Original subtitles

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the reason i'm calling mrs ashley

is that i would like to place you in

nomination as my first ambassador to

romanian

is she really that essential to us the

controller can think of no one else who

would suit our purpose so well

yeah okay i'm on my way

quite frankly mrs ashley the president

is hoping that you might

reconsider his offer i do solemnly swear

i will support and defend the

constitution of the united states

against all enemies foreign and domestic

you are an amateur mrs ashley if someone

were gonna pay you off they should have

made you ambassador to iceland

i got a present for you what

[Music]

i'm ambassador welcome to romania my

name is bill mckinney

nobody cheats on i accept this letter of

credence from your president

and i announce that you're now

appreciative american ambassador to my

country

and make sure the children are there

this should be a

a festive occasion i believe that uh

fireworks are traditional on the fourth

of july

mary ashley and her children will be

[Applause]

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killed

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so

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good morning rocket oh good morning i

put all the morning dispatches on your

desk

here's a dossier that was hand delivered

by army intelligence from mr stuckley's

office

everything we know about romanian

officials everything

personal things yes ma'am but i'm sure

they know all there is to know about you

won't get them very far

good morning madam ambassador well here

we are again i hope you slept well

do you spend your life walking into

places unannounced mr sweden lesson

number one whenever possible the

ambassador starts her day by having

coffee with her deputy chief of staff

that's a little present from me to you

thank you sugar

no sugar no green i brew it myself great

stuff

is there a lesson number two mr slade

i'm glad you asked

this machine this

is a shredder i know what it is

last night when you went out you left

some papers on your desk

by now they've been photographed and

sent to moscow

what papers oh a list of cosmetics a

facial tissue of toilet paper other

personal things you ordered

earth shaking

the cleaning women work for the

securitade they're grateful for any

scrap of information they can get and

they're ingenious

at putting things together that also

goes for the servants that work at your

house

how do you like it so far what

the coffee it's coffee

thanks you see the security here is the

kgb

and the police force wrapped into one

one out of every three romanians works

for it in some way

not that they get paid that could at

least raise their standard of living

which is the lowest in europe glad you

came

yes yes i am mr slade

mr maltz is here have him come in mr

maltz hi

what's up eddie got a tough one there's

an american girl here

uh student university of bucharest

exchange student she's running some

problems with the romanians

did you wish to see me oh well right yes

we've got a problem there's an american

girl

19 she was arrested last night for

possession of drugs that's an extremely

serious offense around here

what kind of drugs marijuana just a

joint she says

she's a student and right now she's

scared to death

what will they do to her the usual

penalty is five years

and what can we do about it well you

could always use your charms on the head

of security

name's hannah murphy she says she was

framed she may have a point

why well it seems she had an affair with

a romanian policeman

dum-dum-dum they spent the night at her

house and then

he turned her in he turned her in i've

been trying to tell you

we madam ambassador we are the enemy

here

it may be all buddies and hands across

the sea because we're trying to woo them

away from russia

but when you get down to the gritty

they're still communists

and we are the enemy the kids come from

28 different countries

and there's this italian guy that keeps

staring at me he was staring at all the

girls

he was not should i ignore him do you

want to ignore him

no ask if he's nearsighted once you get

him talking he won't stare at him oh

what is that it's a dead romanian frog

we're gonna dissect it tomorrow

they got a great science lab tim take it

off my desk

now

well you two are doing pretty well no

big problems no

mike took care of us mike mr slade he

told us to call him mike

what does he have to do with school he

showed up there today yeah he introduced

us to the teachers didn't he tell you

no yeah he knows a lot of the teachers

he even knows some of the kids too

he's really a neat guy don't you think

so mom hmm

yes yes very neat and i've arranged a

visit to the ivan steele in prison at

the end of the week

i'll let you know when that's confirmed

thank you you have the first three

parties start tonight

three you got 21 altogether this week

that's impossible hulk

wow with 75 embassies in bucharest

they're always celebrating something

dorothy would you tell janklow thompson

and malts i'd like to see him

they're in conference right now

conference with whom

with all the other counselors are you

saying there's a staff meeting going on

without me

yes ma'am are you telling me that this

isn't the first time

yes ma'am tell me what else is going on

here that i should know about and don't

well um they are sending cables without

your authorization

good afternoon i won't take up much of

your time because i know how busy all of

you are

it's come to my attention that senior

staff meetings are being held without my

knowledge

from this moment on anyone attending

such a meeting will be instantly

dismissed

it's also come to my attention that some

of you are sending cables without

informing me

yesterday mr hatfield you sent an

unauthorized cable to the state

department

i've made reservations for you on a

plane leaving for washington at noon

tomorrow

you are no longer a member of this

embassy the next time anyone in this

room

sends a cable without my knowledge or

fails to give me full support

that person will be on a plane back to

the united states

that's all for now

mr slade

i'd like to thank you for being so kind

to beth and tim at school yesterday

no problem a good kid sir

[Applause]

