Wiseguy (1987–2009): Season 1, Episode 21 - Date with an Angel - full transcript
Roger Loccoco in effect signs his own death warrant by testifying to a Senate comnittee about a cabal within the U.S. intelligence community, but to back him up he needs Vinnie to testify ...
- [Announcer]
Tonight on Wise Guy.
(sirens blaring)
(energetic orchestral music)
- How many people did you kill?
- Did Mr. Ketcher's orders
include murdering people?
- You were basically
murdering people.
- I believed I was acting
in the best interest.
- I know nothing about
mercenaries, Senator Delaney.
- I'm resigning.
- Don't do that.
- I never wanna see another
lie as long as I live.
(suspenseful orchestral music)
- The Senate Committee
on Inter-American Affairs
and Intelligence today
begins its public hearings.
The committee has been charged
with investigating
allegedly unauthorized
and illegal covert operations
in the Caribbean basin,
specifically with
regard to a plot
to overthrow the government
of the nation of Il Pavo.
One key player who
will not appear
before the committee is
billionaire, Mel Profitt,
who's alleged to have
financed in whole
or in part the
takeover of Il Pavo.
Profitt died several weeks
ago of a drug overdose.
In a bizarre Viking funeral,
his body was torched
and then set adrift on Long
Island Sound by his sister,
Susan, who was later committed
to a mental institution.
Sources have told this reporter
that the involvement of Profitt,
a private citizen
in the coup attempt
on Il Pavo will be
linked to elements
of the intelligence
community, all the way
to the Council of Security
advisors, and its chairman,
retired Admiral Walter Strichen,
who's office is located
in the White House.
With the arrival of
the first witness,
that process is about to begin.
This is Barbara
Elkin in Washington.
(sirens blaring)
- [Secretary] Admiral
Strichen's office.
- Is the admiral in?
- [Secretary] Who's
calling please?
- Herb Ketcher,
it's vital that I--
- [Secretary] I'm
sorry, the admiral's
not in right now.
- Well, when do you expect him?
- [Secretary] I'm not
sure, but if you'd like
to leave a message--
- I've called him 12 times
in the last two days.
He has my number.
- [Secretary] Then we will
be getting back to you.
- Yeah, fine, thank you.
(sighs)
- [TV announcer] We are now
just moments away from the start
of the Senate
Investigative hearings.
Senator Pickering's
10-member committee--
- Where's LoCocco?
- He's upstairs.
Anything from on high
about gettin' him immunity?
- Well, last time I asked
the RD, his exact words
to me were, Frank,
we're the bureau.
LoCocco's an agency man.
We do not cross pollinate.
- That stinks, man.
- I'm surprised he's
not watchin' this,
seein' how it's his butt in
the witness chair tomorrow.
- Yeah well, he
likes the unexpected.
He does it, too.
You know, I never
thought he'd agree
to stay here under wraps.
- What other choice
does he have?
He's turnin' over on a
lot of powerful people.
He's gotta know that Ketcher
and his friends would love
to drill him a third eye.
- Well, Christmas came early
for me this year, Frank.
This subpoena from
the committee,
it's like a present
under the tree.
- [Frank] Now, what makes
you think those Senators
are gonna believe
what you have to say?
- Well, I was there when
the whole Il Pavo thing
was takin' shape.
I know Ketcher was behind it.
- Ketcher will discredit your
testimony in two seconds.
- What are you talkin' about?
I'm a federal agent.
- That committee
subpoenaed you because you
are Vinnie Terranova,
former employee
of the former Mel Profitt.
Now, you can say what you
want about Herb Ketcher
and the plot to overthrow,
but sooner or later,
Senator Getzloff and
her pack of wolves
are gonna get their
chance at you.
And I will bet you dollars
to donuts she's gonna ask you
what it felt like
to pull the trigger
for Sonny Steelgrave.
He's still in the game, Vince.
Orders are, if
you're subpoenaed,
you are not to
testify as an agent.
- Hey look, I wanna get Ketcher.
And I'm willin' to put
myself on the line to do it.
But I'm not willin' to ruin the
rest of my life for nothin'.
- Now, what does that mean?
- Look, Frank, you may think
this job is who you are,
but I don't.
I wanna get the hell
out of it someday.
I wanna fight with my wife
and play with my kids,
worry about my
taxes and crabgrass.
But if I testify on national
television as a button man
for the mob, none of that
is ever gonna happen.
Because as far as anybody
I care about's concerned,
I'd be a leper.
So, I'm either gonna
appear before the committee
as Vinnie Terranova,
OCB operative,
or I'm not gonna appear at all.
(gavel banging)
- Could we bring this
hearing room to order please?
Mr. LaLonde, would
you please stand
and raise your right hand?
Henri LaLonde, do you
swear that the testimony
you're about to give this
committee is the truth,
and that you testify
without reservation
or purpose of evasion?
- I do.
- Senator Delaney.
- I wanna welcome
you, Mr. LaLonde.
Is it fair to say that you
have advocated the overthrow
of the recognized
government of Il Pavo?
- It is a totalitarian regime
which seized power
by fraudulent means.
- So, you have
advocated the overthrow
of a recognized
government, haven't you?
- Surely, even you, Senator
Delaney, would agree
that excising this
cancer of despotism
in the hemisphere would
be of interest not only
to my people, but to the
United States, as well.
- By what means would
you excise this cancer?
- The chains of the
people cannot be
broken merely by words.
- So, we're talking
a mercenary invasion?
- Followed by a free
and democratic election.
- That you would win?
- Only if it were the
will of the people.
- Mr. Chairman, does
the Senator need
a simpler explanation
of free and democratic?
- Mr. Chairman, this
is my time, isn't it?
- Oh, I wasn't aware
that this time belonged
to any one individual,
Mr. Chairman,
but to the American people.
(gavel banging)
- I may be wrong, but I
thought this time belonged
to the searching for truth.
- Indeed, Mr. Chairman.
Who first proposed
the idea of a coup
by which you became
president of Il Pavo?
- My friend, Herbert Ketcher.
- [Delaney] Are you aware
that Mr. Ketcher's a member
of the United States
Intelligence Community?
