Counterspy: The Magic Murder (A0136)

0:05 Welcome to the Great Adventurers of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're going to bring you this week's episode of Counterspy.

0:20 But first, I want to encourage you.

0:22 If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And Today's program is brought to you in part by the financial support of our listeners. You can support the show on a one-time basis, support.greatdetectives.net, or become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $ 2 per month at patreon.greatdetectives.net. But now, from April 4th, 1950, here is The Magic Murderer.

0:59 Pepsi-Cola, P-E-P-S-I. That's your smartest cola buy.

1:04 Pepsi-Cola presents Counter Spy.

1:09 Washington calling David Harding, Counter Spy.

1:25 Washington calling David Harding, counter-spy.

1:30 Harding, counter-spy. Calling Washington. United States counter-spies. Especially appointed to investigate.

1:37 And combat the enemies of.

1:41 Our country, both at home and abroad.

1:55 Tonight, the case of the magic murder. A thrilling counter-spy report to the American people. Brought to you each Tuesday and Thursday by delicious Pepsi-Cola. And now, another report to the American people. In your family's interest, listen to these findings, recently released by the United States Testing Company, Incorporated. After thorough and impartial tests, Pepsi-Cola proved of highest purity. Pepsi-Cola has more quick food energy and value, ounce for ounce, than any other leading nationally known cola. Yes, tested, compared against all other leading nationally known cola drinks, Pepsi-Cola won out.

2:34 You get the best and twice as much in delicious Pepsi-Cola.

2:40 And now to Counterspy. Oh, this would be Mr. Peters, would it not? Good evening, Professor Cabarrus. Good evening. I appreciate you seeing me this evening. Please, come in. Thank you. There's a chair by the desk, Mr.

3:09 Peters.

3:10 Thanks.

3:12 Well, you were lucky to find such a nice little house so near Washington, Professor. It was your chief of the counter-spies, Mr. David Harding, who helped me find it, Mr.

3:20 Peters.

3:21 The three rooms are sufficient for my personal needs. I have turned the cellar into a fine laboratory for my homework. Of course, you'll be working most of the time at the government laboratories, won't you, sir? Yes. The development of turbojet engines for land vehicles is a big project. I'm honored to have been brought to this country by your great government to work on it. By the possibilities of jet engines for land use, I'm... You did not come for a lecture on engines, Mr.

3:48 Peters.

3:48 Not quite, Professor. The main purpose of my visit is to have you fill out this questionnaire. Ah, that is what you mentioned on the telephone.

3:55 Yes.

3:56 Now, by law, the counter spies are responsible for the safety of distinguished visitors from abroad.

4:01 The more information we have, the easier our job is. But no one means me any harm, Mr. Peter. We hope not. But in these days, there's no knowing.

4:11 Oh.

4:12 Now, will you fill in these blanks? Yes. Now then, uh.

4:15 Do we have the full name correctly, Professor? Of the University of Maslava. First name Jan. Middle name Fyodorovich.

4:24 Yes, and last name? Khabarov, C-A-B-A-R-R-U-S. Correct. An odd name, sir, but common in my part of Europe.

4:32 Oh?

4:33 Now, our records already show that you hold five degrees.

4:36 Yes.

4:36 And before the last war, you were a scientific consultant to the government of your own country. Those were happy, fruitful days, Mr.

4:43 Peterson. But today, my country is in the hands of. My feelings on that point are very strong, Mr. Peters. Please go on.

4:54 Now, to your experiences during the war and immediately after, our records require some more information.

5:00 Well, I shall do my best. In 1939, when the Germans first.

5:05 Operator.

5:14 Operator. Operator, give me counters by headquarters, at once. You feeling all right now, Professor Cabarrus? Somewhat shaken, Mr.

5:45 Harmon.

5:46 I am much more disturbed over Mr. Peters. Me too.

5:50 Very seriously wounded in the head. I'm taking him to the counter-spy infirmary. The shop seemed to come, you said, from that glass door to the sunroof.

