 Autolight and its 98,000 dealers bring you Mr. William Holden in tonight's presentation of Suspense. Tonight, Autolight presents a true story taken from Captain Walter Kerrig's Battle Report Korea. The facts concerning the United States Navy's mine clearing operations in Wonsong Harbor in October 1951. Needle in the haystack. Our star, Mr. William Holden. Hi, half will you have a cigarette? Oh, no thanks, Harlow. Prefer my own brand. Hey, did you ever think about all the people who feel like you do about cigarettes, but on something that has to do with the safety and performance of their car? They take a substitute and don't know the difference? What do you mean, Harlow? Well, for example, many makes of cars have Autolight electrical systems as original equipment, right? Right. But if replacements are needed, do the owners of those Autolight-equipped cars insist on Autolight original service parts exactly the same as those specified by the car manufacturer? Well, I sure would, Harlow. I wouldn't take a chance on any part not designed to do the job right. And your wives have? Friends, selecting a cigarette is a matter of taste, but selecting a replacement part for your car's electrical system is a matter of safety and performance. So for safe, smooth, efficient operation, insist on Autolight original service parts for your Autolight-equipped car. They're available at your car dealers or nearest authorized Autolight service station. And remember, from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Autolight. And now Autolight presents transcribed the true story of the United States Navy's actions in one son harbor in October 1951. Needle in the haystack, starring Mr. William Holden, hoping once again to keep you in suspense. During the last war, we never tried to sweep even a small harbor with less than 30 sweepers. At Okinawa, for instance, we used 100. At Normandy, 300. And at Good Old Wansan, as big or bigger than any of them, we started in with 10. Attention men, Captain Spauperger. Carry on, smoking lamps lit. Make yourselves comfortable. Correspondents are beginning to call those ships out there, the fleet that came to stay and stay and stay at sea. Well, I agree with you. It isn't a very good joke. Nothing funny about 250 ships steaming around in circles waiting to get into one son harbor. Our job is to make sure they do get in. Oh, Commander, the map. Yes, sir. You men on the port want to get in closer. Now here, between the fleet and the shore, mines. We don't know what kind of mines, but we do know that all of these anchorages and approaches will have to be swept clear. Sir? Well, yesterday would have been a good time to have the job finished. We have 20,000 troops packed into space that would be close quarters for half as many. That kind of thing isn't very good on the nerves. Matter of fact, those Marines who are calling this Operation Yo-Yo, they may have something of that. Right now, there is effectively out of combat as if they were still training in North Carolina. Well, gentlemen, our assault sweep into one son harbor will commence at 0630. And that's the way it started. Assault sweep. Definition? An assault sweep is just a polite official gobbledygook for busting through a minefield in spite of anything. Few notes here about mines. They're different kinds. A contact mine floats on top of the water and explodes when it touches a ship. And there's another kind that just sits on the bottom and gets triggered by a ship's magnetic field. Magnetic mine. And if you don't like those, try yourself an acoustic mine. And it detonates from a ship's vibration. Or there's a pressure mine that just goes off when a ship passes above it. And if you aren't satisfied with the way they blow up, there just might be a couple of guys on the beach controlling all of them with an electric cable. Oh, yeah. One more thing. For every kind of mine, there's a different sweeping operation. So go sweep mines. What's the count? We've set 21 mines so far, sir. No casualties. That's encouraging. Let's see. We're in here. That means we've already cleared a channel 3,000 yards wide from the 100-phathom curve to the 30-phathom curve. We may get those marines in action sooner than we expected. This keeps up. A helicopter's a big help, sir. Well, it's something new in minesweeping, flying low ahead of the lead sweep. Sir? Yeah. It's a pilot's radio, sir. I think he spotted something. Give me those phones. Yes. Sharply angled mine line directly ahead of lead sweep. Another line just beyond that. Another. Another. Order that lead sweep to come about. Aye, aye, sir. The pilot had found five mine lines inside the 30-phathom curve. And with only 10 sweepers working, that was a little more than we'd bargained for. We didn't lose any shipping that first day, but we didn't get an inch closer to one's on harbor. At 0900, the following day, we tried something else that was