"Hello, old Slote, interested in buying Mrs. Byron Henry a breakfast?" "Good." "Let's push on to Italy and get Aaron out." "I want to go home." "Big surprise that I got summoned." "I had thought and certainly hoped that he'd forgot me." " You're not forgettable." " How far are we going?" "Just to Hyde Park." "He has to rest." " Are you all right, Mr. President?" " Fine, Missy." " Captain Henry." " Yes." " You're to sleep in the president's car." " Thank you." " Good evening, Captain Henry." " How are you?" "Fine, thank you." "Good to have you back." "This way, sir." "You'll be staying in here, sir." "The president will call you just as soon as he's ready." "I think that you'll be comfortable." "If there's anything that you need, just buzz for me." " Thank you." " You're quite welcome, sir." " Good night." " Good night." "Yes?" "Sir, if you're available now, the president would like to see you." "Thank you." "I'll be right there." "It's just at the end of the corridor, sir." "Come in, Pug." "Sorry I couldn't get to you sooner, old top, but Harry and I didn't finish up until just a few moments ago." "Did I break in on your beauty rest?" " Not at all, sir." " Good." "Sit down." "How are you on poetry, Pug?" "Do you remember the poem that ends:" "There isn't a train I wouldn't take No matter where it is going?" "Golly, that's the way I feel." "Just getting on this train has made me feel 100 percent better." "Well, 90 percent." "If this were a ship, it would be 100 percent." "I prefer a ship myself, sir." " The old grievance, eh, sailor?" " Oh, truly no." " No, I'm quite happy in war plans." " Are you?" "Well, I'm glad to hear it." "This train isn't supposed to go more than 35 miles per hour." "They're shading it up there." "I better have more of that cough medicine." "The U-boats keep working westward with this new "wolf pack" tactic." "The sinkings are outnumbering the combined capacity of our yards, plus the British yards to build new bottoms." "You're aware of all that?" "I've heard about that in these conferences." " You accept the British figures?" " Yes, I do." "So do I." "The point is the minute Lend-Lease passes, we'll be sending out a vast shipment of stuff." "Seventy ships are standing by now to be loaded." " Do you think Lend-Lease will pass?" " Oh, it'll pass." "But then what?" "None of that stuff must land on the ocean floor, Pug." "That's terribly important." "The British need it." "They need even more the morale boost of seeing it arrive." "The problem is getting it through as far as Iceland." "There, they can take it themselves." "But not from here to Iceland." "They're simply stretched to the breaking point." "What'll we do?" "Convoy, sir?" "Not with people like the good senator Ike Lacouture screaming that if Lend-Lease passes, we warmongers will be demanding exactly that." "But I've been thinking, suppose a squadron of our destroyers were on exercise in the North Atlantic, not convoying, understand, not convoying at all, just professional drills, you might say." "Then, suppose they somehow run across those 70 vessels, and the squadron leader decided that he would form up with those vessels and practice convoy procedures." "Just for drill exercises, you know." "Don't you suppose those U-boats might be a wee bit discouraged to see 16 or so Benson Class United States destroyers out there screening those ships?" "A wee bit, yes, sir." "But suppose one of those submarines closes and fires anyway?" "That's the whole gamble." "I don't believe it'll happen." "Thanks." "This is against doctor's orders, but I need a smoke." "Pug, I want this thing done, and I'm thinking you can handle it." " Go out with the destroyers." " Aye, sir." "It's very much like that airplane transfer you handled so well." "Everything depends on its being done in the calmest, quietest, most unobtrusive way." "And now tell me, what do you honestly think?" "It's my own idea." "I haven't even discussed this with Harry." "If you think it's bad, say so, but tell me why." "Well, to begin with, the North Atlantic weather is atrocious." "Those U-boat fellows may never see us." "If they do, they will be surprised." "I doubt we'll hit a trigger-happy one." "The German submariners are professional." "They'll radio for instructions, and the policy question will go up to Hitler." "That'll take some time." "The ships have a good chance of getting through without incident." "Grand." "But it'll only work once." "It's a policy surprise far too risky to repeat." "Yes, it's a terrible risk, but this first shipment is the crucial one." "I'll draft a plan for CNO." "No, I don't want any paperwork." "Talk to Preble personally." "Well, Pug, we'll chat about that exercise again in the morning." "Aye, sir." "When you come back from that little jaunt, which you ought to enjoy," "I want you and your wife and family to come for a quiet little dinner with us." "Mrs. Roosevelt often speaks of you." "Thank you, Mr. President." "I'm very honored." "Good night, old top." "Pug." "The best men I have around me keep urging me to declare war." "They say it's inevitable." "That it's the only way to unite the people, get them to put their backs into the war effort." "I suppose you agree with them." "Yes, Mr. President, I do." "It's a bad thing to go to war." "A very bad thing." "Get a good rest, Pug." "Good night, sir." " Captain Henry to see Admiral King." " Very well." "Messenger, escort Captain Henry to the flag mess." "Aye, aye, sir." "This way, sir." "So, captain, you are quite prepared to get the United States of America into this war all by yourself." "Well, that's one way for an obscure individual to go down in history." "The president and the CNO feel this exercise can go off without incident." "So you said." "Suppose that judgment is wrong." "Suppose a U-boat fires a fish at you." "What then?" "I propose to fire back." "That shouldn't start a war unless Hitler wants one." "Well, we're in this war anyway." "It doesn't matter when or how the whistle blows, the Japs are gonna kick off against us when it suits them." "And probably when it least suits us." "Well, at least this Lend-Lease business is going to get us building factories we need to fight the damn war." "Get me Admiral Bristol." " You've got nothing in writing?" " No, sir." "You're hereby to discontinue all references to the president." "Aye, sir." "Hello." "Admiral, I am sending to your office one Captain Victor Henry, special observer from war plans." "He is to be regarded as my assistant chief of staff with all the appropriate authority." "Affirmative." "He'll be in your office within the hour." "Thank you." "Captain, I desire that you now form out of DesRon 8 an antisubmarine screen and proceed to sea to conduct realistic tests and drills in the Newfoundland-Iceland area." "This is to include forming up screens on cooperative merchant vessels should you encounter them." "And, of course, you will avoid provoking belligerent vessels if they are to sight you." "I desire that you keep security at a maximum, paperwork at a minimum, that you will conduct yourself similarly." "Aye, aye, sir." "All perfect horse manure, but that's the story." "In the event of an incident, it'll be a hanging party for all hands." " Carry on." " Aye, sir." "Attention, please." "American Airlines..." "Pan American flight number nine now boarding at gate six." " Hello." " Hi, Rhoda." "This is Palmer." " Oh, Palmer!" " Did I wake you?" "No, no, no." " Where are you?" " I'm right here in Washington." "Washington?" "That's great." " Where's Pug?" " Oh, Pug?" "Who knows what he's up to." "He's away for a couple of weeks on some sort of hush-hush business." "Then how would you like to come away with me for a week?" "Rhoda, we owe it to ourselves and to Pug to get this thing resolved." "The way we left it in New York was far from satisfactory." "I know." "All right, then." "Well, sir what did you have in mind?" "You and I will pile in the car and drive around the South and we'll look at magnolias and cherry blossoms and wisteria and we'll walk and talk and we'll drink some tea." "We will, will we?" "It's funny." "For the last couple of days, I've had this strange craving for tea." "Now hear this." "Brace for heavy weather." "Close all watertight hatches." "Sir, my rudder is right standard." "Coming to new course 2-7-0." "Very well." " Here you are, captain." " Thanks, Spike." "Sir, steady new course 2-7-0." " Helmsman, right standard