U.S. Steel Hour: "The Rack" (4/12/1955)

[Theme music] [Furnace blast] [Announcer] This is, "The United States Steel Hour." [Theme music] [Announcer] Only steel can do so many jobs so well. [Announcer] This trademark, USS, stands for quality steel. [Announcer] United States Steel. [Music, continues under Main Titles] [Patriotic music] [Colonel Hansen] You want to come in please, Sam. [Hansen] Want some coffee? [Major Sam Moulton] No, thanks. [Hansen] You got a brief [?]. [Moulton] Pretty much. Nine specifications. [Moulton] Take our pick of fifty witnesses and dig for more as needed. It's not an open-and-shut case. [Moulton] But, it's close to treason and [?] Thirty years maybe. Maybe life. Or maybe the court won't take it that big. [Hansen's voice] Are you nervous? Tired, is all. I've been on that for sixty hours. If it makes you feel better. G2 has been on it for two years. [Hansen's voice] Thirty three hundred Army POWs repatriated. [Hansen] Two hundred odd cases, investigated for trial. [Hansen] Forty of those cases approved for further action. [Hansen] They're throwing just one of them with you. [Hansen] One of the cut-and-dried ones, at that. An infantry captain with a Silver Star and a Cluster. A letter of commendation from the CG of the division for exemplary conduct under fire. That's not cut and dried. An infantry captain who collaborated with the enemy, while the prisoner of war. And thirty different men who will swear to every single specification. I'd call that cut-and-dried. To tell you the truth, sir, I just leave not had this one. [Hansen] Some are pleasanter than others. Or at least, not as unpleasant. [Hansen laughs] But, you take the cases in order. [Hansen] This is an ugly one, and that's unfortunate. [Hansen] But you weren't lying for it. [Hansen] Are you telling me you want to hand it back? [Moulton] No, sir [Moulton] I'm telling you that it hasn't got a pleasant taste. [Hansen] Some cases haven't. [Moulton] Sir, these cases have first and last names. They're people. Man is going to try them. Prosecution's got to look into his own soul. [Hansen] If an accused suddenly doesn't have a name. If he's just a case and not a human being. [hansen] And if his prosecutor sticks him on the chair without a single doubt or concern. Then it's not a trial. It's an inquisition. [Hansen's voice] You've spent sixty odd hours planning this. [Hansen's voice] Now go home and spend a hundred and sixty more searching your conscience. [Hansen] If you take this case, I expect you to have regrets. [Hansen] But no remorse. [Hansen] It's as simple as that. [Moulton] Hmm, fair enough, sir. [Moulton] Edward Hall Junior, Captain, United States Army. [Moulton] Nice and personal when it's on paper isn't it? [Hansen] This man's accused of collaborating with the enemy. [Hansen] The people who were hurt by this, they have names too, and their names look impersonal on paper. [Hansen] Now pick it up from there, Major Moulton. [Dramatic music] [Door creaks open] [Footsteps] [Agatha Hall] Presenting, Captain Hall. [Captain Ed Hall, Jr.] Hi, Dad. You potted? They said you'd be after you read my wire. [Colonel Edward Hall, Sr.] You're thin. [Edward] You're too damn thin. [Edward] You look like a scarecrow. [Edward] By the great Harry, we'll fatten you up. Won't we, Aggie? [Edward] Ed, do you know how long it's been? [Edward] Two and a half years. [Edward] Two and a half years, you lie in a sack, in a comfortable oriental tea house, while I worry myself sick about you. [Edward] Ed, it's so good to see you. My son. My son. [Edward] Aggie, dear, I, [Edward] I hope you behaved better in public than I was able to, in my living room. [Agatha] I almost, I almost strangled him. [Hall Jr.] May I? [Edward] May he indeed. May you. Why you and I are going to finish that bottle tonight. [Edward] Just the two of us. We'll sit in, we'll sit in front of the fire and put a dent in those millions of words we've got to speak. So much to ask you. So much. Then Aggie here, to put us to bed about six a.m. [Agatha] Why not tomorrow, bright and early. It's so late. [Agatha] Ed's awfully tired, that long train trip, you know. The long train trip. And a long time in a camp. We'll make it up to you, Ed. [Edward's voice] So, Ed, ah, Did you hear about your brother? [Agatha's voice] Oh? He knows, Dad. One of my letters got through to him. [Hall Jr.] Howard's been killed. [Agatha] Mortar shells during an attack. At Inchon. [Hall Jr.] Instantly, huh. [Edward] He never knew what happened. [Edward] The CO wrote me a letter. [Edward] A long letter. It seems your kid brother was quite a soldier. As good a soldier as his older brother. [Edward's voice] And your kid brother's wife. [Edward's voice] Also quite a soldier. Quite a soldier. [Agatha] Now, I think it's bed for me. [Agatha] Follow soon. [Edward] Mm, hmm. Very soon. [Agatha] You need rest. [Edward] Mm, hmm. [Hall Jr.] How long were they together before he shipped out? About a month? [Edward] Just about. [Hall Jr.] He must have been, what, twenty two. All of twenty two. [Edward] Not quite. [Hall Jr.] Aggie, Aggie said you were, you took it well. [Edward] I took it well, because I had another son living. [Edward] I couldn't spare the time to grieve. [Edward] When there was so much hoping to do. This time, a hope realized. [Edward] Ed. [Hall Jr.] Yes, Dad. When you want to, understand. When it's far enough away for you to talk about it. I'd like to hear. Sure, sure, fair enough. When it's far enough away, I'll, I'll oblige. Only right now. Right at this given moment. I've got it on my back. It's dead weight. [Light switch click] You know. There's a [?] in the camp. There was just one light in this big long room. One light. In the center. Had a string on it. And that's how you turned it on, and off. I used to