"The War to End All Wars is over." "After four years of hideous slaughter," "Germany and her satellites have collapsed." "This is Percy McCallum for the British Radio Corporation, broadcasting live from the great Palace of Versailles." "There is jubilation across Europe as the deadly guns of battle fall silent." "Defeated German troops struggle home across the shattered countryside to find their once all-powerful Kaiser has abdicated and fled his homeland." "Every one of the enemy monarchs has fallen before the power of the great democracies, and a new day of liberty dawns." "Now here in Paris, the victorious Allies gather to make peace." "The fearful rites of war must give way to the gentle arts of diplomacy." "Great men of integrity and honor are here." "Their task?" "To make a future war impossible." "Their challenge?" "To forge a world where charity and compassion rule the day." "Georges Clemenceau, "the Tiger," Premier of France, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, David Lloyd George, and Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, greeted here as a savior with his vision of lasting world peace." "And so, in conference halls all over the city, the great work begins to create a new world order." "The great work begins to create a new world order." "France will have territory." "She will have treasure." "I speak for the nation which, more than any other, has fought and bled." "I speak for the nation which, more than any other, has brought victory over our barbarous foe." "I speak for France." "France declares that never again will she suffer invasion of her borders." "Never again will she submit to the destruction of her countryside and the slaughter of her citizens." "To this end, she will have justice and security on her own terms." "Then, and only then, will France grant peace." "France is great, her voice is loud, and her glorious people will accept nothing less." "No one has anything more to say?" "Mr. Jones?" " Mr. Jones?" " Yes, yes, yes." "Those speeches from yesterday's conference?" "How soon can I have the translations?" "Lt'll be on your desk by 4:30, sir." " Fine." " Ned?" "Henry." "By all that's wonderful." " How long has it been?" "A year?" " Nearly two." "I just got a job with the American delegation as a translator." "Pay's not much, but it's interesting work." "So, here I am helping Arabia and Prince Feisal become a free nation." "Well, that's great, Ned." "I tell you, colonialism is dead." "There must be dozens of countries competing to become free nations." "I hope so, for Arabia's sake." "Oh, Mr. Lawrence, may we be so presumptuous as to ask for your autograph?" "Why, yes, you may." "I didn't realize you'd become such a celebrity." "Well, power of the press." "It has nothing to do with me." "Look, I'm dining with Gertrude Bell at the Majestic tonight." " Thank you." " Gertrude Bell?" "She's written more about the situation in Arabia than anyone." " Will you join us?" " I'd love to." " Excellent." "At 7:30, then." " Great." "Henry, this is so good." "So I took my discharge from the Belgian Army." "I just decided it was time I quit being a spy." "Well, in your last letter, you talked of going to college." "Well, my boss says there's a chance of a job in the State Department, so..." " You're going to be a diplomat." " Maybe." "Oh, Henry, beware." "The snares and delusions of diplomacy are not to be embraced lightly." "As Arnold will tell you." "Everyone, please." "Do you know Arnold Toynbee?" "If I may say, our most distinguished historian." " Arnold, this is Gertrude Bell." " A great pleasure." " Mr. Toynbee." " And my friend Henry Jones." " Pleasure to meet you, sir." " How do you do?" "Please." "You see, Arnold's the man who really knows what's going on here." "I wouldn't say that." "He's part of the official British delegation, unlike people like me." "I've been out trying to catch sight of the German delegation." " Oh, really?" " They're due in tonight." "Nobody's seen them." "They'll be trying to sneak in the back way." "It's true." "The feeling against them is frightening." "I read the newspapers." "I've seen the demonstrations as well, and my fear is that we do not have statesmen with enough courage to resist the public demands for revenge." "I don't know." "I've been watching our President." "No, really." "He's a fine man." "He's a fine man obsessed with forming his absurd League of Nations." "And meanwhile, he's giving way to every bloodthirsty demand." "He's completely outwitted." "Clemenceau, a dinosaur, baying for blood." "Lloyd George, a politician with no vision or morality at all." "There's just been a war." "The worst war in history." "People have fought and died." "You can't just expect that they'll turn around and forgive." "You can't just wipe your enemy out." "Years ago, Rome could just wipe Carthage out, but now, the world has changed." "Everything's connected." "What has happened will happen again." "For better or worse, history now moves in a spiral." "These men are trying to force Germany down." "But it cannot be done without terrible tragedy." "Push Germany down and you'll pay a price." "And one day it will once more rise to the top." "But this lot are behaving like men with no memories." "Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it." "Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it." "His Excellency, the President of the United States." "Delegates, representatives, friends, for we are all friends here." "We have now been engaged for five months on a course of framing a peace." "A just peace." "A lasting peace." "Moreover, we have also been establishing, for the first time in the history of mankind, an international forum," "a supreme body of world affairs." "I refer to the League of Nations, that bright hope I know we all share." "The aim of the League is simple, yet awe-inspiring." "It is nothing less than the brotherhood of man." "And with goodwill and calm endeavor, we shall succeed in our noble purpose." "We shall succeed where great religions, where even Christianity itself, has failed." "Why has Jesus Christ so far not succeeded in inducing the world to follow his teachings in these matters?" "Friends, I will tell you." "It is because he has taught the ideal without devising a practical means of attaining it." "That is why I propose a practical scheme to carry out his