 This picture you're about to see is the first cinematic study of the preparation a rival and Establishment of permanent cover for secret agents The apportionment and having with us for this occasion Colonel Robinson chief of schools and training Colonel before we start the picture perhaps you wouldn't mind saying a few words All right, Lieutenant. I Will make this short because I know that you are all just as anxious to see this movie as I am I wish that Were possible for me to meet all of you men personally But since it isn't I'll take this opportunity to say hello and to tell you that I'm glad you're with us Many of you are going to desks in this country or to assignments and neutral countries Where you may not be faced with the problems portrayed in this film But if this brings you just a little closer to those men who are going into the hottest spots. I Hope that it will help you to do a better job This picture does not presume to give you all of the answers of course. I Do think however that it will provide a foundation on which to do your own building for after all no more service provides a greater scope for individual initiative and Imagination and this job for which you have volunteered. All right Lieutenant. Take it away. Thank you Colonel Okay, I'll let it go. This is an undercover agent At least the popular conception of how such a fellow looks and behaves He is inconspicuous. He blends with his environment He isn't short of the ideal agent from the enemy's point of view He's just the kind of agent the enemy is waiting for with open arms And for that reason just the kind of agent you aren't going to be Student now see if I made a good impression at the schools. Nice work. Thank you, sir Pull up a chair cigarette Thanks, I think you were told something about your assignment before you went to E. Weren't you Al? Yes to obtain intelligence on aviation production and the position of vital targets in the capital district of enemy area Correct. You have to set up an intelligence organization, which will gather information for an SO operation Are you set on your cover? Not definitely. I've narrowed it down to two Either a government inspector or a chief mechanic government inspector Better for a native agent than a planted one And these days when enemy area is using every available man under 50 in the army People might wonder what special pull you had Anything that makes people ask questions Even innocent ones is bad color. Then you think the mechanics the better bet If you're a good mechanic You know nothing will blow your quicker than not knowing your job Well, I put in seven years with General Motors and with a little brushing up I think I'd be all right mechanic in an airplane plant near the capital It might be the ticket We know they need good mechanics so badly now that it might not take you too long to establish good permanent cover Now if I could get a job on the night shift, I'd have plenty of time to devote to my hobby During today Good I like the way you're thinking Now go to work Backgrounds familiar to you. You'll be able to get the latest material at the farm Most recent laws and local restrictions even the latest slang our intelligence has picked up fine I've already made up a list of things to check off good There's anything you don't get that you think you need Doors always open By the way, I'll get right to work on those financial details for you Hope to have that insurance for your family pushed through before you leave. That's very kind of you. No, it's not kind It's my job to do everything I can to help you think about nothing, but your job. Well, I'll let you know when I'm ready, right? Good morning. Good morning. I'm student Charles Lawyer pretty good cover. Thank you sit down I'm going over your evaluations from the schools. Oh that stuff I Spent enough time on the other side to know my way around That's what you told him at E after they took your pants off at the Thursday night round table If you set me down in a real spot, it'll be another story. We're considering you for a real spot We're trying to establish a man in one of enemy areas chief seaports to observe the naval concentration there and to find out whether or not There's a submarine base in that vicinity now You could do it if you went in with the right attitude look if you think I've got the ability don't worry about my attitude Which port is it? El Porto El Porto My old stamping grounds. I could draw that coast with my eyes closed Well, this job calls for you going in with your eyes open now. You know the locale. All right But that isn't enough to get by now think it over and come back when you ready to talk cover I'm ready now El Porto. Let me see I've got it a fishing boat skipper. I've raced around there enough to know the channels by heart Fishing has possibilities and we have a lot of contacts with fishermen around there You know who could probably take care of you and then it's all set No, it's just something to consider now if it doesn't hurt your feelings We'd like to bust you from skipper to an ordinary seaman You know the every skipper is known to the shore patrol there But if you were just a member of the crew like the