- [Henri] Yes.
- [Delaney] Who was gonna
hire and equip the mercenaries
who were gonna
stage the invasion?
- [Henri] Herbert Ketcher.
- [Secretary] Admiral
Strichen's office.
- I have to speak
to the admiral now.
I don't give a damn
about his meeting.
- [Secretary] I'm sorry,
the admiral's not available.
- I am being crucified.
He has to speak to me.
I will not be ignored.
- [Secretary] The
admiral has your number,
we'll get back to you later.
- [Delaney] Did he
ever mention the name
of retired Admiral Strichen,
chairman of that council?
- No.
- In all the time
you worked with him,
he never said a single word
about who he was working for?
- It was my belief
he was working for
the cause of freedom,
which I'm sure you are, Senator.
- This whole thing is
being laid on me, me alone.
If you think I am
gonna slowly twist
in the wind without company--
- That's what these are for.
Affidavits registering
you as a representative
of a foreign government.
Sign 'em, and we'll back date.
We'll use them to
support the notion
that you were engaged
in political reeducation
on Il Pavo, that you had no idea
that LaLonde was
planning an invasion.
- Lenhart, the
committee's not deaf.
They heard the man say with
immunity that I was the one--
- He has no documentation.
But you can produce
proof of payments
to him in the amount
of $7 million.
Payments we intended
for democratic voice
of the Caribbean
broadcasts, publication
of pro-Western pamphlets,
and filming documentaries.
But which he rerouted
to the accounts
of fictitious corporations
for his personal use.
He's a thief, Herb.
His character can easily
be brought into question.
That's the tact the
admiral strongly feels
that we have to take.
The admiral is well
aware of the role
that you've played
in the program,
and he appreciates the
loyalty that you've shown him.
He believes when loyalty is
received, it must be returned.
There are smooth
waters ahead, Herb.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- So, when are the
marshals pickin' you up?
- 9:45, 10 o'clock I'll be
in front of the committee.
By the end of the day,
it'll all be over.
- Listen, Frank's
talkin' with the brass
about gettin' you immunity.
- Immunity?
Couldn't mean less to me.
You're talkin' to a man who's
future is a thing of the past.
Remember my friend, Bobby Carl?
He was gonna train my
mercenaries for that invasion.
- Yeah.
- He and I spent
three tours in Nam.
He came back, moved
to Utah, survivalist.
He could sense danger
like an animal.
Check it out.
Gee, I guess he didn't see
that two-ton truck bearing
down on him at 80 miles an hour.
They're not gonna get me, Vince.
- Runnin' all the time's
a rotten way to live.
- No, you miss the point.
See, when the end comes, I
want it to be on my terms.
- Roger, why don't
you take the immunity
or at least the witness program?
- Ah, forget about
it, your deal.
Remember that day at
that motel in Stockton?
We were sittin' around
trying to buy artillery
from that clown by the pool.
Man, I fell for your act
like a kid in short pants.
And when Ketcher would
order me to whack you,
I'd always find some
reason not to do it.
All of a sudden, it's
startin' to make sense to me.
You and I were flip side
of the same coin, brother.
So, you got a subpoena, too?
- Yeah.
- What are you
gonna do about it?
- The OCB wants me
to testify as a hood.
Which means my
testimony's a joke.
- From their point of view,
it makes perfect sense.
They don't wanna lose a player.
And their point of
view is the only point
of view that they're lookin' at.
Vinnie, you're a jerk.
You played by their rules and
what have you got
to show for it?
Nothin'.
And when you go down
in a hail of gunfire,
they're gonna pretend
you never even existed.
Your mother'll get a nice letter
of condolence and
300 bucks a month.
At least, I got to keep
some of my ill-gotten gains.
- Been squirrelin' it away?
- You better believe it.
For a long and cold winter.
That's if I make it
through the fall.
If I don't, maybe I'll
put a log in the fire
for you and Mama Terranova.
- Hey, I don't want
your money, Roger.
Hey, man, you saved my
life a couple of times.
I wanna even up the score.
- Well, the only
way you can do that
is throw your badge down
in front of that committee,
corroborate my testimony
as a federal agent.
And that's something your
boys will never let you do.
- [Walter] Hello.
- Walter, Herb Ketcher.
- [Walter] I've got company,
I'll have to call you back.
- [Nat] Yes.
- How's it goin', Nat?
- [Nat] I'm fine, who's this?
- Herb Ketcher.
- [Gordy] Hello.
- Don't hang up on me, Gordy.
- [Gordy] Herb?
- Yeah.
- [Gordy] Get real, Herb,
I can't talk to you.
- Yeah, nobody can talk to me.
I mean, what happened
to the men who?
(somber orchestral music)
- [Woman On Phone]
Discrete Escort.
- Yeah,
I need company.
- Mr. Ketcher?
- Herb.
- I'm Monique, Herb.
Do you always keep
it this dark in here?
- Right now, I do.
- I understand.
I've been following
the hearings.
- Great, an educated tart.
Sorry, nothing personal.
- Of course not.
You probably feel all
alone, unprotected.
You're takin' all the flack.
No wonder you need company.
- My stomach feels
like a gravel pit.
- There are people who
care about you, though.
I'm here.
(gentle orchestral music)
Do you feel any better?
Come on, Herb, I
know you're a man.
Other people know
you're a man, too.
(sighs)
- Damn it.
- If you're rushing to leave,
I can never get
dressed that quickly.
- Yeah, well, let yourself out.
Can we do this again?
- Any time.
I'll leave my private
number on your nightstand.
- You're beautiful.
- And as me grandmother
used to say,
may you be a long time in heaven
before the devil
knows you're gone.
(laughing)
The test of your mettle
at moments like these.
To see if a man's prepared
to cross the Rubicon.
Excuse me, I have to go potty.
(laughing)
Didn't Lenhart talk to you?
- LoCocco's testifying tomorrow.
He's gonna crucify me.
- The only thing we
have to fear, Herb.
LoCocco's testimony
isn't worth spit.
He's a lunatic renegade off
on some illusionary mission,
and that's how we'll paint him.