purposes." "That is why I offer you the League of Nations." "No more warring or petty factions." "No more being at the disposal of the colonial powers." "But one Arabia." "Independent." "United." "Under the rule of Prince Feisal." " Now, how does that sound?" " Sounds great." "Sounds very well." "Unhappily, the French have other ideas." "France was to have Syria." "Britain, Iraq and the oil fields." "Well, the war is over, and now the French are insisting the agreement be honored." "Now, when did the French know anything about honor?" "Ned, that's unworthy of you." "Yes." "All right, I'm sorry." "But it makes my blood boil." "We promised independence to Feisal." "I promised." " And now they tell us..." " Oh, come on, Ned." "Don't play the innocent." "You knew about it all along." "So, that's the hitch, Mr. Jones." "An equivocal promise to a desert chieftain versus a solemn agreement between two great imperial powers." "You see, there's no such thing as the Arab nation." "No Arab feels part of it." "He doesn't even think of himself as an Arab." "What is he?" "A man from Damascus, Mecca or Baghdad." "A member of a particular Bedouin tribe." "A Kurd, a Sunni, a Shiite." "He can be any of these things." "But an Arab?" "Never." "At least, not yet, I'm afraid." "He will be one day." "I'm determined to make it happen." "All by yourself, Ned?" " Your view is too narrow, too personal." " Too personal?" " What other view is there?" " The statesman's." "The statesman's." "Oh, God." "This way." "Now just keep quiet." "The President says he needs a record." "With these two, he likes everything to be written down." " Mr. President." " Gentlemen." "Gentlemen, I have to tell you, this is not the most important problem we face." "Oh, it's a waste of time discussing this." "The future of Arabia is settled." "France and Britain made an agreement." "Well, I wish it were as simple as that, you see." "But Britain also made a promise to Prince Feisal." " I am sorry." "That cannot be helped." " But it was a promise." "Which we knew nothing about." "And let me remind you, Prime Minister, that you will get Iraq and the oil fields." "And let me remind you, sir, that France's contribution to the victory in Arabia was negligible." "Negligible?" "Gentlemen, this is a pointless argument." "I believe there's a matter of principle involved here." "England and France have made a secret agreement." "It is my passionate conviction that secret agreements belong to the past." " Mr. President..." " You have both accepted my Fourteen Points." "We must have open agreements, openly arrived at." "You've pledged yourself to these things." "Very well, the answer to this problem, therefore, is simple." "We go and consult the people themselves." " The people?" " Exactly." "The people of Arabia." "We ask them what it is they want." " Ask them?" " Yes." "Yes, I see." "And what form would this exercise in democracy take?" "I am proposing a commission." "It will be their job to go and thoroughly investigate the wishes of the people of Arabia, and to come back and report." "I understand." "Yes." "Well, it is a brilliant solution." "Don't you agree?" "And what do we say to Feisal tomorrow?" "Say?" "Well, we say nothing." "We just listen." "Or at least we listen for now." "He said that?" "Wilson said that?" ""I don't care about your secret agreements."" " That's what he said." " Wonderful." "Do you think he meant it?" "Of course he meant it." "I was there." "As close to him as I am to you now." "Thank you." "And the others?" "I mean, Lloyd George, Clemenceau..." " They just took it." "They had no choice." " But what will happen about Feisal?" " They'll listen to everything he says." " Henry, you're priceless." "What a boon it is to have a friend at court." "Is this idea of a commission..." "Oh, who cares about a tuppenny-ha'penny commission?" " The President does." " Let him." "A commission will take months, years even." "The real decisions are being made now, which leaves the field clear for us and what we say." "No, no, no." "Ned, you're wrong." "You have to wait for the commission." "That's what the President means." "Wilson's an idiot." "We'll run rings round him." "But what if the others don't listen?" "They'll listen." "I'll make them." "Don't you see?" "This is the chance we've been waiting for, to get out of this business with clean hands." "Whose hands, Ned?" "Yours?" "Yes." "Mine." "Well, why not mine?" "What are you scowling for?" " I'm not scowling." "I just think..." " You think?" "What do you think?" "Some vacuous cliché of Woodrow Wilson's?" " Ned?" " Some Christmas card motto parading as wisdom?" "Well?" "Maybe that's what it sounds like, Ned." "But the President means business." " And I agree with him." " Oh, do you indeed?" "I tremble." "And I also think you're way out of line." "Go to hell." "And take that sanctimonious hypocrite of a President with you." "Sir!" "Excuse me, sir." "May I speak with you for a moment?" "It's about the Conference." "I'm sorry." "I really need to catch up with my friend." "I'm sorry." "Ned!" " I just didn't want you to think..." " Henry, don't." "And don't, whatever you do, apologize." "It's me who should be doing that." "My behavior back there was unforgivable." " I just thought you might be mad at me." " Mad?" "Oh, I see." "You mean angry." "No." "You didn't make me mad." "It's just that I've become a little cynical, and it doesn't mix too well with your idealism." " You're probably just tired." " No." "We're all tired." "Tired and disillusioned." "All except you, Henry." "Now, don't change, will you?" "It's what makes you such a splendid chap." "I just thought you might be worried about Prince Feisal's speech." "Oh, I am worried." "There's a lot at stake." "For you, Arabia, or the future of the 20th century?" "Well, why..." "For me, of course." "Is it your intention, sir, to speak to us directly, or through an interpreter?" "Prince Feisal asks me to interpret for him, if it pleases this great Conference." "Colonel Lawrence, it pleases this Conference very well." "Prince Feisal speaks for the horsemen who carried the Arab flag across the great desert." ""We do not ask for favors," ""merely for justice and the fulfillment of your promises." ""We fought for the unity of our nation" ""and the right to rule ourselves." ""We remind you, we speak one language." ""We are one