new in minesweeping. The fly-fly boys spaced off at 600-yard intervals and came roaring in at 1,500 feet, loaded with bombs and rockets. Object to try and blast a channel for the sweepers. It was quite a sight. A five-mile column of airplanes dropping their goodies into the water on time signals. Just reported that the aerial countermining operation is complete. It's up to us to find out whether or not it worked the hard way. Horses 2-4-8 speed eight knots proceed as planned. Lieutenant Hyatt aboard the pirate, sir. We are proceeding as ordered. The pirate was the lead ship in the formation. The whole fleet watched as she edged out and headed for the waters that had been raked by the planes. Not far behind came the pledge and the incredible and the redhead. All trailing their sweeping gear. All anxious to get a job done. One at a time they turned to pass between the islands. Bring unswept waters. Will it work, sir? I hope so. If there are any mines in those waters, the bombs and rockets should have done some good. Yeah. Well, we'll know in a minute, sir. And the pledge that day. Aerial countermining had been an experiment. Another good idea that didn't work. Information learned. There's no shortcut to mine sweeping. Cigarette don. Thank you, sir. For the last 20 hours, the fleet command has been asking, can we land as scheduled? Can we land tomorrow? If not tomorrow, when? I know, sir. I can't answer him till I get some answers myself. We know their influence mines, but we don't know what kind, magnetic contact, or what. Or how many or where they're placed. We've got to have this information so we'll know how to sweep. And so I can give the fleet commander an accurate answer. You all set? All set, sir. Good luck, Don. Thank you, sir. All right, sailor Cheval. Aye, aye, sir. Hold the course. Holding the course, sir. Big pardon, sir. Yeah? How far in can we go, sir? Until we get to the end of those marked lines. I'll swim it from there. Does it always go like this? I mean, we've tried about everything to get those ships into the harbor. Nothing seems to work. Is that way sometimes? How long you been in the Navy, son? Well, this is my first time out, but 18 months now, sir. What'd you do before that? High school. Sir, could I ask how long you've been in the Navy? Well, I started out as a seamen. Let's see. 20 years now. That's a good long time, sir. Have you always been looking for things? I mean, minesweepers. 14 years of it. Okay, cut them. Aye, aye, sir. When I'm clear, take her back and follow the cans. Yes, sir. So long. Good luck, sir. Took me a half an hour to swim the rest of the way. A couple of times, my legs brushed against the mines, moored no more than two feet below the surface. When I finally got onto shore, there was a welcoming committee waiting for me. About 12 Korean fishermen. Aye. Hey, you there. Hey. Hello. You, uh, you speak any English? Do you hear me? Do you speak any English? I say, do any of you speak English? Yankee. Yankee. That's right. I'm a Yankee. Do you speak English? Fish. Me. Fish. Yeah. Yeah. You're a fisherman. Then maybe you can help me get the information I need. I'm from that ship out there. Understand? Ah. In order to land all those boats, we have to find out what kind of mines are in these waters. Where they're located. How many? Can you, uh, tell me anything about them? Can you tell me who laid them? Do you understand? Hey, I'm up to that. A man who laid mines in the water. Yeah, yeah, that's it. It took a lot of men and boats to mine that whole area. The commies had to have help. Now, who helped them? Some fine man. Or a some fine man. Help. Soldier, say help. The soldiers made the Samhain boats help, huh? Well then, a Samhain skipper can tell me what I want to know. Where can I find one? For gone. What? No tear, anything. Soldier, kill all Samhain man. Auto light is bringing you Mr. William Holden in Needle in the Haystack. The true story of the United States Navy's operations in Wanslon Harbor in October 1951. Tonight's presentation in Radio's outstanding theater of thrills. Suspense. Say, Hap, did you ever hear about a person buying cigarettes without asking for a particular brand? Oh, never, Harlow. Well, some of those same folks accept replacement parts for their cars' electrical systems without even asking the name. You mean they don't insist on parts exactly like those specified by the car manufacturer, Harlow? Believe it or not, Hap. Well then, how can they be sure to get peak performance? They can't be sure, and here's why. Auto light designs and builds complete electrical systems for many leading makes of our finest cars. And every auto light unit, like the coil distributor, generator, and others, is related by auto light design and manufacturing skill to work perfectly with every other auto light part. So when a replacement is needed, it should be an auto light, original service part to assure