 The National Broadcasting Company presents COUNTER SPY Harding COUNTER SPY Calling Washington United States COUNTER SPY Especially appointed to investigate and combat the enemies of our country both at home and abroad These COUNTER SPY reports to the American people are brought to you each week at this time. Now, the case of the spectrograph. Miss Phelps. Yes, Mr. Blake. When is Dr. Carthouse going to be here? Why, uh... He might at least be prompt. After all, we are his financial beggars. I know, Mr. Donner. As such, we're certainly entitled to better treatment than this. Of course, Mr. Fulton. Considering the fact that we've advanced close to $50,000 for his sonic research so far... Well, I know you have, gentlemen. Now, look, Miss Phelps, have you any idea where he is? Probably at Columbus Circle, 59th Street and Broadway. Oh, no, not again. More speeches? Well, Dr. Carthouse was feeling very good when he left here, and as you know, he usually makes speeches when he feels good. Yes, flowery ones, too, although you'll never guess it from the way he talks normally, abrupt to the point. But I'm not going to have my dignity trifled with any longer. If the doctor doesn't show up in five minutes, I'm going to consider the money I've invested so far in that nincompoop lost. And you and Blake can carry on with the financing if you're mad enough to do so. Now, Fulton, don't be... No, no, no, I mean it, Blake. I've had enough. What? Gladys. You should have been there. I made a great speech. A crowd of 30 people. I told them what I thought of the government. They were impressed. Doctor, your appointment... Oh, I see. All licking your chops, eh? That's what I mean, Blake. Now, see here, doctor, I'm a man of some importance in the banking world. I demand that I be treated with a measure of respect. Respect? You get that for brains, not money. There are no brains here except mine. And Gladys. My heaven, I've... Now, calm down, Fulton. Let's, let's at least see what the doctor has to show us. Yes. Now, Dr. Cardhouse, you promised us a demonstration of how far your sonic research had progressed. I keep my promises. Wait till I set up the laboratory, you'll see. Give me five minutes. Four, wait. It won't be long, Mr. Fulton. Give them some reading matter, Gladys, to keep them busy. Something not too difficult? Comic books. Ha. Good. All set. Come in and see. It's about time. This had better be good, Cardhouse. I'm sure it will be, gentlemen. Gladys, you come too. You've never seen this. Oh, thank you, Dr. Cardhouse. Close the door. All right, gentlemen, sit down. Yes. Let's see this. Good. Now, first, a preliminary demonstration. See this table backed by thick wood planks? I take this glass tumbler and put it on the table in front of the planks. You follow me? We have brains enough for that. I'm surprised. Now, here, this thing which looks like a radio, it produces sound waves with tremendous frequencies. It's made of, ha, you wouldn't understand. Just call it a sound box. Now, see this hole in front of the sound box. It sends out directional sound waves. Listen. Watch. See? Your ears hurt? I can barely hear now. Yes, but whatever, Dr. Cardhouse, shattering a glass is nothing new. A good, robust voice can do it, just holding a note long enough. Right, Blake. I showed you that for contrast with the real demonstration, which is coming now. Gladys. Oh, yes, Dr. Brush the glass off the table. Yes, sir. Now, the three of you. Look at this. A steel tube. Go on, take it. Pass it around. Hmm, heavy. Three-quarter inch steel armor plate. No question about it. Now, Fulton, be useful. Put the steel tube where the glass was. Like this? Right. I didn't think you were so smart, Fulton. I will not tolerate that. Oh, shut up, Fulton. Go on, Dr. Cardhouse. There's nothing more to say, Blake. Just listen. Watch again. You, what's the matter? Something go wrong, Dr. No, all the sound waves which are sent out now are too high for your ears to hear. Just watch the steel tube. Heavens. That's incredible. What did it? Sound waves. The demonstration is finished. Yes, but what did it? How did you attain a frequency that can shut a steel? How soon can it gain we put this to practical use? Why didn't it shatter those planks behind the steel tube? The planks have a higher degree of elasticity. They can absorb the sound waves. Steel is brittle. It can't. I'm working on a frequency to shatter wood now. This is frightening. Shattering armor plate like that? If this is developed on an industrial scale, there'll be plenty of practical use for it. Blake, I'm concerned with the war potential of a thing like this. Yes, Fulton's right. I think we should seek government protection for Dr. Cartos. Government protection? Well, did the plans and the