I Was Communist for the FBI 003 - I Can't Sleep

For the FBI, starring Dana Andrews, and an exciting tale of danger and espionage. I was a communist for the FBI. Many of the incidents in the story you are about to hear are based on the actual records and authentic experiences of Metsavetic two. For nine fantastic years lived as a communist for the FBI. Here is our star, Dana Andrews as Matt Savetic. Burn a candle at both ends, and the candle lasts half as long. I did it for nine years. For nine years, I live. Two lives as opposite as day and night, life and death. Sometimes living in double life brings. Death just twice as close and closer it. Did for me many times. Well, I was a communist for the FBI. In a moment, listen to Dana Andrews as mat Semitic undercover man. Now here is Dana Andrews as mat Semitic undercover man. This story from his confidential file is mark. I can't sleep. Yes, mister Baker, please right away. Who's calling mister Baker. I'm Robert, come on, get on it. This is Baker. Go ahead, I've got to see you right away. I'm heading for a conference with a big wheel, and it's about what I think it is. I'd better talk to you. Where are you calling from drugstore phone booth? Then let me do the talking. Do you think the meeting might be about Auto Janice? They say it was suicide. I think it was murder. Never mind, what do you think? Let the comrades think you believe. It was suicide? Was it? Look Matt, go to that conference with Bootcheck. But watch yourself. You may be in a tough spot. I have a funny feeling I'm on the same spot Auto Janis lot before he got his Go to the meeting. Then meet me on the southwest corner of ninth and Viaduct. Okay, watch yourself. Watch yourself. I wonder as I walk toward Communist headquarters by my meeting with Joseph Boucheck. Was Auto Janis told to watch himself before they found him dead? My footsteps echo the cadence of a name familiar to Americans who read good books. Arto Janis Ato Janis author, critic, Arto Janis author, Farewell Nero author, citizen Slav author Trumpet the Brave Country History immigrant patriot, Communist Party member corpse who found hanging pittedly in his hotel room in New York City. Why such an end to such a man? How that's what Joseph Bouchek wants to talk to me about. Little Joe very close to Big Joe himself in the Kremlin. Watch yourself, Sabatic. Fromano Cevetic. I have worked for. You always ready, comrade, as you know, As you know, the. Party has just offered a great loss. And at the head of our Slovan jury in New. York, we were all shocked to hear about Camrad. Janie found hanging his hotel room. No theatic, the paper say suicide. The capitalist prey says suicide. What it implies murder. They seem to implicate the Party as only as they can. For the answers to prove that it was suicide. As only we can. Your assignment, Comrade Sibeki, to go to New York and establish that Comrade Janis hang himself. After all, why should we. Murder one of our most trusted comrades, Anesthetic when do I leave? I asked you why it's manifestly ridiculous to think we've made away with Janis? As you say, why should we. Unless he was an FBI agent, which I am sure he was not. You leave tonight Amber the wire for a hotel reservation. A reservation is ready for you. He sent a brad de hotel. May I ask, just how do I go about proving that rado janis killed himself? If the police are in doubt. You will receive instructions in New York very well, where you would deliver three separate addresses to the meeting of the press committees on newspaper propaganda, or to stay three days in New York, where you will also report to the sauving Burdau as the new acting chief. Me replace otto janis? Why not you knew him? You sometimes check his manuscripts for political reliability. You're one of his nationality, but he's more natural than that. You should succeed our montgomrade temporarily. So the meeting was about otto janis a man? Yeah? Can he have me? I answer a big question for me? I don't know, Sevidic, what's the question. But Jane's an undercover agents like myself. I can't answer that. Why are they really sending me to New York? We wanna know too. We'll give you all the help. We can watch yourself savedic. I try to sleep, sitting up on the night coaches to New York, thinking did auto Janis wear two face? Is like myself? How did he die? Suicide or cleverly disguised murder? Over and over again, round and around. I can't sleep, and then messy. Play I do fall asleep? Huh uh get okay? Al, Hey, how is that stranger Tennis out of the jennis? Yeah? Yeah, get off my shoulder. Huhhurs hider, Hey, heirs, hider, Hey fella, wake up ches ches he. Wake up guy? Was you huh right? You always talking your sleep? Huck? What did I say? I don't know? Butchers or something? What else? What else? I don't know? Just mumbling. I guess the butchers. Oh hey, hey, what's somebody you got a beef against butchers? Not did I know of? Oh? Oh, excuse you don't let me keep you awake. That's all right. I I've had enough sleep plenty. I sit up tensely all night. I never used to talk in my sleep. Maybe it's beginning to get me in the morning, bleary eyed and stubble chin. I check into the hotel in New York. It's a nice double room with twin bed an unusual extravagance for the party. But I'm a big man now. I don't wait to unpack before I pick up the phone to check with Communist headquarters. Report in, operator, Will you give me Sheridan three seven one Never mind that number? Operator? Thanks? Yeah, come in? Yes? Who are you? Who am I look at the suitcases? I'm