CHATTER IN GERMAN
Und was ist das da?
CHILDREN GIGGLING
CHATTER, LAUGHTER
CHILDREN GIGGLE
If you do confess and confess in full,
every secret you ever passed, every death you caused...
If you do that, then you'll be allowed to return home
to live out your days in peace and anonymity.
Nice country cottage, village cricket team, friendly local pub...
..where no-one, not even your family,
and especially not your children, will ever have the slightest idea
of the things you've done.
However, anything less than a full confession
and you will be tried for treason,
where they will scream for your blood until they get it
because, as I am sure you are aware,
by far your biggest sin was to make a mockery of them.
We're having some friends for dinner tomorrow night.
You remember Dick Beeston from The Times,
and Miles Copeland from the CIA?
This isn't a fucking game, Kim.
Now that you've come all this way,
Eleanor would be most upset not to see you.
To say that patience in London is wearing thin
would be a huge understatement.
Put it this way -
if you don't come,
eyebrows will be raised
and questions will be asked.
Unless of course London's already briefed Washington about all this.
For the last time, the Americans know nothing.
Well, then.
And no-one even knows I'm here.
Don't be absurd, this is Beirut.
You've got 24 more hours.
After that, my hands are tied.
That's settled, then.
Seven-thirty for eight. Bring that appetite of yours.
Arise, shine, for thy light has come.
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
HE SCOFFS
It appears the Americans are now involved.
Yesterday afternoon in Ohio, this man,
Michael Whitney Straight,
date of birth, 09/01/16,
he appeared of his own free will at the FBI field office in Cincinnati
to confess that he was recruited by the Russian Intelligence Service
some time in the '30s, whilst at Cambridge with...
Subject claims all contact with RIS terminated November 1945.
As far as we know, he's yet to give them any further information.
Maybe he has something to trade.
Moments after he turned himself in,
this Telex, alerting the US Embassy in London,
was delivered to a basement flat in Westminster,
which happens to be just around the corner from...
From Nicholas Elliott's house.
Very good.
Interesting that this man decides to turn himself in to the FBI
right now, of all times.
He obviously got wind of Philby's defection.
Most likely from the very same people
he claims to have terminated all contact with in '45.
Either way, the Americans are on to Elliott.
They know Philby gave him something in Beirut
and we have to find out what that is before they do.
Mark my words, Nicholas Elliott is up to something.
MUSIC PLAYS
THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE
Are you going to buy us a drink?
Where are you taking us?
THEY TALK IN OWN LANGUAGE
WOMEN SQUEAL
GUNSHOT, SCREAMING
Everything all right, Erich?
We need to go - now!
Erich!
Hello.
Anyone home?
Where were you - Beirut again?
Istanbul.
'During the war.'
Back in the days
when I was considered rather good at this kind of thing.
Go! Go.
Let's go.
Elizabeth. Darling? Careful, don't flood it.
Wait!
Start the car! Drive!
They will kill everyone. The Gestapo will round everyone up...
What are you doing? Start the car.
As far as they know, you've been kidnapped.
We don't have time for this. We've been over this, Erich,
there is no chance...
I'm risking the lives of everyone I know, my family, my friends...
The only way they'll find out that you've defected
is if one of us here in this car gets caught and talks.
We have to go. Come on!
That horse-faced woman you play bridge with
who works at Buckingham Palace?
Suzie? Hm.
She doesn't have a horse face.
You're the one who said...
Never mind.
Do you think she might be able to get us on the guest list
for a private view at the Queen's Gallery this afternoon?
This afternoon? Hm.
Cutting it a bit close, aren't you?
A private view?
You detest that kind of thing.
Art? I think I take umbrage at that.
What's going on?
What are you up to?
'Any more toast?'
KNOCK ON DOOR
SPEAKS IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGE
A gift from Mother Russia.
Try it.
I'm not very hungry.
The coat.
Ah.
Lovely. Thank you.
Today you become a real Russian.
'Speaking of Americans, what have they been told?
'Nothing. Yet. Which is why the sooner you tell me everything,
'the sooner we can take care of them,
'and any others that might be out there.'
Your septic. In the basement.
Do you think it would be possible to rustle up some marmalade?
You don't like kasha?