thousands of in every seat port you might get by with it get by with it I talked the language like a native. I know those waters better than most natives. How can I miss very easily? By going on like you've been going by knowing only answers before you even think of the questions Now we'll give you all the dope you require about this El Porto area, but just don't read it absorb it Okay, if you want to waste time But I'll tell you I know El Porto like a book Perhaps the enemy has added a couple of chapters since you've left. Hi, I sir. Not on your story, eh? Well, I'd like to try it out. Shoot Let's see how closely it conforms to your own life Don't forget. I'll be watching for errors as closely as an enemy police officer. Here it is My name is Albert Horn Both my parents were born in enemy area and I lived in Detroit for five years when I was born there in 1903 I Was in Detroit until 1913 When my mother died and I was sent back to live with my aunt and uncle in the capital of enemy area I graduated from the gymnasium in 1920 and went to work in my uncle's bicycle shop in 1924 I went back to Detroit and worked as an apprentice in the Ford plant 1926 I transferred to General Motors where I worked as a machinist until 1931 From 1931 I was on relief until 1936 when I went back to my old job at General Motors Just before my home country went into the war I thought it was my duty to return there and serve in any way I could Arriving here on the US tourist passport. I volunteered with the engineers and Then After a year and three months in the army, I'm disjointed with a bad bank. Have I had a bad back? No, but I thought I could fake it Never say anything you can't prove Why not make it sciatica? That's one element the best doctor in the world can't prove you haven't got Okay sciatica I convalesced for a short time in the country at a friend's house That will be the farmhouse you're taken to by the reception committee And then when I'm directed to find employment in an aircraft factory because of my technical experience I come to the camp who make arrangements for an interview with the superintendent of the falcon plant Sounds all right. I'll Let's start a stand up. It's a little glib perhaps. It isn't bad Now you talk a good fisherman. Now you've got to learn to be a good fisherman The next thing in the agenda is a couple of weeks with the commercial fisherman on the grand banks Won't I think enough of fish on the other side without having to get a two-week start? Followed isn't a question of stinking like a fisherman. Oh, that's important too. You've got to know the ropes literally I mean, but I'm a fisherman from way back. Why I landed the biggest sailfish ever caught in Mexican waters back in 33 189 pounds you can look it up in the record book. I'd rather read the records in your hands. Let me see your palms. Oh, good killesses I think a couple of weeks of salt water and hard work really gets you in shape But I've got to have some relaxation after all. I'm not going abroad for my health And it's my neck Now that's where you're wrong Once you join our team, it isn't a question of your own neck anymore Those brains of yours are a vital connection point in our system of intelligence when one fuse is blown The lights go out all over the house. So We're just as interested in safeguarding that neck of yours as you are Whether you're checked before you leave or on the other side The principle is always the same The most unimportant detail may be the most important when you get your hair cut be sure it's enemy area style The hands must look as if they've done the work Every scar must conform with your cover story Clothes may not necessarily make the agent but they surely break the agent if they aren't checked and rechecked That's an enemy area cut all right, but it's too expensive for a mechanic Well, that's the type of coat you would wear, but there aren't any left That's right. The army got all the heavy coats in the last winter drive. How about that one? I Think this raincoat would be better Every piece of clothing is examined for the right labels the right laundry marks the proper amount of wear and tear Every toilet article examined minutely How about this razor? Can we use straight razors over there now because of the shortage of blades? Even if your papers have been forged by experts from the most recent enemy area documents Proof them yourselves Just a minute. This army discharge reads Alfred Horne. Everything else is Albert Horne Nice eye. I just want to see if you're on the ball You don't have to worry about the rest of those papers Even the texture and water marks have been duplicated Just as important as your official papers and more subtle to select Are your casual effects? The odds and ends you happen to have with you that may be more convincing to the enemy area police than your identification and travel permit The stickers on your suitcase a handful of cigarettes a train stub An old address book a letter addressed to you as a private in the army from a girl in the town You're going to and a snapshot of her with you in an enemy area uniform Details each one a thread woven into the pattern of your cover story How many