 Listen to Herbert Marshall as the man called X. Wherever there is mystery, adventure, intrigue, in all the strange and dangerous places of the world, there you will find the man called X. A century and a half ago, a dream was born in the mind of a man. A dream of a country where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were the birthright of every citizen. And on the day he was elected as his country's first president, he knew that his dream had come true. The man, Simon Bolivar. The country, Venezuela. Now, in the dining room of the Hotel Veneta in Caracas, capital of Venezuela, there sits another man with a dream. His name is Luis Dalicasta, and he's telling of his hopes and his aspirations to a long time friend. Just think about it, Ken. Thousands of my people, the villages isolated for centuries, will at last be able to enjoy the benefits of modern civilization. Schools, hospitals, decent homes. It's a wonderful dream, Luis. But it's to be a reality when we have completed the Bolivar Waterway. Bolivar Waterway. Oh, you mean your old idea of opening the interior rivers to navigation? By building a waterway almost 200 miles long, it's being financed by American interests who would profit handsomely from the iron or mountains of the interior. But someone, some country, perhaps, can not wish that or to reach your hungry stillness. Having trouble on the construction, John? It breaks down of equipment, vital materials, lost or stolen. Damn, has suddenly collapsed. Ken, tell me, does the name Colenda mean anything to you? Colenda, sure. Freelance International Crook, specializing in sabotage. Is Colenda behind your trouble? I have reason to think so, Ken. That's why I come to you. And the first thing that you should know is... I'll see what I can do. But, Mr. Chief, be reasonable. You've got to tell me where I can find Mr. X. Zell Schmidt, the answer is no. But he needs my invaluable services. He'll be lost without me. And besides all that... You're broke. Yes. No, no. Now, what's that got to do with it? Hang on. This is one time you're not going to get in Ken's hair. You're not going to foul up the assignment when he's working on and you're not going to chisel him out of any more slight consideration. Mr. Chief. Now get out of my office. But, but... Get down. You think after all the years we've worked together doing things for me. Hello? Hello, Chief. Oh, Ken. Glad to hear you. Glad to hear from you. How are things? Wherever you are. What are you so happy about? I just had a delightful little interview with Pagon Zell Schmidt. Haven't enjoyed anything so much in years. But what can I do for you, Ken? It's me. Sure. I'll be glad to. I'll see you later. What? I need him in Venezuela right away. Ken, you can't do that to me. What do you want him for? Five years ago he was mixed up with a sabotage ring in Lisbon. Somebody named Colendres was at the head of it. But listen... Colendres, visit down here in the bowl of our waterway. I need Pagon to make a positive identification. But, Ken... I'll talk to you later, Chief, so long. But, but! Might I trouble you for a moment? Sure, what can I do for you? But I'm lost without my dictionary. I'm positively lost. English Spanish. Oh, Spanish English, that is. And I must find Maria Luisa. Yes, I positively must. Maria Luisa? A boat, sir. Riverboat going up the Orinoco to the Bolivar Waterway. Yes, the Bolivar. Oh, by the way, I'm Professor Harkness. Artemides Harkness is the waterway. My name's Ken Thurston, Professor. And the boat you're looking for is right over there. Huh? Oh, it is. Well, thank you, Mr. Thurston. Thank you very much. What's your interest in the waterway, Professor? Why, the Lalea Piperata, of course. Yes, the Lalea Piperata. Saprofitic, that is, you know, yes. Saprofitic. You're looking for rare orchids? Well, that's what I said in that. Yes, I'm a botanist, you know. Yes, a botanist. Many rare specimens in the interior. Very many wonderful opportunities to travel by water. The Bolivar Waterway, you know. Yes, I know, yes. Here's the Maria Luisa. Maria Luisa? Oh, yes. Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon, gents. My name's Ken Thurston. This is Professor Harkness. We're looking for the skipper of this boat. You found her, Mr. Sawaw. Well, I have passage. There's a ticket somewhere. I purchased it, you know. Ah, yeah, yeah, Professor. I already got you booked. It's this Thurston I want to know about. You interested in going upriver to the waterway? That's right. It'll be 50 bucks, American cash in advance. Sure. Be glad. There you are. Okay. We're shoving off in 10 minutes. Stow your duffel below. Duffel? Luggage, Professor. Oh, yes. Yes, again. Oh, of course. All right, Thurston. What's the pitch? What's with you in the waterway? Well, that's pretty much my business, isn't it? Not the way I figure. Just how do you figure? You're traveling light. You're no construction stiff. You're going up to the waterway, and that, to me, adds up to a snoop job of some kind. That means I got something you need. Like what? Insurance. What kind? The kind Louis Delacosta needed and didn't have. Well, news travels pretty fast around here, doesn't it? We were talking about an insurance deal. I suppose I can get over. Sure. Take your time. You'll be okay till we hit the construction job. And after that? You name it, pal. Yeah. Well, speaking of names... Betty Corcoran. Corcoran. That's right. What did you think it was going to be? Colenda? Here's the waterway construction job. You buying that insurance? The answer's no, Miss Corcoran. You're a sucker. Why? This job's poisoned for people on the wrong side of the fence. But there's plenty of dough to be made on the right side. Your side? Colendas? You got to pay for what I know, mister. And if you don't... Here's the construction office. Yeah. All right, place up that gun. Let's have it. That's better. Now, what's going on here? And just what business is it of your, senor? Let's say I'm allergic to murder. Now, suppose you start talking. Suppose you go to the devil, senor. Wait a minute. It's possible this... This American represents the financial interest behind the ball of a waterway. Am I correct, senor? You might call it that. See, I am Manuel Florio, a government inspector on the waterway. My hot-headed friend here is José Martinez, engineer in charge of the construction. Yeah, and this is Ken Thurston, OK. Now, let's hear what the fireworks were about. Oh, it's really quite simple. My friend Martinez is about to blast the passageway for the new riverbed. I expressed the opinion that he was using an excessive amount of dynamite. Enough to bring the hillside down upon the cut that we have made. By way of answer, he reached for his gun. Wait, you filthy Langdor! Oh, good, Martinez. The only thing that's important now is that waterway. Let's go down and take a look at the dynamite chargers. I'll be able to tell us soon enough. All right. Oh, Jesus. The blast will set up too soon. See, with your heavy charge of dynamite, Martinez. And look here. Look. Now, see what happened to the canal that was already built, senor Thurston. Deeply buried. Yeah. A couple of million bucks worth of waterway shot. Just like that. Too bad you weren't carrying any insurance, isn't it? Mr. Thurston. We'll return to the man called X in just a moment. Answer the call. Answer the call for volunteers to help during the Red Cross fund drive. Now is the time to lend a hand to the organization, which is always ready with help wherever and whenever it is needed. As a fund drive volunteer, you help to save the life of a wounded soldier through the Red Cross blood center. You offer comfort to a crying child, a grieving mother, a good friend, good neighbor, a citizen to be proud of. That's a Red Cross fund campaign volunteer. Call your nearest Red Cross office and help the Red Cross give help to the helpless, hope to the hopeless, as a Red Cross fund campaign volunteer. Now act two of the man called X starring Herbert Marshall with Leon Bellasco as Pagon Zell Schmidt. Louis Delacosta's dream was about to be realized. A dream of a giant waterway carrying precious iron ore from the interior of Venezuela for America's hungry steel mills and bringing schools, hospitals, homes to thousands of his people in return. And then sabotage struck the waterway. Delacosta was murdered. And now, a premature dynamite explosion has just buried an already completed canal. Yeah, Thurston. That's what this job should have had, all right. Little insurance to take care of things like that powder blend. You are wrong, senorita Corcoran. But this waterway needs its guns to protect it from its enemies. Or perhaps Martinez it needs engineers who will listen to advice regarding an excessive amount of dynamite. That kind of talk won't get us anywhere, Floreo. Martinez, the damage is done. Suppose you check, see how bad it is. See what could be done to rectify it. I already know the answer to that, senor. But you have taken my gun away from me. Vascoob, I'm afraid our construction engineer is too hard-headed and impulsive for his own good. So since he's got blood in his eye when