Original subtitles

Captioning made possible by new line home video

[wind blowing]

Bing Crosby: * I'm *

* dreaming *

* of a white *

* Christmas *

* just like the ones *

* I used to know *

* where the treetops *

* glisten *

* and children *

* listen *

* to hear *

* sleigh bells in the snow *

* I'm *

* dreaming *

* of a white *

* Christmas *

* with every Christmas card *

* I write *

* may your days *

* be merry *

* and bright *

* and may all your *

* christmases *

* be white *

chorus: * I'm *

* dreaming *

* of a white *

* Christmas *

men's chorus: * just like the ones *

* I used to know *

full chorus: * where the treetops *

* glisten *

* and children *

* listen *

* to hear *

* sleigh bells in the snow *

women's chorus: * I'm *

* dreaming of a white *

* Christmas *

* with every Christmas card *

* I write *

* may your days *

women's chorus and bing Crosby: * be merry *

* and bright *

bing Crosby: * and may all your *

* christmases *

* be white *

[door slams]

[Keys clattering]

[Keys clattering]

[Door squeaks open]

Do you prefer German or english?

English.

You are to write down your memoirs for the haifa institute

for the documentation of war criminals.

You have 3 weeks to complete your memoirs

before your trial begins.

Do you have any questions?

No. this is great.

Thanks for everything.

[Door squeaks]

[Door slams]

[Keys clattering]

[Footsteps]

[Typewriter dings]

Man: you are the only man I know

who has a bad conscience about the war.

Who is this?

Bernard liebman.

I have guard duty from 2:00 till 10:00.

Oh. I see.

Everyone else on either side

is convinced he couldn't have acted in any other way.

How do you know I have a bad conscience?

The way you talk in your sleep.

I can tell something is troubling you.

[Lighter opens]

What do you imagine is troubling me, Bernard liebman?

[Lighter closes]

All I heard were a couple of names.

"Helga" was one.

Hmm.

"Hoess"

was the other one.

I knew hoess.

He had no trouble sleeping.

Slept like a baby right up to the end.

You know this?

I guess so.

I helped hang him.

With your testimony?

No.

With my hands.

Did that give you lots of satisfaction?

My job was to strap his ankles.

I did a very good job.

Hmm.

I see.

Afterwards, I packed my bags to go home.

The catch on my suitcase was broken,

so I buckled it shut with a big leather strap.

Twice, within one hour,

I did the very same job.

Once to hoess...

Once to my suitcase.

Both jobs felt about the same.

Yeah.

I, Howard w. Campbell Jr.,

am an American by birth,

a Nazi by reputation,

and a nationless person by inclination.

I am awaiting a fair trial

for my war crimes by the state of Israel.

[Dog barking]

[Typing]

Howard: I was born in schenectady, New York,

on February the 16th, 1904.

My father was raised in Tennessee,

the son of a baptist minister.

He was a service engineer for general electric.

Because of his work,

most of his reading

consisted of trade journals and technical books.

There were a few notable exceptions.

Howard!

[Father yelling]

Howard: in 1919,

when general electric relocated my father,

we left schenectady

and moved to Berlin, Germany.

By 1938,

I had become a successful playwright in the German language,

and I had married the young, beautiful,

and famous German actress Helga noth.

When my parents left Germany,

they asked me to return to the United States with them.

I didn't.

Helga: "my dear...

"Sweet Ava,

"this is the only way

"i know how to make good

the frightful wrong which has befallen us."

"It does not matter what lies ahead,

"for I have a full life behind me--

"all in those few...

Sweet hours with you."

"I once told you

"that I would pledge my life

"for our nation of 2...

"And reside there...

"Even in death...

"As surely as i reside in heaven

when your arms are around me."

"Soon it will be time to keep that pledge,

"and I rejoice to think

"that earthly distractions will no longer intrude

on my eternal devotion to you."

"From this moment forward..."

"Our nation of 2..."

"Is the only country

I've ever known."

Howard: as the insanity of the world descended on us,

my Helga and I survived

by pledging our undying loyalty

to the only nation that made any sense to us.

It was called...

Das reich zu zwei--

the nation of 2.

[Man on radio shouting in German]

[Crowd on radio cheering]

[Crowd chanting] Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler!

Howard: it was only one month

after my parents returned to the United States,

3 years before America would enter the war,

when I first met my blue fairy godmother.

[Ducks quacking]

[Bird chirping]

Howard: I call him my blue fairy godmother

because no one believes he existed but me.

But he really does exist,

or at least he did

on that Sunday afternoon so long ago in Berlin.

Nice-lookin' men.

I suppose. Ahem.

Do you speak english?

Yes.

Thank god.

I've been goin' crazy tryin' to find someone to talk to.

Ha ha.

[Laughing] pardon me?

I'm sorry. You mind if I come over there

so we don't have to holler?

As you please. Ahem.

"As you please," huh?

That sounds like something an englishman would say.

You english, are ya?

Ho ho. No. I'm American.

That a fact?

Any of my beeswax what you do for a living?

Writer.

No kiddin'?

Well, there's a coincidence,

'cause I was just sittin' over there

wishin' I could write,

'cause I thought up one hell of a story.

There's this American, see?

And he's been livin' in Germany so long

he's practically a German himself.

He writes plays in German.

He's married to a beautiful German actress.

He knows a lot of big-shot Nazis

who like to hang around theater people.

Ha ha ha.

Who are you?

Oh, wait a minute. This gets better.

So this fella knows there's a war comin'.

He figures America's gonna be on one side,

Germany's gonna be on the other.

So this American,

who's been nothin' but polite

to the Nazis up to now,

decides to pretend he's a Nazi himself,

and he stays on in Germany once the war comes

and gets to be a very useful American spy.

Ha.

I asked, "who are you?"

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I got so carried away i just...

Here you go.

That's me.

Mm.

Oh.

Ahem.

So, Mr. Campbell,

what'd you think of my little story?

What did I think of it?

Oh, I don't think much of it.

I mean, it's, uh...

[Laughing] highly implausible. It's ridiculous.

Oh, that's ok, 'cause...

Today isn't when you give me your final answer, anyway.

Final answer?

Look, if you imagine that I'm gonna go home and think this over,

you're mistaken.

