IWCF 034 Red Clay

I was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews. Then an exciting tale of. Danger and fpionas I was a Communist. For the FBI. From the actual records and authetic experiences of Mapsavetic, how many of the incidents in this unusual story. Here is our star, Dana Andrews. That's Mapstervetic two for nine fantastic years. Lived as a communist for the FBI. Nine years of solitary confinement. For nine years. Crowd joppled me, waiters took my orders, and that this bunch my transfers. Operators got me telephone numbers. I was free and at large, but I was in prison. I walked in crowds when I was alone. I had comrades, but I didn't have frames. And that's only part of what it meant to be a communist for the FBI. In a moment, listen to Dana Andrews as Mapsomatic under Coverman. No, here is Dana Andrews as Mapsamatic under cover man. This story from the confidential file is Mark rep Clay. The several days I've been noticing a peculiar, speculated look in Comrade Refchinko's official eye. When he doesn't think I'm watching, he's sizing me up. When your chief in the Communist Party takes stock of you, you don't know if you're on your way up or on your way out. I don't have long to wait to find out. Revchenko wants to talk to me in Pilate. And I put on my mad face, which helps me get away with some stuff that would land other comrades in front of. The Control Commission for Disciplining. Cobra Sevetik, you have lived in this town most of your life. That's why, comed Rethninko, you went to Uptown Senior High School. That's right. Then you know the principle there. Mister Dexter Delancey, I never heard of mister Dexter de Lancey. He may have been after your time. Dexter Delancey has a very ingenious and real stick approach to the problem of influencing American youth. Is certainly in a position for her. He sympathizes with our cause, but so far he's been reluctant to. Join the party officially. Now, however, he has agreed to discuss the idea abroad. Lady, you will want to meet him at his office at four o'clock for a general chat. At Once he joins the party, you will instruct him in your duties. You mean I to groom this hybrid to replace me. We need him. Youth is like clay, in hands like his. I understand American kids pretty well myself, orders Commram read Cevitic, what happens to me? You will be sent to neglected strategic areas found out to the miners. You mean sent to strategic areas, Comrade Civitic. I'm useful here and I'm in home here. I see no reason I'm sivitic. Four o'clock, Principal de Lance's office. To cultivate him carefully. I strolled down the somehow shrunken carrigors of my old high school, same old willets and board, same old corny student cartoons on it, same graduation dance notice, the. Same decent, hopeful, eager kids. But for the architects of communism clay red clay to be molded into totalitarian sameness. That would still mean two minutes to the final bell. I stopped in front of a familiar door, room ten Miss Hunter, Miss Hunter, with the mass of bronze hair and the electric green eyes, Miss Hunter, my English teacher with whom I once imagined. Myself deathlessly in love. I reached Philidorn armor. I stand in the doorway gaping. A big, mature looking boy is reciting ernest but I hear him dimly. It is his teacher. I gape at Miss Hunt, younger and more beautiful than ever, the thick bronze hair, the green eyes, the faintly and pleasantly freckled nose. I just stand there in an open doorway, spell bound all over again. Well when held wise, when you were plucking in dislay mixed with obdurate tie and dead bad hate. Very good child's fine teens, Thank you, Miss Hunter. As won't you come in sir for me? Oh? Yes, and you close the door run. Oh are you the father of one of our students here? Why? Oh oh no, no, no. Don't be so emphatic about it. These are the most advanced seniors in school. Oh yes, Ms Hunter, that's all classic. Oh, those keen looking seniors file past me, and I feel as sharp as a sack of potato's non select grade. The young man who had. Been reciting when I came in and was talking to the swimmer, I feel a bond of sympatheth with him. I know just how he feels. I was in love with my teacher once too. He leaves, looking at me curiously, and then. A beautiful teacher approaches me, straight out of the golden light of yesterday. Where it can't be. Oh, I'm miss Hunter. Oh oh, well, now I've got it straight. Missus Hunter used to be my teacher. That's dead. My mother she's teaching in Buffalo. Now, you were a pupil of mothers. Matthew savedic teller, and not just a pupil. I was her devoted pupil. I think I understand I'm having a somewhat similar