This Is Your FBI: The Confidence Game 05/04/1945

Summary

Summary of "This Is Your FBI: The Confidence Game"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
• Host/Author: Choice Classic Radio
• Episode: This Is Your FBI: The Confidence Game
• Release Date: June 1, 2025

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Introduction

"This Is Your FBI: The Confidence Game" is a gripping episode from the Choice Classic Radio Detectives series, showcasing one of old-time radio’s most compelling detective stories. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the episode delves into the intricate maneuvers of a charismatic con artist exploiting the nation's wartime sentiments. Through engaging storytelling and authentic period dialogue, listeners are transported into a tale of deception, love, and law enforcement ingenuity.

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Main Narrative

Setting the Scene

The story unfolds on a picturesque boardwalk near New York during wartime, where everyday life continues amidst the backdrop of global conflict. Two schoolteachers, Ms. Lily Tompkins and Ms. Bergen, are enjoying a moment of reprieve, unaware that their lives are about to intersect with a master manipulator.

Introduction of Major William Evans Roscoe

Enter Major William Evans Roscoe, a seemingly affable and dedicated military officer recently returned from overseas service. His arrival introduces an air of charm and mystery:

Major Roscoe (00:00): "Welcome to Choice Classic radio where we."

Roscoe's initial interaction with Lily and Bergen appears genuine, as he inquires about Herbert Greenway, a missing soldier presumed dead or captured.

The Confidence Game Begins

Roscoe's smooth demeanor and compelling narrative about his secret work overseas quickly earn Lily's trust. His declaration of love and immediate proposal is both swift and intense, catching Lily off guard:

Major Roscoe (05:30): "Lily, forgive me for what I'm going to say. ... I love you."

Despite the suddenness, Lily is swept into his romantic advances, leading to what appears to be a blossoming relationship founded on mutual affection and wartime camaraderie.

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Key Characters and Their Roles

• Major William Evans Roscoe: The protagonist, whose guise as a decorated war hero masks his true intent as a con artist targeting unsuspecting individuals.

• Ms. Lily Tompkins: A kind-hearted schoolteacher who becomes Roscoe's primary target, embodying trust and vulnerability.

• Ms. Martha Hudson: The second victim, whose impending marriage to Roscoe reveals the extent of his deceit.

• FBI Agents: Representing the meticulous and persistent nature of federal law enforcement in uncovering sophisticated fraud schemes.

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Unraveling the Deception

The Illusion of Credibility

Roscoe leverages his "military credentials" to establish authority and trust. His use of official titles and fabricated war stories create an impenetrable façade:

Major Roscoe (11:34): "Well, I'd rather not talk about it, Ms. Hudson."

His ability to create believable backstories, such as surviving a plane crash and earning a Purple Heart, further solidifies his convincing persona.

Exploiting Emotional Bonds

Roscoe's strategy hinges on rapid emotional investment. By professing love and proposing quickly, he disarms his victims, making them less likely to question his authenticity:

Major Roscoe (05:30): "I want to buy you a ring. An engagement ring."

Despite Lily's initial hesitance, Roscoe's persistence and emotional appeals eventually lead her to entrust him with her financial resources.

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FBI's Investigation and Breakthrough

Detection Through Financial Red Flags

The FBI becomes suspicious when multiple checks authored by Roscoe are returned marked "no account." Their investigation reveals discrepancies in his military records:

FBI Agent (09:44): "The army never even heard of William Evans Roscoe."

Handwriting analysis confirms Roscoe's deceit, leading agents to identify him as an alias of a seasoned confidence man with a history of fraud.

Tracking the Con Artist

Upon realizing Roscoe's true nature, the FBI traces his movements to a mountain resort, anticipating his next move to exploit more victims. Roscoe's plan to marry Martha Hudson and escape with her signifies the culmination of his confidence game.

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Roscoe's Capture and Aftermath

In a climactic confrontation at the mountain resort, FBI agents confront Roscoe just as he attempts to solidify his fraudulent marriage to Martha:

FBI Agent (25:00): "What we'd like to talk with you about concerns, checks and impersonation."

Despite Roscoe's attempts to maintain his composure and manipulate the situation, the overwhelming evidence and strategic intervention by the FBI lead to his arrest. His realization of being caught brings the confidence game to its inevitable end.