Your testimony will
mute LaLonde's.
You were doing your duty,
keeping the lines open
with a potential
sympathetic foreign leader.
- Terranova's with the OCB.
- You are looking at diminished
capacity in its raw state.
Now, get a grip on yourself.
Our mission is scrubbed.
And the OCB can't afford to
let Terranova
testify as an agent.
He's too valuable to be given
up for a failed mission.
He'll testify, but as
one of LoCocco's thugs.
Now, how much weight do
you think that carries?
- My skin is being torn off.
- Look for the logic, how
else can they play it?
You'll be left with a few
battle scars, that's all.
You're doing the noble thing.
And I'll see to it
that you get everything
that you justifiably deserve.
That's a promise.
But you and I
haven't had contact,
not now, not for
the last two years,
except for the infrequent
casual telephone chat.
Stay here another five minutes.
We should avoid
being seen together.
Hey, Herb, quit
worrying about LoCocco.
(gavel banging)
- [Pickering] Will this
committee come to order, please?
- You're a certified war
hero, aren't you, Mr. LoCocco?
- I served my country, sir.
- And after serving
your country,
you were recruited by the CIA.
- I became a field operative
after the fall of
Saigon, yes, sir.
- [Delaney] And you
were recruited by?
- [Roger] Herb Ketcher.
- [Delaney] And what did
Mr. Ketcher order you
to do while under
his supervision?
- I was involved in
various covert activities
from 1974 to 1986.
People I work with
might be in jeopardy
by any further comment
on those activities.
- But you were basically
murdering people.
- [Delaney] Mr. Chairman,
is Senator Getzloff
been given carte
blanche to interrupt me?
- I apologize.
It's just hard for me to
sit here in silence knowing
that you're making this
murderer out to be a hero.
- This is intolerable.
(gavel banging)
- We will try and remember this
is the United States Senate
and not the D.C. dog pound.
(laughing)
- I admire your concern for
your colleagues, Mr. LoCocco.
This operation was done in
the name of national security?
- Yes, sir.
- According to whom?
- Herb Ketcher.
- You were under direct
orders from Herbert Ketcher?
- Yes, sir.
- And did Mr. Ketcher's orders
include murdering people?
- I believed I was acting
in the best interest
of our nation.
- [Janet] So did Adolf Eichmann.
- [Delaney] Mr. Chairman.
- [Janet] This man is a
confessed murderer, a terrorist.
And now, he's looking
to lay off his actions
on a patriotic American.
(gavel banging)
- [Pickering] Madam Senator.
- The parameters of
this committee are
specifically Il Pavo
and Mr. LoCocco's
involvement with Mel Profitt.
(gavel banging)
- We're going to
recess for the weekend.
- Mr. Chairman, Mr. LoCocco
must finish testifying today.
He is at significant risk.
- Mr. LoCocco is well protected.
These hearings are
recessed for the weekend.
- They want me to
testify as a button man.
- Askin' an awful
lot, aren't they?
- You're damn right they are.
- Thanks for the help, Uncle.
- They want the world to
see you as a hired killer.
- I mean, they're
nailin' Roger to a cross.
They're gonna put one up for me
and Ketcher's gonna get
off as some innocent
who got conned by two hit men.
- Come clean, you
gonna tell the world
you were undercover for the OCB.
- What other choice do I got?
- What about going
behind a screen?
- Come on, Frank,
what kind of truth
is delivered in a
brown paper bag?
Who's gonna believe it?
No, the only way Roger's
testimony has any legitimacy
is if I come out and say what
I know in the light of day.
I'm not gonna send out
notes from under a rock.
- Out in the open as an OCB
agent, that'll say something.
- That's right.
- [Mike] You won't be
able to go back under.
- Well, I don't
know that I want to.
- It'll make it hard
on other guys under.
Organizations they've
infiltrated will
be takin' a real hard look
at all their employees.
Ah, but that'll pass.
Some old acquaintances
might recognize you
as the enemy, might
come gunnin' for you.
But you live with that anyway.
Maybe the entire program
comes under scrutiny.
Maybe it folds, but you
will have an honest moment
and maybe it's worth it.
Even it it is self-indulgent.
(somber orchestral music)
- Thanks for coming down,
Uncle, I needed the support.
You carry more weight
with him than anybody.
- Yeah well, we got
him thinking anyway.
(knocking)
- [Frank] Vince.
- [Vinnie] How's it look, Frank?
This what you want?
- Come on, Vince.
- This is it, right?
This is how I go before
the nation as Agent X?
(somber orchestral music)
How the hell did I end up here?
- Ah, most honorable Vince.
Chinese downstairs.
- No thanks.
(laughing)
- What's this, goin'
to a masquerade?
- It's the proper attire for
the inquisition, isn't it?
- No offense, you do this
thing, you do it for yourself.
You don't do it for me.
- All I ever wanted
was to be a cop.
I had this naive notion
about keepin' it simple.
You hurt somebody,
you're outta here.
Take something that isn't
yours, psst, you're gone.
I joined the bureau
'cause I figured
that's the ultimate cop.
- Yeah.
Then you realize that
it's okay to break the law
just so long as you
don't transgress policy.
(gun fires)
- Take the driveway,
check the front.
- [Frank] Just stay down.
- No kidding.
- You're supposed to stay away
from the windows in the front.
- He's gone, Frank.
- How do you know?
- Because I would be.
I'm outta here.
- [Frank] The hell you are.
- I'm not taking my last
breath as a sitting duck.
- You're gonna stay and
you're gonna testify again.
- Mr. McPike.
The area's clean,
no sign of anyone.
- There's a car in the
garage, I want the keys.
- You're gonna stay and
you're gonna testify.
- I have to be alive to do that.
- Give him the keys, Frank.
- Are you kiddin' me?
I can't do that.
- That's exactly
what they think.
That's why it's the
only way I'm likely
to get out of here with my skin.
- Go on, give him the keys.
- Thanks.
- Well, we'll never
see him again.
- He'll be there.
- If he isn't?
- Then we'll light a candle
and pray for his soul.
- Vinnie.