problem with one of my students. Well, he will get over it, I hope. So unless he meets your daughter eighteen years from now. I'm so sorry you can't see mother. Oh that's all right. I have an appointment with mister Delancey. Oh what did you say your name was? For my mother? Oh? I haven't written down someplace. If you'll give me your telephone number, I'll call you and sell it for you. Okay. I walk out of that dim lilac hase with the telephone number stashed away in my head, along with a memory of bronze hair and green eyes floating around in the lilac myst. I don't want to conduct red business in lilac time, but I've got to the bubble bursts, and soap gets in my eyes, and Superior Horsey tooth Principal Dexter Delante gets under my skin with his theory for the reconditioning of young minds to the communist idea. And what is my method is simply this, mister cubellic pathetic ce the e t I see. I am in a. Position to point out in my own history classes that our American forebears. Would have been communist sympathizers to day. Ah, that the good trick. If you can do it, Oh, I can do it. After all, the Declaration of Independence was a document endorsed by the Thirteen States for the overthrow of government by force of arms. Yeah, but it was a tyrannical government. The government overthrown by the Russian Revolution was even more tyrannical. Yeah. Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. That was Thomas Jefferson's personal motto. Nothing wrong with that wrong, it's wivelous. In his own words. The writer of the Declaration of Independence admits that revolution has the approval of Heaven. Then how can the capitalist world accused Russia. Of being godless? You see? Is it? Go on, mister Delante, call me dicter. Now look at the French ribon. The more I listen, the sicker I get inside, sick and scared. There's danger in the smirking egotist, so vain about his learning. In this man lies infinite danger to America. There's walking talking decay, so close to our youth. I listened to him so I can remember what he says, because I've got to find the answer someplace. When I finally get out into the clean air, I dial Shanoutree two one point one and invite myself over to call on miss Mary Hunter. Even if I didn't have a plan, I'd want to see her anyhow, and look at her. Just sit and look at her. Mister Severe, is right on time. Come on. I walk in, stumbling stupidly on the throw rug and walk into the living room, and the presence of another schoolboy admire of miss Hunter, the student named Charles's Matthew Savitic. It's Charles Webber, Hello, matt Hi. I've been helping Charles compose his valedictory speech for graduation. Oh. I didn't want to interrupt anything. So I'd rather talk a season debated. It's Charles Webber. Oh, we'll find something to debate about. I'm sure. In less than an hour, by easy logical steps, I've managed to twist the conversation to politics, world affairs, the American Revolution. It's like a nice cold plunge. I don't want to take it, but I've got to. I don't plunge it in either. I stumble in involuntarily. It seems I'm repeating the slick, sick, insidious mouthings of Principal Dexter de Lancey and making Mary supply the answers I need. Well, isn't it true, Mary, that bourgeois minds considered the American Revolution radical? Isn't bourgeois a strange word coming from human? Well? I mean conservative? Cherich was considered radical by many. It was radical. It was nothing of the sort, Charles. It was overthrow of government by force. And if the Russian Revolution was radical, soul was ours. We're putting it the other way. If our revolution was justifiable, so was the Russian Our. Revolution was political. The Russian Revolution was social revolution by bloodshed and terror, class against class. Well, what's the difference the. Russian Revolution differed from Marge in this great great respect. It substituted one form of tyranny for another. Jefferson would be sickened by the turn of events in the Russian Revolution. I challenged that, miss Hunter, Charles. I didn't realize you were so well informed on the subject. I've had several serious discuss on the subject with Principal Delancey, whom I respect and admire very much, in class and after class, and he maintains. It's getting pretty late. I think i'd better be on my way. I've got the family jealoppe. Let me drop you someplace. I'd like to speak to you for a moment, Matt privately. Oh well, uh, I'll take a tax to Chuck. Oh well, thanks anyhow, good. Night, Charles, good night, and it's Hunter Matt. Good night, Chuck. Matt. You haven't asked me why mother has to teach in Buffalo and she's been here with me. Well, it