rudder." " Right standard rudder, aye, sir." " Sir, my rudder is right standard." " Very well." "Gale-force winds rising, captain." "Your convoy's out there." "Broad on the port bow." "Three freighters, hull down, bearing 320 relative." "No, wait a minute, four freighters." "Four freighters off the port bow, about 12,000 yards." "Very well." "One freighter, three tankers." "My lookouts need some drilling." "Peacetime Navy." "Now hear this." "The smoking lamp is out." "Assume tactical command, skipper." "Form Able Sugar screen in accordance with Plan William." " Use flag hoist signals only." " Aye, aye, sir." "Lieutenant, raise your convoy on your light." "Aye, aye, sir." "Seventy merchantmen zigzagging in a gale at night." "Should be interesting." "Deck cargo still secure, sir, but we're shipping seas over the hatches." " Keep an eye on the starboard." " Aye, aye." "Stop all engines, damn it!" "I can't make her out, captain." "This is the master of the Holworth!" "Who the hell is colliding with my starboard side?" "Blast your Holworth!" "You crossed my bow!" "What the devil do you mean, I crossed your bow?" "Damn it, do I have to spell it out?" "I repeat, you crossed my blaming bow!" "Get me Sissons up here on the bridge." "Aye, aye, sir." "Rubbish, man!" "I didn't see her!" "How do you expect me to see in this weather?" "I haven't got eyes in my backside!" "Lieutenant Sissons to the bridge." "Now!" "And that, my friend, if you've forgotten, is five cables you're steering into the starboard of me!" "So get that heap of rust you call a ship off my weatherside and quick about it!" "Lieutenant Sissons, don't your damned merchantmen skippers know enough to maintain radio silence when ordered to?" "Signal your commodore on that infrared apparatus:" ""Imperative." "Repeat, imperative" ""you restore and maintain convoy radio silence."" "Aye, aye, sir." "Come on to the chart room with me." "I've seen better things crawl out of me bilges!" ""Didn't see me, "you bloody moron?" "You were 10 degrees off course, and sailing like a Liverpool scud!" "So don't you tell me to watch my station, damn you!" "Discontinue zigzagging, sir?" "What about submarines?" "If there are any submarines out there, we don't know about it." "What we do know is this zigzagging is fouling this convoy's progress, creating multiple collision hazards and compromising radio silence." "You're the screen commander, skipper, what do you think?" "Well, it gets us to Iceland a lot faster." "Minimizes the risk of detection or collision, but if we encounter U-boats, we're sitting ducks." "The gamble here is they don't attack." "Signal your commodore, "Discontinue zigzagging"." "Aye, aye, sir." "Old Navy saying, "If it works, you're a hero." ""If it doesn't, you're a bum."" " Mind your helm, sailor." " Mind my helm, aye, sir." "Well, sir, looks like our weather problems may be over." "Multiple contacts on the sound gear." "Indications are they're submarines." "Four contacts dead ahead, sir." "About 12,000 yards." "They're making a lot of water noise, like a whale broaching." "May be running with masts out of the water." "That figures." "Can you estimate their speed?" "Maintaining station with us, sir." "Go to general quarters, Jack." "Alert the screen." "Aye, aye, sir." "General quarters!" "General quarters!" "All hands." "Man your battle stations." "General quarters!" "General quarters!" "All hands." "Man your battle stations." "General quarters!" "General quarters!" "All hands." "Man your battle stations." "This is not a drill!" "General quarters!" "All hands." "Man your battle stations." "Sir, perhaps we might consider resuming the zigzag maneuvers." "If Jerry's gonna penetrate a screen of 16 destroyers, well, with 71 juicy, crawling targets, zigzagging won't help much." "Present course and speed, lieutenant." "No deviations." "Aye, aye." "We just started picking this up, sir." "A very strong signal." "He's transmitting in code." "He's gotta know we're copying this." "He's waiting for orders from higher up." "I'd like to see some of those faces in Berlin about now." "I tell you, Jodl, the screening vessels are American destroyers." "Grossadmiral Raeder, what are you thinking of?" "Wake the Fuehrer?" "Bedsides, it is a mistake." "Weiner is my best wolf pack commander." "It's a confirmed sighting." "I will report it at the morning briefing." "Jodl, U-boat standing orders are to stay submerged in presence of American warships." "They won't be able to keep up." "They will lose this convoy!" "Herr grossadmiral, it is not yet 7:00." "I will not wake the Fuehrer for a convoy sighting!" "All four contacts steady on course and and station, 12,000 yards ahead of us." "We've got them in sight." "If they fire on the convoy, we'll take them out." "I have no intention of waiting for the convoy to be fired on." "If they submerge and start closing, attack with depth charges." "If they surface and close, engage with gunfire." "Aye, aye, sir." "If they keep their distance, submerged or surfaced, we'll keep ours." "Aye, sir." "Contacts still maintaining course and speed with us, sir." "Very well." "I'll call when the briefing's over." "I beg you, Jodl, make this the first item of the conference." "Telephone me immediately!" "First comes the Yugoslavian crisis." "That is more important!" "Now hear this." "Ship condition Baker." " We're closing the contacts." " At what speed?" "We'll be over them in two hours." " Recommend we come right." " Negative." "He's losing power." "That commander will have to make his move very soon." "Looks like we're all waiting on Berlin." "American destroyers?" "Why was I not informed instantly?" "Why?" "It's Roosevelt." "He is trying to provoke me." "Twenty-six hundred yards and closing, sir." "Twenty-five fifty and closing, sir." "Twenty-five hundred and closing, sir." "Twenty-four fifty and still closing, sir." "All right, that's it." "Prepare for depth charge attack." " This battle force will not be fired on." " Aye, aye, sir." "Wait a minute!" "It sounds like they're all blowing their tanks." "They're coming up." "The bloody fools." "What targets." "It looks like he's throwing in the towel, sir." "Skipper, when all four submarines have extended to 5,000, stand down from attack." "Maintain sonar contact until they disappear." " All four." " Aye, aye, sir." "It worked, captain." "This time." "That's a real professional out there." "Did it all by the book." "He obeyed orders." "But there goes one frustrated warrior." "Oh, it's been sheer heaven." " Does it have to end?" " Heavens, yes." "We should have been back last night." "What are you gonna tell Pug?" "It couldn't be worse timing, what with Janice and Warren having the baby and Byron suddenly sailing off to marry that Jewish girl..." " There's always gonna be something." " I know." "I know." "But he's down right now, Palmer." " Down?" " Beached." "You have to be Navy to understand." "With the Navy expanding, his classmates are getting battleships and destroyer flotillas and cruisers, and he's stuck in shore duty." " He's had 10 years of it." " He's in war plans." "Oh, I know war plans sounds glamorous, but flag rank depends on blue water command, not on desk jobs." "That's a lousy system." "Wives, the Navy wives always know the score." "Gals who used to be my closest friends are suddenly cooling off." "My man is falling out of the race." "Then it's not the time to hit him." "I know." "But how can I not tell him?" "I'll find a way." "Thanks." "Hey, honey, he's home." " Man the bar." " Darling." "It's been impossible to talk to the girls since you've been gone." "Nobody wants to gab about anything except new orders." "Pug, you would not believe some of the new assignments." "Chip Pennington, Old Chip who hasn't drawn a sober breath since academy?" "Well, he got a destroyer squadron out of Pearl." "Naturally, Tammy had it all over town before BuPers sent out a dispatch." "When you wind down, Rhoda, I've got something to tell you." "You do?" "Well, I've got something to tell you too." "This was waiting for me when I checked into war plans." "Dinner at the White House?" "But what is it, Pug?" "Is it a state banquet or something?" " Or one of those huge affairs?" " No, no, no, just a quiet dinner." "Our family, the president and Mrs. Roosevelt." "Pug." "Oh, Pug." "Just us and the Roosevelts?" " What have you been up to?" " Nothing, a little errand-running." "This is just a carrot for the donkey." ""A carrot for