Put the gun down, I'm alone.
You followed?
- Yeah, for a while.
I don't know if it was
the company or the bureau,
but whoever it was is
halfway to Baltimore by now.
I've been turnin'
this city upside-down
since you split last night.
- Nice to be wanted.
Tell McPike not to worry.
I'll be in the witness
chair on Monday morning.
- Where'd you get that?
- Well, Mel was a little
bit of a squirrel himself.
But this is nothin'.
These signature cards
provide the bearer
with access to three of
Mel's Swiss accounts.
You know how much?
- I got a rough idea.
- Let me smooth it out for
ya, over a hundred million.
If things go down the
way I think they will,
it's all yours.
Do with it what you want.
- We're goin' back to
the safe house, Roger.
- The hell we are.
Take your hands off of me.
- I'm trying to help you.
- Take your hands off of me.
- Listen, you son of a bitch,
there might be a way out of this
if you give me a
chance to find it.
Why do you gotta play a martyr.
- I've gotta go about
this my own way.
I thought you of all
people would understand.
(dramatic orchestral music)
I'll be in touch, Buckwheat.
(crying)
- Shh.
Shh.
It's all right.
It's strain you're under, Herb.
Just knowing that you
want me is enough.
It's okay.
- Damn, LoCocca.
50 million people
heard him say I was
some kind of psychotic zealot.
- But when you take the stand,
you can tell them the truth.
You can tell 'em all who
gave you your orders.
- No, no, no.
I have a responsibility
to protect my superiors
as they have to protect me.
That's a sacred
responsibility, Monique.
- Yes.
You're a man of honor, Herb.
- Yeah, thank you.
(sighs)
- I have another client.
He's been watching
the hearings, too.
He wanted me to let you know
if there's anything he can do
for you, I mean, anything at
all, it would be his privilege.
Legal fees, whatever.
- What does he do?
- I think he's in publishing.
- I'll keep it in mind.
- Yeah.
(gavel banging)
- [Pickering] Quiet, please.
Counselor, is your client,
Mr. LoCocco, present?
- [Counselor] Mr. Chairman,
I'm afraid he is not.
- [Pickering] You realize
your client's buttin'
right up against a
charge of contempt.
- I have not communicated
with Mr. LoCocco
since Friday night, when the
attempt was made on his life.
(gavel banging)
- Counselor, you have 10
minutes to produce your client
or this committee
will issue a warrant.
- My apologies for being
late, Mr. Chairman.
- I'm reminding the witness
he's still under oath.
We only have a few
questions left.
- [Counselor] Thank
you, Mr. Chairman.
- Senator Getzloff.
- During the time you
worked for Mel Profitt,
how many people did you kill?
- I really don't know, Senator.
- Well, I realize it's
tough keeping track.
- Excuse me, Senator,
with all due respect,
I'm not going to make
excuses for what I've done.
The people I associated
with were drug traffickers,
sellers of human beings.
It was absolutely vital
that I set my cover
with Mel Profitt, convince
him that I was a loyal
and reliable employee so that
I could eventually direct him
towards the plan to
take over Il Pavo.
- And that was a course
of action you decided
to take entirely on your own?
- No, Senator, let me make
this absolutely clear.
That was a plan outlined
to me by Herb Ketcher.
- [Janet] No further
questions at this time.
- Mr. LoCocco, why did
you blow the whistle
on the Il Pavo operation?
- I was lied to, Senator.
It came to my attention
that the beneficiary
of the takeover of
Il Pavo was not going
to be the people of Il Pavo,
nor the people of
the United States,
but rather Henri
LaLonde and his friends
at Unified Bottling Corporation.
- Now, you've come
before this committee
without a grant of immunity,
and obviously at
great personal peril.
I'd like to know why?
- I've left a lot
of friends lying
under crosses all
over this globe.
They died for something
more than increased profits
for corporate Americana.
For them, freedom wasn't
some abstract idea,
it was as tangible
and as personal
as the right to make
up your own mind
about how you want to live.
That's why I'm here, Senator,
I'm here because they can't be.
- [Delaney] Thank
you, Mr. LoCocco.
- Mr. LoCocco, you're excused
pending further investigation
of these allegations
against you.
- Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
- [Pickering] This committee
now calls Herbert W. Ketcher.
- I don't think you
realize what you've done.
- Oh, yes I do, Herb, yes I do.
- Raise your right hand, please.
Herbert W. Ketcher, do you
swear the testimony you're about
to give this committee
is the truth,
and that you testify
without reservation
or purpose of evasion?
- I do, Mr. Chairman.
- No, ma'am, thank you.
Thank you.
They just okayed LoCocco
for the witness program.
- Frank, that's great.
- He won't go for it, will he?
- No, thanks for takin' a shot.
- Do you expect
to hear from him?
- He said he'd be in
touch if he's able to.
I'm sure he will.
- This witness has
every right to--
- This witness is perfectly--
- Mr. Ketcher, please
continue, if you will.
- I know nothing about
mercenaries, Senator Delaney.
- [Delaney] Mr. LoCocco
said you ordered him
to procure and train them.
- In 1974, I judged
Roger LoCocco to be one
of the finest young
men I'd ever met.
But as our association
continued, it became clear to me
that he suffered from certain
delusionary conditions,
sense of paranoia and
inability to deal with stress
in a logical,
non-confrontational manner,
and an almost blind ambition
that renders him unable
to see the subtleties that
many of our operations require.
- And to what do you
attribute that, Mr. Ketcher?
- Agent Orange.
(laughing)
- Is Mr. Ketcher an expert on
the effects of Agent Orange?
What kind of evidence
can you produce
that indicates Mr.
LoCocco was ever exposed
to that defoliant, let
alone ingested quantities--
- Mr. Chairman, I ask your--
- I'll move off
that for a moment.
What did Admiral Strichen have
to do with Operation Il Pavo?
- His involvement was spiritual.
- Well, you're really
gonna have to explain that.
- Gladly, Senator, it was
his spirit that fueled
the idea of
political realignment
of Il Pavo through
democratic means.
In that spirit, I was
able to obtain funding
as part of covert operations.
