 Whitehall 1212! For the first time in history, Scotland Yard opens its official files to bring you the authentic, true stories of some of its most baffling cases. These are the true published facts just as they occurred, re-enacted for you by an all British cast. Only the names of the participants have for obvious reasons been changed. The stories are presented with a full cooperation of Scotland Yard. Research on Whitehall 1212 is prepared by Percy Hoskins, Chief Crime Reporter of the London Daily Express. The stories for radio are written and directed by Willis Cooper. Here to brief you on Scotland Yard file number 1098002 is Chief Superintendent John Davidson. Here in the Black Museum of Scotland Yard, we have only one memento of case number 1098002, but it is a notable one. This is a bottle, alas, only partly full now, of one of the finest unblended pot still scotch-whisky that mortal man has ever tasted. I say its name with a proper respect. Its label says Jew Glen Libby. Only three or four drinks remain in it, but I expect that weed drop is quite safe. A, the bottle is sealed, and B, I doubt that there exists any Englishman who would care to drink after the man who last owned it. No, it's not poisoned in the conventional sense, but this Jew of Glen Libby helped to poison a man's mind. It's a shame that such an excellent product should even once be put to such an end by such people as those who gave it to the man who last owned it. Don't you agree, Commander Leonard? I find myself speechless at such sacrilege, John. Oh, this is Commander Leonard, head of the famous special branch of this CID at Scotland Yard. I may say that the late owner of the bottle was a greater criminal than appears on his record. How so, Commander? I thought... He diluted that noble whiskey with ginger ale, John. The city of Ottawa, in Canada, is often thought of as an American city, which of course it is. But it is also the capital city of the Dominion of Canada, and as such a very important part of the British Commonwealth of Nations. I take you back now to September of the year 1945 in Ottawa. In the Royal Canadian Mounted Police headquarters there early in that month, Inspector John Miller of the RCMP was speaking on the telephone with the representative of the Canadian Ministry of Justice. Who's speaking, please? Inspector Miller, RCMP. How do you do, Inspector? That's not important. What I want to know is, do you know a man named Igor Covenko? He's here in my office, mister. He says he was in to see you this afternoon. Dangerous, my foot. I beg your pardon. I said dangerous, my foot. He's sitting here, scared to death. Scared, sir. I must say I can hardly believe that. He says he walked out of the code room of the Russian Embassy this afternoon, where he's been employed, with some highly secret documents. He said... He says he brought these documents to the Ministry of Justice and was told to go home. Stop bothering you. Is that true? Sir... Did you throw him out? Look at any of the documents he smuggled out of the Soviet Embassy code room. Naturally not, sir. You didn't know he was fed up with communism. We didn't look here. You didn't believe he wanted to aid the British government. Look here, Inspector. You turned down information that might be of the utmost importance to Britain and Canada. We... He isn't. What's he? I said he isn't. You may, sir. Uh-huh. Mr. Half hour ago, a squad of Russian thugs, led by the Chief Security Officer of the Soviet Embassy in person, broke into Covent Co's apartment, armed with pistols and Tommy guns. Uh-huh. I am not. This was an official search party. They were going to take Covent Co and his old family away with them, or murder them if necessary. Fortunately, he was able to get through to the RCMP. And we took care of the matter, sir. We spanked a lot of Russian behinds. We brought Covent Co and his family, including the children here, to the station for protection. I think you'd better get over here in the morning real early, before the Ruskies get here with the writ of habeas corpus. Because from what they said, there are some very interesting plans for the Covent Co family. I do. Do that. Tell them to hire a Russian translator. These papers he swiped are what he says they are. Yes, sir. Igor Covent Co, the code clock, had not only taken copies of secret documents with him, he had also a copy of the Soviet Embassy's most confidential code book itself. The documents, accordingly broken into plain Russian and translated into English, were startling. This is a paraphrase of the contents of one of them. Facts given by Alec. Excuse me. I should explain that the name Alec proved to be the Russian's identification name for the man who had betrayed British secrets to them. Go on, please. Facts given by