I'm gonna sleep like a log.

I'm not a political man.

I'm just not.

I'm an artist.

If a war comes, it's just gonna have to get along without me.

Well, I wish ya all the luck in the world, Howard.

The worse this Nazi thing gets,

the less anyone's gonna sleep like a log.

Well, I don't know, maybe.

We'll see.

That's right. We'll see.

That's why I don't expect your final answer today.

If you go through with this,

it'll be strictly on your own.

Working your way up with the Nazis as high as you can go.

To do this right,

you'll have to commit nothing less than high treason.

Even if you do live through the war without being caught,

your government will never acknowledge your role as an agent.

We couldn't afford the security breach.

You come lookin' for a pardon,

they'll deny they ever heard of ya.

You'll be left hung out to dry.

Ha.

You make it sound so attractive.

Oh, I have a feeling

I've made it sound very attractive to you, Howard.

I've seen your plays.

Really?

And what did you learn from them?

You're obsessed with the notion

of pure hearts and heroism.

You love good, and you hate evil.

And you'd sacrifice anything

in the name of romance.

I'll be in touch.

Howard: it was every playwright's secret dream--

to create the most challenging role i could imagine

and then play the part myself.

Man: cue theme music.

[The star-spangled banner playing]

Howard: "good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

"This is Howard w. Campbell Jr.,

"the last free American,

"speaking to you from Berlin, Germany,

"the heart of the free world.

"There is a fine article

"in the current reader's digest

"entitled,

"there are no atheists in foxholes.

"Well, today, i would like to expand on this theme a little

"and tell you that even though this is a war

"inspired by the Jews,

"a war that only the Jews can profit from,

"you will find

"there are no Jews in foxholes, either.

Every g.I. Joe knows..."

Howard narrating: Every Sunday afternoon,

wherever my voice could be heard,

people stopped whatever they were doing

just to hear what I'd say next.

Even Berlin's chief of police and his family

were devoted listeners--

and not just because they were my in-laws.

Howard on radio: "Now, to the American folks at home,

"i want you to think

of all the Jews living in your neighborhood."

Howard narrating: It took me only a couple of hours

to write each speech,

after which I'd hand it over to the propaganda ministry

for their notes.

Among those who examined it

was another allied agent

whose identity never was revealed to me.

"Do they have more or less gasoline?"

My speech would be returned with all sorts of notations,

including those left by my fellow spy.

"...to these questions..."

These markings would dictate certain vocal mannerisms--

pauses, emphases,

coughs, stumbles, throat clearings.

"Now let me ask you this:

"Do you know...

"Of a single Jewish family

"that has ever received a telegram from Washington

"that begins--ahem--

"the secretary of war expresses his deep regret

"that your son was killed in defense of his country?

"Hmph. of course not.

No Jewish family would ever receive such a telegram--"

[coughs]

"Thanks to a personal guarantee

"from the American dictator...

Franklin delano rosenfeld."

Howard narrating: It was in this manner

that I broadcast coded information out of Germany.

I don't know to this day what information

went out through me.

"Why do you take arms

"against your German brothers?

"You know that Germany's objectives

"are the same as your own.

"You must understand that the Jews...

"Can only thrive in a nation

"which lives in slavery.

"So, my brothers,

"lay down your arms.

"By fighting this war,

"you'll only fortify the bank accounts

"of your political leaders

who blindly serve their Jewish masters."

"This has been Howard w. Campbell Jr.,

"the last free American.

"Thank you for listening.

Heil Hitler."

[The star-spangled banner playing]

You are a murderer.

You are a coward.

You are all cowards!

You are murdering children!

You should rot in hell!

Damn you! Phooey!

Aah! aah!

[Yelling]

[Weeping]

[Piano playing]

Man: Howard just instinctively understands

the German ideal of right and wrong,

the certain triumph of good over evil,

and the redemptive power of romance.

[Chuckling]

Ah, that is quite taken--

just promise me one thing,

that you will not leave the propaganda ministry

and return to play writing full-time.

Little chance of that, herr goebbels.

I've always found it ironic that the man

who so eloquently communicates our ideals

to the masses

should be born in America.

Well, it's...

It's not so ironic.

I've long considered myself

a spiritual native of my adopted fatherland.

Something I've always wondered, herr Campbell,

do you ever miss America?

Sometimes. of course I do.

It's, um...

But I could never be happy

with the Jews in charge of everything.

Goebbels: Jews. the Jews will be taken care of in due time.

Our friend hoess here is seeing to that

at a little health resort he's running in Auschwitz.

My wife and i live for that day.

Is there a chance we might meet Mrs. Campbell?

Yes. of course, herr hoess.

I'll ask Helga to join us,

if you'll excuse me.

Goebbels: if that woman walked off a cliff,

I swear, Howard would follow her.

[Heartbeat]

[Heartbeat]

[Heartbeat]

[Heartbeat]

[Heartbeat]

[Heartbeat]

Howard: time passed.

I never told my Helga i was a spy.

To tell her would only put her in danger

and make her live in constant fear.

So I hid my true self from her,

knowing that politics

had no place in our nation of 2.

I suppose the moral here is:

You must be careful what you pretend to be,

because in the end,

you are what you pretend to be.

[Air-raid siren]

[Explosion]

[Explosion]

[Explosion]

[Louder explosion]

Howard: history says the war ended in 1945.

In fact, it ended one year earlier.

My nation of 2 was the loser,

insanity the Victor.

There were no prisoners.

No survivors.

Why would the Germans want to kill my Helga?

Man: sir...

I said enemy guns.

The Russians.

It was Russian fire.

The Russians.

Oh.

It was tragic timing, sir.

The Russians fired on the crimean camp

where she was entertaining troops.

Reich marshal goring

will issue an official commendation

for Mrs. Campbell's bravery.

I am sure she would be very proud.

Yes. yes, of course.

Hmm.

Is there anything i can do for you...

No, no, no.

Herr Campbell?

Please.

[Footsteps]

[Door closes]

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

This is Howard w. Campbell, Jr.,

the last free American,

speaking to you from Berlin, Germany,

the heart of the free world.

Radio: as you know, the bolshevik hordes

continue their barbaric advance towards Berlin.