did occur to me to ask she left here rather than be gagged by people like Dexter. Delancey gagged ou Delancea didn't force her out of here. He's a very powerful and persuasive man. You mean you could lose your job here talking up to me as you. Just do if you reported it to the principal, Charlie. It's just possible. I see. It's very late, mister Federrik. I didn't mean to keep you. Uh huh. Well, good night, Mary, good night. I spend a bad night thinking of Merry Hunter having to be cautious of a man like Dexter de Lancy. I have him knocking my stomach thinking about young Chuck Webber Honor students parroting the red line right out of the foresy. Mouth of Dexter de Lancey. But that note of jealousy at the very end of the evening gives me the big idea. Turn Chuck against me the goes of Mary, and he might lump de Lancey with me and turn against him too. Maybe I'd have to keep on supporting Delancey's views. I'd have to keep goading Mary into fighting me on them, because if it comes to either Mary losing her job or my losing mind, he'll have to go. It's like that sometimes, being a communist, for the FBI, and it hurts. It hurts bad. Now back to Dana Andrews starring as Mat Simtic, and I was a communist. For the FBI and the second act of our story. All right, I'm a heal but I have a job to do, and I do it. I play them more full and persuading Mary to see me again when I know Chuck Webber will be rehearsing his valedictory speech with her. Yeah, sure enough, I managed to drag in the line that our early American patriot would be called radicals today. I won't give the unpleasant detale if he talked and angry and white liquor. And I hate to talk about giving Mary Hunter a pain, but it works in this important respect. When Mary asks again to talk to me alone, Chuck Webber pounds out of their smut, slamming that door. Oh dear, he's pretty mad. HM, very strange, he's very jealous. I'm sorry. It has no cars to. Be and I'm sorry. I asked her to stay to ask you a very direct question. Maybe I know what it is. I know you were seeing Principal Glandsky the day he wandered into my passroom. I didn't just wander in. I made a point of it. I'm asking it. Are you a common. Mary, Mary Hunter teacher? I'm not a communist? M h, I'm so glad. Why. I don't know. I think you have all people to be a hid. Why one of the mothers pupl one of the most devoted pupils. Okay, all right, so ica polish, Wait, Chuck, have you been waiting for me in this alley all the time? If Mary is finished talking to you, I want to talk to you, guys, Mary, Yeah. And keep away from it. You sneaking red money. You should say that. All I know is what Dexter Delancey tells me. And you wouldn't call him a red would you? Are you going to keep away from Mary? You're a powerful one hundred and eighty pounds of star fullback, Chuck, and I haven't pulled back in many a year. But the answer is no. All right, then, don't make me hit your time. You won't be able to. Cut it out. Fight Tommy surt, fight all right, Do not get out of there, Chuck, get. Out of here, grit if you want to graduate, yeah, run, yeah. And that's why I spend the rest of the night in the police station the cell. I don't dare involve the FBI in dealing me out, and I'm thy scared. Of how Comrade reb Tinko take it. I'm uced to calling Mary hunting, I'm a beautiful teacher in the whole solar system. In the morning, there she is, and I feel aughful about it. Thanks for coming down for me, Mary. I won't ask you what happened. I won't tell you. It's a reason gives me. A sort of an idea that happy teachers. Are just too smart. Call it, I will take custody of mister Sevetic. Comrade Revchenko gives Mary a withering look and then steers me outside and into a taxi. We don't say a word until we get to his office. He sits down. I stand. He looks at me with contempt. That's okay, though I don't admire him either. In the future, come at Savetic, save your street. Brawling for party purposes was. It in the paper? And I came down just in time to relieve that woman of you. Who is she? Fran She is not in the party. I would know that is not in the party and stay away from her, all right. These bourgeois women with their emotional demands. Keep away, I heard you remember, Oh you will regret it. Don't worry. Go, But I want to see Mary once more. I just want to look at her. It's busy just before graduation. But she takes a few minutes at lunch to sit on a bus stop bench with me, five blocks from the school, neither one of us. Who is very happy. Though, after the other evening when you denied being a communist, I thought things might. Work out, sir. I still say I'm not a communist. Mary. Not about that dreadful