Podcast Summary: "The Rocket’s Red Glare" – Relic Radio Thrillers

Podcast: Relic Radio Thrillers
Episode: The Rocket’s Red Glare (CBS Radio Mystery Theater, originally aired July 26, 1977)
Date Aired on Relic Radio: October 24, 2025
Host: RelicRadio.com
Main Theme: Suspicion, espionage, and the dangerous consequences of unchecked ambition in the world of military defense secrets.

Episode Overview

This gripping old-time radio drama follows Detective Sergeant Fritz Mangle as he investigates the mysterious suicide of a top defense scientist amidst escalating suspicions of espionage, deception, and betrayal within a prestigious weapons contracting firm. The convoluted intrigue pulls in military officials, the FBI, and raises uncomfortable questions about loyalty, authority, and the thin line between patriotism and treason.

Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

1. Setting the Stage & Initial Mystery

[01:00]

• Host E.G. Marshall introduces the play: “The truth requires two people, said Mr. Thoreau. One to speak it and one to hear it.”
• The story unfolds in Washington D.C. at Lomas Industries, a defense contractor on the verge of finalizing blueprints for the Scorpio missile.
• The sudden suicide of Jeff Simpson, a brilliant scientist, triggers a police investigation led by Sergeant Fritz Mangle.

2. Unexplained Suicide & Early Suspicions

[05:27]

• Simpson is found dead, leaving behind a cryptic note: “Forgive me, but I must do this. I have no choice.”
• Both his employer Lomas and secretary Lucille Reed attest to Simpson’s brilliance and apparent stability.
• Sergeant Mangle is unconvinced: “Okay, so it was suicide. Perfectly well adjusted, successful. Bright guy. Snuffs himself out and leaves a note saying he had to do it. Why?” [07:23]

3. Espionage Theories & Official Stonewalling

[09:57]

• Project Scorpio is revealed as a nuclear missile blueprint so simple “almost anyone could construct the missile… including third world nations.”
• Lomas insists Simpson was a patriot, and subtly tries to minimize inconsistencies in his statements when pressed about details.
• Suddenly, the investigation is shut down by Pentagon’s Barney Judd:
  • "There is no more investigation, Sergeant. The case is closed." [14:20]

4. Off-the-Books Sleuthing & Inside Job

[16:53]

• Frustrated with the official brick wall, Mangle enlists his resourceful wife Daisy as a temporary secretary at Lomas Industries to dig deeper.
• Daisy accidentally overhears Lomas and Judd, arranging to pass "plans" at the Folger Library at 10 p.m. [20:14]
• The Mangels intercept the drop and gain possession of the Scorpio Project plans.

5. Twists, Betrayals, and Red Herrings

[24:03]

• Mangle brings the plans to Captain Suggs, only to learn they were meant as bait in a sting operation. Simpson “confessed to selling top secret documents to those agents” before dying, and the drop was a setup for foreign operatives.
• Mangle is suspended for interfering:
  • “Just how did you know about that drop tonight?” [26:21]

6. The Plans Are Real

[27:37]

• Daisy’s scientist friend, Brian, reveals the intercepted plans are genuine, not decoys.
• Mangle suspects Lomas used the sting op to manipulate both the Pentagon and the traitorous network, keeping the real plans in play.

7. The Double Cross & Unmasking the Real Spies

[33:28]

• Mangle tries contacting Judd at the Pentagon, only to be told, “There’s no one by that name who works for Defense.”
• Realizing Judd is an impostor, Mangle races to protect Brian (the scientist), fearing he’s now in danger for possessing real classified documents.

8. The Final Confrontation & Confession

[41:00]

• Mangle confronts Lomas, catching him searching Simpson’s office. He presents proof of Lomas’s forgery of a lab report that drove Simpson to despair.
• Lomas confesses:
  • “Yes. I forged that lab report of Simpson's blood... I’ve been selling information to foreign agents... You know how hard it is to make a steady buck in this business...” [43:08-43:59]
• As Lomas threatens Mangle, Daisy (still undercover) had the office intercom transmitting the confession directly to the FBI.

9. Resolution & Reflection

[44:49]

• Judd, revealed to be FBI, arrests Lomas. Captain Suggs reinstates Mangle, semi-apologetically.
• Mangle wryly notes: “For next time, when you don't know, the next best thing to do is listen.” [45:43]

10. Closing Remarks

[46:00+]

• Host E.G. Marshall closes with reflections on trust, security, and the ethical ambiguities of technological power:
  • "Are we really to be trusted with our own terrible inventions? Well, it seems we have no choice..."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sergeant Mangle’s dogged skepticism:
  “I'm not crying wolf, captain. I'm crying treason.” — Mangle [01:54]
• Host’s philosophical opening:
  “The truth requires two people, said Mr. Thoreau. One to speak it and one to hear it.” — E.G. Marshall [01:00]
• On the peril of authority:
  “You might as well tell a musician not to play his fiddle as tell a detective like Fritz Mangle to stop asking questions.” — Host [14:42]
• Daisy’s wit, going undercover:
  “I use the biblical method. Seek and thou shalt find.” — Daisy [18:06]
• Revelation of Lomas’s motive:
  “I forged that lab report... I’ve been selling information to foreign agents... You know how hard it is to make a steady buck in this business?” — Lomas [43:08-43:59]
• IBC twist:
  “You were right, Mangle. I don't work for Defense. I'm with the FBI.” — Judd [44:57]
• Sergeant Mangle’s hard-learned lesson:
  “For next time, when you don't know, the next best thing to do is listen.” — Mangle [45:43]

Important Timestamps

• Introduction & Set-up: 01:00–05:00
• Suicide Discovery: 05:27–06:26
• Initial Interrogations & Lomas’s Evasions: 09:03–09:57
• Case Closed by Pentagon: 13:58–14:33
• Daisy Goes Undercover: 18:00–19:52
• Secret Drop Arranged: 20:09–20:27
• Sting Operation Revealed: 24:13–25:32
• Plans Proven Real: 27:37–31:14
• Fritz’s Suspension & Realization: 32:33–33:33
• Final Confrontation & Confession: 41:00–43:59
• Lomas Arrested; Case Closed: 44:49–45:43

Tone & Style

• The episode maintains a classic noir tone: persistent, skeptical, and marked by sharp, sometimes acerbic humor. Daisy and Fritz’s banter provides levity amid tension.
• The dialogue is wry, clipped, and suspenseful, as befits 1970s radio thrillers.

TL;DR

A suspicious scientist suicide triggers Detective Mangle’s off-the-books investigation, uncovering not just a scheme to sell U.S. missile secrets, but also a web of deception involving a ruthless businessman and an impostor spy. Outwitted by bureaucracy and betrayed by authority, Mangle, with the help of his clever wife, ultimately exposes the real traitor just as the noose tightens—and learns a hard lesson about trust and listening in the shadowy world of espionage.