At no time was the
admiral, did he authorize,
nor was he aware
of the subversion
of funds by LoCocco and LaLonde.
Admiral Strichen is one of the
preeminent patriotic thinkers
this country has ever produced.
He believes, as do
the American people
that the strength of
democracy lies in its ability
to win people to its cause
without the use of force.
This nation owes
him a great debt,
a debt that in my humble
opinion it can never repay.
- This just came
for you, Vinnie.
- Oh, thanks.
(suspenseful orchestral music)
(moves into dramatic
orchestral music)
- This is Sullivan, pick
up the gold Oldsmobile
headed west on King
Street, could be Terranova.
(suspenseful orchestral music)
(squealing)
(dramatic orchestral music)
- [Vinnie] Roger!
(exploding)
(dramatic orchestral music)
(moves into somber
orchestral music)
- [Man] Ready, sir?
(gavel banging)
- To protect the
officer's identity,
we will refer to him as John.
John, you have been sworn
before this committee?
- Yes, sir, I have.
- Tell us what brings
you here today.
- I'm an undercover operative
for the Organized Crime Bureau.
In that capacity, I infiltrated
Mel Profitt's business.
And through that infiltration,
I became aware of overthrow--
- [Secretary] Admiral
Strichen's office.
- Yeah, I need to
speak Admiral Strichen.
- [Secretary] I'm sorry,
he's not in right now.
- Don't tell me he's not there.
(clicks)
- Who was in charge
of these mercenaries?
- Herbert Ketcher.
- And did you actually see Mr.
Ketcher with the mercenaries?
- Yes, I did.
He arrived with Henri
LaLonde, and had a briefcase
that contained several
hundred thousand dollars,
recon photos, and launch
strategy timetables
for the invasion of Il Pavo.
- Is this the briefcase?
- [Vinnie] Yes, sir, it is.
- Is this all the evidence
you have against Mr. Ketcher?
- Through travel
and phone records,
we have established that
Herbert Ketcher's movements
duplicate those of
Roger LoCocco's.
And through phone
records, we established
that Herb Ketcher has made
contact with Admiral Strichen.
- Do you have transcripts
of conversations
between Strichen and Ketcher?
- No, ma'am, I do not.
- Do you have any physical
evidence that Strichen
and Ketcher actually
talked to one another?
- Only records that show
that Ketcher's telephone
was frequently online
with Admiral Strichen's.
- Did LoCocco or Ketcher ever
mention Admiral Strichen?
- No, ma'am.
- Have you ever seen
Admiral Strichen?
- No, ma'am.
- Do you think Roger
LoCocco was a sane man?
- I'm not sure I know how
to answer that question.
- Well, that seems
pretty simple, yes or no?
- None of this is simple.
- Well, you were with him
for a long period of time,
do you have any
personal judgment?
- Yes, I do.
- What is it?
- I believe that Roger LoCocco's
patriotism was subverted
by machiavellian forces
within the government.
- Are you saying that
this former, tough,
independent war hero
suddenly became a puppet?
- People can be blinded
by their beliefs.
- A man blinded by his beliefs
is allowing delusions to
determine his actions.
- Mr. LoCocco was not deluded.
- [Janet] Thank you.
- Wait a minute.
- That's all.
- Do you have a closing
statement, John?
- Yes, sir, I do.
Sometimes in the
pursuit of principles,
we lose sight of
those principles
and get caught up
in the adrenalin
that comes with the pursuit.
- Has that happened to you?
- It's a disease that
is caused by ambition,
and yes, Senator, I
have been too ambitious.
What about you?
Roger was blinded
by his pursuit.
But his vision returned,
he understood his guilt
and he tried to
redeem himself for it
in testifying to this committee.
Now, he died for that testimony.
And whatever footnote
he may hold in history,
at least for me, Roger
LoCocco died a hero.
- [Pickering] Thank you, John.
- [Monique] Hello.
- Monique, can you come over?
- [Monique] I'll be right there.
- Ah, great, thanks.
(gavel banging)
- Can we have quiet, please?
Admiral Strichen, please stand.
Raise your right hand.
Admiral Strichen, do you
swear that the testimony
you're about to give this
committee is the truth,
and that you testify
without reservation
or purpose of evasion?
- [Walter] I do, sir.
- You said some
good things, Vince.
- Ah, it doesn't matter.
He'll skate.
I won't be comin' back, Frank.
You're okay.
- What are you doin'?
- I'm resigning.
- Don't do that.
- Frank, it's done.
I never wanna see another
lie as long as I live.
- I will turn this
into a six-month leave.
- Fine, it is what it is.
You take care of yourself.
(somber orchestral music)
- I suppose in retrospect,
I should have smelled
that something was amiss.
But Mr. Ketcher's duties
as I expected them
to be exercised was
simply the maintenance
of a relationship
with Henri LaLonde,
an exiled leader of Il Pavo.
I had no idea that that
relationship would terminate
in an airplane hanger on the eve
of an illegal invasion
of a sovereign nation.
- [Delaney] You actually
expect this committee
to believe that Herbert
Ketcher was acting
without your authority
or knowledge?
- [Walter] I'm
embarrassed to admit it.
And insofar as Mr. Ketcher clung
to my political philosophy
and perverted it,
I accept the responsibility
for his actions.
- Oh God, he's destroying me.
- How would you
explain his actions?
- That would be better
left to a psychiatrist.
- Do you wanna meet my friend?
- You mean this entire
scheme was a single act
of a lunatic?
- I believe Herb lost
sight of principle
in favor of ambition.
I believe he fantasized
that a successful invasion
of Pavo would herald his
return to Washington.
I believe Herb actually felt
that we would forgive his means
if he reached a successful end.
- Yes.
- [Walter] What Herb
failed to understand is
that there is no excuse
for subverting democracy
in order to arrive at it.
- [Monique's Friend] Monique's
wonderful, isn't she?
- Oh yeah, she tells me you're
in some kind of publishing.
- I'm in all forms of the
media business, Mr. Ketcher.
What you've been
through, what you know
has value we're willing
to make an offer on.
- What kind of offer?
- Political asylum.