formula for this device shouldn't be left unguarded wherever they are? The plans and the formula are here in my head when nobody can steal them. I don't like interference from my backers or government. I won't stand for snooping, prying. Now be reasonable, Dr. Cartos. No, I won't be. My feelings are clear. Jefferson said it best. Society in its worst state is a blessing. Government in its best state is a necessary evil. I must be free to work. No interference from you or the government. Take it or leave it. It doesn't give us much choice. No. Well then, go on as it is. And good night. Come on, gentlemen. An atmosphere of sanity. Good night. Good night, Mr. Cartos. Good night, Mr. Cartos. Good night, Mr. Cartos. Ruffled their fur. I'm glad it'll teach them that the brains are important. I feel good. It's late, Dr. Cartos. Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to make one. It's good to be independent. Remember that, Gladys. Good night. I'm going to bed. You straighten things up. I will, Dr. Cartos. Long distance. I'd like to place a call to Washington, D.C. The headquarters of the United States Counterpies. Yes, this is Sergei. Oh, hello. You sound very excited. Undoubtedly, this is a request for more money. What? Really? And what is this miracle, Dr. Cartos has done? Yes, yes. I'm listening. Go on. Oh, armor plate. Interesting if true. But you need more money. No. None. My dear sir, my government, my client feels he has paid enough without results. No. No. If what you say is true, obtain the formula and plans. How? With that I leave to your imagination. Get them to me and you will receive the final agreed upon sum, $100,000. Yes. Just send them by a commercial messenger. This business, the most ordinary means of transmission is usually the safest. I'll be expecting to hear from you. Good night, sir. Yes, what is it, Peter? My gosh, not him again. What's that, chief? Well, never mind. Put the call on my line. Then call Bowling Field and tell him to get the jet plane ready for a trip. Then come in here yourself. Hello? Hello? Hello? Ms. Phelps? Yes, is this Mr. Harding? Yes, it is. You're calling about Dr. Semyon Cothouse? Yes, Mr. Harding. I work with him. Yes, go on, Ms. Phelps. Well, Dr. Cothouse has just concluded a rather terrifying demonstration in the field of sonic power. I think he should be protected for his own sake. Does he know you're calling me? Oh, no, sir. I thought not. The doctor's a bit eccentric. Yes, that's a mild word, Ms. Phelps. You don't have to explain. I've had dealings with him before. Well, then you understand. He must know nothing of this. I thought perhaps that you could send an agent. Hold it, Peter. Well, Ms. Phelps? Yes. I'll come up to see you myself. I should be in New York in about two hours and a half. Oh, thank you, Mr. Harding. Where shall I meet you? Where are you now? At the doctor's home, 1232 West 82nd Street. All right. You'll be at the corner of 82nd Street and Columbus Avenue in exactly three hours. I'll pick you up in a car and you can tell me all about it while we drive around. I'll be there, Mr. Harding. Fine. Goodbye. Goodbye. Chief, what's this all about? A woman called from New York mentions a Dr. Cothouse and right away we're flying up there. Peter, I don't know what it's about. But the fact that it concerns Dr. Cothouse is enough for me. Where he's involved, I'd fly from here to Moscow via the Antarctic, if I had to. Who the dickens is he? The most brilliant and aggravating man I've ever dealt with. I'll tell you all about him on our flight up. Come on, let's get started. You mean that Dr. Cothouse made all these contributions toward the improvement of Raydown? I've never heard of him? Well, that's not surprising, Peter. You were in Europe in 1942 and 43, the period the counterspice dealt with him. Well, I should at least know the name. Oh, no. Dr. Cothouse is, shall we say, peculiar. He loads publicity and despises government. Our government? Oh, he's broadminded. Any government. He never officially worked for it. But the results of his research, too. How did we get them? Well, he brought them into us. But he never worked for us. We tried to, we had to guard him without letting him know that he was being guarded and financed him through apparently private sources. There must have been one headache to you. But tell me, why weren't his services just drafted for the government? That's easier said than done. He refused point blank to work. Of course, we could have had him arrested even shot, but that wouldn't have given us the benefit of his brain. That's true, Dave. You can't force a man to think, particularly not Dr. Cothouse. He literally doesn't give a hoot for anything or anybody. He's not at all reticent about announcing that