 Citizens of America, Mr. District Attorney. All of us will long remember. I congratulate you, the people, for electing as Mr. District Attorney, a man who doesn't know the word fear. I have elected a man who will prosecute and convict the guilty regardless of their standing and power. I present to you Mr. District Attorney. No title which could be conferred upon me could ever mean more to me than the one which is given me tonight, Mr. District Attorney. I'm not going to make a speech. Just listen for one minute. Then I promise action. Every year, crime, corruption, and rackets take 15 billions of dollars from you, the American people. I pledge myself to go after the tops, the higher-ups who are responsible for this corruption. And I don't care how big they are. The first way to smash corruption and rackets is to expose them to the public. And that's just what we intend to do. There isn't one of you people listening who doesn't pay and pay plenty to organize crime. The laundry racket alone cost the citizens of this city over one million dollars last year. Poultry costs more per pound. Fish is higher. False weights and measures are used in many stores. The 150 different rackets are being practiced in this city. And this extra cost is passed on to you, all of you. Wife, this very moment, sir. The last time I'm warning you to pay up for your protection. I won't pay you a cent. Listen, wise guy, you're going to cough up 100 bucks a month for protection or else. I don't have to pay you for protection. We've got a new District Attorney in this town and I'm relying on him for all the protection I need. Oh, yeah? Tell the new DA about this. Oh, good morning, Miss Phillips. Is my evening gown ready? Yes, yes, Miss Phillips. It cleans beautifully. Looks like a new gown. Yes, it does. Well, I'll take it along with me. Uh, yes, sir? Are you Vanado? Yes. You own this cleaning joint? Yes, I do. You haven't paid your dues to the Cleaner's Protective Association? Well, I'm all through with your outfit. The new District Attorney says he's going to run your cloud out of town. Oh, yeah? Well, maybe this will teach you a lesson. Ah, acid! Ah, acid! You've ruined all my clothes. Kill your new DA to fix him up for you. So that poultry dealer didn't pay up, huh? Nah, threw us out. Other people of this town are fed up on racket. Well, here's his place now. Slow down. Sure. You boys know what to do. Sure, we know what to do. Let it go, kid. Last words to you people gathered here tonight. This extra cost is passed on to you, all of you. You, the citizens, are the real victims. I pledge to you that tomorrow morning I shall be in my office acting as your representative, as your voice, and I will smash the rackets and those concerned, regardless of who they are. Ah! The District Attorney. Good morning, Miss Rand. How do you feel after your first day in office? Well, to tell you the truth, I feel the responsibility stronger than ever. Telegrams, a congratulation have been coming in for you all day, sir. This one on the top just arrived for Mr. J. Edgar Hoover. Oh, thank you. Mayor Bernard Dickman of St. Louis and Police Commissioner Louis J. Valentine of New York also send congratulations. Well, that's splendid. I'm certainly grateful to these gentlemen. There's an Italian woman in the outer office. She's been begging all morning to see you, sir. Send her in. Yes, sir. Right this way, if you will. I want to see the District Attorney, please. I want to see the District Attorney. Won't you be seated? Thank you. What can I do for you? My name is a Mrs. Milano. I came from Italy, but my three boys are all born in this country. They're men now. Do you say your name is Milano? Yes. My boys are in the wholesale food business. A man come and say they're a racketeer in the food business, but that he can't give my boys protection. He tell my boys they got to pay $100 a month for protection. I can tell you the rest, Mrs. Milano. They didn't pay for the protection. So the man came back several times. Yeah. And then a truckload of their food products was overturned. Then the man came back again, and they still wouldn't pay. Yeah, yeah. And then there was an explosion, and their whole wholesale house was badly damaged. No, no, no, no, no. That was set on fire and he burned to the ground. You know about it? No. But I've heard plenty of other stories just like it. Well, my boys buy another warehouse. This time they pay the money to be left alone, but business, he's not so good. So they ain't paid all the time. They are threatened and they get some of the other wholesale houses to promise not to pay too. And they get letters saying they might be killed. I know some things are going to happen, my boys. It isn't as simple as all that, Mrs. Milano. I only wish it were. That's a big organized racket. Probably one way or another, 150 men involved in it. The underlings, the bosses, several crooked lawyers, and a man who gets them protection, a high official in the city. Oh, you mean a bigger boss, huh? Yes. I could probably name 20 members of this racket. But proving all the facts in court beyond a reasonable doubt is another thing. My office has got pages and pages of facts. Some we can prove, some we can. But Mrs. Milano, I promise you will do everything we can and spare nobody. Thank you, Mr. District Attorney. I didn't know who else to come to. I'm glad you came. We'll give your boys every protection we can and try to get to the bottom of this. Thank you, Mr. District Attorney. I know what a brave man you are and the work you do before you get elected. Thank you, sir. Thank you. I promise you I'll do everything I can. Goodbye. Thank you, Jan. I'm a strand. I'd like you to come in for a minute, please. Yes, sir. Miss Rand, the food racket again. I have suspected it. Have you taken his Wallace and Harrington and come in to see me right away? I'm going to have them cover the Milano, boys. I'm not into anybody. District Attorney's office. This is Chief Thomas, at the A.N. Just a