how did i do i'd say was neat but not

gory

the shortest and most effective staff

meeting i think i've ever witnessed

well done madame ambassador thank you

now you will know gentlemen that events

in romania

are proceeding on schedule i believe

we've had the opportunity to look over

the controller's recommendation in

reference to the argentinian known as

angel

the price might appear to be a bit steep

but of course we are now dealing with an

incident which may have

enormous international consequences is

there any question

any comments at all on the

recommendation well make no mistake the

contract will specifically call for the

assassination of mrs ashley and referred

to children

i remind you to observe the usual

precautions i'm leaving thank you

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gentlemen

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so

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she's sitting there

i give you 10 minutes

[Applause]

oh

just tell me what happened

i met this policeman we went out

together a couple of times

it seemed so nice

then one day last week

well we made love

and afterward we shared some marijuana

that a friend had given me

it was just one joint

when i woke up in the morning he was

gone

the police showed up they stood there

watching me while i got dressed

and they brought me here

five years they told me

hannah listen to me i'm going to do

everything in my power to help you

you understand everything

please believe that it's gonna be all

right

it's gonna be okay you're wasting your

time the girl is guilty as hell

well you can't just walk away from her

what's what's his name who

the head of the security estrasa

captain aurel estrasse good afternoon

ambassador good afternoon you wish to

talk to me

yes please be seated thank you

i would like to discuss the case of

hannah murphy

oh yes yes yes the drug peddler

forgive me my english not very good i

can understand you

you see we have strict laws here with

drugs

oh i'm pleased to hear that i i wish we

had stricter laws in my country

good we agree yes anyone who sells drugs

deserves to go to jail yes

hannah murphy however did not sell drugs

she offered to give some marijuana to

this man

it is the same thing no no not quite

the man she was with is a lieutenant on

your police force

he smoked marijuana too has he been

punished

where should he be he was merely

gathering evidence

i understand he has a wife and three

children

the american girl tricked him into bed

so to speak

so to speak the girl is 19 and the

lieutenant is 45.

age has nothing to do with it

we're quite alone i had this room

checked for any recording devices before

you arrived

so does the lieutenant's wife know about

her husband's affair

why should she it sounds to me like a

clear case of entrapment

captain i i think we should make the

whole affair public to the international

press

that would be no point why well

because i see because the lieutenant

just happens to be your son-in-law

certainly not did he get a promotion

over this

we only wish to see justice dumb

so do i it would seem that your

son-in-law has trapped other young

female tourists even sleeping with him

as he did hannah murphy

however i see no reason

for your daughter to know how her

husband conducts himself

no why i think it'd be much better for

all concerned if you quietly released

hannah murphy from jail and i

shipped her back to the united states

what do you say captain

you are a very interesting lady

thank you i'll expect miss murphy in my

office this afternoon

i'll see that she's put on the first

plane out of bucharest

i will use what little influence i have

yes i'm sure you will captain

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madame

so where is he where

people don't find it

well tell them it's confirmed at least

for bucharest next week

more what

i know he don't like to do this bad

thing with the children

he want two million pounds english

pounds

well uh maybe we forget the whole thing

huh okay

sure okay

okay okay

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i'm gonna have to check it out good

hey

my baby he's out of town

if you know what i mean

get out of here

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please

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those people outside of the gate who are