cases of blown cover you studied would you to neglect of some insignificant detail of cover? That didn't seem worth checking a second time Me all my life. I've got a tough hands to spend and up and still live and tough ends to take This is German agent X. He landed in Canada from a submarine two days ago So far he's doing all right for himself His landlady believes he's a war worker from out west in British Columbia This afternoon his forged papers and his convincing line got him a job in an aluminum plant No wonder he feels like joining in the singing Happy is the day when we line up for our pay as we go rolling rolling home Say that's not bad. Come on over and join us. Will you? Thanks. No matter if I do I Got more fans jolly jolly for fans. I got four pens still ask me all my life I've got tough ends to spend and tough ends to land and no pants to send home to my wife or wife It's getting late I'd better be going. Oh, don't be a killjoy. We're just beginning to wet our whistles I'd like to have another drink with you boys, but I got to be on the job at the crack of dawn. Good night fellas Oh, we'll see you again. What's the damage? That'll be a dollar 80. That's easy. Keep the change Thanks come again. Why don't hey, will you look at this? What do you got there Peg? Not those old bill the government call him before the war Gee, I haven't seen one of these big fellas in a long time Now we're the devil. He is supposed to get this Yes, Agent X was doing all right for himself until he passed an obsolete bill one-third larger than the present issue Months of preparation were nullified by insufficient attention to what seemed like an insignificant detail Carelessness and spiculousness blown cover That's the fatal triple play that put German agent X out of the game Agent Y was a smooth operator a Spanish phalanges who had turned in a good job for the Nazis in Mexico before moving on to Los Angeles To incite Mexican youths against other Americans and recruit the keenest of them into an espionage organization He's not been in Los Angeles long but long enough to win friends and influence zoot-suiters Come on kids. I got paid today. Have another shot Brother this tequila is murder. What the hell? The army's getting you next week anyway. What have you got to lose? Just a stomach that's all Hey, much at you. I'm the lead another round another round. Are you kidding? You know what time it is? Let's all say the bar is closed Here's a buck for yourself Maybe that'll help keep the bar open for one more round. So hey, you're really a killer, aren't you? killer What do you mean calling me a killer killer killer trying to find me off for a lousy buck And the state formation finds me 500 for selling after hours. Oh, I see killer That's an expression you use, huh? Say how long you've been in LA? Oh, I don't know three for years. What'd you live before that one? He though? Some better than you come on. Let's get out. What's the nickname for some Bernardino? What is this third degree? Since when do customers have to answer questions by stupid waiters? Come on. We'll catch you Everyone who lives there knows the nickname of some Bernardino brother Sanfordo Anybody that's never heard of a killer dealer The waiter was anti-phalangist and anti-nazi From that moment on he kept his eyes on senior wives He began to notice other idiomatic slips When his suspicions were passed over to the authorities they were quickly confirmed And the enemy lost a clever agent But not quite clever enough to remember that even details of slang are a necessary part of his cover equipment What did you say you worked for in Copenhagen? Helping for a dairy company. And what is your exact position with this company? I'm the assistant foreign branch manager in Germany British agent Z has made repeated trips to Germany under convincing commercial cover Even when he was picked up for making a somewhat suspicious call to Copenhagen his story was unshaken And the way he was presenting it was even beginning to influence the expert interrogators of the SS Dairy's incorporated and what is still dressed of this company in Copenhagen? Gentlemen, I'd be very glad to answer your questions all day But I have a good many business details complete before leaving your city and I'm quite sure you have many more important things to do We are not interested in persecuting Danes Security police is not an organization of persecution It's an organization that protects you against the enemies of the state You are guilty You will not escape us If you are who you say you are We have nothing to fear from us And I have your permission to leave Yes, you may go Thank you Pardon me captain You see air grease if my memory is correct There has been no hair grease on the continent since the end of 1940 quiet have a sample of this hair grease Analyzed immediately. It will be kept in solitary confinement Ending the report from the laboratory Come along. So you have not been in England since 1938 Then how do you account for the fact that this hair grease is a British product which has been applied First great cover story and an excellent man Destroyed by a few drops of hairdressing Thoughtlessly rubbed into his