think. First thing I'll do when I get out of here. If I get out of here. I'll use a light with a wall switch. It's nuts, huh. Not a blonde or a thick steak or a big shiny convertible or, thirty hours of sleep. It's a light switch. [Sobbing] [Edward] Ed, my God, Ed. [Sobs] [Agatha] Ed. [Agatha] Darling. [Agatha] Let it all out. [Agatha] Why don't you go on up to bed. [Hall Jr.] Dad? [Edward] Yes, Ed. Yes, son. [Hall Jr.] I'm sorry. [Edward] Don't be. [Edward] Please, don't be. [Hall Jr.] Good night, Dad. [Edward] When he went away, [Edward] he used to walk so straight. [Edward] Now, he's all hunched over, like an old man. [Edward] And he limps too. Did you see him limp, Aggie? [Edward] Did you see him limp when he went up the stairs? [Agatha] Yes, I saw. Look [Edward] Aggie, what did those hounds do to my boy? What did they do to him? [Agatha] Oh, Dad. Oh, now. Oh, Dad, don't. [Doorbell] [Doorbell] [Agatha] Shall I get it? [Edward] No, you make some coffee. I'll see who it is. [Edward] Well, come on in. [Colonel Smith] May we come in? [Colonel Fielder] Hello, Ed. [Edward] Good to see you boys. [Fielder] Thank you. [Edward] What are you doing out in the snow. [Edward] Here, let me get your coats. [Fielder] Thank you. [Edward] Aggie, it's Colonel Fielder and and Colonel Smith. Make more coffee. My boy just came back and I've been celebrating. I need that coffee. [Edward] Sit down, sit down. [Edward] Now, what can I do for you? If you've come to drag me out of retirement and take over a regiment, the answer's no. [Edward] I'm a father again. Now, listen to me. Here I sit and let you two old war horses, not even have a drink. [Edward] Ah, what'll it be? [Fielder] Ah, Ed, this, this isn't social. [Edward] Oh? [Smith] It's about your son, Ed. [Edward] I told you. He just came back. [Smith] Sit down, Ed. Listen to us. [Edward] All right, Smitty. [Edward] I'm sitting. And, I'm listening. [Smith] What we've come to tell you, you would hear through regular channels in a day or so, three days at the latest. [Smith] Fielder and I just heard it tonight. Only a few hours ago. [Smith] We're all old friends, Ed. And you're a valued old friend. And we decided it'd be better if you heard it from us. Heard about what? Well, ah. There will be charges preferred against your son, Ed, and, ah, [Fielder's voice] a general court-martial. [Edward] What charges? What stupid red tape nonsense is this? [Edward] He just came back from two and a half years in hell. Now what's the problem? Collaboration with the enemy. [Coffee dishes clatter on floor] Three charges and nine specifications. My son. Collaboration. That's a dirty rotten lie. [Edward] The very word stinks up the room. You must be out of your minds to make a statement like that to me about my son. [Edward] You must be, [Agatha] There, there! [Fielder] Ed, Ed! [Fielder] Ed. [Fielder] Ask him. [Edward] I wouldn't insult him by repeating such a filthy accusation. [Fielder] There are fifty odd witnesses, Ed. They all tell the same story. [Fielder] He signed enemy surrender leaflets. [Fielder] He gave lectures for them. [Edward] In combat, he won a Silver Star. [Edward] Two. [Edward] He got a Cluster. [Edward] He, [Edward] He honored me. [Fielder] In the camp, Ed, it would appear, he didn't honor you. [Dramatic music] [Fielder] I once heard a very astute civilian say that, men who become regular army officers, revert to the womb. [Fielder] Sacrifice initiative and free will for a gravy train and three squares. [Fielder] Somebody oughta show Captain Hall and his father to this very astute savvine. [Fielder] Let's go. [Edward] May I turn the lights on, Ed. [Hall Jr.] I prefer the dark, if it's all the same. [Edward] For what I'm asking you, [Edward] I want a brief, [Edward] simple to the point answer. Understand? Who was at the door, MPs? Don't get cute with me. Just answer my question. [Hall Jr.'s voice] Which is? Did you collaborate with the Communists? [Dramatic music] Yes. [Dramatic note] More questions. Yes. One more question. God forgive me. Why didn't you die an honorable death in action. It would have been preferred. Much preferred. [Hall Jr. voice] Dad. [Hall Jr.] It would have been much preferred by me, too. [Hall Jr.] Do you understand? Makes sense to you? [Hall Jr.] A nice clean, acceptable death with dignity. [Hall Jr.] Much preferred. [Hall Jr.] Would it, [Hall Jr.] Would it interest you to know that there were reasons, [Edward] For treason?! [Edward] They must have been of earth-shattering importance, to make you crawl on your belly. [Hall Jr.] You know what I got for that, that crawl on my belly. [Hall Jr.] Do you know what I got? I'll tell you, Dad. [Hall Jr.] I sold my soul for a filthy blanket that stunk of fish and urine, and three hours of uninterrupted sleep. [Hall Jr.] Then do you know what else, Colonel? [Hall Jr.] At the time, [Hall Jr.] at the time, I thought it was one hell of a bargain. [Dramatic music] [Moulton] Can I speak to Captain [?] please. That's right. Hello. Major Moulton. Have you received a list of names of men on temporary duty there? Do you have a list there? All right. These men are to be government witnesses. They are to report to the Staff Judge Advocate's Office at oh nine hundred tomorrow. That's right. And, ah, Captain Edward Hall, Junior. This officer is to be under restriction to post, as of tomorrow night. That's right. Good night. [Phone clatters into cradle] [Dramatic music] [Thinking] Captain Hall, deep in my gut, I ache for you. [Thinking] But I think you're guilty. I know you're guilty. And I've got to prosecute you. [Dramatic music] [Theme music] [Announcer] This is, "The United States Steel Hour." [Announcer] In just a moment, Act Two of, "The Rack." [Announcer] But first, here speaking for United States Steel, is George Hicks. [George