 The equitable life assurance society presents this is your FBI This is your FBI an official broadcast from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation presented as a public service by the equitable life assurance society of the United States and the equitable Society is representative in your community Do you one of the 50 million Americans covered by social security if so? Well, have you any clear idea of your rights and benefits under social security? Well, there may be a pleasant surprise in store for you for in a few minutes You'll learn from our sponsor the equitable life assurance society of the United States How easy it is to build social security into full security? Tonight's FBI file the sinister witness Sometimes as you listen to these programs taken from the files of your FBI It may occur to you that the characters involved are from another world Nothing could be further from the truth Every hour of every day you are living closer to crime than you think For the best proof of that Consider tonight's case a case involving a person who might be you People who stay up late and protect you freely will wake up the next morning with a hangover That is a medical fact A hangover can happen to a professor or a fireman or even as in this story from the files of your FBI To the president of the department store one Mr. J. B. Lamar Mrs. Lamar is just across the bed from her husband as he opens his eyes for the first time Good morning, J. B. Lamar Good morning, dear. Oh Dear what pull down the shades Are you going to stay in bed? Shall I call the store? What time is about ten o'clock. What day is it Friday? I've got to go downtown. I've got two appointments. Would you like some coffee? I'm not right now dear, but if you see this back at my head anyway, let me know. All right. Oh I almost forgot happy anniversary Same to you. Do you suppose there's any more champagne in town? If there is, I can't blame it on her. I can't blame it on you if there's no scotch either. Why? Was I drinking scotch and champagne? No, why didn't you stop me? The first division couldn't have stopped you Never again. You know dear, you shouldn't go driving when you're feeling away. You did driving. I drove the car last night You did. Where'd I go? Don't you remember that no one could talk you out of driving the Mason's home after the party? I drove the Mason's home all the way over across the bridge. You did. I Really drew a blank. I don't remember anything after about ten o'clock. You did it all by yourself. Oh Get it Oh How do you feel this morning mr. Lamar? Frankly sir, not very well. I wouldn't think so after last night Who is this calling? I'm a man who can be either a very good friend of yours or bad Who are you? What do you want? My name is Dixon. Hmm. I got some information. That's pretty valuable to you What kind of information information about last night? Now are you interested? Yeah, go on Let's understand each other before we go any further. Mr. Lamar. Yes, let's my information is for sale And if I don't choose to buy it How would Mrs. Lamar look as a widow? How dare you? Mr. Lamar, that's right And the man who phoned you about an hour ago your Martin Dixon remember look here Dixon. What's your game? Maybe I'd better come in. I think you'll want to hear what I have to sell all right into the living room The right thing I think maybe a better close that door to mr. Lamar. What? Here's all of this mr. Dixon. Yeah Take a look at the front page a story about the hit-and-run accident on the bridge At least today we're searching for the driver of the car which struck down and Filled 78 year old What is this you don't have to act for me mr. Lamar? I was there who were on the bridge when you hit that old man What I thought it might be something of a shock to you mr. Lamar, and I also thought you might not believe me So I brought the proof what proof These pieces of glass are from your right front headlight mr. Lamar Good lord. I had no idea. No, of course not. I could tell from the way you were driving it. You were pretty well loaded Wait right here mr. Dixon will you are you going going upstairs and get dressed man And I'm going to the police and tell them I did it wait a second You were driving while intoxicated you hit an old man and left the scene of the accident and the old man died So you committed manslaughter and you want to go in and confess. What else can I do? Don't you still want to run for mayor? What's that got to do with it? You don't think you'd be elected after this even if you didn't go to jail. I guess you're right, but look mr. Lamar I'm the only one who saw the accident you are yeah Now I've got the only evidence that you had the accident Would you be interested in buying some rare pieces of glass? Direct from Toledo, Ohio. I I Let me think okay, mr. Lamar. I'm giving you till eight o'clock tomorrow morning to think and I have that $2,500 in cash so long Across the Lerora River in St. Louis a little earlier that same morning agent in charge Richie of the FBI's field office had just returned to his desk when Richie speaking Good morning. I'm afraid that we got a fugitive case that belongs to you fellas Oh, but kind a hit and run driver We'll take it but why does it belong to us? Because the driver headed his car across the bridge and disappeared in Illinois. That's a flight to avoid prosecution We're filing those charges. That's for us then now tell me what happened Well, we haven't got too many details, but we'll send the only witness down to your office right away Who is it a scrub woman who cleans