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Conclusion and Moral Insights

"This Is Your FBI: The Confidence Game" underscores the cleverness and tenacity of both con artists and law enforcement. The episode serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of vigilance, especially during times of societal vulnerability such as wartime. It highlights how genuine emotions and the desire for connection can be exploited by unscrupulous individuals, emphasizing the need for critical thinking and verification of identities.

Through its engaging narrative and authentic period dialogue, the episode not only entertains but also imparts valuable lessons on trust, deception, and the relentless pursuit of justice by the FBI.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Major Roscoe's Declaration of Love:

  "Lily, forgive me for what I'm going to say. I love you."
  (05:30)

• FBI's Insight on Roscoe's Tactics:

  "The confidence game requires only two players. A gullible, rather lonely woman, for example, and a man with a great deal of charm and absolutely no scruples."
  (07:38)

• FBI's Strategy in Catching Roscoe:

  "When a handwriting specimen sent to the FBI laboratory in Washington is identified, the work does not stop there. Because agents immediately begin investigating the man concerned in this case."
  (10:32)

• Roscoe's Final Attempt at Deception:

  "The only weapon I carry is right here in my pocket. My checkbook."
  (25:05)

• FBI's Closing Statement on Vigilance:

  "These criminals can be among the most difficult to catch. But with a full cooperation of the decent citizens of our nation, they can be the easiest."
  (25:51)

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Final Thoughts

"This Is Your FBI: The Confidence Game" masterfully blends suspense, character development, and procedural investigation, creating an immersive listening experience. It pays homage to the Golden Age of Radio Detective dramas while delivering timeless messages about trust and the perpetual battle between good and evil.

Transcript

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Welcome to Choice Classic radio where we.

[Narrator]

Bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on Facebook. Subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for [e-mail] There are no major developments in the war news to report. Any new developments will be brought to you immediately. Keep tuned to your Blue network station. This is your FBI. This is your FBI, an official broadcast from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation presented as a public service by the equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. To your FBI, you look for national security and to the equitable society for financial security. These two great institutions are dedicated to the protection of you, your home and your country. Tonight, the story of a crime against society, the confidence game.

[FBI Agent]

There are some people who seem to wait for laws to be made so that they can break them. Break them and make money doing so. To those people, a curfew means a speakeasy. A price ceiling means a black market. A war means a high pitched gullible nation. They like war, those people, because they can make money out of it in a hundred different ways. Sooner or later they all get caught. But they try. They try every angle that a nation at war provides. And they try it in the most innocent places. Places like. Take the sunny boardwalk overlooking the ocean at a resort near New York.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Dirt your face up, Abby. Let the sun get at it. It only brings out my freckles, Lily, or else I start peeling. Oh, it's good for the bones. Oh, I wish we were really on vacation from school, but I can't help feeling a little guilty about spending money in wartime. I think of poor Mrs. Greenway and she hasn't heard from her son yet. No, she's hoping he's a prisoner of war in Germany. But.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Beg your pardon, I couldn't help overhearing you mention the name Greenway. Do you by any chance know the lad's first name? Well, I forgive my rudeness, but I've just come back from overseas myself and I thought perhaps.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, his name is Herbert, isn't that it?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Yes, Herbert Greenway.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Do you know him?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Yes, quite well.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Is he all right?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Do you know, madam, you can tell the lad's mother to rest easy. Exactly eight days ago, the Russians freed him from a German prison camp.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Then he was a prisoner. Oh, so, Lil, nice of you to tell us, major.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Major. Major William Evans Roscoe at your service, miss. That is, I hope it's miss.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, yes, I'm Ms. Tompkins and this is Ms. Bergen. How do you do?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Most charming pleasure. You See, I happen to know about the Greenway boy because. May I sit down? Oh.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, please do. Of course. Move over a little bit.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Thank you. Now, as I said, I've only just returned from some very secret work overseas in connection with prisoners. I leave for Washington shortly to make my report.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, When?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Well, not. Not for a day or so. I've been granted a short leave, but I. Frankly, I don't know anyone in the city. And would you ladies think it very presumptuous if I asked you to join me for dinner tonight?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, it would be A pleasure, Major.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Ms. Berger.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Lily, you know I promised the Perkins.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Oh, yes, I'm very sorry. Some other time, perhaps. I'd like to, but I will have the pleasure of your company, Ms. Tompkins. Well, please take pity on a lonely serviceman. You know, I haven't had a real meal or charming company for. Well, let's not say how long.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Aw, Major.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Yes?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Wouldn't you prefer a good home cooked meal?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Well, as a matter of fact.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, I'd be so honored. Oh, please. It would make me very happy, and it's the least a civilian could do.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Well, in that case, I'm at your service, ma' am. You know, Lily, there are two things about you that I find very hard to believe.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Major.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