Let the Jewish leaders who are exalted by our temporary setbacks

be warned that national socialism will never allow Germany

to fall under the heels of the black beast

who terrorizes our women and children.

[Cough]

As for my American brothers,

you are fools if you believe your dictator

Franklin delano rosenfeld is concerned with your welfare.

Ahem.

If you fail to heed the warning of your Aryan brothers,

the fate that awaits you is the fate you deserve.

German victory is certain,

for it is a moral victory.

The final blow will be struck by Adolf Hitler.

This has been Howard w. Campbell, Jr.,

the last free American.

You may not hear from me for a while.

Thank you for listening.

Heil Hitler.

[Shouting]

Howard...

Herr noth.

Interesting time to visit your in-laws.

If you wish to stay a while,

perhaps you can help me greet the Russians when they arrive.

I'm going to the front.

Right over that way.

An easy walk from here.

You can make it in a day...

Picking buttercups as you go.

May I ask where you're moving to?

I'm staying here.

My wife is at my brother's home in Cologne.

Resi will join her today.

But why stay here?

With the Russian army at my doorstep?

I'm still the chief of police.

I'll not have my people say that I fled

with my tail between my legs.

Is there anything i can do?

Yes.

You can shoot resi's dog.

It can't make the trip, and I can't take care of it here,

so you can shoot it.

Where is it?

In the music room with resi.

She knows it's to be shot.

You'll have no trouble with her.

All right.

You broke my heart when you married my daughter.

I wanted a German soldier for a son-in-law.

Yes. I know.

Because i hated you so much,

I studied you.

I listened to everything you said.

Never missed a broadcast.

Did you know that until this very moment

nothing would have delighted me more

than to prove you a spy...

To see you shot.

Now I couldn't care less if you are a spy.

Do you know why?

No.

Because now I know that even if you were a spy,

you could never have served the enemy as well as you served us.

All the ideals that make me proud of being a Nazi,

they came not from Hitler,

not from goebbels,

but from you.

You alone kept me from concluding that Germany had gone insane.

Resi...

Now, look how you've grown.

You are here to kill my dog,

aren't you?

Ahem.

Yes.

But, resi, it's not something I want to do very much.

That's all right.

I never liked it anyway.

I just felt sorry for it.

I'm going to the front.

I just came to say good-bye.

Which front?

The Russian.

You'll die, then?

Well, maybe not.

Everybody who isn't dead now will be dead soon,

including me.

No, no, no, no, no, resi.

I'm sure you're going to be fine.

That's all right.

It won't hurt.

Suddenly I just won't be anymore.

Since we'll all be dead soon,

I might as well tell you something.

What is it?

I love you.

Oh, resi, that's very sweet.

No. I mean i really love you.

When Helga was alive and you two would come here,

sometimes i envied her,

and sometimes i hated her.

When she died, I dreamt that I would grow up and marry you

and be a famous actress, and you'd write plays for me.

Hmm.

I see.

Resi...

I'm very honored.

That's all right.

It doesn't mean anything now.

Nothing means anything.

Go ahead and shoot the dog.

Howard: resi was only half right.

From what I could gather, she was dead before long,

but I went on living.

Had I actually traveled to the Russian front,

surely I would have died as resi predicted.

Instead, I motorcycled around the German countryside

thinking I could simply wait out the war.

My little respite ended 2 months later

when I was captured by lieutenant Bernard b. O'Hare of the American 3rd army.

I had said good morning to him in passing,

and he recognized my voice from the radio broadcasts.

O'Hare seemed to take all those things I said rather personally.

Uhh!

After my capture

the American army escorted me on a private tour

of the Nazi death camp at oerdre.

They thought it would be interesting

to see my reaction to the fruits of my labor.

Take a good look at your kraut friends, Campbell,

'cause you're next.

To me, they looked quite peaceful.

2 days later i was driven away by 2 American soldiers.

I couldn't quite tell if they knew who I was.

Well, Howard...

What did you think of that war?

Is that you, wirtanen?

I got to hand it to you--you lived through it.

A lot of people didn't, you know.

Yes.

Yes, I know. I know.

My wife... My wife, for instance.

Yeah. sorry about that.

I found out about that a few days before you did.

You found out about it before me?

How did you find that out?

That was one of the pieces of information you broadcast that week.

I broadcast that...

That my wife had died?

I didn't even know it?

You knew she was dead and I didn't?

I--i would have liked to have mourned.

Well, what happens to me now?

You've already disappeared.

The 3rd army's been relieved of ya,

there's no records to show that you were ever captured.

So, Howard,

where do you want to go from here?

Oh, I don't know.

I don't suppose there's a hero's welcome waiting for me anywhere.

Hardly.

We can't exactly start bragging

about all the clever tricks we pulled.

We might need them again for the next war.

No, your role will remain classified,

and uncle Sam's official position is

that you're the scum of the earth.

Scum of the earth, huh?

What about my parents?

I'm sorry, Howard. They both died about 6 months ago.

Both?

Father first and your mother 2 days later.

Heart both times.

Oohh...

Uh, did anyone tell them what I was really doing?

Come on, Howard. What were we supposed to do,

sacrifice our radio station in the heart of Berlin

for the peace of mind of two old people?

Oh, no, no. We wouldn't want that!

Well, how many people did know what I was really doing?

There were three of us.

Just three?

That's plenty. It's probably too many.

Three people knew me for what I really was?

Everyone else knew you for what you were, too.

Wait. how can you say that?

What are you thinking, I'm a Nazi?

I wasn't a Nazi.

Well, let me ask you something, Howard--

what would you have done if Germany had won the war,

marched right up to your pal goebbels and surrendered,

told him you were actually a patriotic American spy?

Yes, I might have! I might have marched right in there!

I might've escaped. I don't know.

Oh, all right...

You want me to be a Nazi?

You go ahead.

Classify me as a Nazi.

You want to hang me?

You go ahead, you hang me if you think it'll raise morale.

I don't consider this life any great treasure.

Well, I just want you to know

how little we can really do for you.

How little?

False identity, some cash, transportation to a new place...

Anywhere you'd like to go, Howard?

How 'bout New York?

You can lose yourself pretty easily.

There's plenty of work if you want it.

All right.

New York, then.

Of the three that knew i was a spy, who were the other two?

