36 Hours Page #6

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- Fine. May I see your pass, please?

Oh, I forgot to get it.

Oh, gee, I'm sorry, major,

but I can't let you through without it.

You see, they've been

cracking down on us...

...ever since that schizo

lammed out of here last week.

Good afternoon, general.

Dirty trick, major. These generals,

they always give me heart attacks.

My little laugh for the day.

Think I'll be heading back.

Want me to call Major Gerber?

Maybe I can get an okay...

No. Don't bother. I can get

plenty of exercise right along here.

You scream once and you'll find out

how easy your neck will break.

Now, tell me the date.

- I don't know what you...

- What's the date?

The 2nd of June.

You Krauts go to

a hell of a lot of trouble.

- Even so far as getting tattooed.

- That's not a lie.

I was at Auschwitz and Ravensbrck.

That's why I'm here,

that's why I agreed to do it.

You just might have bought yourself

a roundtrip ticket...

...if you open your mouth before

I've had time to figure this thing out.

God, you must feel proud of yourself.

Don't you think I know what I am?

Don't you think

I know what I've become?

You've heard stories about

concentration camps?

About the inspiring courage

and the exalted spirit?

Well, don't you believe it.

Oh, yes, perhaps at first,

everybody swears to protect each other.

Then, little by little, pound by pound...

...as you waste away,

so does your humanity...

...and it disappears

and you don't face death bravely.

The closer it comes,

the more you fight to live.

You'll do anything

for another day, another hour.

You'll lie, you'll steal,

you'll become an animal.

- Don't try to justify yourself to me.

- I've seen mothers.

I've seen mothers inform on their own

children for another piece of bread.

And I was no better.

I worked in the clinic for old people

who were too weak to lift a spoon.

And many times, I gave them water

and I kept the soup for myself.

Is that supposed to make me

feel sorry for you?

No. I'm not asking for your pity,

but just one last chance for self-respect.

You must let me help you.

How the hell did you get here?

I spoke English. I was a nurse.

And I was more than willing.

I would have done anything

to get away from that place.

I did exactly as I was told, because there

was always the threat of being sent back.

You would be amazed

how obedient that makes you.

I'm glad to hear it.

Now, once more,

you're going to do exactly as you're told.

If you don't, I'll tell them

I learned the truth from you.

If I help, it won't be

because of any threats...

...but because I want to.

They'll never send me back.

Cyanide?

Either way, you'll wind up pretty dead.

But I want to help.

Call it guilt, call it penance,

call it anything you want.

- You've got to trust me...

- All right, just shut up.

I'll do anything to help you. Believe me.

- Oh, major? Major.

- Yeah?

- Damn it.

- Trust me. You've got no other choice.

All right. I want you to

run out of here hysterically.

Tell him I know it's a hoax

and that I've known from the beginning...

...but tell him nothing else.

While you do that,

I'll duck out the back window.

- You can't escape.

- I know it.

But it'll look more convincing if I try.

Go on.

You don't look very hysterical.

Can't you cry?

I've used up all my tears.

Yes, sir.

He escaped just a few minutes ago.

So he knew, huh?

It was the nurse who found out.

I'll come immediately.

Don't feel badly. Even Dillinger

couldn't break out of here.

- You're dismissed.

- Yes, sir.

- Something in here tip you off?

- No.

When did you find out, major?

Just before I left for Lisbon,

I cut myself, a paper cut.

I don't know much about medicine...

...but I do know that it doesn't take

six years for something like that to heal.

The dermatologist went over you

from head to toe.

You can hardly see it.

It's right in the crease, but I felt it.

That girl played your little game

right to the end, but I made a slip.

She got suspicious.

She's a smart girl.

I'm curious, major.

If it hadn't been for that cut,

would you have been convinced?

Completely.

We studied all your methods

of getting information...

...but this one just wasn't in the manual.

It's not generally known.

The newspapers, the gray hair,

Gone With the Wind, my glasses.

- How the hell'd you do that?

- Couple of drops of atropine.

Just affects the close vision.

It'll wear off by tomorrow.

You.

You were the most convincing thing.

I must admit you were convincing yourself,

the way you rattled off about Normandy.

When you learn a cover story...

...you learn it so well

you can rattle it off in your sleep.

In fact, you were so convincing, I have

a sneaking hunch you were telling the truth.

I don't think you found out

until after you told us Normandy.

You're absolutely right, doctor.

If I were you, I'd notify headquarters

to have every available man...

...and piece of equipment

moved to Normandy.

Now that you've found out, I doubt if

they'll have much confidence in my opinion.

You know, of course, I'm gonna

have to turn you over to the bullyboys.

I didn't think you were gonna

send me back to Lisbon.

That man who was here, Schack?

He ain't from the village.

He's a Standartenfhrer, SS.

He seems rather innocuous.

So does Himmler.

I'm sure by now one of my trusted staff

has told him about your attempt to escape.

He shouldn't be too long now.

You think you're in a tight spot?

You got company.

I'm sorry I have to turn you over

to Attila the Hun.

I appreciate your concern, but why?

You see, this is only fiction.

I wrote it to make

the six years seem real to you.

I got another record,

a thicker one than this.

Everything we could find out

about you from the day you were born.

I studied it for months.

I got to know you as well as I know Cyrano,

David Copperfield, Robinson Crusoe.

I came to the conclusion

you're a hell of a guy.

Feel like I'm turning in

one of my best friends.

Well, you've got your job to do,

I've got mine.

I have the strangest feeling.

I'm almost sorry I messed it up for you.

- It was important to you, wasn't it?

- Yeah.

Oh, not the securing of information.

That was a recent development.

It started with these sick kids

being sent back from the Russian front.

Battle fatigue,

complete mental breakdowns.

Some of them were catatonics.

Wouldn't move a muscle,

wouldn't speak a word.

I've seen a few soldiers like that.

I couldn't get through to them.

I tried chemical hypnotics,

shock, everything.

Finally, I sedated them.

When they came to, I convinced them it

was two years later and the war was over.

They lost their fear of being

sent back and recovered.

When they could take it, I told them the

truth and had them transferred to desk jobs.

And most of them stayed well.

Then, as with most

well-intentioned things...

...someone saw some real,

solid, corrupt possibilities in it...

...and it became perverted.

You wanna have one last drink together?

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