fact. Unpleasant character. Oh, no, to the contrary. Very pleasant. And very difficult to guard. Our biggest job was protecting him from being mobbed. Mobbed? Yes. You see, he has a hobby, not stamps or model planes or anything normal. He likes to make speeches. What? He's in Union Square, denouncing communism. In the next days of the Chamber of Commerce meeting, denouncing capitalism. Un-character. Dr. Cothouse is just against. Doesn't make any difference what? He's against it. I'm looking forward to meeting him. Well, don't, Peter, because you won't. I haven't the faintest idea what he's doing. But if he learns we're interested in it, protecting him, interfering, as he calls it, he'll stop dead. I know, because that's just what he did when he found out our agents were guarding him during the war. That's why I haven't kept an agent on him regularly. The New York office keeps a once-a-month check on him. That's all. But just what is it that he'll stop doing? Chief, you don't even know yet. Well, I know if Dr. Semyon Cothouse is doing it, it's important. That's enough for me. Exactly what it is we'll learn in New York when we meet Miss Gladys Belts. It's true, Mr. Harding. I thought myself. He shattered a piece of armor plate. That's right, sir. Three-quarter inches thick. Chief, a thing like that could... Yes, I'm way ahead of you, Peter. Now listen, Miss Belts, did you tell anyone else you were calling us? No, sir. Chief, what are we waiting for? Why don't we just pick up this doctor and turn him over to the Department of Defense? Peter, I know the man we're dealing with. He'll come to the government all right, but when he's ready to and feels he's finished his research, and not a second before. You will give him protection, though, won't you, Mr. Harding? That I guarantee is starting right now. We're back at 82nd Street, chief. All right, Miss Belts, now you better get back to the doctor's house. We've been driving around for more than an hour. All right, Mr. Harding. And don't worry. We'll have a guard over him every minute from now on. Well, I've got a feeling I don't get any sleep tonight, chief. You don't, Peter. Stick here and keep your eye on that house she's going into until I send an agent to relieve you. Okay. Now, one thing you've got to make sure of, Peter, the doctor car house doesn't become suspicious of you. I haven't lost a trail yet, chief. Well, if car house finds out about you, we lose more than a trail. We lose the use of his brain, and that we can't pick up. I'll be... Hey. The girl's coming back. What? Mr. Harding, the laboratory. Dr. Carthouse, he's been murdered. You are listening to the case of the spectrograph on Counter-Spy. Tonight, the big show brings you the best in comedy, music, and drama with Tallulah Bankhead, Fred Holland, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Margaret Truman, Mindy Carson, Meredith Wilson, and many, many more. It's the big show, top Sunday-listening design for the entire family. And speaking of families, tonight means another delightful adventure for the Madcap Harris family and all their friends on the Phil Harris Alice Faye show. That's tonight over most of these NBC stations. Now, back to Counter-Spy. Well, Peters, you're dead all right. One shot in the temple. Dr. Carthouse, who's that? Now, please, please control yourself, Miss Phelps. We've got to find out who killed him, and you've got to help us. Yes. Yes, Mr. Harding, I know. The sense that was one of the three financial backers Miss Phelps told us about since they were the only ones that knew of the doctor's experiment. Yes, looks like it. Well, Peters, you take a look around the laboratory while I ask Miss Phelps some questions about this equipment here. All right. Miss Phelps, is this the device Dr. Carthouse used in his experiment, the thing he called a sound box? Yes, sir. No auto-working? No, sir. No one but Dr. Carthouse did. I see. Well, this machine over here with the endless roll of paper in it and the pencil marks on the paper. What's this? Well, that's a spectrograph, Mr. Harding. It draws a picture of sound waves. Dr. Carthouse used it to make the sound patterns of his research visual. Oh, yes. I've heard of the spectrograph. Hmm. That's funny. What is, Miss Phelps? That roll of paper in the spectrograph. I swear it was clean enough. I left here, but now it's all marked down. Oh, yeah. Now hold up, Peters. You mean someone's used this spectrograph? So it would seem. Exactly how does this work? I'm a little vague on the details. Well, that microphone on the desk is connected to the spectrograph. When you speak into it or make a noise in front of the microphone, that pencil apparatus on the spectrograph makes a line on the paper corresponding in lengths to the