they uh romanian jews for the most part

waiting to file applications for visas

why don't they go to the israeli embassy

well they think we have a better chance

of helping them they're wrong of course

it's a

cat and mouse game and escape lets a few

people out of the country every year

well there must be some way we can help

them we're not talking about getting

a drug case dismissed here not this time

no this is government ironclad

policy here you are thank you

tell me mr slade mike

do you think it might be possible for us

to have a

little better relationship

sure why not

i was thinking this morning uh well it

occurred to me

that you might like to go to the theater

this evening i'd like that very much

there's a romanian ballet company

playing karina's sokolai

big star supposed to be pretty good that

sounds very nice

well i have three tickets you could take

tim and beth

thank you

hello yes just a moment

dorothy yes dorothy

churchman oh let me take that dorothy

tell them that nothing has changed we

still can't help them all right

thank you those people

have a chance to go to a church in utah

but they'll never get the visas here are

your tickets

i'll have florian pick you up at eight

thank you i don't want to go do i have

to

of course not i it's my italian friend

who from school oh

i invited him to dinner is that all

right there's a million servants here

of course where's tim in his room with

ivan

ivan a friend from school they're

helping each other with their homework

i don't think he's gonna want to see any

romanians dance either you're probably

right

have fun

hello i'm mary ashley the american

ambassador evening i need your help

i i cannot stay here i have spoken out

too freely i i will not be allowed to

dance for much longer

i want to come to america thank you so

much for your kind words

ah madame ambassador a front tire is

flat we have no spare

but i have sent for one well how long

will it take oh maybe an

hour how far are we from the residence

about five blocks sir straight down the

calamoschelor

to the central square maybe i'll walk

i'll see you in the morning floyd at the

square

turn it to straso rossetti and you are

there strata reset

okay

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excuse me are you lost

i'm afraid so i'm looking for the strata

[Applause]

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risotto

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that's your fat chick

station let's refresh it

what happened to you these men tried to

force me into the car

if it hadn't been for this gentleman

did you get hurt no did they take

anything

no if they were going to steal your

purse they would have taken it on the

street

who would want to kidnap me

excuse us

well it certainly wouldn't be ian's men

who are trying to kidnap you he at the

moment is trying to keep relations on an

even keel

someone looking for ransom in this

country there wouldn't be a trial only a

firing squad

i tell you what i do mrs ashley i go

home

right now mr slade i was appointed to

this post by the president of the united

states

and until he fires me i don't want you

or anyone else telling me to go home

all you'd have to do is send in your

letter of resignation pack up your kids

and go back to kansas where you'd be

safe

i expect these people to work with me

not against me

now if that's too much for you to handle

mr slade then i strongly suggest that

you make other plans

madam ambassador i'll pass on your

[Music]

message

my country considers this loan from the

united states

an opportunity for both our countries to

open the door to freer trade policies

i appreciate that mr president and i've

already made an urgent plea to the

senate foreign affairs committee

in that case let me say that we are

depending upon you

madame ambassador you have my promise

i'll do everything i can

[Music]

oh of course i miss paris but i hope

that next year

the lady in distress

you two know each other we haven't been

officially introduced ah

madame ambassador may i present to you

dr

louis de forge ambassador

i i beg your pardon i had no idea i

should have recognized you of course

you did better than that you may have

saved my life oh so you

are the one i heard of your unfortunate

experience well it it would have been

unfortunate if

dr defoex hadn't come along well i was

just in the right place

at the right time if you too

will excuse me please

[Music]

tell me why did you run away when the

police came

well it is not a good policy to get

involved with the romanian police

they have a way of arresting witnesses

and as a mere doctor attached to the

french embassy i have no diplomatic

immunity

some champagne oh no thank you

i don't like champagne i suppose that's

heresy to a frenchman

confession i have never cared much for

it myself

but i have found that if someone offers

a toast

as they always do then simply raise your

arm

nobody ever knew this is the difference

really

look please i hope you will forgive me

if i seem to

desert you the other evening

i i've been extremely

wary of political entanglement

ever since i was in beirut be rude

yes i was i was there when we were

fighting the terrorists

and well they discovered my

identity and exploded a bomb in the

house where i was living

my wife and

[Music]

two children were killed in the

explosion

how horrible i'm so sorry

it is said that time heals

neither do i

ladies and gentlemen ladies and

gentlemen

a toast to our host country

and to his president alexandros unesco

congratulations the foreign relations

committee granted the romanian loan

you pulled it off apparently i'd like

you to make me an appointment to see

president ionescu as soon as it can be

arranged

i'll go along with you no i'll do this

alone

oh madam ambassador

i understand you bring good news

no i'm afraid not

are you telling me the loan was not

approved

last minute difficulty

difficulty yes i'm just as disappointed

as you are but

well the vote was favorable until one of

the senators learned that

some romanian church officials were

being denied visas to visit utah

you see the senator is a mormon and he

was very upset

yuta that's right mr president well i

don't see any difficulty there

no our church officials are free to come

and go as they please

but they were told that they could we

have a far more lenient policy toward

them than any other eastern bloc country

yes i know they may leave whenever they

wish really

yes thank you mr president and i'm sure

the senator from utah will be very

pleased

good day good day

[Music]

mrs ashley i wish to point out that i

was correct in the matter of the church

there was no difficulty i'm

misunderstanding i'm sure

my government was very pleased to

proceed with the loan but of course

your people recognize our unusual

interests i might point out to you

however that there are other people here

romanians who wish to leave the country

and they are being denied that right

they are dissidents troublemakers

um victoria have you

tasted the caviar it's fresh beluga you

must try it

excuse me

he's right about the caviar it's

delicious

what is it they say we have got to stop

meeting like this

considering the amount of parties in

bucharest that would be impossible

do you know a little restaurant called

the town

i'm afraid it's charming the place

um i made a reservation for one

they would be thrilled if i arrived with

the american ambassador this evening

it's out of the question but i thought i

would ask i'd love to

really

you have two children i understand yes

a boy and a girl but if you wish to

bring them along

oh no no they're they're busy tonight

well then at what time should i pick you

up

i have some work to finish at the

embassy and i'd like to see the children

would eight be all right eight would be

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fine

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and now when i look back on those years