hair during his last trip to England a few days before Months of training Final weeks of thorough briefing and our agents are ready for the second leg of their journey on to base country Charles and a heavy bomber under temporary military cover While Al crosses as a private on a common transport In a fashionable apartment in a base country capital Al locates his desk You seem pretty well prepared on the whole We'll have a final briefing as soon as you lose your sea legs Thank you We picked up some of the latest changes in the area regulations that may alter your documentation a little Wish they quit making new regulations every day. I'd sleep better Well From their point of view, they think they're being very clever They keep changing the rules every five minutes a newcomer can't stay hidden very long theoretically But we found that by keeping our eyes open and using our heads We can beat that game For instance, don't go into a strange bar in order the first thing that pops into your head Your favorite poison may be on the vote list that day Look around and see what the others are drinking Then if you're stuck appear undecided so long that the waiter will suggest something for you mm-hmm Just remember This is no suicide mission It's a 24-hour a day job with the odds all in your favor And to make sure of that. I always tell my men to take out life insurance. I Think that's been taken care of back in there. No, I mean your own personal life insurance by leaving open some avenue of escape In case things get too hot for you Study your means of exfiltration just as carefully as infiltration I've known men who were expert drivers in first second and high But we never knew how to go into reverse Don't worry. I'm not the hero type good But just how do you go about leaving this? Avenue of escape well in the first place Have a cover story ready for that emergency exit As soon as possible hide a cache of money somewhere And when you start building your organization keep contacts whose only function is to help your getaway In other words when I buy this ticket to enemy area you want me to make sure it's around trip ticket In another base country Charles is concentrating on last-minute details of his infiltration into enemy area What's your name Sanford Sanford it's a good thing. I'm just your base country desk Not an enemy area plain clothesman from now on your name's Charles Santos The next time you give your right name you may find your interrogator just a little less cooperative Christ, this is a hell of a way Yes, there's less chance of having your sleep interrupted later on you get to know your new name better than your old Oh, it's practically second nature with me now It's just that I tomorrow you'd better concentrate on nothing but that may drink it eat it Walk around with it until you know it well enough to come up with it out of a sound sleep Okay, okay Good night Charles Santos Now there are three or four different ways. We can send agents into enemy area They can go overland either overtly under good legal cover or covetly Sneaking across the border with the help of the underground An agent traveling overtly would have to pass as a national from a neutral country under some sort of commercial cover When you're crossing a border this way You should not only act as if you have nothing to hide. You should actually have nothing to hide Don't bring compromising materials or messages through these controls They can be sent to you more safely by other methods once you're established in enemy area If you're crossing the border covetly as thousands are doing in Europe these days, don't carry a map with you It's unhealthy Unless you carry it in your own head Memorize the principal landmarks and the basic topography of the area you're entering Until you can make your own model of the country on the sand table If a guide is necessary be sure you check his reliability Members of the underground are your best bet Professionals who charge you exorbitant prices are loyal to only one cause money The enemy world may be just as bright as yours Borders breed double agents who charge you a thousand dollars to lead you over the border and being eminently fair Charge the enemy an equal amount to lead them to you if you're worried about doubling back on yourself Use your ingenuity and fashioning an impromptu chart of your course camouflaged as Harmless doodling after you've crossed the frontier. Don't get overconfident about those border controls You're in a 24-hour a day battle of wits The enemy has secret weapons of his own Keep moving across country by a circuitous route For the border isn't a black thread across the map. It's a strip at least 15 miles wide Infested with collaborationists counter espionage agents and special police human landmines hidden among the native population to blast your cover and finally When you reach a town far enough inland Don't enter it from the border side Circle around it and enter it from the other side as if you were coming from the interior But as I understood it that was going in by plane. Yes In your case, it will be safer and faster to drop you by parachute We like our men do have a good working knowledge