moment. Chief of police, please, sir. Oh, let me have it. Hello, Chief. What's up? Murder. Murder? Where? I'll go right over. Three men murdered, Miss Rand. I wonder if it has any connection with the three sons of Mrs. Milano who was just in here. That would be terrible. Three brothers murdered. Chief Thomas thinks it has something to do with the food racket. If that's true, Miss Rand, I know the guilty parties without even getting up from this desk. But try and prove it in court. Are you going over there? Yes, but that won't tell me anything more than I already know. Rounding up the actual men who committed the murders is up to the police. But we've got to get their bosses and the big shot back of all this and then convict him. Get the car. Mr. District Attorney. Yes. Quiet, everybody. The three bodies of Mr. District Attorney uncover them. They look alike. Are they brothers? Yes, sir. The Milano brothers? Yes, sir. You two men were waiters in here? You two men. I'm speaking to you two with a white coat. You waiters in here? Yes, sir. What did the killers look like? I don't know, sir. I was out in the kitchen. And you? Mabek was turned. I didn't see a thing. And you people who were eating in here? We didn't see anything, sir. There were some shots and then everything was all over. You all saw it happen and you know it. And so do I. You're frightened because you think this murder had something to do with the rackets. You're the people who can help me. Have courage and tell me what you know. All right. Your witnesses, Lieutenant. Yes, sir. It's useless to question them here. I've been through this too many times, I think. Yes, sir. Oh, here's a piece of paper we found lying next to one of the bodies. Huh? I guess that's your first threat, sir. I've only been in office nine hours and I get my first threat. Well, I... I don't waste any words, do they? To the new district attorney. Investigate this and you'll be a corpse, too. And these murders are part of the rackets, all right, sir? Errington? I don't need any evidence on the scene or any fingerprints or anything like that to tell me who pulled this. It was Zara, the wholesale produce man. Zara? I'm positive he wasn't here himself, but he planned it. And what a perfect alibi you'll have. You'll find he's playing poker with friends right now and didn't leave the room. But Zara is the real killer. Go to his home, Errington. He'll be there. Tell him I'd like to have him drop into my office the first thing tomorrow morning. I always say, my friend, that there's nothing like a bracing cocktail after a good day's work. Yes, you're absolutely right, Zara. Are you sure it was a good day's work? Not positive. A little job you once had done this afternoon has been carried out to perfection. Well, let's drink to it. Certainly. Here's to you and anything that you want done. Thank you, Zara. You know you're getting more valuable to me every day. And getting more valuable to myself. You collected 10,000 last week. Well, at that rate, Zara, you'll be able to take a vacation soon. It's too bad these Milano brothers couldn't see things our way. Now we've got to stick to our rules. They don't pay up. We've got this. Yes, Zara. Well, I'd rather not talk about that anymore if you don't mind. I don't want to bring it. What's that? Someone at the door. Expecting anyone? No. Whoever it is, I certainly can't afford to be seen here. Suppose I go in the next room and tell you... Good idea. Just step this way. I'll depend on you, Zara. Don't worry. Just a moment. Good evening. Are you Zara? That's right. Who are you? I'm from the district attorney's office. District attorney? That's right. I've got a message for you. I see. I want to come in. No, thanks. I thought perhaps you'd like a little drink. No. All I'm here for is to tell you that the DA wants you to drop into his office. Well, I'll be delighted. The DA and I are good friends. Yes. The DA and I are very good friends. District attorney's office. Yes. Yes, I'll tell him. Good night. Detective Harrington, sir. Yes? He said Zara will be here to see you tomorrow morning. Good. Miss Rand, you've had a busy day. You must be tired. You're the one that's tired. Can't I get you something to eat? No, thanks, Miss Rand. I have a press conference in a few minutes and a lot more work on this case. Anything else for me? Yes, sir. This Department of Justice report. Oh, let me see, please. It doesn't seem possible. I can hardly believe it myself. What is it, sir? This first paragraph. Yes? Miss Rand, did you know that last year the total cost of crime and rackets was $15 billion? $15 billion? It's unbelievable. You know that? That's $10 a month out of the pockets of every man, woman and child in America. Think of it. Our job, the job of every district attorney is not only to break up the rackets but to make the people realize what rackets cost them. Make them realize how much they pay in tribute to organize racketeers. Then the people will act. People like those witnesses in the restaurant where the Milano brothers were murdered. They'll not be afraid to work with me. They'll help me. And we can stamp out this menace once and for all and put these criminals in prison. You mean men like Zara? Exactly, Miss Rand. There are thousands of Zaras in this country. I don't want to sound like an orator but the people elected me district attorney to smash Zara and others like him. And so help me. I'll not stop until it's done. You have just heard the first episode of Mr. District Attorney, dramatized by Philip Sates Lord from tracks furnished by public prosecutors throughout the entire nation. Mr. District Attorney will reveal an amazing inside story of the hundreds of rackets flourishing in America. Rackets which will be exposed on this program. Listen in tomorrow night and find out the startling series of events behind the brutal murder of the three Milano brothers. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. District Attorney will be with you again tomorrow night.