Top Secret 1950-08-20 (011) The Church Without a Cross

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Top Secret 1950-08-20 (011) - “The Church Without a Cross”
Release Date: August 25, 2025
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio

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Main Theme / Purpose

This episode features an installment of "Top Secret," a classic espionage radio drama following the daring exploits of Baroness Karen Gazer. Episode 11, "The Church Without a Cross," is a tense wartime thriller set in Nazi-occupied Belgium. The Baroness risks her life to uncover the location of secret rocket launches—desperate to save London from destruction.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

1. Mission Assignment & Stakes

[02:07]

• Baroness Gazer is briefed by Sir Eric Hamilton of London’s Civilian Defence: a mysterious, deadly “Location Rx” is responsible for rocket attacks on London.
• The Baroness pleads for permission to parachute into occupied Belgium to locate Rx.
  • Sir Eric Hamilton: "12 other operatives have searched for location RX and vanished. You are the 13th." ([04:58])

2. Journey into Belgium

[05:15–06:37]

• Gazer parachutes into Belgium and reaches Brussels amidst the dangers and devastation of war.
• Finds her contact, Pierre Le Brun, who reluctantly aids her, plagued by guilt over previous failed missions.

3. The Web of Contacts

[07:29–10:04]

• Contact protocol: use of a 1920 English penny for identification.
• Le Brun warns: "Working alone is the only way." ([09:59])
• Subtle tension as Le Brun’s son Jacques is mentioned, hinting at danger from betrayal or fear.

4. Danger on Every Corner

[11:39–12:56]

• Gazer, now alone, is accosted in the street by a stranger who knows her movements, underscoring the omnipresent Nazi surveillance.
• She survives thanks to her caution and quick thinking.

5. Infiltration and Espionage

[13:38–14:46]

• After weeks undercover and bribes, Karen becomes a secretary in the office of Colonel Hans von Karsch (the target), securing proximity to critical information about Rx.
• Risky behavior: she subtly tries to learn the location from von Karsch, who grows suspicious:
  • Von Karsch: "Are you trying to find out where it is? ... You do not ask questions. You obey." ([14:00])

6. Allies in Disguise

[15:27–16:12]

• In a clandestine elevator meeting, Gazer finds another British agent, Roger:
  • Roger: "12 agents have come over, mademoiselle. I was the seventh." ([15:48])
  • Baroness Gazer: "I am the 13th." ([15:51])
• They agree to collaborate and plans are set for an operation.

7. Breakthrough—Location Revealed

[17:06–18:54]

• Gazer overhears von Karsch’s phone call arranging to bring a munitions magnate to Location Rx for the first test of a new aiming device, revealing its approximate whereabouts:
  • "The first rocket with the aiming device will be fired at midnight. If possible, we wish to hit Buckingham Palace." ([17:22])
• Gazer obtains a pass under a false identity.

8. Betrayal and Family Tension

[20:51–23:47]

• Returning to Le Brun’s residence, Gazer finds Jacques torturing his father, suspecting him of collaboration with Nazis.
• She manages to convince Jacques of her bona fides using the Baroness' identification and the address Pierre had given her.
• Jacques: "My father was a Nazi. Shall we go now?" ([23:50])

9. The Final Assault

[24:39–27:03]

• With Jacques and Roger, Gazer heads for the church on a peninsula near Ostend—“the church without a cross”—the launch site for Nazi rockets.
• The trio infiltrates the site, Jacques falls into an electrified trap but sacrifices himself so the others can report the location:
  • Jacques: "My leg is artificial. Otherwise I'd be burned to a crisp. Now go. Go." ([26:47])

10. Victory with Loss

[27:03–28:37]

