 Communist for the FBI Starring Dana Andrews in an exciting tale of danger and espionage. I was a communist for the FBI From the actual records and authentic experiences of Matt Sevetik come many of the incidents in this unusual story Here is our star Dana Andrews as Matt Sevetik who for nine fantastic years lived as a communist for the FBI To be an actor Deliver part day and night for nine years no time off no vacation Every hour of every day to watch every word every expression every thought Because a single missed cue a badly red line would be enough to expose me to the harshest critics an actor ever had to face My comrades those criticisms are written with fists and clubs in violence In a moment listen to Dana Andrews as Matt Sevetik under cover man Here is Dana Andrews as Matt Sevetik under cover man This story from the confidential file is marked kangaroo court Summons for my cell leader come and rough chinko No hint what he wants except that his voice on the telephone sounds odd though He's worried about something something serious. I wait for that emptiness in the pit of my stomach Speculating what will it be this time? What piece of dirty work? What dangers playing both ends against the middle? What risks of being exposed as an FBI agent in the party? Sevetik come in No, what is it this time rough chinko trouble? You'll wait in here with graves until I call you so Hello, great. Hello, it won't be long both of your way. What is it great? What's going on? I don't know The chinko look almost grim. You like this usual sunny beaming disposition. Don't joke spedic What are we waiting for for Folsom to come out? He's in there being questioned question about what I I don't know Let's say Folsom you me What was your last assignment great? I was sent to Las Cruces Millennium's attempt to come into the country Ah What what was your assignment the same Millennium? Folsom and I we picked Millennium up when he parachuted in the mountains The FBI agents had us around it. We got away, but not Millennium. They got him Read about the capture. Yeah, they knew the FBI knew Somebody tipped them off. How else could they know how else could they be waiting? Oh, that's what this is all about the chinkos questioning us about it. No No, there's someone from new york. He arrived this morning with him I saw I'm a man by the name of terry a very quiet small kind of man Terrey, you know him. That's really no oven Maybe he's small in size, but he's awfully big in the party very big. All right So what what's he gonna learn? What's he taking so much time with Folsom for? I'm gonna find out look spedic. I've always been loyal. There's never been any question about my loyalty You have nothing to worry about grades, but they're questions. They twist everything around At the end you don't know whether you're innocent yourself. That's all for the good of the party grace sure sure We don't question what they do. No, of course not We'll find out. Well wait. We'll find out If we have nothing to fear nothing can harm us our grace, of course nothing I wait as always is the waiting which is so bad Of course, I hadn't formed my contact in the fbi about an attempt to get someone into the country That was all I knew at the time but an attempt would be made. I didn't know when or by home or how Until after I left Pittsburgh and arrived in new mexico with revchenko and received my final instructions Then there was no opportunity to call the fbi. So they must have had information from another source But it was a millennian who was coming across the mexican border in a small plane But he'd perish you down into the mountains So this was one time I was in the clear with the party. They could do all the questioning they wanted to All I had to do was be careful and sit tight All right grace not use the medic you wait Folsom will keep you company Hello Folsom Was it bad There's cometerie I've heard so much about it now folsom Well, there's been instructions not to speak to me One of us is a traitor subetic You are graves of me I'm not So either you or graves is the one They'll find out Sure, they'll find out About millennians captured by the fbi, huh? All right folsom I guess if I were in your place, I wouldn't say anything either Well, I know soon enough, huh? That's as soon as they get through with graves in there My turn, huh? Your turn Graves and folsom will wait here were not finished. It's been a long time since it was treated like a new party member Suspect until he's proved his loyalty. I told you this is serious subetic Sure. Why else would cometerie come here? How do you know he's here? Is it a secret cometerie? Uh Comrade graves as a big mouth This is comrade met subetic Was it? My name is terry Please sit down subetic I regret that an inquiry like this must be held But we've lost a comrade of great importance And my instructions are to find out how and why John For some time now we in new york have had comrade refchenko and the members of this cell under close scrutiny Many miscarriages of plans of settings of strategy and general inefficiency have come to our attention The road is not always smooth cometerie. Yes, that is what I said at best. It is not smooth We do not