The second was general Donovan of the o.S.S.,

and the third...

I'm sorry to say is dead.

You used to attack him every night on your broadcast.

You called him Franklin delano rosenfeld.

He got a big kick out of that.

He used to listen to you every night.

Howard: at first I lived under a false name.

The idea was to start from scratch,

lead a new life.

After a while, though, it became clear

that I really had no life,

so the alias became unnecessary,

and I went back to using my own name.

No one ever asked whether I was the Howard w. Campbell, Jr.

All of my belongings, like myself, were war surplus,

coming from recreation kits intended for troops overseas.

They even included phonograph records,

so I became the proud owner of 26 copies

of bing Crosby's white Christmas.

Bing Crosby: * ...Christmas *

* just like the ones *

I survived my purgatory in New York

the same way i survived the hell of wartime Germany--

I let my emotions be stirred by only one thing--

my love for Helga.

It remained the permanent axis

about which my thoughts revolved.

To you, my love,

to your beauty,

and to my undying devotion.

To das reich... Zu zwei...

Nation of 2.

Mm...

It's very nice, isn't it?

It's very dry.

Just the way you like it, hmm?

Yes.

* and children listen *

* to hear *

* sleigh bells in the snow *

* I'm dreaming *

* of a white... *

[glass breaks]

* with every Christmas card I write... *

[unlocking]

Dr. Epstein?

Yes.

I'm your neighbor from upstairs.

I've cut myself.

Well, you won't need stitches.

The blood often makes these things

look worse than they really are.

Well, thank you, doctor. I'm very grateful.

No problem.

I'm only sorry it took this

to provide an introduction.

Yes.

Yes. no, you're right.

That's a very famous name you have.

Pardon me?

You never heard of Howard w. Campbell, Jr.,

broadcasting from Berlin?

From Berlin...

Yes, I do remember now.

Um...it was a long time ago.

I never listened to him,

but I remember he was in the news.

Those things fade.

Those things should fade.

That insane moment in history should be forgotten.

You know of Auschwitz?

Yes, yes, of course i know of Auschwitz.

That is where I spent my young womanhood,

and my son the doctor here,

he spent his childhood.

Oh, well, I'm sorry.

Forget Auschwitz.

It doesn't do any good.

There.

No need for amputation.

Just keep it dry for a few days.

Well, thank you.

No problem.

I'll see you out.

Sprechen sie deutsch?

What?

Pardon me?

I asked if you spoke German.

Oh...no, no, no, I'm afraid not.

Uh...

Auf wiedersehen.

Good-bye. that's good-bye, isn't it?

No.

It's "till we meet again."

Oh. till we meet again.

Well...

Auf wiedersehen.

Yes.

Auf wiedersehen.

[Typing]

Man: Campbell?

Yes?

Campbell...

It's Adolph eichmann.

I'm in the cell above you.

Yes. eichmann, hello.

You're always typing in there,

day and night and night and day.

Typing, typing, typing...

Is it bothering you?

No.

I'm a heavy sleeper.

I'm only curious.

Are you preparing your memoir?

Yes. a command performance for the haifa institute.

Ah. you're a lucky man.

I'm lucky?

How do you consider me lucky?

You can type.

I'm writing mine longhand.

Howard: one day I got the idea

that a hobby might help pass the time in purgatory.

[Siren]

[Baby cries]

[Woman yelling]

Ironically,

in my solitude i had created something

that could only be used in concert with another human being.

Yeah.

George kraft?

Who is it?

I'm, uh, Howard Campbell,

your neighbor from upstairs.

What do you want?

I want to know if you play chess.

[Unlocking]

I didn't know i had a painter living under me.

Where do you show your work?

I don't show my work.

Well, you should.

You been painting all your life?

Well, not really.

Uh...

My wife died 4 years ago,

and I had the choice of either coming to greenwich village

and becoming a painter

or blowing my brains out,

so I, uh, i flipped a coin, and here I am.

At least you had painting you could turn to.

What does that mean?

You mean you lost your wife, too?

Yeah. I see you in the hallway,

and I say, "yes, this man, too,

is a member of the brotherhood."

The brotherhood?

The brotherhood of the walking wounded.

It's the largest organization in the world.

You don't even know it exists until you're in it.

You get your membership card

when you lose the one thing in the world

that gives your life any meaning.

And the thing that bonds you together,

the thing that holds the group in one piece

is the fact that the members

are absolutely incapable

of speaking to one another.

Sorry. I...

Rattle on.

How'd you lose your wife?

I can't speak about it.

Well, of course you can't speak about it.

You're a member of the brotherhood.

Ha ha ha ha ha.

Howard: the day came that I told him everything.

It all spilled out of me.

You know, I knew the war was over

and Germany was going to lose,

and here I was an American spy...

My parents, my boyhood in Germany,

about Helga and her nation of 2,

my blue fairy godmother, the speeches, the code,

my capture,

and my banishment to purgatory.

I didn't have anything to live for.

I lost my wife.

I lost my nation of 2...

George kraft, my only living friend,

took it all in stride.

But why doesn't the government come forward

and say this man you're spitting on is a hero?

George...

Nobody spits on me.

Nobody even knows I'm alive.

Life continued unchanged...

For a while.

"Howard w. Campbell, Jr., a great writer and fearless American patriot

"now lives in poverty and in loneliness

"in a one-bedroom apartment

"at 61 bethune street in New York City.

"Such is the fate of thinking men brave enough to tell the truth

"about the conspiracy of international Jewish bankers and communists

"who will not rest until the body of every American is hopelessly polluted

with negro and/or oriental blood."

Maybe it was the lady downstairs-- Epstein's mother.

Why wouldn't she just call the authorities?

Why would she send my address to some racist newsletter?

Why don't you put pen to paper and set the record straight?

It's about time you started writing again anyway.

I'm afraid dead men don't write very well.

That's not true.

All the best writers are dead.

That's the most truthful thing you've said today.

Listen to me.

It's because while you're dead,

you have nothing to lose.

You can be completely courageous.

Find yourself a woman, start writing again.

A woman? A woman.

George, you better stop drinking

or my portrait's gonna look like a Picasso.

Don't change the subject.

I'm not changing the subject.

Sit up.

I am sitting up.

All right, i tell you what.

