IWCF 049 The Red Waves

Now here is Dana Andrews. That's Mat simatic undercover man. This story from the confidential file is marked the red waves. When you're an FBI man in comic clothing, you can't expect life to. Be beautiful or duff, and believe me, it isn't. There's neither comfort nor security in the everyday routine. In fact, the most prosaic humdrum incidents often end up twanging a tune. On your nerve. Endings, you walk down a familiar street, for instance, same street you've walked a thousand times before. You reach the corner in. Time to catch a street car, just an ordinary streetcar, the same one you've ridden every day for weeks, months. Step by tree, step up, you step into the street car. You see the same tired early morning faces, same motormen you've seen every day morning morning. You pay the same fare, You start down the same aisle. You reach for the same familiar strap. Hey mister for me, Yeah you forgot your transfer? Me? Yeah, yeah, you here. I don't need a transfer, Yes you do. I'm just going as far as I. Come on take it. Why I just did this transfer? Your need? Well? Okay, okay, oh thanks. I took the transfer and looked at it, just an ordinary street car transfer. Then I turned it over looked again. There was a phone number written on it. The handwriting was neat and feminine. Call Briar two two one four, it said, and it was underlined in red. Hello. Oh, hello, is this Briar two two one four? Yes it is, Well, this is Mattsivedic. Hi. Yes, comrade, how. Are you fine? Fine? Who is this? Please? I've heard so. Much about you lately, Comrade lorenz is. Nothing but praise for you. Lorenz is Lorenz in town. We were set here together. Are you free tonight? Well, I'm staying at. The Royal Terrace Apartment Hotel and you'll be here about nine. I guess so if it's important, But I'm terribly important. I'm an apartment four. O two see you at nine. Oh wait a minute, I I don't even know who you are. Hello. Hello, good evening. I well, it's ready, good to see you again. Come in, come in, Hello, Lorenz Awi busy, busy. This project has involved so much work it can only be successful. Oh do you know, comrade Block. We talked on the phone this morning. How do you do? Comrade FRIEDA has worked as hard as I have on all this, and our big job is still before. I wish it were in operation. Right now, I'm getting the genies. Just remember Frida that emotions our self defeating. Consider each phase of. Our work as an intellectual exercise. All right, Comrade Lawrence, you'll. Find Frieda that our cause is best served by an attitude of calculated objectivity. A cool liberal Lorenzo were obviously sent here for something important. How do I figure enis good? I must apologize for giving you this menial choice, Wittick, But even the slightest details must be handled by comrades of high standing. Only the most trustworthy have been Okay, okay, Lorenz. What's it all about? This checklist? Note the number of names listed here, all carefully selected comrades. You'll be receiving messages in the mail from these comrades shortly in the mail. Oh, very innocuous messages, to be sure. But as you receive them, you will check off the names of the comrades who sent them. Then you'll compile the information they have sent you and turn it in. That's all, that is all, And. Please, comrades, Verrik, no slip ups. I need every bit of information you received, I might. All right, freda'poni as soon as I get on. No, why not. That's a private phone, isn't it. You will turn the information over to me, Swittick, You will deal with Frida only through me. That seems like the long way around. Combat, naturally, and it will seem even longer to the FBI or any other enemy agency that tries to discover what we are doing. Lorenz did a lot of babbling, but he didn't tell me what I wanted to know. I still didn't know why the Party had sent this upper echelon coming all the way from New York to poison the air in this region. And who was Frida Block? What was her function in the Party. I could only wait and search for clues. Among the messages that were due to come in the mail, the first one was a note from a COMMI named Webster at draft Boards number one seventy nine. It said, Harry Daniels fourteen thirty six, elm Avenue, to be drafted on sixth of this month, married two years, wife's name Mary, from a commie waitress at the PX at Camp Cronan. Lieutenant Tom Maxwell Stateside furlough ends this week rejoins outfit overseas. Wife just had baby girl. One after another simple intimate personal items about servicemen. I had to find out how they could contribute to any COMI project, and I had to find out fast. Speaker, speaker, this is Red. Well, hi've been wondering about you. Listen. I'm sending the FBI some stuff. It may be important, maybe nothing. I don't know it. It's a copy of a checklist of busy little reds. How busy. They're supplying the party with information about servicemen. That's important, Yeah, but I don't know why they're doing it. The party sent Lorenz out here to run the show important. He brought a girl with him. Her name's Frida Block Block Block, not the actress, I don't know. She's dark hair, husky voice, eyes like headlights. Yeah, that's the one. Keep an eye on her mat. That's no trouble. No, but she is. If Frida's playing a part for Lorenz, you can bet she's no ange. However, she was cast in this COMI drama. I knew that Frida was more likely to spill information than Lorenz, so I called and made a. Date with her. It wasn't difficult I'd compiled all the messages and they were ready for delivery. I lied that I wasn't able to get in touch with Lorenz. Next thing I knew, I was at her CD apartment hotel. I nodded to the desk clerk, stepped into the self service elevator. Frida's floor. I opened the elevator door, stepped into the corridor, and you're early swetic, Lorenz. You must be eager to