One is that you cooked that most excellent dinner all by yourself.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Well, I did.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

And the other is that you're really not married or engaged. Oh, Bill, I look at you and I.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

What's the matter?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

I think I better go.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Why?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Because I can't do this anymore. Lily, forgive me for what I'm going to say.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Bill, I don't understand.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Can you understand the feeling of. Oh, lost time that war gives a man? Can you forgive it? Can you forgive me for saying, Lily, that I love you? Bill, I know we've only just met, but I. I want to run out and buy you flowers, buy you champagne, buy you. Lilia. I want to buy you a ring. An engagement ring.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

An engagement ring.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

You don't have to say yes this minute. You don't have to answer it all. I know it's sudden for you, but I want to.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

What, Bill?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Funny, here I am talking of buying a ring and thinking of running out and getting one first thing in the morning and have exactly $47 in my wallet.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

But, Bill.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

That's not enough, my dearest. Not for a ring for you.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, now, Bill, listen.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

No, no, no, no. Let me think. My bank's in Philadelphia. Do you suppose they'd honor a check here in New York?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Bill, I Refused to.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Lily. Lily, what's money for but something like this, something with someone like you. Well, now, my army credentials. Oh, darn it. They're secret. Lily, if you endorse the check, not for much. Say, $50? Oh, no, I couldn't ask you.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

But why not?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Why couldn't. That's all you.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

We're going to be engaged.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Oh, Lily.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

So what I have is yours, and.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

What I have is yours. Oh, Lily, I really do love you.

[FBI Agent]

The world is filled with people looking for love. And people in love forget to ask questions. They don't care. Lily Tompkins didn't ask. Didn't care. Didn't know. Didn't know that when Major William Roscoe left her house that night with a check for $50 in his pocket, he walked quickly to the nearest subway station. Not because he was in a hurry to catch that train, but because he had an appointment. An appointment he had made that very afternoon.

[Narrator]

Ms. Bergen. Ms. Bergen.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Major. Major. I hope I haven't kept you waiting long.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

I've been waiting all evening. Oh, it sounds like a pretty speech, but it's true.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Did. Did Lily say anything?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Oh, no. I knew she didn't hear us on the boardwalk. And if she had, I wouldn't have cared. I. I really never should have done this.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

I'm sorry.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Oh, no, no, no. You don't understand. I mean, Abby, forgive me for what I'm going to say.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

I don't understand.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Well, can you understand the feeling of lost time that war gives a man? Can you forgive it? Can you forgive me for standing here on a lonely subway platform and saying, abby, I love you?

[FBI Agent]

The confidence game requires only two players. A gullible, rather lonely woman, for example, and a man with a great deal of charm and absolutely no scruples. It's an old game, but it becomes a particularly nasty one when a new twist is added. The twist of taking advantage of a war. Still, it's a game. And like all games, it can't last, particularly when checks are involved. Sooner or later, those checks turn up at the FBI.

Are these the checks, Robbie?

Yes.

Both for $50 and both returned marked no account. Didn't those women ask the major for any credentials?

They felt the uniform was enough. And the army never even heard of William Evans Roscoe.

Probably an alias.

Yeah, well, it's a low trick, all right, to use the uniform of a. Well, he won't be wearing it long.

Is the laboratory reported on his handwriting yet?

We're waiting for a teletype from Washington now.

$50 from two schoolteachers two checks, and.

One within 10 hours of the other, which makes me think he's an old hand. I'm looking forward to that report from Washington on Major Roscoe.