of other methods of penetration How about these plane landings I've heard of? Naturally when we have a feel that we can land on safely without being discovered. It's more efficient We can pick up an outgoing agent of the same time for instance The only place we can land on safely now is guerrilla territory How low is this plane going to be when I jump? Maybe it'd be a good idea for you to sit down with a pilot who's going to fly you in He'll give you the dope on just how it's going to be And another thing we never set a date until we're damn sure we found the right dropping point Like this one we picked out for you for instance. It's just about perfect It's a level grassy space large enough to allow for adverse wind conditions And it's far enough removed from trees and telegraph wires so that daylight won't find you hanging out there like an ornament on a Christmas tree It's 15 miles to the nearest anti aircraft setup and my buddies will create a little diversion over there to keep their minds off Us until we've set you down There's a river running closely that I can follow practically all the way in and a couple of little lakes on the other side They make pretty good landmarks to help me spot the place in the moonlight About a mile away from the dropping point. There's a safe house owned by a peasant working with us The way is on chief will be there waiting for you Everything's on schedule. How soon will they be here? 33 minutes take the radio out and bury it The container being dropped with Al is bulky evidence of Al's arrival Unless it can be buried deep enough and fast enough for empty containers buried instantly Tell no tales Broken bones. No, I think I made it all one piece. Our friend's farm is up the hill there just about a mile I'll show you the way. What about my gear? Don't worry. The boys will take care of it. Fine. Let's go. Al enjoys a much needed rest Charles employs another method of infiltration in reaching enemy area coast a neutral fishing schooner and a tenor at fishermen both familiar sites to this waterfront town Provide the most natural sort of cover for Charles arrival Can you pick him out? No I'm afraid the enemy area shore patrol It's that stroke of yours Charles Look around at the other short jerky stroke Not the most graceful in the world, but better adapted to choppy surfs and heavy boats Now look at yours long sweeping strokes What do you think you are Charlie back in the dear old Harvard shell? Yes, just to detail But the kind of detail the enemy shore patrol is watching for Wait a minute there Charles How about that knot? Don't tell me you've forgotten the fishermen here have their own particular method of tying up a boat Keep your eyes open and your mind open Charles Otherwise you're liable to tie that knot around your own neck As soon as curfew is lifted Al hits the road to the nearest railway terminal Ask him where he's coming from and he'd say from the farm where I was convalescing After I was evacuated from the bomb city of pro-bird and where was he going? To enemy town to visit my fiancee and try to get a part-time job until I'm strong enough to get into a war plan Oh boy, maybe I can get a hit to the station. Wait a minute Al What did they tell you about cars in enemy area? Nine out of ten their state officials Just the boys who might ask embarrassing questions Better hope it brother. It's better to find a hole in your shoe than a hole in your cover That's right whistle be as natural as you can But just a second. What's that? You're whistling Wait till the sun shines Nelly That's better a V&E's Waltz They weren't kidding when they told you at the schools that this was a 24-hour a day job Even what you whistle has to conform to cover So far so good Al You're not taking the bus because the police are watching the buses pretty carefully these days Instead as soon as enemy area restrictions allow daylight travel You've located the first rural station in the opposite direction from the dropping point That's your preference. That's it Al. Sit back and take this snap control in stride You've left all Compromising material behind to be sent to you later at a previously arranged address And you know your temporary cover story for this pit holds water Because you tested it for leaps at the farmhouse last night. What's your name? Albert Horn? Why are you coming from the farm near Fulberg? Farmer You don't look like a farmer. I'm not I was evacuated after being bombed out of a hospital in Fulberg. Oh Where you headed? Enemy town Sorry to ask you so many questions, but an unidentified plane flew over the neighborhood last night and we can't take any chances Why are you going to enemy town? I can show you Not bad My fiancé I wouldn't mind going to enemy town for that myself. Oh, it's my patriotic duty. That's your duty, huh? I wish all our patriotic duties could be so pleasant In enemy town halfway between the dropping point and the capital Al heads for the address He was given by the liaison chief Mr. Durand. Yes Someone tell me we're looking for an assistant assistant. I could use an assistant How much experience have you had? I was a mechanic in the army two years in the tank or good I've been