man who came for you in jail. Were you totally toombs if he owned you? Why? Because he does own your bodies and mind and soul. And you don't have to tell me why. Mary, Please don't cry. I'm not you are though. It was something just wee throat of tender and a pupil of my. Mother falling in love with the daughter. Don't take it so hard, then, Mary, I'm. Not in love with you. It was a bit of nostalgia and sentimentality. You prefer that. That's how it is, Red Chinko, I might have. Known it, man, you'd never understand. Sit down, Comrade Sevidic, if it won't take long our fans at. Chinko very well, you did not want to be sent to some hinterland. When next to the lance joins us for a while, I considered you please. Now, however, you will go where we send you, and without complaint. That is all. I don't call Mary again. I've got to see her. I just want to sit and look at her. And the place would have to be the graduation hall of Uptown Senior High School. There's a lump in my throat and fog in my eyes as I watched the proudest kids in the world get their diplomas and become the gravest young men and women in the world. Then Principal Dexter de Lancey, flatching his magnificent teeth, makes a brief introduction. Our students of the year and four year on a. Student athletically, scholastically and in citizenship. Charles Webber, Principal Lantic members of the cycle they above Town Senior High School, fellow students and friends. With the generous assistance of Miss. Mary Hunter of the English Department of this high school, I have prepared of elledictory, but I have decided not to give it. Instead, I should like to debate this question is the revolutionary philosophy of our founding father's radical I shall ask our distinguished principal and revered teachers who take me affirmative in that debate, Mister Delancey, you, brother, mister Delancey, no more seren than not. This is most irregular. Charles, give your prepared speech. Since mister Delancey is not prepared to debate this question publicly, I myself shall take both sides of the question and answer. The un America and sub birth of charges that have been made against our greatest patriot pirates. It's great point out to point slander after slander against our founding fathers. Chuck Webber breaks down, cold, mephodically, magnificently next to de Lancey, gets up in the middle of it and stalks out. And when it's all over and Chuck Webber sits down, they all stand up and cheer. I stand up in my chair. I want to look at Mary Hunter. I see her, and she's fusiously crying. I just stand and look at her. I just want to look at her. That's all. Good morning, Revchenko, mister pathetic saveetic. Good morning, mister Delancey, be Comrade Delancey soon. In fact, I'm prepared to unertake a full tour of duty at once London. You mean you're prepared to give the Party your full and undivided time precisely. What about your duties at school and on the board. Well, you'll be pleased to hear that I tendered my resignation this morning. As a consequence of last night's embarrassing events. Well, under the circumstances of Chenko, I couldn't face a board action. You resigned forthwith fool one, he said, fool I don't understand. Get out, I don't understand. Explain it to him. Comrade Sevetica, you're my functionary in this district, function. I have worked with it. I don't unders this way. Dexter, as principal, Dexter delanthe of a metropolitan high school and a member of the board, you would have been invaluably situated for the service. Of the party. I could have worked behind the scene. Instead you you became plain, mister Dexter de Lancey of no use to the Communist Party. Incredible, I'm ruined. Sorry, Dexter. Dexter stumbles out in a days. Then I walk out on air. He goes his way, I go mine. Delancey is out and I stay in as undercover man, working hand in glove with the FBI. The work goes on. I win, but when I win, I lose too. Always no more homework, no more books, no more teachers, sourc the books, no more any kind of looks than my teacher to marry Hunter. I'm a red It's always that way. I'm a communist for the FBI. I walk alone. Dana Andrews will return in just a moment. This is Dana Andrews with a word about the story you've just heard. This play, although based on fact, is happily a rare and rare because the teaching profession has always been outstanding in deserving our American ideals. In this story, as in all others, names, dates and places are fictitious to protect innocent persons. Many of these stories are based. On incidents in the life of Matt Sivedic, who worked under cover for the FBI. Next week, another fantastic adventure. Join us, won't you