Wine_of_Freedom

Cloak and Dagger is an NBC radio series, a foreign intrigue adventure adapted from the book Cloak and Dagger by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain. Ford also was host of the series. Cloak and Dagger was broadcast from May 7 to October 22, 1950, as part of "a mystery block with several other shows of far inferior quality". The program was sustaining for all 22 episodes

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Are you willing to undertake a dangerousmission behind the enemy line, knowing that
you may never return alive. Whatyou have just heard is the question asked
during the War of agents of theOSS. Ordinary citizen due to this question

(00:23):
answered yes, this is black warfare, Espiona international intrigue. These are the

(00:51):
weapons of the OSS. In today'sadventure Wine of Freedom, the role of
Vince Color, an American OSS agentwho made a sales trip inside Hitler Germany,
is played by stage and screen starMel Pereer, currently to be seen
with Joan Pontaigne and the RKO pictureBorn to Be Bad. Today's story is

(01:11):
suggested by actual incidents recorded in theWashington files of the Office of Strategic Services,
a story that can now be told. Night had started to fall by
the time I found the house.I stood out in the faces and peered
at it through the shadows. Therewasn't anything strange er ominous about it.

(01:32):
It was just a white frame house, like the kind you see back in
Omaha. Only this wasn't in Omaha. This house was number twenty eight jun
Strasse in Osna Brook, and Osnabrookwas in Germany, Hitler's Germany. I
drew a deep breath and went upthe front steps, clutching a briefcase in
my hands. It was that briefcasethat made me look like a respectable German

(01:53):
citizen. I looked at the brassknocker and let it fall a couple of
times, and then I waited,Yes, what is it that you want?
She was younger than I expected,and pretty much, and of course

(02:15):
she was suspicious. He was suspiciousof everybody in those days that you were
a German, particularly the kind ofGerman I knew she was. Well,
Frau Holzmann. Yes, I'd liketo talk to your husband. My husband
he Ludvig Holsmann. Is he in? What do you want to talk to

(02:39):
him about? Wine? Oh?Wine? My name is Keller. I've
just come from Filafeldt. I'm awine salesman. Part of it was true.
My name was Keller, all right, Vince Keller, and I had
come from bilafeld But I wasn't winesalesman. I was an agent of the

(03:01):
OSS and what I had to sellwas something stronger than wine. It was
organized resistance to Nazism. I've beenat it for about a year, then
almost years. Inside sat in ColonelMetcalt's office in London, Keller and told
him I wanted to volunteer for thejob. You're sure that there's no trace
of American dialect in your German Quitesure, Sir. My family lived in

(03:24):
Germany also my childhood. I waseducated in German schools. I see,
And you know what you're letting yourselfin for, Keller. If the Nazis
grab you, I know, Colonel, but you still want to undertake the
mission. It's important, isn't it, Colonel, if we can step in

(03:46):
the German underground's resistance to Hitler.The anti Hitler movement in Germany right now
can hardly be called an underground.No, it's merely a handful of isolated
individuals in various cities. There's almostno contact between them, no organized activity
at all, and that won't dous any good when our troops start moving
across the German border, Sir,exactly. We need detective allies inside Germany,

(04:10):
no matter how few they are.We want them coordinated and strengthened.
That's the job we'd like you todo, Lieutenant. Is the job I'll
try to do, Colonel, ifthe Gestapo doesn't catch up with me.
Two weeks later, I'd parachuted intoa grassy field outside Dusseldorf, and the

(04:32):
Gestapo hadn't caught up with me yet. After Dusseldorff came Essen, and after
Essen Dartmound, and then Belafelt,and Hitler's secret police was still way behind.
It was at Bila Felt that Iheard about Ludwig Hoffsmann, the underground
leader there. Old Johann Volt slippedme his name. Show your work here

(04:54):
in billeferl Di Finnish turk killer.Where'd you go now? Osnabrook, Johan,
you'll be hearing from me, though. I want to put the man
there in contact with the resistance workershere. We have been in contact occasionally
now. Then Ludwig Holtzmann has paidme a visit horsmanner. He's the leader

(05:15):
in Osnaburg. He was the lastI heard. It's been several weeks.
The dress his number twenty eight offhorns start. Oh, good enough,
I'll look him up when I getthere. You left no trouble introducing yourself
to him. Since you're posing asa wine merchant. It simply ask him
if you've ever tried dan fry hidespine Dane fry Hyde Vine the Wine of