Hicks] Here, you see down below, is a modern engineering miracle. [Hicks] It's called an offshore mobile drilling platform. [Hicks] And it is revolutionizing the vitally important business of looking for oil fields, deep in the ground beneath the sea. [Hicks] The remarkable thing about this mobile platform is the fact that, it gives drillers the stability of a permanent dock. [Hicks] That can be raised above even hurricane waves, in a hundred feet of water. [Hicks] And most important of all can be moved readily from one location to another. [Hicks] All this is made possible by these fourteen huge steel caissons. [Hicks Actually, they're portable pilings on which the whole barge moves up and down with the help of air controlled grippers or jacks, [Hicks] designed by Colonel L. B. DeLong. [Hicks] Here's one of those two hundred feet high caissons. [Hicks] But legs must have feet. And that's just what these massive donuts are. Huge feet to grip the ocean floor. [Hicks] This fantastic monster of the deep was built at, The United States Steel's Consolidated Western Plant, at Orange, Texas. [Hicks] For the offshore company of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. [Hicks] But let's inspect this amazing drilling platform. Being used by the Humble Oil and Refining Company. [Hicks] I went aboard in a skiff bucket with Bob Stewart, a veteran oilfield man. [Hicks] He's the skipper of this ingenious floating island. [Hicks] This is some of the mechanism that makes it click. [Hicks] With this one hundred forty foot foot drilling rig, oil men can drill down to more than three miles below the floor of the sea. [Hicks] For more restful moments, the crew of forty six men, can spend their leisure hours in the air-conditioned lounge. [Hicks[ Our friends Mary Kay and Johnny would love this gleaming stainless steel galley. [Hicks[ And, here's the latest in crews quarters. [Hicks] All the while the men are no farther from shore than their own helicopter landing platform. [Hicks] It's an important part in the picture of this modern efficient and livable way to drill for the submerged oil our nation needs [Hicks] Yes, United States Steel, through its Consolidated Western Steel Division, [Hicks] is proud to have played a part in the development and construction of this new way to keep increasing America's resources. [Hicks] And through this cooperative effort, to share in the spirit of courage and enterprise, that helps keep America strong and growing. [Theme music] [Patriotic instrumental music, "Our Country 'Tis of Thee"] [Doorbell] [Doorbell] [Agatha] Yes, what is it? [Captain Steve Wasnik] Captain Hall? He home yet? [Agatha] No, he's not. Would you care to leave a message? [Wasnik] I'll wait for him. [Agatha] Well, I'm not at all sure when he'll be home. He's at the Staff Judge Advocate's Office. [Wasnik] I know. Wasnick's the name. I'm the Captain's Counsel. He knows me. [Agatha] You're his attorney? [Wasnik] You were expecting Clarence Darrow? Living room this way? [Wasnik's voice] Who are you? I'm Captain Hall's sister in law. Well, I'll tell you, Captain Hall's sister in law, he told the SJ, he'd take any counsel given to him. My name came up at the box, for better or for worse. You think it's for worse. Well, between you, me and Ridgeway. I'm a hot lawyer. You got a name? I'm Agatha Hall. That's apropos of anything as far as your concerned. Everything connected with Ed Hall is apropos of something as far as I'm concerned. I want to save this boy's skin. Do you want this straight? Sit down. [Wasnik] Come on. Go ahead, Captain. [Wasnik] Captain Hall has about the same chance as last year's Cleveland Indians in the ninth inning of the fourth game. You get the idea? If you feel that way, why are you defending him? You could refuse, couldn't you? Sure. I could plead prior prejudice and take a long walk. [Wasnik] My old man was a coal miner. [Wasnik] He was real hot at anthracite. [Wasnik] But, he was a lot better at philosophy. And he used to say to all of us, "Never get scared of an unpopular cause." [Wasnik] As long as it's popular with you. [Wasnik] I have a prior prejudice you see, in favor of Ed Hall. I want to help him. [Agatha] Why? Because I happen to think that two and a half years in a prison camp is punishment enough. I don't think it's right, to take this boy after two and a half years of that, and punish him all over again. I call that double, jeop, jeop, jeopardy. Now, that may not be a legal basis for a case, but personally, that's the way I feel. [Agatha] Captain, you have a disciple in your corner. Those are my sentiments, [Door opens] Ed! [Agatha] This is Captain Wasnik. [Hall Jr.] You're defending me. [Wasnik] Well. Yeah sure. I left a note for you. [Hall Jr.] I read it [Hall Jr.] What axe are you grinding, Wasnik? Or is it just some perverse penchant for lost causes. [Hall Jr.] Well? [Wasnik] Let me put it this way. [Wasnik] With anybody else in the whole world, except me. You can guzzle off your liquor. [Wasnik] Look railroaded, disillusioned, self-pitying and wracked up, but not with me. [Wasnik] With me, it's eye level. With me, it's honesty. So from you, I want cooperation, belief and trust. [Wasnik] When I walk into that court-martial I'm on a team. [Wasnik] Not a reluctant, lost generation and a passing stranger. [Wasnik] Called in to go through the motions of his defense. You understand me, Captain? [Hall Jr.] I'm guilty, you know that. [Wasnik] There are degrees of guilt. [Hall Jr.] Oh, is that our case? [Hall Jr.] That's some defense. Check me, Captain. In your case, there is no defense. There is only an explanation. That is our case. Did they tell you when you went into restriction? [Hall Jr.] Tonight. [Wasnik] You know where? [Hall Jr.] Fort Hanford, [?] [Wasnik] I'll be there first thing