in the underground wood they seem so far

away

forgive me i'm afraid i'm going on too

much here about oh no no not at all

is something wrong

no it's nothing tell me

[Music]

oh there's just a little trouble at the

embassy this evening

tell me how long are you there well

three years fighting the various

terrorist factions

but you're a doctor yes

you see i believe every man must risk

something

so that in the end he does not risk

everything

[Music]

but had i known the price i would have

to pay

would be the lives of my wife and

children

have you never thought of marrying again

no

no she was a remarkable woman

i sometimes think no one could replace

her

perhaps i came here to romania mostly to

triumph

but there there is something here

i confess i feel an evilness about this

country

oh not the people they are lovely but

they are quite helpless

they are virtually slaves though i shall

be glad when my

tour of duty is over and i return to

france

there are some people who think i should

go home no

impossible i have made inquiries

everyone who knows you here is very

impressed

they say you've brought an image of a

miracle that is

most engaging most intelligent

hell i'm trying now you believe in what

you're doing

i know that and you must not let anyone

frighten you away

she in yes yes what's the matter excuse

me but you're limousine the alarm just

went off they're tracking it as near the

american school

the children

[Music]

mistake i hit my mistake

mary i just wanted you to know that the

president is very pleased with the

outcome of the surplus wheat sale

and the romanian loan he says his faith

in you is completely justified

thank you stanton tell him how much i

appreciate that

i certainly will i'm going to be leaving

for china i'll be gone for a couple of

weeks

how can i reach you through my office

i'll always know where to contact me and

will you just keep up that good work

mary huh thank you

goodbye stan

i'm leaving early today dorothy i have

the party at the chinese

oh what's that huh i don't know

i haven't been feeling all that great

this last week

low energy

see you tomorrow

and then just as we are about to sit

down to dinner

this pig he jumps on the table and

sleeps

well in french of course well

i say to my wife i say look i like pork

but this is too much

but i must tell you this little pig he

knew what he was doing

i mean after that my wife wouldn't bear

to have him killed if he came a pet for

the children

honestly honestly cross my heart

now tim i must tell you the story of the

bicycle with no bars to handle

handlebars right you steer with your

feet

your children are delightful

thank you they told me they'd like to

see you again

really oh

you know beth reminds me very much of my

elder daughter

so beautiful

well i think it is time

you realize what i am doing

i am reliving my past

perhaps is it my future

i can't tell you what this evening has

meant to me

good night good night

[Music]