You get a woman, then I'll get one.

I don't need a woman.

I'm on fire for my muse.

You, however, you're a mortal.

You need a woman.

I already got one.

No, you don't. Yes, I do.

Had a woman. Past tense. She's dead.

I don't wanna talk about this.

I'm only telling you what you need to hear.

All right, look, you're gonna speak the truth--

oh, god-- did I hit a nerve?

No, you didn't hit a nerve.

Oh, I am so sorry.

I am perfectly fine. No, don't be sorry.

Please, i-- no, don't be humble, George.

I'm fine. I'm abject.

No, you're not abject.

I feel really...

Go ahead, talk. I can't hear you.

God, I just-- i just shoot my mouth off,

and i-- i don't know...

* da da da da da da... *

bleeah! bleeah!

1, 2, 3, rest...

1, 2, 3, 4...

1, 2, 3, rest...

1, 2, 3, 4...

1, 2, 3, rest...

1, 2, 3, 4...

1, 2, 3, rest...

1, 2, 3, 4...

1, 2, 3, rest...

[Knock knock]

Who is it?

Howard w. Campbell, Jr.?

Who is it?

It's the reverend Dr. Lionel Jones, d.D.S., d.D.

I presume you received our complimentary issue

of the white Christian minuteman.

It's all right, Howard. I'm with friends.

Howard w. Campbell.

What an honor.

I feel as if my whole life

was leading up to this moment.

How do you do?

Please, allow me to introduce you to my bodyguard,

August krapptauer--

weissbundesfuhrer emeritus of the German-American bund.

A great, great pleasure, Mr. Campbell.

And my secretary, father Patrick keeley,

former chaplain of the Detroit gun club.

Words fail me, herr Campbell.

Likewise, I'm sure.

Could we get some water?

Yeah. of course, of course.

Uh, the climb up your stairs

was quite an effort for our Mr. krapptauer.

Might we, uh, bother you for a glass of water?

All right.

Come on in.

Oh, this is my good friend and neighbor,

George kraft.

How do you do?

Yours?

Uh, yes.

What a marvelous likeness of our Mr. Campbell.

You've done a masterful job

capturing the jaw line.

Have you a background in dentistry?

Dentistry? no.

Well, as one who has devoted his life to dental medicine,

allow me to say that you have perfectly duplicated

Mr. Campbell's Aryan jaw line.

Oh, I'm thrilled that you noticed.

How could I miss it?

Are you familiar with my book,

Christ was not a Jew?

I...could never find a copy.

Oh, that's too bad.

Father keeley, make a note

that we must send Mr. kraft an autographed copy.

In it, I reproduce 50 famous paintings of Christ

and point out that not one of them

shows Jewish jaws or teeth.

I don't know what to say.

Well, I had to publish the book myself,

but what can you expect

when the publishing industry is run by Jews?

Ahem.

Oh, of course. Forgive me.

I've been talking so much,

I almost forgot what brought us here.

What does bring you here, Jones?

A surprise for you, Mr. Campbell,

waiting downstairs.

Why don't you just tell me what this is about?

Forgive me, Mr. Campbell,

but I have promised not to spoil the surprise.

Now, I give my word, if you're displeased,

we'll take it away with us and leave you in peace.

Where is it?

At the bottom of the stairwell.

You can't miss it.

All right.

Want me to go with you?

No...i'll be right back.

[Church bell tolls 3:00]

Helga!

If there is no room in your life for me...

I will say good-bye,

and I will never bother you again.

Helga...

No room in my life?

My life here is nothing but room for you.

Howard: my god, you're alive!

How can it be?

Oh, look at you. You haven't changed.

Helga: there is so much to tell.

Yes. Helga...

I always knew you'd come back.

I always knew that.

I just didn't know... When or how.

There's somebody i want you to meet.

I want you to meet George kraft. George?

George, this is Helga.

Hello, hello. Welcome.

I presume you weren't disappointed.

How did you do this?

How did you bring my wife back to me?

A subscriber in west Germany wired me

that Mrs. Campbell had just arrived as a refugee.

One day, I learn that you're alive,

a month later, that your wife is alive.

What can I call a coincident like that but the hand of god?

Why don't we let them have a few minutes alone?

Yes, of course.

Our chauffeur will bring up Mrs. Campbell's bags.

No need, no need.

Fool! what are you doing?

[Breathless] I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine.

You're risking your life,

exerting yourself like that.

It's an honor to risk my life

for a man who served Adolf Hitler

as well as Howard w. Campbell, Jr.

Ohh!

[Thud]

He's gone.

Maybe we should call an ambulance.

Yes, yes.

That's terrible, just terrible.

Keeley: lord, dear lord...

Who's going to carry the torch now?

Excuse me.

Everything all right up here?

No, as a matter of fact.

August just died.

Oh, no. That's a shame.

Now that's a real shame.

Mr. Campbell, Robert Sterling Wilson,

the black fuehrer of Harlem.

Howard Campbell. I heard about you,

but I ain't never listened to you.

That's all right.

Yes. we was on different sides.

See, I was on the side of the colored folks--

I was with the Japanese.

I hear you say

you didn't think colored folks was so good.

Now, now, Robert, let's not squabble amongst ourselves.

Let's all work to pull together.

Now, I'm just tellin' him

like I tell you and the reverend every mornin',

colored people gonna have a hydrogen bomb all they own,

and pretty soon, they gonna give Japan

the honor of droppin' the first one.

Where?

China, I guess.

On other colored people?

Now, who ever told you a chinaman was colored?

Helga: Gunther, father, and resi...

Are all dead.

Yes, yes, i-- i know.

But i--

I am alive.

[Whispering] Helga...how?

Oh, I...

No, no, no. It's all right. It doesn't matter.

Our life starts tonight.

We'll check into a hotel.

Tomorrow, we'll find a new place to live.

I found an old store that has our bed in it.

Do you remember our old bed?

Yes.

Ja.

We'll start again right where we left off--

our nation of 2.

Das...

Das reich zu zwei.

Yes.

But...

We do not have to check into a hotel.

Helga...

It's been so long.

I'm no longer a young man.

Howard: she had been captured and raped in the crimea,

and then shipped to the Ukraine

and put to work on a labor gang.

Nobody told her the war was over.

