IWCF 005 - Pit Viper

I was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews and an exciting tale of danger and espionage. I was a Communist for the FBI. From the actual records and authentic experiences of Matt Savedic, how many of the incidents and this unusual story here is our star. Dana Andrews as Matt Savedic two four nine fantastic years lived as a Communist for the FBI. An Oriental proverb says he who rides on a tiger cannot dismount. For nine jitter years, I rode the red tiger of communism in America while it stalked our freedom. It was worth my life to dismount, but finally I did. This is one of the stories of that long grim ride. In a moment, listen to Dana Andrews as Matt Savedic undercover man. Now here is Dana Andrews as Matt Savedic undercover man. This story from the confidential file is marked. The pit paper. High noon, Comrade Savetic. Yeah, I'm hungry. Let's top someplace and eat. High knowon for the Communist International soon? Do you really think so, Comrade Repchinko? Some things must still be done. For example, we must see that factory whistles stop blowing regularly in America? Does that mean we must assume command of labor? Here's the lunch room. We must talk. What about comment the care and feeding of factory whistles. Comrade So to summarize, thes. Are on strike. The union is about to reach an understanding with the management. That must not happen. I'll do my best. He will not do your. Best, Comrade civitic, he will do what has to be done. I'll leave for Kirtain tonight. Comrade Simon Harvarth understand such matters is inciting to riot and other mob violence where it will. Do the most good. He will drive with you to Kirklin. I'll need help. You are to hesitate if nothing, What do you mean? You're a deputy sheriff in this county. It's just sort of an honorary thing. It just keeps me on call to stamp out brush fires and dry weather. But you are permitted to own a revolver. Yet have it with you in Kirkton. He'll leave tonight. Hello, mister Lawrence, go ahead, this is freeman. I know. Go ahead. I'm going to Kirkton tonight. What do I do? Play a straight I can't do a thing while a commie. Stay within the law. I've been told to carry a gun in Kirktain. That's different. If it reaches a point where you'll be expected to use that gun, call me in. We'll move in, all right. Good luck, freeman. It's a miserable night to drive, Comrade Simon. I'm not worried about that, But strikers don't enjoy picketing in the rain. These Kirkton schmos will be more anxious than ever to settle this strike. We'll fix that, all right though. Yeah. Those hundred hot lunches I ordered by telephone, and Kirktin pass them out to the pickets. Let me see, nothing like a hot meal. To heat the hot heads hot. I like these deals. This is gonna be fun. Two hours in the monotonous rain brings us to the grimy tipples standing starkly against the muddy sky. A struck mining region in the dead of a nasty night is the last word in desrelation. I feel a chill and I shiver. A revolver in my shoulder. Holster is cold and heavy. I look forward to a warm place to sleep, and then Simon's car begins the field of weather. Oh huh, Now what wader in the carburettor? Is something I don't know? Oh wait, you better stop here while the stopping is good you. Meanwhile, the initiative is still with us. And what's here? Like a miner's house? I'll call a garage. Wow, do that, junior. I'll wait in the car. Yes, I'm sorry about the hour, But do you have a telephone so I can call a garage. We're having some trouble with a car, and it's it's a pretty bad night. Oh come here. I hate to be a nuisance. Oh it's all right. That was at one am. You call the operator and she'll get you the garage. There's only one in town. Maybe she could kill two birds and get us a hotel too. Elsa, what is it, Papa? You go right back to bed? Who is so lame? This gentleman's car is told in the rain. I'll go back to bed, this fellow. Now, I'm putting everybody to a lot of inconvenience. I'm pretty good automobiles. No, I wouldn't hear of it. It's easy. You've had enough leen on the picket strong like a. Please let me call it. Oh, I'm sure the operator will get you the hotel to hotel. You stay here, such up that night? Plenty room? Oh no no, sure, give. You good breakfast too, no charge. You stay in Barney's room A long time. Nobody in Barney's room. How old you are? Thirty five? Why? Like Barney, you'll stay now? But I'm with another man, as two of us. You see, Papa, I sleep on couch down here. No try, thanks anyhow, that's final. Now get back to bed before you catch another chip. Papa. She called me papa. No Papa, I'm Barney's papa. I'd better telephone the garages. Missus Utke, missus Barney Utke, or rather missus Elsa. Now, oh, I'll use your phone, and maybe. You could drive me to my own house. Then it's on the way into town. Be very happy to thank you my better phone. The garage car rides, and pretty soon we're driving Elsa Utki to her dingy little house. Good night, thank you, et cetera. We drive away, but she disturbs me. A fine looking woman, educated and alone, a widow, a mine accident, explosion, cave in In any case, Barney her husband is dead, and it's. Sort of too bad. We're lucky. We get a decent room in the little. Hotel and Tom in the morning, Simon and I at the Tipple of Grape Turk number three mine, passing out hot lunches and propaganda in the rain and black mud to thankful miners and to some silent and suspicious ones. Here you, our