coffee for two no cream no sugar

a little strong just the way you like it

i couldn't set that meeting for you

ioneski has canceled all appointments

how come

it's his son the boys come down with

botulism poisoning apparently it's very

serious

botulism the boy was visiting friends in

germany they've had a big epidemic there

well we'll get the anti-serum to him

we're told the epidemic has used all

their supplies

including ours

dorothy get me the center for disease

control in atlanta georgia right away

you're wasting your time they could

supply this stuff but you can never get

it here on time not for botulism

poisoning it works too quickly

yes i can hear you very clearly out of

my bicep but i don't think i can help

you see in order to requisition a

supersonic jet

you've got to have an approval from the

secretary of defense and then you can

yes i am listening but i can't possibly

authorize an operation like this

without an approval from the secretary

general if ian esk's son dies because

you wasted time on this i promise you

that word of your refusal is going to be

communicated to the white house

do i make myself clear

your excellency we have communicated

with everyone both eastern and western

europe they have

nothing i don't want to hear it

he's not going to die

do you understand me

it's not going to die

usually it is the type e butcher

associated with canned food mostly fish

the symptoms can appear within ours and

then if you don't have the right theorem

then

well it's one of those oh sorry an

interrupt oh do you know dr default

i just came from the airport the plane

refueled in mid-atlantic atlanta

bucharest about an hour ago the foreign

minister picked up the anti-serum and

it's on its way to the palace oh thank

god

you have a hell of a lot of clout mrs

ashley sorry for the interruption

oh my god it must have cost half a

million dollars i think you may be very

close

i can't believe anyone ever got a thank

you note like that before what are you

gonna do

return it of course

he might get insulted i'll risk it wow

this is heavy

you better get a couple of marine guards

to take it back

i'll get a company

so you return my gift yes your

excellency

what do you want i don't want anything

i don't make trades for children's lives

nevertheless his life was saved

and i must offer you something no

is that all your excellency may i go

i will not be indebted to you

your excellency i have two children of

my own

i think i can understand how you feel

if you were to make a wish

any wish what would it be

i wish that i don't know what you mean

you know what i mean

there's nothing i insist

each and every day i've been trying to

get your foreign minister to lift the

restrictions on those people who want to

emigrate from romania

those people whom you call dissidents

why

why would any good romanian wish to

leave this mother country

i don't call them dissidents they

are dissidents they are troublemakers

and the trouble they make will do them

no good

good day mother ambassador

good day i'd like all your reports in

about july 1st with your time sheets

colonel mckinney could you get me those

security evaluations by friday yes ma'am

thank you that's all

are you all right

yes it's nothing

sure

is there something you want to say mr

slade yes something confidential that's

why i'd rather talk to you in here

well it concerns you and dr the forge

i'm listening there is an embassy

advisement you know about involvement

with foreigners

thank you i appreciate your concern

but whom i see is no one's business it's

the business of everyone in the embassy

because he's a foreigner dr deforge is

an enemy agent

what he is an enemy agent

i don't believe it think about how you

met him

very fortunately as it happened exactly

the poor damsel in distress the knight

in shining armor it's the oldest trick

in the world i've used it a dozen times

myself

i don't give a damn whether you have or

you haven't he fought against harrison

lebanon

he lost his wife and his children there

your doctor never had a wife or children

eddie i'd like to ask you a favor

sure i'd like some information on a dr

louis de forge

he's attached to the french embassy here

anything in particular

i'd like to know if he was married and

had children i'll get on it right away

anything else no that's it

thank you let's see

marion and dijon wife's name renee two

daughters ages 10 and 12.

they were killed in beirut in a

terrorist bombing when he was working

for the underground there

here you go man thank you eddie you can

shred it

[Music]

the speciality of the house is gay i

would uh

suggest the venison i'll try

my first i've no deer in cancers

no not at the corner grocery

fantastic what

you sitting there with the river and the

trees behind you breathtaking

i wish i were a painter not a doctor

perhaps

one day you would give me a photograph

of course and perhaps i can have one of

you

know as a matter of fact the only

photograph i have is why it's an old one

that was

taken in beirut with my family may i see

it

really i'd love to

of course

[Applause]

[Music]

what a lovely family that was

taken two months before they were killed

for so long now i've felt like a

ghost wandering around lost

so helpless without her

even the trivial things i i did not know

how to

cook a meal or make a bed even

i guess we're all victims in a way i

remember reading something after my

husband died that stayed with me ever

since

i suppose it's rather poetic and tell me

well i read

that our destinies are decided by a

cosmic roll of the dice

the winds a fortune that blow from the

windmills of the

you gods it

yes i think i do

[Music]

[Applause]

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i have steamed the red one for you madam

are you ill yes i uh

uh perhaps i sin for the doctor no no no

uh would you have me high call the

chilean ambassador and tell him i'm not

feeling well

yes mom thank you

that's my spinal class children children

please not so loud your mother's not

feeling very well what's wrong

i do not know

oh my damn

the french embassy i need actor to

flourish yes ma'am

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

mary

it's all right i'm here now how long has

this been going on

the last few days

what have you been eating nothing

have you been thirsty yes

pains muscle cramps nausea

oh yes all three

what is it what what's wrong with me

it's all right thank you coming

can you remember precisely when it

started

the day after we got back from the

mountains do you remember having

anything to eat or drink that made you

feel ill afterward

no you had breakfast here at the

residence with the children

um and the children are fine yes you

have lunch in the same place every day

no no sometimes at the embassy and

sometimes not

is there any place you regularly have

dinner or

anything you regularly eat mary stay

awake

listen to me any person

you eat with constantly

it's just a virus isn't it all right

it's very difficult for me to say this

it's

unthinkable but i think someone is

poisoning you

oh in fact i would suspect it's arsenic

except i know that

ask is not for sale in bucharest

oh my god who who would

i want to talk to carefully is there any

kind of

set routine you have involving food or

drink every day

yes now

now what is it

well my slade brings me coffee every day

he's always there waiting but

hey what possible reason could he have

ever since i got here from

the very beginning he

he's been trying to get me out of the

embassy

oh i i just can't believe it

all right we'll talk about this later

the first thing we have to do is to get

you well again

i'm going to give you an antidote for

arsenic called bad

i'll alternate that with penicillin

the servants it's all right they won't

have to know

don't worry am i darling we'll have you

up in no time

[Music]