up at night in an office building? I see he was on her way home last night when she saw a big black car crashing to an old man crossing a street About a block away from her and then head on across the bridge without stopping. What about the victim? Bloody is it the more? Then we'll talk to the witness and assume that you'll check the body for clues, right? I got it You look nerve-wracking don't speak to me unless you got some money, okay? How do you do money? Let me see it There you are, baby 2,500 skins Where'd we get all of these? Well, you know those four little pieces of glass. I showed you well Well, I'm selling them to a certain party for $2,500 a piece That's right. He's already bought one and he thinks he's gonna get the rest Friday morning for only one more I don't get it. That's not important now the important thing is now. I'm gonna get some clothes I'll say you are and after I finish selling those four pieces of glass. We're off, baby. We're off Richie speaking What's up? I was just wondering whether you had any word on the hit and run case yet nothing of importance I'm waiting for a report from the lab mind me being curious Well, not at all. We found a few slivers of glass at the scene of the accident might be part of the headlight Yeah, that's probably the part of the car that struck him and the fender, too We think oh, we found a smudge of auto paint on the clothes of the victim the lab's trying to identify it now Good good if there's anything we can do to help just let us know hold it a second, please Special agent done is just coming in from the lab now Got something done the glass is from a headlight. All right. What about the paint check now? It's an exact match of the formula of paint used on the 1941 model Buick Hello, yeah, we'll give you the first alert sergeant We want to check all garages for one that may have repaired the right headlight and front fender of a 1941 model black Buick sedan Okay, we've got to work Now let's put out the same alert done to all police departments in Missouri and Illinois right away, right? It's just me mr. Lamar the glass dealer. Come in, please I hope you haven't gone to the trouble to think up any funny ideas mr. Lamar because I ain't going back in please Okay, mr. Lamar. I said have a chair. Do I get the $2,500 an ally? No, you don't I confess I was prepared to pay you another $2,500 this morning in the last few moments. I changed my mind I'll come I'll come well. It's like never mind what it's like mr. Lamar and over that $2,500 or I go to the cops for those pieces of Glass from your headlight understand perhaps I can hold your interest better and what I have to say with This little instrument. Why are you? Put down that gun they started to say I was prepared to pay you another $2,500 this morning and I said put down that but I decided instead to give this whole thing a Little run-off my conscience. What do you mean simply mean that? I'm going to call the police to come and get me and get you too for blackmail Why you are this and you can go crazy and tell the police to come and get you if you want to But you're not going to call them while I'm here. Hello Hello Excuse it operator Somebody made a mistake We'll return in just a moment to tonight's case which shows how your FBI helps provide national security Now let's listen in on a conversation about social security between a career girl named Audrey Andrews and a representative of the equitable society Carl you mean that my social security that costs me only a few cents every payday Maybe worth thousands of dollars to me later on that's right Audrey Why I never dreamed it amounted to anything like that. Well, that's the wonderful thing about social security It gives you a big head start in the race for full security It's the first time in the history of this country that women earning salary like yours I've been in a position to look forward to real independence. Well, how do you mean well? Thousands of career girls these days are reinforcing their social security with life insurance Actually, it costs only a few dollars a month for a girl your age to get life insurance that will double her Social security benefits. That's real financial independence. I will call you certainly have given me a new angle on social security Yes, Audrey many Americans don't realize what a wonderful asset. They have in social security They've never discovered how easy it is to build social security into full security through life insurance If you already own some life insurance Your equitable society man may be able to show you how only a few dollars extra per month Will assure you a comfortable retirement income through the equitable Extended income plan your social security benefits vary according to your age salary and family situation Why not get the facts? Find out exactly what you're entitled to under social security The government has prepared a special card that will help you secure this information to obtain one of these cards Get in touch with your equitable society Representative or send your name and address on a postcard to the equitable society care of this station that's eq ui TABLE the equitable life assurance society of the United States And now back to the FBI file the sinister witness To repent of a wrong does not wholly exonerate the wrong doer And although in tonight's case the man Lamar had repented of his conspiracy with the blackmailer Like most repentance It came too late It was on two hours after the blackmailer had struck down Lamar and escaped that agent in charge Richie and special agent Dodden