(05:41):
Freedom. Huh. He will knowthen that you can trust you, and
you, of course you can trusthim. So that's how it happened that
on that September evening, followed prouHorseman into the living room of her home
in Osnabrook. Won't you sit downhere, Keller? My husband should be

(06:06):
here soon. He isn't home then, No, he's late this evening.
He's almost always here by dinner time. I don't know where he could but
wait, yes, I do too. It doesn't matter. I can wait.
You know. I'm sure he's stoppedin to see a friend down the
street. I'll try to find butI hope you won't. He'll be very

(06:29):
eager to talk to you. He'squite interested in in wines, oh is
he? Yes? He would notwant to keep you waiting. You stay
right here and make yourself comfortable.I'll get him. Wouldn't it be easier
to call your friend's house on thetelephone? The telephone, I wish I

(06:49):
could hear color. But we hada heavy air raid in Offnbrook last night.
The telephone is out of order.It was a hasty eggit she made
almost too hasty. I sat therein that empty house for a minute or
two where she had said to makemyself comfortable, but somehow I wasn't erry.

(07:15):
So I got up and went overto the telephone. What number do
you wish? I was under theimpression operator that this line is out of
order. This line is nothing outof work today. That gave me something
to think about while I waited.I think better when i'm moving, So
I began to move around the holtsOne house. I peeked into rooms,

(07:39):
even opened drawers, but I didn'tfind anything. In fact, I didn't
even know what I expected to find. When the front door opened, I
was back in the living room tryingto look comfortable. I was right,
Hair, come up. I foundhim drinking beer with our friends. Caught
in the act. Hey Hair hooseman, I'm okaid, so well sit

(08:00):
down, her killa. Thank youyou are a wine salesman. My wife
tells me, yes, I am, and she tells me that you're a
very interested wine. That's true,sort of a connoisseur, perhaps you might
say so, yes like our mutualfriend in Vilafeld who suggested that I call
on you. And who was thatherkulla? What was his name. It

(08:26):
must have been a lie for ourHoltzmann had told about the telephone that made
me hold back. It must havebeen the way she stood there, listening
so intently, so eagerly. Thatwas why I brushed aside his question,
And that was why I said nothingabout the wine of Freedom, even when
he asked, telling me, hairKella, do you carry a dry red
wine at reasonable crisis? Yes,we have an excellent burgundy hair Holtzman from

(08:52):
where? Why? From chambertin achambertin what a hair out? Nineteen twenty
seven, nineteen twenty seven? Huh? I don't think we'd be interested in
buying any of your wine, buthell, all fact, we'd appreciate if

(09:13):
you'd go pedal it somewhere else.And I wait a minute, any authentic
wine merchant would know that the greatfrost of nineteen twenty seven killed the crops
of shoppy after you might tell thegestop of that before they send you out.
They came. I caught on then, and I almost laughed. He
thought I was a Gestapo agent.That explained it. Maybe it had even

(09:35):
explained his wife's peculiar behavior. Ihad been too busy suspecting them to consider
how deeply they must have been suspectingme, because your hat for Heller aren't
your case. Thanks horseman. Butbefore I go, there's another wine you
might enjoy. So what is it, then, fry Hyde vine? Have

(09:58):
you ever tried it? Yes?You like it? Oh, I like
it very much. Perhaps you'd careto hear a little more about it?
Well, it means, sir,you should have mentioned it before I sit
down, hurt killer and tell me, tell me all about the whine of

(10:20):
freedom. After that we were allfriends. Nobody suspected anybody anymore. I
told them all I'd accomplished in Belafellsand the other towns what I hope to
accomplish in Osna Brook. Their eyesglowed as they heard of the growing strength
of the anti Hitler forces within Germany. Then we are not disasolated as sometimes.

(10:43):
You have a lot of friends,Fauerhof's man. My jobs to put
you in touch with them, Andhow will you do that? Well,
I'd like to start with a meetingof your friends here in Osnabrook. How
many are there? Only a fewwe actually know personally? Maybe success,
Well that's enough. You think youcould get them all together in a safe
place tomorrow night. Tomorrow night.We would have to work quickly. It

(11:05):
could be done, though, Ithink so. Yes, Yes, I'm
sure it could, but I'd haveto start working on it right away by
phone. Whoa, we never usethe phone here, miss churchand in front
of strangers. You even pretend it'sout of order. Huh. You checked
up on me after I left here, Kelly, Well, I was even
beginning to wonder if you were aGestapo agent yourself. Oh, you need