- Asylum?
- You're a man without
a country, Herb.
The end result of
plausible deniability.
There's a very real possibility
the justice department's
gonna come through
that door any second
now and confine you
behind bars for the
rest of your life.
Now, if you're willing
to leave immediately,
I'll provide you with a new
life in the Soviet Union.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- You're nuts.
What kind of life could
I have in your country?
- What kind of life
do you have here?
Look, we're not
exactly doing backflips
for your citizenship, Herb.
We're reluctantly willing
to accept you into our home
in exchange for your knowledge
of US government affairs,
and whatever little media
value we can exploit
out of your defection.
Take it or leave it.
Monique's job is
here in Washington.
- I'm gonna turn you over.
I'm gonna turn you over
to the state department.
- We intercepted a
phone call you made
to an escort service and
we sent you one of our own.
Now, you take us to
the state department,
all they'll have a record of
is your soliciting a
prostitute, yes or no?
Right now.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- Excuse me.
(dramatic orchestral music)
(gun fires)
(dramatic orchestral music)
- I've been livin'
in the shadows
for two years now, Uncle Mike.
- [Mike] Vince, I really
don't wanna lose you.
- You're not going to.
I'll keep in touch,
one way or the other.
- Take care of yourself, son.
You deserve it.
- Thanks, Uncle
Mike for everything.
(dramatic orchestral music)
(moves into upbeat
orchestral music)
Tonight on Wise Guy.
(sirens blaring)
(energetic orchestral music)
- How many people did you kill?
- Did Mr. Ketcher's orders
include murdering people?
- You were basically
murdering people.
- I believed I was acting
in the best interest.
- I know nothing about
mercenaries, Senator Delaney.
- I'm resigning.
- Don't do that.
- I never wanna see another
lie as long as I live.
(suspenseful orchestral music)
- The Senate Committee
on Inter-American Affairs
and Intelligence today
begins its public hearings.
The committee has been charged
with investigating
allegedly unauthorized
and illegal covert operations
in the Caribbean basin,
specifically with
regard to a plot
to overthrow the government
of the nation of Il Pavo.
One key player who
will not appear
before the committee is
billionaire, Mel Profitt,
who's alleged to have
financed in whole
or in part the
takeover of Il Pavo.
Profitt died several weeks
ago of a drug overdose.
In a bizarre Viking funeral,
his body was torched
and then set adrift on Long
Island Sound by his sister,
Susan, who was later committed
to a mental institution.
Sources have told this reporter
that the involvement of Profitt,
a private citizen
in the coup attempt
on Il Pavo will be
linked to elements
of the intelligence
community, all the way
to the Council of Security
advisors, and its chairman,
retired Admiral Walter Strichen,
who's office is located
in the White House.
With the arrival of
the first witness,
that process is about to begin.
This is Barbara
Elkin in Washington.
(sirens blaring)
- [Secretary] Admiral
Strichen's office.
- Is the admiral in?
- [Secretary] Who's
calling please?
- Herb Ketcher,
it's vital that I--
- [Secretary] I'm
sorry, the admiral's
not in right now.
- Well, when do you expect him?
- [Secretary] I'm not
sure, but if you'd like
to leave a message--
- I've called him 12 times
in the last two days.
He has my number.
- [Secretary] Then we will
be getting back to you.
- Yeah, fine, thank you.
(sighs)
- [TV announcer] We are now
just moments away from the start
of the Senate
Investigative hearings.
Senator Pickering's
10-member committee--
- Where's LoCocco?
- He's upstairs.
Anything from on high
about gettin' him immunity?
- Well, last time I asked
the RD, his exact words
to me were, Frank,
we're the bureau.
LoCocco's an agency man.
We do not cross pollinate.
- That stinks, man.
- I'm surprised he's
not watchin' this,
seein' how it's his butt in
the witness chair tomorrow.
- Yeah well, he
likes the unexpected.
He does it, too.
You know, I never
thought he'd agree
to stay here under wraps.
- What other choice
does he have?
He's turnin' over on a
lot of powerful people.
He's gotta know that Ketcher
and his friends would love
to drill him a third eye.
- Well, Christmas came early
for me this year, Frank.
This subpoena from
the committee,
it's like a present
under the tree.
- [Frank] Now, what makes
you think those Senators
are gonna believe
what you have to say?
- Well, I was there when
the whole Il Pavo thing
was takin' shape.
I know Ketcher was behind it.
- Ketcher will discredit your
testimony in two seconds.
- What are you talkin' about?
I'm a federal agent.
- That committee
subpoenaed you because you
are Vinnie Terranova,
former employee
of the former Mel Profitt.
Now, you can say what you
want about Herb Ketcher
and the plot to overthrow,
but sooner or later,
Senator Getzloff and
her pack of wolves
are gonna get their
chance at you.
And I will bet you dollars
to donuts she's gonna ask you
what it felt like
to pull the trigger
for Sonny Steelgrave.
He's still in the game, Vince.
Orders are, if
you're subpoenaed,
you are not to
testify as an agent.
- Hey look, I wanna get Ketcher.
And I'm willin' to put
myself on the line to do it.
But I'm not willin' to ruin the
rest of my life for nothin'.
- Now, what does that mean?
- Look, Frank, you may think
this job is who you are,
but I don't.
I wanna get the hell
out of it someday.
I wanna fight with my wife
and play with my kids,
worry about my
taxes and crabgrass.
But if I testify on national
television as a button man
for the mob, none of that
is ever gonna happen.
Because as far as anybody
I care about's concerned,
I'd be a leper.
So, I'm either gonna
appear before the committee
as Vinnie Terranova,
OCB operative,
or I'm not gonna appear at all.
(gavel banging)
- Could we bring this
hearing room to order please?
Mr. LaLonde, would
you please stand
and raise your right hand?
Henri LaLonde, do you
swear that the testimony
you're about to give this
committee is the truth,
and that you testify
without reservation
or purpose of evasion?
- I do.
- Senator Delaney.
- I wanna welcome
you, Mr. LaLonde.
Is it fair to say that you
have advocated the overthrow
of the recognized
government of Il Pavo?