6:00 Yes.

6:01 It must have been opened quietly by someone as Mr. Peters and I were filling out this... Oh, by the way, here it is. Oh, a good questionnaire. Oh, Professor, did you by any chance get a glimpse of the man who fired the shots? Just as it were, out of the corner of my eye. Well, can you recall anything at all? Try to recreate the image of that moment in your mind.

6:24 If you can. Let me see. I was here. And Mr. Peters was there. You were at right angles to the sunroom door. Yes. And then the door must have opened. Ah, you wore a black velour hat.

6:39 Huh?

6:40 And, uh... He must have been holding the pistol in his left hand. Left-handed. Now, go ahead. I believe he was tall, wearing a dark coat and, yes, a mustache. Black or dark brown. And one other thing.

6:55 Yes?

6:55 In my mind, the picture of that man is like death.

7:01 Death.

7:01 He seems like a skeleton. Sunken eyes. Thin, thin face. I'm sorry, Mr.

7:10 Harding.

7:10 This may be all a waste of time. I beg your pardon, Mr. Harding. Yes, Edwards. Did you and the boys find anything? Yes, sir.

7:15 The attacker apparently entered the sunroom from outside the house. Cut out a square of glass above the lock on the door from outside into the sunroom. Professor Cabarrus, with your permission, my men will keep working here. We can't even tell now whether the shots were meant for you.

7:29 Or for Mr.

7:30 Peters. Edwards, bring all the data with you later. Yes, sir. I'm going to headquarters to see how Peters is. Peters is still on the operating table, Mr. Harding.

7:46 The man who fired the shots was very accurate. All three hit Peters. One raked a furrow along the top of his head. I expect Edward will find that bullet buried in a wall at the house there. And the second bullet lodged at the side of his neck. We've removed that one. There'll be no serious after effects. What about the third bullet?

8:05 Lodged in his skull. We're studying the x-rays now. Doctor....

8:12 Harry Peter's not only my assistant, but he's my friend as well, and I hope... Oh, we're... We're doing our very best, Mr. Harding.

8:19 Would you excuse.

8:21 Me?

8:22 Harding.

8:23 Edwards, Mr.

8:23 Harding. I've returned with all we found at the professor's house. I'm in the identification section now. Thank you, Edwards. I'll be right down. We couldn't find any trace of footprints around the house, Mr.

8:39 Harding.

8:40 The grass is all pretty well grown. Well, what about the car track? Oh, no, sir. Well, then, let's add up what we know about the attacker. Now, that bullet you dug out of the wall... It's a. 38 caliber, sir. From an automatic. All right. A man using a.

8:54 38 caliber automatic. He fired at a distance of about 20 feet. In imperfect light. That suggests he's a good marksman for a gunman. If he was aiming at Peter. Then we know he gained entrance to the house at the back through the sunroom by cutting out a square glass above the door lock.

9:10 Yeah.

9:10 I guess then he reached inside and let himself in. This complicates the problem, Edward. It's a burglar's technique. Not often you find a professional gunman who uses burglar techniques.

9:20 Or vice versa.

9:22 All right, Edward, let's get to work. Now, if you'll be good enough to handle the loudspeaker system to the floor below there.

9:36 Identification job. Electronic classifiers. Stand by. First fact. Gunman. 38 automatic.

9:47 Gunman.

9:47 38 automatic.

9:48 Next.

9:49 Left hand. Left-handed.

10:01 Left-handed.

10:04 Next.

10:09 Technique of entry by rear of establishment. Technique of entry by rear of establishment.

10:19 Next.

10:21 By door. By cutting out glass. Appearance, mustache, black or dark brown. Appearance, mustache, black or dark brown.

10:52 Eyes, black or dark brown. They got something, Edward. Yes, sir. That's coming up here to the booth on the cellar side. Yes, sir.

11:29 Well.

11:30 Outside wire, please. This is very strange, Edward. Yes, hello?

11:44 Hello?

