Hart's War Page #5

My father

was in headquarters.

He had an 8

on his shoulder, too.

His father made sure of it.

That's how we do things

in our family.

That's a shame.

Got your testimony to prepare.

Yeah.

Lieutenant.

How are you?

Not too well, I imagine.

Come on up.

That was quite a beating

you took today.

It's warm inside.

You've read Mark Twain?

It's wonderful.

Colonel, I have witnesses

to prepare for.

Yes. I know.

It's why I wanted to see you.

We keep a library of all

American military manuals.

I thought this one might be

of particular use to you.

I can't accept this, Colonel.

We have a policy

about fraternizing...

Lieutenant,

without this, your client...

will face the firing squad.

Would that be better?

Your son?

Yes.

Where's he fighting?

He is not anymore.

The Russian front.

Horrible place.

I'm sorry.

I killed my share of English

and French, I suppose...

in the first war.

They had fathers, too.

It's verboten, you know.

Negro jazz.

These might be the only copies

of their kind...

in the entire Reich.

But I'm quite fond of them.

Nice to read by, anyway.

Takes a man right back.

Take a seat.

Thank you for your time,

Colonel.

Lieutenant...

Enjoy the manual.

Come to order, gentlemen.

Captain Sisk,

is the prosecution...

prepared to call

its next witness?

We are, Your Honor.

Begging the court's pardon, sir.

Yes, Lieutenant?

Before we continue,

Your Honor...

it's been brought to

my attention that the court...

may have overlooked a few

procedural matters yesterday.

I'm referring to the ''U.S. Army

Manual for Courts-Martial''...

chapter 12, sections 57, 58.

Make your point.

According to these sections,

Your Honor...

the court was obliged yesterday

to ask the accused...

if he wished to challenge

any members of the court...

for peremptory disqualification

before any pleas were entered.

A little late in the game

for that, isn't it, Lieutenant?

Nevertheless, it is a right...

specifically granted

to the defendant.

Very well.

Does the accused

wish to challenge...

any member of the court now?

We do, Your Honor.

You, sir.

Request denied.

Proceed, Captain Sisk.

Sir, according to chapter 12,

section 58d...

defense is allowed

1 peremptory challenge...

of the board,

and this challenge...

is not subject to any ruling

by the court itself.

Request denied, Lieutenant.

Then the court must address

section 58e...

which states the defense

may disqualify...

a member of the board

for cause...

if that member

has displayed a bias...

toward the accused or his case.

This court has shown no bias

in this case, Lieutenant.

Your Honor,

the court has demonstrated...

in ex parte conversations

before the commencement...

of this hearing a distinct

prejudice against the accused...

his case, and his counsel, sir.

Very well.

We'll take a short recess

to consider the matter.

-Lieutenant Hart.

-Sir?

Can I see you outside

for a moment, please?

Sir?

Listen to me,

you pampered little sh*t.

I will not be laughed at.

Not by him.

Sir, I'm just trying

to protect my client.

Your client's about to lose

his lawyer, Lieutenant.

Sir?

Article 32:
contempt of court.

Article 70:
intentional delay.

I know the book, too.

Forwards and backwards.

Then you must know, sir, that--

Shut up and listen to me,

Lieutenant.

You will not accept anything

from that commandant again.

Is that clear?

You will not allow him

to participate...

in these proceedings,

is that clear?

You will never set foot

in his office again...

without my permission.

We understand each other?

...and propaganda reported

by them...

and by the Germans

over Strasbourg.

One minute you can hear

Hitler himself announcing...

that he will be in Strasbourg

by January the 30th...

the anniversary of the Nazis

coming to power in Germany.

The next, the Nazis are claiming

that 2 new divisions...

are advancing on Strasbourg...

and that the Americans are

in full flight from Alsace.

The closer they get,

the more violent they become.

The Nazi menace are offering

their promises.

But today...

Come in. Have a seat.

We've checked German...

Have a drink.

Sure.

Maybe you can help me

decipher some of this code...

coming through

the BBC tonight, yeah?

I don't think you need

my help, Colonel.

Seems pretty clear

what they're saying.

It would seem so.

Or perhaps

it's all propaganda.

How about that?

Strange thing about war wounds.

The older you grow, the less

proud you become of them.

Got another one of these

around here somewhere?

Of course.

Good. Why don't you and I take

a walk out on your compound...

and have ourselves

an old-fashioned duel?

That would be fitting,

wouldn't it?

But surely you can think

of a more clever way...

out of this camp

than that, yes?

You think the war will wait

for you, is that it, Colonel?

It won't, you know.

They never do.

You're drunk.

Yeah.

But I'm seeing things

very clearly.

You know, sometimes I think

your Lieutenant Scott...

might have been better off

in Alabama.

Lynchings are over in minutes.

The kind of justice he's

suffering here is far crueler.

Is that why you gave

Lieutenant Hart the manual?

I was merely

trying to help the lad.

He's got enough

to worry about...

without providing you

with amusement.

Yes.

He's got you to worry about,

hasn't he?

Stay out of our business.

Forgive me, Colonel,

but you're hardly...

in a position

to hand out orders.

Especially to me.

For now.

Unless, of course,

you think that's just...

the sound of propaganda

falling out there.

Well, the idea was

to follow Bedford...

and catch him

on the compound.

I wanted to drag him back

under the barracks...

and put his face in the mud.

Well, by the time

I got to him...

he was already dead

behind the theater...

neck had been snapped.

That's when everything blew up.

Dogs, you know, hands up,

and that was that.

Lieutenant,

did you apply anything...

to your face or hands

before going out that night?

Shoe polish? Soot?

No.

Defense exhibit 1, Your Honor.

Photos of the deceased taken

in the camp morgue.

The court will note

black smudges...

on Bedford's right cheek

and jaw.

Your Honor, what is

the relevance of this?

To demonstrate to the court...

that whoever killed

Vic Bedford was white.

I'd like to ask

the court's permission...

to conduct a demonstration,

Your Honor.

I'd also ask the trial judge

advocate to rise, if he would.

Proceed.

Based on Bedford's wounds

and the fact that...

nobody reported hearing him

cry for help that night...

we have to assume

that he was either...

friendly with his assailant...

or that whoever killed him

did so from behind...

the positioning being

something like this.

Captain, if you wouldn't mind

grabbing at me...

at my face

to get me to stop.

Now, of course, the killer

had the benefits...

of leverage and surprise,

so the neck was snapped...

and Bedford fell,

and the smudge went with him.

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