• Gazer and Roger radio Rx’s location to London; bombers destroy the site, saving the city.
• The episode closes with a prayer for Jacques, honoring the heavy cost of espionage and resistance:
  • Baroness Gazer: "Our Father, which art in heaven. One for Jacques Le Brun." ([28:13])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sir Eric Hamilton: "12 other operatives have searched for location RX and vanished. You are the 13th." ([04:58])
• Pierre Le Brun: "They come, they vanish. They die. But still they come again... The 13th penny, mon. Will they never stop?" ([07:43, 10:14])
• Baroness Gazer: "I was a spy without contact. Alone in the midst of the enemy." ([11:41])
• Col. von Karsch: "By Sunday the aiming device will be ready. We will be able to aim the rockets with the accuracy of a rifle. Pinpoint actual buildings... the first rocket... will be fired at midnight. If possible, we wish to hit Buckingham Palace." ([16:45, 17:22])
• Jacques: "My father was a Nazi. Shall we go now?" ([23:50])
• Baroness Gazer: "Our Father, which art in heaven. One for Jacques Le Brun." ([28:13])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Mission Assignment: [02:07]–[05:15]
• Belgium Arrival & Contact: [05:15]–[10:04]
• Street Danger/Escalation: [11:39]–[12:56]
• Infiltration of Von Karsch’s Office: [13:38]–[14:46]
• Agent Roger (Elevator Scene): [15:27]–[16:12]
• Phone Call—Breakthrough: [17:06]–[18:54]
• Confrontation at Le Brun Home: [20:51]–[23:50]
• Infiltration of Rocket Site: [24:39]–[27:03]
• Bombing of Church: [27:03]–[28:37]

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Tone

Taut and suspenseful, with noir-style narration and dialogue full of tension, fatalism, and moments of bitter humor (typical of postwar espionage radio). The script alternates urgently between psychological intrigue, the paranoia of occupation, and moments of sacrifice and loss.

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Summary

"Top Secret: The Church Without a Cross" is a superb example of classic radio drama—a taut spy story with a resourceful heroine, dangerous circumstances, shifting allegiances, and real-life stakes. The episode works both as a Cold War artifact—reflecting anxieties about betrayal, resistance, and hidden threats—and as a timeless tale of personal courage and sacrifice. For listeners, the evocative writing, clipped delivery, and dramatic staging immerse you in the desperate atmosphere of occupied Europe on the cusp of liberation.

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Transcript

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

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[Narrator/Announcer]

Next Sunday at this time, the American Album of Familiar Music returns to the air, bringing you the finest in light classical music. It's tops for refreshing Sunday evening entertainment. Your favorite soloists return with the orchestra on the American Album of Familiar music. Sunday, August 27th. Over most of these NBC stations beginning September 1st, Top Secret will be heard Friday evenings. Top Secret. Starring gorgeous Ilona Massey as the Baroness. Karen Gaza in transcribed stories of a woman who pitted beauty, brains and courage against the forces of evil. Tonight, as Assignment 11, the church without a cross.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Assignment 11 was a fight against death. Death that came silently, without warning. I had to find a place, a pinpoint on the coast of Europe. It was in Belgium, north of Brussels, and was known as Location rx. Many men had looked for it, suffered for it, died for it. An old friend had warned me, told me what to expect.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Baroness, you are young, beautiful, full of life. I am old and I know to find Location Rx is to die.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

But Location Rx had to be found and found quickly. Otherwise London would perish. Accordingly, I asked permission to enter Belgium by parachute. I made my request to Sir Eric Hamilton, head of London's Department of Civilian Defence.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

My dear Baroness, what you ask is impossible, quite impossible.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Please, Sir Eric, let me try.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

No, please. It's too dangerous.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Baroness, I am used to danger. And besides, if I should die, there is no one who would. Shh.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Listen. Windows rattling. One of them's hit.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

I don't see?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

No one ever does. Oh, there it is. That cloud of dust. Get away from the window, Baroness. Get away from the window.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Oh, you're hurt.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

No, no. Bit of glass. It's all right.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Your cheek is bleeding.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

No, no, I'm all right, really. Baroness, please.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Let me find out where they are coming from. If they ever learn to aim them accurately, London is finished.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Yes, I know.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Then please, Sir Eric. Please.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

All right, Baroness, you win. That's the third V2 in 24 hours this week. 400 dead, over 2,000 injured. If it goes on much longer, the city will panic. Nerves are like watch springs, coiled ready to snap at any moment. We'll send you into Belgium by parachute tonight.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Thank you, Sir Eric.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