looking for a man with your kind of training, and I'm your man got your work closed with you right here in my bag Good come on inside. I'll start you right to work. Thank you, sir Over the noise of the machines Durand gives out the necessary instructions for the last leg of his journey to the capital Like that you're throwing away too much Now a days they take four fifths of our catch, so we use this with chowder Performance is you're throwing this away. I mean wonder where you water when he warned you about it four weeks ago Well, I'll just tell him ours out of town that day for my old ladies funeral. I Can see you're a very brave man If you don't mind my saying so you're too spirited Look at these fellas around you They are half dead Hungry sadness Let's work twice as hard for half as much Sons are taken away from them and their children die That will to live is very weak Only men like us are not broken yet Not to stand out from the others Remember the agent's first commandment Charles don't be conspicuous Good cover doesn't come automatically with the right clothes You must put on a new attitude a new disposition To fit those foul smelling baggy pants and the old boots The best cover story in the world won't protect you if you cannot live that cover Now that Al has stayed with his friend in enemy town long enough to build up his recent past He's ready to establish himself in the capital of the enemy area. Remember what we told you Al That's why informers like them too That's why the desk clerks the maids the waiters at the bellboys are all on the payroll of the secret police And how about conformity to cover? What's a mechanic doing at the best hotel boarding with the family is a good idea if you know the family? If they're overly suspicious, it's too easy for them to keep tabs on you And if they're overly friendly, they might restrict your movements too much No, better keep on going Al But keep it in mind when you're ready for permanent quarters Forget that talkative lamb lady Al she'll be watching you like a hawk no matter how discreet you are She'll find something to talk about Sorry to spoil your phone Al But remember every prostitutes an informer or a potential informer And that's a good reason for staying out of brothels too Plus the fact that Lamour is constantly being interrupted by snap controls But the merchant marines are breeding ground of political resistance Attracting agent provocateurs and snap controls and again conformity to cover Would a respectable craftsman pick a dive like this? You can't find perfect security anywhere in town now This is probably your safest bet for the first few days So you might as well go in and get some shut eye Meanwhile, we'll take a swing over to the coast and see how our old friend Charles is getting along Charles was supposed to spend two or three weeks in the fishing village where he landed Building up his recent past before working his way up the coast toward El Porto But two or three weeks to the average agent is just two or three days to Charles After all he's a fast worker. How about letting him walk you home after work? Some other time maybe When my boyfriend gets you doubt again He's over there now In the corner you get sort of jealous sometimes Submarine a well, what does he look like? This is kind of a hangout for them, isn't it? You better drink your beer. All right. All right Any idea how soon you'll be shipping out again? So For a fisherman you ask an awful lot of questions Tell the truth now You wouldn't like me to sit around here like a clam. No, I guess not I Get kind of tired looking with these fishermen hanging around here like a lot of sour apples But you you're sort of different Oh, I better get back to my sailor now. He's got his eye on me. That's all right. You keep the change Say what do you catch out there goldfish another beer? No, it's all right. It's paid for Out of that tip that fisherman left me Tip a what's a fisherman doing throwing his money around probably another one of those black market bugs? Oh, I don't know he seemed honest enough He really is an interesting fellow interesting. He must have drunk too much of your own beer Why all these stupid fishermen are the same Not this one. He seems a lot smarter than the others. Well, you better not get smart with you boy meets girl If this were a Hollywood movie that would be the beginning but here in enemy area. It's much more likely to be What's the matter Al have a bad night getting jittery Don't let it get you down Sooner or later it happens to the best of them You can handle it. Don't you start doing something about it being around here stays in his room all day unless he's sick Are scared looks okay. I guess I'll go out and have a look around It's probably nothing but the keeper waiting and you start talking. Good morning, sir. May I clean your room now? Oh, I sure I was just getting ready to go out. Oh, it was a little better last night, wasn't it sir? But I hear they knocked out a ball bearing factory on the outskirts. Oh, that's a shame Yes, the way things are going they'll lead every man in the country now Do you work here in town, sir? Oh, I got a job at the Falcon plant Falcon