I imagine it could be sent from London
in the diplomatic pouch.
Or is it Comrade Galina you don't like?
And some decent tobacco and The Times crosswords wouldn't go amiss.
It's the little things.
For what it's worth, I don't think you could cope with a trial,
much less with everything the press will throw at you.
Frankly, I would never want it to come to that
because all I care about now,
and you know me well enough to know this is true,
is salvaging something useful out of this mess.
First the stick and then the carrot. I taught you that.
You may well have managed to convince yourself
that you betrayed your country, your friends, your family,
in the service of a principle -
a core belief in a greater good,
or some such rubbish, but deep down, Kim,
deep down, I know you know you're wrong.
I can see it, as I look at you now - wrong, immoral,
politically naive, delusional.
Don't turn your back on me!
As a matter of interest, have you ever given a moment's thought
to all the people that have been killed because of you?
Comrade Philby.
' "A Master of Men was the Goodly Fere,
' "a mate of the wind and sea." '
Come again?
"If they think they ha' slain our Goodly Fere,
"they are fools eternally."
It's about Jesus on the cross.
'You're drunk.
'Yes, indeed.
'Do you even believe in God?'
Do you mean to tell me...
Are you...
Are you seriously suggesting there's a similarity between you and...
Well...
THEY LAUGH
'Oh, that takes the fucking biscuit. It really does!'
Ah. It's moments like this I joined the service for.
The belly laughs! Oh, the belly laughs.
'Bloody marvellous, Kim. You and Jesus!'
' "..wind and sea..." ' Come again?
' "If they think they ha' slain our Goodly Fere,
' "they are fools eternally." '
You understand, Mr Straight, that we need a whole lot more than just
a simple mea culpa. We need the names of your... comrades.
This one, you don't get points for. We already know about Philby.
And Burgess.
And Maclean.
Take your time, sir.
CHATTERING
Didn't know you were an art lover, Elliott.
Aren't we all?
No Elizabeth?
Fashionably late, as usual.
Sausage on a stick?
It's a frightful cock-up, this Philby business.
Do you know, I had no idea until somebody told me the other day
that you two were so close.
Nick, my dear fellow, how good of you to come.
Hello, Tony.
Don't be a cunt, Jack, there's a good chap.
Little bird tells me we may all be having a jolly good laugh
at your expense in the not too distant future.
Everything all right?
Well, you know. Profumo being Profumo.
Oh!
I just wanted to let you know
how dreadfully sorry I am about everything.
Life goes on.
What do you think?
I was rather hoping you'd tell me.
Ah, they're my cue.
Kim had us all fooled, you know.
Not just you.
Thanks, Tony. Very kind of you to say so.
And I hope you don't mind me pulling strings to come to this.
No, not a bit, not a bit. Delighted to see you.
Your Majesty, allow me to introduce you to Sir Roger Hollis,
Director General of MI5.
TAPPING
MORSE CODE BEEPING
WOMAN: Povernityes' nalevo.
"Turn to your left."
WOMAN: Vash pasport, pozhaluysta.
For use in Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic only.
"He cried no cry when they drove the nails
"and the blood gushed hot and free."
IN RUSSIAN:
"He cried no cry...
"..when they drove the nails.
"And the blood gushed hot and free."
CHATTER
BLEATING
HE SIGHS
Good kip?
This is your house?
My parents'.
A romantic notion of my father's.
It's just that little bit too far from London
and the ballet for my mother.
Oh, that's odd, where's the key?
Ah. Dr Watson, not a moment too soon.
What are you doing here?
Hello.
Kim Philby.
You must be Herr Vermehren. Well done, you.
It's all right. He's one of us.
C's orders. There's a war on, you know. Walls have ears and all that.
Kettle's on. Hope you like squashed flies.
Squashed flies?
An English biscuit that might make you wish you were still a Nazi.
I was never a Nazi.
Wish I could paint.
How did you get in here?
Tradesman's entrance.
Why are you here?
Is that the Secretary of War with Prince Philip?
Act like we're talking about him.
Why?
For fun.
Blah de blah de blah...
SHE LAUGHS
That's very good.
I have a question about James Jesus Angleton.
I think he dropped the Jesus.
He a friend of yours?