in the morning. [Wasnik] You better stick near him. I think he's gonna need somebody like you. [Agatha] Isn't there anybody for him? [Wasnik] You, me, [Wasnik] and God, I hope. And I think we're for him. [Wasnik] So long, Mrs. Hall. You let him know he's loved. [Agatha] You ah, you didn't see your father. [Hall Jr.] No. [Agatha] I thought maybe, [Hall Jr.] You thought what? [Hall Jr.] You've no idea. [Hall Jr.] Did you ever think that a man's brain could be put on the rack? [Hall Jr.] Stretched, and [Hall Jr.] pulled out of shape. [Hall Jr.] For three years, I was on that rack. [Hall Jr.] My brain was on that rack. [Hall Jr.] And now that I'm home, it's still on it. [Agatha] Ed, listen, [Agatha] Your father is, [Hall Jr. shouting] My father is army. [Hall Jr.] He couldn't understand that what cowardice in one man is simple collapse in another. I know this army, Aggie. I was born into it. My father has four tiers of ribbons on his uniform. Oh, I know the army, Aggie. It can perform only one human function. It can bleed. But, it can't weep. [Dramatic music] [Knocking on door] Come in. [Liieutenant Roger Anderson] Major Moulton? [Moulton] That's right. [Moulton] Come in. You're Anderson? [Anderson] Yes, sir. [Moulton] How's your leg, better? [Anderson] Much better. [Moulton] Sit down, won't you? You know of course, that you're to be a witness for the prosecution. Yes, sir. [Moulton] In that case, I won't have to add much except, tell the truth as you know the truth as you remember it. [Moulton] I'll get through it as quickly as possible. [Moulton] [?] [Moulton's voice] Was he special? [Anderson] He's a human being. Does it have to be more special than that? Hall's a friend of yours. [Anderson's voice] He saved my life once. He was a brave man. [Moulton] He was a brave man. [Moulton] Do you think this is a lot of, [Moulton] Protocol's[?]. Mapped out like on a chow line, don't you? Man does this, is therefore that. [?] [Moulton] Let me tell you something, Lieutenant Anderson. [Moulton] When it comes to its own, [Moulton] the Army walks on tiptoe and in agony, looking for justice. That's right. [Moulton] Agony. [Anderson] He thinks this is a railroading. [Moulton] And you agree with him? [Moulton] Well, I've talked to a lot of your boys who're all for going after your Captain Hall with a pistol butt and three hours of free time. There's people and people. Me, I don't like informing. You guys behind desks. You don't know what it was like. When somebody says compound to you, it's just a word. [Moulton] Why you silly little punk. Do you think you're in the first war ever fought by the United States Army is that what you think? [Moulton] Well, listen Lieutenant. [Moulton] I took a long walk in1942 on one hot afternoon from Bataan through Manila on one glass of muddy water. [Moulton] I went to a lot of places like [?] Tomas and Formosa. [Moulton] I got strung up by my thumb's for six hours one time for spilling water in a Jap corporal's pants. When you say compound to me, little buddy, I don't have to imagine a thing. Three years, six months and fifteen days. I know where of you speak. [Moulton] I'm not asking you to inform, Lieutenant. I'm merely asking you to tell the truth. [Moulton] I won't call on you unless it's absolutely necessary. That much I promise you. [Anderson] Major Moulton, sir. Do you like your job? [Moulton] If what gets proven in that court will help one kid, just one. [Moulton] Maybe years from now. If it'll help one kid, who's been captured keep faith for this country in his army. I'll like my job. [Murmurings] [Court officer] Ten hut. [President of Court] The court will come to order. [President of Court] Let the record show, that all parties to the trial who are present at the time court recessed, are again present. [President of Court] Proceed with the arraignment. [Moulton] The charges were served on the accused by me, on February 26th of this year. [Moulton] Captain Hall, how do you plead? [Wasnik] The accused, Captain Edward Hall Jr., pleads to all specifications and charges, not guilty. The prosecution would like to make an opening statement. We will produce witnesses and prove that the accused, [Moulton] while a prisoner of war at Changsong, North Korea, Pyoktong, North Korea during a period of January 1st, 1951, July 1st, 1953, did willingly and willfully give aid and comfort to the enemy. [Moulton] Go on, Sergeant. [Sergeant] Well, he came out here, and he said to us, "You guys better sign this leaflet." So I looks at the leaflet, and I says, "Captain Hall, sir. That's a lot of crap." [Gavel taps several times] Excuse me. I says, "I can't sign this thing. It says for us to give up." [Moulton's voice] Is that the leaflet? Yes, sir. [Witness] Well, they got this Commie interpreter on the stage. [Witness] They got him on the stage, and they said well, what's gonna happen? [Witness] Well, I didn't know what was gonna happen. [Moulton] Did he introduce anyone? [Witness] Yes, he introduced Captain Hall. And Captain Hall came out and gave the lecture. I seen him go up to Lieutenant Anderson and order him to sign this leaflet, and if Lieutenant Anderson didn't sign it, I, I heard Captain Hall say that, [Wasnik] Captain Hall, would you tell the court, precisely what was the nature of this order to Lieutenant Anderson. [Hall Jr.] It was not an order. [Hall Jr.] I said if he didn't sign, I couldn't guarantee that either of us would get medical attention. We both had leg wounds. That's, a matter of record. [Hall Jr.] I was merely repeating what the Reds had said to me. [Wasnik] Your witness. [Moulton] Captain Hall, [Moulton] you knew a Sergeant Antonio Scalponi? [Hall Jr.] Yes, sir, I did. [Moulton] On the evening of August 11th, 1952, [Moulton] you went to Sergeant Scalponi and insisted that he sign