need members of our own party to dig more pitfalls. No, of course. We don't we've taken every precaution here to ensure the lawyers I'm sure that you have refchenko But the fact remains that you were entrusted with the plan for anton millenians entry into the country I followed orders the plans the plans were good The execution was not This is the latest in a long line of failures We don't tolerate failures Do we refchenko? We're going to find out who's to blame Yes, only these three men were part of the plan only fulsome graves and subetic here were in on it And you comrade refchenko Yes And me makes a nice little packet doesn't it? Fulsome graves Me or you one of us is guilty You object so that it Yes The logic is at fault You think there's nothing wrong here? I only know about myself and I only know that millenian was trapped by the fbi Before he got into the plane before he flew across the border the fbi was waiting for him They knew his plans. They knew our plans Nothing wrong in that survey and wait a minute you're twisting my words around there's nothing wrong with me I've got many years behind me years of service and loyalty to the party. I don't like to be suspected without cause man At least this one shows a little spirit there refchenko The others graves and fulsome they were more apprehensive You could call this in subordination not spirit array. Yes Yes, you could and you could call this independence Too much independence. Yes. Yes. I see your point and you could call it a diversionary tactic because sevetik hasn't answered one question yet Has he one question that has to do with the capture of comrade anton millenian? Perhaps I've done you an injustice refchenko Your wits are sharp Now sevetik. All right How about millenian? I made my report to refchenko. I didn't know fulsome or graves were going to pick him up I didn't know it was millenian. He was due to come into the country I didn't know any of the plans where when or how I was with refchenko in new mexico at eight o'clock in the evening He got a telephone call and I got my instructions. Nobody knew before then the call was from millenian himself eight o'clock My instructions were to drive to mountain city wait there at the only gas station in town Until millenian would be driven in then it was to take millenian in my car and drive him to las cruces What time was millenian due? 9 30 Did you know how he was to get into the country? I told you I didn't know But you could deduce that he would be flown in over the mexican border That he would parachute into the hills close to mountain city. You know, I couldn't I'll repeat at eight o'clock I first heard about it I got into my car and drove to mountain city and it's an hour and a half drive from las cruces You could have stopped and telephoned the fbi Yes, I could have stopped and telephoned the fbi if I knew their number If I knew that millenian was going to parachute into the hills and where if I were a traitor These are the ifs that we must find out about All this could have been accomplished if the fbi could have surrounded the area in the hills on short notice So many ifs come at taray, aren't there? Yes Yes But the ifs will change to maybe and the maybe will change to certainty Think of millenian's wife waiting patiently for him to return to after long years of separation Her loss was serious enough But this was also a man who's valued to the party was incalculable And so cevetic We are going to get to the bottom of it We're going to find out the truth Revchenko yes Bring the other two in now How do you know there wasn't a leak somewhere else comrade higher up perhaps no cevetic no No, we've already checked The only one who knew the time and place was millenian himself He arranged it he contacted revchenko Revchenko gave you your instructions and foalsman graves theirs They were to meet millenian in the hills Even i didn't know the details kind of narrows things down doesn't it? Yes, yes, but we will find out Sit down all of you, please Now we've questioned all three of you You all seem innocent But that's impossible One of you is guilty Has been lying One of you is a traitor We're going to find out which one Perhaps a little lie will uncover the bigger one which is so well camouflaged Perhaps a slip of the tongue will give us the wedge with which we can drive to the truth Perhaps it's only something in the conscience of one of you which will point out your guilt So we're going to conduct an experiment We're going to find out which one of you is the traitor Are you going to do it comrade? With the machine that i've brought with me cevetic The machine a lie detector cevetic If there's the least particle of guilt in any of you it'll show up with remarkable clarity The lie detector never lies And then i know With the pounding in my heart i know this is the end a dead end a place of no return Because if i can't control the pounding in my heart now, how will i control it when i strap that machine on me? How will i control the surging of my blood pressure the quickening of my breathing? Sweating in my palms when they strap the machine to my chest and arm and hand And watch the telltale dials as they probe and probe with questions