your dormitory. Mate, That's who I am. Yeah, dormitory mate. Here Carp, Cameron, Carp with a K. I wasn't told i'd have a roommate. I got here. I'm attending the Press Committee's meetings, same as you, Comrade. I gotta use the telephone. Excuse me, hello, op, Ready, wait a minute, hang up, Hello, I've got a report. Hang up. Like you, Comrada. Like you, you don't take no for an answer. I want to know more about you before I split the room with you. Yeah. Well, Carp is the name with a K I know, and that's all I know so far. That's why I'm calling headquarters, comrade, so we can both check on each other. You see, Hey, hey. Wage slave, how about sherd In three seven one one five. I sit on one of the beds as Carp for a K talks to Communist headquarters and establishes beyond question his right to be here. Then I report and get my orders for the day. When I talk, I signed up Carp. I study his luggage, and all at once, the cold sweat starts all over my body. One piece of luggage is a battered suitcase, but the other is a big, powerful tape sound recorder. I finished my call and hang out frozenly a sound recorder. Why I'm going to spend three nights in this room with Comrade Copp? And I'm the undercover boy who's taken lately to talking in his sleep. And all at once I wonder who the man beside me in the train was. Was he sent to watch me too? Did he tip off the party to send Comrade. Copp to haunt me with a tape recorder? I don't know, I don't know, or don't I. Here? Sir, your comrade day, Sir vettid he tell me you were a friend of out of. Janis a comrade? Is more like it? And the strict party sense only? Why do you suppose he bumped himself off? Anyway? That's what I'm here to find out. How you going to get it to FIXT. Comrade Boucheck said, I'd receive instructions how to proceed when I got here. Yeah, you're getting your instructions now, Comrade. Your instructions are that, Comrade Otto, Janis committed suicide, and I understand you were here to meet with the press committees this afternoon to plan the spreading of that fact among the slav element in America. Give me the line on Janis. Then, he was a sensitive artist. He was an ill health. He'd been worrying about the precipice of chaos and war to which capitalistic aggression. Was leading his beloved adopted country. All right, I wish bout Check had been more specific with me, that's all. Hey, Docomry boot Check was specific with me, and I am specific with you. Yeah, same difference, a comrade, Eh, what's the tape recorder for? Hell? Eh? Oh, record the minutes of the meeting? Copy him down letter. Why oh well, I'm sort of a high fidelity sound hobbyist myself. That's a good machine, yes, sense that it was the human near and it works while you're asleep. Yeah, what do you mean works while you sleep? Hey? Wait a minute, you gidn't think I'm. Going to stay awake during all that collaborate if I can grab forty winks while this machine listens in good idea. Yeah, well, I'm gonna grab some sleep right now, immediately and at once. Ha me too, Comrade. I'm tired, all right, dead dog tired, and. I'd love to sleep, but I can't. I've become an unstable character who wakes up screaming. Besides strangers and railroad coaches, I'm the man with two faces, a communist for the FBI. Opening slightly at the scenes, I've got three nights ahead of me in New York with Comrade carp in the same room with me listening, and if he doesn't listen, that sensitive machine has. Is ah h. I'm dead dog tired. I don't dare sleep for three more whole days and nights. Suppose I talk. I don't dare sleep. Now back to Dana Andrews starring, and I was a communist or the FBI, and the second act of our story. The War of Nerves, is on one night up on the train, last night's sleeplessness, two more endless nights ahead of me, and never never out of sight of the comrades, so I can snatch. A moment's sleep. I can't last through that. Nobody can. On way, I've got to two in the morning. The second night, I'm fighting off sleep like some over powering drug carp Jolly jolly comrade is sleeping lightly, but sleeping. He sleeps, but it gets too tired to sleep lightly. He'll plug in that tape recorder and sleep heavily. Shore three o'clock and I can't take this anymore. I can't I I can't stay awake. Gotta do something or go mad or kill myself something. Operator, operator, give me a room service. No, don't give me a drug store. But yeah, thank you, thanks hello drug store. Look, I know there's a kind of uh, a kind of tablet, A tablet they take when. They wanna stay awake on onlong drives. You know, I said, there's a kind of tablet. I can't speak in a louder uh, I might wake up my comrade, my partner. I said, have you got those don't stay awake tablets that you. Oh? Never mind? Thanks any out hey your dog to that of e? Alright, drug staring? That's all? Yeah? Time is it? Four o'clock? Four o'clock? H I can't sleep. I ask him to send up some sleeping toes, sleeping pools. Yeah, sleeping pills. Yeah. Why why don't you know you can't buy those things without a doctor's prescription. Oh yeah, sure, so that pharmise is tell me m. I relax, relax, take yourself a glass of luke warm water, let yourself go. Limp, relax. Okay, I'll try that. You'll sleep, thanks telling you should night. Hey, it's to get up, rise and shine, and. Those cheerful risers, aren't you when to get some sleep? Comrade the boy and. I got to hear too trick m. Very hey, hey, it's. A very quicker. I wasn't a slate. Upon horizon shine, boy, horizon shine. Somehow I managed to stumble and mumble for my work during the