He was always much more a friend of Kim's than mine.
Gonna need it in writing, gentlemen.
We don't do that.
My client's told you he's prepared to name names...
Name. Singular.
I have only one name.
Total immunity, in writing. Call J Edgar himself if you have to.
And so we're clear,
the name I have isn't in any of the photographs you've shown me.
Darling?
This is Mrs Thomas I was telling you about.
Right. Yes, of course. Hello.
And may I introduce Sir Anthony Blunt,
Purveyor of the Queen's Pictures?
Surveyor.
What? Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures.
What did I say? Purveyor.
Mrs Thomas is from Newcastle.
Durham. She's one of your old mob.
MI5? Mm-hm.
Counter-intelligence, no less.
How do you do, Sir Anthony?
We're a dying breed, old boy.
We were hoping you might have a few moments
to tell us about the new Vermehren.
What?
The Vermeer.
You said... Vermehren.
Vermeer.
I meant Vermeer.
Well, er, Vermeer... as I'm sure I don't need to...
is such an important artist
and this particular painting that in actual fact belongs to...
I... I'm so sorry, will you please forgive me?
Heavens, don't worry about us.
Duty calls.
Who's Vermehren?
He meant Vermeer.
Well, I think that's quite enough culture for one day, don't you?
Lovely to finally meet you.
You, too.
Lovely.
Are you all right?
Come on.
For you.
Order of The Red Banner... for services to the Soviet people.
Lovely, thank you.
Thank you.
It's a step up from that frightful diesel they serve at the palace.
What does Erich Vermehren have to do with Tony Blunt?
What lovely weather we're having! Don't be an arse, darling.
It was a slip of the tongue. Nothing more.
You wanted to go to that thing tonight
just so you could drop Vermehren's name to Tony.
All right. Don't you dare try to deny it, not to me.
Look... And don't do that, either.
I'm not some fucking secretary chasing office gossip.
And all I wanted was a nice quiet supper with my wife.
Bit on the elaborate side, don't you think?
What?
Mistaking Vermehren for Vermeer.
Shall we talk about something else?
Kim told you something, didn't he? In Beirut.
Darling... Something about Tony Blunt.
Which one is penne? And you wanted to test if it was...
You almost gave Tony a heart attack.
It's true, isn't it, whatever Kim told you?
If it isn't, I'm a goner.
Penne's the little tubey ones.
Everything hangs on what Blunt does next.
Yes, that was the whole purpose of the exercise today.
Elaborate but effective.
So thank you, darling, as always,
for your help, but could we now please change the subject?
This Mrs Thomas person...
..friend or foe?
Not sure yet. Definitely some promise there, though.
You used to say that about me.
I know. But that was just to get in your knickers.
You beast! I dare you!
GIGGLING
Silly arse!
Ogon' yest'? Ogon'.
Ogon', ogon' yest'?
I sigaret?
Huh?
Spasibo.
So, he says to her...
.."My name is Dr Brown
"and the other day I went on the train to Exeter
"where I had scones and strawberry jam for tea.
"And on the way, the train stopped just outside Taunton
"where I saw a lovely rainbow over a field of black and white cows."
And then he checks her eyes and ears and reflexes and so on,
and after he had finished with all that he asked her,
"Where did I travel to on the train?" And Mother says...
Exeter. ..Exeter.
Very good. "And what did I have for tea?"
And Mother says...
Scones and strawberry jam.
"Excellent! Excellent!" says the doctor,
and then he asks her, "What's my name again?"
And Mother thinks to herself and she says,
"Er, Johnson, Dr Johnson."
And the doctor pauses and he tells her,
"No. No, Brown, Dr Brown."
To which Mother replies, "Oh, yes, that's right.
"That's right, I knew it was something common."
HE SNICKERS
You silly arse!
LAUGHING
What's funny?
Nothing.
I was just thinking about my mother.
Vashe zdorov'ye.
Bottoms up.
Tell me about your mother.
She's dead now.
Did she know about... your work?
No.
You were close?
Very.
KNOCK ON DOOR
Evening, sir.
Ooh.
What? Damp.
Mould.
Erm... Before you start,
you should know that, officially, I'm not here.
Start what?
OK.
Oh, do you mean the CIA don't officially know you're here,
or your mission here hasn't been officially rubber stamped?
