Top Secret 1950-06-12 (001) Night Train to Berlin

Summary

Podcast Title: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Top Secret 1950-06-12 (001) Night Train to Berlin
Release Date: June 9, 2025
Host/Author: Harold's Old Time Radio
Description: Radio shows from the Golden Age of Radio, featuring classic programs that captivated families before the advent of television.

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Detailed Summary of "Top Secret: Night Train to Berlin"

Introduction

"Night Train to Berlin" is the premiere episode of the "Top Secret" series, a dramatization of international espionage set during and leading up to World War II. Featuring the alluring Ilona Massey as Baroness Karen Gabon and Carl Emery as Herr Garbin, the episode weaves a tense narrative of undercover operations, deception, and high-stakes missions against the backdrop of wartime Europe.

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Characters

• Baroness Karen Gabon (Ilona Massey): A noblewoman turned intelligence agent who operates undercover as a manicurist in Berlin to gather critical information.

• Herr Garbin (Carl Emery): A ruthless Gestapo agent tasked with extracting information from Baroness Gabon.

• The Farmer: An enigmatic figure who coordinates espionage activities, identifiable by his unique calling card—a plain white card with a single grain of wheat.

• Shoemaker: A skilled technician responsible for equipping Baroness Gabon with advanced spy gadgets hidden within her shoes.

• English Operative: An English spy involved in the mission to intercept Gestapo activities on the train.

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Plot Summary

Setup

The episode opens with Baroness Karen Gabon revealing her transformation from a privileged aristocrat to a dedicated spy. [01:21]

Baroness Karen Gabon: "I accepted the conditions. I became an intelligence agent, a spy. I forgot I was a baroness... I forgot everything except to fight against these animals."

Disguised as a manicurist at the prestigious Hotel Adlon in Berlin, she leverages her position to extract valuable information from the high society clientele. Her ultimate goal is to intercept a vital message being smuggled by a Gestapo agent named Garbin.

Rising Action

Baroness Gabon receives instructions from The Farmer, emphasizing the dangers of espionage:
[02:12]

The Farmer: "In espionage you receive no credit in success, no protection in danger, no recognition even in death. If you have to steal, steal. But if you are caught, you will go to jail as a thief."

She meticulously plans her mission, utilizing advanced technology concealed within her footwear—a high-frequency shortwave transmitter and a radioactive-sensitive receiver, effectively making her a mobile Geiger counter. [09:00]

Baroness Gabon encounters The Farmer while enjoying a cigarette in the tear garden:
[05:00]

The Farmer: "Good afternoon, Carla. Perhaps you'd like a match?"
Baroness Karen Gabon: "I'm quite capable of lighting my own cigarettes."

Their interaction is laden with coded language, solidifying their covert collaboration.

As the train journey progresses, Baroness Gabon navigates through layers of deception and surveillance. She attempts to signal her English counterpart by intending to remove her hat as a code—a plan that disastrously falters when a gust of wind blows her hat away, causing miscommunication. [17:18]

Baroness Karen Gabon: "I got a good look at her garb... But then in two seconds our plan had been shattered."

Climax

Isolated with Herr Garbin on the train after her failed signal, Baroness Gabon confronts him with unwavering resolve:
[21:40]

Baroness Karen Gabon: "I will not talk. I will never talk."

Despite Garbin's threats and psychological manipulation, Baroness Gabon remains stoic, adhering to her mission's secrecy. As the train approaches Basel, tension escalates when Garbin accuses her of deceit:
[25:10]

Herr Garbin: "When did you ski thou, Miss? I'm sure only a very special assignment would call for such haste."

In a desperate bid to neutralize the threat, Baroness Gabon resorts to violence, using a hidden weapon—a harmless yet lethal nail file—to eliminate Garbin. [27:26]

Baroness Karen Gabon: "I find my weapon so harmless, so simple... I held it in front of his."