Alec include specific information about the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima in August. He also states that the amount of uranium 233 at the Clinton Magnetic Separation Plant in Canada is 400 grams daily. Another. Alec handed over to us a platinum container with 162 micrograms of uranium 233 in oxide form. He will keep us advised of further developments in the production of the atom bomb. Another? I enclosed data on the American proximity shell for anti-aircraft supplied to us by Alec. There are several others, only one of which I can even now reveal to you. That I will give you presently. All these messages were addressed to the director and signed by Colonel Vladimir Rabukhin, the Soviet military attaché in Ottawa. I was summoned to the Foreign Office a few days before the 1st of October, shown the translations, and told the whole story as it was cabled from Ottawa. The special branch of which I was then the head was to take over. Take over what I asked. Isn't all this taking place in Canada? A very important gentleman in the then British government showed me another of the documents. I promised you I'd tell you about that one, if you please. To Colonel Rabukhin, Ottawa. Workout and sent by Courier all arrangements for the meeting. What meeting I asked? And the password by which our representative will recognise Alec when he comes to London. Most necessary for him to come to London at once. Signed director. He's coming here, I said? To the director. Alec will meet our representative in front of the British Museum during month of October. Time 11 o'clock in the evening. Identification for Alec. A copy of a newspaper rolled up. That's all I said? He read me another one. To Colonel Rabukhin, Ottawa. Here are revised instructions for Alec. Meeting place in front of British Museum in London on Great Russell Street, opposite side of Street about Museum Street from side of Tottenham Court Road. Alec to walk from Tottenham Court Road. Our contact man from opposite side, Southampton Row. Time near 8 o'clock in the evening if practicable. Identification signs. Alec to carry under left arm the newspaper Times. Our man to have in left hand the magazine picture post. Password. Contact man quote. What is the shortest way to the Strand? Alec quote. Come along, I'm going that way. At beginning of business conversation Alec to say best regards from Mikhail. Report and transmission of details to Alec, also data for rival in London. Most urgent, signed director. Must be rather serious if he's coming over here. It is Commander. I can only say this. That he will be bringing with him secret information of the utmost importance. Information of such importance that it cannot be committed to paper. I think I may also say this to you. Future existence of the British Commonwealth cannot be guaranteed of this information false in the Russian hands. Then our job is to arrest this man Alec before he can make his contact. It's imperative that you do so. Tell me, what's his real name and when is he coming? The message I've just read you is three months old cononder. In that time 14 persons concerned with atomic research in Canada have arrived in Britain from there. Any one of those 14 may be Alec. We haven't the remotest suspicion of his identity nor of the contact man. Neither have we any hint of the time the contact is to be made. The very life of our nation is at stake, sir. We must depend on you. MI5, the counterintelligence branch of military intelligence placed dozens of their own men at our disposal. Together with the operatives of special branch we were able to place in the field a quite imposing force of men and women. And there was plenty of work for all to find an unknown man on an unknown date in a place where thousands of innocent people were passing. And with the urgency of the Commonwealth's danger to spur us on a task as near to impossibility as one would care to mention, I'm afraid. The obvious thing was first to screen the 14 men from the atomic research project in Canada who had returned to England in the three months since the message to the director was sent. We found them one by one. I spoke to the first on the list, Mr. Frederick Giles, an Englishman in his laboratory. Yes, I rather liked Canada. Glad I didn't have to stay the winter there though. It gets frightfully cold. Wewin, Quebec, marvellous city, I understand. Medieval sort of place, isn't it? No, I never got there. I have a friend in Ottawa, Winko, in the Air Ministry there. A chap named Norman Helfrich. Wonder if you ever met him? No, I was never there either. Lots of chaps were, but not I. They kept me at Clinton all the time I was there. The magnetic separation plant, you know. I was supposed to be an expert on a rather secret sort of isotope