We think they're coming from a location called Rx, somewhere east of Ostend. We know that the key man is a Colonel von Karsch with an office in the hall of Liberty in Brussels.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Your contact in Brussels is a Frenchman. If he's still on for 10 days.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

What is his name and how shall I know him?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

His name is Lebrun. Pierre Le Brun. His Last address was 145 Rue des Petit Cloche.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Street of the Little Belle.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

145. You'll know him by coin. An old penny minted in 1920. This is the last one I have. 12 others have gone before you, Baroness, and vanished.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

You mean that?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Yes, Baroness. Twelve other operatives have searched for location RX and vanished. You are the 13th.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

As I left his office, I passed the place where the V2 had fallen. There had been no warning, no sound. Only a sudden vibration. And then the explosion. Crumbling a block of houses, rubble. In the ruins I saw a doll. A tiny doll with golden hair clutched in the hand of a child. At the end of the hand, an arm. At the end of the arm, Nothing. I hurried on, sick and horrified. I reported to the airfield. It was dark when I took off in a small single engine plane. As we headed out over the Channel, the dim gray shape of London disappeared. A few minutes later, we were over Belgium. I checked my parachute, my compass, then my position with the pilot. With 30 seconds to go, I opened the hatch.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

26, 27, 28, 29.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

The wind was soft on my face and warm. The earth came up to meet me in slow motion. My search for location RX had begun. When I landed. I threw my parachute down an old well and made my way to Brussels on foot. The city was quiet. There was no traffic, no people and seemingly no life. There were shadows in every doorway and the whole thing Seemed unreal, as if. As if I were walking in a dream. I found the Rue de Petit Cloche. And in an alley beside a cafe, I found the Frenchman's house.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Who is it?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

A friend. With a penny. An old English penny.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

A penny?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes, an English penny made in 1920.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Come in, come in. Show it to me.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Certainly.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

They come, they vanish. They die. But still they come again. Here, Mamzel. Here is mine. I am Pierre Le Brun.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Thank you.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

You have papers?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes, of course. I am Baroness Karen Gazer, formerly of Vienna, now of London.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

From Sir Eric Hamilton. You obtained the penny?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

I will tell you what I know.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

The V2 is a rocket bomb.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

As yet the control will sit inferior. They do not aim with accuracy. And Russell's two or three times have gone wrong and fallen. The people call them la mort silenceurs.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

The silent death that comes from hell.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Where they are manufactured, I do not know. From a place known as Location Rx they are launched. Exactly. This part is unknown, except that it is by the sea. In charge is a man of the devil, Frulein. A Colonel Hans Von Karsch.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Von Karsh.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

We half the chemist, half the soldier, all the Nazi. He is in charge of Location Erics.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Where can I find him?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

He has an office in the hall of Liberty, here in Brussels. I will write down the address. Voila.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Merci. And now, can you suggest any way in which I might be able to find?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

I can suggest nothing for a line. For me these Suggestions are bad. 12 men have come. 12 men of honor and courage. I suggest then they banish. I have now the fear. Soon I will also have the blame.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Sir Eric knows it isn't your fault.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Yes, it.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

He knows it can't be helped.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

You are sure?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes, positive.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Bon, bon. I am glad just the same. Fraulein, it is important that you go. If we meet, do not speak. If you must come to this house, come at night alone.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

But I thought I would stay here.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

No, c' est un possibe. You can obtain a room in Brussels.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

I am small. I could sleep on that couch.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

That, Frulein, is the bed of my son.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Your. Your son? Is he one of us?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

No, no. Go, Fraulein, please. He, my friend, is dangerous.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Do you think working alone is the best way?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Working alone is the only way. Bon soir. Et bonne chance.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Thank you and Good luck.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

The 13th penny, mon. Will they never stop? Colonel Car. Colonel Van Karsch? Yes, who is it? Your friend, Colonel, with something to sell. Ah, another penny. The thirteenth. How much, Colonel? I am old and tired. How much? They are now of a rarity, Colonel. This one will be expensive. What does he look like? It is not the man, Colonel Vanqu. But it is not a man who will be easily caught. Has it occurred to you, Monsieur lebrun, that my Gestapo could get the information out of you in and have me tell the secret of location Rx? No, Colonel, I think not. The price is 5,000American dollars. Think it over. Good night.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