After her repatriation,

she was sent to dresden in east Germany

and put to work in a cigarette factory.

Eventually, she escaped to west Berlin,

and days later, she was flying back to my embrace.

All that mattered now

was that our nation of 2 was whole again.

Hello.

Hello.

Welcome home.

Now, here-- here it is.

Excuse us.

Here, Helga, right here.

Here's the bed.

Oh, it's locked.

Veteran's day.

Veteran's day! Damn it!

Oh! god damn it!

Howard, you have changed.

Oh, Helga, forgive me. I'm sorry.

Yes, I've changed,

but people should be changed by world wars.

Otherwise what are world wars for?

But maybe you have changed so much

that you do not love me anymore.

No, no, Helga. How could you say that after last night, huh?

Really, we have not talked anything over.

But, Helga, what was there to talk about?

No words could change the way I feel.

Do you mean it?

Yes. of course i mean it.

Nothing I could say could spoil it?

No, Helga, no.

Nothing you could ever say could spoil it.

Never, never.

I'm not Helga.

I'm resi... Her little sister.

What?

You said you loved me.

How could you do this to me?

I love you.

You love me? How could you love me?

You don't even know who I am!

When I got to west Berlin,

they gave me papers to fill out:

Name, occupation, nearest living relative.

I had a choice.

I could stay resi noth, cigarette machine operator

with no family anywhere,

or I could be Helga noth, famous actress

and wife of a brilliant, handsome playwright living in America--

a man I love deeply.

Who should I have been?

Howard, for 10 years in that factory,

the only thing that kept me alive

were daydreams of being my sister Helga.

So resi disappeared.

I don't know what to say.

You picked a hell of a person to be.

That is who I am.

I am Helga.

You believed it.

Was I or was I not Helga to you last night?

That's a hell of a question to ask a gentleman.

Am I entitled to an answer?

Howard...

Would you sometime write a play for me?

I don't think i can write anymore.

Did Helga inspire you to write?

Not to write,

but to write the way I wrote.

We used to say that i wrote parts for her

that let her play the quintessence of Helga.

I want you to do that for me one day.

The qu--

the quintess--

quintessence.

Quin--

quin--

qui--

the quintessence of resi.

Resi. mmm.

Maybe I will.

Howard: resi was growing younger by the second.

Although she had bleached her hair white to appear older,

it now spoke to me of peroxide

and girls who run away to Hollywood.

Finally, i have a home.

It takes a heap and a million to make a house a home.

Who did that?

Who did what?

That.

Howard Campbell?

You know him?

No.

No? it's funny. You look just like him.

Don't that look like the gentleman you're with?

Well, let me see.

Uhh! aah!

Howard!

Before the Jews put you in the zoo,

I'm gonna have a little fun with you myself.

You felt that one, huh?

That was for private Irving Buchanan.

Is that you?

No. he was my best friend.

5 miles in from Omaha beach,

the Germans cut his nuts off

and hung 'em from a telephone pole.

And this, this is for ansel brewer!

Ohh! no!

He got run over by a tiger tank in aachen.

And this is for Eddie mccarty!

He got hit in the head

by a schmeizer in the ardennes.

And this, this is for--

resi: no!

Helga...

Shh. do not speak, liebling.

Where are we?

We are safe.

You have been asleep.

They will not find us here.

Who--who won't find us here?

The Jews, sweetheart.

What's on my chest?

You had your ribs taped up.

By whom?

The doctor who lives in your building.

Oh. Epstein.

Ja. that was him.

He was very nice.

I used his phone to call Dr. Jones,

and he brought us here.

Well, nice to have friends.

[Knock knock]

Ja. come in.

Wilson: how's he doin'?

He has just woken up.

How's your head?

Splitting.

You ought to take an aspirin.

Thanks for the advice.

Well, you see, most things in this world don't work,

but aspirin do.

Resi, the newspapers.

Is it true the Israelis want to put me on trial?

Dr. Jones says the American government will not let you go,

but the Jews will send men to kidnap you

like they did herr eichmann.

It ain't like havin' a Jew here and a Jew there after you.

They got everything after you but the Jewish hydrogen bomb.

Heh heh heh.

[Gunshot]

What the hell was that?

[Gunshot]

That was your friend.

[Gunshot]

Jones?

No. George kraft.

[Gunshot]

What's George doing here?

He is coming with us.

We are all leaving the country.

Dr. Jones has made the arrangements.

[Gunshots]

Howard! look who's up and around.

How do you feel?

I'd stand a better chance

if it weren't for the racket you're making.

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just killing a little time.

God, you scared me half to death, Howard.

I was worried sick about you.

Well, George, you know,

it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Well, it's all for the best.

You'll see. You'll have a new identity,

get a new place, new country.

You'll start writing again.

I might even be a better painter in Mexico.

Mexico?

Well, look who's back on his feet.

Well, I guess you can't keep a good man down.

That's the spirit.

Howard, Wednesday night is the weekly meeting

of the iron guard of the white sons of the American constitution.

Father keeley and i want to stay

to a memorial service for August krapptauer.

We thought that perhaps you, being krapptauer's mentor,

might say a few words.

I've thought of a general theme,

if that helps.

I'm sure i could use one.

I think the theme should be

"his truth goes marching on."

Hmm.

Hmm.

What can I possibly say

to a bunch of junior storm troopers?

You know, I knew their fearless leader

for all of 20 seconds before he dropped dead on my stairway.

[Both laughing]

You will find the right words.

You always do.

When we get to Mexico,

I'm going to write again.

Did I have something to do with this miracle?

Mm-hmm. everything.

No.

Very little.

But some.

Yes.

It's a real miracle.

It's the talent you were born with.

No, no, no, no.

The real miracle...

Is your ability to raise the dead.

The love does that.

Yes, yes.

It raised me, too.

Today, the mayor admitted his embarrassment

that a notorious war criminal

had been living an anonymous life

in New York for at least some of that time.

He also noted that neither he

nor the United States government

have any authority to hand Campbell over

to the Israeli government for trial.

However, it all may be a moot point.

Howard w. Campbell

has once again escaped without a trace.

This is Campbell's last known residence.

A modest apartment in greenwich village

has been vandalized by locals,

angered by Campbell's latest escape from justice.

