My name's Briggs.
I left some negatives here for enlargements.
Let's see.
Those were 11-by-14 mattes, weren't they?
- No. Eight by tens. - Oh, yeah. Yeah, I remember.
I just finished them. They're still drying.
I'd like to take a look at them.
- Help yourself. - Thank you.
Good morning, Mr Briggs.
The man in the photo on your right is Andreas Solowiechek,
a member of a Communist trade delegation to the US.
Yesterday, Solowiechek was arrested and charged
with the assassination of Senator William Townsend.
Already, Townsend's extremist supporters,
led by his principal backer, R.J. McMillan,
are demanding that we break relations with the Communist Bloc.
With the end of diplomatic relations,
the Cold War will immediately start to heat up.
Even though Solowiechek won't admit it,
we're convinced that he was not acting on orders of his government.
Your mission, Dan, if you decide to accept,
is to prove it.
As always, should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed,
the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.
Please dispose of this recording in the usual manner.
Good luck, Dan.
- Pictures okay? - Just what I wanted. Thank you.
Senator Townsend had just finished one of his inflammatory speeches
at the local armoury.
He shook a few hands and by 10:00 p.m., he returned home.
- Was anybody in the house with him? - No, he was unmarried.
His housekeeper left the house by 8:00.
At 10:28,
the house had been all but demolished by a fragmentation bomb.
- When was Solowiechek picked up? - The same night.
At least five witnesses identified him as having been in the area,
and his fingerprints were found on some of the bomb fragments.
It sounds to me like Solowiechek's guilty.
He is. No doubt of it.
How can the Secretary be so certain
that he wasn't on actual orders from his government?
The Communists sure don't pay their people that kind of money.
But R.J. McMillan might.
Everyone knows that McMillan was Townsend's friend and backer.
He kept him in the Senate.
Why would he want to have him killed?
To make Townsend a martyr and to provoke an international incident.
An incident? McMillan's already screaming for war.
And that's what we've got to prevent.
Barney, what about the portrait and the remote truck?
No problem.
The truck's all set, and the painting will be ready tomorrow morning.
Dan, if we're going to implicate McMillan,
we have to prove some connection between him and Solowiechek.
That won't be easy. Not only won't he talk, but he's in jail.
There's only one way to get him out.
You got company, Solowiechek.
No, no.
I refuse to permit anyone else in here.
Sorry, we're not running private cells.
I am political prisoner. I demand that this man be removed.
- Tell it to the court tomorrow. - Hey,
what's he mean, "Political prisoner?"
He's afraid someone's going to try to kill him
because he knocked off a United States Senator.
Oh, yeah, yeah. I read about that.
Senator Townsend.
Hey, wait a minute, what makes you think
I wanna be in here with him?
I don't mind rooming with any con, but this scum's something else.
As far as I'm concerned, you're two of a kind.
...treachery so monstrous as to defy the imagination.
A great man.
A great United States Senator
cut down in the prime of life.
Because he was not afraid to say "fight."
There are those that have called him a warmonger and hate peddler,
but I knew him for what he was.
A great American patriot.
Now, go back and ask your readers if America intends to let her enemy
get away with this outrage without reprisal.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Carter, Mr McMillan. Newsworld magazine.
The press conference is over, Miss Carter.
We're doing a cover story in our next issue
on the late Senator Townsend.
We would like to include your impressions of the man.
- I'm sorry. - No one was closer to him.
You could be of great help to us.
Miss Carter, what makes you think I'd want to help Newsworld magazine?
Your editors have made a career of taking pot shots
at Senator Townsend and me.
We're going to do the story anyway.
We'd like it to be as accurate as possible.
I should think you'd like that, too.
Besides, it's no longer a political issue.
A United States Senator has been killed.
My magazine is as outraged as you are.
I'll give you one hour tomorrow at 10:00 in the morning.
Fine. I'll be here.
Go over to the bars.
Let me know if anyone's moving in the corridor.
- Why? - Do as you're told.
Now, look!
You keep your face over here,
and let me know if any guards are coming.
- What do you want? - I tell you...
Nothing! Nothing at all.
I demand to be moved from this cell. This man has been striking at me.
That's between the two of you.
Look, I don't care which one of you is boss or how you decide it.
That's up to you, Mac.