11:45 Professor Cabarrus, this is David Harding. Yes, Mr.

11:47 Harding.

11:48 We've located the name of a man answering the description you gave us. And so quickly. It's amazing. Name is Bones Cleburne.

11:55 We can have him in our hands inside of two hours.

11:57 I'm so relieved, Mr. Harding.

11:58 There's only one difficulty. He was in an automobile accident in Florida. Been dead for eight months.

12:04 Dead?

12:06 Then I'm afraid my recollection of the attacker's appearance was not accurate enough.

12:10 How's Mr. Peterson?

12:12 I'm very hopeful that when Mr. Peters regains consciousness, he'll be able to give us a vital clue in this case.

12:17 But how is he, Mr. Harding? The doctors are waiting for the shock to subside before operating. He will live?

12:24 I'm told his chances are only 50-50.

12:34 We just don't dare operate, Mr.

12:36 Harding.

12:36 We just don't dare. I don't understand, Dr.

12:39 Dillon.

12:40 Well, the bullet lodged in the frontal lobe. Probably the frontal gyrus. Just missing the lateral cerebral artery. Oh. Now, the removal would be a most delicate operation. None of us here on the staff knows the technique well enough.

12:54 Well, who does? Only one man, I'm afraid.

12:57 A great brain surgeon who just this past year developed a new technique for this type of brain operation.

13:03 Get him over here, Dr.

13:04 Dillon.

13:06 He's Dr. K.T. Holborn of Central Hospital, Colby City. Colby City, a thousand miles away. Well, let's get on the phone, Doctor. Peters has got to be saved. Operator, this is Mr.

13:16 Harding.

13:17 Yes, Mr.

13:17 Harding. I'm going to be here on Dr. Dillon's line in the infirmary for some time. I want you to keep it clear for fast work.

13:22 Certainly, Mr.

13:22 Harding.

13:23 I want to place a call to Colby City Central Hospital, Dr. K.T. Holburn. That's H-O-L-B-U-R-N.

13:31 Colby City Central Hospital, Dr.

13:33 K.T.

13:34 Holburn.

13:35 Right, and rush it.

13:48 Long distance. Operator, this is Countess by Headquarters. I want Colby City 6700. Colby City 6700.

13:55 Dr.

13:56 K.T.

13:56 Holburn.

13:57 Dr.

13:57 K.T.

13:58 Holburn. What is your number, please?

14:00 Equator 1000. Will you hold the line, please?

14:11 No Harding, Peggy.

14:12 Mr.

14:12 Harding, Dr. Holburn is not at the hospital.

14:14 Oh?

14:16 Let me speak with the long distance operator, please.

14:17 Sure thing.

14:20 Hello?

14:21 Hello, sir.

14:22 Dr.

14:22 K.T.

14:23 Holborn is not at the hospital.

14:24 Well, does the hospital know where he can be reached? Now, this is vitally important.

14:28 I am sorry, sir. They say Dr.

14:29 Holborn's not in Colby City at all.

14:32 Where is he, then?

14:33 He's on a medical research trip to South America.

14:35 South America? Well, do you know where he is right now?

14:39 According to the schedule, he left with the hospital. He's in Caracas, Venezuela tonight.

14:43 A two-hour stopover.

14:44 Venezuela.

14:45 Well, how's he traveling?

14:46 I don't know.

14:50 Of South America, the Rio de Janeiro flight.

14:54 Thank you very much, operator. Holborn's in Venezuela, Mr. Harding? Well, that's a bad blow to Peter Shatner. I'm not giving up yet, Dr. Dillon.

15:02 Yes, Mr. Harding?

15:03 I find that Dr.

15:04 Holborn might be reached in Caracas, Venezuela at the Commercial Airlines Airport. Rio de Janeiro flight. I've got to do everything possible to reach him. Will you put a call through there, please? Hello?

15:20 Hello, Miami. This is Washington, long distance. Would you give me your overseas operator? Hello, overseas. The ticket, Washington, Equator 1000.