The United States government

has promised to make a full review

of Campbell's citizenship status

and find out why he was never brought to trial previously.

In the meantime, Israel has stepped up its demands for Campbell,

encouraged by the idea

that he may not be a citizen of the U.S.

That he may in fact

be a citizen of nowhere at all.

We must never forget

that a propagandist of Campbell's sort

is every bit as much of a mass murderer

as eichmann, himmler,

and even Hitler.

How many millions of people lost their lives

because of the lies he spread during the war?

We will find Campbell

just as we found eichmann.

A man can't hide forever

when his hands are covered

with the blood of 6 million human beings.

Howard w. Campbell Jr. wanted to be here tonight

to tell you of his long and fulfilling association

with your fallen hero,

but he's asked me to make this brief statement

to you on his behalf.

"The truth of your leader August krapptauer

"and those like him

"will be with mankind forever

"as long as there are men and women

who listen to their guts instead of their minds."

And now for a special treat.

A subscriber to the white Christian minuteman in Vermont

has made us a loan of some very rare material,

which I'm sure you'll find most inspiring.

Robert.

Campbell on film: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

This is Howard w. Campbell Jr., the last free American.

Tonight, I would like to ask a common question.

Why are we enemies of the Jew?

The answer is simple.

The Jew is the cause and the beneficiary of our slavery.

He is made two halves off the fatherland.

The Jew has no interest in the solution of Germany's problems.

He can't have. He wants them to remain unsolved.

You see, he has a better trump in his hand

when a nation lives in slavery

than when it is free.

The Jew is the cause of our misery,

and today he lives on our truths.

And that is why as nationalist socialists

we are enemies of the Jew.

He has ruined our race,

rotted our morals,

corrupted our traditions,

and broken our power.

As long as we are true to our Aryan heritage,

he is a leper among us.

If we ignore our destiny,

he will triumph over us and our future.

The Jew is the plastic demon

of the fall of mankind.

He thrives in filth and garbage.

He spreads disease.

He steals our possessions and lusts after our women.

He pretends to be a friend of this victim,

and before the unfortunate one knows it,

his neck is broken.

We are Jew-haters

because we are proud to be aryans.

It isn't true that we eat a Jew with every breakfast,

but it is true

that the Jew is slowly eating away at our future.

That is going to change

as surely as we are aryans,

as surely as world supremacy

is the birthright of the Aryan race.

This has been Howard w. Campbell Jr.,

the last free American.

Thank you for listening.

Heil Hitler.

I gotta admit, Howard.

Act III had me on the edge of my seat.

A blue fairy godmother.

I was beginning to wonder if you really existed.

Oh, I exist all right.

I'm just retired, 8 years now.

Imagine my surprise

when they called me out of retirement 2 months ago.

For me?

Why all this sudden interest in me?

That's what I was supposed to find out.

Well, you know,

it's no mystery why the Israelis would want me.

No, the mystery is why the Russians think

you're such a fat prize.

The Russians?

What Russians?

Well, at least 2 in this country.

One is your friend

colonel ilora poropov.

Poropov? no...

I'm sorry.

You know him as George kraft.

He's been operating in the U.S.

As a Russian spy since '35.

No. heh heh. George kraft's not a spy.

I mean...

G-George's told me about his wife, his--

a wife in Indianapolis who died 4 years ago?

No such person.

He's got a wife, all right,

still living in proskurov.

He just hasn't seen her for 25 years.

I don't imagine he's mentioned the 3 children or 9 grandchildren.

No, but--ah, kraft, he was--

poropov.

Whatever. he was living in the building for 3 years.

I mean, he didn't introduce himself to me.

I went downstairs. I introduced myself to him.

From what I can tell,

you weren't part of his original agenda,

just sort of an unexpected perk.

Everything was nice and quiet

until he sent an anonymous letter

to your protege Dr. Jones

telling him where you were.

Then the excrement really hit the air conditioner.

It was kraft?

If it makes you feel any better,

he really is a painter.

I don't think much of his work,

but what do i know about art?

Maybe it's ok.

Maybe that's the one thing you can't fake.

Maybe you're the exception to that, too.

What was kraft's plan for me?

Ahh.

Well...

When he tipped off Jones,

he knew you'd become news again.

He figured he could get you out of the country

easier than staying by your side.

Then you could be kidnapped

with fewer international complications.

I see. Good.

Well...

You said there's 2 Russian spies.

Who's the other, Jones?

Nah. Jones is the one true friend you got.

Seems he's the only one with your best interests at heart.

Well, then who's the other?

No. not resi.

No, god damn you!

Not resi!

God damn you!

Not resi!

Relax, Howard.

I'm only the messenger.

You're a goddamn liar!

I'm sure she had you thinking about your new life

and how nice it was gonna be,

but it wouldn't have gone that way.

When you got to the airport in Mexico City,

there'd be a second plane waiting for you,

and off you'd go on a one-way trip to Moscow,

all expenses paid.

What could the Russians possibly want

with such a burned-out piece of world war ii surplus?

They can exhibit you as a prime example

of the fascist war criminals

that this country shelters.

They also hope you'll confess

to all sorts of collusion

between the Nazis and the Americans before and after the war.

Eichmann: well...

I think that's a record.

Eichmann?

You've been typing for almost 15 hours straight.

Me, I've barely written 5 pages in as many days.

When do you eat?

I don't know.

Hmm.

I hear your trial starts in a couple of days.

Where's your lawyer?

He's trying to find the one person

who will corroborate my defense.

So far I'm told he doesn't exist.

Listen, Campbell, can i give you some advice?

Certainly.

Spend some time in the exercise yard

or have them bring in a radio or television.

You've got to learn to relax.

It is important

to learn how to relax.

That's how I got here.

Hey, eichmann,

can I ask you a personal question?

Certainly.

Do you believe you're guilty

of murdering 6 million Jews?

Absolutely not.

[Laughs]

Oh, you were simply a soldier, were you, huh?

Taking order from higher-ups?

Is that right, eichmann, like any good soldier?

[Laughing]

Campbell.

Yes?

About those 6 million...

Yes?

I don't need credit for all of them.

I'm sure I could spare you a few.

Howard, where were you?

We were worried about you, old boy.

You are cold.