Resolution

With Garbin incapacitated, Baroness Gabon secures the critical uranium-infused suitcase, ensuring it does not fall into German hands. She successfully completes her mission, returning to her cover as a manicurist without raising suspicion. The episode concludes with Baroness Gabon resuming her daily duties, her heroic actions undetected by those around her. [29:21]

Baroness Karen Gabon: "If a man molested you, a nail file in the eyes would be. Would you like to try this new polish? It's called Blood Red."

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Notable Quotes

• Baroness Karen Gabon on Espionage Sacrifices:

  [02:12]
  "In espionage you receive no credit in success, no protection in danger, no recognition even in death."

• The Farmer on the Dangers of Being Caught:

  [02:26]
  "If you have to kill, kill. But if you are caught, you will hang."

• Baroness on Her Transformation:

  [01:21]
  "I became an intelligence agent, a spy. I forgot I was a baroness... I forgot everything except to fight against these animals."

• Shakespearean Threat by Herr Garbin:

  [25:15]
  "Your fingernails, your knuckles, your beautiful white teeth, that golden hair. I promise you, your hair will be gray as ashes before that treatment is over."

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Conclusion

"Night Train to Berlin" masterfully encapsulates the tension and intrigue characteristic of Golden Age radio dramas. Through impeccable voice acting, strategic plot development, and authentic period details, the episode immerses listeners in a gripping tale of espionage and heroism. Baroness Karen Gabon's unwavering dedication and resourcefulness highlight the complexities of war-time intelligence operations, while the antagonist Herr Garbin embodies the relentless threat posed by the Gestapo. This episode stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of classic radio storytelling, offering both entertainment and a poignant reflection on the sacrifices made in the shadows of conflict.

Transcript

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[Narrator]

Until now, this story has been top secret. Top secret. The new NBC presentation starring gorgeous Ilona Massey as the Baroness Karen Gaza in transcribed dramas of international intrigue and espionage before and during World War II assignment. One night train to Berlin. A story until now top secret.

[Herr Garbin]

Baronets, we have crossed the Swiss frontier. The we are in Germany now, Herr Garben.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I will not talk.

[Herr Garbin]

When we get off the train, you will be given to the Gestapo. They will break you.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

They won't.

[Herr Garbin]

They will. Your fingernails, your knuckles, your beautiful white teeth, that golden hair. I promise you, your hair will be gray as ashes before the treatment is over.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I will not talk. I will never talk. How do I come to be locked in a compart with a Gestapo man on the night express from Geneva to Berlin? It is very simple. A long time ago, man, a very wonderful, brave man, offered me a job. And I took it. Baroness, he said, remember this.

[The Farmer]

In espionage you receive no credit in success, no protection in danger, no recognition even in death. If you have to steal, steal. But if you are caught, you will go to jail as a thief.

[Herr Garbin]

If you have to kill, kill.

[The Farmer]

But if you are caught, you will hang. And always remember, Baroness, your first mistake.

[Shoemaker]

Will be your last.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I accepted the conditions. I became an intelligence agent, a spy. I forgot I was a baroness. I forgot my home in Vienna. I forgot everything except to fight against these animals. I got a job as a manicurist in the Hotel Adlon in Berlin. It is surprising how much one can pick up in a beauty parlor. And I do not mean tips. Your other hand now, Frau von Glug. Oh, careful, Fraulein. Do not scratch my ring with your file. My husband sent it to me from Africa. And that night I would send a message. Colonel General Hans von Klug is in Africa. For days I hear nothing. Then all he says in his letter is how cold it is. Your husband is fighting a war. Frorister. He's busy. Send me my fur lined field coat. He says So I wrote, send me a Russian saber. And that night my message would say, third Panzer Division is on the Eastern front in Russia, north sector, where it is cold. Day after day, I manicured the hands of these fat German women. I was waiting. I was waiting for a message from a man called simply the Farmer. His trademark was a plain white visiting card with a single grain of wheat glued in the center. I had been told that I would be contacted in a way that no German would ever speak. In a way that no German would ever speak. Last Friday, after the manicure shop closed, I went to sit in the tear garden to enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air. As I sat in the long, watching the children and the birds, I took out the cigarette.