race." ""Our lands must not be divided" ""and given as war booty to this or that colonial power." ""We did not overthrow the Turk to be enslaved again."" "Prince Feisal says, "My people were civilized" ""when every other country here was populated by barbarians." ""You should remember this." ""Remember, too, what you promised when you needed us." ""Liberty and independence," ""in exchange for our help in the great battle." ""We believed you," ""we trusted you," ""we joined our cause with yours." ""We fought and died." ""We have kept our own part in this bargain." ""We have kept our word." ""All we ask now is that you prove" ""the greatness of your nations, and keep yours." ""In return," ""we offer you gratitude and lasting peace."" "Thus speaks Prince Feisal." "These are his words." "Excuse me." "Sir, do you have a moment?" "May I speak with you, please?" "I saw you the other evening at the restaurant." "The restaurant?" " Right, right." "You were the waiter..." " The waiter." "Yes." "Sir, I'm sorry." "I realize you must be very busy." "But if I could just have two minutes of your time." " Well, I really..." " It is important." "Please." "I am working in Paris as a pastry chef, but sometimes as a waiter as well." "My name is Nguyen Ai Quoc, sir." "I'm Vietnamese." "Not very well, I'm afraid." " Sir, we need your help." " We?" "Small group of my countrymen and me." "We are a delegation of patriots." "We have written a petition." "Is this it?" "For weeks now we've tried to present it." "No one will hear us." "No one will even receive it." "That is why I come to you." " I'm sorry, Mr. Nguyen, I..." " I know you can do this." "I heard you in the restaurant." "You are close to President Wilson." "I know that you are a very important man." "I'm just a translator." "I just happened to be present..." "We have tried everywhere." "No one will listen." "All the doors shut in our faces." "All we ask for is assistance." "Please." "Well, I can't promise you anything." "Thank you, sir." "Are you crazy?" " But sir..." " For crying out loud," "Vietnam's on the other side of the world." " But so is Japan." " The Japanese were our allies." "They fought on our side." "No." "I'm sorry." " The schedule is crazy enough as it is." " It won't take long, sir." "Do you have any idea just how busy we are?" " Yes, sir." "I do." " And what are the French gonna say?" "Hell, Vietnam belongs to them." "But sir, the President says the whole world..." "The President." "Henry, listen to me." "You've done well here as a translator." "I've already marked you down for a job." "When this is all over, there's a post in the State Department" "I have in mind for you." "But if you come aboard, there's one thing you have to learn." "Presidents come and go." "Diplomats stay." "Now, I'm not criticizing Woodrow Wilson." "All I'm saying is, he won't be around much longer." "We will." "Think about it." " Something else on your mind?" " No." "No, sir." " Didn't you hear me just now?" " Yes, sir." "I heard." "And I also heard what you said about presidents." "About how they come and go." "And it reminded me of an old man I met in Mexico once, who said pretty much the same thing." "Oh, he did?" "He was a peasant." "Most likely he's dead now." "I don't even know his name." "But I'll never forget what he told me." "It's maybe the reason I'm here now." "He said, "The men in power change, but the people go on suffering."" "Look, Jones..." "Sir, I really think the Vietnamese ought to be heard." "Maybe people think their country's not important, and it's not our business what happens there." "But it is important." "These are people just like any other people." "Who are we to say they can't be heard?" "Sir, the whole world has come to this city." "Why shouldn't they have the opportunity to make their case?" "And we, as Americans, should be right behind them." "Half an hour is all they need." "Is that too much to ask?" "All right, when you get in there, keep it simple." "Concentrate on the American." "He'll listen." " So speak mainly to him." " We understand." "Thank you, sir." "On behalf of the people of Vietnam, we do not ask for independence or freedom from French colonial rule." "Only the implementation of these points." "A general amnesty for all political prisoners." "Equal rights for the Vietnamese and the French." "Freedom of the press." "Freedom to meet and assemble." "Freedom to emigrate and travel abroad." "Better schools." "Abolition of rule by the French President's decree." "And the appointment of Vietnamese members to the French Parliament." "Sir, that is all." "Thank you." "Your petition will be considered." "Any questions?" " I'm sorry." " No." "At least they heard us." "I don't think they listen to anyone anymore." "Someday they will listen to Ho Chi Minh." "Ho Chi Minh?" "That's what we call him." "It means, "Father of our Country."" "It's not a title I deserve." "Thank you, Mr. Jones." "You did your best." "But they didn't even listen." "The Frenchman went to sleep." "That's what I've been telling you." "The real decisions are being made in private." "The colonial powers are simply carving up the world." "But the Vietnamese don't even want to rule their own country." "All they're asking for is to be represented in the French government, for basic equal rights." "Henry, Wilson aside, nobody here is interested in people's rights." "It's just..." "It's just not fair." "It's not about fairness." "It's about power and greed." "Well, then, why did we fight in the war?" "Why did so many people die?" "Are you saying that it was all for nothing?" "No." "No war is for nothing." "But when it's over, it turns out to be something quite different from what was believed at the start." "And the result is never intended to be what it is." "Arnold, Henry." "Have you heard?" "The German delegation is arriving." "Well, what in the world has taken them so long?" "A classic piece of French diplomacy." "They stopped them at the border, then they took them on a very long, slow train journey through the worst parts of the battlefields." "The ruin, destruction." "They made them look at all of it." "That must have been grim." "Not as grim as what's waiting for them now they've arrived here, in Paris." "We need three cabs." "Can you take us to the Hôtel Balzac?" "What?" "You German scum." "This war had to be fought." "Above all, it had