plant. Oh, that's where my cousin works. What department are you in? I mean, I've got an appointment for a job at the Falcon plant. Oh good for you. I hear they're taking out a lot of men these days See it's a quite a bus ride out there better be going. Well, good luck to you, sir. Thank you Remember what we told you if something frightens you don't run away from it turn and meet it Easy does it now on me off sir. You have the right time 1035 thank you very much. Don't you know you shouldn't throw things in the street? I'm sorry sir. I guess I forgot forgot with signs all over town warning you against it Let me see your identification card pick it up in future Observe the regulations. Yes, sir An overconfident agent doesn't have to look for trouble. He'll find it just as surely as student Charles All set to make sensational disclosures. The goddamn did it what the hell's he trying to do show off? Now Porter is a pretty vital spot. He ought to have his brains examined if he has any left after the enemy secret police get through with him Let's see weren't you the fellow who didn't have to study up because he knew this spot by heart Look at you soaking wet out of breath in danger of your life If you were a good agent instead of just a daring one You'd be home in bed like any other respectable member of enemy area society Well, your paper seemed to be in order Like any other respectable member of enemy area society Al gets a war production job What do these get on the night shift? Thank you, sir moves in with a private family Makes friends with his fellow workers Attends the government labor rally listens patiently to all official broadcasts Receives praise from the foreman as a conscientious workman Takes a stroll through the park on his way to his job on the night shift Like any other respectable member of enemy area society Look at your paper help yourself. Thanks Say I see we shot down 12 more their bombers last night. Yeah, the situation seems to be improving. I Hope so these last few weeks been pretty tough. Yeah Won't take a look at the sport page Thanks Say the champions going to try to make a comeback after all I thought he was all finished after they shot him down on Eastern front Just a couple of enemy area citizens having a harmless conversation on a park bench At least that's the way it looks to passers-by But this casual conversation Covers the first meeting between our agent and the cutout who will carry his first message to the WT man to be Radiated from enemy area. Well, that's it It may not make super agents out of any of you, but we thought it might stimulate some interesting discussion It's main value. It seems to me is in orienting you toward the type of work you will be doing As colonel Robinson has told you it is not an attempt to teach specific techniques But merely to present a little more realistic form the basic concepts and general principles which apply to all undercover and Semi-cover activities even in neutral countries or in the far east Where specific techniques would differ greatly from those portrayed here Of course, very few of you will ever be given missions like the ones Al and Charlie had to tackle Both of you will be recruiting training or handling agents Or performing those routine service jobs for OSS that seem to have so little connection with our agents in enemy occupied territory But every single job from camp cook to jump master is a part of the lifeline connecting the agent in the field with his home office No matter how removed your job may seem The degree of your conscientiousness in maintaining security can be the difference between success or failure in the field thousands of miles away and If this picture has shortened the distance between you and the man at the end of the line it is serving a valuable purpose But regardless of where you fit into the picture this film despite its entertainment value is really a textbook in disguise and The value of any textbook is your ability to digest the material to where it is something not merely memorized But actually transfused into your own thought processes An analytic discussion of this picture will undoubtedly crystallize and develop many points that had to be skimmed over in a film as general as this The first question came to my mind for instance was whether the desk man was right in sending Charles to El Porto in the first place He'd probably justify his decision by maintaining that Charlie's thorough knowledge of the area and his subjective motivation for the job outweighed his personal shortcomings Or you might in running this picture again test yourself for observation of deals Did you notice for instance in the scene where Al was sweating it out in the hotel room that first morning in the capital That he rubbed out in the ash tray a cigarette that had only been half smoked Well in a country where cigarettes have become a scarce and precious commodity Wouldn't this wastefulness make him conspicuous? Well that gives you an idea of some of the things that you and your other instructors can kick around and Each time you see this picture. I think you will find it more instructive and more provocative All right now you've got the floor