your mother is going to be all right

she'd like to see you if you

want to come up in about five minutes

what do you think are you well enough to

go back to work

i i will be monday i'm sure

you know this is twice now that you've

saved my life well i think we damn well

better find out who's trying to take it

now but i've been checking out the

various embassies

all but yours which refuses to give me

the information

now none of the others carry any arsenic

of any kind

so if you were to drop by the pharmacy

in your embassy

tell them that you have some trouble

with insects in your garden and ask for

a pesticide called

anton it's loaded with arsenic

and if they have it anyone who checks

out

a poison has to sign for it and the

signatures will be on the form

you understand yes

yes i certainly do

madam ambassador good morning welcome

back guess that flu reading knocked you

out

yes it did almost

excuse me i wonder if you could help me

in a minute i just have to

oh my ambassador i'm sorry i didn't see

you

are you feeling better much better thank

you good can i get you something

and histamine no no no it's something

else entirely you see my gardener tells

me we're having trouble with insects so

i was wondering if you might have

something uh it's called antol

as a matter of fact we do an infestation

of ants is

very unusual this time of year you're

the second person who's inquired

oh yes you'll have to sign for it

oh madam ambassador it is wonderful to

see you again thank you dorothy

are you feeling better much better well

enough for that fourth of july party

this year and i could easily cancel it

no we're gonna have it as usual all

right

mr moss yes ma'am i have a coded message

which i'd like to go to washington right

away

could you do that for me sure can it's

for stanton rogers it's very important

right away man look i don't know how she

got past the guards all i know she's

here now

madame ambassador there's a woman here

karina sakori she's in your office she

just walked past the cards

oh please please you must help me

come sit down here please i want to go

to your country

i can stay here no longer we can keep

you here at the embassy for a brief

period

please please i'll do everything i can

to help you but i can't make any

promises

oh god bless you god bless you mrs

ashley

thank you so much thank you

god bless you thank you thank you

hello this is louis de farge i thought

perhaps you might like to know that mrs

ashley is going to live

well why shouldn't she because someone

has been poisoning her

what the hell are you talking about it

is quite possible you know what i'm

talking about

i haven't the faintest idea but if

you're suggesting yes i am suggesting

well you're wrong i don't know where you

got all this but you've gone off the

deep end i think we ought to get

together talk about it get it squared

away

i agree i shall be in proesti all day

but i should be back this evening

what time we could meet at benissa park

in your way back

say about seven

i'm glad you could come i think we can

clear this up rather quickly you said on

the telephone that you thought someone

was trying to poison mary ashley

i know it and you think i'm responsible

you could have placed it in her coffee a

little over time

and have you reported this to anyone not

yet i wanted to talk to you first

because

well frankly i find it extremely

difficult to believe

it but i said believe it

i am so sorry about what

about dr despoj what about him

they found his body this morning in

banayasa park

shot to death

i'm trying to reach stanton rogers

please have him call the moment you're

in touch

yes

i think you're making a mistake keeping

the so-called woman here

i mean she is their leading ballerina a

national treasure in this country

we can hold her here for a while but

they will never let her leave romania

well uh we'll find a way

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]

so

[Music]

[Music]

so

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[Music]

[Music]

so

[Music]

hello hello yes i'm standing by i've

been standing by

hello mary did you receive my cable

stanton

cable no yes i had eddie malt send you a

coded cable

well i never received it i was informed

however that you were trying to call me

please listen very carefully there is

someone here

i mean right here in this embassy who's

trying to kill me good

god and i know who it is stanton are you

sure this line is secure

yes yes absolutely every morning since

i've been here

a small amount of arsenic was placed in

my coffee slowly systematically

i was being poisoned and every morning

that coffee was brought to me

by mike slade no no i i can't uh

look here isn't it possible that he

didn't know the coffee was tainted

he made it himself in his office

couldn't someone else have had access to

that coffee

stanton you don't understand he has been

trying to get me out of romania ever

since i arrived here

i will inform the president at once in

the meantime i will arrange for some

extra security

for you we're having the fourth of july

embassy party on saturday night

don't worry he will be in custody by

then

why is he doing this i don't know

but we're damn well going to find out

hey kenny it's stanton rogers bill yes

sir what can i do for you i want you to

pick up

mike slade hold him in close custody

until you hear from me slade

don't let him talk to anyone uh i'm

afraid there may be a problem with that

sir i've been trying to reach it myself

for the last few hours no one seems to

know where he is

i've checked all my sources he's

disappeared

gentlemen members of the eastern

committee

i am pleased to report that we have

reached the final phase of our bucharest

operation sir george if you will

the incident will occur at the fourth of

july party at the american embassy

arrangements have been made for

international press and television

coverage

mrs ashley her two children and her

guests

will all be involved uh we have no

knowledge of how

precisely this will be carried out nor

do we wish to have such knowledge

but i'm sure we're all aware here of the

very grave risks

and indeed the possible holocaust which

may follow

mr chairman we stand beside you

i would like to say at this point that i

think we all are a very special voter

thanks to the person in romania

who helped bring this about

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

uh

[Music]

beth tell tim he has to wear a tie i

want you both looking your very best

okay but he's not gonna like it

what have we got now four decorations

bananas balloons who the devil's gonna

fill all those up don't worry you off

the hook

they will sign a civilian to do the work

[Music]