volume of the noise. Oh, I understand. Chief, that fits in with what I find. Part, Peters. Look, these marks on the desk, four of them, like rubber grippers on the bottom of a portable typewriter. Then this indentation in the desk blotter, circular, vague, could be a microphone stand. And here a piece of recording tape. What? With on the floor by the desk. A tape recorder, huh? And that's spectrograph news. What does it mean, Mr. Hart? Well, the recorder's pretty obvious. Whoever killed Dr. Cardhouse wanted his knowledge first. He knew the doctor kept nothing in writing, so he made him speak his piece and then shot him. I go along with that, Mr. Harting. Then we can assume that he talked into the microphone attached to the murderer's recorder and at the same time switched on his own microphone attached to that spectrograph. Chief, you mean the whole story is in those undecipherable pencil lines on that roll of paper? Well, I mean, it's worth the trouble to find out what is on that roll of spectrograph paper, something we're going to do right now. Hello? And who is it? David Harting, United States counterspies. Counterspies? Yes, I'm sorry to bother you at 2.30 in the morning, Commander Taggart. Oh, shoot, Mr. Harting. Well, now, in your radar and sonic research, you use an instrument known as the spectrograph, don't you? Yes. Yes, we do. Well, now, is there any method of reading the marks that are made by sound waves on the spectrograph tape? Oh, well, there are experts, yes, who can do it. Well, where can I find such a man? Well, if you give me a couple of days... Oh, no, that's too long, Commander. Isn't there any other way we can find out what a spectrograph tape is? Well, I might be able to make a talk. How? We have the apparatus in our naval laboratory here in New York if I had an enlarged photograph of the spectrograph tape. Well, we'll have it, Commander Taggart. If you'll go right down to the naval laboratory, I'll meet you there in 30 minutes. Officer of the day told me you were here. I'm David Harting. Oh, Mr. Harting, I must say you counters by certainly do things in a hurry. Oh, this is extremely urgent. Oh, fine. Do you have the enlargement of the spectrograph? Well, my assistant, Mr. Peters, is standing by at our counters by photo laboratory, and he'll rush right over with it just as soon as it's ready. Good. Well, then, I can take this time to show you how I may be able to make a talk. Yes, that's what I came for. Well, we use this device here, Mr. Harting. We're using a big electrically-lighted transparent drum, the sort of talking drum. Talking drum? Yes, Mr. Harting. You see that bank of electric cells outside the drum, photoelectric cells? Yes. Well, when we place strips of black paper or tape on the drum and revolve it, the photoelectric beam is broken, and a series of vibrations are transmitted to a speaker for as long a time as the beam set up by the photoelectric cells is broken. See, then theoretically, you can make paper talk without a human voice even being involved in the process. Well, that's just exactly what we've done, Mr. Harting. Look, I'll show you this test pattern we keep having. Yes, please do. First, I'll start the motor that turns the lighted drum. Here we are. You see, the drum revolves, but nothing happens because it's completely transparent. Now, here's the spectrogram reading which we use for laboratory tests. It's a hand-drawn picture of some spoken phrase, right? Right, Mr. Harting. And I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase of the thing. Now, here on this desk, this black tape cut up in odd shapes, it's an enlargement of this spectrogram already prepared in sections for mounting on the drum. I see you can walk. Well, I'll take this first section and mount it on the drum. Now, when I start the drum, listen to what happens when the part with the black tape on it passes over the photoelectric cells. That's remarkable. Wait. I'll mount the rest of this prepared laboratory tape on the drum, and there we are. Now, listen. I had a little laugh. His face was wet as snow. That's astounding, Commander. Do you think that by cutting up the enlarged spectrogram my assistant brings we'll be able to hear exactly what was said on it? I'm sure we will. Of course, the voices won't be recognized. Well, that's not too important if we can only get them... Hey, Honest Harting. The enlarged spectrogram. We had to enlarge it in sections. The roll of paper was so long. What about this, Commander Daggett? Can you work from this? Oh, my assistant, Mr. Peters. Yes, I think so. It'll take time, though. See, I'll have to cut it up and we can only get about 50 or 60 words on the drum at one time. Well, let's start at the beginning and get going. I want to know what