i dare not answer myself Caring as matt cevetic And i was a communist for the fbi and the second act of our story It was important important enough for comrade terry to investigate personally Important enough for him to use a lie detector on polsum and graves in me The moment i feared in all the years i'd been an fbi undercover man working within the communist party is now at hand Because even though i didn't give the fbi the information about millennium The questions terry will ask must betray my secret There isn't any way to control your heartbeat the respiration you're in response Polsum is in there now the machine is trapped in him and graves and i are waiting on our turn What do they do cevetic? How do they do it? There's no way to cheat it out if you're normal, but what do they do? What's making you so nervous graves? I've been in the party a lot longer than you cevetic I've been in the party 18 years. I've seen what they can do how they can twist what you say to suit themselves I've been in it long enough for that too This lie detector what does it do tell till you answer their questions truthfully, but how how? Well right now polsums in there They strap his arm like when your blood pressure is taken This record your heart beats as well as your blood pressure When you answer a question if the graph needle shoots up They know you're lying and and that's all that's the way they do it Then they strap something around your chest It's called a pneumograph. They record your breathing And there's a little thing called a psycho galvanometer and that's what's that what's that for? Little cups they clip onto the palms of your hand An electric current records the most minute Trace of perspiration sweat when you're anxious, you know grave Even if you think you don't and then they ask you the questions moment very subtly graves They ask them in a different way. They go back and forth You gotta remember to give the same answer all the time Because they twist and turn, you know, even if you're innocent they can make you look guilty They watch the needles graves The hands on the dials the strokes of the automatic pen which I swear to you. I'm innocent no matter what happens in there If they want to find me guilty, I'm innocent I wonder how fulsome is making out All right Semetic I thought you were using the same protocol graves was questioned before me. Come on. Semetic Folsom you will wait here How'd you make out with Folsom? Your attitude isn't cooperative, Semetic. Well, what do you want me to do comrade Rupchenko? Break up like graves is doing Scared stiff. Maybe he's the guilty one Maybe and maybe you're covering up too well Maybe One day your tongue will get you in trouble, Semetic Sit down comrade Semetic Right here. Thank you Again, I must apologize Not at all. I can understand your position very clearly, comrade Torey. Good. Good. Now to adjust these cumbersome things If you will open your shirt, please Sure It won't take too long Not with an expert attendant to it Thank you, sir Eddie. Must have had a lot of experience I've used this method of determining justice before I must warn you that you're making a mistake You shouldn't let graves sit out there and steal and never get a good reading from him He's half crazy with worry right now Our instruments will make the necessary adjustments Now, I think we're ready Will you proceed, Rupchenko? I'm ready Rupchenko is prepared a list of questions. I've got to steal myself and must answer quickly If I'm lucky you'll touch on nothing that'll betray me Got to answer quickly. I must even think about anything but a quick and positive answer And all the while there's a sick knowledge inside me that this is it You'll find out and this sham could have justice will meet out its own punishment You left Las Cruces at 8 o'clock Yes Did you stop on the way to mountain city? No Did you know before you left that it was comrade millenian who was coming into the country? No When you reached the gas station in mountain city, what time was it 20 minutes after 9? What did you do? Parked a half a block away went into a diner across the street and waited there watching the gas station waiting for millenian's arrival in the car When he didn't show up waited How long I waited until a quarter to 11 should have been there at half past nine I don't know the plans were changed called yo local headquarters. That's all you stayed in the diner until then At no time did you call the FBI? Here it is now a question. I can't answer truthfully At no time did I call the FBI? Yes, I did call them and if I lie about it the machine will show him lying Already the machine must be recording the sweating in my palms pounding my heart. I asked comrade sevetik if you called the FBI What do I say? How can you cheat a machine? You can detect the slightest inner trembling. Why do you hesitate sevetik? Comrade revchenko asked if you called the FBI that I can say no not after I got to new Mexico That's a truthful answer and the machine will show that it's the truth. It's like answering. When did you stop beating your wife? Trapped the next question will tighten the nose right around your throat as surely as if you were Did you call the