Mission?
When the man from your embassy dropped off an envelope...
..this morning, was that official?
And while you're unofficially here,
are you by chance working on anything of an intelligence...
..or counter-intelligence nature
that under normal circumstances you'd tell us about?
Who sent you? No-one.
Young lady...
This is just between us.
Then I am sorry to say... you've wasted your time.
It's definitely mould.
I'd ask for my money back if I were you.
Ah, there you are, Nanny.
IN RUSSIAN:
What?
IN RUSSIAN:
CLEARS HER THROAT
Mrs Thomas?
Who's Vermehren?
This really isn't the time or place.
Do you know, er...
SHE LAUGHS
My husband, he's a man who works incredibly hard,
day in and day out...
No, this'll only take a minute.
..doing everything he can to make people's lives better,
while I stand here, trying to nail down what on earth it is
that you chaps have been playing at for 20 years.
And when I get home tonight,
because he knows that I'm not allowed to talk about my work,
he'll pretend to be asleep to make my life easier.
So do you know what?
I couldn't care less about the time and the place.
She's in there... Ssh!
'Come on, then.'
What does he do, your husband?
A doctor. GP.
Drinks are in there. Hands off the silver, I'll be back in a jiffy.
Message received.
And so, old friend, one day it'll just be you and me...
You and I? You and me?
Finish the sentence first.
..against the Soviets.
You and me.
We sweat and strain.
What's this?
Open it.
For the day when you and I can only afford to trust each other
and the West depends on us.
"The hounds of the crimson sky gave tongue,
"but never a cry cried he."
Where's this taken?
Istanbul.
During the war?
Hm. '43.
Our wedding day.
You got married in Istanbul?
'We were both posted there.
'Your wife's SIS?
'She was my secretary.
'Oh!'
Do you drink whisky?
Oh, if I must.
You have that.
After you.
STATIC
COUGHING
What?
My wife wants to know whether you're friend or foe.
It's funny, MI5 have a similar question about you.
HE CHUCKLES
Mud in your eye.
THEY CLINK GLASSES
HE CLEARS HIS THROAT
Erich Vermehren...
..is a devout Catholic who hated the Nazis...
..and thought the best way to fight them was from within.
Until I came along.
And Philby.
HE SIGHS
The truth is, had it not been for Kim's innate ability
to be able to befriend almost anyone under any circumstances,
all my efforts to get Vermehren to defect to England
may have come to nought,
and he may never have given us the identities
of the hundreds of Abwehr officers and their sources all across Europe,
which, it's no exaggeration to say, changed the course of the war...
'all the way to D-Day.'
To us.
And getting away with it.
Thank you.
There you are. Thank you.
All he ever asked in return was...
..we do what we could for his friends in the German resistance,
and we did, we did with intelligence,
and weapons drops and radio equipment.
It's about to rain.
CHUCKLING
Oh!
THEY LAUGH
Come on.
What?
Hindsight.
HE SIGHS
Just as Vermehren and his friends in the Catholic resistance
were anti-Nazi, they were also fiercely anti-Bolshevik
and determined that after the war,
no part of Germany would ever fall into the hands of the Russians.
So... when Churchill and Roosevelt and Stalin...
..agreed how to carve up Germany...
..Vermehren's friends who were faced with being marooned
in the Russian sector...
..tried to make a break for it to the British sector.
CHATTERING
SCREAMING
Philby betrayed them to the Russians?
That's who Vermehren is.
No. Only I, and now you,
know anything about what I've just told you.
And the Russians.
And Sir Anthony Blunt.
That's what that was about.
He knows about Vermehren because he works for the Russians.
Which is what Philby told you in Beirut.
So...
what do I tell my wife?
Friend or foe?
Who else knows about Blunt?
No-one.
Just us.
KNOCK AT DOOR
KNOCKING CONTINUES
Sorry for the late hour.
Is this it? Yes, sir.
Good night.
Jesus fucking...
..Christ.
WHISPERS: Ey, prosnis'.
Hey, wake up!
"The hounds...
"..of the...
"..crimson...
"..sky...
"..gave...
"..tongue.
"But...
"..never...
"..a cry...
"..cried he."
We're in business.
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