the donkey"?" "It's magnificent!" "It's fantastic!" "Oh, wait till Tammy hears about this, and Elaine Foley too." "Oh, God." " Rhoda, simmer down." " What on earth am I gonna wear?" "I'll have to shop like mad." " You have something to tell me?" " What?" "You wanted to tell me something." "Oh, no, nothing." "God knows you've blown it clear out of my mind." "Oh, Pug." "Pug, just us and the Roosevelts." "Now hear this." "Mail call." "Mail for you, Mr. Henry." "Thank you, KB." " What in blazes is going on?" " Hey, take a look at this one." "You did it." "Look at that." "Natalie's pregnant?" "That's wonderful news." "Yeah, can you believe it, Dad?" "Boy, do I feel great." "Congratulations." "Any news about her coming home?" "Slote says he really built a fire this time under the consuls." "Well, they should be on their way by now, she and Aaron." " That's good to hear, Briny." " Something else, I got new orders." "Thirty days' leave, then pick up the Devilfish." " Fleet submarine?" " I'm coming up in the world." "You said it." "Here's another one for you:" "You're invited to dinner at the White House on the 26th." " Cut it out, Dad." " Your mother and Madeline too." "Warren probably couldn't fly in from Pearl on time, but if you're around, you may as well come." "Something to tell your children." "With the date for the invasion of Russia," "Operation Barbarossa, set for June 22nd," "Adolf Hitler holds an intimate afternoon tea at Berchtesgaden." "Finally, he is notified that the most important guest has Just arrived." "Summoned by the Fuehrer, Gestapo Chief Heinrich Himmler is here to discuss a matter cloaked in such secrecy that only a handful of top Nazi leaders know of its existence." " Let's step out there." " Right." "Well, Himmler, let's hear." "Mein Fuehrer, the special actions squads, we call them Einsatzgruppen, have been selected and reviewed by me personally." "At a meeting of the highest secrecy, I myself addressed them and disclosed their mission in the Soviet Union." " What was the reaction?" " Immense enthusiasm." "You're sure?" "Was it genuine?" "These are picked SS men, mein Fuehrer." "National socialists to the bone, screened." "Former lawyers, physicians, police, civil servants, the cream of German manhood." " How many in all?" " All told, 3,000 men and officers." "They are just the organizers, mein Fuehrer." "The local population will execute the job." "We have been checking in Poland." "Plenty of volunteers." "A very positive report, Himmler." "Come to the party." "Have a little fun." "Relax." "You're working too hard, you know." "What do you think, Dad?" "The limeys gonna get the Bismarck?" "They claim that the Prince of Wales winged her off Greenland." "But those German pocket battleships have got fine damage control." "I've been aboard the Bismarck." "If they did hit her they probably just buttoned up those flooded compartments, lit out for home." "British are throwing a lot into this search." "Well, they know where she's headed, the French coast." "They know the speed she makes." "I imagine British Air will find her, unless the Bismarck is not damaged." "In which case..." "God help any convoys she runs across." "She can pick off 40 ships in an hour." "I'd sure like to be on that search." "You would, huh?" "Hey, what time is it?" "Come on, let's make tracks." "Dad, you're pretty close to the president, aren't you?" "Close?" "I don't know anybody who's close to Mr. Roosevelt, except Harry Hopkins." "I got a couple of letters from Natalie the other day." "She's still stuck." " What now?" " I don't know." "Her uncle can't get his passport renewed, same old runaround." "Well, you tell your wife to come home." "Let him sweat it out." " That baby should be born here." " She won't leave him." "They're ringed by Germans." "They're in France, Yugoslavia, North Africa, all the way through Italy." "Dad, they're a couple of Jews." "I'm aware of that, Byron." "Pug, would you come here?" "I'm going out of my mind." "Yes, Rhoda?" "Will you look at how my stomach is bulging." "Why is that?" "This stupid dress did not look like this in the store." "It looked fine." " You're not bulging, you're very pretty." " For God's sake, I am bulging a foot." "Would you just button me up in the back, please." "I look six months pregnant." "I am horrible and I am wearing my tightest girdle." "What'll I do?" "You'll do just fine." "Hey, Dad, I was thinking maybe you could mention this to the president." "That is an unreasonable notion." "Byron I don't think that your wife's uncle's citizenship mess is a suitable problem to submit to the president of the United States." "Well, just where would you suggest I submit it then?" "For heaven's sake, what are you two jawing about?" "Pug, put on your jacket and come along." " Madeline's waiting at the station." " Yes, dear." "We're glad to have you back." "That is wonderful." "You really are a master at this, I can see." "My goodness, Mr. President, I wish Pug could carve like that." "Oh, I'm sure he can." " Think you can handle all that, Harry?" " Barely, Mr. President." "I do like a slice of ham, though, don't you, Rhoda?" " Oh, yes." " Not a steak, not a sliver either." "The secret is a sharp knife and a firm wrist." "We always served that at my house." " The children have always enjoyed it." " I love it too." "It's one of Pug's very favorites, I must say, Mr. President." "What's that, Pug?" "Am I missing something good?" "Mrs. Roosevelt was just asking me about German troop movements." "Captain Henry was in the intelligence business too, Willie." "He was Naval attaché in Berlin." "Very few people know this, Pug, but Mr. Maugham is not just a famous author, he was a British spy in the last war." "He even wrote a spy novel, Ashenden." "So watch out what you say around here, it'll get right back to Churchill." "Mr. President, you know very well that a houseguest would never do that." "I am not a ferret now, I assure you, but a much lower form of life, a sponge." "What do you think of this, Willie?" "Captain Henry predicted Hitler and Stalin's pact before it happened." "All the clever diplomats, generals and columnists were caught flatfooted, but not Pug." "What's your prediction this time, Pug?" "Will Hitler attack Russia?" "With that piece of luck, I hocked my crystal ball and threw away the ticket." "Captain, never admit to luck in our racket." "Let's ask our undersecretary of state." "Sumner?" "If one studies Mein Kampf, Mr. President, the attack is inevitable sooner or later." "I'd hate to be bound by anything I said or wrote 20 years ago." "If Germany attacks the Soviet Union, will England help Russia, or leave Stalin to stew in his own juice?" "I can't really say." "You know, Willie, a lot of folks here don't believe the story that Rudolf Hess is crazy." "They say he was sent to advise your people of the coming attack on Russia, and to get a hands-off agreement in exchange for a promise to help you keep the empire." "That very plan is in Mein Kampf." "Sumner do you think we could explain it to the American people if the British did not help Russia?" "I think that would finish off aid to England, Mr. President." "If Hitler is a menace to mankind, that's one thing." "If he's just a menace to the British Empire, that is something very different." "Of course, Hitler may be gathering his troops in the east precisely because he intends to invade England." " A feint, you mean?" " Yes." " That too, is possible." " The princess is quite right." "Unfortunately, nowadays, the whole thing seems to boil down to whatever Hitler's impulses are." "Pity we have to live in the same century with that creature." "Say we have here two men who have talked at length, face to face with the fellow." "Let's take a Gallup poll." "Sumner, do you think Hitler's a madman?" "I looked hard for such evidence, Mr. President." "But, as I reported, I found him a very cool, very knowledgeable, skilled advocate." "How about you, Pug?" "I'm afraid I must agree with Mr. Welles, sir." "Face to face, the man has a powerful presence with an incredible memory and a remarkable ability to marshal the facts when he speaks." "Yes, the fellow is able, of course, or he wouldn't be giving us trouble." "Pug, when on earth did you have a talk with Hitler?" "That's news to me." "He's always been close-mouthed, but to keep a thing like that from me..." "You didn't need to know." "Captain Henry, I bow to a professional." "My dear, you