[Applause]

what are you doing here you're convinced

i'm out to kill you

i don't blame you

bill

[Music]

where's the balloon still working on him

hey oh sorry helium right

i didn't think helium burned the fact is

mrs ashley there's a faction in our

government convinced that if we get

involved with iron curtain countries the

communists will destroy us

on the other side there's a faction of

communists who think dayton is a trick

to bring capitalist spies into their

countries

and so you have an unholy alliance a

super secret alliance a very powerful

men calling themselves the patriots of

freedom

they want our program here to flourish

at first and then sabotage it in such a

dramatic way it would never be tried

again

you fit the bill perfectly misses middle

america with two all-american kids

the ambassador was sizzle they used

their press connections around the world

to make you everyone's darling

to put it bluntly your assassination

would put an end to any further ideas of

dayton

as it happened mike was able to

infiltrate the group but you tried to

kill me

no ma'am what i'm trying to do what i've

been trying to do mrs ashley

is to get you home where you'd be safe

to get you just sick enough so you'd

have to leave romania

our doctors were waiting for you in

washington we couldn't tell you the

truth that would have blown the whole

operation

even now we don't know who put the

organization together he never attends

the meetings he's only known as the

controller

i'm sorry to say that your friend dr

dave forge was part of the group

then why was he killed who killed him

i had no choice he knew i was a member

of the committee the moment that he

sensed that i was poisoning you

he became suspicious of me you see you

weren't supposed to die that way

i couldn't let him expose me he had

children there was no family he told me

he lied eddie malt told me too malts

yes i had him check it out he said that

louis had been married and had two

daughters

he damned i just sent him to frankfurt

our immediate problem is a man known as

aegel professional assassin he has it

doesn't i want edward's most taken into

account no one can identify him because

he's at the air base

we expect him to try to carry out the

contract this evening at the fourth of

july party

to make it as public and as shocking as

possible extraordinary precautions have

been taken

we have the full cooperation of the

romanian government

you're asking me to set myself up as a

target

there's something that we haven't told

you

months ago when these people heard that

you turned down the nomination it was

your husband that stood in the way

they were determined to get him out of

the way

and they did they

tried to make it look like an accident

so you wouldn't become suspicious

[Music]

we could put an end to all of this

tonight

if you'd help us

but without you and the children no

not my children just a very brief

appearance

i'll slip them out quietly and bring

them back here not my children

the entire block has been cordoned off

by ian esco's soldiers nobody gets

through without a pass

we have our own checkpoints at every

entrance keep alert

and keep at your posts

then just as soon as you've made your

appearance with me in the ballroom

four marine guards will bring you back

here you mean we can't stay for the

party no

no why i can't tell you why it's a

secret

you mustn't let anyone know you're

leaving i don't want to spawn does it

have to be so secretive do you hear me

do you hear me no one tim yes mom

beth

i love you

[Music]

don't worry we won't break your precious

balloons

[Music]

oh

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

hey wait a minute

[Music]

hey

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]

so

[Music]

they'll be safe don't worry

do you think he's here now

[Applause]

i'm here and i intend to stay here i

told you that a long time ago didn't we

[Music]

[Applause]

where did all those balloons come from

where we always get them our air base in

frankfurt we deliver them to our

warehouse here

we deliver them army personnel

who win army personnel i don't know what

unit but i'll find out for you i'll do

that will you bill

[Music]

yes sir the balloons and some other

stuff were taken from an army truck

right into the storage room here

uh took all afternoon to fill them up

who brought them in i didn't get his

name sir uh civilian a civilian

what the hell are you talking about who

gave that authorization well i didn't

see the papers on it colonel but i was

told that it came from mr maltz at the

embassy

briggs can tell you more about it break

hey briggs

briggs i don't understand sir he was

posted this room colonel

never leave without permission

[Music]

angel is a woman eddie malt's got a

permit allowing angel into the storage

room

look at this i was checking the

cylinders they used to fill the balloons

for the party

there's a hell of a lot more than helium

here white phosphorus this one is loaded

with propane mix them with a little

oxygen acetylene you got a blast big

enough to level a city block

mihawk would you see if you can find mr

slade

yes a timer there's got to be a timer to

set them off

how long ago did he or she leave

according to the sergeant just a few

minutes ago

could be anyone

[Music]