When a handwriting specimen sent to the FBI laboratory in Washington is identified, the work does not stop there. In a sense, it just begins. Because agents immediately begin investigating the man concerned in this case. While the FBI was checking, the criminal who called himself Major, Roscoe decided to leave the city and go to a mountain resort. It would be cooler in the mountains. It would be relaxing. And besides, there would be lots of women. Lots of unattached, lonely women.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

When my plane caught fire, naturally there was nothing for me to do but bail out.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

And that was when the Japanese fired at you?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Yes, of course, I got the Purple Heart, but.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

But what, Major?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Well, I'd rather not talk about it, Ms. Hudson. Of course.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, I wish I were a man.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

What?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Well, I could have the kind of life you have now.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Personally, I prefer the life I led before I fulfilled my obligation to my country and joined up.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

What did you do before the army, Major?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Exactly what I wanted to do at the moment. If I felt the urge to go to China, the South Seas, I'd take, oh, 25, 30,000 out of the bank and go.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

It always takes money to do things like that. I could probably go as far as Chicago, I guess.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Oh, now, now, now. You must have more than hundred dollars in the bank. Well, I do, but how much?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Just a little. Barely 7,000.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Well, where's your spirit of adventure? Take that and just pick up and go.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, yes. I've always wanted to. I've always felt that I. I don't know why I talk like this to you.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

I do. You do it because you know that I understand.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Yes, I think you do.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Martha, can you forgive me for what I'm about to say to you?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Say?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

To me for the. From the first moment I saw you, I knew that.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Please, Major, don't say that. No, please. Don't you see how much it would mean to a woman like me? Don't you see how seriously I would take it?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Martha, I know. And I know how I feel.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

You mean.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Yes, Martha.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

You want to marry me?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Yes, Martha, I do.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, William.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

What's the matter, my dear?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

I just never thought I'd be happy. And I am. I am now for the first time in my life.

[FBI Agent]

Two days later, another check marked no account turned up at FBI headquarters in New York. Another check signed by Major William Evans Roscoe. A check that Major Roscoe had cashed at A resort in the mountains. Now, the trail, the path, the road that led to Major Roscoe was getting shorter, much shorter. The agents went at once to the resort to see the manager and then the major.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Well, really, gentlemen, if you can't accept a check from a major in the United States army and a major who's been decorated and wounded, Lord knows what else.

[FBI Agent]

Did you ask to see his credentials?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Well, no, but after all, his uniform.

[FBI Agent]

Unfortunately, the uniform is not enough of a credential. Not with people like Major Roscoe around.

By the way, has the major been very friendly with any particular woman?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Yes, with Ms. Hudson. Very nice lady, I. Ms. Hudson, huh? Ms. Martha Hudson.

[FBI Agent]

We'd better see her right away, Leo.

Oh, you.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

You can't. She's gone too.

[Narrator]

Too?

[FBI Agent]

Oh, yes.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

They both checked out yesterday. And he paid for both.

[FBI Agent]

By check?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Yes, by check.

[FBI Agent]

You have Ms. Hudson's home address?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Yes. I'll get it for you. Checks. Checks.

[FBI Agent]

A day too late.

Yes. Laboratory report on his handwriting certainly indicted him.

The major has quite a record. He's been operating for almost five years under about 20 different names.

I think we'll catch him this time.

That isn't what worries me.

What then?

I was thinking of a Ms. Martha Hudson of the report from Washington that the major's been married twice and both wives died almost immediately after the wedding.

[Narrator]

We momentarily close the Federal Bureau of Investigation file on the fraudulent major. We will return to this case in just a moment. Since the dawn of history, men have been fighting to win security. First, security against marauding enemies. Then security against the despotic power of kings and nobles. Freedom of speech and religion, trial by jury, protection against arbitrary arrest and imprisonment. These are some of the great securities which our ancestors bought for us with their blood and their lives. In the last century, men set out to win still another security for themselves. It was freedom from money worries. Protection against the financial uncertainties of the future. To this end, in the year 1859, a group of Americans founded the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Their idea was that by joining forces, by combining their dollars into a common protective fund, maximum security for each individual member would be achieved. Self help and self reliance. Voluntary cooperation by men willing to work together in ways that benefit the entire community. That's the American way. That's the equitable way. By serving its members, the Equitable serves America. And now back to the file on William Roscoe, confidence man.

[FBI Agent]

A man signs an assumed name to a check and defrauds a woman of $15. He's done it before, many times. He's never been caught and he sees no reason why he should be now. But the FBI has his record, they know his method of operation. And now on a train returning to New York, they are finally on his trail.

The description we got at the hotel fits the one of the report all right. Five' 11, 174 pounds, scars on his forehead.