smooth, safe, and economical performance. So know what you get, eh, Harlow? Right, Hap. And in an auto light equipped car, it pays to get only auto light, original service parts. See your car dealer or authorized auto light service station because from bumper to tail light, you're always right with auto light. And now, auto light brings back to our Hollywood sound stage Mr. William Holden in Elliott Lewis' production of Needle in the Haystack. A true report, well calculated to keep you in suspense. What kind of minds are sinking our ships? How many? Where are they? All tough questions and tougher to answer. The Wansong fisherman said there was no such thing. All the answers had been killed off. I tried another source. Rock headquarters in the friendly city of Wansong. Commander, the forest? Yes. Lieutenant King, sit down please. Thank you. Sorry to keep you waiting. It's been busy here. Yes, I noticed. They leave slowly. They seem to. We'd like to speed that up a little bit. I know. You want to get those ships in the harbor? What can I do? Well, you can find me a sand fan boat skipper who knows all about the mine laying job. You have been to the waterfront? Yes, I have. Then you know that all who helped have been killed or taken away? I thought there might be one someplace. 25 miles north of here, there is supposed to be a mining depot they use. Well, maybe we can find out something there. They are still out there. You realize, huh? Well, I have to take that risk. Can I get some kind of transportation? We have a jeep. Good. Now, any chance of borrowing somebody as an interpreter? I am as anxious as you are to secure this harbor. I will go with you, Commander. Singh was dog-tired and nervous and a little trigger-happy. As we drove over the roughest road in North Korea, he sat with a pistol and a rifle ready to handle anything. About 15 miles out of Wansong, we came to a village, a place of about a thousand people or so. When we heard the sound of our motor, they scattered in all directions. By the time we pulled to a stop, there wasn't a soul in sight, except a little girl about five years old. Well... Hey, wait, where are you going? We were questioned. No, no, let's try this little lady with the muddy face first. A child? Yeah, our kids are the same all over the world. At least I think they are. Come on, leave that rifle here. It is not. Okay. Hello there, honey. What's your name? You ask her, Singh. Ah... I guess she's a little scared. No, don't ask her anymore. She's as scared of you as she is of me. I have something here for you, honey. Here. Here. Candy for you. Go ahead, take it. Here. For you, honey. Well, at least the candy was a hit. This is no way to handle these people, Commander. What do you want to do, Singh? Start pumping bullets into them? They have no flag above the village. We do not know whether they are friendly or not. We are taking unnecessary chance. We do not like it. Something should happen pretty soon. Over there. Get your hand off that side arm. Maybe that candy worked. What? You know how to smile? We'll do it now. What do you want us to do? He wishes us to follow him. Over there. The wooden house. Looks like some kind of meeting hall. It might not be advisable. Nothing's happened to us yet. The whole place is sure turning out to see what's what. They see my rifle in Egypt. Can you get any of that? Not much. Something about our stranger. No guns or swords on the walls. They must be friendly. Do not count on it, Commander. He wants us inside. Then inside we go. The boss man of the village. Tell him that we've come here. My oldest son joined the Communist Party. He killed his mother and two sisters because they had no joint. He tried to kill me. But failed. What do you want? I'm not here to hurt anyone, sir. I'm a member of the UN forces that have come to North Korea to help restore this country. But before that, I need your help, sir. UN? Yes, United Nations. The war has changed many things. Yesterday it seemed the Communists might win. Today the UN. Tomorrow my people know not. We must speak before we decide to help. Thank you. They had a council meeting. And everybody who was anybody in the village got in on it. They discussed how we'd come in, why we were there, and what we wanted. And most of all, the candy bar I had given to the little girl. In the end, the candy bar won. The old man with his black robe and white beard said that they would give us any help that we needed. Then he gave another order. And a few minutes later, a group of men brought in a tall, rangy-looking character who didn't like it one bit. Let's go! Let's go! What's all this? I do not know. The man's name is Sandeep. A while of fuss. What's the class? He is telling the man he will not be harmed. He's giving him his life. But it's pretty scary. You talk to Sandeep. He only wants life. He escaped. Is this Sandeep, sir? Yes. He helped Russian friends