- It is a totalitarian regime
which seized power
by fraudulent means.
- So, you have
advocated the overthrow
of a recognized
government, haven't you?
- Surely, even you, Senator
Delaney, would agree
that excising this
cancer of despotism
in the hemisphere would
be of interest not only
to my people, but to the
United States, as well.
- By what means would
you excise this cancer?
- The chains of the
people cannot be
broken merely by words.
- So, we're talking
a mercenary invasion?
- Followed by a free
and democratic election.
- That you would win?
- Only if it were the
will of the people.
- Mr. Chairman, does
the Senator need
a simpler explanation
of free and democratic?
- Mr. Chairman, this
is my time, isn't it?
- Oh, I wasn't aware
that this time belonged
to any one individual,
Mr. Chairman,
but to the American people.
(gavel banging)
- I may be wrong, but I
thought this time belonged
to the searching for truth.
- Indeed, Mr. Chairman.
Who first proposed
the idea of a coup
by which you became
president of Il Pavo?
- My friend, Herbert Ketcher.
- [Delaney] Are you aware
that Mr. Ketcher's a member
of the United States
Intelligence Community?
- [Henri] Yes.
- [Delaney] Who was gonna
hire and equip the mercenaries
who were gonna
stage the invasion?
- [Henri] Herbert Ketcher.
- [Secretary] Admiral
Strichen's office.
- I have to speak
to the admiral now.
I don't give a damn
about his meeting.
- [Secretary] I'm sorry,
the admiral's not available.
- I am being crucified.
He has to speak to me.
I will not be ignored.
- [Secretary] The
admiral has your number,
we'll get back to you later.
- [Delaney] Did he
ever mention the name
of retired Admiral Strichen,
chairman of that council?
- No.
- In all the time
you worked with him,
he never said a single word
about who he was working for?
- It was my belief
he was working for
the cause of freedom,
which I'm sure you are, Senator.
- This whole thing is
being laid on me, me alone.
If you think I am
gonna slowly twist
in the wind without company--
- That's what these are for.
Affidavits registering
you as a representative
of a foreign government.
Sign 'em, and we'll back date.
We'll use them to
support the notion
that you were engaged
in political reeducation
on Il Pavo, that you had no idea
that LaLonde was
planning an invasion.
- Lenhart, the
committee's not deaf.
They heard the man say with
immunity that I was the one--
- He has no documentation.
But you can produce
proof of payments
to him in the amount
of $7 million.
Payments we intended
for democratic voice
of the Caribbean
broadcasts, publication
of pro-Western pamphlets,
and filming documentaries.
But which he rerouted
to the accounts
of fictitious corporations
for his personal use.
He's a thief, Herb.
His character can easily
be brought into question.
That's the tact the
admiral strongly feels
that we have to take.
The admiral is well
aware of the role
that you've played
in the program,
and he appreciates the
loyalty that you've shown him.
He believes when loyalty is
received, it must be returned.
There are smooth
waters ahead, Herb.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- So, when are the
marshals pickin' you up?
- 9:45, 10 o'clock I'll be
in front of the committee.
By the end of the day,
it'll all be over.
- Listen, Frank's
talkin' with the brass
about gettin' you immunity.
- Immunity?
Couldn't mean less to me.
You're talkin' to a man who's
future is a thing of the past.
Remember my friend, Bobby Carl?
He was gonna train my
mercenaries for that invasion.
- Yeah.
- He and I spent
three tours in Nam.
He came back, moved
to Utah, survivalist.
He could sense danger
like an animal.
Check it out.
Gee, I guess he didn't see
that two-ton truck bearing
down on him at 80 miles an hour.
They're not gonna get me, Vince.
- Runnin' all the time's
a rotten way to live.
- No, you miss the point.
See, when the end comes, I
want it to be on my terms.
- Roger, why don't
you take the immunity
or at least the witness program?
- Ah, forget about
it, your deal.
Remember that day at
that motel in Stockton?
We were sittin' around
trying to buy artillery
from that clown by the pool.
Man, I fell for your act
like a kid in short pants.
And when Ketcher would
order me to whack you,
I'd always find some
reason not to do it.
All of a sudden, it's
startin' to make sense to me.
You and I were flip side
of the same coin, brother.
So, you got a subpoena, too?
- Yeah.
- What are you
gonna do about it?
- The OCB wants me
to testify as a hood.
Which means my
testimony's a joke.
- From their point of view,
it makes perfect sense.
They don't wanna lose a player.
And their point of
view is the only point
of view that they're lookin' at.
Vinnie, you're a jerk.
You played by their rules and
what have you got
to show for it?
Nothin'.
And when you go down
in a hail of gunfire,
they're gonna pretend
you never even existed.
Your mother'll get a nice letter
of condolence and
300 bucks a month.
At least, I got to keep
some of my ill-gotten gains.
- Been squirrelin' it away?
- You better believe it.
For a long and cold winter.
That's if I make it
through the fall.
If I don't, maybe I'll
put a log in the fire
for you and Mama Terranova.
- Hey, I don't want
your money, Roger.
Hey, man, you saved my
life a couple of times.
I wanna even up the score.
- Well, the only
way you can do that
is throw your badge down
in front of that committee,
corroborate my testimony
as a federal agent.
And that's something your
boys will never let you do.
- [Walter] Hello.
- Walter, Herb Ketcher.
- [Walter] I've got company,
I'll have to call you back.
- [Nat] Yes.
- How's it goin', Nat?
- [Nat] I'm fine, who's this?
- Herb Ketcher.
- [Gordy] Hello.
- Don't hang up on me, Gordy.
- [Gordy] Herb?
- Yeah.
- [Gordy] Get real, Herb,
I can't talk to you.
- Yeah, nobody can talk to me.
I mean, what happened
to the men who?
(somber orchestral music)
- [Woman On Phone]
Discrete Escort.
- Yeah,
I need company.
- Mr. Ketcher?
- Herb.
- I'm Monique, Herb.
Do you always keep
it this dark in here?
- Right now, I do.
- I understand.
I've been following
the hearings.
- Great, an educated tart.