he looks at you, Floreo. Maybe he doesn't like the idea of being blamed for that premature blast. Maybe he figures somebody else is responsible. And just who would that somebody else be, senor person? It's your question. Got an answer? If you will excuse me, I shall check upon the damage with Martinez. But a word of advice first if you do not mind. No, no. Go right ahead. The construction of a waterway such as this is best left in the hands of experts. Amateurs are prone to run into accidents, senor. Possibly even better ones. Hasta luego, senor. Hello. Hello. Is this the waterway construction outfit? Pagan. That's right. Pagan Zelschmidt. I'd like to talk to... Oh, hello, Mr. Thurston. How's everything going there with the waterways and bodywars and stuff? What the devil's been keeping you? Why aren't you here? Sunburn. Sunburn? Sure. Boy, that sun's plenty hot here on the beaches. There are no beaches in Caracas? That's right. Would you like to see this one here in Miami? Miami. Well, I had a little trouble in the plane, you understand. And by the time I got through explaining to those police characters about that poor, lonely little steward as well, the plane for an Israeli had already left. Pagan's to help me if you don't get another plane out of there right away. Oh, don't worry about the thing, Mr. X. I'll be there in plenty of time to put the fingers on that calendar characters for a slight consideration, of course. Francis, over onto the other side of the hill. See? That is correct. Around your lines over there. Insegida. Hello. Looks like you're chipping the base of operations, Martinez. Mind telling me why? Mr. Thurston, the accident last night was not as damaging as we feared. It will be possible to rear out the channels, and a simple blasting operation will do it. Like the last one? The senior, I agree that the blast was much greater than it should have been. But the extra dynamite was not placed there by me, nor did it come from our powerhouse. What makes you think that? Because there is a sulfur mine operating back in those hills. Early this morning I found over 50 empty dynamite boxes near that mine. They still had yellow sulfur dust on them. Anything else? Only this. I understand the controlling interest in that sulfur mine is held by Senorita Ferri Corcoran. Just one moment. I thought I'd never find you. Never. Professor, what's on your mind? Miss Corcoran. That is, she asked me to give you a message. What is it? She would like to see you, I believe. Oh, those boxes. There are a lot of them. What are they, Mr. Thurston? Empty dynamite cases. Empty dynamite? Are they real? Well, imagine that. Empty dynamite cases. Well, well, well. The message, Professor, from Betty Corcoran. Oh, yes, yes, Miss Corcoran. Well, she wanted to see you about dynamite and a man. A man named... Oh, dear, dear, dear. What was that name again? Kolender? Oh, yes, yes, that's a Kolender. She's waiting for you now, Mr. Thurston, at the sulfur mine. Betty. Betty Corcoran. Are you in here? Funny. I thought I saw something moving. Well, Betty, is that you over there? Are you feeling better now, Mr. Thurston? What? Who, uh... Oh, Florio. See, that's quite correct. What are you doing here? Why, do you make a habit of dropping the sulfur mines at odd hours? Professor Harkness informed me as to where I might find you. Before or after I came into this mine. I'm not quite certain I understand your meaning. Somebody hit me, Florio. Right now it looks like a toss-up between you and Betty Corcoran. It was neither of us, senor. What makes you so sure? Because when I entered the mine, you were already unconscious. And I am certain that you cannot doubt senorita Corcoran's alibi. Why not? Here, I show you. There, senor. See? As you can see, she's quite dead. Senorita Corcoran is dead. That's right, Martinez. Murdered. Now I suppose the work on the Bolivar Waterway will come to a halt until our murder is solved. See, Martinez? I have placed a telephone call to the authorities in Caracas. Meanwhile, all work on the project will cease. Of course. You could not afford to wait another 24 hours. For then we will be ready to blast open a new riverbed and the Bolivar Waterway will be finished. I'll get it. Hello, Mr. Thurston. This is Pagan Zell Smith. Guess who? Where are you calling from now? That's right, Mr. Thurston. I'm calling all right from Trinidad. Trinidad? Well, the airplane lost a couple of wheels or something and I got all grounded up here. Hurry up, Pagan darling. Carmen will use you to dance. Oh, sure, baby, sure, sure. Pagan, you've got