of the FBI is St. Louis office in answer to a call from police headquarters in Newtown Arrived at the bedside of Lamar and was listening to his confession And so now I'm fully prepared gentlemen to Pay the penalty for whatever I'm guilty of the connection with the death of that poor old man You won't think it's very kind of me mr. Lamar to say so at this point No, I think I know what you're going to say you're perfectly justified sir But the blackmailer did to me was no more than I deserved dealing with him trying to cover up my crime Thank you. I'd rather have had you say it. I Guess there's nothing more for me to say except that Sorry, I bungled the job of holding on to the blackmailer for you with your help. We may be able to catch you mr. Lamar Right now. We want to examine your car. I am afraid the blackmailer has gotten away with the most conclusive evidence the pieces of glass from your headlight Yes, sir We picked up a few slivers of glass at the scene of the accident ourselves Oh, and we also have a specimen offender paint taken from the clothing of the victim. I see Our laboratory mr. Lamar has identified it as the formula of paint used on the 1941 model black Buick Well gentlemen, of course That's exactly the model of Buick you will find outside in my garage You realize of course mr. Lamar that you're under arrest And that it will be necessary to place you on to God. Yes, sir But we shouldn't move you until the doctor says it's safe to do so. Thank you, sir Come on done. Let's have a look at the car, right? Well now that I miss fashion played of 1946 Freddy. Yeah, my and since we're headed for new and greener pastures Well, you might tell me to home. I'm really in debt. It's my wardrobe Okay, there's a sucker named remark. Why didn't you introduce me to him Freddy? Maybe I could have gotten a lot easier What went wrong anyway, I mean you were gonna collect a total of ten thousand bucks and you stopped at five You get a bad case of conscience and pull the gun on me was going to call the cops So I took his gun and slugged him took it on the land with the second 25 What I don't understand about it all is those four pieces of glass Those four pieces of glass baby came out of a headlight on our car So what I didn't tell you this I Smacked into an old man the other night and killed him. I had to get away fast So he took off across the bridge. Yeah What do I see park at the side of the road right off the bridge put another black buick see then just like I Don't get it Well, I stopped and looked in with a guy asleep at the wheel you could smell the liquor on his breath three feet from the car Yeah, yeah, go on so right there and then Freddy gets the bright idea of pinning the accident on him How smash his headlight if that had waked him I'd have played drunk myself But it didn't not slept right through it Then I took a pair of pliers and just dented his right front fender Freddy you're a real genius It was a pushover for it too bad though, we could have used that other five grand We're gonna make that look like peanuts, baby. You still haven't told me how We're headed for a fancy lake resort sweetheart and and they'll be at least one guy with arthritis and a big bank Oh, who can't resist your charm. Does he have to have arthritis? Well, anyway, when I come busting in your sweet in the middle of the danger line cocktail I'll yell out there you sir. This is my wife $50,000 please why grandma what big numbers you have Now now take it easy mr. Lamar, but I just can't believe it that I'm innocent darling isn't that wonderful? I still can't understand I did drive over that bridge and I was under the influence of liquor Well, that doesn't alter the fact that the specimen of paint taken from the victim's clothing doesn't match the paint on your right front fender But I I don't understand now do the pieces of headlight glass we picked up match the glass in your headlight Mr. Lamar You had an accident at some time with that guard didn't you why yes I had a little traffic accident about six months ago and had both the fender and the light prepared But how'd you find out mr. Lamar's the job of the FBI to catch criminals? I know that sir, but it's also our job to see that innocent people aren't convicted Yes, but this man thinks there's some kind of a frame going on mr. Lamar You say the man who came here told you his name was Martin Dixon. That's right. I had a hunch I figured that maybe he did what a lot of criminals do when they assume a name just changed the first name So I brought a picture from the police files and st. Louis. Mr. Lamar. Yes Is that Dixon? Yes Yes, it is. I thought it might be His right name is Fred Dixon. I expect that's for me Hello, Richie, this is done. You've got some kind of a break on Dixon, but I don't know where we go from here What have you got? Oh, I'm down at the second-hand car dealer the fourth and grand When'd he get it this morning Dixon came in this is the nearest we've come to him yet Yeah, it is, but I'm afraid it's a dead-end street down here. Nothing in the car No, not a thing. He cleaned out the glove compartment He even lifted the front and rear seats to see that nothing was left underneath. How do you know that? The dealer told me. Dixon didn't drop any hint to the dealer of where he was going, did he? No, he just sold him the car, took the cash and left I hope you're cooler where you are than I am out here. Not much cooler Say speaking of being cool How was Dixon dressed when he sold the car? In his sports jacket and slacks, brown Tweet jacket, brown Gabardine slacks Brown and white shoes and a brown neckerchief around the collar of his sports shirt. Why? Meet me at the office. I've got an idea Bourbon and water please Big plait and miss you someone using the stool. Oh, it's all yours. Thanks What do you mean by coming in here? I was afraid to call you on the phone Okay, it's all set. Arthritis and all. When? We're having champagne in my suite after dinner. What then? Oh, it's rangadoling till 10 o'clock. 