to be won." "The alternative was unthinkable." " Who said that?" " You did." "I did?" "In a letter you once wrote to me." "Oh, yes." "It was a long time ago." "What did you mean?" "I don't know." "I suppose I meant the need to preserve some sort of decency, simple human decency, in a world suddenly gone mad." " Do you still believe that?" " Yes, of course I do." "Well, is it sane again?" "I..." "I don't know." "Gentlemen, plenipotentiaries of the German Empire, the hour has struck for the weighty settlement of our account." "You have asked for peace." "We are disposed to give it to you." "Does anyone wish to speak?" "Very well." "Gentlemen, we shall study this document." "And when we have determined our position..." "There is nothing to determine." "The position is clear." "I mean, when negotiations begin." "Negotiations?" "There will be no negotiations." "We have given you terms, and you will sign." "Are we not even to be allowed to respond to these demands?" "You may make observations." "You have 15 days." "After that, you will sign." "Arnold." "You're such an idiot." "You've almost missed the whole thing." "I know, I was detained." "Have a drink." "It's exactly what I foresaw." "Wilson's given way on nearly everything." "A slice of Austria for the Italians, a wedge of China for the Japanese." "He came with Fourteen Points towards world peace." "Well, he's abandoned just about every one of them." " Lf that's true, then it's tragic." " Tragic?" "I'd say it's fatal." "The terms of German reparation are even worse than anybody possibly foresaw." "The document they gave to the Germans is so fierce it will bankrupt Germany." "Germany will go down in chaos, then drag Europe down with her." "Mr. Jones, the war you've just fought in, which your friends died in, in 10 or 20 years, we will fight over again." "The worst thing in the document is this." "They're insisting on war guilt." "Yes." "The Germans have to say the whole fault of the war was theirs." " That's madness." " But of course." "And I tell you frankly, if I were a German, I'd refuse to sign." "Leaders of the Allied and Associated Powers, this treaty is nothing more than a continuation of the war..." "Speak up." "I cannot hear." "A continuation of the war by other means." "The reparation payments you demand will ruin Germany." "She will have no navy, no army to defend herself if her borders are violated." "Colonies stripped away, coal mines given to the Poles and the French." "You compel us to acknowledge responsibility for the war and demand that we hand over our heroes to be tried as criminals." "President Wilson," "Germany laid down her arms according to the principles of your Fourteen Points." "This treaty here breaks every one of those points!" "May I remind you, sir, that the German armies marched home undefeated?" "Where is your peace?" "We have been betrayed!" "We know the hatred which meets us here." "This document proves it." "But you demand of us that we say we, and we alone, are guilty of having caused this war..." "Such a confession from my mouth would be a lie." "What did I tell you?" "The old Germany's still there." "This war was the greatest crime against humanity that any nation calling itself civilized has ever committed." "Germany not only began it, but she is responsible, solely responsible, for the inhuman way it was fought." "Justice is what you ask for?" "Justice is what you shall have." "The treaty must be accepted or rejected." "Answer." "Are you ready to sign?" "Yielding to overwhelming force, but without abandoning its view..." "Speak up!" "I cannot hear." "This is shameful." "...of the unheard-of injustice of the terms..." "Speak up!" "...the government of Germany declares it is ready to sign." "For a minute I thought they were gonna walk out." " They can't." "They're hog-tied." " Well, my knees were shaking." "This is history." "Now make the most of it!" "You'll never see anything like this again." "Thank you." "My pleasure." "You were at the hotel the night we arrived." "Yes." "Sorry about what happened back there." "We were expecting it in the streets, but not here." "Why do they insist on humiliating us?" "I guess so you'll know what they've suffered." "So you won't forget." "I fought at Verdun." "I shall never forget." "I fought at Verdun, too." "You know, then, but I wonder, do they?" "Maybe in the future." "The future?" "We shall have no future if those old men have their way." "We are here to sign a treaty of peace." "Isn't victory beastly?" "Well, I guess this is the end of it." "I'm afraid this is just the beginning." "Leave that." "Get your stuff, we're needed again." "Weren't we going to send a commission?" "Quite right, sir, we were and we shall, but the Middle East is highly unsettled." "Things are very volatile there." "In our view, it's imperative that we make a firm decision now, sir." "In our view, it's imperative that we make a firm decision now, sir." "I can't answer for the consequences otherwise." "You agree?" "Obviously." "I thought that we had decided..." "You've got your League, Mr. President, allow us to have this." "What exactly do you have in mind?" "Now, our line..." "Will run here." "And ours..." "Runs here." "What are those areas?" "Zones of influences, sir." "Let me show you." "British zone." "French zone." "Does anyone have a pencil?" " Mr. President." " Thank you, young man." "I see." "Splendid." "I take it we're all agreed, then?" " What about Prince Feisal?" " Oh, I dare say we'll find him something." "Diplomacy?" "Everything you promised Feisal was a lie." "Is that your idea of diplomacy?" "Mr. President?" "It's finished." "No one is satisfied." "It makes me hope we've made a just peace." "So what happens with Prince Feisal?" "Maybe they'll give him Iraq." "That's Gertrude's plan." "She says she'll move heaven and earth to get it for him." " So what will you do?" " Go back to England." "Vegetate." "Starve, I imagine." "You won't starve." "Unless you want to." "Henry, you're right, of course." "And you?" "A glittering career in diplomacy." "Ambassador to the Court of St. James?" "I turned it down." "I'm gonna go back home, go to school." " School?" " University." "I'm going to study archaeology." "Oh, that's fine." " God, I envy you." " I don't know, it's pretty scary." " It's been three years since I left, so..." " And what three years." "A