FBI? No answer is just as bad as a confession. I must add to something Get in What is it? What are you doing? He's crazy. I didn't have a chance. He suddenly pulled that gun on his pocket and put it away graves Put the gun away. You're not gonna railroad me I'm not gonna let you trick me with your questions and your machines. Stay where you are all of you No one is trying to trick you graves. You have nothing to worry about now. Just let me have the gun Don't move or I'll shoot 15 years in the party and still you don't trust me you inspire a lot of trust right now that gun your hand graves Graves, I said don't move Lie detector an infernal machine. You can make say anything you want it to say graves. You have it all wrong Of course, we trust you graves. Just relax. Calm down. Stay away It'll be your heart next comrade terry Like the heart you want to measure on me so you can find someone to blame So you can settle on one of us to show the party how efficient you are Well, it's not going to be me. Hey graves. Are you too sephetic? I don't trust any of them. No no no graves. I'm with you This whole thing is a rotten setup. We know that making us four guys. You're right. Look Both of us get out of here Wait a minute. Just help me get these things off. Will you graves? You're out of your head. Am I? I'm protecting myself. That's all. I know you are sure graves. How about protecting me? So come on Loosen me up. Will you We'll go away together. Sure Come on help me. All right You sit still work take out And you terry you're not going to move are you? Here spedic We'll take this off your chest first thing sure. Thanks this thing around my arm and unwine All right, I've got the gun now time back graves good work. Good works. He's hysterical I Believe we've got what we've been looking for It's clear an admission of guilt as I've ever seen and I'm grateful for your quick thinking sephetic I'll commend you to party headquarters. Yeah, thanks Oh, uh, what are your plans now for graves? Well, I'd like to see him get what a trade it deserves, but perhaps it wouldn't be wise right now Anyway a little discipline, eh Enough to let the FBI know we've uncovered one of their agents So his usefulness to the FBI is finished and our cell can operate and safely again Those are the important things. This is hard to believe 18 years a party member turned traitor to the cause You cannot be too careful Let this be a lesson to you sephetic Never trust even a comrade That's a great tagline Never trust a comrade Graves nerves cracked under the strain and that was all that saved my neck But something boils around in my mind. I call my FBI contact donnie old disco Well about eight o'clock in the night. I meet him in the park But it turned out all right matt Must have been hair-raising for you there for a while. Something troubles me johnny Maybe you can explain it, huh? Maybe what is it? How could graves have informed you about millenian coming into the country? He didn't know he didn't know until i knew neither did posin Neither did rev chinko. Nobody knew yet. There you were ready and waiting. You should be able to figure it out matt Only one person knew the detail millenian himself. That's right But he didn't form on himself Oh wait a minute his wife That's right. His wife She's been against his communist activities ever since they were married She wanted him out of the party, but there was no way to get him out The party wouldn't let him go So she forced the party to let him go this way by letting the FBI know about him about him coming into the country. I mean Clever, huh matt And graves will take the burden for it graves is a died in the world commie No further use to them unstable And they think he's an FBI agent Yeah So how'd your pressure graves into busting up? I did most of it himself 18 years That's a long time to nurse and also It's gotta rupture after a while, you know How about you matt? Feel like busting up. You know there's a moment there when Oh, well, yeah, I know But you see you got friends matt Funny isn't it with all the comrades they have They don't have a single friend I leave johnny or diskel in the park and walk along the streets toward my place How long before the 10,000 things inside me eat out my heart and mind for graves? This is the end But for me, there isn't any For me there's only facing ref chinko again Going on again with a thousand to raise with lie detectors food serum and a way of life filled with empty stirrings and twisted tortured hopes and dreams And in this seventh circle of the seventh circle of dantes inferno, I walk on And walk my lonely way alone Dana andrews will return in just a moment This is dana andrews for the thought for those who think they can only be insignificant and helpless spectators in a world Struggling for sanity and peace just remember this line It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness The story you've just heard is based on notes from the files of matt savettic fbi on the cover man Names have been changed and events modified for obvious reasons next week another exciting adventure Out of matt savettic's experiences as a communist for the fbi be with us then won't you we'll be expecting you