surrender leaflets. You said to Sergeant Scalponi, "Tony, you'd better get wise and sign this thing. "Or, it's going to be the hole for you." [Moulton's voice] Were those your exact words? I don't know, something like that. [Moulton] Is it not a fact, that very night Sergeant Scalponi was thrown into a cellar known as the hole? Remained in solitary confinement for three days and nights without food or water. [Hall Jr.] I guess so. [Moulton] You guess so. [Moulton] Is it not a fact, that you never again, saw Sergeant Scalponi alive. No, not, not alive. The next time, you were a member of his burial detail. [Moulton] Sergeant Scalponi had died of exposure and malnutrition. Now, is that a fact? Yes, sir. Did you, Captain Hall, try to prevent Sergeant Scalponi from being thrown into the hole? [Hall Jr.] Well, no sir, I didn't. It would have been futile. [Moulton] You merely watched your Sergeant, get what would normally be called a death sentence. [Wasnik] Objection! [President of Court] Objection sustained. [Moulton] Sergeant Scalponi weighed roughly a hundred twenty pounds at this time. He was suffering from dysentery and running a high fever. [Moulton] Yet, he could not be induced in any mind or measure into giving in to the enemy. Now, could he? [Hall Jr.] No, sir, he signed nothing. [Moulton] Captain Hall, I should like to ask prior to August 7, 1952, the date you first put your name on the surrender leaflet. [Moulton] What had occurred to change your political views? [Wasnik] Objection! The accused has never said that his political views changed. Sustained. Strike the question. [Moulton] I'll ask the question this way [Moulton] What made you accede to your captors wishes. [Hall Jr.] I refused consistently many times. But, they kept after me. [Moulton] They kept after you. [Moulton] Oh. How do you mean they kept after you? [Hall Jr.] Well, long periods of questioning. Long periods without adequate food or medical attention. Threats. Lack of sleep. Ah, [Hall Jr.] I finally agreed to do what they asked. [Moulton] Were you subjected to physical mistreatment during this time? Were you struck or subjected to torture. I wasn't struck. Not that sort of thing. They, they exhaust you. [Moulton] You were questioned, [Moulton] at great length, under adverse physical conditions. [Moulton] Now, Captain, would you say that the other thirty nine officers held in your compound received, approximately the same treatment that you received. Hall Jr.] Yes, probably about the same. [Moulton] You wouldn't care to testify then, [Moulton] that you were singled out for any harsher treatment than any of the others. [Hall Jr.] I don't think so. [Moulton] Now, Captain, How many others in your compound, gave lectures for the enemy? [Softly] None. [Moulton's voice] Louder please. [Shouting] None that I know of. None that you know of. They all received roughly the same treatment, you yourself received, but not another man committed treason. [Wasnik's voice] Objection! [Moulton] No one else saw fit to serve the Communist cause as you did. [Wasnik] If the court please, the prosecution is over stepping itself and should be so reminded. [President of Court] The prosecution will govern itself accordingly. [Moulton] No further questions. [President of Court] Court will recess for the day. Reconvene tomorrow morning at Oh Nine hundred. [Meloncholy music] [Wasnik] Rough afternoon. [Wasnik] Feel boxed in, Captain? [Wasnik] Oh, I got a wire from your fellow regimental CEO. He's flying in to take the stand on your behalf. Then I got, ah, three more wires, in affidavit form, from, ah, three battalion officers, to testify to your personal courage and efficiency. I also got a cablegram from Marilyn Monroe. She wants to know if you're busy tonight. [Wasnik] I didn't think you were listening. [Wasnik] How about it , Captain? To better days. [Hall jr.] They love it, don't they? [Wasnik] Who loves it? The court. Brass. The shiny [?]. Don't they love it, Wasnik? I think they're wrong, Captain. But, this is not a kangaroo court. Every man in here is doing a dirty, unpleasant and unasked-for job. I'll tell you. I'll tell you what I got figured out. I think the Army is so flippin' orderly that it has to stick a tag on everything and label it. So when a man takes as much as he can. When he cracks into pieces. They look very wise. And they head under their army ledgers and run their fingers down the pages and they come to the word treason. We'll tag this guy with treason. [Hall Jr.] My [?], Wasnik. [Hall Jr.] Do you know what you're doing? You're trying to add a supplement to the ledger. You're trying to complicate the tag sticking routine? You're, [Hall Jr.] I swear to God. You're trying to wreck the whole flippin' army by suggesting there's a human factor. [Music] [Hall Jr.] Wasnik, [Hall Jr.] You poor slob. [Hall Jr.] You're gonna wind up a captain if you stay in for fifty years. Do you know that? [Hall Jr.] You know that, Wasnik. [Music] [Barroom piano music] [Wasnik] Get me a beer, will ya. [Wasnik] Hi, Sam. Hold the beer. [Moulton] Hi, Steve. [Wasnik] Buy you a drink? [Moulton] No, thanks, that would be out of order. [Laughter] Sit down. [Moulton] You should be home reading. [Wasnik] I have been doing some reading. [Moulton] Steve, everybody I've talked to in the last three weeks. [Moulton] My own witnesses. Papers. [Moulton] Fathers, mothers, everybody and their brothers, got this case pegged as a David and Goliath. [Moulton] The big wicked army against the poor lone man. Steve, I know what you're gonna say. [Moulton] I said it to myself a hundred times over. Before I took this case I sat in a chair for a day and a night. Dug into myself. To see if I came up with a big doubt, or an honest conviction. [Wasnik] Sam, there's a difference. The difference in