lifetime." "Well, I should get going." " So long, Ned." " Goodbye, Henry." "Henry." "Don't forget me." "I won't forget you." " Will you write?" " I will." "We gave the old men victory, and they threw it away." "We offered them a new world, and they made the old one over again." "Still, it might've been worse." " What?" " I said, it might've been worse!" "Did you fight?" " I'm sorry?" " Were you a soldier?" "Did you fight?" "Yeah, yeah, I did." " Were you scared?" " Gaston!" "That's not polite." "Yeah, yeah, I was scared." "I guess most soldiers are." "My father wasn't scared." "He was brave." "He got a medal." "Look!" "It's great." " Did you get a medal?" " Yeah, I did." "Can I see it?" "I don't have it on me right now." "One day, I'm going to have a medal of my own." "Really?" "When the next war comes." "What if another war doesn't come?" "Don't be silly!" "Of course there'll be a next war." " Who will you fight?" " The Germans, of course!" "I demand to see an official." "This is totally exasperating." "No!" "I am sorry." "Oh, goodness." "Amy, we must find someone who can speak..." " Excuse me, ma'am, can I help?" " He doesn't speak English." "I'm sorry, ma'am." "He apologizes for the misunderstanding, but your baggage will be sent to your cabin." "I'm gratified to hear it." "I'm obliged to you, young man." "Thank you." "Sure." "Now, here you go." "Thank you, thank you." "Come along, Amy." "American women." "They're impossible, no?" "Hello." "Yes?" "Excuse me." "Let's hope we're all quiet sleepers." " Hi." " Good afternoon, Mr..." " Jones, Henry Jones." " Yes, Mr. Jones, what can I do for you?" "I was wondering about dinner." "You are down for the second sitting." "Perfect." "Now, about the seating arrangements..." "But of course, Mr. Jones." "Hello." "Oh, this is something of a surprise, Mr. Jones." "A pleasant one, I hope, Mrs. Wharton." "Very pleasant." "A wonderful coincidence, I guess." "And how long was your stay in Paris, Mr. Jones?" "Just a couple of months, ma'am." "I was with the American delegation during the peace treaty negotiations." "Perhaps you know my husband, Mr. Thomas Wharton?" "He is First Secretary at our embassy." "No, ma'am." "I was just a translator." "Actually, I was there for three years." " You were in the war." " In the war for three years." "I imagine your parents will be most relieved at your return." "Well, my mother passed away, and my father, he's pretty involved with his work." "What sort of work would that be?" "He's a professor of medieval studies at Princeton." "Well, I do not doubt he will be happy to see you." "Happy?" "I'm sure he'll be tickled to death." "Good game." "Why would your father be angry with you?" " First, for the way I left home." " He didn't approve?" "He really didn't get a chance." "I just sort of left without telling him." "And we haven't really communicated." "He did write to me once, though." "Telling you to never darken his doorstep again." "No." "He said it was up to me about what school I went to." " Well, that doesn't sound so bad." " Let's hope he still means it." "I'd like to go to the University of Chicago and study archaeology, instead of Princeton." "I'm going to Vassar to study medicine." "I plan to be a doctor." "Really?" "That's great." "And don't worry." "I'm sure that deep, deep down, your father hasn't changed one bit." "That's what I'm afraid of." "Isn't it beautiful?" "No, Indy, please don't." " What's wrong?" " I don't know." "I don't want to fall in love with you." " Why not?" " I'm not sure." "Are you scared?" "Yes, I think so." "But why shouldn't I go on seeing him, Mother?" "What's wrong with him?" "To begin with, I'm not at all sure your father would approve." "Oh, nonsense, Mother." "Daddy would love Indy." "I know he would." "Indy." "What sort of name is that?" "It's short for Indiana." "And you haven't answered my question." "Amy, this young man has just been through a war." "Now I realize that may seem glamorous to you..." "He fought in a war to end all wars." "He fought for the right reasons." "War can do terrible things to a person." "Especially when he's young and impressionable." "Drat!" "Who knows what dreadful things he has seen, or even done?" "I know that, Mother." "I'm not a child." "Maybe not, but you still have your whole life in front of you." "My dear, I just don't want to see you make a terrible mistake." "One you'll live to regret." "But I like him, Mother." "I really, really like him." "I'm gonna come and visit you every week, I promise." "Well, then I'll come to Princeton, and that's a promise, too." "And we are going to keep our promises, aren't we?" "Yeah." "Yeah, we're gonna make this work." "We're home." "Yeah." "We're home." "So next Sunday, Central Park bandstand." " I'll be there." " Okay." " Bye." " Bye-bye." "Welcome to Princeton." "Watch your step now." " There you go." " Thanks very much, sir." "Sure." "Why not?" "Maybe later we'll get to do a little spooning, know what I mean?" "Are you saying you've asked Annie and Mabel?" "Well, you know what they say, fellas." ""Two birds in the bushes are worth one in the hand."" "Golly, Charlie, you sure are something." "Nancy?" "Indy!" "Oh, my gosh, this is wonderful." "Oh, it's so great to see you." " It's good to see you, too." " Well, when did you get back?" " Just now." " What?" "Oh, you should've told us." "We would've met you with the band and everything." "Given you a real hero's welcome." "I don't know if I'd care for that too much." " So how are you?" " Fine, just fine." "We've been..." "Say hello..." "To little Butch." "Say hi to Indy, Mommy's high school beau." "You married Butch?" "Nearly two years ago." " So how's your father..." " How's your dad..." " My dad's fine." "How's yours?" " I don't know, I haven't seen him yet." "I haven't seen anyone." "You're the first." " Well, be sure and come and see us." " Yeah, sure, I will." "Okay." "Bye, Indy." "It's really great to have you back." "Well, I see you're back from your little adventure." "Your room is as you left it." " And, Junior?" " Yes, sir?" "Dinner is at 7:30." "Sharp." "I see nothing's changed." "It's good to be home." " Ready for a boat ride?" " Yes." "Was it really that bad?" "It was worse." "It was like I never even left." "So what will you do?" "Well, there's a physics professor at Clark University." "He used to be at Princeton, so he's spending