couldn't have paid your husband a handsomer compliment in public." "Well, I didn't intend to." "Imagine." "He is just a sphinx, that man." "Pug's a very fine officer." "I expect great things of him." "I always have, Mr. President." "Not everybody deserves such a beautiful wife, but he does, Rhoda." "Thank you, Mr. President." "Pug brought that to me." "He always brings me something from wherever he's been." " Keep track of it." " I do." " Where's this one from?" " He brought this from the Orient." "Has anyone noticed we haven't heard from our submariner yet?" "Byron, you're a natural for the silent service." " How's the morale in your group?" " Good, Mr. President." "Ready to go to war, as I'm sure Willie would desire?" " Personally, sir, I'm more than ready." " That's the spirit." "Byron was visiting a friend in Poland when the war began." "He was strafed by a Luftwaffe plane and wounded." "I see." "You have a motive, then, for wanting to fight Germans." "It's not that so much, Mr. President." "It's that my wife is trapped in Italy." "Trapped?" "How trapped?" "Her uncle is Dr. Aaron Jastrow, the author of A Jew's Jesus." "He's had trouble with his passport, and can't come home." "He's..." "Well, he's old and not very well, and she refuses to abandon him." "Why, Franklin, we both read A Jew's Jesus." "Don't you remember?" "You liked it very much indeed." "Dr. Jastrow taught at Yale, Mrs. Roosevelt." "He's lived here almost all of his life." "It's just some crazy red tape." "Well, there they are." "A Jew's Jesus was a good book." "Sumner, couldn't you have someone look into this?" " Certainly." " Let me know what you find out." "Yes, sir." " I haven't read the book myself." " Well, you should." " Really?" " It's really a classic." " I beg your pardon, Mr. President." " Yes, yes, let me have it." "Well." "May I relate a bit of news?" "It seems they've got the Bismarck." "Isn't that wonderful?" "Wait, wait, wait, I don't want to be overoptimistic or premature." "What it says is that airplanes from the Ark Royal have caught up with her and put several torpedoes into her." ""When night fell she was trailing thick oil" ""and steaming slowly west, the wrong way." ""The entire fleet is now closing in, and some units now have her in sight."" "Do they give her position, Mr. President?" "Longitude 16 west, latitude 48 north." "OK, that's over 1,000 miles from Brest, well beyond the Luftwaffe air umbrella." "They've got her." "Fill the glasses." "Pug always knows where everything is." "This could be a very important, crucial moment in the whole war." "The British navy." "The British navy." "Palmer, dear, you have a kindly heart that understands without explanations." "I cannot do it." "My love and everlasting thanks for offering me more  than I deserve or can accept." "I'll never forget, and I hope we will be friends forever." "Forgive me." "Captain." "The undersecretary sends his thanks to you for interrupting a busy schedule to come over." "Please, come in." "Please sit down." " Cigarette?" " Thank you." "Thanks." " Muggy day." " Yes." "Well, now." "The business of Dr. Aaron Jastrow's passport." "As it turns out, it was no problem whatsoever." "In fact... the authorization for clearance went out quite a while ago." "It may have been delayed a bit en route, but we've double-checked by cable and it's all set." "He can pick up his passport whenever he wishes in Rome," " and he's been so informed." " Good." "That was fast work." "As I say, there was no work to do." "It had already been taken care of." "Well, my boy will be mighty glad to hear about this." "Oh, about your son." "I hope you'll take this in the right spirit." "The undersecretary was a bit disconcerted to have this thing raised at the president's table." "So was I." "I gave the boy holy hell about it afterwards." "I'm awfully glad you feel that way." "Suppose you just drop a little note to the president, captain, sort of apologizing for your son's gaffe, mentioning you've learned the whole thing was taken care of long ago." "The president asked for a report from Mr. Welles." "We made a rather dramatic effort this morning just to make sure that young Mrs. Henry could get home." "Literally thousands of these cases of Jewish refugees come to us all the time." "The pressure is enormous, it's absolutely unbelievable." "Now, the problem in your family is settled." "We'd hoped you'd be more appreciative." "Natalie and her uncle are not Jewish refugees." "They're a couple of Americans." "Now, in the case of the uncle, that was technically far from clear." "But it's all been set straight." "And in return, captain, I really think you should write that little note." "An unsolicited letter from me to the president of the United States." "Sorry." "Let me be frank, captain." "The undersecretary wants a report from me to forward to the president." "Just a word from you would conclude the matter..." "Mr. Whitman, why was a distinguished man like Aaron Jastrow stopped on a passport technicality when he wanted to come home?" "That's what the president wants to know and I can't give him the answer, can you?" "OK." "Obviously, you can't either." "I suggest that whoever can had better try." "Now, is there anything else?" "Captain, the undersecretary may find your refusal hard to understand." "You're flouting a direct request from the State Department." "I work for the Navy Department." "Many thanks." "No kidding, Dad?" " Well, do you believe it this time?" " Yep." "Now, if she can get a plane or ship..." "She can do it." "She can do anything." " I'm so happy." " I'm happy for you, Briny." "Dad, we Just got word." " We're taking the Devilfish to Pearl." " Then you'll see Warren and Janice." "Yeah, I know, won't that be great?" "God, I still can't believe that she's coming home." "Hey, Dad, be honest, was I right when I talked to the president?" "Or was I wrong?" "You had one hell of a nerve." "Now, look, I'm busy and I hope you are too." "Now, get back to work." "And write when you get to Hawaii." " Bye." " Yeah, bye." "June 22, 1941." "The German army of three and a half million men is deployed along a thousand-mile eastern front, from the icy Baltic to the warm Black Sea." "At exactly 0315 hours, the big guns erupt." "Barbarossa, Adolf Hitler's invasion of Russia, is launched." "Fleets of German war planes sweep across the borders." "Caught on the ground, the Russian air force is wiped out in the first hours." "The four-and-a-half-million-man Russian army buckles under the onslaught." "The German surprise attack has succeeded on a scale unsurpassed in the history of warfare." "The Soviet Union totters." "Field Marshal Sir John Dill, chief of the Imperial General Staff, hastens down from London to Chequers, Churchill's country home." "He is carrying the latest dispatches on the German invasion." "Our intelligence warned me of this, and I warned Stalin, but he ignored me." "He's not only a butcher, he is a bungler." "I shall broadcast at 9 tonight, offering our full support for the Soviet Union." "Does that not embarrass you, prime minister?" "You, the lifelong arch-foe of Bolshevism?" "Not at all." "I have only one purpose, the destruction of Hitler." "If Hitler invaded hell, I should at least make a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons." "So you've heard the splendid news?" "The villain with the mustache is really throwing himself into his part." "Now we have a two-front war again." "I came from the immigration office." "Our seats to Lisbon were cancelled." " "Requisitioned" by the military." " So we have no exit permits?" "Oh, no." "On the contrary, I do." "How on earth did you accomplish that?" "I pleaded complications with my pregnancy and planned a medical visit to Zurich with you along to accompany the invalid for her safety en route." "When we get there, then what?" "We'll just stay until we can arrange for safe passage to the United States." "Natalie, I know how badly you want to get home and I understand that." "When I think of my lovely house standing there empty..." "Aaron, for God's sakes!" "Are you even considering staying on the same continent with the Germans?" "My dear, don't be impatient with me." "You were an infant during the last war." "The talk was the same." "The Huns were always spearing Belgium babies on bayonets and cutting the breasts off nuns." "Then I spent a year with some truly wonderful people in Munich." "There are Germans and Germans." "Do