One way or the other you guys have got to learn to live together.
Now, that's the way it's gonna be.
Now, I told you to let me know if anybody comes along.
Now you do it.
What are you doing?
Mind your own business. Get back to it and keep your eyes open.
The guard... The guard's coming.
Gibson, lawyer's here.
- Hello, Eddie. - What's happening?
- Well, Judge Sloan's reading the writ. - Yeah. How's it look?
We'll probably have a hearing tomorrow sometime in the afternoon.
Good. That means by tomorrow night I'll be a free man, huh?
At least until the new trial.
I wouldn't get my hopes up too high,
because I don't think you're going to get a new trial.
Why do you say a thing like that?
Because as your attorney, I'm trying to be honest with you.
I don't think that writ of yours is worth the paper it's written on.
I get it.
You don't like the fact that I came up with the legal angles, right?
Look, shyster, if you spent as much time
in the law section of that prison library as I have,
maybe you would've come up with that writ instead of me.
I tried, Eddie.
What I'm trying to tell you is, you really don't have a leg to stand on.
- Not legally. - What are you talking about?
It's all in there. It's in there. It's right in there!
Look, we've gone over it a hundred times.
There's not a judge in his right mind
that would give you a new trial under that law.
Maybe I won't get a new trial,
but I'm going to get a new lawyer, shyster,
because you stink!
Now get out of here, will you? Get him out of here.
- Good luck. - Thanks a lot.
I ought to break your neck.
The gun.
- You're going to shoot me. - Maybe I should, you Commie rat.
Guard! Guard!
Guard!
- Guard! Guard! - Go to sleep.
Guard!
Now, look, you breathe one word about this gun and I will kill you.
Remember, one word and you're dead.
All right. What's all the yelling about?
I don't know, he's sick. He says he's sick.
- What's the matter with him? - Something about his head.
Go to bed.
I'll pass you to the dispensary in the morning.
And keep it quiet down here.
Go on.
Get it over with.
Look, if I was going to kill you I would have done it before this.
Right?
Then why do you have gun?
It's none of your business.
Now go back to sleep. Go on.
So he came to me and told me he wanted to get into politics.
I asked him why.
And he said because he wanted to change the way things were being run.
Was Senator Townsend working for you at that time?
He was the general manager of my Riverside plant.
And the best man I ever had in the job.
- And what did you say to him? - Well,
I told him I thought he was crazy,
but if that's what he'd made up his mind to do,
he could count on me.
And you stayed with him.
Miss Carter, I'd say behind him would be a more accurate way of putting it.
Bill Townsend was his own man. Nobody made any decisions for him.
- Including you? - Including me.
I see you have a great number of
Senator Townsend's personal souvenirs.
Awards, commendations, things like that.
Bill Townsend was a bachelor all his life.
When he wasn't in Washington, this was sort of his home.
- Did he live here? - He knew he was always welcome here.
This painting, I see it's signed "MCM."
Now, that's you, Mr McMillan.
I dabble around a little in oils every now and then.
I'm no Winston Churchill, but I like it.
- It's very nice. - Thank you.
When was it done? It looks fairly recent.
I don't remember when I did that.
It was done by memory, though.
Senator Townsend never had the time to sit for me.
Excuse me, Miss Carter.
Hello.
- That you, R. J? - Speaking.
This is the Governor, R.J. How are you feeling?
I'm fine, Governor. How about yourself?
I'll be all right if I get the answer I'm looking for from you.
What can I do for you, sir?
I've got to appoint a successor to Bill Townsend, R.J.
Fill out his term of office. I think that man should be you.
- Well, I'm honoured, Governor. - Well, of course, you're honoured.
The question is, will you do it?
I'd deem it a privilege to serve the people of this state, Governor,
especially in the name of William Townsend.
Well, I'm delighted and I'm grateful.
One thing more,
I would like that we don't say anything about this
for a few days.
I want to make the announcement next week.
Until then, you haven't heard a thing.
- I understand, Governor. - R.J., I'll be in touch with you.
Thank you, sir.
- Did he swallow it? - Power's easy to swallow.
I think I just got a much bigger story than the one I came here for.
I'm sorry you heard that conversation, Miss Carter.
I'm not, Senator.
You can't print that story. Not yet.