his summer there." "I got a job as his lab assistant." "I can make some extra money for school." "And, I don't know, at least it will get me out of the house." "Won't your dad help?" "With school?" "I mean..." "He got me the job." "That's his idea of helping, I guess." "Well, have you told him about Chicago yet?" "No." "Indy, you have to tell him sometime." "Well, I start my new job tomorrow, so I guess I'll see you next week." "Okay." "Well, goodbye." "Indy, you really should speak with your father." "How do you talk to a stone?" "Bye." "Goodbye." "Amy?" "I'm not at all pleased." "You will oblige me by not seeing that young man again." "Why?" "We weren't doing anything." "One of the Rockefeller boys called on you again today." "This boy from New Jersey is just not suitable." "Not suitable?" "For heaven's sakes, Mother!" "This is not the 19th century." "I'm sorry." "I've made up my mind." "Whatever you say, I'll still see him." " You will not." " I will." "Professor Goddard?" "I don't think so." "That's the prof." "Don't disturb him." "He doesn't like it." " You're Henry Jones?" " Yes, sir." "Great." "The job's all yours." "Where do I start?" "Just remember, he doesn't like to be disturbed." "Jonesey!" "Hey!" "Jonesey!" "Hey, buddy!" "Where you spring from?" " Last I heard, you was in the war." " Well I was, I just got back." "So, what are you doing here?" "I'm singing at Rutgers Glee Club." "We're giving a concert tonight." "Come hear us." "I can't." "My father, he's expecting me." "If I don't give him notice..." "Still keeping you on a pretty tight rein, huh?" " Yeah." " Some things don't change." "Say, how about we get together next week some time?" "That's great." "Yeah, we'll make a night of it." "We'll get something to eat." "Oh, you know a place in Princeton where a white boy and a black boy can grab a beer and get something to eat?" " Trust me." " That's my trouble, Jonesey." "I always did." " It's good seeing you." " You, too." " Sorry I'm late." " When I said dinner was at 7:30," "I did not mean 7:52." "I'm sorry." "It'll never happen again." "Guess who I saw on campus today on the quad?" "Paul Robeson." "Little Paul?" "Whom you used to hang around with?" "He's not so little anymore." "You know, he just made all-American." " At Princeton?" " No, no." "At Rutgers." "He was just visiting from the Glee Club." "Still, there's no question that Princeton's the right school for you, Henry." "Listen, Dad..." "I've already spoken to Dean Daly in Admissions." " Hello?" " Amy, it's Indy." "Oh, Indy." "Hi." "So, how's your new job?" "Oh, pretty good." "Listen, about Saturday, would you mind if I bring an old friend of mine along?" "He's one of my best friends, we grew up together and I kind of promised him we'd get together." " Of course it is." " You'll really like him." "He's at Rutgers, terrific footballer, all-American." "I'm sure that I will." "I can't wait." "See you Saturday." "Okay, bye." " All finished." " Good." "Same time tomorrow, then." "Professor Goddard." "These altitude calculations, aren't they a bit extreme?" "I mean, 100,000 miles." "That's pretty far." "What do you know about altitude calculations?" "Well, not a whole lot, but..." "In the war I was a flier for a time, so..." "You flew in the war?" " Did you ever get to use rockets?" " For signaling?" "No, not really." "Never mind." "But I've always been interested in rockets, ever since I read Jules Verne as a kid." "Do you know From The Earth To The Moon?" "Indeed I do." "What about H. G. Wells?" "Do you like his works, too?" "Oh, he's fantastic!" "I love The Time Machine." "And War of the Worlds, that was great." "Me, too." "In fact, it was reading H. G. Wells that first got me started on this." "Is that what you're working on?" "Rockets for signaling?" "Rockets, yes." "Signaling, no." "Come with me." " How does it work?" " How long have you got?" "See, the problem with ordinary rockets, the kind that people know about, is that they're inefficient." "They can rise, but not very far." "Because the fuel it carries is only a small fraction of the rocket's total mass." "Exactly." "But this rocket is 30 times more efficient." " How do you achieve that?" " Well, in three crucial ways." "The first is by using this tapering nozzle so that the thrust is concentrated." "The second is by including a reloading device inside the rocket, so that the fuel is used up only a little bit at a time." "Still, you're gonna need an awful lot of powder." "You don't have to use powder." "A mixture of liquid oxygen and kerosene works much better." " Liquid fuel?" " Right." " Well, how do you retrieve it?" " Simple, by fitting it with a parachute." "Still, it's gonna burn out pretty quick." "True, which brings us to the third device." "You see, if this one works we'll build another one, with three rockets fitted together, in stages, or steps, if you like." "So when one is used up, it drops away, and another one begins firing, and then another and another, and so on." " So the sky's the limit." " Why stop at the sky?" " Why not go on beyond?" " Beyond the sky?" "Into space?" " Is that possible?" " There's no law in physics against it, therefore one day it'll happen, and I believe that day is very soon." "We're on the verge of a very great change." "Space travel, it's..." "It's always been such a joke." "Every vision is a joke until the first man accomplishes it." "Do you think it'll work?" "That's what we're gonna find out." "Sorry, Dad." "I got tied up at the lab with Professor Goddard." " It was really interesting." " Enough." "I'm really sorry I'm late." " I guess I'll go make myself a sandwich." " No, you won't." "You chose to miss dinner, therefore, you will go without." "Is there anything interesting in the paper?" "Not much." "President Wilson is sick again." "I heard him speak in Paris." "I really felt sorry for him." "No doubt he was deeply touched by your concern." "The Treaty was just such a disaster, I..." "I think it broke him." "Nonsense." "The Treaty of Versailles is merely the latest settlement in the traditional European nation-state conflict." "If you'd studied more history, you'd know that." " I disagree." " You disagree?" "You think this bizarre idea of a League of Nations can ever work?" "I'll tell you it's a fantasy." "Congress will never vote for it." "Junior, the nation-state grew out of the