you know who I rode up with on the elevator just now?" "No." "Who?" "One of the Nazis Byron and I had that run-in with in Lisbon." "Did he recognize you?" "I don't know, but he gave me quite a stare." "Well, my dear, I wouldn't worry if I were you." " These men stare for a living." " Aren't you the least bit alarmed?" "We've been here for three weeks and they keep finding one reason or another not to allow us to leave." "Doesn't that seem strange?" "Aaron, I don't think they want you to leave." " Natalie, that is preposterous." " No, it's not." "You're important." "They probably think they can use you." "Aaron, I'm going to Zurich next week, with or without you." "My baby is not gonna be born in a fascist country at war." "Well, my dear, it's been a long time since I tasted Swiss chocolate." "The second day of the invasion." "Adolf Hitler travels from Berlin to his new advanced army headquarters on the eastern front." "To sum up, mein Fuehrer," "General Leeb has advanced north toward Leningrad as planned." "Von Rundstedt met with more resistance than anticipated in the southward direction toward Kiev." "But the real surprise is in the center, where Guderian's armor has penetrated 25 miles toward Minsk." "25 miles!" "On the straight road to Moscow!" "Through their heaviest border defenses and the frontline mass of the Red Army and all in one day." "At this rate, mein Fuehrer, we'll be in Minsk, one-third of the way to Moscow, in a week." "It is starting out like Poland." "Even better!" "What word from Himmler?" "We talked on the phone an hour ago." "He is addressing the final meeting of Einsatzgruppen officers right now." "They will then join up with their units." "All four special action groups will jump off today." "They will begin actions immediately in the border towns." "Himmler will be sending in daily figures." " I want to know those daily figures." " Certainly, mein Fuehrer." "The first big figures, of course, will come from Minsk." "It's a huge Jewish center." "So begins the fulfillment of a dream." "Of a heroic and glorious vision, mein Fuehrer." "A purified Europe." "And in time, a purified world." "Lately, I've neglected the dog most cruelly." "Blondi, good dog, Blondi." "Good dog." "Mankind will one day understand your lofty aims and honor you for them, mein Fuehrer." "Fire!" "This pear." "What foul idiocy war is." "Europe is such a rich continent." "These bloody fools keep laying waste to it time and time again." "Tell me, Bunky, do you like Zurich better than Lisbon?" "Well, the tragic refugee thing goes on here too, but less visibly, less acutely." "In Lisbon it was just too horrible." "Will the Swiss send our passports over to the consulate to you?" "No, you'll pick them up here on your way back to Rome." "My darling, we have no intention of going back to Rome." " What are you talking about?" " We are taking the first plane, train or goat cart out of here, whatever gets us back to the good old USA." "Bunky, don't be angry." "I couldn't talk to you about it on the phone." "It's the point of our trip." "I'm not angry, Natalie, but I'm afraid it won't work." "Why on earth not?" "Well, you're not a problem, but Dr. Jastrow got through immigration on my parole." "He has no transit visa." "I thought things were going too easily." "Bunky, wild horses can't get me back to Rome, and that is that." "I mean, you've got to find a way to clear Aaron." "He's here now and his passport's good as gold, and I just know you can solve it." "We're this way." "I'll drop you at the hotel and your doctor's appointment is this afternoon." "Right here." " Dr. Wundt's on the third floor." " Thanks, Bunky." "Natalie you've caught me unawares." "I need a little more time." "But my permit runs out in 10 days." "I'll look into it." " Thank you." "Bye-bye." " Bye." "Bye." "Very well." "Take a little rest, Mrs. Henry." "You're strong as a horse." "You're carrying that baby perfectly." "I've had three bleeding episodes." "Yes, you mentioned that." "When was the last one?" "A month ago, maybe a little longer." "Well, you can wait around a day or so for the result of the smear, and the urine test and so forth." "I'm almost sure they'll be negative." "And Dr. Carona will deliver a fine baby for you." "He's the best man in Rome." "Unless I can go back to the US, I'd rather stay here and have my baby." "I don't want to go back to Rome." "So..." "Why?" "Because of the war." "If the US gets involved," "I'd find myself on enemy soil with a newborn baby." ""Henry"." "What kind of name is that?" "It's Scotch, I guess." "Scotch-English." "And your maiden name is Jastrow, you said." "Is that Scotch-English too?" "It's Polish." "Polish-Jewish." "And that gentleman outside, your uncle." "Is he Polish-Jewish?" "He is a very famous American writer." "Really?" "How exciting." "Is he Polish-Jewish?" "He was born in Poland." "Well, you can get dressed now." "Then come into the other room, please." "Mrs. Henry in the past few years I have to be frank with you, pregnancy has been used and abused to death here to solve passport difficulties." "The immigration authorities have become very hard." "I am an alien myself and my license can easily be revoked." "Do I make myself clear?" "But I have no passport difficulties." "None whatsoever." "Mrs. Henry, a flight to Rome is no problem for you." "Nothing to justify an extension of your stay." "I will see you tomorrow at a quarter past 5 and we will discuss your tests." "Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?" "Everyone should live in a blackout for a few months so they can appreciate the lights." "Do you know what Zurich reminds me of?" "Luna Park in Coney Island when I was a little girl." "You walked in this blaze of lights, millions and millions of yellow bulbs." "The lights were more exciting to me than the rides." "Switzerland's amazing, isn't it?" "It's like this little dry diving bell of freedom in a vast ocean of horror." "What an experience." "I'll never forget it." "Natalie, my dear, you're very merry this evening." "Well, I just have a feeling that everything is gonna work out." "Hello, hello!" "Sorry I'm late, but I've got quite a report for you." "Well, is it all arranged?" "Well, we're not in bad shape." "Say, I've been on the Teletype to Rome." "Your Byron outdid himself, didn't he?" "Talking to President Roosevelt about your uncle's passport." "President Roosevelt?" "What are you talking about?" "You don't know?" "Well, apparently they had dinner together, the Henrys and the First Family at the White House." "Well, nobody said anything about it at the consulate." "I'm not surprised." "It's embarrassing to get a swift kick from the White House." "And here I thought that we'd gotten this far because of Slote." "Byron." "What exceptional ingenuity." "Yes." "And now your file has a big presidential flag on it, and that's fine." "Well, Natalie, you're all set." "You're on the list at Lufthansa for connection to Lisbon." "You should be out of here next week." "Lufthansa?" "What about the Spanish flight?" "Well, you were misinformed." "It shut down this past May." "But don't worry." "Your passport doesn't say you're Jewish." "You're Mrs. Byron Henry." "Even the Germans have some tenderness about pregnant women." " What about Aaron?" " I'm coming to that." "She's the important one." "What happens to me couldn't matter less." "I've lived my life." "Hold on." "Hold on." "Good Lord, Dr. Jastrow." "It's going to be all right." "You just can't stay here in Switzerland." "But you're all set too." "Rome was absolutely appalled that you'd fled to Zurich." "The ambassador himself in particular." "If he has to, he'll put you on his staff and send you on diplomatic priority." "You will be retuning to Rome, but he'll take full responsibility for dealing with the Italians." "Well, it looks to me like we've come to a parting of the ways, Natalie." "Natalie I know you're set against going back to Rome, but if you'd reconsider, the ambassador will make identical arrangements for you." "I won't hear of it." "Natalie must go her own way now." "I bear a burden of guilt about you at least as large as that baby you're carrying." "Someday, you'll know the true measure of my gratitude." ""You have earned," as our fathers quaintly put it," ""a great share in the world to come."" "If only it existed." "All right, Aaron, but this parting is gonna be very, very strange for me." "Well, then you're all set." "Dr. Jastrow, you