you see. Never got anywhere. Quite dull, really. We checked Giles. Records showed he'd never been away from Clinton, as he said. No opportunity for him to contact any foreigners. In the clear, subject to further checks. Next man. Her professor, Dr. Hannes Fischbein. A former German scientist who'd also worked in Canada. Also, I in Canada was four days only. I am fly to Montreal. I make my report. I am fed. A large dinner. Colossal. And in my hotel room they lock me up and stand the policemen. With a red coat outside the door. More dinners I am fed. And then comes the man. And I am to back to England flight. Better I should have here gave leave in time. Canada is to me a street outside the hotel window. But I did eat. Oh, wonderful. Check off Hannes Fischbein. Word came to us from the foreign office. Atomic research project. Alec may be one of these. Please report progress. Checking of the arrivals from Canada went on. Mathematics professor John M. Dodds. Signed from Ottawa to King's College, Strand London. Yes. I've heard that the Russians are very active in Canada. I knew a Russian girl. Vilma Sanyonova. What happened to her professor Dodds? I married her. She's now a Canadian citizen. Where is she? She came back with me from Canada. She's here in London. Sign a woman detective to check on Vilma Sanyonova Dodds. Lawrence Mackay. Lawrence Mackay traveled alone by a government airplane from Ottawa to London. Lawrence Mackay is the six-year-old son of a Scottish nuclear physicist who was killed with his wife in a Canadian motor accident. Check off Lawrence Mackay. Georg Hasselblad. Georg Hasselblad. Native of Denmark. And the employee of the atomic project at Montreal. He returned direct to Allberg, Denmark. In England, only three hours. Check Hasselblad off. James Nicholas McGee, junior mathematician. Died at his home in Belfast two days after returning from Canada. Check off McGee. Professor Duncan M. Allen, a senior member of the Nuclear Project Division of Imperial Chemicals Industries and a university reader. In Canada since 1943, just returned as a senior in the Nuclear Projects Division. Some hope at last. He was a highly responsible man with long experience in Canada. His advice on who might be Alec should be helpful. Since he was next on the list, I called on him. He was not of much assistance. How should I know, my dear sir? I'm a scientist. You're a detective. I thought in view of your long residence in Canada you might be able to give us some hints. I can't. I was much too busy to add spying to my duties. You knew all of these people, though? I probably did, but I'm sure I don't remember most of them. I worked with some of them. I remember this child, Leslie McKay's son. I was sorry about Leslie and his wife. How about some of the others? This German fishpine, he was a former enemy. Remember the name? Didn't know the man. Dr. Dodds. I heard he married a Russian girl, didn't I? Giles? Short fact check, that's all I know. You were in Ottawa? Yes, but I was busy. I'm sure you're aware, sir, that I shouldn't be asking you questions unless this were a most important matter. What's up? Someone ran off with some U-233? As a matter of fact, that's part of it. But not all, I'm sorry to say. Now, look here, are you serious? If any U-233 had been missing, I should have known about it. You knew of none being missing? I did not, nor do I know now, sir. That's odd, Dr. Allen. We have what we consider excellent information. Let me see. 162 micrograms of uranium-233 were missing. Your information is quite erroneous, I can assure you, sir. Part of my duties included keeping an extremely close check on the amounts of fissionable material on hand. In fact, I was responsible for it. And if I say that none is missing, then you may rest assured that none is. Our authority is unimpeachable. Your authority is a liar. Well, I expect you ought to know. Who gave you this cough-and-bull story? I'm sorry, that I cannot tell you. Well, send him to me and I'll set him and you straight at once, sir. I'm afraid we can't do that, sir. Well, thank you very much, Dr. Allen. If you should happen to remember anything and you name... Young man, I have mathematical formulae to remember that would shatter the brains of all scot-and-yard combined. I'm afraid I'm not going to be of any assistance to you, whatever. By the way, doctor, do you happen to remember anyone out there named Alec? Yes, of course. May I ask who, sir? Sergeant Alec McDonnell. The McDonnells of Cape Poch, not of Calgary. He was always at pains to inform me. He was the absurd Royal Canadian-mounted policeman who was assigned as my bodyguard in that... God forsaken place. And where is he now, sir? So far as I know, my dear sir, he's never left Canada. But he has promised to visit me