15:39 Mr.

15:40 David Harding, Counterspy Headquarters, calling Dr. K.T. Holburn at Commercial Airlines Airport, Caracas, Venezuela.

15:49 Washington, Equator 1000. Mr.

15:52 David Harding, Counterspy Headquarters, calling Dr. K.T. Holburn, Commercial Airlines Airport, Caracas, Venezuela. Will you ring the number, Washington?

16:04 Countess by headquarters.

16:06 This is the overseas operator. Let me speak to Mr.

16:08 Harding, please.

16:13 Harding speaking.

16:14 On your call to Caracas, Venezuela. Due to the number of calls already on hand, the next available time is tomorrow afternoon. Will that be satisfactory?

16:22 Tomorrow afternoon, Operator Dr.

16:23 Holburn, the brain surgeon.

16:25 We must reach him for an important operation.

16:27 We'll try to complete your call as.

16:28 Soon as possible.

16:37 Caracas.

16:38 Miami overseas operator. Ticket.

16:40 Ticket.

16:41 Washington, D.C.

16:43 Washington, D.C.

16:44 Mr. David Harding.

16:46 Mr.

16:46 David Harding.

16:47 Calling Commercial Airlines Airport.

16:49 Commercial Airlines Airport.

16:51 Rio de Janeiro flight passengers.

16:53 Rio de Janeiro flight passengers.

16:55 Dr. K. for Kenneth. T. for Thomas Holborn.

16:59 Dr. K. T.

17:00 Holborn.

17:01 The call is wanted as soon as possible, Caracas. It's in connection with a surgical operation.

17:05 We will hurry.

17:06 The serial number is 14-9-7-9. This is the overseas operator in Caracas. Mr. David Harding in Washington, D.C. is calling a passenger on your Rio de Janeiro flight.

17:33 Dr.

17:33 K.T.

17:34 Holborn. Rio de Janeiro flight? It has not yet come in.

17:37 What time is it due?

17:38 It was delayed over the Caribbean by bad weather. It is due in two hours. We can give Dr. Holborn a message when the flight arrives.

17:46 Please do so, Harlan. Two hours, Mr. Harding, and there's nothing we can do for Peters. There's got to be.

18:02 Yes, Mr. Harding?

18:03 Connect me with the airport in Caracas, will you please? Put the call through no matter what.

18:17 In a moment, back to Counterspy, presented by delicious Pepsi-Cola.

18:22 Pepsi-Cola, it's a spot. Two full glasses, that's a lot. Twice as much, it's better, too.

18:27 Yes, twice as much and better, too. You know Pepsi gives you twice as much. You know Pepsi's better, tastes better. But now I want to make sure you know which cola drink is of proven highest quality. Listen, impartial tests were made comparing all the leading nationally known colas.

18:46 And here's the news.

18:47 Delicious Pepsi was rated top for quick food energy and honest-to-goodness value ounce for ounce. Yes, more value and quick food energy in every tasty sip of Pepsi. That's why Pepsi's so refreshing. Why you feel so good. Why you're on the beat. Why people call Pepsi their favorite treat. When the quality proof tops and the taste is so delightful.

19:11 So refreshing that you bubble and the quantity is double. Say, is it any wonder Pepsi's America's big, big favorite? Insist on tasty Pepsi wherever you may be. At the fountain, say, Pepsi, please. At the stand, say, Pepsi, please. And at the store, get Pepsi in the money-saving carton of six big bottles.

19:31 How about getting a carton tonight of delicious Pepsi-Cola? Delicious Pepsi-Cola.

19:37 Delicious Pepsi-Cola. Delicious Pepsi-Cola. Delicious Pepsi-Cola.

19:43 Now back to Counterspies.

19:43 Caracas Airport to flight 598.

19:47 Caracas Airport to flight 598.

20:03 Flight 598, what is it, Caracas?

20:05 Do you have a Dr.

20:06 K.T.

20:07 Holborn aboard? Dr. Holborn?