Senator, if I phone in the story of your appointment,
Newsworld can scoop every publication in this country.
I'm telling you, you can't do that.
Perhaps we can strike a bargain.
You give us the story of your appointment exclusively
and authorise a cover to go with it
and we'll hold off publication until our next issue.
I can have a cover artist at work by late this afternoon.
What choice do I have?
We have a deal?
- All right. But no leaks. - You have my word. There won't be.
I'll be back with my artist.
Here.
Court clothes.
Both of you be ready right after lunch. You're due in court at 2:00.
What do you mean? What do you mean? Both of us?
- Where's he going? - Same place you are.
- He comes up for arraignment today. - I don't want him with me.
- What's the matter with you, Gibson? - I don't want him with me, that's all!
Well, he's going! So, shut up!
Boy, that's all I need.
- A dum-dum like you hung on me. - What is matter with you?
What's the matter? I'll tell you what's the matter.
You know that writ I've been talking about?
It's good for one thing.
It gets me into that van for the ride to court,
you follow me?
You don't follow me.
Once I get in that wagon, I'm going to bust out. Clear out.
- Now do you understand? - Yes, I think so.
Good. Now here's what you do.
One thing. That thing is nothing.
You behave yourself and keep your mouth shut
and you're not going to get hurt.
But if you tip them as to what's going on,
you know that gun you're worried about?
Well, the first bullet is going to be to you.
Now, do you understand?
- I understand. - Good.
Get your clothes on.
All ready for your little ride, boys?
- Yeah, let's go. - Hold it, Gibson.
Wait a minute, wait a minute. What are you doing?
- You're not going to chain me to him. - It's cosy this way, Eddie.
You ain't going anywhere without him. Let's go.
If you'll look over this way, please.
One more shot.
- All right, that's enough! Come on! - One more shot, please.
Look over here.
All right, take it away.
School's over. Break it up.
Some nice weather we're having, huh, Screw?
Don't get smart, Gibson.
Hey, I make a comment about the weather and he don't like it.
You two are really a pair.
A three-time loser and a night-crawling killer.
- You don't have to like us, Screw. - I don't.
The only way you could make me like you would be to try something right now.
See, you got me all wrong. This is the new Eddie Gibson.
I don't do anything unless it's legal. Right here in the law book.
Suddenly things look different, huh, Screw?
Okay, now.
Ease that shotgun down to the floor nice and easy.
You might even live through this.
Broke. Broke off in the lock.
- Now I'm really stuck with you. - What do you mean?
I'm getting out of here and you're coming with me.
- No, I cannot. - Come on!
- No, I can't! No! - Come on.
- No! No, I can't. - You shut up.
All right, Commie, here's where we get off.
No, no. Do not!
I'm getting off, buddy, and you're coming with me.
No! No! No!
Come on.
Come on!
My ankle...
I can't stand up.
Let's go. We've got to get out of here. Come on.
No. No, I can't get up.
Let's go, Eddie.
Isn't this the guy that killed that senator?
We're stuck with him. Go!
Okay, get out.
- What do you mean? - This is as far as I go, Eddie.
- From here on in, you're on your own. - Wait a minute. We've got a deal.
Our deal didn't include him and you know it.
We'll get rid of him as soon as I get out of these.
Listen, by that time, I want to be over the state line.
Now, get out, Eddie.
So that's the way it is, huh?
- Yeah, that's the way it is. - I'll be thinking about you.
Hey, nice place, huh?
Hey, I got an idea.
Remember, Dan, the lens is on this end.
- Shall we have a last look? - Yeah.
When you start painting, rough in McMillan's head first,
then the body, the desk.
Leave the background for last.
You can't complete much more than this in one sitting anyway.
The trick will be to use the right colour paint at the right time.
All the paints dissolve this coating. The colour doesn't make any difference.
It will if he decides to come look over my shoulder.
Come on, lean in, will you?
Now what?
Now, you put the tyre back on.
Then we go up the road and make a phone call.
Why do you say "we"?
We're going to call your embassy.
They should be happy enough to give us a couple of passports
and enough money to get out of the country, right?
- They will not do it. - What do you mean, they won't do it?
Look, you knocked off a US Senator for them, right?
They gotta take care of you.
Go on, put the tyre back on.