The manager said the Major claimed he got those scars in the Pacific fighting Japs.

Well, it shouldn't take long to get to the Hudson woman's house from the station. She lives with her brother and sister in law.

What? Oh, yes.

What are you thinking about?

Same thing you are.

What that chambermaid told us.

Yes?

Well, just because the Major carries a gun, that doesn't mean.

I know.

I wish this train would move a little faster.

So do I. That train was due in New York at 3:45pm but it was 10 minutes late. And at 3:50pm Major Roscoe was waiting in the railroad station. Waiting to board a train. Waiting to board a train with his bride to be, Martha Hudson.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

You sure you got everything, Martha? Of course, Edna. Now don't worry so. I just wish I could be with you in Boston for the wedding.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

I wish you could be with your sister too, Mrs. Hudson, but army orders, you know there's nothing I can do.

[FBI Agent]

Of course not. Stop getting so upset, Edna.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Well, I can't help it if I care more about your own sister than you. Oh, Martha. Edna, now don't cry. I'm just so happy for you.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

There, there, my dear. Don't you think Martha's safe in my hands?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, yes, that's just it. It's all so wonderful.

[FBI Agent]

Oh, for Pete's sake.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Let me have your handkerchief.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Harry. Martha. My dad.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

I think we've been. Yes, William. Harry.

[FBI Agent]

Sis, I. Well, all the luck in the world to you.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Thanks. I think I've got it now. Goodbye, Edna. Goodbye, honey. Goodbye, Major. Take care of.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Do my best, Harry, old man.

[FBI Agent]

Goodbye, sir.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Thanks for everything. I can't tell you how.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Oh, the tickets.

[FBI Agent]

Holy macro. Here they are.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Thanks for picking them up.

[FBI Agent]

I'll forget it.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

You've got my check?

[FBI Agent]

Sure.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Well, goodbye then.

[FBI Agent]

Goodbye. Goodbye. Well, you did enough weeping for a dozen weddings.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

I know, but I'm so happy for her, Harry.

[FBI Agent]

Yes, so am I. She always pretended that she didn't care about not being married, but sure. And you know, when it's your own sister, you. You feel kind of lousy, honey.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Well, it's all right now, Harry. The Major's a wonderful man.

[FBI Agent]

He sure is.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

That was a beautiful ring he gave her. Must have cost a fortune.

[FBI Agent]

It did. 500 bucks.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

How do you know?

[FBI Agent]

His bank's in Philadelphia, so I endorse the check for him.

Oh.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Say, Harry, who's that man waiting on our front steps?

[FBI Agent]

I don't know.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Gee, I hope.

[FBI Agent]

What?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Nothing.

[Narrator]

Pardon me.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Yes?

[FBI Agent]

I'm looking for a Ms. Martha Hudson.

I'm afraid you'll have to go to Boston to find her, Mr. Boston?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Yes, she just left to be married.

[FBI Agent]

There to a Major Roscoe?

Yeah. Say, who are you anyway?

Special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Gee, Martha hasn't done anything, has she?

[FBI Agent]

No. The person we're looking for is the man who calls himself Major Roscoe.

I know it, Edna. I knew it was too good to be true.

There is not a section of this country that is not covered by the FBI. Before a train carrying Major Roscoe and Martha Hudson could have arrived in Boston, special agents in that city were notified by teletype to be on the watch when the train arrived. They were at the station. There was no sign of the Major or Martha Hudson. The agents checked all the hotels, the rooming houses, the churches, but there was no trace of the missing couple. A report was teletyped back to New York and the special agents there immediately paid another call on Martha Hudson's brother and sister in law.

Mr. Hudson, are you certain that your sister and the Major left for Boston?

I can't be certain of anything anymore, Harry. I'm sorry, honey.

We know this has been a pretty bad shock, Mr. Hudson, but we're trying to find your sister. Did you put them on the Boston train?

No, we said goodbye to them in the station.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Maybe they got off before Boston.

[FBI Agent]

We're checking on that. But there's also the possibility they never started for Boston.

I picked up the tickets myself.

Did you see them?

No, I just picked up the envelope, paid for it and never looked inside.

You say you paid for the tickets?

Yes.

Do you remember how much they cost?

Sure. The Major gave me his personal check for them. Here.