20:10 Uh, yes.

20:11 Yes, we have.

20:12 There is an emergency telephone call for him from Washington, D.C. You are due in one hour and 45 minutes, but at the request of the Chief of the United States Coroner Spies, we have obtained special permission for you to come in ahead of time. If you can do it.

20:28 We can try. You give us the airline and landing clearance.

20:32 We will arrange everything. Come in with all possible speed.

20:36 I can be over the field at 2330.

20:39 Bring me in fast. I'll feed it.

20:53 Resting comfortably, but every minute counts. Where will I find a telephone? On that side entrance to the administration building, Dr.

21:05 Holman.

21:05 Thank you.

21:06 Overseas operator, Caracas.

21:13 This is Dr.

21:14 Holman.

21:14 I understand you have a call for me.

21:16 Yes, sir.

21:16 One moment.

21:19 Overseas Miami, your call to Caracas, Venezuela. Washington, your call to Caracas. Equator 1000, you're called to Venezuela.

21:32 We are ready.

21:40 Harding.

21:41 Dr.

21:41 Holborn in Venezuela for you, Mr.

21:42 Harding.

21:43 Go ahead, please.

21:44 Dr.

21:44 Dillon.

21:45 Hello, hello.

21:49 Holborn speaking.

21:50 Dr.

21:50 Holborn, this is Dr. Henry Dillon, Chief Medical Officer of the United States Countess.

21:53 Oh, yeah.

21:55 We have a serious case here that requires your technique, the Holborn incision.

22:00 And none of us here is familiar with it.

22:01 Well, let's fly right back to Washington.

22:03 And I'm afraid there isn't time for that now, Dr. Holborn. Could we do this?

22:09 If I acquaint you with the X-rays, could you then direct me in the operation over the phone? We'll have the phone connected right in the operating theater. Ready, Dr.

22:21 Holborn?

22:23 Anterior, posterior, and lateral X-rays show the bullet to be midway between the third ventricle and the teleturfica, with the head of the bullet approximately two millimeters from the anterior aspect of the lateral ventricle.

22:34 Make your incision starting at a point 35 millimeters from the zygomatic cubicle and 12 millimeters from the terrian suture line, parallel to the superior temporal line, and distal So this.

22:54 Is the noidal sinus.

22:59 Noidal sinus.

23:01 A lateral X-ray shows the nose of the slug to be two millimeters from the anterior aspect of the lateral ventricle.

23:07 Two millimeters.

23:08 And then bring your incision up at a 45 degree angle towards the superior temporal line.

23:17 Angle of incision.

23:18 45 degrees towards the superior temporal line.

23:22 Forty-five degrees.

23:27 Right.

23:29 At next step, Holburne.

23:31 Make the incision no more than three centimeters in length.

23:35 Incision three centimeters.

23:38 Right.

23:40 Careful.

23:42 Careful.

23:45 All right, Holburne. I'm making the first incision. Hello, Peter. Hello, Dave.

24:01 Man, it was pretty close, fella. The doc said you tore up the international phone line. Well, the main thing is you're going to be all right now. I may miss a couple of days. That wouldn't surprise me.

24:17 Well, I guess my time's up. Now, Dr. Dillon wasn't even going to let me in at all. Dave. About Professor Cabana.

24:26 Hmm?

24:27 Did you get the questionnaire finished? Finished?

24:31 Well, it was finished. Before the man opened the sunroom door and fired. Professor Cabarrus gave it to me.

24:36 Man?

24:37 Sunroom door?

24:39 Yeah.

24:40 Well, the shots came from behind me, Dave. I was sitting at the door.

24:44 Take it easy.

24:45 You better take it easy. Look, I'll come back this afternoon. We'll talk about it. Well, Edwards, Professor Cabarrus isn't here, but we can work anyway.

25:01 Yes, Mr.

25:02 Harding.

25:02 Now, Peters said that he was sitting here at the desk and faced.