day, all day into the evening part of the night, finishing up our stay work a party, down with them and up with us? Up Up, I've been up. I have been up three days and three nights. I can't see straight. I don't know if I can take it again, and I can't shake the comments to steal an hour's sleep Somewhere. I want to scream. At them, I want to yell at them to go away and leave me alone. Let me sleep it. Don't go crazy out, all right, rather. Than fall asleep and talk kill myself? Fourth night agony? Oh oh, then me go, Then me go. I fee I, I fee I. I hate the FI, I hate him. I hear him. Let me go, then me go, Let me go. I sat up in bed. I've been asleep. I've been asleep, and I've talked. I know I've talked. I heard myself. I woke myself up with it. FBI, I said I heard it? Did he? I looked over at Carp, a jolly comrade. He's asleep, but his mechanical stow just and Corp's limp hand is wound round a toggle switch, and the wire leads under the bed to the sound recorder. With my sleep talking on the tape, there's only one thing to do. I'd do it. Creep out of bed, belly close to the floor, slither under Corp's bed. Stop the recorder erased the sound from the tape magnetically. Wait then he tirety for the real to wind. Back and erase the tape. Carp tosses in his sleep. I freeze. Silence again and carefully, I start the recording normally again. Creep back into. My bed, this time, sabbetic, this time, keep awake if it killed you, because if you don't keep awake, it may. Kill you too. Get that, sabetic, you get it, Get it all right? Okay, Yeah, Tom Roberts, you've got the wrong room. No, no, this is mister Baker from out of town. Heyer. Try to meet me in front of the main library on Fifth An't. You understand I heard you. Yes, there's no Roberts here, and I don't know mister Baker. You've got the wrong room. Good Bye. The party work is done by noon. Getting away to meet Baker's easy. Now. I find him sitting on the steps of the library near one of the Marble Lions hometown. Boy, am I glad to see you. We don't talk. We take a cab and go to an office in the West forties, and there Baker unlimbers a portable recorder of his own starts at rolling. That sounds familiar to you, Just a lot of traffic noises far away the FBI here. I knew about the meeting in which room you have? We wire the room the first night you arrived. Why did you find out if anything. Listen, Oh well, I know that sound by now. Oh okay, how do he go? How do he go? That sounds like me? Yeah, that's you, all right, Yeah, ied the FBI. Hei him het me go, het me go, hev me go. Cat. You picked that up last night, you talked in your sleep. I know I tried to stay awake, but I couldn't. It just so happens that you couldn't have said anything more in your favor. If your roommate overheard you. He didn't, his tape recorder did. And I think I crawl in the Carp's bed to erase that stuff. They have loved me in the kremlin. You erased it. How did I know what I'd babbled in my sleep? And you started the machine again? Naturally savedic Look alive. What's the matter? Carp knows when he started that machine. When he hears the clock on that tape striking three and four, he'll know the tape was erased and started over again. He'll know who did it and why you did it, and suspect the worst. Fine, h We all make mistakes. Yeah, we've taken the room next to yours. If anything happens, we'll try to help you. Okay, I said, we'll try. Thanks a long bigger. Oh, come in, comrade, just running off some tape I explode last night. That's all. Yeah. I don't know what a cart so far, Anoven. What did you expect to catch? Yeah? All I got is traffic from outside? Oh wait, yeah, steeple clock. I watched Crot's wrapped face as the clock on the tape strikes three. He keeps on smiling. But I know these people, the comrades. I know them so well that I know the verdict on Auto Janis's death suicide. I know that he too must have been on the spot and chose suicide rather than endure the maddening torture the Comrades could inflict. I knew Otto Janice hanged himself because I. Almost came to that verdict. Sure side mission accomplished. Or there's a real late sailing ship held up with. The bog luckily probably. You know, these things are a lot of use, a lot of fun too, sibity. And then all at once the truth hits me. I know that the clock chiming three on the tape when it shouldn't chime more than two, hasn't rung any bells with Comrade Cop, and I know something else and know it right, and that is that the myth of the new Soviet man's wit and cunning is a myth. We can be as smart as they are, and they can be as dense as we are, anytime of. The day or in the dead of the night. So long, Comrade Cop. Why to Comrade Hey Waried? How about forty weeks before we. Get the right back? Oh me? I feel fine, I'm going for a walk. I don't know if Otto Janus was an FBI agent playing. Communist like myself or not. I think the comrades thought so and gave him some treatment like my own. He killed himself rather than take it anymore. At least that's my conclusion. It makes me think, walk carefully, sweaty, walk carefully, and walk alone. It might have been you. Our star Dana Andrews will return in a moment. This is Dana Andrews. The story you've just heard is just one of many that make the life of an undercover agent exciting and adventurous from a nice safe distance. For obvious reasons, names, dates. And places have been changed, but our stories are based on the real life experiences of Matt Sebtic. Next week we open this file for another exciting adventure. Join us, then, won't you