return to Rome tomorrow afternoon." "It is strange how easy it is to go back." "Like sliding down a greased slope." "Only the other direction is hard." "Pug, hello there!" "Kirby!" "What are you doing here?" "Been in town long?" "A few weeks." "Got business with the Navy." "Come home with me for a drink." "Better still, join me for dinner." "Thanks, Pug." "I don't think I can." " That's too bad." "I'm baching it." " Oh?" "Where's Rhoda?" "She's in New York, shopping." "You sure you can't join me?" "It just means telling the cook to throw on a couple more chops." "Why not?" "I've been eating alone lately." "This will keep until tomorrow." " Great." " Come on." "A second jug full?" "I've pushed dinner back about an hour." "Gives us time to relax." "The way I feel and the size of that jug, you may have to lead me to the dining room." "It's not so far." "The furniture has no sharp corners on it." "One of the first things your very sweet wife Rhoda said to me was that I drank too much." "It was the dinner you gave me in Berlin, remember?" "You had to fly back to see the president." "I was in a lousy mood and I started swilling the wine and fast." "And she brought me up short." "That was rude of her." "I think the amount a man drinks is his business." "Not to mention, on occasions, my proud beauty has a hollow leg herself." "So, what's happening with uranium, Kirby?" "That's why you're plying me with martinis." "Doesn't war plans have any information?" "It's all Jules Verne talk to us so far." "Well, unfortunately, it's much more than that." "The big question now is how far ahead are the Germans?" "What sort of weapon are we talking about?" "I mean, how powerful?" "In theory, one bomb could level New York City." "Even an area the size of Rhode Island." " Jesus." " Yeah." "Yeah, I'm having some unusual feelings these days myself." "I suspect the human race may not survive the industrial revolution." "Hello!" "Surprise!" " Anybody home?" " We're out here, honey!" "I'm drenched." "A drowned rat." " We have company." " We have?" "Hello, Rhoda." "Oh, my God!" "Women." " Well, I'll be running along, Pug." " What are you talking about?" "Rhoda's home." "I don't wanna intrude." "I've got 100 things to do." "Don't be silly." "Sit back down, have yourself another shorty, and I'll be right with you." "You OK, Rhoda?" "Where did you dig up Palmer Kirby?" " Did he telephone?" " No, I just ran into him." "I've asked him to stay for dinner." "Is that OK?" "Why not?" "Why don't you go downstairs and keep him company." " I'll be down in a minute." " OK." "Hello?" "Yes." "Speaking." "Hello, admiral." "Yes, sir." "Aye, aye, sir." "Will do, sir." "Goodbye, sir." "Well, quick-change artistry." "Well, I hope so." "When I got here I looked like the witch in Snow White." "I had a call from Admiral King." "He's at the department." "Oh, no, Pug." "What about dinner?" "You two go ahead and have dinner." "I'll call you when I find out what it is." "The last thing Rhoda wants to do is entertain me." "You must be exhausted." "I'll go back to town with you." "Look at her, Fred." "Does she look exhausted to you?" "There's my taxi." "Let me." " I'll call you as soon as I can, honey." " All right." "I'll probably be home in time for coffee." "Pug doesn't realize he put you on the spot." "I'll be going." "Palmer, don't be foolish." "You know, I really believe you don't feel the least bit awkward." "Palmer, I just take things as they come." " Actually, I'm very glad to see you." " Dinner, Mrs. Henry." "Just put it on the table, then you can go." "Yes, ma'am." "Now, Palmer, you'd just be wasting some very good double lamb chops." "Can't you smell them?" " All right, Rhoda." " Good." "No more Saint-Julien with the cheese?" "If he finds out we've cracked a second bottle, his eyebrows will go up." "Oh, pshaw." "Many's a second bottle he and I have cracked." "And third ones on occasion." "There." "Isn't this pleasant?" "Doesn't this porch remind you of the house in Berlin?" "Well, it does remind me of an evening in Berlin." "The way the light lingers on, and the fresh smell of rained-on trees." "You do remember." "Oh, yeah, I have an excellent memory." "Sometimes a little too good." "Was my letter really so very upsetting?" "Yes, it was the worst blow I've had since my wife died." "I've been trying to think how to tell you this without sounding like a flibbertigibbet." "I sat next to the president at that White House dinner." "He was very nice to me." "He liked me." "He said wonderful things about Pug, about his future career." "Dear a divorced man is very handicapped in the service, especially when he's in sight of flag rank." "I've always been aware of that." "And so, I did what I did." "And I've slept badly ever since and I've been an awful crab." "But I've stuck to him and I don't intend to apologize." "This might sound offensive." "I don't mean it that way, but we may never talk like this again." "I want to ask you a question." "I've thought about this a great deal." "When we met, you said until I came along, there had been no one else." "Well, I believe that, of course, and I still do." "What I want to know... is how come?" " Now I've made you angry." " No, no." "Of course, I know the answer you want that you were irresistible that there has never remotely been anyone like you and that's true enough." "Still, I've had my chances." "And I don't just mean drunken passes at the Officer's Club." "There have been times..." "But, to be absolutely honest, those men were all Naval officers just like Pug." "None of them measured up, or even came close." "Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not..." "I'm not blaming Pug for what happened this time." "That would be too low." "But he does... shut me out so much." "He's a fanatic, you know, about getting things done." "That's an American trait." "I'm the same kind of fanatic." "But when you were in Berlin whether you knew it or not, you were courting me." "And when Pug courted me, I fell in love with him too." "Just one thing more." "Though you, of all people, may give me the horse laugh I'm a good woman, Palmer." "At least I think I am." "And so, with one thing and another, there has been no one else." "Nor will there be." "I'm a quiet grandma now." "And that's that." "I'll be going now." "I feel a lot better." "Thank you, Rhoda." "Will I see you again?" "Well, Washington's a pretty small town." "Look at the way I ran into Pug tonight." "Can you find your way out?" "Yes, certainly." "I don't mean to be rude, but to be frank, at the moment, my eyes are messy." "How very continental." "And sweet." "Straight through the living room and turn left to the front door." "Mrs. Henry." "My key, please." "Thank you." " Hello." " Hello, Natalie?" " Bunky." " Yes." "Look, Lufthansa's come through." "One seat to Lisbon, day after tomorrow." "So soon?" "Yes." "Now, I suggest that you go straight over to the Lufthansa office." "It's about two blocks from your hotel." "Wait." "I've just had a letter from Aaron." "He says we're both in the clear with Italian Immigration." "That's wonderful, Natalie." "What's the problem?" "The date of the tickets." "December 15th." "If everything goes on schedule, I'd be a mother by then." "I'd have my baby in Rome." "Look, I know how you feel about that, but I do think you should consider the alternative." "Although I'm absolutely sure there'll be no problem with Lufthansa, you'll still be in Nazi hands for over 20 hours." "Look, I can't presume to make your decision for you, but I do know what Leslie Slote would say." "And Byron too." "I know." "Play it safe." "Go back to Rome." "Exactly." "Listen, Natalie, if there's anything I can do, just call me, will you?" "Thanks." "You've been a dear." "Keep me posted." "OK?" "Bye-bye." "Bye." "Good afternoon." "The American consul, Bunker Thurston, made a reservation for me to Lisbon on Thursday." " Oh, Mrs. Byron Henry?" " Yes." "Fine." "Your passport?" "Do you have the reservation?" "Yes." "Let me have your passport, please." "Fill this out, please." "My, what a lot of questions for an airplane trip." "Wartime security regulations, Mrs. Henry." "Both sides, please." " Give me my passport, please." " Is something wrong?" "Americans don't ask people's religions for travel purposes or give their own." "If you want to leave that blank, it's up to you." "It's quite all right, Mrs. Henry." " I'll take my passport, please." " I've started to write