25:07 Him right at the sunroom door. Professor Cabarrus said that that's where the attacker appeared. Now, but Peters was looking right at the door and saw no one. Another thing, the three bullets that hit Peters hit him in the back of the head. That means, then, that the bullets came from behind him. There's only the fireplace behind the desk, this one filing cabinet. Of course, when I spoke to Peters, he was still foggy from.

25:26 The operation and the anesthetic.

25:27 Look out!

25:28 Look out!

25:31 Thanks for knocking me out of the way, Edward. Where'd the shots come from? I was looking at the filing cabinet. A little metal flap covering the lock on the second drawer moved aside. Behind it I saw the muzzle of a pistol. Hand me that poker from the fireplace.

25:45 Thanks.

25:47 I'm going to pry the drawer open. Automatic. What's that apparatus, Mr. Harding? Like a photoelectric cell.

26:00 Yes, projecting a photoelectric beam across the chair at the deck to actuate the firing of the automatic. But why didn't it go off the moment you sat down there? I can't tell, Orphan, but we may find it's a delayed action system taking maybe a minute.

26:15 Oh, hello, Professor Cabrera. Your man at the front door told me you gentlemen were here. I take it you've become a sir. I'm incompetent, Mr.

26:24 Harvey.

26:24 An ingenious murder scheme to kill Peters while he sat at that desk.

26:28 To kill Mr.

26:29 Peters?

26:30 Then he's dead? Somebody wanted him dead. Rental?

26:35 Rental?

26:35 Who could have used my house to fight a murder?

26:37 I have only one suspicion, Professor. It was someone who wanted to conceal certain facts about himself. Edwards, that questionnaire, please.

26:44 Yes, sir.

26:45 Professor?

26:45 Yes?

26:47 You told me you and Peters had completed.

26:49 Filling this out before the shots were fired, but Peters tells me you'd only reached item seven just before the questions concerning your activities in Europe during the war.

26:57 I'm sure Mr. Peters isn't mistaken, Mr.

26:59 Hoffman.

26:59 No, he's not, because this reveals the motive for the murder attempt. Peters might have asked pointed questions, and they would have shown that during the last war you were not in exile or in the underground, but in the pay of the very people you pretended to spy.

27:13 Ridiculous, Mr.

27:14 Hoffman.

27:14 Not at all.

27:15 This morning I talked to our attache in your capital, and.

27:18 His answers here are false. You gambled. Nobody would check them.

27:21 You'd be safe to work on American scientific projects and steal vital information.

27:26 Edward Thurston. Yes, sir. You have every liberty.

27:30 To, in court, because I'm charging you now with the attempted murder of Harry Peters.

27:36 Very happy to say you failed all along. Delicious Pepsi Cola. Bring it on now.

27:58 Enjoy that bubbling, tangy, tasty treat.

28:01 Sure hits the spot.

28:03 At parties, it's a wonderful idea to serve delicious Pepsi. That extra-thick food energy gives folks that bounce, that zing. And Pepsi's big 12-ounce bottles go twice as far. You get a carton of thick bottles, and you serve 12 full-size drinks. Go save that money, get the best, and get twice as much in delicious Pepsi-Cola.

28:26 Pepsi-Cola, get the spot. Two full glasses, that's a lot.

28:29 Twice as much is better, too.

28:32 Pepsi-Cola is a date for you.

28:33 That's it.

28:34 Delicious Pepsi-Cola. Tune in every Tuesday and Thursday, same time, same station, to Count Us By.

28:48 Listen on Thursday for the exciting case of the bootleg button. High-grade gold purified in the white heat of flame.

28:56 A criminal scheme forged in the heat of greed.

29:00 Yet your counter-spies were able to apply the heat of the law to a trio who dealt in death and double-cross.

29:07 Listen on Thursday to.

29:09 The case of the bootleg button on Counter-Spies. Tonight's Counter-Spy program originated in New York and was directed by Leonard L. Bass, dramatized by Paul Milton, and featured John McLaughlin and Mandel Kramer with music by Jesse Crawford. This is Jay Jackson speaking. Counter-Spy is a Phillips H. Lord production for Pepsi-Cola. Enjoy some delicious Pepsi tonight.