city-state, which realized itself through conquest and expanded through colonization." "Think of Athens, think of Sparta." "The logical result was empire." "Think of Alexander, think of Rome." "Now, what just happened in Europe was that the German Empire attempted to expand." "It wanted territory, colonies." "And the only way to get them was through conquest." "As a result, the Russian Empire, the British Empire and the French Republic, which is an empire in all but name, combined to crush it." "Russia fell, but Britain and France, with timely American assistance, smashed Germany and restored the balance of imperial power." "Now that is why Lloyd George and Clemenceau are statesmen in the grand tradition." "And Woodrow Wilson is an impractical dreamer." "That is the historical reality, Junior." "It'll never change." "We gave them victory and they threw it away." "We offered them a new world, and they're building the old one" " all over again." " Sentimental rubbish." "Consider the position of France and England" " at the end of the Hundred Years' War." " It's different now." "Wars aren't fought by knights in armor, who go back to their castles when it's over." "There's machine guns and airplanes and high explosives and tanks." "The weapons may have altered, not the historical perspective." "No, Father, you're wrong." "There's a real change coming." "I know it, I've seen it." "Soon there'll be things you've never dreamed of." "Oh, really?" "You're an expert, then, are you?" " I decline to continue this conversation." " What?" "Be silent." " No, but Father, we have..." " Do you hear?" "I said, be silent." "You're just mad 'cause I left for the war without discussing it with you." "That subject is closed." "It's true." "Why can't you admit" " you're still mad at me?" " Junior!" "And you're gonna go on being mad at me, aren't you?" " You're never gonna let it go." " Henry, for the very last time..." "No, no." "You'll never change, will you?" "You can't, you never could." "Not even when Mother was alive." " How dare you..." " Not even..." "How dare you mention your mother to me!" "Don't even let me hear you speak of her again." "Why shouldn't I?" "You never did one thing to make her happy." "And now you're taking it all out on me." "Why, you ignorant, ungrateful, unfeeling," " young..." " Unfeeling?" "I'm unfeeling?" "No, no, you're the one that's unfeeling." "You never gave a thought for anyone but yourself." "You're the one that could never admit to being wrong." "You shirked every duty, dodged every problem..." "Fine, well, at least I admitted it." " Why can't you?" " Took the easy way out." " Ran away every time." " Go on!" "Go on, just for once in your life, admit that you were wrong." " Go to your room." " No." "No, Father, I'm not 10 years old anymore." "You do as I say, Son." "This instant." "Go to your room." "But Jonesey, you can't just write your father off." " You've got to resolve this thing first." " Indy!" "Amy!" " You made it." " I did, and in spite of my mom." "Amy, this is Paul." "My friend." "I told you about him." "Except he didn't tell you that I was a Negro." " Right?" " No, no, he didn't." "Which is fine, it's okay." "I'm happy to know you, Paul." "Okay, so where do we eat?" " We're gonna go..." " We plan to eat?" "Indy, that could be a problem." "No, it's no problem." "I got it all figured out." "Come on." " Here you are, that'll be 10 cents." " Thanks." " Everything on it?" " You bet!" "Hello." "Three with all the trimmings, please." "Coming up." "I missed these." "You don't see these in France, huh, Indy?" "Since when did you start serving niggers?" " Hey, look, mister..." " You heard me." " Hey, I don't want no trouble." " Hey, hey, hey." " Listen, friend, we just..." " Hey, hey." "I ain't no friend to no guy eats with niggers." "Well then, maybe you should go eat somewhere else." "Unless you wanna make something of it." "Wait for me, wait for me, Sarah." "Those were the times!" "My father had me washing windows for a month." "What else is new?" "Well, he can't be worse than my mother." "I mean, all she wants from me is to marry someone from the Upper East Side, live happily ever after and..." "And have babies." "I mean, and as for being a doctor, she doesn't even think that women should vote." "My father's still stuck in the Dark Ages." "It's like time just stopped for him." "It's like all of those politicians in Europe." "They continue their long-honored cycle of wars." "It's..." " I wonder if it'll ever change." " Politicians never change." "You know, in some ways, things haven't changed since the Civil War." "I don't just mean for colored people." "I mean for the ordinary man." "I mean, look around." "What do you see?" "Wage slavery, exploitation," "I mean, it's everywhere." "Can't go on like this." "But it does." "You know, change is painful." "People will do anything to prevent pain." "It's because it's unfamiliar to them." "I mean, it's not safe." "They have this fear of the unknown." "Can't wait for our parents to change." "It's got to be up to us." "Maybe I should put that in my speech." "What speech?" "Saturday is Commencement Day." "I'm valedictorian." "You're valedictorian?" "That's terrific!" " Congratulations!" " You wanna come?" "You try and keep us away." "Paul." "Amy, head home." " But Indy, I..." " No, please, just..." " Head home." "We'll meet you there." " Okay." "Oh, I smell something bad!" "Hey, Joe, do you smell something bad?" " Yeah." " Yeah, nigger." "Just like the old days." " What happened to you?" " I got in a fight." "I can see that." "What was it about?" "I guess you could say I was trying to help some people change their social patterns, only they didn't want to." " Did you win?" " The fight?" "Yeah." "Not so sure about the social patterns." "Some people are pretty stubborn." "Don't worry, history's on your side." "That's not what my father would say." "I'm talking about the progression of science, technology, this." "And no matter how much people try to resist, technology will force them to change." "Think how vast the world used to be, and how small it's become." "Imagine how much smaller yet it will become." "I mean, air travel will make it possible to go around the world in a matter of hours." "Radio and telephone, you can talk to anybody, anyplace, at any time." "Nations that used to be on the other side of the globe