just 24 hours to get up here. And so help me if you're even one second late. Mr. Thurston, if there's one thing you can always depend on, you can always depend on yourself. Keeping busy, Martinez? Oh, Sr. Thurston. Looks like you're figuring on setting off a dynamite blast all by yourself. The 24 hours is up. And I intend to see that the Bolivar Waterway is completed tonight. Pretty risky, isn't it? What risk, Sr.? I detonate the explosive and the river rushes into its new channel. Then there will be nothing that Florio can do. Yeah, if it works out. And why should it not? I just found 30 more dynamite cases from the south of mine lying over the hill. Empty. You're about to have a repeat performance of the last explosion, Sr. Thurston. That's right, Florio. It's set to go up 10 minutes from now. Only this time without the extra dynamite. I tell you, I know nothing about that sulfur mine dynamite. Yes, but I saw the empty boxes, too. Mr. Martinez, Mr. Thurston showed them to me. So I'm a witness. Yes, I'm a witness. But for life, man, I don't know what this is all about, Mr. Thurston. It's simple, Professor. A man named Dada Costa had a dream about this waterway. It would bring a new way of life to the people in the Venezuelan hills. And iron ore for steel mills in the United States. But what does all this do with sulfur mines and dynamite? Somebody had been sabotaging the waterway to keep that iron ore from leaving here and using the sulfur mine dynamite to do it. A man by the name of Colenda. Colenda? Oh, yes, of course. The man, Miss Cochrane, the one she... Well, before she was... Yes, Colenda. And just who is this Colenda, Senor? Have you got a silver coin, Florio? A boulevard or a peso? Quite. See? See, I got one. Here. Thanks. What about you, Martinez? And Professor Harkness? See? If you wish. Here you are, Mr. Thurston. But I would like it back. My pension is not very large, you know. Yes, it's not very large. You'll get it back, Professor. These coins are all I need to tell me which one of you is Colenda. What do you mean? Colenda used dynamite from that sulfur mine. There was plenty of yellow sulfur dust on the empty boxes. Plenty more in the mine itself. He must have been covered with the stuff at the time he got through. That means nothing. There is no sulfur dust on any of us. It can easily be washed out of clothing and off the skin. That is right, Martinez. But it can't be washed off silver. Silver? Of course. A collection of silver would leave a black coating. It would be... Thurston, look. Look, one of those coins. Sure. This one. Black. Yeah. Colenda gave it to me, didn't you? Professor Harkness. Hello, Mr. Thurston. Pagom. You don't have to worry about the thing. Get away from there, you idiot. But this character I'm standing between is Colenda. He's the one of the... Hey, Joe Salesman. We're getting in front of me. What's going on here, anyway? What happened? Get away from the door. That's the window, Florio. There he goes. Into the speedboat at the dock. No use, Martinez. He's getting away. I don't think so, Florio. But you can see for yourself. He's already going downriver. Approaching the new channel where the new waterway will flow. Hmm. Mr. Thurston, that boat. Colenda. Where there were, there's nothing. Nothing but... Yeah. That's right, Pagom. Hey. That noise. What is it? Well, you might call it the beginning of the bowl of our waterway. But somehow I'd like to think of it as a dream coming true. Oh, here again is our star, Mr. Herbert Marshall. Thanks for being with us. And my thanks to Gloria Blondel, we'll write Paul Richards, Howard McNear, and Tony Barrett. Next week, the icy wasteland of Alaska, where a deserted weather station holds the answers to a missing top-secret weapon. A man who dies twice. And one of the most unmitigated scoundrels, so ever. Yes, that's right. That reminds me. Leon Bolasco will be along as usual as Pagom Zelchman. So join us, won't you? Well, next I'll return, as the man in the boat is. Yes, won't you? Well, next I'll return, as the man called X. Good night. The man called X, starring Herbert Marshall, is a J. Richard Kennedy production with music by Milton Charles. Tonight's story was written by Sidney Marshall. This program is directed by Jack Johnstone. All characters and incidents on this program are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual characters or incidents is purely coincidental. Now, until next week, same time and station, this is Hal Gipney saying good night for the man called X. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.