those black lines say just as soon as possible. Here we are, Mr. Harting. The first section's all set up and ready to go. Turn it on. And pray that the voice of the murderer is on it. All right, here goes. Oh, good. That's right, Doctor. You're going to kill me. Prayers answered. Yes, unless you tell your data to this microphone I set up. If I do, you'll kill me anyway. All right, but your knowledge will die with you and you wouldn't like that. I have no choice. Now, why the dickens doesn't he say the man's name? All right, I'll settle for. Move the mic closer. Blake. Blake. I'll have to cut out more of the spectrogram. All right, Mr. Harting. Chief Blake has a tape recording of that. I know, and we'd better move fast if we want to stop it from getting out of the country. Come on, Peters, let's go. Sergey, this is Blake. I told you, Blake, no more money without results. I've gotten results. What? Yes, they're on their way over to you by messenger now. So? You'll send the money right away. 100,000? When I'm sure I'll get it. You'll send the money right away. 100,000? When I'm satisfied the results are worth it. Well, then satisfy yourself fast because I need the money in a hurry. I'll be waiting to hear from you. Goodbye. Hello? Congratulations, Blake. Sergey, I was just going to call you. It took me some time. Well, do I get the money? It's on its way over to you by messenger now. You will get the remedy value of what you sent. After all, I am not technically qualified to judge what I heard on that tape. So be satisfied with half of the present. Our understanding was... Hold on, Sergey. There's someone at the door. Most likely the messenger with your money. I'll take it and be happy. I'll be in touch with you in the future. Goodbye. Sergey! Sergey! Just a minute. Package for Mr. Blake? Yes, that's me. Sign here. All right. There, and here's a dollar for your trouble. Just one out of the 50,000, Mr. Blake? What? You're not a very generous tipper. What the devil is this? Who are you to? United States counter-spies. It isn't every man we run errands for, Mr. Blake. You should be honored. I don't understand. What's this all about? The tape recording for Mr. Sergey Yacoro. We delivered it. You delivered it? After switching the one you sent for the one we made, especially for the purpose. I don't know what you're talking about. It's no use, Blake. We've known about you since early this morning. The only reason we didn't pick you up sooner is that we wanted to see to whom you dispose of that recording that you forced Dr. Cardhouse to dictate before you killed him. Killed him? That's right, Blake. You see, Mr. Yacoro's government will waste a lot of time trying to make something out of the recording we substituted, a fact which won't make us unhappy. So, Blake... Now, listen. I'll make a deal with you. I didn't kill Dr. Cardhouse, but I'll tell you everything. All about Sergey. He's the one that did the killing. Really? Yes, yes, yes. I swear it. Now, can we make a deal? No, Blake. For two reasons. In the first place, we don't want to arrest Yacoro. Keeping a known foreign agent under observation will give us a lot more leads than we could get out of him in prison. And in the second place, Dr. Cardhouse practically named you his murderer in a spectrogram recording he made. So get your hat and coat and come along, Blake. Well, it doesn't seem to be anything else from each... Look out, Peter. He's got a gun. Come on. Close chief. Yeah. Better call the ambulance, Peter. They can take care of Blake's last errand and see that he's delivered to his final resting place. Prison. Tune in every week. Same time. Same station, too. Counter spy. Listen next week for the exciting case of the smuggled schedule. Next week, we shall reveal for the first time why a certain small package was given one of the biggest guards in counter spy memory and how your counter spies went underground so that the wrong car would lead in the right direction. Listen to the case of the smuggled schedule on Counter Spy. Tonight's counter spy program originated in New York was directed by Marks B Lo, dramatized by Palmer Thompson and featured Don McLaughlin and Mandel Kramer. Lionel Rico speaking. Three chimes mean good times on NBC. Tonight, the big show, Radio's Greatest Spectacle, presents another broadcast in its NBC Sunday Night series. Your hour and a half of comedy, music and drama tonight includes Tallulah Bankhead, Fred Holland, Danny Thomas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Mindy Carson, and many, many more. Theatre Guild on the air tonight brings you the radio premiere of the hit musical Carousel, starring Patrice Montell and Cornel Wild. Here, Margaret Truman and Doug Fairbanks Jr. on The Big Show today on NBC.