[The Farmer]

Good afternoon, Carla. Perhaps you'd like a match?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I'm quite capable of lighting my own cigarettes.

[The Farmer]

You look capable of practically anything.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I beg your pardon?

[The Farmer]

Even of calling a flat foot and turning me in.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Calling a what?

[The Farmer]

Flat foot. You know, like Dick Tracy.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Do you? Do you know Dick Tracy?

[The Farmer]

Mm. And little Abner and Daisy May.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

It's nice to meet someone who knows them.

[The Farmer]

I have a calling card. Right from dog patch. Sort of farmerish.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

May I see it?

[The Farmer]

Perhaps you could describe it first.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Plain white. Yeah, with a grain of wheat.

[English Operative]

Rude.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

In the center, across the street from the entrance to the park, there is a small tea room. Do you know it?

[The Farmer]

Yes.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Table in the corner, behind the pillars. Can you be there in 15 minutes?

[The Farmer]

That's all I know. Frulein. What I've told you. The farmer said you'd know what to do.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Where do his exact words?

[The Farmer]

I memorized them.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Repeat the message again.

[The Farmer]

He said, G left Lisbon by air yesterday. Arrived Hotel Metropole in Geneva Tonight has compartment 10 on car 806, Geneva Berlin Express leaving Geneva midnight Saturday. Stop him.

[Herr Garbin]

That's all I see.

[The Farmer]

Is there anything you want me to do?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes. There's a flight on Swiss Air leaving Tempelhof in two hours. Get me a reservation. And can you get me some Swiss money?

[The Farmer]

Yes, Roland, as much as.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Then telephone Geneva and make a reservation for me at the Hotel Metropole in the name of Karen Gabon.

[The Farmer]

Yes, Fraulein.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I think that is all.

[The Farmer]

Perhaps I'm not supposed to ask questions, but was meant by G. His name is Garbon.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I've never seen him. I only know that at this moment he's the most dangerous man in the world. He's smuggling something into Germany. That.

[The Farmer]

Smuggling what, Fraulein?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Well, it is not necessary for you to know. Do not ask him more questions. Get me as much money as you can and meet me at the airport in two hours. Later that night, I was flying over Switzerland. So peaceful, so rich. So convenient as a place where enemies can meet and dine and drink together. After I landed in Geneva, I took a taxi to a dark little shop in the Rue de Petit Cl, the street of the Little Bell. All this had been planned for weeks. I knew exactly what we needed. I knew what would be ready. I knew that the shoemaker would be waiting.

[Herr Garbin]

Damming.

[The Farmer]

Damming.

[Herr Garbin]

Come in.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Are you alone? Yes.

[Shoemaker]

Come in where you followed.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

No.

[Shoemaker]

Are you positive?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes. Are my shoes ready?

[Shoemaker]

Come with me, child.

[Herr Garbin]

In the back.

[Shoemaker]

I have been expecting you for weeks.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I have been waiting for weeks.

[Shoemaker]

So, our little German is in Geneva.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

He's catching the midnight express, the Berlin, tomorrow night.

[Shoemaker]

But we are ready for him, are we not?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I do hope so.

[Shoemaker]

Here are your shoes. Try them on. The instrument is in the heels. It is good. I am skilled in precision work. My years in the watch factory. Are they comfortable?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes, they are fine.

[Shoemaker]

Now bring the heels together like this. You feel something?

[Narrator]

No.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes. I feel a kind of tingling sensation.

[Shoemaker]

Observe, child. I take off my watch. I place it on the floor. Stand with your heels on either side of the watch.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Like this?

[Shoemaker]

Yes. Now listen. You hear?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

It's amazing.

[Shoemaker]

Now I take the watch away like this. The sound stops.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Oh, it's perfect.

[Shoemaker]

In your right heel is a very high frequency short wave transmitter. So small I have made them smaller than that to fit a wristwatch. In your other heel is a receiver hooked up to a circuit sensitive to radioactive substances. My watch has a radium dial. When you stand with the radium watch dial between your heels, the transmitter activates the receiver. You feel a small electrical impulse and hear the beep. You are a walking Geiger counter.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

And you are a genius. And also my very dear friend.