Yeah. well, I just stepped outside for some air.

Well, that was a bit of a risk, wasn't it?

Ah, it was a bit of a risk,

but you know what Jones says.

"I'll sacrifice anything for the truth."

This is torture,

having to stay in this cramped room

for the fear of our lives.

How can people treat us like this?

Oh, I don't know, resi,

but you know in spite of everything,

I still believe people are really good at heart.

[Laughs]

Tomorrow we will start our new lives,

and then you will be able to relax.

Oh, yes, to relax.

Ohh.

Ahh.

You know, i was thinking.

What? tell me.

I was thinking that maybe Mexico isn't what we want.

Well, we can just go right on from there.

Yeah. maybe right at the Mexico City airport

we could just get right on another jet.

On to, uh...

I don't know.

Caribbean. we'd go...

Moscow, maybe, huh?

Moscow?

That's a novel idea.

[Laughs]

You don't like it?

I would have to think about it.

Oh.

Resi...

Resi...

I want you to think about it, too, ok?

Well, if you want to.

Yeah.

You know, the more i think about it,

you know, the better it sounds.

Well, what could you possibly

find interesting about Moscow?

Well, I don't know.

I'd like to visit an old friend.

You never told me you had a friend in Moscow.

Gee, George, I guess it just never came up in a conversation.

What's his name?

Ahh.

Colonel ilora poropov.

Don't know him.

Don't know him, huh?

Well, it doesn't matter.

He's just a spy that's trying to get me to Mexico City

so I can be kidnapped

and flown to Russia to stand trial.

No, that is not--

don't even think about it.

God, Howard,

this is ridiculous.

Cowboys and Indians.

Yeah.

All right, George.

Howard, this is not who I am.

This is the way things are.

Nobody should know that better than you.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Sweetheart...

That dream.

Yeah.

About Mexico.

It was really true.

Oh.

Tomorrow we were all going to escape.

I-it was our mission to get you to Moscow,

but then I was not going to go through with it...

Because I love you.

Oh.

I told you I was not going to go through with it,

did I not?

Yes, you did. She told me.

Yeah, and he agreed with me.

He came up with the dream of Mexico,

where we would all get out of this trap together.

How did you find out?

American agents.

Ah.

They're gonna be raiding our happy little home any minute now.

Oh, that's unfortunate.

Well, then we must leave right now, liebling,

while we still can.

No. it's too late, darling.

We're already surrounded.

Then we will fight them.

No. resi, you don't understand.

I said we are surrounded.

Does that matter?

Yes. of course that matters.

We--

you mean, why don't i die for love

like a hero in a Howard w. Campbell play?

Yeah.

Yeah. that is exactly what I mean.

Well...

Let us die together

here and now.

No. resi,

you have a full life ahead of you.

No. I have a full life behind me,

all in those few sweet hours with you.

All in those few sweet hours with me.

Sounds like a line i might have written as a young man.

No, it is a line you wrote as a young man.

Oh. well...

Foolish young man.

Well, I adore that man.

Ohh.

Well, I'm sorry, resi.

I can't congratulate you on your taste in men.

You no longer...

You no longer believe

that love is the only thing to live for?

Well...

No.

Then tell me what to live for.

Tell me anything.

It does not have to be love,

anything at all.

I will live for that chair,

or--or that picture on the wall,

or that crack over--over there.

Just tell me.

Tell me what you live for,

and I will live for that, too.

Resi, what i live for is...

I'm an old man.

I will show you what to live for.

I will show you a woman who dies for love.

No, resi.

No. no, my god.

Resi, no.

No, resi.

Oh, my god.

Resi.

No.

Resi.

Don't move a muscle.

Howard: the morning after the raid on Jones' basement

I was released,

thanks, I suppose, to my blue fairy godmother.

I was deposited onto the streets of New York,

restored to the mainstream of life.

I took several steps down the sidewalk,

when something happened.

It was not guilt that froze me.

I had taught myself never to feel guilt.

It wasn't the fear of death.

I had taught myself to think of death as a friend.

It was not the thought of being unloved that froze me.

I had taught myself to do without love.

What froze me

was the fact that i had absolutely no reason

to move in any direction.

Are you all right?

Yes.

Been standing there a long time.

Waiting for somebody?

No.

You lost?

No.

No.

Move on then, don't you think?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Epstein: who is it?

It's Howard Campbell.

Could I come in?

You're going to have to tell me what this is about.

I want to go to Israel to stand trial.

[Unlocking]

What?

I want to be tried for my crimes against humanity.

What do you want from me?

I want to surrender to an auschwitzer.

Then find one who thinks of Auschwitz all the time.

[Woman speaking yiddish]

Epstein: I know, but you want to bring him back.

Ain't nobody gonna bring back papa.

I know this. No one.

And don't speak yiddish.

We are in America now.

Woman: if you can't remember,

I will remember for both of us.

You still want revenge, is that it?

Yes.

Then go on with your plan,

because it proves nothing.

Mr. Campbell...

I think I can help you.

Thank you.

Campbell.

Auf wiedersehen.

Yes.

Auf wiedersehen.

* leichentrager Tor wache *

Howard: "dear Howard,

"the discipline of a lifetime

"now collapses like the walls of Jericho.

"What is the tune that Joshua's trumpet plays?

"Is that the music of my conscience?

"I doubt it.

"I've done you no wrong.

"I think the music must be

"an old soldier's itch for just a little treason.

"If treason this letter raises...

Frank: "i hereby violate my direct and explicit orders,

"and I identify myself as the man you knew as frank wirtanen.

"I affirm and will affirm under oath

"that I recruited you as an American agent

"and that you, at great personal sacrifice

"became one of the most effective agents of the second world war.

"If there must be a trial of Howard w. Campbell Jr.,

"let it be one hell of a contest,

"and may justice be served.

"Yours truly,

frank."

Howard: may justice be served.

I like the sound of that.

They say that a hanging man hears glorious music.

I wonder what it sounds like.

Bing Crosby: * ...Of a white Christmas *

* just like the ones i used to know *

* where the treetops glisten *

* and children listen *

* to hear *

* sleigh bells in the snow *

* I'm dreaming *

* of a white Christmas *

fading: * with every Christmas card I write *

* may your days be merry and bright... *

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