 The telephone system welcomes you to telephone time with the stories of John Nesbitt. How do you do, everyone? Our story this time is about a man's triumph over almost unbelievable odds. And yet, our most important clues are not physical ones, but happen to be invisible. These can be seen, however. On these three trays, we reproduce exactly the total amount of food a grown man was permitted to eat each day over a period of 70 days. If you wanted to master a man, you would weaken him scientifically like this, taking your time, so that his body would crumble and his brain fall asleep. Unless, of course, he could rest most of the time. That would be nature's defense. In which case, you would keep waking him up or hold a light burning through his eyelids. Theoretically, after 70 days of this, you should be his master. Nevertheless, your man might still defeat you if, throughout, he had clung to our final clue, which I think quite proper to represent here as the cross. So we have named his story, I Am Not Alone. In the week of June 4, 1951, there was published a picture of a dark-haired, rather handsome man, together with the review of a book he had written, dealing with 70 days of his life in a prison. He was Polish with the somewhat difficult name to pronounce of Stipelkowski. His record states that Stipelkowski and 15 other members of the Polish underground government, who had fought for freedom throughout the war, were invited to leave Poland and come to Moscow to be honored with a state luncheon there on March the 28th, 1945. And in their hideout cellar in Warsaw, the underground leaders starkly considered whether the invitation to lunch would mean Russian friendship or death. They want control of all Poland, and they intend to find some way of discrediting us, so they may set up their own government openly in our place. But everybody knows that we have been fighting for Poland. How can they possibly discredit us? Suppose they accuse us of organizing sabotage behind their lines. Who in their senses would believe it? Who outside Poland understands the meaning of this force we face? Has anyone else anything to say? If not, then let's vote. Those in favor, then it's agreed. We accept. Will you go with us, Stipelkowski? Yes, and I pray God for Poland's sake. I'm wrong in what I think. This is how the journey started, and this is how it ended. Why don't you speak up? During the hours of sleep. What are the hours of sleep? You're not allowed to talk loudly. Why is the luncheon I was invited to? Weakling, you are giving way in a matter of hours. That's what this is for, to make you give way. The staring eyes, the silence. You're not allowed to hide your hands. You're not allowed to turn your face from the light. Get ready to see the commissar. Number 788. Number 7788. Major Tujana, fit your service. I am honored to meet a leader of the heroic Polish underground. We know all about your heroism during these past six years, and we are overwhelmed with that. You have noticed something. It is your calendar. It tells me I've been in prison here for more than two days now. Your clock tells me less, for I do not know if it is night or day. It is a very sunny day outside. Oh, I am forgetting my manners. Do sit down. Thank you. A cigarette. Thank you. I don't smoke. You will not mind if I do. How did it happen that you came here to the Libyanke prison? I did not come here with my own accord. I came to Moscow with my colleagues in response to an invitation to lunch at the Kremlin. So? Then, obviously, there must be some misunderstanding somewhere which will soon be cleared up. I hate to bother you, Mr. Stapolkowski, but as a lawyer, you will understand that I must have some personal details about you. All right, good, you know. Yeah. Now, I have your full name, age. Yes, your mother is still alive, and so are your wife and sister-in-law. They are well, I hope. For the past three years, they have been in a German concentration camp at Ravensbrook. I don't know whether they are living or dead. Don't say so. How terrible for you. I see you have two brothers. No, the younger one was killed during the war with the Germans in 1939, and the older has been missing for some time. Under what circumstances? I never heard. He's probably dead. Tragic, tragic. And your son? Some friends were looking after him. When the liberating Soviet armies marched in, well, up until the time I came to Moscow, I had not found him. But why would a man like you leave his boy without protection? When I came to Moscow, I did not expect to be absent from war, so more than a day or so. But you must have some idea of where he is. Tell me, perhaps I can help you. I'm sorry to say I have no idea whatever where he is. It's half past two already. You must be tired. Seven seventy-eight a.m. is ready. I won't bother you anymore now. There seems to be certain stipulated hours of sleep. What are they? Ah, yes, let me see. Ten p.m. until six a.m. and two to four in the afternoons. A generous allowance, don't you think? Quite. I've had no food or drinks since I've been here. You haven't. What must you think of us? That I can promise you will be put right. And I can promise you, too, you will find the food good. Simple, you know, but of its kind good and excellently served. We don't starve, I guess. It wasn't so bad. And he did not find out where my boy is. And he never will. He never will. The good, simple food excellently served. Two pieces of freshly cooked bread and hot water. Luncheon soup made of a fine quality cabbage leaf and the hot water. Dinner, two spoons full of the finest quality ground oats and the hot water, as he promised simple but good and excellently served. I trust you ate well since we last talked. Yes, thank you. Sit down. We have a rule here that during interrogation your hand should be always in sight on the table, do you mind? Mr. Stobokowski, I