Thank you. This checks for $20.38.

That's the price?

Yes, but that's not the price of two tickets to Boston. That's the price of two tickets to Washington.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

William, why did you tell Harry and Edna we were going to Boston instead of Washington?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Oh, just the incurable rheumaticist in me, I guess. This way we seem like two carefree youngsters running off to this hotel secretly.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Ah, William, we're going to have such a wonderful life.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Oh dear.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

What's the trouble?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

In all the confusion of getting away, I didn't have time to get to the bank. I strip myself of cash.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

That's all right. I have some.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

It's a fine way to begin our life together. What do you mean, borrowing from you?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, it's not borrowing. Whatever I have is yours. Anyway.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

I wish you didn't have a single penny.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Why?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

I suppose it's because at heart I'm old fashioned, my dear. But I wish you were completely dependent on me. I wish you had to come to me for every. Pen.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

William, may I have your pen?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

What are you going to do?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

The pen, please.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Here.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Thank you. I'm going to make myself completely dependent on you because. Well, because I'm old fashioned, too.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

What's that?

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Cheque for all I have.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Oh, my dear, I knew. I knew from the very beginning that you were the woman I always.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Who's that?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Say, bellboy, I guess I ordered some champagne for us.

[Ms. Lily Tompkins]

Oh, William.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Yes? Major Roscoe, at your service.

[FBI Agent]

Gentlemen, would you step out into the hall for a moment?

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Who are you?

[FBI Agent]

Special agents of the FBI, William.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Just some military matters, my dear. Nothing to be alarmed about. I'll be back in a moment.

[FBI Agent]

Now then, gentlemen, I think you know what we're here for.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

My dear man, I really haven't the slightest idea.

[FBI Agent]

You mind if we search you for weapons?

Yes.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

The only weapon I carry is right here in my pocket. My checkbook.

[FBI Agent]

What we'd like to talk with you about concerns, checks and impersonation. We have quite a few of your checks. One endorsed by a Ms. Lily Tompkins, another by a.

No, you don't.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

My checkbook.

[FBI Agent]

I know. I'll take that checkbook, major.

What is it?38 automatic?

Yes.

Handy little gun you had there, Major.

[Major William Evans Roscoe]

Not quite handy enough, it seems. But you know, gentlemen, I should have known from personal experience that as a weapon, the checkbook is much better than the gun. Shall we go?

[FBI Agent]

Very often people will believe things because they want very badly to believe them. But too often, other people, criminals, confidence men will take advantage of this desire, even to the extent of impersonating an officer of the United States Army. Every representative of this country, every government employee, carries credentials. Credentials that you should examine carefully. This is a duty you owe not only to yourself, but to your country and to the protectors of our internal security, the FBI. These criminals can be among the most difficult to catch. But with a full cooperation of the decent citizens of our nation, they can be the easiest.

[Narrator]

You will hear about the file on next week's case. In just a minute. Yesterday, somewhere on the island of Okinawa, a young American infantryman stepped on a landmine. It blew up in his face. Today, both of that boy's legs are going to be amputated. Compared with his sacrifice, anything that any of us does here at home seems true, trifling. Nevertheless, while we can't do as much as the men and women at the front, we can do our best. And that best is vitally important to victory. So it'll be a source of satisfaction to Equitable members to learn that 44% of this society's assets are now invested in war bonds and government securities. Recently, Thomas I. Parkinson, president of the Equitable, pointed out what this means. He said, quote, for every one of its 3,200,000 members, the Equitable now owns government bonds amounting to $490. For each member. An additional $220 is invested in industries and utilities which manufacture weapons of war, plus $115 per member invested in railroads engaged in war transportation. That's another reason why we say that in wartime, Equitable dollars are fighting dollars. And at all times they are security dollars for you, your home and your country. Next week, a crime against our fighting men. War fraud. The incidents used in tonight's broadcast are taken from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, all names used are fictitious. Any similarity thereof to the names of persons living or dead is accidental. In tonight's cast, William Roscoe was played by Arnold Moss and Martha by Charlotte Holland. The music was composed and directed by Van Cleave. The author was Lawrence MacArthur and your narrator was Frank Lovejoy. This is your FBI is a Jerry Devine production. Now, this is Carl Frank speaking for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time for this is your FBI. This is the Blue Network of the American Broadcasting Company.