10 o'clock, okay It's a pretty good sweet you have here baby. I wish I could stick around and watch the fun You can have this bottle of vino with me. Oh, no. Oh, no Suppose you're mr. What's his name Gardner walks in on me? Oh, that would be embarrassing But he won't be here for an hour yet. Okay. You got my business done on the vino for me less Living ain't it honey? Baby, baby, not ain't you can't catch men like Gardner with a net if you say ain't are you kidding? Garden is not interested in my vocabulary. I know that you got a class to get these rich guys I got Gardner coming here in less than an hour ain't I I don't want to fight baby now you're talking Yeah Drink and be married for tomorrow. We travel again with mr. Gardner's 50,000 you think it'll waste now Not if you don't give it to us and change Okay, now when I pull this window shade down this signal for you to come up here I'm to get mr. Gardner sitting next to me right here on the couch and you pop in and you say and then he says What are you doing there with my wife mr. Gardner? Who are you? What do you mean by breaking into my suite this way? I'm going to call the manager How much were you going to charge mr. Gardner for the privilege of sitting on the couch with your wife, Fred? I said who are you? We're special agents of the FBI. What do you want with me? Well the start of the beginning you want it for the hit-and-run slaying of an old man named Wilson I didn't do it. I'm what a lawyer. I didn't say you did it Dixon I merely said that you'll want it for that crime Now if you're innocent of that then maybe you can be convicted of blackmailing mr. J. B. Lamar of St. Louis, Fred Don't worry, baby. These guys are crazy if they think they can pin anything on me. No, we're not crazy Dixon You should have changed your clothes after you sold your car When the dealer gave us a description of your clothes I took your picture down to the airline ticket counters and to the railroad when I got no response at those places I went to all of the drive-at-yourself automobile agencies When I hit the third one they told me you'd rented a car there How'd you know we come to this place? That was simple One of you kind people did this the favor of leaving a folder on the counter an Advertising folder describing the charms of this lovely hotel You did that you genius For the hit-and-run killing of Joseph Wilson and for his crime of extortion Frederick Dixon is now serving concurrent terms in the federal penitentiary Mr. Lamar declined to press the blackmail charges Resulting in the release from custody of Martha Johnson As special agent Richie pointed out it is the job of your FBI to catch criminals And also to see to it that innocent people are not convicted We repeat that credo of the FBI tonight because this is a day which all Americans might well mark Well, this is July 26 1946 a date which serves as a double anniversary It was on July 26 1908 the Charles J. Bonaparte attorney general in the cabinet of President Theodore Roosevelt signed an order creating the Federal Bureau of Investigations nine years later on July 26 1917 a young law clerk joined the FBI a young law clerk named J. Edgar Hoover Since that time Your FBI has become nationally and internationally famous as an organization which protects you the American people Your FBI hopes to maintain that same reputation in the future By continuing to work for you as it works now 24 hours a day 365 days a year In just a moment, we'll tell you about next week's colorful story from the files of your FBI Once again friends Let me remind you that no matter how much you wear and you have a valuable asset in social security and your equitable Society representative will gladly show you how easy it is to build your social security into full security He'll explain to you how social security and life insurance can work together for your complete protection And will help you determine exactly where you stand under social security. No obligation, of course phone him tomorrow Your equitable society representative is listed in your local phone book under the name equitable the equitable life insurance society of the United States Next week we will bring you another colorful story from the files of the federal Bureau of Investigation The case of the would-be movie star The incident used in tonight's equitable life-sure and society's broadcast are adapted from the files of the federal Bureau of Investigation however all names used are fictitious and any similarity thereof to the names of persons living or dead is accidental Tonight's broadcast was directed by William M. Sweets The music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner the author was Frank Ferries and your narrator was Dean Carlton This is your FBI is a Jerry Divine production Now this is Carl Frank speaking for the equitable life-assurance society of the United States and the equitable society's representative in your community and Inviting you to tune in again next week at the same time when the equitable life-assurance society of the United States presents This is your FBI This is ABC the American Broadcasting Company