could see it all the time.
And it stayed on that table until Toni took charge of it after the conference.
Yet a copy of the formula was delivered to Braun that same night.
Continuing to hold Toni in custody,
O'Hara, in co-operation With the local authorities,
maintained a deathwatch over Townsend, Allen and Forrest,
who shared between them the final step
in the successful completion of the Lakeview Project.
Both Grayson and O'Hara knew that there was no longer any doubt.
One of those three men was the traitor and the murderer of von Stolb.
O'Hara to Billings. Come in, please.
Billings. Over.
California 17 U 982. Don't lose it.
Check.
You're sure you won't take in that lecture with me?
- No, thanks. Not tonight. - All right. See you in the morning.
- Good night. - Good night.
O'Hara to Grayson. Come in.
Grayson to O'Hara. Over.
California 29 J 422.
Right.
O'Hara calling Grayson, O'Hara calling Grayson, come in, please.
Grayson to O'Hara. What is it?
Drop whatever you're doing and get right over here.
I'm on Lakeview Boulevard heading north toward Sepulveda Junction.
Looks like I drew the lucky number. We've found our man.
And, Scottie, I know now how this thing has been done.
I just found out what it was we missed in the projection room.
Good boy. I'll be with you in a few minutes.
And don't spare the horses. I'll fix your ticket.
O'Hara to all units.
O'Hara to all units, and the Los Angeles Police in this area.
Emergency order.
Converge on Lakeview Boulevard near Sepulveda Junction,
and await further orders.
Grayson to O'Hara, come in.
Grayson to O'Hara. Come in, please.
Grayson to O'Hara, come in, please.
The wheel. My arm's pinned under the wheel.
- Thanks for dropping in. - What happened?
Let's get outta here. I'll tell you later.
O'Hara to all units, O'Hara to all units.
Locate and follow California licence 9P 5017.
I repeat, 9P 5017.
This car is escorted by a black sedan headed toward Sepulveda Junction.
Approach with caution.
Do not apprehend or alarm these drivers.
Allow them to reach their destination and report back to me.
Car 119 to O'Hara. Come in, please.
O'Hara to car 119, over.
Car SP 5017 traced to location.
Location is isolated house three miles north of Sepuiveda Junction.
Nearest intersection is Saugus Road. Instructions, please. Over.
O'Hara to car 119.
Keep location covered and permit no-one to leave premises. O'Hara off.
This is it, Mr O'Hara. The car you want is parked outside the house.
It was tailed in by that other car.
One man from the first car went in the house, two from the other.
Are they still in there?
They're still there, sir. No-one came out.
Good. Have your men get ready to move in, Sergeant.
- Don't fire unless I give the signal. - Right.
- It's Braun, isn't it? - Looks like him.
That's the last we saw of him.
You've done well, Comrade Krebs. You too, Ivan.
In a few days, we shall be honoured
as none of our comrades has ever been honoured before.
We shall be able to ask anything. Anything.
Braun!
Braun, this is your last chance to surrender.
Braun! We've got this house surrounded.
Throw your guns out the windows and come out with your hands up.
We... We haven't got a chance.
Get some ammunition.
Nice shooting, Scottie.
Thanks.
Well, that takes care of Braun and his boys.
Where's the one we really want?
Will you come out or shall we come in?
- How long will it take? - Just a few seconds.
Now look, Dr Allen...
But I tell you I was not there of my own free will.
Yes, I know, you've told us that a dozen times.
At 6:30 this evening, I received an urgent telephone call,
asking me to come to that house on a matter of grave importance.
When I arrived at the door, I was seized by those men,
without so much as an explanation.
Oh, I see. Practically kidnapped, eh?
Why, yes.
What could they have wanted from me? I have no money.
We know what your friend Braun wanted.
The final data on the Lakeview Project.
- Are you insinuating... - Sit down, Dr Allen.
Just keep your seat until we can put you in a much hotter one.
This is preposterous!
I am a man of standing.
I have an unblemished personal and professional reputation.
Mr North, may I enquire on what idiotic charge I am being held?
Treason and conspiracy against the people of the United States.
And murder.
Von Stolb?
You must have been under tremendous pressure, Doctor.
You weren't too clever with that affair.
Can't you add a few more?
Have you any idea what fools you're making of yourselves?
Oh, Dan, all set.
I demand proof of these absurd charges.
I think I can satisfy even you, Doctor. May I see your hand?
I refuse to submit to these Gestapo practices.
Aren't you gonna call us Fascist Blackshirts, too, Doctor?
Isn't that part of the usual routine?
- I have influential friends in Washington. - Your hand.
- I'll see that you sweat for this outrage. - Your hand, please, Doctor.
This is what we missed in the film of the conference at Lakeview, Mr North.
When this gentleman leaned across the table
and pressed his hand on von Stolb's formula,
his palm had previously been treated with a chemical.
Later, he developed the chemical, just as we did now,
and then he made a copy of the formula
on the handkerchief he stole from Dr Neva's bungalow,
which he later put back into her laundry hamper.
Tonight he didn't have that opportunity.
He was forced to carry the information out to Braun himself.
Would you like to call your friends in Washington now, Doctor,
and complain about the Gestapo?
I wish to be represented by council.
I demand the protection of due process of law.
And the country you tried to betray will see that you get it.
I know my constitutional rights.
You'll never convict me of anything.
I'm no foreigner. I'm American.
Yes, I know you are, Allen.
We once had another American like you.
His name was Benedict Arnold.
All right, boys.
Come on.
- That's the end of Allen. - Dr Neva, I, er...
I want you to know how sorry we are.
Thank you, Mr Grayson.
Sometimes, in the line of duty, one is obliged to...
I understand.
Thank you for saving what Ritter von Stolb gave his life to create.
Good bye.
- Thank you. - Goodbye, sir.
- Good luck. - Good bye.
I suppose now you'll be going home to England?
Not a chance.
If they want him, they'll have to bring Scotland Yard over here.
Oh, quite! Can't disrupt the good neighbour policy, you know.
- Good bye! - Good bye.
Good bye.
80 international co-operation
between two freedom-loving peoples
wrote a successful end to our Lakeview case history.
Which should bring us an added sense of well-being
in knowing that the footsteps of those who walk the crooked miles
are followed by such men as Grayson and O'Hara.