your tickets." "It's very hard to get a passage to Lisbon, Mrs. Henry." "My passport!" "Now hear this." "Boat ahoy starboard." "Sir." "And the fresh oranges." "I'm given to understand the president requires fresh-squeezed orange juice." "Yes, sir." "I don't believe the president will be disappointed, sir." "Very well." "Good morning, sir." "All right, Henry what are you doing here?" "I ordered all the war planners berthed together on the Tuscaloosa." "You're nothing but a passenger here." "I was awakened at 0500 aboard the Tuscaloosa, sir, and told that the president desired my transfer and gear aboard the Augusta." "So I complied." " The president, huh?" " Yes, sir." "Tell me something, Henry, you're not by some chance a distant relative or an old family friend of Mr. Roosevelt?" " No, admiral." " I see." "Well, you might remember, when the occasion offers, that you still work for the United States Navy." "Aye, aye, sir." "That's all." "Boat ahoy, starboard." "The United States." "Sure that suit isn't a shade loose, Tom?" "Just fine, Mr. President." "Just fine." "Give that holder a bit more tilt." ""A jaunty angle", I believe that's the way the press describes it." "Am I right, gentlemen?" "Attention on deck!" " Here you are, sir." " Thank you, Marcus." " Anything else, sir?" " No, thank you." "Captain Henry." "If you're not standing watch, old man, you might look in about 8 or so." "The Skipper." "Check your local listings for Vic and Sade," "Pepper Young's Family, Ma Perkins..." "Come in." "Hello there, Pug." "Just in time for the morning news." "By George, doesn't it feel wonderful to be at sea again?" "Sure does, sir." "Many's the time I've sailed these waters." "I could navigate this ship for them, honor bright." " I'm sure you could, sir." " Stay tuned for the news." "The Soviet government confirmed today" "German claims that their armies have driven well past Smolensk and have advanced many miles toward Leningrad in the north and are closing in on the great Dnieper Dam in the south." "Smolensk, the last great bastion before Moscow." "Though the whereabouts of the president are no longer secret." "He is on holiday aboard the presidential yacht, Potomac." "At 7:00 last evening, reporters spotted him on the afterdeck as the yacht passed through the Cape Cod Canal." "And here I was on the high seas." " How do you suppose I work that?" " I don't know, sir." "How did you?" "Tom Wilson, that's the yacht engineer, is a big fella." "We got him a white suit and a white hat and put him out there for the reporters to see." "Well, that's just grand." "It worked." "We didn't want U-boats out gunning for Churchill and me." "Here we are." "Look that over, old fella." "I want your comment." "In Geneva, the World Zionist Organization has announced that large-scale secret massacres of Jews are taking place behind the German lines in the Soviet Union." "The German government, calling these allegations "preposterous lies", accused the Zionists of deliberately spreading Allied atrocity propaganda." ""The Red Cross is free to enter the occupation zone at any time,"" "the German Foreign Ministry declared, to verify the facts, and has offered..." "There's another lie." "Those Nazis are the most outrageous liars, really." "The Red Cross can't get in there at all." "I think, and I certainly hope, those stories are terribly exaggerated." "Our intelligence says they are." "Still, where there's smoke..." "I have a copy of that Jewish statement the radio was talking about." "But what's one to do?" "We've tried to get around the immigration law." "We've had some success." "But when I've got a Congress ready to disband the Army, can you imagine my going to them with a bill to admit more Jews?" "Well, what do you think?" "This is something for my chief, Mr. President." "Pug, you've got a feeling for facts, and when you talk I understand you." "These are two uncommon virtues." "So let's have it." "Take your time." "All right, sir." "Essentially, the Army sees things differently from us on Lend-Lease." "Maybe because they think they'll have to fight the Axis single-handed after the Russians and the British fold." "The Germans may capture and use against us all the stuff we send over." " And the Navy?" " Our contention is:" "That if the Soviet Union does go down, and Britain too, a hell of a lot of Germans are gonna have to die to lick them." "And every dead German is one less German who'll be firing on us one day." "I agree on that." "OK." "We can replace lost material pretty fast, but it takes 20 years to raise a live Boche to replace a dead one." "Pug, you're doing a grand job in war plans, but you shouldn't get bogged down." "Once my victory program is completed, why don't we see what we can do about detaching you to sea duty." "Mr. President, for a long time I've been yearning for a battleship." " You think you can command one?" " I think I can, sir." "Well, the commander in chief ought to have a little say in this." "Let's get you command of a battleship." "Thank you, Mr. President." "You know, Pug," "I never have been able to beat this game, but I'm gonna keep trying." "Left face." "Company salute!" " Ready?" "Twos." " Clark." "Well, Eliot, I never heard "My Country 'Tis of Thee" played better." "Carry on." " Hear this." "The smoking lamp is lit." " Henry." " Yes, sir." " Take my barge, go over to the Prince of Wales, and put yourself at Mr. Harry Hopkins' service." "The president desires to talk with him before Churchill comes to call." "Aye, sir." "She looks pretty good after her brawl with the Bismarck." "Yes, sir." " Expedite." " Aye, sir." "So you're still in war plans, huh?" " You'll attend staff meetings, then." " Yes, sir." "Some of them." " I believe you met a few of the British." " Who, sir?" " Lord Burne-Wilke." " Yes, sir." " General Tillet." " Oh, yes." "I've met General Tillet." "He's heading their army planners." "You might bear in mind what our friends will be after." "It's fairly clear to me after five days at sea with the prime minister." "They'll press for an immediate declaration of war on Germany." "Now, they know they won't get that." "But it softens things for the real reason Winston Churchill crossed the ocean." "They want us to warn Japan that a move against the British Empire in Asia would mean war with us." "Will it?" "And they want assurances that for Lend-Lease, they come before Russia." " The president isn't thinking that way." " I hope not." "If Hitler wins Russia, it's the world." "That's the war, where stuff should go." "Then this whole conference is rather pointless." "No, it's a triumph." "The US president and British prime minister are meeting in person to discuss beating the Germans." "The world will know that." "That's achievement enough for now." "Well, gentlemen, shall we continue this at the morning session?" " Admiral Turner, one last word." " General Tillet." "A most productive session." "Most admirably chaired." "Very heady planning we've had here tonight, gentlemen, for fighting a global war as full allies." "Thousands of ships, tens of thousands of planes and tanks." "Many millions of men in arms, and so forth." "Visions of historic grandeur, which I devoutly trust and believe will one day soon come to pass." "At the moment, we British are in grave need of 150,000 rifles." "Lord Burne-Wilke." "The Germans captured Crete, you see, a large, well-garrisoned island, entirely with airborne troops." "We can no longer exclude such an attempt on England." "Now, we must arm against that possibility." "May we then tell the prime minister tonight, Admiral Turner, that those rifles will be forthcoming immediately from the arsenal of democracy?" "General Anderson?" "We're woefully short of field arms ourselves just now, admiral." "You may tell the prime minister that the request will in all likelihood receive expeditious, positive consideration." "We're infinitely obliged." "Thank you, gentlemen." "Tomorrow morning." " "Expeditious, positive consideration."" " Means yes." "Means yes, maybe." "Well, that's something, I suppose." "Henry, you hear the morning news?" "Congress renewing a draft by one vote?" "I heard it, sir." "By one vote, we've still got an army." "With the Germans and the Japanese out to loot the damn planet." "By one vote." "Now we've got to get to the church services at the Prince of Wales." "I'll make this short." "Your record has been checked, and it seems to me that you claim" ""poor to fair" knowledge of Russian." "How's that?" "That's very unusual." "I put that down when I entered the academy, sir, in 1911." "I was raised in a part of California that had a lot of Russians." "I see." "Well, it's there on the record." "Anyway Hopkins brought up your name and it's already been decided." "I suppose you could take a crash refresher course." "A military supply mission is being sent to the Soviet Union in September." "If Russia is still in the war, that is." "You're to go along as the Naval advisor." " Understood?" " Yes, sir." "Question?" "Only that the president may have something else in mind." "Well, when Hopkins brought up your name the president approved heartily." "Yes, sir." "All right." "Let's get on to the church parade." "Sunday morning, August 10th, 1941. 