(11:30):
want lay anymore. Hair Killer.Linda is as reliable as I am.
You can trust her just as youwould trust me. And then he let
me alone with her while he wentout to start rounding up his friends.
She insisted I must be hungry,and she led me out into the kitchen
and gave me the dinner she cookfor her husband. Poor Lud. I

(11:50):
don't suppose he'll get anything to eattonight. He should have eaten before he
left. Oh, you do notknow him, hair Killers. If underground
work is his life, food meansnothing to him. He goes without sleep,
he never has a moment of pleasure. Nothing matters to him but fighting
the enough, not even I,the woman he married. I guess that's

(12:13):
the way a man gets in theunderground. After a while, Yes,
he gets hard and cold and catslike Ludwig Holtzmann. Well, never mind,
Matt, if you will excuse me, Hair Keller, I want to
go upstairs and get your room ready. You'll sleep here tonight, of course,
but don't go to a lot oftrouble. Please, don't know.
It will take but a moment.You finish your dinner. I'll be right

(12:35):
down. But the strange thing wasthat she never went up, at least
I didn't hear her go up.I waited for her footsteps on the stairs,
and when there was no sound,I left the table and pushed open
the door a crack. I sawher then in the living room. Let
her back to me. Her headstand over the telephone. I heard her

(12:58):
too. No, no, don'task me, do what I can.
Don't come in here. Whatever youdo, meet me by the bamsand in
the poll. Be there in ahalf hour and wait for me. I'll
come as soon as I can.Braw. Holtzmann could do a lot of
tricks with the telephone. I wonderedif she could explain away the second one
as easily as you'd explained away thefirst. I didn't ask her, though,

(13:20):
I'll let her show me up tomy room a half hour later,
and I told her good night,good night. If you need anything,
call me. I'm in the roomat the end of the hall. You're
going to retire now, provostman.Yes, I think I will. Very
tired. I don't believe i'll waitup for Ludu. Well, thanks again,

(13:43):
not at all, Good time,good night. I've been tired myself,
but I felt right awake. ThenI went to bed. Though that,
as I went through the motions ofgoing to bed with all the proper
sound effects, I let my shoesdrop loudly on the floor. Then,

(14:05):
after I had quietly put them onagain, I opened the window and flicked
the light switch. After that,I waited silently by the door. She
must have taken off her own shoesto tiptoe down the stairs, because I
didn't hear her go. But sheshouldn't have let the front door close quite
so hard. I did hear that. Then I moved fast out of the

(14:31):
bedroom and down the stairs and outof the front door, but I closed
it quietly. She must have beenthirty yards ahead of me when I reached
the street. I didn't try toclose the distance between us. It was
easy enough to follow us. Thesidewalks were practically deserted. She didn't look

(14:56):
back once. A woman who waswalking as eagerly as the t germs,
then the horseman was walking, doesn'tbother to look back. We reached the
park in twenty minutes. It wasdeserted too. She stayed on the gravel
walk, and I stopped through thebushes, and then I disclosed in on
her. She approached the bandstand,A figure separated itself from the shadows and

(15:18):
came toward her. Did though Iwas crouching behind the shrub three feet away.
By then I saw that the figurewore a Nazi uniform. Oh what's
what did you call it? Hotch? Kiss me? He kissed her,
and they were both lost to her, so lost they didn't even hear the

(15:41):
planes start whining through the night.I heard them, but I didn't move.
There was something else I had tohear, something that might prove more
fatal than a British bomb. Howwhat was the meaning of the tepicol?
We better get to a shot.There's one of the other end of the

(16:02):
park. We won't be able totalk in the shelter and s s ah
an American spy. He's a flyhouspital American spy. It's not coming out
too late. Don't let up foryourself out The Nati was right, it

(16:22):
was too late to run that Tommy'sare dropping bombs all over town. Lend
the follow his advice, and sodid I. I flung myself on the
soft ground behind those shrubs, ona dear life. The last bomb landed
in the park, and I raisedmy head. At last there was only

(16:47):
a pile of rubber. When aman's stand a bit, I heard the
Nazi calling her name. There wassomething in his voice that brought me to
my feet. There's the tone ofa man who called when he doesn't expect
an answer. Interview caught him.He stayed, anything I can do,

(17:08):
soldier, there's nothing any want toShe stayed, you sure, yeah,
yeah, great, Sure, comeon, I'll get you to a doctor.
I have no time, not fordoctors maybe, but there's something I
must do first. I'm not hurt. I could do it for you,
and I had to do it myself. That's information must type. Immediately he

(17:30):
turned away and went lunging off.You don't like to do such things.
But if a man's i'm na seeif he's gonna betray you to the Gestapo.
I raised my gun. All thethings you don't like to do either.