i want you to clear the room immediately

make an announcement get everybody

outside what is it those balloons up

there

they're lethal there's a timing device

set to explode in here somewhere and

when it does it's going to blow this

place sky-high in a matter of minutes

the ambassador's folly we can open the

roof not with a switch

nothing electrical any kind of spark

would set them off it should be a manual

override

get them out say anything but just get

them outside come on bill

ladies and gentlemen ladies and

gentlemen

could you all step out into the

courtyard as soon as possible

there's a small fire in the kitchen

nothing to be alarmed about

but as a precaution could we all step

outside for a few minutes

thank you

[Music]

so

be careful mike yeah

[Applause]

[Music]

so

[Music]

okay

there it is

easy

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

oh

[Music]

excuse me man but colonel mckinney gave

me orders to clear the ballroom

[Music]

[Music]

so

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

mr connors please open the door

[Music]

so george this is the police would you

open this door

[Music]

so george i must ask you to open this

store immediately

is the police

[Music]

hey

[Music]

the next one this is

goodbye my dad

[Music]

yes yes i see all right jerry thank you

they just picked up hans crutch at the

bundesligan bomb he's the last one on

mike slade's list except the controller

and still no leads

no one can identify him slayed back yet

yes he flew in yesterday on the same

plane as mrs ashley

i doubt very much that you're gonna be

able to persuade her to go back well how

can we blame her she's been used by

everyone since she got there

i'd like to arrange an appointment with

her for tomorrow morning and uh

tell slade i've got another assignment

for him in washington all right

take me to cia headquarters

in time what what did you say

[Music]

first

we talk you

senor i gotta tell you i am disappointed

the bank in geneva there's nothing there

you're damn right there's nothing there

oh

sometimes things happen i do good next

time

there won't be a next time you're not

gonna get a dime

for senor i beg you

not to make this hasty decision we can

talk

we are through talking right now

did you hear me you're never going to

see an hell again

that's a little

[Music]

why why stanton rogers i guess there's

just no honor among assassins

assassins the patriots of freedom

committee it may have just lost their

last member and saved us a lot of

trouble

stanton rogers the controller

mary ashley said something to me on the

flight back she said the only two people

that she trusted in all of this were the

president

and rogers that got me to thinking

someone above reproach

god knows the president wasn't out to

sabotage his own program

but stanton rogers was something else

here was someone high enough with all

the connections necessary someone who

could personally

supervise a publicity buildup he knew

exactly

exactly what mary and the kid symbolized

and everything must have clicked for him

in fact it almost worked

you think she'll go back now i wouldn't

take any bets on that bill but i'll tell

you one thing the ladies got grit

you know of course why i've asked you

here to twist your arm

mr president no no i know i can

certainly empathize with you believe me

can i show you something yes this letter

arrived at the white house yesterday

ian askew sidestepped state department

channels to have it delivered to me

personally

ianescu yes he's asked me to do

everything i can to persuade you

to implore you to return he even

mentioned 23 dissidents

what he's allowing 23 dissidents to

leave the country

even said he might permit a few others

now mind you he didn't couple that with

your return but i think that's clearly

the entrance

so you now have the presidents of two

different countries

asking you to reconsider

if i did mr president yes

i would insist our country gives

sanctuary to karina sokolai oh i'm sorry

mary i told you why we can't do that

that would offend you and ask you

well you'll get over it i know ian esco

mr president he's using her as a

bargaining chip

how do we get it right in romania on one

of our army cargo planes

all right i'll clear it with state

thank you

thank you mr president uh don't mention

it

oh there's just one more thing

yes mary i'll need mike slade

he already has another assignment so

anyone else at all

slade

i get the feeling here that i'm being

subjected to blackmail

in fact now i know why you've done so

well in romania

thank you mr president thank you very

much

mary stay out of trouble

right

hi

hi we're gonna be neighbors again mr

slade

i'm in the office next years until i go

back at the end of the week

back home no romania

i uh talked it over with the president

this morning

he told me to keep out of trouble nice

sense of humor the president

you'll be going back too

no not let me i think you've made some

sort of mistake

i have another assignment uh see the

president just told me

you know the president just told me he

said he wouldn't even consider my

returning

without mike slade i said of course that

you might not want to

but he insisted

he insisted hmm

[Music]

well that uh might help solve the

problem

problem if the ambassador is not allowed

to fraternize with foreigners

then who is she going to fraternize with

there has to be someone right absolutely

there has to be someone

[Music]

in the meantime

[Music]

coffee

[Music]

[Music]

foreign