have come to regard you as someone I would like to call a friend. I would really like to help you. For instance, you must be terribly anxious about your son. If only you could give me some idea how ever vague of his whereabouts, I'm sure I could find him. Thank you, I haven't any idea at all. Well, then about these activities of yours said to be hostile to the Soviet Union, maybe I can help you there. I can only repeat, I know of no such acts. Perhaps you didn't realize they could be regarded as hostile. How could that be? All my efforts have been concentrated in fighting Germany. Let's get at it this way then. Suppose you give me a detailed account of everything you did do. After all, we may be wrong in this charge and if so, we would like to clear up the whole misunderstanding. But I beg of you for your sake, not to try to deceive us. If you are reticent, how can I help but think that you have something to hide? Let's clear it up. Be frank! Six o'clock, the birth of a new day. How happy I would be to think that you were going out into its life in light of free man. Why spend this new day like the last? All we ask is proof of your sincerity in telling us something we already know and we can help you. Do please, think it over. Are you quite sure you won't let us help you find your son? He may be in danger. How can I if I don't know where he is? A 778A is ready. No instrument of torture yet. No tool to break my flesh. No whip, no fabulous drugs poured into my veins. At the end of the first six interrogations, I calculated the 20 would mark my limit and I should break. Yet, on the 70th, I nearly screamed out, I will sign, I will sign, only give me permission to die. Yet, am I conceivably even stronger than he? Do I stand alone? Get ready for interrogation. You can feel drunk, con-hot water, warm, all through you. So you're a spy after all, a German spy. If you continue to insult me, I will answer no more questions. Do you know how many times you have been here? Yes. 85 times in 44 days and in all that time you have told me nothing but lies. Did you think you could fool us with your story of your women folk in a German concentration camp? If you know so much, you should know it is true. Are you all right? What is hostages for your loyalty to your German masters? Well cared for. Did you think we wouldn't know this? Your colleagues have told us everything. I have their sign confessions. I don't believe you. Stipolkowski did this, Stipolkowski did that. Your friends are working with us now. That you are a lawyer. What chance have you got against the testimony of all the others? I won't say any more. You can murder me. Murder you? We don't wish to murder you. We wish only for you to sign a confession and admit your past mistakes in that way you will be absolved of having been a traitor. A pole a traitor to Russia? This is not a question of treason to a country but to an idea. We are an idea. A new way of life for all the world and it is to this that you are a traitor. Think about what I have told you. 778A is ready. Not yet. I've tried every known means. If he has not lied to me, he has a prodigious memory. I have not missed the chance to trip him up. He is unusual, very gifted. I have never known anyone quite like him. You mean he is, shall we say, in vulnerable? No, we know better than that. I have just sent him away more broken than I have ever seen him. For the first time, I have seen him afraid. And when they are afraid, they crumble. No man is invulnerable. You still think your Anglo-Saxon friends will help you? They have already forgotten you. Why should they bother about one man? I know what you are waiting for. You are hoping you will hold out longer than I. But you are mistaken. I am the stronger, do you hear? I am the stronger. You said I was lying before. Look at these. They are your colleagues' confessions. You know their signatures. Look at them, examine them. We want you to go back with them, back with your friends. And all you need to is sign. What are you one man against so much? Who cares anyhow if you do sign? Give in and end it all. All you need to do is sign your name. Sign. Sign your name. All you need to do is sign. Sign your name. I want to see the commissar. You have asked to see the commissar. Then you are willing to cooperate with us. I applaud your wisdom. Give him the papers, the journal. Take your time, Stepolkowski. Read it carefully before you sign. Sign. What are you saying? You must sign just the two words of your name. And it is over. Confess. You must take him away. Charles Press reported the public state trial at Moscow, which occurred during the closing days of June 1945. Correspondents and photographers were invited by Stalin's order to listen to 16 leaders of the Polish underground confess to treason, sabotage, spying, and murder. One prisoner for the first time in the history of the Soviet exhibition trials refused to plead guilty and to confess. The name is given as Stepolkowski, who declared his innocence, was detained only a few weeks, and was given his freedom. The man who failed to gain a confession from him has never been heard from again. Outed in the story, we had here the case of an extremely devout man in a struggle against a man who had no religion at all. Nevertheless, there have been a great many good and brave men of faith who have broken under the communist brainwashings, we believe temporarily, and we must add that Colonel Stepolkowski had a special advantage in his struggle. As it happened, in the years before the war he had been an extremely successful courtroom lawyer and was hence used by training to the long and tedious process of interrogation or question and answer. But the accident of legal training would have been useless without the fact that he was a believer in a power above all states. And that's why we titled the story, I am not alone.