29:47 Welcome back! A lot of stuff going on in this episode, and most of it is at least somewhat plausible. The photoelectric cell used in the death trap was technology that was around at the time. However, concealing all this would be a challenge, and the equipment was a lot bulkier than it would be today. And we also don't know how it was triggered. A remote of some sort would be...

30:16 possible but the idea that Harding was able to set it off just by sitting in the chair that suggests a pretty big design flaw I mean did he just have a death chair in his little office space and how did he make sure that nobody sat in it who wasn't supposed to like somebody come by his office while he was out and just decide, I'll sit down and I'll wait for him. That would not have been a good situation, but this does kind of fall under the heading of spy gadgets, where we probably have thought too much about it already. The operated assisted phone calls in this episode were, from everything I could find, quite realistic for the time, and also really fascinating to hear.

31:13 There were quite a few radio dramas that featured telephones prominently in episodes. You had quite a few that built suspense, like Sorry, Wrong Number for Suspense, or... Long Distance for the Radio City Playhouse. And there was even a not-beat episode, A City at Your Fingertips. And these were all based on the fact that society was becoming more dependent on the telephone. And they were becoming more ubiquitous. Many people either remembered not having a telephone or remembered telephones being less prevalent. And there's a fear that... When you need the telephone the most, urgently, it's either going to fail to allow you to reach out in time, or the sort of bureaucracies and human limitations that were evident with...

32:18 telephones at the time are going to create a situation of uncertainty where a man could die because of a line out and you're not being able to get to the governor on time and there's a little bit of that when Harding is told that they'll be able to get a call in to Caracas the next day due to too many incoming calls which is a realistic problem that Harding has to work around But this one leans a lot more like Dragnet into just demonstrating the system in action, which I think would have still been interesting if you were around in 1950, since most people didn't make international phone calls. And so you get to see this going from operator to operator to Miami and ultimately to Caracas, a very realistic route for the call to go. Oh,

33:15 that is a fantastic historical artifact and I think still would have been entertaining back then. The medical part with Harry Peters is fascinating, and when you look it up, there is quite a bit of reasonable medical practice in here, and his injury is definitely quite serious and requires some very specialized care. On the other hand, they kind of made it, you know, it's again, playing up the drama.

33:49 There's only one doctor who can help, and he's on a plane to Caracas. I mean, this was a specialty already, so there wasn't just one guy. But, to be fair, given the sensitivity of how Peters was hit... I could still see making an effort to consult him. But the idea of having a physician not trained in brain surgery do the surgery by phone under his guidance, well, it It's a modern term, but this takes telemedicine to a whole new level. It would have been probably more reasonable to get another specialist in the room who could talk to him before the surgery and get advice rather than having someone who didn't know what he was doing operating live.

34:43 I mean, and this goes back to the fragility of phone communications of the time. Can you imagine?

34:49 All right.

34:51 So we're now to the crucial point in the surgery. From here on out, it's important that you remember this one thing. For the patient to survive, be careful to never. Would not be a good situation. At any rate now, it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day. And I want to go ahead and thank Amy Sue, Patreon supporter since... April, currently supporting the podcast at the cadet level of $ 2 or more per month. Thanks so much for the support, Amy Sue. And that will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from.

35:37 We'll be back next Saturday with another episode of Counterspy. And be sure and join us back here tomorrow. I know I announced this last time, but we couldn't get it recorded in time. But we will be bringing you our top episodes of Season 17 tomorrow. So be sure and check that out on the Great Detectives feed. And then a regular lineup resumes on Monday with The Saint.

36:05 And then on the Great Adventurers feed, A lesson for Tarzan on Tuesday. In the meantime, do send your comments to box13 at greatdetectives.net. Follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives and check us out on Instagram. Instagram.com slash greatdetectives. From Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.