8:46 AM." "The United States Navy has been invited by Winston Churchill to attend a church parade aboard the Prince of Wales." "Hey, can you take a line?" "Yes, certainly." "Franklin Roosevelt will lead the American contingent." "Offered the use of a boatswain's chair to be taken across, he declines." "He insists the president of the United States will not be carried to this historic meeting." "He will Join the British prime minister aboard the great battle wagon." "But he will do it with dignity." "He will walk." "Onward, Christian soldier" "Marching as to war" "With the cross of Jesus" "Going on before" "Christ, the royal master" "Leads against the foe" "The historic meeting is a success." "We've got the 150,000 rifles." " You have a tough president." " Tough times." "Look at them." "You'd think they've agreed on almost everything," " instead of almost nothing." " Alas." "Those that have the experience lack the power." "Those that have the power lack the experience." "That can happen at the changing of the guard." "Changing of the guard?" "Well said." "Very well said." "Gentlemen, time to get back to the war." "Oh, I say, Captain Henry." "It completely slipped my mind." "I bring you greetings and a message." " Oh, from whom?" " The Tudsburys." "Old Talky says hello, and Pamela's grateful to you for the news about her fiancé you got out of the Germans." " How is she?" " Our little Pam?" "Oh, she's fighting a hell of a lovely war." "Old Tudsbury's on special assignment for the BBC." "I received word on high to grant Pamela a leave of absence." "He's half blind, you know." "Special assignment?" "To the Soviet Union." "I suspect they're in Moscow by now." "Mahalo and aloha." "I'm Mr. Cleveland's assistant, Madeline Henry." "Hey, you guys up there had better watch out." "I have two brothers in the audience." "And they're both big and strong." "All right." "Now I'm gonna explain the rules of our program." "Now, every contestant is gonna get a $500 defense bond." "And the performer that gets the most applause gets a special extra prize." "Our sponsor is gonna fly his girlfriend, or his parents, right here to Pearl Harbor to spend a week with him." "All right, I guess that's about it." "Now, here's the man you've all been waiting for, the star of Happy Hour, and my nice boss," "Mr. Hugh Cleveland." "Well, okey-be-bedokey!" "Maybe I'll let Madeline Henry continue." "I got the job, but she sure got the lines." "I better introduce her brothers so you can see how big and strong they are." "Our Naval aviator is Lieutenant Warren Henry of the Enterprise." "Where are you, Warren?" "Stand up, silly." "Stand up." "Come on." "Stand up, Warren." "Welcome, Warren." "And now, Byron Henry of the Devilfish." "Howdy, Byron." "Their father is a battleship man, folks, so the family's pretty well got the sea covered." "Listen, folks." "And one reason our country remains strong and safe is that we have plenty of Henry families!" "Well, okey-be-bedokey!" "And now on with the show." "Our first contestant is Signalman First Class Virgil Hoover of Caddo Gap, Arkansas!" "Let's hear it for Virgil!" " Plan on finishing this by yourself?" " Yes, sir." "OK, Briny, what's wrong?" "My transfer got turned down." "I got the word today." "That's tough." "I'm sorry." "You know, Briny, even if you got to the Atlantic, the chances of seeing Natalie, much less getting her out, are almost zero." "Almost zero is better than less than nothing, which is what I got now." "A call from New York." "Our sponsors, can you imagine?" "You know, I don't like that guy." " It's time my kid had his bottle." " Want me to feed him?" "You kidding me?" "You like babies?" "I like this baby." "How about that, Vic?" "Both of us empty at the same time." "Yes, I know." "Yes, I know." "There you go." "Byron." "Hold on a minute, buddy." "Now, wait a minute, Byron." "You don't understand." "Our show got a spot-check rating of 23.5." "Only four points less than Fred Allen!" " What the hell are you saying?" " Our show, it's a hit!" "Sponsors love it!" "While you have a chat, I'll go out back." "Mix a couple more rounds there." "What do you say, huh?" "Okey-be-bedokey." "That's a married man, Maddy." "Mom and Dad would be damn upset about what I saw." "You're being horrible, Briny." "The Happy Hour was my idea." "I was so happy when I heard the ratings, I'd have kissed anyone here." "Well, you tell Hugh Cleveland that if I find out he's done anything to you," "I'll come after him and put him in the hospital." "Well, you're cruel and you have a dirty mind." "And don't talk to me about hurting Mom and Dad." "I haven't married a Jew yet." "Hey, Maddy." "Where's Byron?" "Hey, Briny." "I've got a little flash here" "I think you might want to take a glance at before you get pie-eyed." " Where'd you come from?" " The base, sonny, where else?" "Just came on the harbor circuit, originated in Rome." "Thought I'd better hustle it right up here." "Congratulations, Papa." "How about that?" "It's a boy." "Uncle Warren!" "Here you go, lieutenant." "You got it." "You got it, baby." "Briny, forgive me for that awful thing I said." "You know I didn't mean it." "I love you and I adore Natalie, and I'm really happy about the baby." "Oh, I'm sorry." "We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin." "Berlin:" "German supreme headquarters announces the capture of Kiev, claims the greatest victory in the war." "According to German sources, four entire Russian armies, numbering almost a million men, were surrounded and cut to pieces." "Radio Berlin proclaimed at midnight, quote:" ""The Soviet Union no longer has a military capability." ""And the fall of Moscow is now in sight."" "With the German army less than 100 miles from Moscow, an Anglo-American military mission arrives in the Russian capital to offer Lend-Lease help to the beleaguered Soviet Union." "Well, this is a surprise." " Still in Italy?" "And pregnant too?" " That's right." "God, I personally arranged for both her and Jastrow to leave way back in June." "Their ship never left." "The Rome Embassy is still working on ways to try to get them out." "Well..." "What exactly is your assignment here in Moscow?" "Advisory." "Although Harry Hopkins has asked me to try to get to the front and write a report to the president, if I can wangle it." "Forget it." "The Germans get closer by the day." "Russians won't give you permission." "Well, according to what we heard in London recently," "Russia was throwing them back on all fronts." "Nonsense." "All we get here is, unless the West mounts a second front in Europe now, the war is lost." "Alistair Tudsbury, broadcasting." "Tudsbury." "Tudsbury's the best propagandist the Soviets have got." " You know the Tudsburys, don't you?" " Sure." "Pamela's at my apartment right now cooking dinner." "Your apartment?" "She's an old friend from my Paris days." "Don't get any ideas, captain." "She's being true-blue to that RAF fiancé of hers the Jerries have got." "And that, captain, is the story of my life." "Don't be alarmed, captain." "Your accommodations at the National will be more comfortable." "They won't be as nice as Tudsbury's." "Be damned if the Russians haven't given him Lenin's suite." " Bit of a surprise." " Pug Henry, by Jove!" "You've come with the Harriman mission, haven't you?" "Bless my soul!" "This confounded superman talks Russian!" "And that just about exhausts my vocabulary." "Victor!" "Victor." "Well bad pennies will keep turning up, won't they?" "Well, Victor, I certainly hope you'll be joining us for dinner." "Of course he is." "Get him some vodka, and me too while you're at it." "Right!" "Subtitles by SDI Media Group"