As I left the old man's house, despair swept over me. I could expect no help from a gentle old Frenchman who felt responsible for the death of 12 men and was now without courage.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

To go on.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

To connect with one cache seemed impossible. And yet with one ka was the secret of location rx. I walked down the car. Crooked, deserted little street. It was dark. There was no sound except my footsteps on the stones. I went past doorways where shadows lurked. I was tired. I had no place to sleep. I was a spy without contact. Alone in the midst of the enemy.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Mademoiselle, wait. Please. Do not be alarmed. Did you come just now from the house of Pierre de Bras?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Who are you?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Mademoiselle, I beg you to tell me.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Let go of madam.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

1, 45 rude atitic clutch. Were you there? Let me go or I'll scream and bring the police. Perhaps not, mademoiselle. They will arrest you.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Arrest me?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

As an allied spy.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Let me go.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Please, mademoiselle. I am lame. I cannot run. Please come back. Come back.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Out of the Brussels night a stranger who knew someone knew who I was and where I had been. I ran until I could go no further. That night I slept in the streets. The next day I got a room and began working on Colonel von Karsch. At the end of four weeks I got an interview with him. At the end of four more, I got a job as one of his three secretaries. It took bribe money and a lot of it. But at last I had established a contact that was fairly close and reasonably safe. His headquarters occupied an entire floor in the hall of Liberty in Brussels.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Have you been to lunch, Fraulenkeller?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

No, sir.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Then go now. When you come back, make six copies of that letter and put the one for location RX in my basket. I'm going up tonight.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Oh, Colonel von Karsch, you look so tired.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

And it's.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

It's such a long drive.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Who said it is a long drive?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Well, no, no one, sir. Just that. That you look.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Are you trying to find out where it is?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Oh, no. Why, of course not. I Only thought that you said.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

You are not here to think. You are here to work. You do not ask questions, you obey. Go to lunch. When I want an opinion on my.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Health, I will.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

On cash. No. He asked me for 5,000American dollars and disappeared. You have been looking for him for two months. I want some action. There is an allied spy somewhere in Brussels who must be caught. I want results and I want them fast. Fraulein Keller. I told you to go to lunch.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Go. I went to lunch. It was late, nearly 1:30. When I returned, it was a quarter to three. Quite without design. I got into the elevator third from the end. There were four people in it, including the operator. I had noticed him before. There was a flavor in his accent that reminded me of Dublin. The other passengers got out on the second floor, leaving the operator and me alone. Between the third and the fourth floors. He stopped the car.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Speak to you?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Why are you stopping? What does this mean?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

I would like to speak to you about a penny.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

A penny?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Yes. An O20. This one.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Who are you?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Perhaps you have one to match it?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes, I have in my purse. Here.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

At last, someone else.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Who are you?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

12 agents have come over, mademoiselle. I was the seventh.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

I am the 13th.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Who was your contact?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Monsieur Lebrun. He has disappeared.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Mine was the son Jacques. He too has disappeared.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Are you after location Arex?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Yes. Are you?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes. Why haven't you gotten a message through to London?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Because 11 other men have died. I have to go.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

I am working for von Karsh. I'll get to you if I learn anything.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Thank God I found you. I just had a feeling. A feeling that you were different.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Can you get an automobile?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

I think so. With some notice.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

We may need it soon.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Here we are. In here, please. At once.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Coming.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

And bring your book.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes, sir.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

I am telephoning her. Leopold Schalk of the Schalk Steel Mills. He's a very important man. You will listen on the extension and take down every word of our conversation. Is that clear?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes, sir.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Well, we have had great news, flying Keller. Really great news. By Sunday the aiming device will be ready. We will be able to aim the rockets with the accuracy of a rifle. Pinpoint actual buildings. Quick lifter extension. This is his private line.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes, sir.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Write down everything he says.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Everything.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Herr Schalk. Herr Schalk, this is Colonel von Karfs. I have great news. We have perfected the aiming device. Congratulations, Herr Alberst. I would like you to come to location RX on Sunday. Sunday?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