here in London on his next leave if you'd like to meet him then. The Foreign Office was on us every minute, demanding results. Every known Russian national in London was being watched. But not a known Russian could be discovered anywhere in the vicinity of the British Museum. The rendezvous named in the dispatch the Ottawa Code Clerk had given us. I wondered briefly if we'd not been made the victims of a hoax. Dr. Allen, who certainly ought to know, I said that the Foreign Office was certain that no uranium-233 was missing. But it's quite possible the stuff was taken without the knowledge. My dear Commander, after all, we are not dealing with children, you know. Dr. Allen was quite positive, sir. I'll send a signal to Canada, asking them if they can account for it. Their records will certainly show any discrepancy. Quite true, sir, but if they say none is missing. We'll discuss that when we know for certain, Commander. Yes, sir. Do you have no results to show, I take it? None, whatever, sir. I'm sorry. We have expected more, sir, from the special branch. I left the Foreign Office in remarkably low spirits. The special branch have always prided themselves on taking difficult assignments and stride. But this one. The Age of Miracles is past, I reflected, as I walked into my own office at Scotland Yard. Put me through to Fred Ibit, my Chief Clerk, please. Thank you. Now, Fred, Commander Leonard here, I want this done at once. Get to all the people who are checking on the various Canadian visitors and have them supply you with as many photographs as they can get of the various ones they've checked on. No, I should think these people, if they're the proper kind, should be glad to let us have them. Yes, quite. Then send them by airplane to headquarters of the RCMP in Ottawa with instructions to let the Code Clock, the Russian who's skipped out. What's his name? Eh? Kovinko, that's right. Let him see all these photographs and tell us if he recognizes any of them as people he may have seen around the Russian Embassy. No, they all seem to be clear, but he might just remember seeing one, some time or another. What? Yes, it may help us find Alec, I hope. Thank you, Fred. Yes, at once, please. I left the office still deep in thought. Bought a newspaper and started walking. What can we do now, I thought? Begin checking everyone again. Does Alec really exist? I glanced up. Where'd I got to in my daydreaming? There was the British Museum. Excuse me. What's the shortest way to the stand? Oh, back that way to High-Hoban, first turn to your left down Kingsway and... Wait! Oh, Alec! And before I could do more than goggle at her, the young woman carrying a copy of the picture post had turned and vanished into the crowd on Great Russell Street. I pulled my times from under my left arm and flung it away and was properly reprimanded by a constable. But the contact man was gone. Would you mind kicking me, constable, I said to the officer? Funny, wasn't it? One week and two days later, the bloated body of what had been a young woman was pulled from the Thames just below whopping old stairs by men of T division of the Metropolitan Police. She was thought to be a former employee of the Russian Embassy, but none of the Embassy staff could identify her. The morning after my contra-tour in Great Russell Street, I called again on Dr. Allen. The senior scientist who had assured me that I was wrong about the missing uranium. I'm very sorry, Commander. I have a lecture to give a King's College in half an hour. I've no time to talk to you. I think you'll find it of great importance, sir. And, moreover, I have given you definitive answers to the rather idiotic questions you've already asked me. I must tell you, doctor, that this matter seriously and urgently concerns our national security. I'm sorry, but as I told you... I'm sorry, too, doctor, but I'm afraid you'll happen. I'll see here. I'd just like to say this, Dr. Allen, but I must point out that I have sufficient authority to compel you to answer my questions. I hope I shall not be forced to use it. Are you impugning my integrity, sir? I'm merely pointing out that the matter is one of the utmost urgency, sir. Young man, I've exactly 15 minutes before I must leave for my lecture. I told him what we knew. I told him of the dispatches we'd gained possession of. Were any names mentioned in this message, Commander? Any of the questions? No, I told him. Only Alec. And I told him what had happened to me the day before. He chuckled heartily. I reminded him with some asperity of the seriousness of the situation. He's sobered at once. I agree with your man at the foreign office, whom you so pointedly avoid identifying, that this Alec, whoever he is, is in possession of information which, if obtained by a hostile