The Quiet American Page #5

Yes.

- How is it down there?

- 30 dead.

Probably 20 more by morning.

They've started arresting

communist sympathisers.

There was a woman.

With a baby.

She covered it with her hat.

This man... he died.

Right in front of his family.

Pyle...

Did you see him?

He spoke Vietnamese.

Vietnamese.

Like... like it was his,

you know, native language.

Murray! Come over here! Get this.

Move it. Right here. On this side.

Understand? Go make yourself

useful somewhere else!

'Diolacton is a milk-based plastic.

We used it for the frames.'

'How many stories

have we given them? '

'This year? '

'Mr Muoi's been very helpful... '

"Casein plastics.

"Made from milk protein."

'York Harding:

"Dangers to Democracy."

'He put forward the idea

of a third force... '

"Used in the manufacture

of imitation tortoiseshell and jade.

"Trade name:
Diolacton.

"Also used as a plasticiser

"in explosive compounds."

'Joe Tunney's running

aid programmes

'with business people close to Th.'

Muoi.

And Th.

'It will take an independent

Vietnamese leader to rule our country.'

'The Americans

have been supplying them

'with materials to make bombs.'

'Fowler sees

conspiracies everywhere.'

I have some contacts who would

like to speak to your friend.

Joe Tunney?

Pyle?

They feel he can give them

important information about all this.

You're saying Pyle is OSS?

I believe the new name is the CIA.

- Anyone could speak to him.

- It's not so easy.

He's followed by protectors.

But if you asked to meet with him,

man to man,

he would come along.

These contacts,

are they communist?

Officially, no. Unofficially, yes.

I don't know.

Suppose you invite him to dinner

at the Vieux Moulin,

say between 9.00 and 9.30.

It's quiet near there.

My friends can speak to him undisturbed.

Maybe he's engaged.

At 6.30, my contacts will have someone

in the street outside your apartment.

All you have to do,

if you decide to invite him to dinner,

go to the window and open a book.

What will they do to him?

I promise you, my contacts will act

as gently as the situation allows.

Sooner or later, Mr Fowler,

one has to take sides

if one is to remain human.

'I need to speak to you

about what happened this morning

'in the Place Garnier.'

- Phuong.

- A letter for you.

Thank you.

Just give me a few minutes, all right?

Come in.

I got your message.

So I see.

- I'd love a drink.

- I've only got hard liquor.

You're probably on duty. I've noticed

you're rarely off duty these days.

Whisky'd be fine. People change.

Or maybe they just never were

what we thought they were.

Who of us is, Thomas?

Who of us is?

- You want to talk about General Th?

- Yes. And Mr Muoi.

And Diolacton.

- We met with Th this afternoon.

- He's in Saigon?

Come to see

how his explosives worked?

You know, his original target

was a military parade.

We were pretty tough on him.

Did you tell him

you wouldn't support him?

We told him

if he steps out of line again...

He tried to kill you

on the road to Saigon.

No. He tried to kill you.

You knew?

I suspected he might try something.

Or one of his officers.

So I tagged along just in case.

You're a fool if you think

you can control General Th.

In a war,

you use the tools you've got.

Right now, he's the best we have.

And in the meantime,

even more people must die.

Last year the US government

gave $210 million

in military assistance

to the French in Indochina.

If we are going to stop communism

and underwrite a third way,

we need to give the people

a leader who they admire.

Tomorrow when Congress sees

the photographs

of the communist atrocities,

they are going to give us that support.

The French won't stop the communists.

They haven't got the brains

and they haven't got the guts.

How did I fit into all this?

Am I part of your cover?

Or a source of information?

Or did you have your eye

on Phuong all the time?

You and Phuong? I never planned

for any of that to happen. Believe me.

It would've been easier

if I'd never met either one of you.

- But you did. And you lied to us.

- What do you want me to tell you?

That I took no action?

That I have no opinion?

Tell me that you don't mean

any of this.

Tell me that you were only

obeying orders.

Or tell me that after what you saw

in the square, those children,

who did nothing and hurt no one,

tell me that you were

so confused and horrified

at how brutal and insane

these actions are.

Tell me how your love for Phuong

has caused you to have some doubts.

But it's because of Phuong

that I am even more determined.

Let's just look at Phuong. There's beauty.

There's daughter of a professor.

Taxi dancer.

Mistress of an older European man.

That pretty well describes

the whole country, doesn't it?

Look, Thomas, we are here

to save Vietnam from all of that.

What happened in the square

makes me sick.

But in the long run,

I'm going to save lives.

It's you, isn't it?

Joe Tunney,

the staff at the legation,

Mr Muoi, General Th.

They all take their f***ing orders

from you, Pyle.

York Harding prattles on about a third

force in that book you carry around.

You've actually gone out

and made one.

I don't think you see

the big picture, Thomas.

No, I do not see the big picture.

Do you know this poem?

"I walk down the street

and I don't give a damn

"The people, they stare

and they ask who I am

"And if by chance

I should run over a cad

"I can pay for the damage,

if ever so bad."

We can disagree and remain friends,

can't we, Thomas?

Yes.

Look, I'm sorry.

Let's have dinner

and put all this mess behind us.

- 9.00, Vieux Moulin. OK?

- That sounds great.

I miss our conversations.

Vieux Moulin it is.

All right, then. I'll tell Phuong

she can have dinner with her sister.

I'll get her to meet me here

afterwards.

Look, if you can't make it,

come straight here.

- I'll wait for you.

- All right.

I'll see you soon, Thomas.

Walk.

I need to talk to somebody

who speaks English.

You see,

it's my son's birthday tonight.

We need to ask you

some questions.

I'm from the American legation.

I just try and help people see.

The thing is, I...

...I got a cable from my wife.

My boy has polio.

They don't know if he's going to make it.

I don't care if he's crippled.

I just don't want him to die.

I'm sorry. I've just got to get some air.

Throw him in the river.

'At least 2,000 people

were killed and scores of others injured.

'In the wake of last week's

devastating bomb blast in Saigon,

'French officials report... '

Phuong?

I'm sorry to bother you, but...

would you mind to come

downstairs with me?

- What do you want?

- I have something to show you.

It seems Monsieur Pyle came

to see you the night he died.

- So what, Vigot?

- You said he did not.

By the way, we found Pyle's dog.

They cut its throat.

You see here?

Pyle's dog had cement

between its toes.

This was poured

on the afternoon of his murder.

So what does that prove?

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