friend. Compliments are the Friends of American Mineworkers. Mass meeting tonight in Workman's hall light at Clark Notice inside the bar. Come on, man, talk to you guys anentry. Give them credit. They know we must have an angle handing out free lunches. All right, let's try this big clown, Good morning friend. Oh hi Woodky, Hello, Hello, you've broke him off of a beautiful Oh this is my partners. I'm in hormit, mister Wook Hello, Yeah, yeah, you're sure you ought to be picketing in this rain? Woki sure, strong like a horse. My eulse are gonna bring me hot soup anyhow, maybe. Well this hot lunch is no Maybe warm me up for the fight on our hands. Fight in there and win. Minor mast meeting tonight Whackman's Holida eight the full dope is inside the box. I'd be there, sure, but no fight here. That's the only way to get what's coming to you. Sure, sure fights, get knock on health, get killed like Barny, like my boy. No no, and. He comes out. Damely took home last night. I mean elsa foot keep so. She's got a fancy face and can talk. So what she's too smart? Let's go. Don't forget the meeting, or key. You've been on strike for five weeks now, and what are you settling for? Six lousy pennies? Alade? Go back to work for that, and you're selling your American birthright for that well known mess of cottage. Sign off with the Friends of American Miners. And we'll get you three times that three times. Oh we know this. You're out of order, Rooky, you all alone. We are the. Workers were satisfied. This guy, your key's gonna be trouble. Matt. Who are you anyhow? Who you can tell us what to do? We're your friends. If you can't fight for your. Rights, we're here to line you up in a real organization with teeth. We don't want different children, we want face. No more strike, Go. Back toward my lover. Man, men, I beg of you think it over see it our way and fight. I lose my volume and I app like that in mine fight in low fight. Un bended me, man, unbended me. For your own good. That's all, men, God bless you man. You stay a well. I like to thought for your good. He's trouble, but he's important, he's spots, he's life. Will have a serious accident. One of these knights, le comrade, let me handle lukey, okay, fifty sixteen? Hello Lawrence, Yes, this is Freeman. I know. Go ahead. Wait where are you? Telephone booth? A hotel lobby? Here? Graham going up ahead at the mass meeting tonight. Somebody's coming. I'll call later saloon? All right, oh Simon, what you're doing on the phone booth? There's HDIK. Can't I telephone? Can't you telephone from upstairs in the room? No? No, Look, the party doesn't have to go on my dates with. Me, does it. That's the what's your name name? Elsa? Elsa outke. I'm going out with her tonight. Okay, you better get started. It's pretty late. I'm on my way. I'm going that way. I'll drive you over. It isn't far. I'll walk it's pouring. Isn't there a taxi service in town? Sthetic? You rich? Is something? I'll drive you over? It's fine? Thanks a lot, fine. Man. Please please be home, be hap. Well, Matt you're standing in you O say you might be getting dressed. It's pretty late already. Please the home, the home, trees, trees. Now back to Dana Andrews starring and I was a communist orbi and the second act of our story. Please also be all please please, Elsa. What is it? It's okay, Simon, thanks for the left. Come in. I can't explain that I have to use your telephone. Oh you're welcome to it, of course. There. Do you mind it's rather private. Oh I'll wait in the next room. Long distance please, Lawrence, Lawrence Freeman again, I'm calling from a private telephone. Now on look as a miner down here, sort of the head man with the boys. He lost his son in one mine riot and doesn't want any more violence. He wants the men to go back to work. And my sidekick doesn't like it. Simon Harva, that is it? Yeah, I don't know if I can keep him under control. You think he might knock off this miner. I don't know. I'll start for turking right away. So long, all right, I'll tell you can come in now. Well that didn't take long. See anything the matter? You look like bad news when you knocked at the door. Well, yes, Should I be sympathetic? No, not at all. Thanks for letting me use your telephone the night, missus Yuki? Oh wait. Waiting? Why why did you ask to use my telephone? I needed a private wire. There are other private phones? Why mine? Why? Yes? Well, let's say I made a cheap boast. Let's say that I pretended to my partner that I I. Had a date with you. I did. It was me, That's what I told him. Why private reasons? What if? It probably means more than I meant it too when I said it. It's rather involved, isn't it. Well that's because I'm rather involved. Whatever that means, Helsa Elsa, don't you get involved? Now? I know what you mean. Maybe it's blunt my saying it in vain. But no, it isn't blunt or vain, just kind. From someone from whom you didn't expect much human feeling. I just felt you were here to make trouble. The last time new people came here, you started the riot. My husband was killed. It was murdered, nothing less. They did it so that they could say a company strong arm men did it. They were communists. And you think I'm a communist. M deny it. If you like your reads, always deny it. And there's no use in my denying it. Is there, Elsa, Elsa. You shouldn't be here. He despises your kind. Elsa. I go by mass meeting now miners. We thought, hello, okay, Elsa, what this fellow does in my Barney's house. He's in some