I will drive you up myself. I wish to know how many rockets your plants in Belgium can produce in the next six weeks. I do not have to go to location IX to tell you that. Oh, but Sunday night is important, Herrschald. The first rocket with the aiming device will be fired at midnight. If possible, we wish to hit Buckingham Palace. The death of the King and the Queen would be a tremendous blow to civilian morale in London. I see. Farewell. I will come. Good. I will have your pass made out and drive you up myself. I will be in Ostend anyway on Sunday at my country place. It's only an eight mile drive to the peninsula.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Ah, Shalk.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Please do not mention the location. Diana Bellon. Yes, but so am I. No one can hear us. Send me the pass in the mail. I'll drive over to the church myself. Heil Hitler. Hang up. Fraulein Hella.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes, Colonel von Tasch.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Make out a pass for her, Schalk. I will sign it and seal it. You will deliver it personally into his hands. Send it through the mail. The man is a fool. And Frulein.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes, Colonel von Koch.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

By accident. You have learned something. I have decided to trust you. But you will forget what you heard about Location Rx.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

At last a clue to Location Rx. I made out the pass. He signed it and stamped it with his special seal. He closed the envelope with sealing wax and addressed it himself. I was to deliver it by hand that very moment. I was trembling with excitement as I rang for the elevator. The special elevator, third from the left. I caught it. Can you stop the elevator?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Yes, it's quiet now.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

I've got a pass to get into Location Rx. It's made out to a Leopold Shark. I know that. The rockets are launched from the place eight miles from Ostend on peninsula, near the church.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

How do you know all this?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Never mind. You and I are driving to Ostend tonight. Can you get a car?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Yes, in a couple of hours.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Make it one.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

All right, one hour. Anything else?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

We should each have a gun.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

I'll see to that too.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Pick me up in front of the opera house in an hour.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Right. But how can you know all this? How can you be sure?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

I'll explain it later. First I have a call to make. I'm going back once more to the Rue du petit cloche.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Mr. Le Brun?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes, but he isn't there.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

You've been back?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

I want to try again.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Why?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

If something happened to us, left with someone we can trust, then perhaps the next person can start where we left off.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

If the old man isn't there. You can trust the. The sun. You can't mistake him. He limps and he has no hair.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

No hair?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

He was a pilot in the French Air Force. He crashed and was terribly injured. His head was badly burned. His name is Jacques.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

All right, now take me down.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

I'll be in front of the opera house in an hour.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Good. But first time I see Monsieur LeBron. Even though he's afraid, he's at least on our side. Jacques.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Jacques. Please, in the name of heaven, will you stop it? I do not know anything. Then go back to the cellar, Father. But I tell you, I do not know. I swear I do not know. I cannot stay down there forever. For three months now. As if you will stay until you tell. Three months. Three years I have died. I am sick, Jacques. It is cold. There are rats. Please. Please, Father. If I had more proof, I would kill you. Please. 12 men have come to this house fighting for the same things I fought. Their identification was a penny. They left them here. They left them. They would never leave them. Never. Where did you get them? One of the pennies was your identification. Where did you get the others? Where? And the girl? Where has she gone? Where did you send her? There was not a girl. There was never a girl. You made a mistake that night, Jacques. She departed from another house, not this one. I have the rest of my life to make you talk. Downstairs. Father. No, no, no. I will count three, and then I will throw you down. One. Jacques, please.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Please.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

The door. Jacques, there is someone at the door. Don't move. I will answer it. I am ugly for land, but I am not dangerous. What do you want?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Oh, forgive me. I did not mean to. I. I wish to see Monsieur Lebron.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Sure. You are the girl who. Yes, come in.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

What are you doing to him?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

She knows your father by name. It's just lies. I never saw her before in my life. She lies, I tell you. Jacques. There is nothing left for you, father, but silence. Mademoiselle, I am Jacques Levoin. I am a French pilot. I'm with a Croix de Guerre. For weeks now, I've suspected my father of collaboration. It is very important that you tell me the truth. Are you a British agent from Sir Eric Hamilton?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Yes. I came to Belgium by parachute from London. I had as identification a penny. An English Penny, dated 1920. I talked to your father the night I landed two months ago.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