nation, might easily spell destruction for the British Commonwealth, Commander. I reminded him that Alec must obviously be someone who possessed a great knowledge of the progress of nuclear-efficient research. That's true. That's a very good deduction, Commander. He's obviously an important person. I asked him if he had the faintest suspicion of who he might be. That I'll have to think about. Here is a list of the arrivals from Canada. Is there any name on this list who could conceivably answer such a description, I asked? He scanned it rapidly. No one except myself? Perhaps he hasn't got here yet, I said. I think he has. Else why were you accosted with the password yesterday and even addressed as Alec? You're right, sir. He is here. Then, Commander, I see only one thing for you to do. What's that, sir? Find him, if you can. Well, sir... I assure you, the most frighteningly immediate end of this nation of yours is inevitable if you do not find Alec before these secrets are turned over to Russia. I say it's inevitable, sir, because I do know what they are. I will talk with you again, but my present job is also of importance in the national security. Shall we say tomorrow, then? I returned to Scotland Yard to my office. There was an urgent note on my desk. It read, call RCMP headquarters in Ottawa, Canada, at once. Inspector Miller. Highest priority, immediate action. And several other words whose meaning was quite as clear. I put through the call. I want Inspector Mill... Yes, Ottawa, Canada. This is Commander Leonard at Scott... Yes, yes, this is Commander Leonard. Hello, hello. Is that Commander Leonard? Yes, this is Leonard Miller. This is Leonard. Is that Leonard? Yes. What? It's all right. What did you want? Oh, yes, it's raining here. It's snow. What did you want of me? Oh, people. Yes. He said... Which one? What did you say? I said, which one? Oh. I haven't got the list here. I'll have to let you know. But thanks. Thanks, old boy. I think we've got Alec. All right. Goodbye. I identified him all right. It was mid-afternoon before I could reach Dr. Allen with the news, which I was impatient to check with him before reporting to the Foreign Office. I got him on the telephone and rushed to his flat at once. So you think you've got him, eh? Well, tell me about it. How did you discover her? Are you sure? I'm reasonably sure, sir. He's the only one of the whole list who'd ever been seen around the Soviet Embassy. Who is he? He's the only one who could possibly be Alec, sir. Well, before you tell me, let's have a drink, shall we? I seldom indulge, but I've got a very fine bottle of Dew of Glenliver here. Here it is. I expect you'll have it neat, won't you? You don't think I'm a Bob Berry, and I know, but I always mix mine with ginger ale. Here. Help yourself. No. What's that? I will not drink with you, sir. What's the matter? I have one more question to ask you, Dr. Allen. Go ahead. The number four man on the list whom I checked on is the one they identified. Do you know who he is? I'm afraid not, Commander. I'm afraid then I'll have to ask you one more question, sir. What is the shortest way to the Strand? Well, come along. I'm going that way. I think not, Alec. I arrest you on the charge of violating the Official Secrets Act. And I must warn you that anything you say will be taken down and may be used in evidence. Yes. It was Dr. Allen himself whom the Code Clerk recognized as having been a frequent visitor to the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa. Dr. Allen testified at the Old Bailey at his trial that he was opposed to any program that did not share the secrets of nuclear fission with all nations equally. It is not clear what his reasons were for sharing with the Russians not only what secret information he possessed about the atom bomb and its construction, but also the secret details of the proximity fuse and several other top secret weapons of war. Here is one line of his testimony that will interest you. Yes. I received in exchange for this information a small amount of dollars. I don't remember exactly how many. Oh, yes, yes. And they also gave me a bottle of what I was told was very excellent whiskey. But afraid I still don't see Commander Leonard, why you would not drink with me? For his treasonous exploits, Dr. Duncan M. Allen, a nuclear physics senior, received a sentence of ten years' penal servitude. It was never proved that Dr. Allen was ever a communist, but it is certain that he's a secure prisoner. You have heard another in the series Whitehall 1212, compiled from the official files of Scotland Yard. Research on Whitehall 1212 is prepared by Percy Hoskins of the London Daily Express. The stories for radio are written and directed by Willis Cooper. Free chimes mean good times on NBC.