mine, make mine. What's that? Sandeep, him, some fan man. I know how to make a fan. I have a lot of friends. I know how to make them. I am good at making money. I'm good at making money. I'm good at making money. I have a lot of friends. But I am not a fan of Sandeep. The parjunks pulled the sampans loaded with mines. Sometimes the junks laid their mines in a curve. When that happened, the sampans kept our were shot. Ask him how he got away. Uh... Do you have a gun? No, I don't have a gun. He jumped from his ship and swam ashore. He's quite a boy, isn't he? How many junks did they use? Uh, two, three, four. Three, four? Thirty-two. Because he knows how many mines. Three, four, three, four. Three, four, three, four. Two, three, four. It's a three thousand. Three, four, three, four. He knows where they are. He will show you. Well, good. We'll take you up on that, old boy. Where do you get your first ride in a helicopter over the harbor? Now for the sixty-four dollar question scene. What kind of mines? Magnetic contact or what? Ma sun chong yu al kiroi ibnika. Patong? Kiroi ibnida? Chasuk? Chokroi? Mine is a mine to him. Can you do everything else? Ma sun chong yu al kiroi ibnika. Kiroi? Same. That information is vital. We've got to know what kind, so we'll know how to sweep. Cigarette? Cigarette? Y-Yongi cigarette? Here, have a smoke, Buster. You were great while you lasted. S-Songi. S-Songi. What now? Tell them to wait here. We're going to find that mining depot we were talking about, and we're going to find out what kind of mines they used. The road to the abandoned mine depot followed a narrow gauge railroad. All along the way, there were bunkers and barricades, indicating that the area had been heavily guarded. Now and then we passed campsites where communist guerrillas had recently been. Snipers fired at us from both sides of the road. But we didn't make any stops until we got to the abandoned mine depot. When we stopped in front of the thick concrete dentrances, I forgot all about the trouble we'd had in getting there, and ran for the nearest one. Flooded. Yeah. They must have flooded it before they left. Then there's no way to find any parts, any plans that will tell you what kind of mines were assembled here. Nothing. The whole thing's a bust. And to find anything in that water would be like trying to find a needle in that pile of hay over there. Now what would a pile of dry hay be doing on this upper level? Well, I... To pack things in. To pack cartons of coils, detonating parts. Well, what do you know? Mine? You bet your life. The eye and nose of an 1800 pound magnetic mine. Magnetic? Yeah. Saying you can tell your friends that we found a needle in a haystack. The landing was held up to allow the minesweepers to clear all channels. The beach was finally turned over to the troops, and 22,000 men went ashore in two days with no losses. Before the end of the week, the 10th Corps was ashore with 50,000 men. Operation Yo-Yo was over. The long march to the yellow had begun. Suspense. Presented by Autolight, the night star, Mr. William Holden. This is Harlow Wilcox speaking for Autolight, the world's largest independent manufacturer of automotive electrical equipment. In 28 plants from coast to coast, Autolight makes over 400 products for cars, trucks, tractors, plane, boats, and industries. These products include bumpers, speedometers, batteries, such as the famous Autolight Stay Full, ignition engineered Autolight spark plugs, both standard and resistor types, voltage regulators, wire and battery cable, Autolight bullseye sealed beam units, and Autolight original service parts for all Autolight electrical systems. Autolight is proud to serve the greatest names in the industry. So, from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Autolight. Next week, it will be our pleasure to present Part 1 of the first detective story ever written. A tale considered by many to be the greatest ever written. Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone. Our star, Mr. Peter Lawford. That's next week on Suspense. Suspense is transcribed and directed by Elliot Lewis, the music composed by Lucian Morrowick and conducted by Luck Gluskin. Needle in the Haystack was adapted for suspense by E. Jack Newman from Captain Walter Carrick's Battle Report, Korea. Featured in the night's cast were Joseph Kearns, Jack Prussian, Ben Wright, Steve Roberts, David Young, Bert Holland and Ted Liss. William Holden will shortly be seen co-starring with Ginger Rogers and Paul Douglas in Paramount's new comedy, Forever Female. And remember, next week, Mr. Peter Lawford in Part 1 of Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone. You can buy Autolight original service parts, Autolight standard or resistor type spot plugs, and Autolight safe full batteries at your neighborhood Autolight dealers. Switch to Autolight. Good night. This is the CBS Radio Network.