Just in case you get any ideas.
Good. That's fine.
Now, I've done a bit of thinking on this, Mr Briggs.
How about this pose?
Not bad.
It gives the impression that you're Townsend's heir apparent.
But it looks a little posed. Loosen up a bit. Get comfortable.
I want to have the same look of dedication as Senator Townsend.
I want people to know where I stand.
Yes, that's important, but let's let them know you're you.
Senator R.J. McMillan, not a rubber stamp.
I don't think he should be sitting under this portrait.
- Yes, let's try it at the desk. - All right.
Perhaps with your hands folded. Yeah.
I think you ought to put your right hand over your left.
It'll give you a better shoulder line.
Perfect. Now, let me just find my angle.
Yes, that looks fine.
Now, if you'll just tilt your head a little to the right.
That's it.
Excuse me, Mr Briggs.
Hello.
When?
How?
All right. Keep me informed.
What is it, Senator? What happened?
Solowiechek's escaped.
In broad daylight. From a police van on a public street.
- How is that possible? - How is that possible, Mr Briggs?
I'll tell you how. His escape is part of a conspiracy.
A conspiracy to destroy this country.
Are you saying, Senator,
that the police are part of this conspiracy?
That they helped Solowiechek escape?
There is no question about that, Miss Carter.
They arranged for a man to ride to court with him.
A man who was unquestionably a Communist agent.
A man who smuggled a gun into Solowiechek,
so they could overpower the guard riding with them.
They even had a car following the van.
Now, who else but the police could have known
when Solowiechek was being taken to court?
That seems incredible.
To you, and to the uninformed like you.
Those with closed minds and closed ears.
When will you people wake up
to the warnings from Bill Townsend and myself?
All right.
Mr Briggs, I guess we may as well proceed with the painting,
if you will, please.
Well, you change the tyre?
I asked you to change the tyre.
- Yes. - Good, good.
Hey, how do you like this outfit, huh?
No one will recognise Eddie Gibson in this, huh?
- Okay, come on, we'd better be going. - We cannot call my embassy.
Why not?
Because I did not kill the Senator for my government.
They want me as much as your government does.
Well, that means I'm gonna have to dump you.
- And you know what that means? - No, no.
You... You cannot just kill me.
- Why not? - No, no. Leave me here.
I did not ask you to bring me here with you.
If I leave you here, as soon as I leave, you'll go screaming for the cops.
You'll tell them I'm in an old '47 pick-up truck on Route 29.
- Nothing doing. - No, I will not speak. I swear it.
- Well, then take me with you. - Why? You're dead weight.
You got no money, you got no chance of getting any.
Probably got more cops after you than I have.
- You're trouble, mister. - Wait! Wait! Wait!
- I can get money. - Yeah?
How?
From a friend.
Who?
I cannot tell you that.
Hey, what makes you think this friend is gonna give you money?
I cannot tell you that, either.
Just like I thought, 'cause there isn't any friend, right?
No, the man for whom I killed the Senator.
Yeah?
- What's his name? - No. I can't say.
- What's his name? - No, I can't.
I can't tell you!
What's his name?
Who is he?
Who?
McMillan.
R.J. McMillan.
McMillan? R.J. McMillan.
Yeah, that's money. Big money.
Yeah.
He might be willing to pay 10, 20,000 bucks to keep you quiet.
Maybe more.
Yeah.
Let's go!
Come on.
Get up.
Get in there and lie down.
Now, is there anything else you'd like to say, Mr McMillan?
Yes, there is, I think.
I think that Bill Townsend's murder
will be a turning point in the history of this country.
The American people have had their eyes opened.
They now know that the enemy will stop at nothing to subvert our way of life.
Think we'd better call it quits for the night.
You don't mind if I finish up first thing in the morning, do you, Senator?
Why, thank you very much, Mr Briggs. I think you're a little premature.
But no, I don't mind stopping now at all.
I didn't realise it was getting so late. Let's see how you're doing.
That's good.
Not flattering, but accurate.
You know, Mr Briggs, I'm something of a painter myself.
Oh, I didn't know.
Perhaps you'll let me see some of your work sometime.
Surely. There's a portrait I did of Senator Townsend.
Show him, Miss Carter.
Oh, no, no. Please, please, I'd like to have your criticism.