misery. [Wasnik] Yours ends after the sentencing. His goes on and on because of what you're doing to him. Or let me say, [Wasnik] what the army is making you do to him. [Moulton] Forget the army, Steve. [Moulton] I came up with an honest conviction. [Wasnik] Which is? [Moulton] All right. We let him off. He's innocent of all charges and specifications. You know what then? [Wasnik] What then? From that second you establish your precedent. If a man must break. He must break. That's all there is to it. We're not trying to crucify a man, Steve. We're trying to put a little muscle in every other man that may have to face the same things he did. So, when we smack him down. When we ruin this boy for good and all. We still have to say to ourselves, it is not a punishment inherent in the climb. It's simply a case in point. An example. We sentence a man as an example. We put a man on a rack for want of an alternative. [Wasnik] Well, that may be law, but it's a hell of a long way from justice, Major. [Moulton] Captain, this rack that your client is on, [Moulton] It's a big one. [Moulton] Not just for the accused, but for the people who accuse, as well. If all this sticks in your craw, Captain. [Moulton] Maybe you can give me an alternative. [Moulton] I wish to God, I knew one. Good night, Wasnik. [Dramatic music] [Theme music] [Announcer] This is, "The United States Steel Hour." In just a moment, Act Three of, "The Rack." [Announcer] But now, let's join Mary Kay and Johnny. [Mary Kay] Nice and important occasion for us. The summer issue of, "House Beautiful," "Guide For The Bride," is off the press with some wonderful news. [Johnny] And it's managing editor, Miss Mary McGee has joined us to tell you about it. Thank you, Mary Kay and Johnny for inviting me to be your guest. As you know, we've chosen the newest design of United States Steel Homes, to be our Brides' House of 1955. [Johnny] Well, we're certainly excited about this honor. Tell us Mary, how did you happen to pick one of our homes? Well, we started out like a young couple with more ideas then money. So, we looked for a house that combined a bright, distinctive style, smart planning, and a minimum price. ,And we found it in the United States Steel Home. I can't begin to tell you all of the features. But, we've devoted a thirty page section to it. And we still haven't covered everything. [Johnny] Well, I know that everyone is going to want to read it. And Mary, thank you very much for coming over to tell us about it. [Mary's voice] Thank you. [Mary Kay] Whether you're newlyweds or the parents of a big growing family. You'll love the Bride's House. [Mary Kay] Just wait until you see the fresh color scheme, the long graceful lines. [Mary Kay] You know it looks so big. [Johnny] Well, Mary Kay, that's because it is big. [Johnny] For example, take a look at the living room, and the dining area. [Mary Kay] It has a big open floor plan which is so wonderful for family living and for entertaining. [Mary Kay] The laundry in the kitchen. Well, as a matter of fact, the whole house, are planned to save you steps. And you know there's plenty of room for a family to grow in this big three-bedroom house. As a matter of fact, you can decorate one of the bedrooms as a den if you want to. There's lots of closets and storage space. Besides being very practical, this is a very beautiful house. You'll love this big window wall the way it lets the sun and the garden come right into the living room. And the warm texture of the wood paneling. [Johnny] Mary Kay, you're really sold on this house. [Mary Kay] Yes, I am. [Johnny] And believe me folks, you will be too. If you'll just drive out and see it. Like all United States Steel Homes, the Bride's House is built of solid wood construction. And it's sold by your local United States Steel Homes dealer. He's an independent builder who meets all of U.S. Steel's rigid requirements, both as a craftsman and as a builder. [Mary Kay] You know the first thing that Johny and I think of when we see something really wonderful like this is, "Can we afford it?" [Johnny] And you're probably wondering the same thing. Well, if you are, just listen to this. [Johnny] The chances are, [Johnny] that your monthly payments will be less than the rent you're paying right now. [Johnny] So, be sure and get in touch with your local U. S. Steel Homes dealer and actually see for yourself the fully furnished home he's exhibiting near you. [Mary Kay] Meanwhile, you'll want to read this big, colorful booklet about the beautiful Bride's House. [Mary Kay] There are fourteen pages of photographs and decorating ideas. [Mary Kay] And, we'd like to send you a copy. [Johnny] Just print your name and address on a postcard, and mail it to us. [Johnny] Mary Kay and Johnny. U. S. Steel. Pittsburgh 30, Pennsylvania. [Music swells under dialogue] [Theme music] [Wasnik] We wish to call Captain Hall, for redirect examination. [President of Court] Captain Hall, you are reminded that you have been properly sworn and that you are still under oath. [Hall Jr.] Yes, sir. [Wasnik] Captain Hall, would you please tell the court as precisely as possible, the regimen used in persuasion and questioning. [Hall Jr.] Well, ah, They'd call me out of the barracks, any hour, and lead me to an interrogation shack. [Hall Jr.] The night I, I cracked, it was cold and, [Hall Jr.] they had me remove all my clothing. [Hall Jr.] I was freezing and, [Hall Jr.] and I was scared. [Hall Jr.] After I got to the shack, I, I had to stand in a puddle of water and, [Hall Jr.] then they started. [Wasnik] For how long? [Hall Jr.] That night? Maybe, maybe five hours. It, it seemed like a month or more. They had these, these pamphlets and they kept after me to sign them. I, I could feel my mind going soft. [Hall Jr.'s voice] You