(17:52):
You don't like to tell a manthat his wife is lying dead in
the park by what she was doingthere before she died out if she was
kissing a Nazi soldier and selling theunderground movement down the river. But I
knew it had to be done.I went back to the big holdsman's house.
He'd already come home and was waitingfor me. Kill. I have

(18:14):
news for you. Look, Ihave news for you, too, bad
news, but mine is good.It's it's all arranged though anything, Oh,
all arranged. The meeting, ofcourse, the meeting tomorrow night.
And they let me clock. There'sa bombed out church on the highway north
of the tower. There's no dangerof being interrupted because the church is never
used anymore. I wound it upevery friend I could. There there would
be a second, then it wouldpossibly eight good work holdsman, donk donk

(18:37):
here kenna, But uh what there? Did you want to tell me that?
Well, it's your wife, mywife, she look, my friend,
there's no way of breaking this toyour gently. Never mind, just
send me. What about my wife. She's dead, Holseman, she's he

(19:00):
was killed in the raid tonight.Go oh oh no, no oh no,
it isn't possible. I'm sorry,Horseman, myli I, I just
can't believe it. I can't thinkI know how hard it is for you.
No, you don't know, butyou couldn't know because you knew what

(19:25):
she meant. Easy, Horsemand,I just got it. It's a lot
to face. Because you faced alot of hard things in these last few
years. I guess you'll manage toface this. Those were nothing. Linda
was everything to me. Nothing can'smatter. She was my whole life with
my I sat there and felt likea heel because his grief left me cold.

(19:49):
I suppose I should have felt sorryfor him, and I didn't.
There was something wrong somewhere. Therewas a phony note in his sorrow that
I couldn't put my finger on.Not then, at least later on that
night, after I'd helped him tohis room, after I'd gone to bed
myself and lay in the darkness thinkingabout it, I began to understand cold

(20:11):
and callous like lud It was hervoice being the Holtzman's voice that told me
nothing, nothing but fighting the net, not even Ah the woman he met.
But how did that jibe with thesobbing, grief stricken husband I've just

(20:32):
seen? And after all, whyshould a man who'd fought the Nazis,
who'd lived with death for ten years, why should he collapse so completely at
the news of one more death,even the death of his wife. Oh
yeah, something was wrong somewhere,something was very definitely wrong. I thought
I knew what it was. Andif I was right, then the Feller's

(20:55):
secret police were breathing down my neck. He was still sleeping when I slept
out of the house the next morning. I didn't go far, just across
the street and two doors down tonumber twenty one. A hunt strasser.

(21:18):
Yes, what is it you want? I'm sorry to disturb you so early.
I I wonder if you could helpme. I'm a stranger in town.
I'm looking for the Holtzmann residence.Holtzmann across the street, two doors
that way, number twenty eight.Thank you very much, You're welcome.
Good day. Uh excuse me,I think I have the right party.

(21:40):
Don't die. That is her LudwigHoltzmann's house, isn't it? It was
his house? Oh? Doesn't helive there anymore? Her Ludwig Holtzmann died
three weeks ago. M And thenI knew I was right. I turned

(22:03):
away from the door. I didn'thave any place to go, so I
turned back again, and the manin the doorway was still standing there,
still staring at me thoughtfully. Excuseme, Why did you want to see
lud quote smile. Well, I'ma wine merchant. I didn't know he

(22:23):
was dead. I I thought hemight be interested in some wine. I
see strong wine, very strong,a special kind called called deaf fry hide
vine. Ah, you're familiar withit, Yes, I'm familiar with it.

(22:47):
Perhaps I could interest you, Perhapsyou quote, won't you step in?
I followed him into his house,and then I took a chance.
I told him who I was andwhy I had come to osner Brook,
and what had happened since I arrived. I see, then, the real

(23:08):
Ludig Holstman is dead. He waskilled by the Gestapo. Heir Keller.
His own wife betrayed him. Funny, that's just how head figured. Fortunately
she doesn't know who the rest ofus are, or she would betray us
too. Not anymore. She waskilled in the raid last night, she
walks. That doesn't exactly break yourheart, I imagine. On the contrary,
it saves us the trouble of someday killing ourselves. But you say