see the young lady. Well, I came to deliver the information you wanted. I take the information. Oh, where's Frida resting? She has a lot of work ahead of her. Good Night. As long as I'm here, Lorenz, I might as well. Say night's Sveetkfrida's expecting me. I owe the courtesy of an explanation. You owe me that explanation from Merne. You've deliberately ignored my instructions. You were told that I am to be the intermediary between you and Frieda. You have your reasons, I am sure for the disobedience, but my reasons have been formulated in the best interests of the party. If I Lorenz, that's enough. Indiscretion can mean disaster, sphetic. It cannot be tolerated. Now that you've to live at the information comrade, good night. Now, more than ever I knew I had to break through that wall of secrecy. I waited a few hours and phoned Freda. There was no answer. I waited a few more hours. Then I went back to her apartment hotel. It was late. The lobby was deserted, quiet, like a badly furnished tomb. The desk clerk was dozing in his chair, and just behind him was the wall wreck holding the keys. If I could just reach him out disturbing him, there the key to apartment four O two. Apartment four O two was a tiny place, but it seemed a lot larger with no one in it. Frida was gone. Frida's clothes were gone too. The closets were empty, the dresser drawers were empty. There was nothing here to tell me what she was doing for the Reds, or where she'd gone, or why. The only thing I could do now was get out of the apartment. Locked the door behind me, then headed for the stairs. No good. Someone was climbing the stairs just the floor below. I couldn't risk being found here. I started down the hall again, not quite sure where I should go and down. Oh down, hold it, door down. I breathed the big sigh of relief as the elevator door shut behind me. And then. I couldn't breathe at all. My reflectors had crossed me up. This was a self service elevator. It needed no one at the controls. But someone was at the controls. He was pushing the emergency stop button. Now you don't mind stopping between floors, do you, Sweitch. I have a few things to settle with you. Do you always settle things with a Gon Lorenz? Not always, but in your case it may be necessary. Now back to Dana Andrews starring as Matt Simatic, and I was a communist. For the FBI and the second act of our story. Never been trapped in an elevator late at night with a man you hate it, Never been forced to face a red fanatic like Comrade Lorenz from the wrong end of a gun. These were new experiences to me too, and I don't recommend them. You stand there and sweat, waiting for that last minute miracle or the reckless flash of heroic abandon that will help you overpower the villain. But nothing happens. You just stand there and Sweat. This is the second time you have dissappeared party orders, sweatic. Well speak up, swetic. Why you have no intention of believing anything? I tell you you what. Set you have in your hand? Hm? Oh the key key? Where did you get the key to Frida's apartment? Why not? We've spent a lot of time together then, good friends ever since we met in New York months ago. You're lying, sweatik Am, I sounds like someone would like to share our elevator. I know you're lying. Prieta had strict orders not to become friendly with anyone. Lo Clrenz the key apartment four or two? See sentiment love a bit sickening? And do you know the work she's doing? I suppose well, she's asked my advice about it from time to time. Are you going to give up the salvator or not? I can't believe it. She knows the course of failure in this work. I can't believe it. I think you'd better get out of the salvator. Lorenz, Yes, yes, of course. Where to now to call your bluff? We're going to see Frida now at this hour. Frida starts work tonight. If what you say is true, She'll stop work tonight if you're lying. Writes ft Out. Lorenz asserwed me out of the building and down the street to where his car was parked. In a moment, we were across the sleeping city, our destination. I had no idea. I could only think of the dilemma I'd created for myself. The big Kami secret, whatever it was, was about to be revealed to me. But I was about to be exposed as a liar, a traitor to the cause, A fat, messy dilemma. All right, and I was impale, right smack on its horns. Alright. Sit here, we are. Out out nothing here but a beach. The pier is right behind the sea wall. Pier. What pier? For one who knows so much, you seem to. Know very little. Uh, I've never been to this part of the waterfront before. All Right out. The sea air was cold and damp. You tasted the salt on your lips, and when you breathed, you caught the sharpness of salt on your nose. The night was black and still the water was black too, and only its constant movement distinguished it from the night. Wait here, setik, where are you going? Just wait here? Lorenz walked to the corner of the pier and signaled with a flashlight he'd taken from. The car. Night as well, make yourself comfortable, swetic, we'll have a short, miserable way getting restless, Smetic's't that a boat out there? A good He's just twenty five minutes since I signaled, Oh oh, not alight, here we are. Can you see the beam? I say it? They all right? Vit up over there? After you comrad in the launch? Witty? Now, okay, okay, come on, hop to it here, I come. That's the way you ready to runs? Ready? Uh? Alright, let's go. The last slot, spitty, the last slot. The launch sliced through the chopping water. We changed directions two or three times, and I had no idea which way we were headed, and for. No apparent reason, the pilot turned off the motor. It wasn't until a coil of rope landed at our feet from above that I realized we were alongside another boat. I slash all sat there. The second boat was not much bigger than the launch we were in, but