It's a lie. She's lying. I swear she's lying. Jacques, do not listen to her. I am your father. Your father. Jacques, this girl Is a. Go on.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Mademoiselle, your father was my contact.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

What's your proof of this?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Why? No, no. I have.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

You see, Jacques, you see.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Wait, wait. Yes, yes. I have in my purse. I think he gave me the address of Colonel von Karsh. He wrote it down. And this. If you are his son, you will recognize his writing. Here.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

No, no. Thank you. Mademoiselle. Jacques. No, no, please. In the name of heaven, no. I am your father, Donald Shoe. Please, please.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

No.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Mademoiselle. My father was a Nazi. Shall we go now?

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

I know location. Rx. I have a car. Perhaps you may be able to help us tonight.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Mademoiselle, I could do anything. Let me speak to Colonel Van Karsh. Quickly.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

The car was waiting at the opera hall. I drove. In the backseat was a British agent from Dublin named Roger. Beside me, a French pilot from Paris named Jacques. We had maps and we searched. 8 miles from Ostend on a peninsula. A white church. Suddenly we were challenged by a German guard.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Your papers, please. Your pass.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

When he asked for a pass, we knew we were on the right track. Roger hid on the floor behind the front seat, with a motor rug over him. Jacques posed as Herr Shark with the half of the pass. In the darkness we got through. Five minutes later we saw it. On a tiny point of land jutting out into the North Sea. A white country church with a steeple. We parked a car off the road in the shadows. We had to be sure we were right. So we made our way through the woods on foot.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Bjorn. Roger, wait there, behind the church. We're launching on.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

We have found it.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Then let's get out.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

If only it was light.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Be very quiet. We'll go a little closer.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Why isn't it more heavily guarded?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Heavy guards around the country church would be suspicious.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Something's wrong. Rock. I can feel it.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Shh. Very. I'm caught. Jacques, what is it? A trap. I'm caught. That's why they're out in the guards. Get out, both of you. Please, will help you. Don't touch it. It's wired. Don't touch it. The trap is electrified. If you touch it, you'll get a shock.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Then why don't we?

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

You go. Both of you. Get this back to London, please. At the hotel in Ostan, the underground has the radio transmitter. Roger, make her go.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

You'll get you out, you fools.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

Leave me. Roger, don't touch that trap. You'll be electrocuted.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Take one end. Roger, we can free him.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

You'd be killed. Don't you understand? My leg is artificial. Otherwise I'd be burned to a crisp. Now go. Go.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

We stood there in an agony of indecision. Searchlight began to poke curious white fingers into the woods. And we realized we had to leave him. We hurried back to the car, and in 20 minutes we were sitting safe in Ostend. In an hour, underground headquarters and the exact details of location RX had been radioed to London. Roger and I waited the rest of that night, our hearts heavy with the memory of the strange, fiery Frenchman with the magnificent face and the ugly, scarred head. Then, in the gray first light of the dawn, they came the medium bombers with their swift fighter escort like angry swallows. Then the bombs began to fall on the white country church, on the steeple without a cross. One for London.

[Sir Eric Hamilton]

One for France.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

And Our Father, which art in heaven. One for Jacques Le Brun.

[Narrator/Announcer]

You have just heard Top Secret brought to you, transcribed by NBC and starring gorgeous Elora Massey, who comes to you now with a special message.

[Baroness Karen Gazer]

Next Sunday evening, that wonderful program, the Album of Familiar Music will be heard in place of Top Secret over most of these NBC stations. On Friday, September 1st, we will all be back with a new series of top secret programs which we think you will find especially fascinating. Remember the date a week from next Friday, September 1st, over most of these NBC stations. And good night, everybody.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Top Secret is directed and produced by Harry W. Junkin. Tonight's script was by Charles Lee Hutchins. Members of the cast included Guy Repp as LeBron, Theo Gertz as Von Karsh, David McKay as Jacques, Roy Irving as Roger, and Louis Van Ruten as Sir Eric Hamilton. The music was composed and conducted by Dr. Roy Shield. This is Fred Collins speaking. This program came to you from Radio City, New York. Listen for the American Album of Familiar Music next week on NBC.