know, crazy, disjointed thoughts. Not, nothing was clear at all, and, and then they, the guard took me outside. [Wasnik's voice] What then? Well, he he handed me a shovel and, the interpreter said for me to dig a grave. And after it was done, they were going to shoot me. It was to be my grave. [Wasnik] They'd done this before. [Moulton] Objection. Defense is leading the witness. [President of Court's voice] Sustained. Strike the question. [Wasnik] Had they done this before? [Hall Jr.] Once. [Hall Jr.] Not in the camp. On the way there. They, [Hall Jr.] They were marching us to Pyoktong, Camp number five. [Hall Jr.] They told us that in each group of POWs, one of us would be in charge. And that, [Hall Jr.] if any man of any group dropped out. [Hall Jr.] The officer in charge would be shot. [Hall Jr.] Well, one boy, he, [Hall Jr.] he'd lost a lot of blood, and, he kept falling down. [Hall Jr.] A lieutenant in charge of his group was half carrying him. [Hall Jr.] Then this kid fainted dead away, and he couldn't be carried anymore, and [Hall Jr.] they stopped the column. [Hall Jr.] They stopped the column and, [Hall Jr.] a guy came up to this Lieutenant, motioned him to step out. [Hall Jr.] Handed him a shovel and, told him to dig. [Hall Jr.] Like they told me to dig. [Hall Jr.] After he was finished, [Hall Jr.] they put a gun to his head. [Hall Jr.] Shot him in the head. [Hall Jr.] At night, the night I, I cracked. [Hall Jr.] I remembered his face. That, that's all I remembered. I looked into this, this hole I'd just, just dug and I, [Hall Jr.] I thought this is what I'd be lying in, you know. [Hall Jr.] Then I, I heard this interpreter say something about a warm blanket. Am I going to sleep. [Hall Jr.] What? I said, yes. I said okay. I said tell me what to do or what to say. I'll do it, anything. [Hall Jr.] Germ warfare. Dope peddling. Phony surrender leaflets, anything. [Hall Jr.] Only, I've, I've got to sleep and I can't be afraid anymore. [Hall Jr.] Just, I've got to sleep. [Hall, Jr. muttering] [Wasnik] Do you wish to recross examine the accused? [Moulton] Captain Hall, [Moulton] In any camp you were in, did you ever see anyone shot? Not in a march. In the camp. [Hall Jr.] He, he threatened to shoot him. A lot of, [Moulton] I didn't ask you that. [Moulton] I asked you if you ever saw anyone actually shot. [Hall Jr.] No, sir. I didn't. [Moulton] Call Lieutenant Anderson. [Court Officer] Lieutenant Anderson. [President of Court's voice] Lieutenant Anderson. [President of Court's voice] You swear that the evidence you shall give in the case now in hearing, shall be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, [President of Court's voice] so help you God? [Anderson] I do. [Moulton] Lieutenant, you're familiar with what happened to the accused, on the night of August 7, 1952. The grave that he dug. The threats to shoot him, the rest of it. [Anderson] Yes, sir. [Moulton] You know the story to be true. [Anderson] Yes, sir. [Moulton] Why do you know it to be true? [Anderson] I'm not sure I understand the question. [Moulton] You know it to be gospel, Lieutenant Anderson, I'll tell you why. Because the same thing happened to you the next night. Isn't that true? [Wasnik] Objection! Those are leading questions. The whole line of questioning. [Moulton] Did you receive similar treatment as the accused, not similar, exact treatment? Yes. Shovel, graves, threats. Keeping after you, the rest of it. Yes, sir. Now, Lieutenant, I would like to ask, Did you sign surrender leaflets? [Anderson's voice] No, sir. [Moulton] Louder, please. [Loudly] No, sir. Did you make lectures for the Communists? No, sir. Do any broadcasts for them? No, sir. I've no further questions, to ask this witness. [Anderson] As God is my witness, a thousand times, I thought I'd break. A thousand times! I didn't think I could, [Interrupted by banging gavel] [President of Court] The Witness is out of order! The witness is excused. [President of Court] His remarks will be disregarded. [Wasnik] Disregarded on the records. But in the mind, try disregarding them in the mind. [Moulton] The prosecution has no further evidence. [Moulton] Does the defense have further evidence? [Wasnik] It does not. [Moulton] Does the court wish any witness called or recalled? [President of Court's voice] It does not. [Moulton] The prosecution would like to waive its closing argument at this time. [Wasnik] The defense wishes to make its closing argument. [Wasnik] Gentlemen, [Wasnik] before we judge this man, [Wasnik] we must weigh the evidence, [Wasnik] not as it sounds in this room, [Wasnik] but as it might sound in a POW compound in North Korea. [Wasnik] We must, [Wasnik] alter values. We must re-evaluate, [Wasnik] certain human assumptions. We must draw from a, a new frame of reference. [Wasnik] We must judge Captain Hall, in terms of a situation, where a cigarette, [Wasnik] one cigarette, is of monumental importance. [Wasnik] Where a hot meal, is a basic thing, like breathing. [Wasnik] Where fear is not a momentary pang. But a blanket which attends a man every passing second. [Wasnik] Where uncertainty, [Wasnik] is a haunting, wailing ghost, [Wasnik] that pervades sleep and wakefulness. [Wasnik] On these terms, gentlemen, we must judge Captain Edward Hall Jr. And in so doing it, [Wasnik] it becomes most apparent that such words, [Wasnik] as, courage, bravery, [Wasnik] self-sacrifice, may apply in courtrooms or at battlefields. [Wasnik] But take on new and unfamiliar dimensions in terms of a Communist prisoner of war camp. [Wasnik] To condemn a man for cowardice, is altogether right and just. [Wasnik] But cowardice does not occur when bravery ends. It is not either or. [Wasnik] For if it were. All men would be heroes or cowards. [Wasnik] I humbly submit to the court, that there