sort of trouble. Papa. He wanted to use the telling what this communists do in my son Barney's house? Has this for he killed Barnie, So he commented Barney's house monkey, Barnie's wife. Huh, Papa, he didn't kill Barnie. Coming the same like other fellow, same. Thing, Papa. Please you sneak fellow, you dirty communist. I show you you're joking. I show you, I give you. I'm make a mistake, a mistake, I hit. Can make glass of water. Okay, come on, get on it. Yeah, yeah, I make a mistake. I get. That's all right, just like her a moment. Who could yarde with his elbow? He didn't mean to. I'm alright, well just take it easy while how she looked now, huh, I have the water also, I don't. Know how it happens. I'll find Papa. Sure, just hit me up a little please. I'm around my shoulder. So that's that's it. That's it. I sit here, Thank you. It was accident. Alsa. I'm sorry, of course, Papa. I'm sorry forget about it. You you let me go meeting now? Of course, what meeting? I call meeting again. I talk to the men. They got to go back to work. I make them. I holler at them, good tonight, you see you see? Good luck? Papa. Oh, I don't know. I try hard. I don't know. Don't worry, Papa. Go to the meeting. Yeah, yeah, I go, r. And I I'd better go too. I'm sorry there was a scene. Well, thanks for interfering when you did. He wouldn't really have hurt you. He was making very nice progress. So thanksbye, s call I get that for you. No, I'm fine now. Hello, it's very important for me to locate Stanley Books. He's there. No, he just left for a workman's hall for a mass meeting. Who's this? Hello? Who is it? Hello? Doesn't matter? I know who it is. It's your fine friend. My friend. You told him Ki went to the hall. Did I don't you? Yes? Maybe I did. I've got to go after him. Why never mind, I've just got to go after. Him, Matt, Yeah, be careful. I slog across the black, sticky fields and the dreary downpour toward Workman's Hall. If Simon Horvath is looking for Big stan Uki, he means no good, And I don't know how many of his goons have been standing by the lights of the hall begin to glow dimly through the rain. Has Utki arrived there yet? OOKI? He hasn't arrived, But the goon squad has, or his brass knuckles or his sandbags. I start running and almost pick headlong into a battle in the dark. Horvot, Hold up, cut it off, You're making a mistake. Something hits me in the mouth and I go down, tixting blood. Heavy milling feet stamp over me. Then I hear another voice from the direction of the hall. The miners poured across the field and haul up on Simon Horvest's gooman and I crawl out of that while the getting is good. I'm taping up my wounds in a hotel room when Simon Horvath comes in. The comrade is quite a mess. Quite a mess. You're a sorry sight, Simon. Shut up. I told you i'd take care of Ki. Why did you have to step in and foul things up? Because you weren't taking care of Wookie. That's why i'd been working on him, making him see things away. I was talking to him tonight just before you called Elsa's house. You you were, yes, I was check with Elsa. You want to who she who? She talked to? A communist? Look, I had Ootket convinced that the men should stay out. He was going to the hall tonight to tell him it was a fight to the finish. You're a liar. I'm a liar. Let's see if I'm alive. Hello, operator, It's a big and a dangerous bluff. I'm counting on Elsa Utki's wit and her need to believe in somebody, even somebody she thinks maybe are red. And then her voice is on the wire and that bluff is on. Hello Elsa, this is Matt sveddik Oh. How is mister utk. Oh badly beatn up? I've just come back from the emergency clinic. Will he be all right? Yes, Elsa, there's a man here with me who doesn't believe that I had Utke convinced that the miners should stay out on strike. Will you correct him. Your communist friend? Yes? Put him on, comrade. Hello, Hello, what your comrade says is true? Okay, let me speak to him again if she wants to. Speak to you again, Helter, I. Lied for you. Thanks. Somehow, somehow I think you are not really one of them, and someday you will see the truth and leave them, I hope. So that is why I lie for you. Goodbye, Matt. Well that's it, comrade. You're in trouble. I was doing my job. What do you mean in trouble? You made a matter out of OOKI. You've turned him against us again. The man will go back. To work for his sake. Now, nice work, comrade. Look Matwie, we're pretty good friends, aren't we. A party comes fir y, I'm sure, but I'll have to turn you in for party discipline. Look at its ari, comrade. The next morning? Sure, enough. The men go back to work, and Simon and I sneak out of town. Go back, and. Comrade Simon Horwitt faces the grim Party discipline. I claim that Victory Horworth and I sneak out of the hotel one at a time, afraid even to call a taxi. Alone, I hit the wet highway. I hear Elsa Witki's warm slavic voice again. I lie it for you, and I feel good again. And then I hear goodbye, Matt, and that hurts. Goodbye. But that's how it is, and that's how it will always be. As long as I am a communist for the FBI. I walk alone. Our star Dana Andrews will return in a moment. This is Dana Andrews. The story you've just heard is based on notes from the files of Matt's Vedic FBI. Under cover man. Names have been changed and events modified for obvious reasons. Next week, another exciting adventure out of Matt's Vedik's experience as a communist. For the FBI. So be with us there they're expecting you At p