[Shoemaker]

Is there anything else?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes. I will go now to the Metropole Hotel. I have a reservation under the name of Karen Gabble.

[Shoemaker]

Karen Gabble?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes. I want an operative. Your best. Young enough to be strong and old enough to be wise.

[Shoemaker]

I have the very man, 30, an Englishman, and speaks perfect German. Resourceful, fearless.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Have him get me a ticket on the Geneva Berlin Express tomorrow night. Our friend will be in compartment 10, car 806, if possible. I want compartment nine or compartment 11.

[Shoemaker]

And if that is impossible?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Well, then, at least in the same car.

[Shoemaker]

Car 806.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

That is right.

[Shoemaker]

Anything else?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Have him bring the tickets to the Hotel Metropole and tell him to use the service entrance.

[Shoemaker]

I have something else for you, child. Wait a moment. I made these myself.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Sugar lumps?

[Shoemaker]

Yes. Individually wrapped, just like in America. Sugar with enough cyanide to kill in 30 seconds. I will give you six cubes. They may be handy. Who knows?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Who knows indeed. Thank you, dear friend, and have your man bring my tickets to the hotel at once. Who is it? Come in. Thank you. Who sent you?

[English Operative]

A shoemaker.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Can you identify yourself?

[English Operative]

Here is my card, madame. Plain white, as you see, with a grain of wheat in the center.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Have you my ticket to Berlin?

[English Operative]

806, compartment 11. Geneva Berlin Express. Tomorrow night at midnight.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Good. Sit down. There is much for you to do.

[English Operative]

Thank you.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Six weeks ago, on our side of the ocean, three German agents stole a sample of a new atomic fuel made from uranium 235.

[English Operative]

Yes, I know. The shoemaker told me.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

They also obtained only copy of a formula on how the fuel may be used and controlled in some way. I do not know how 2 ounces of this metal reached Lisbon, but.

[English Operative]

But it must be incredibly difficult to transport unconscious carry radioactive material in one's hand, can one?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

It is being transported in a block of lead 9 inches square. Yesterday it reached Geneva. I was told by the farmer that it is in a suitcase. A plain leather suitcase.

[Narrator]

Go on.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

The suitcase is in the possession of a Gestapo agent named Garben. He's staying here at hotel, and tomorrow night he leaves for Berlin.

[English Operative]

Are you sure he has the medal?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Naturally, we can't be positive. We only know that if the metal in that formula reaches Germany, our armies never will. Exactly.

[English Operative]

What do you want me to do?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Be on the train tomorrow night.

[English Operative]

Basel on the Swiss border is the only stop the Geneva Berlin Express makes.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Isn't it all right?

[English Operative]

It's dangerous for me to be that near Germany.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I. Are you afraid?

[English Operative]

I was involved in the assassination attempt on the life of Field Marshal Gerding. My picture is posted in every railway station in Germany.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I'm sorry.

[English Operative]

That's all right.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I have a Geiger counter built into the heels of my shoes. I will get on the train early, go directly to Garbin's compartment, and when he arrives, I will pretend it is mine.

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[Teen Advocate]

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[Herr Garbin]

Wayfarer.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Every style. Every home. I will try to plant my heels next to his luggage. You will be on the station platform outside. If I get a reaction, I will. I will signal you.

[Herr Garbin]

How?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Let me think. What should it be? Something you can see easily through the train window.

[English Operative]

Will you be wearing a hat?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes.

[English Operative]

If he hasn't the metal, take off your hat.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

And if he has? I leave it on.

[Herr Garbin]

Right.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

The hat is wide, brimmed, grey felt. You'll see it easily.

[English Operative]

So no metal. Take off your hat and ride through to Berlin. Having missed the boat completely.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes.

[English Operative]

And then I won't get on the train.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Right.

[English Operative]

Perhaps we should have another operative. Someone to pose as a passenger and ride through to Berlin with you.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

That's up to the shoemaker.