the pilot was busy tying the launch to the larger craft. As we scrambled up on deck. I could see that this had once been a small fishing boat, but now that the Commis had it, it was used for purpose as other than fishing. Where's Frida? She's still recording, comrade, recording? Sure? What do you expected of be doing? I thought you knew all this ready? Well, I thought you'd be finished by now. Come along? Where don't belong? You want to see Frida? Don't you? Where's ready? What do you think of all this? All? Right? I never thought that you're ready? Come back? Living quoters here and in there a complete recording studio, complete to the finest detail. Is Rita in there? Now? Sure? Perhaps you would like to hear how your lady love. Sounds seems hardly worth while fighting at all? If that's how they take care of you. Guys, what's you're doing at Tokyo? Rose? Eyssen? That furlois fun, wasn't it? Oh? By the way, don't worry about your wife being lonely. The baby's doing fine, and so is missus Maxwell. She's been getting lots of company lately, mostly civilians and mostly mail. Funny how women won't work? Lorenz, You're wrong, hellis I'm wrong? It's dead wrong? It can't fail. Frida records her programs here, a plane picks them up according to pre arranged schedules and shuttles them to specified relay points than what matter of days hours sometimes, and the records are delivered to certain ships at sea or too. Red bases are other continents within ear shot of American troops. Of course, Nah, it won't work. Tokyo Rose tried the same thing in World War Two. She thought she'd break down American morale, but GI's laughed at her. If anything, she boosted morale exactly. That's how her purpose too. Like I don't understand. Among those cozy personal notes Frida broadcasts, we've included urgent coded messages. But of course you know this, don't you. She never mentioned anything about messages. The messages veetic are tailored for the ears of Red agents among the Americans. Every time a GI tunes into snicker at Frida, he's aiding the closest communist agent. Now do you understand, M Yeah, I understand, all right. Hmm. Evidently Frida didn't get around to telling you that. No, no, she didn't come inside the studio. She's done. Now let's see what she tells me. I swear to Comrade Lorenz, I don't know what you're talking about, and I. Never read the honey. Tell the truth. It'll be a lot easier for both of us. Lorenz, he's out of his mind. I never had a thing to do with him. I never gave him the key. I never I want the truth, reader, the truth. I'm telling the truth. I what is it? I'm busy. You're expecting another boat out here? No, of course not, that's one coming. What a big one that's got his lights on us? Looks to me like a coastguard cutter. Take a look if that in the coastguard cut her eye in a sement. Let's get away from them, get the ankle oft, move, comrade, this hunk of flatsam could not run a cock in the wash hub. They'll take all of us in. We can't let them, Schwedik, We can't let them take all of us. How can you stop on that gun of yours own help. Someone's got to get away, to carry on our work, to get the party the pranks before the newspapers make fools of us. Stand deck over there, we're coming aboard. It's too late now, Lorenz. One of us could tuck over the side. They'll be towing the top of us in. If he cut the launch free, he could hang on to that steady, do it what You're the strongest men here, go on, go on over the side. Hurry. I went over, all right. I cut the little launch free and drifted around on the. Blackness, watching the coastguard cut her toe in the Commi's boat with Lorenz, Frida and all the evidence the FBI would need. When the cutter's lights had faded to pinpoints, I climbed into the launch and started for the shore. I had my problems keeping her own course, but somehow I managed to bring her in. This time, I enjoyed the. Blackness, the quiet, the feeling of being alone. But was I alone. Someone else was on the pier. He was watching me, He was catching up with me. He was too close, much too close. I saw a piece of loose lumber on the pier, was big and heavy. I picked it up, whirled around fast, wheeling the board like a club. I started a swinging come out speaker, Oh, speaker, yeah, and if you don't mind, I'd like to keep my head on my shoulders. FBI likes me better that way, okay, Biker let's have it. Have what well story? What brought the coast Guard out to that comic boat? That checklist you gave us? Why, the one with all the commed names on it? We rounded them up one by one and got just enough truth out of each of them to piece together the whole picture. What's the matter? You miss your COMI playmates or something? Oh, I just hope they don't find out the truth about me. Don't worry, Matt. We told Lorends that the Coastguard got suspicious of all the unexplained activity on the boat, investigated. And fine, Oh better let me out here? Can I drive you home? Better? Not? Never know who'll see us together? Yeah, I guess you're right. Nightmare night Bigger. I watched the tail light's Biggers car disappear. The Kamis were gone, Lorenz, Frida, the whole crew. They would face charges of sedition, treason, the works. I turned and. Walked the other way, alone, really alone. This is the way it always seemed to end. Alone. No Red's behind me, no friends beside me and ahead of me. I didn't know. I couldn't know, but I'd find out soon enough, Too soon. I was walking toward it. Now walking the silent street into the future alone. Dana Andrews will return in just a moment. This is Dana Andrews friends in the story you just heard. Names, dates, and places are fictitious to protect innocent persons. Many of these stories are based on incidents in the life of Matt Sevedic, who worked under cover for the FBI. Next week, another fantastic adventure. Join us then, won't you