must be an in-between. [Moulton] The prosecution would like to make it's closing argument. Gentlemen, the defense seems to be making the argument, to draw a line of resistance, declare criminal any weakness beyond that line, is a prerogative, that must come from God. And not from man or any group of men. Who are we, they say to arbitrarily decide how much a man must legally take, before his will is not his own. But, gentlemen, on that stand we've talked to other men. Men who went well beyond the accused threshold of pain and resistance. Went beyond it and came out unbent and unsullied. If we excuse Captain Hall. We tell these men that their pain and their sacrifice was a waste. We arbitrarily limit the necessary courage for every other man, who might ultimately face the enemy. This is the precedent you set. [Moulton] You point to Captain Hall and say, Take only what he took." [Moulton] "Suffer only to the extent that he suffered. [Moulton] "Then you may give up. You may collaborate. You may sell your soul, your loyalty and your birthright. And we'll excuse you. We'll understand." Gentlemen, if you do that you impair the morale of every man in the United States Army. The principles of leadership for every officer, and the security, of The United States. [Moulton] Because gentlemen, [Moulton] The security of the United States, is an unbroken chain, that extends from an eight-man patrol, [Moulton] in the foremost area of an unpronounceable island, to a school in Dubuque, Iowa. [Moulton] Flatland, Brooklyn, every front porch. [Moulton] If you find Captain Hall, innocent of collaboration, you find three thousand brave men, who did not break, guilty of stupidity. You must find Captain Hall, guilty as charged. [Dramatic music] [Door opens] [Door closes] [Chaplain] Captain Hall is inside. [Wasnik] I know, sir. I suggested this place to him. I thought he'd find peace here. [Chaplain] For a moment, I think he has. [Wasnik] I'm still out on the verdict. [Chaplain] I know. [Chaplain] I've been following the trial. [Wasnik] I think I know what it is now, Chaplain. We have to pass our laws in a certain, ethical climate. I mean we gear them, to what we know is basic human morality. Then we find ourselves judging a man who has committed a crime. Because the people who captured him didn't recognize our morality. What if they find him guilty. And when he asks us why, what do we answer? [Chaplain's voice] May I tell you what I'd answer? [Chaplain] I'd answer, Captain Hall, [Chaplain] morality is not a weakness. [Chaplain] It's a strength. [Chaplain] It should have sustained you, but it didn't. [Chaplain] This is a reason, but it's not an excuse. [Chaplain] And I'd add this. [Chaplain] In the eyes of men, you're guilty of weakness and must stand alone. Without honor. [Chaplain] But in the eyes of God, your weakness is the weakness of the race of men. [Chaplain] In this guilt, that shows itself in wars and prison camps and brutality. This guilt, [Chaplain] you can share with all of us. [Chaplain] Oh, you'll bear the cross, the sentence, the stigma perhaps. But the conscience must rest with your fellow men. For our crime is that though we believe in God. We don't act as if we believed. Your guilt, Captain Hall, is breaking faith in a prison camp. [Chaplain] The guilt of men, is that there are prison camps. [Court officer] Ten hut! [President of Court's voice] Captain Hall, approach the court. [President of Court] Captain Hall, it is my duty, as President of this court, to inform you that the court in closed session and upon written secret ballot, [President of Court] two-thirds of the members present at the time the vote was taken, concurring in each finding, finds you of all charges and specifications, guilty. [Dramatic music] [President of Court's voice] That will adjourn to meet, from a call of my sentence. [Ominous music] [Moulton] Captain Hall, [Moulton] you think everyone is against you, don't you? That everyone wanted to find you guilty. [Moulton] We didn't want to find you guilty, Captain. We had to find you guilty. [Hall Jr.] Major, [Hall Jr.] I accept the verdict. [Wasnik] Ed. [Hall Jr.] Thanks, Steve. [Edward] You've been punished enough. I won't add to it. You're my son, Ed. My son. [Uplifting music] [Finale music] [Announcer] In a moment, we'll tell you about next week's stars and story, but first here is a message from our alternate program, "The Elgin Hour." [Announcer] On the face of this handsome Lord Elgin, [Announcer] And on this lovely Wodsworth, as on every Elgin and Wodsworth watch, you find this symbol. [Announcer] It stands for Durapower, the famous Elgin miracle mainspring, guaranteed to never never break. [Announcer] Now, watch this acid test. Here's a vessel filled with a strong corrosive acid. [Announcer] First we put in a Durapower mainspring. [Announcer] Then an ordinary mainspring. [Announcer] Notice the ordinary mainspring. In a few seconds, it's eaten away, completely destroyed. [Announder] But the unbreakable Durapower mainspring is undamaged. It's amazingly durable. [Announcer] It is guaranteed by Elgin never never to break. It won't rust or lose its springiness. [Announcer] No other watch can possibly be as accurate and dependable as your Elgin. [Announcer] So look for Durapower. A guaranteed, indestructible source of watch power. [Announcer] Available at your jewelers, only from Elgin. The beautiful way to tell time. [Theme music] [Announcer Jackson Beck] Next week, "The Elgin Hour," takes pleasure in presenting a warm musical play entitled, "Midsummer Night[sic]." [Beck] Starring in, "Midsummer Melody," will be Ernest Truex, Jerome Courtland, Kathy Nolan and June Lockhart. [Beck] Be sure to see, "The Elgin Hour," produced by Herbert Brodkin, one week from tonight. [Beck] Jackson Beck, speaking.