[English Operative]

Anything else?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Just be standing outside the window of compartment 10, car 806 tomorrow night at 10 minutes to 12. I got a good look at her garb. And the next day, in the lobby of the hotel, he was carrying a small square suitcase. He sat quite near me with a suitcase beside him on the floor. When he left, the heavy wool carpet had a mark on it, a square mark in the nap. It was a small suitcase to be so heavy unless. Unless it contained a piece of lead 9 inches square. @ the station that night, I got on the train early and went to Garvin's compartment in the car 806. Through the window, I could see my Englishman standing in the shadow of a pillar, his eyes watching my hat. It drew closer and closer to midnight, and still Garvin didn't arrive. I could hear the station master calling the departure.

[Herr Garbin]

Oh, excuse me, forlein, but I think you have made a mistake. Apartment is mine.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Oh, but that is impossible. I know. I'm number 10.

[Herr Garbin]

Perhaps I could see your ticket.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Oh, certainly. I have it in my purse if I can ever find it. You know how much useless Equipment a woman carries it must be here somewhere.

[Herr Garbin]

There is no hurry, Fraulein.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Please sit down. I'll find it in a moment.

[Herr Garbin]

While you look, Fraulein, this compartment is stifling. May I open the window?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Please do.

[Herr Garbin]

I got warm running for the train. Excuse me. There. That's better.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I shall never find it if you stand and watch me. Please put your luggage on the floor beside mine and sit down.

[Herr Garbin]

Thank you for mayor.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I wonder if.

[Herr Garbin]

What's that?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

What's what?

[Herr Garbin]

That noise.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I heard nothing.

[Herr Garbin]

I could have sworn I heard something like. I should not run for trains. The ringing comes in my ears. All your hat. Watch out.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

A sudden gust of wind swept in the open window. My head had a wide brim. The wind caught it and blew it off my head. It rolled to Garbon Street. This was supposed to have been our signal. If he hadn't the metal. I was to take off my hat. Outside on the station platform, I saw my English friend smile at me and then turn and walk quickly away. He thought I had signaled him that the metal was not there. In two seconds our plan had been shattered. I was alone with Garvan and the uranium. The next stop was Basel and the German border.

[Herr Garbin]

Completely enchanting.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Have you forgiven me for my stupid mistake about your compartment?

[Herr Garbin]

You have made the evening perfect. Of course I forgive you.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Oh, it is late. I must get some sleep.

[Herr Garbin]

Nonsense. It is not often I have such pleasure. A woman like you, beautiful, charming, witty, trifled. Please stay.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Do you suppose we could get some coffee? Of course.

[Herr Garbin]

Of course. I ring.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Look, a friend of mine gave me a special treat today. Sugar? Six whole lumps.

[Herr Garbin]

We shall have a feast. I haven't had sugar in coffee for weeks.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Will they have any cream?

[Herr Garbin]

We can hope for the best. Come in. You rang, sir? Yeah. English coffee for two. Want have your chicken?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

No.

[Herr Garbin]

Canned beef, then Beef. But tin sandwiches with coffee for two. Yes, sir. What are you smiling at? The coffee, sir. It is very bad. Ersat.

[Shoemaker]

We make it from anything. Grain, wheat.

[Herr Garbin]

We buy our coffee from farmers.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

From farmers?

[Herr Garbin]

Yes, Fraulein. Would you prefer tea?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

No. I'll try the coffee.

[Herr Garbin]

I do. Hurry, please. Yes, sir, at once.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Before we have our coffee, will you excuse me? I will freshen up. My hands are filtered from the dark.

[Herr Garbin]

I shall miss you, Baroness. But I shall also look forward to your return.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I'm only going next door to my compartment.

[Herr Garbin]

Even that is too far.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I won't be a moment. Waiter.

[Herr Garbin]

Yes.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

In my compartment. Quickly. Number 11. Inside. Quickly. Yes, Fraulein. Who are you?

[Herr Garbin]

The Farmer sent me.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

How?

[Herr Garbin]

Through the shoemaker.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Have you a card?

[Herr Garbin]

White with a grain of wheat.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Do you know about this?