are now next-door neighbors, economically and socially linked." "What if they don't get along?" "Oh, they'll have to." "Technology will make them." "Well, suppose they fight." "They won't dare to." "The weapons will be too horrible." "And they'll find new ways to cooperate." "Because if they fight, they'll destroy each other." "The future's here." "This is it." "It's a fact." "The pace is gonna get quicker." "Old methods of thought will be discarded." "Old habits will change." "And no matter how much mankind tries to resist, in the end," "there's no choice." "Well, that may work for mankind, but I'm not so sure about my father." "He hasn't said anything?" "Not a word." "It's as if I don't even exist." "Poor man!" " Poor man?" " Sure." "Can't you see how lonely he is?" "How sad he must be feeling?" " My father doesn't have feelings." " Oh, Indy, I don't think so." "No." "You're wrong." "He's not like other fathers." "He never has been." "Even when I was kid, we never talked." "We never laughed, we never played." "We never did anything fathers are supposed to do with their sons." "You have to make up with him." "Father, there's something I'd like to say." "I'd like to apologize." "About the other night." "The things I said, the way I acted, I was way out of line." "And I'm sorry." "I guess that's it." "We'll not discuss it further." "Yes, we will." "Yes, we will." "We have to." "We can't just pretend that this never happened." "You have apologized." "I have accepted your apology." "What more is there to say?" "A lot more." "A whole lot more." "Don't you see?" "We never talk." "We're more like strangers than father and son." "Like strangers?" "You and I are like strangers?" "It's because we're never close." "We're never together." "We..." "We never have been." "Except maybe that time in Athens." "But that..." "In Athens?" "When we went to see the monasteries, just..." "Just the two of us." "Oh, yes." "We'd gone to Greece, if I remember, straight after our visit to Russia." "And we got stuck in the monastery's wooden lift." "That's right." "That was the best time I ever had with you." "When we finally escaped up the rope, I remember you picked me up, and you just held me really tight." "It was the only time I can ever remember you actually hugged me." "And it felt great." "For a while there, just..." "Just for that moment..." "You really were my dad." " You ready, Indy?" " Yeah." "Start the countdown." "Five, four, three, two..." "This is the future, Indy." "And it's here." " Well, good luck, Paul." " Thanks." " I'm gonna need it." " You'll be great." "I sure hope so." "Because I've never been so nervous in my whole life." "Your seats are in the front row." " Mr. Robeson, it's very good to see you." " Good to see you, Indy." " This is Paul's father." " Hello." " Paul's aunt." " Hi." " Hello." " And Paul's cousin." " Hi." " It's a pleasure to meet you." "Ladies and gentlemen, our class valedictorian, Paul Robeson." "Thank you." "Ladies and gentlemen, and fellow students, this nation has just emerged from a Great War in which she has proven true to her trust." "Her soldiers have fought and died, to preserve those historic ideals of liberty and justice by which America was founded." "And those ideals have prevailed." "Yet America is still a nation of two races, one favored and one less-favored." "And so I speak to you today of a new idealism, and I invoke its spirit in the days of change that lie ahead." "We of the less-favored race realize that our future lies chiefly in our own hands." "On ourselves alone will depend the preservation of those liberties and the transmission of them to those who shall come after us." "And we are struggling on, attempting to show that knowledge can be obtained under difficulties, that poverty may make way for affluence, that obscurity is not an absolute bar to distinction, and that a way is open to all who wish to follow the way with wisdom" "and resolution." "That neither old-time slavery nor continued prejudice need extinguish self-respect, crush manly ambition, or paralyze effort." "I call upon my own race to practice the virtues of self-reliance, self-respect, industry, and perseverance." "But I also call upon you, the more-favored race, to catch a new idealism, to invoke a new spirit of compassion at the manifest distress of your fellow men." "This new idealism asks more from you than courtesy and fair-mindedness." "It also asks for your willingness to fight for the great principle, that there will be equal opportunities for all." "And so, in conclusion," "I appeal to all of you to fight for a government whereby character shall be the standard of excellence, where white and black shall clasp hands friendly, in full consciousness that we are brothers, and God almighty is the Father of us all." "So, Jonesey, you secure a place at Princeton?" "No, University of Chicago." "I'm gonna study archaeology." "A doctor, lawyer and an archaeologist." "Not bad for a start." "A doctor, lawyer and an archaeologist." "Not bad for a start." "Well, we'd better get going." "She's got a train to catch." "Yes." " Thanks for coming." " Paul, it was a privilege." "You take care of yourself, Jonesey." "I will." "It was a great speech, Paul." "It was a really great speech." "You think they heard?" "They heard." " And they'll remember." " God willing." " Take care of yourself." " Sure will." "Do the same." " All aboard!" " Well, good luck at medical school." "So, what about us?" "Well, Chicago's an awfully long way away." "I'll come and visit you every week." "No, you won't." "And you know that." "I'll write to you, I will." "I'll write to you every day." "You're right, I won't." "I will still love you." "I'll still love you, too." "And I really do hope that you get everything that you want." "Goodbye, Indy." "Father, I'm sorry we haven't talked more." "So am I, Henry." "Because..." "I know it's what your mother would have liked." "And I know, too, that she'd have wanted me to say," "I'm glad you're safe." " You're going somewhere." " University of Chicago." " Chicago?" " To study archaeology." "What about Princeton?" "The archaeology department's better at Chicago." "And you said I could decide." "You wrote me." "That was a long time ago." " Yes, but Father..." " Very well." "If that's what you want." "Dad..." "Close the door behind you when you leave, Junior."