As you can see, I lean a little more to the yellows than you do.
Yes, and with good effect.
What are you doing, Mr McMillan?
I'll just accent this side...
I'm using yellow paint,
but it's green.
You're ruining my painting, Mr McMillan.
Why are my brushstrokes green?
Because this section was originally blue before I painted it out.
Blue and yellow make green, as you must know.
My apologies, Mr Briggs.
- I had no right to tamper with your work. - Oh, that's quite all right.
- No harm done. - Dan always has trouble with artists.
You know, he did a cover of Picasso once.
You can imagine the arguing that went on.
His favourite colour was red.
We can save some time in the morning if we leave everything set up.
- Do you mind? - Not at all.
And if I am again seized with the impulse
to add the McMillan touch to your painting,
- I promise to resist it. - Thank you.
Oh, let me show you to the door.
What time do you think I should expect to see you tomorrow, Mr Briggs?
- Well, I should say 8:30. - Fine, fine.
Did he go back to the painting after we left?
No, he went to his desk to work on his Senate address.
Did you lock on to the transmitter tower?
Right.
- We can cut in whenever we're ready. - Rollin's due any minute.
"And I promise
"every citizen of this great state
"that I will devote my life
"and my fortune
"to carrying on the work of my predecessor,
"the late Senator William Townsend.
"I pledge..."
Get your hand out of there.
Empty. Get it out!
Now close the drawer. Easy.
Switch it to the network.
What do you want?
What do you think?
I could not help it, Mr McMillan.
We were handcuffed together when he escaped.
I don't know you. What's he talking about?
- Lf you're lying... - Oh, I'm not lying.
He wants money. He made me bring him here.
What did he tell you about me?
What makes you two think I'd give you money?
McMillan, are you trying to tell me you don't know this man?
I never saw him before in my life.
Oh, no.
Wait a minute,
now I know who you are.
You're the Red agent that murdered Senator Townsend.
- Right, and you paid him to do it. - He told you that?
Look, stop playing games, Mr McMillan. We know you did it.
That's not true. That man is lying.
Is it possible the Secretary was wrong about McMillan?
- Should I cut us off the network? - No.
- You're lying. - No, no, I'm not lying. He is!
Tell him. Give him money.
Why would I have had anyone kill a man I idolised?
A man whose entire career I guided?
Now, does that make sense to you?
No, it doesn't.
- You've had it. - No.
No, I'm telling truth.
- I can prove it. - How?
He gave me money from safe
behind picture.
How would he know that that safe was there
unless he's been here before, huh?
- I don't know. - Stop your lying.
You wanted Townsend killed in order to create
breach between our two countries. You gave me $100,000
and promised to protect me if I was caught.
$100,000?
Here, I figured to get 10, 20 grand from you.
Come on, open up that safe.
This is going to be better than I thought.
- How much do you want? - How much?
Double. Double what he's getting.
$200,000.
You want me to call the cops?
Someone's behind Rollin.
Drop your gun. Drop it.
Pick it up, R.J.
I was praying you'd come down.
- You're dead. - Townsend?
- I killed you. - But it can't be.
You merely blew up a house, Solowiechek.
They found a body.
A dental bridge and parts of a body secured from an anatomy laboratory.
So you see,
there's been no murder. You really have nothing to tell anyone.
Only that you're still alive, Senator Townsend.
Everyone will find that out when the time is right
- and not before. - And when will that be?
When we have wiped every Communist from the face of this earth.
R.J., call the police.
Tell them you have the escaped convicts.
And you might also mention that you were forced to kill them
when they broke into your house.
You wouldn't want to kill us with the entire country watching,
- would you, Senator? - What do you mean?
Why don't you turn on your television set?
Your own station, McMillan.
See what 40 million Americans are watching right now.
Do it.
You fool.
- How did this happen? - Then
you are not criminal?
Traitor!
We could have convinced the American people
to stand up and fight.
To attack their enemies while they still have the power to destroy them.
It's the only way America can survive.
Keep talking, Senator. Yes, keep talking.
This is the last chance you'll ever get to address your constituents.
You're not a bad actor, Rollin.
- How were the ratings? - It was on the entire network.
Forty or fifty million viewers.
I'd say that Townsend and McMillan are suffering from overexposure.