[Herr Garbin]

Yes. You want his suitcase?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes. Thank God you are here. I had a signal that went wrong. My head blew off.

[Herr Garbin]

Has he the metal?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes. What are you going to do? I have some of the shoemaker's sugar. I put it in his coffee.

[Herr Garbin]

Supposing he doesn't take sugar?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I asked him. He said he did.

[Herr Garbin]

I had better get out of here.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Bring us the coffee and come back in half an hour. We'll have to do something with this, buddy. When do we get to customs?

[Herr Garbin]

Oh, less than that.

[Shoemaker]

About 20 minutes.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Then come back in 15. We'll have to get his body off the train before the customs man come aboard.

[Herr Garbin]

Oh, somebody is ringing for me. I have got to go.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

All right. Be careful. Yes.

[Herr Garbin]

All right.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

All right.

[Herr Garbin]

Wait up.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes, sir.

[Herr Garbin]

Come in here, please. Someone is ringing, Sir. I come in. Oh, yes. I would shoot you. Come in. Yes, sir. That's it. Now shut the door behind you. I am not a fool, young man. I know about the farmer. I know about the wheat. I have not been in the Gestapo eight years for nothing. Question. Who is she? I don't know. Is she with you? No, I swear it. I have never seen her before in my life. I think you are lying. Pull down the berth. What? The berth. The upper berth. Pull it down. I don't understand. Pull it down.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Yes, sir.

[Herr Garbin]

It's big time. Hurry.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Good.

[Herr Garbin]

My friend. I have a silencer on my gun. The train is noised. I have not much time. The Baroness will be back in a moment. If you tell me the truth, you can go. If you don't, I will shoot you. Shove your body into the bird and close it. Now. You have two seconds to decide. I swear I have never seen her.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Never.

[Herr Garbin]

You're lying.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

No, no. What on earth is Alfredo doing with our coffee?

[Herr Garbin]

He's probably busy. He won't be long. Oh, they are coming into Basel. But doubtless he's waiting until after the customs men get on.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Are we at Basel already?

[Herr Garbin]

It is the company, Baroness that gives wings to time.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Well, we have to get out.

[The Farmer]

No.

[Herr Garbin]

The customs men get on the train.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Not even a breath of air.

[Herr Garbin]

They only stop for a moment.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I Some fresh air would do me.

[Herr Garbin]

You seem very anxious to get off the train, Baroness. Are you nervous about something?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Nervous? Why? Should I be?

[Herr Garbin]

Smuggling something, perhaps?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Do I look like a smuggler?

[Herr Garbin]

Appearances are deceptive. What were you doing in Switzerland? Skiing. For long?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Couple of weeks. I had a wonderful vacation.

[Herr Garbin]

It must be nice to have a vacation. For years I have not had the time. The customs man. Excuse me, darling.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Passport, please.

[Herr Garbin]

Certainly. Ah, Herr Garban, this is an honor. I trust you have a pleasant journey. Stamp it, will you? Certainly, Docturn. Now, madame, your passport, if you please.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

No, no.

[Herr Garbin]

It will not be necessary to look at the luggage if you are with a G. And just your passport.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Here it is.

[Herr Garbin]

Thank you. Yeah, it's quite in order. And next time, bar, stay longer and fly into our beautiful Switzerland that one night and leave the next reflection on our hospitality both. Gutenabene. Gutenabend. Sit down, Bernese.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I. I think I should go to bed.

[Herr Garbin]

Sit down. You are on German soil now. I can have you locked in this compartment until we reach Berlin.

[The Farmer]

Good.

[Herr Garbin]

I am glad you're going to be reasonable. So cruelty. We will not resort to the arm. I will not twist guns. I shall not threaten with. But you will answer me quickly and truthfully.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I haven't the slightest idea of what you are talking.

[Herr Garbin]

You fly in last night, take the train out tonight. You say you were skiing for two weeks. Why do you lie?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I'm merely traveling to Berlin. I want the rest of the night to sleep.

[Herr Garbin]

When did you ski? Then your passport says.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Give me that passport. You have no right to.