(23:32):
she introduced another man to you asher husband. She must have had orders
to report anyone who came looking forLudlig. She went out and brought this
man back with her, a tall, thin chap with a black mistake.
Ah yeah, fitzgabl probably one ofthe most powerful Gestapo agents in osner Brook
his company. I've been keeping lateling. That's what I don't understand. Why
didn't he turn you over immediately?What is he waiting for for the meeting

(23:53):
to night? Probably meeting he knows. I'm planning to talk about the underground
work in neighboring cities. I see, fagers you'll pick up a flock of
names. Yeah, he'd never askedme for the names directly for fear.
He looks suspicious. Ah yeah,but uh, who does he intend to
bring to such a meeting? Somemore Gestapo agents? I imagine maybe he's
bringing them over from Dortmund and feeland he hopes you will give him useful

(24:14):
information. Yeah. Sure, it'sa nice setup. They'll sit around and
scribble down everything I say. Thenwhen they've milched me, they'll string me
up. How lucky that you cameto my door. Now you can escape
here, Keller, escape, No, I don't think so. What do
you mean seven or eight Gestapo agentsall gathered under one roof. That's awfully
inviting. But you can't go tothat meeting. Why not? They don't

(24:37):
know I know who they are.You will never get out alive. I'm
not so sure. Oh. Iwas pretty cocky then, and by the
time night came, I've lost alot of it. I'd had to put
on an act for fits table allday, pretending I still thought he was
little Coltsmann, pretending I trusted himand was sorry for his great laws.

(25:02):
By eleven o'clock, when he andI have slipped up the moon the path
that led to the church, mynerves were pretty thin. I'd taken a
lot of resk since I'd come toGermany, but I had never walked into
a meeting of Gestapo agents before,every one of whom knew who I was.
There. He already see her Kenner, I saw through the clouds of

(25:23):
cigar smoke, I saw the narrow, hungry eyes that turned on me.
I saw the half hidden smiles.I sensed the laughter inside them. My
friends, my friends, you knowwhy we are meeting here tonight. You
know that here my sight is aman An Americans have a courage to come

(25:45):
into this land of terror to helpus. In spite of he made quite
a production of it. He wenton for five minutes, building, and
all the while I could hear thatsilent, marking laughter. He has succeeded.
So now Heir Kella will tell usof the work he has been doing
in other German cities. He willgive us the names of our brothers who

(26:10):
are fighting in the same cause forwhich we fight. He will teach us
how to fight more effectively, howto bring closer the day of final victory.
I present Heir Keller the American,thanks her Horseman, brothers and friends.
My plans have changed somewhat. Idid intend to tell you about the

(26:34):
resistance movement in other cities, butI find that the resistant movement here in
Osnabrook is quite impressive, so Idecided to show you an example of that
instead. If you look around youyou'll get a real lesson in How We
Fight, How We Bring Closer theday of final victory. It took them

(26:56):
a minute to catch on, butnot long. Then they turned and they
saw I was pointing at They sawthe guns of the underground that were shoved
through every bombed out window. White. They died, all eight of them.

(27:18):
Well, Colonel Metcalf had told meto help make the German underground strong
and effective. He said it hadto be organized. It was pretty well
organized that night in Osnabrook and laterin Dortmund, bilevel Essen Doucial Dog Soon,

(27:42):
due in large part to Lieutenant VinceKeller of the OSS, the resistance
was well organized throughout Nazi Germany,and once again the report of another OSS
agent closes with the words mission accomplished. Listen again next week or another true
venture from the piles of the OSSon K and Jagger heard in Today's Clock

(28:15):
and Dagger Adventure. As Vince Kellorwas Mel Ferrer, star of stage and
screen, Hebbel was Herbert Berghoff,Lenda Francis Robinson. Others were Ralph Bell,
Raymond Edward Johnson, Villemacure, IanMartin and Carl Weathers. Script was
written by ken Field and music wasunder the direction of John Guard, sound
effects by Chad Hill and Jerry McGee, Engineering by George Boss. Today's OSS

(28:38):
Adventure was based on the book Clockand Dagger by Corey Ford and Alistair mcdain.
This program was produced by Lewis G. Collen and Alfred Hollander. Here
is a bulletin from the NBC newsroom. Governor Dewey of New York has endorsed
the NBC Republican presidential candidate as GeneralEisenhower. During the NBC television program Meet

(29:03):
the Press, Duey declared again thathe himself will not be a candidate.
Then Yuey has ticular head of theGOP, said that he would urge support
of Eisenhower if the General will permithimself to be nominated. He tuned your
NBC station for the later news.This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company.