[Herr Garbin]

Then your passport says.

[Shoemaker]

Ha.

[Herr Garbin]

Yes. Exit Templehof Airport last night. Reentry Basel tonight. When did you ski thou, Miss? I'm sure only a very special assignment would call for such haste. Is that assignment myself?

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I refuse to talk.

[Herr Garbin]

When we get off the train, you will be given to the Gestapo. They will break you.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

They won't.

[Herr Garbin]

They will. Your fingernails, your knuckles, your beautiful white. That golden hair. I promise you, your hair will be gray as ashes before that treatment is over.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I will not talk. I will never talk.

[Herr Garbin]

Baroness. The next stop is barely. And you are alone. Your friend Zaveda is dead. His body is shut in my upper birth.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

No.

[Herr Garbin]

That startles you, doesn't it? Is there a tremor in those beautiful eyes, Baroness? Is it terror? Is it? There is no need of terror, Baroness. Everything can be avoided if you answer a few questions. Their names. Who are you? How did you know what I was carrying? Who is the farmer? Their names. Who are you? How did you know what I was carrying? Who is the farmer? Their names.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Who are you? Over and over and over, all the way to Berlin. All night long. I had lost. There was no escape. The guests would break me. They can break anybody. I remembered what I had been told.

[The Farmer]

If you have to kill, kill.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

But what quest? I had no weapon. I could not kill him with my bare hand. And then, in the early morning, when we were slowing down to stop at central fiction, the train jerked sharply. The car lurched. The weight of the body in the upper burst caused it to swiften suddenly downwards for perhaps five seconds. Garden was dead, but it was long enough. I found my weapon so harmless, so simple. Something only a woman would carry. I held it in front of his.

[Herr Garbin]

Ey. Now I. Please, in the name of.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

Don't. Don't say his holy name. Her Garden. Say rather in the name of my husband, whom you troops hung head downwards outside our house in Vienna until the blood burst in his brain.

[Herr Garbin]

No, no.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

I was suddenly very calm. I stepped over his body, took the heavy suitcase and got off the train. The farmer himself met me. The metal and the formula are now on our side of the ocean. And I. I am back at my job as a manicurist in the admon. When I need a manicure, Pauline, I always come to you. You are so expert. No one else can shape my nails like this. Well, it is the files, froth and blue. I get them specially made, very long and thin and the best steel. They have many uses, many uses for life. Yes. If a man molested you, a nail file in the eyes would be. Would you like to try this new polish? It's called Blood Red.

[The Farmer]

Foreign.

[Narrator]

You have just heard Ilona Massey starring in the new NBC presentation Top Secret. And here she is to tell you.

[Baroness Karen Gabon]

About next week's show. Next week's story concerns a theft by a dead man who never died, a seamstress who didn't talk and the lichen begleiter, a corpse carrier. It is a story that has been up till now, Top Secret.

[Narrator]

Top Secret is directed and produced by Harry W. Junkin. The program, in part transcribed, was purely fictional and was written by Alan sloan. Featured with Ms. Massie tonight was Carl Emery as Hair Garbin. Others in the cast were Leon Janney, Bill Lipton, Francis Bethencourt, Paul Levit and Connie Lemke. The music was composed and conducted by Dr. Roy Shield. This is Fred Collins speaking. Every Thursday night, radio listeners can hear for themselves a startling yet authentic dramatization of the step by step solution of an actual crime. Dragnet tells the story of your police force at work and in action. Dragnet is taken from police files of a great American city and NBC is proud to present it to you for your pleasure. This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company.

[Teen Advocate]

Use of flavored tobacco by teens is a crisis. Tobacco companies use flavors like cotton candy, watermelon, ice and cool mint to hook kids like me. They seem harmless, but they aren't. Addiction to nicotine sets us up for a lifetime of health problems. Organ legislators can do something about about it. Passing Senate Bill 702A will keep flavored tobacco away from kids. But there are just a few short weeks left for lawmakers to act. Take action to protect kids like me@.

[Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids]

Flavorshookorgankids.Org paid for by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Action Fund.