Sorry, nothing personal.
- Of course not.
You probably feel all
alone, unprotected.
You're takin' all the flack.
No wonder you need company.
- My stomach feels
like a gravel pit.
- There are people who
care about you, though.
I'm here.
(gentle orchestral music)
Do you feel any better?
Come on, Herb, I
know you're a man.
Other people know
you're a man, too.
(sighs)
- Damn it.
- If you're rushing to leave,
I can never get
dressed that quickly.
- Yeah, well, let yourself out.
Can we do this again?
- Any time.
I'll leave my private
number on your nightstand.
- You're beautiful.
- And as me grandmother
used to say,
may you be a long time in heaven
before the devil
knows you're gone.
(laughing)
The test of your mettle
at moments like these.
To see if a man's prepared
to cross the Rubicon.
Excuse me, I have to go potty.
(laughing)
Didn't Lenhart talk to you?
- LoCocco's testifying tomorrow.
He's gonna crucify me.
- The only thing we
have to fear, Herb.
LoCocco's testimony
isn't worth spit.
He's a lunatic renegade off
on some illusionary mission,
and that's how we'll paint him.
Your testimony will
mute LaLonde's.
You were doing your duty,
keeping the lines open
with a potential
sympathetic foreign leader.
- Terranova's with the OCB.
- You are looking at diminished
capacity in its raw state.
Now, get a grip on yourself.
Our mission is scrubbed.
And the OCB can't afford to
let Terranova
testify as an agent.
He's too valuable to be given
up for a failed mission.
He'll testify, but as
one of LoCocco's thugs.
Now, how much weight do
you think that carries?
- My skin is being torn off.
- Look for the logic, how
else can they play it?
You'll be left with a few
battle scars, that's all.
You're doing the noble thing.
And I'll see to it
that you get everything
that you justifiably deserve.
That's a promise.
But you and I
haven't had contact,
not now, not for
the last two years,
except for the infrequent
casual telephone chat.
Stay here another five minutes.
We should avoid
being seen together.
Hey, Herb, quit
worrying about LoCocco.
(gavel banging)
- [Pickering] Will this
committee come to order, please?
- You're a certified war
hero, aren't you, Mr. LoCocco?
- I served my country, sir.
- And after serving
your country,
you were recruited by the CIA.
- I became a field operative
after the fall of
Saigon, yes, sir.
- [Delaney] And you
were recruited by?
- [Roger] Herb Ketcher.
- [Delaney] And what did
Mr. Ketcher order you
to do while under
his supervision?
- I was involved in
various covert activities
from 1974 to 1986.
People I work with
might be in jeopardy
by any further comment
on those activities.
- But you were basically
murdering people.
- [Delaney] Mr. Chairman,
is Senator Getzloff
been given carte
blanche to interrupt me?
- I apologize.
It's just hard for me to
sit here in silence knowing
that you're making this
murderer out to be a hero.
- This is intolerable.
(gavel banging)
- We will try and remember this
is the United States Senate
and not the D.C. dog pound.
(laughing)
- I admire your concern for
your colleagues, Mr. LoCocco.
This operation was done in
the name of national security?
- Yes, sir.
- According to whom?
- Herb Ketcher.
- You were under direct
orders from Herbert Ketcher?
- Yes, sir.
- And did Mr. Ketcher's orders
include murdering people?
- I believed I was acting
in the best interest
of our nation.
- [Janet] So did Adolf Eichmann.
- [Delaney] Mr. Chairman.
- [Janet] This man is a
confessed murderer, a terrorist.
And now, he's looking
to lay off his actions
on a patriotic American.
(gavel banging)
- [Pickering] Madam Senator.
- The parameters of
this committee are
specifically Il Pavo
and Mr. LoCocco's
involvement with Mel Profitt.
(gavel banging)
- We're going to
recess for the weekend.
- Mr. Chairman, Mr. LoCocco
must finish testifying today.
He is at significant risk.
- Mr. LoCocco is well protected.
These hearings are
recessed for the weekend.
- They want me to
testify as a button man.
- Askin' an awful
lot, aren't they?
- You're damn right they are.
- Thanks for the help, Uncle.
- They want the world to
see you as a hired killer.
- I mean, they're
nailin' Roger to a cross.
They're gonna put one up for me
and Ketcher's gonna get
off as some innocent
who got conned by two hit men.
- Come clean, you
gonna tell the world
you were undercover for the OCB.
- What other choice do I got?
- What about going
behind a screen?
- Come on, Frank,
what kind of truth
is delivered in a
brown paper bag?
Who's gonna believe it?
No, the only way Roger's
testimony has any legitimacy
is if I come out and say what
I know in the light of day.
I'm not gonna send out
notes from under a rock.
- Out in the open as an OCB
agent, that'll say something.
- That's right.
- [Mike] You won't be
able to go back under.
- Well, I don't
know that I want to.
- It'll make it hard
on other guys under.
Organizations they've
infiltrated will
be takin' a real hard look
at all their employees.
Ah, but that'll pass.
Some old acquaintances
might recognize you
as the enemy, might
come gunnin' for you.
But you live with that anyway.
Maybe the entire program
comes under scrutiny.
Maybe it folds, but you
will have an honest moment
and maybe it's worth it.
Even it it is self-indulgent.
(somber orchestral music)
- Thanks for coming down,
Uncle, I needed the support.
You carry more weight
with him than anybody.
- Yeah well, we got
him thinking anyway.
(knocking)
- [Frank] Vince.
- [Vinnie] How's it look, Frank?
This what you want?
- Come on, Vince.
- This is it, right?
This is how I go before
the nation as Agent X?
(somber orchestral music)
How the hell did I end up here?
- Ah, most honorable Vince.
Chinese downstairs.
- No thanks.
(laughing)
- What's this, goin'
to a masquerade?
- It's the proper attire for
the inquisition, isn't it?
- No offense, you do this
thing, you do it for yourself.
You don't do it for me.
- All I ever wanted
was to be a cop.
I had this naive notion
about keepin' it simple.
You hurt somebody,
you're outta here.
Take something that isn't
yours, psst, you're gone.
I joined the bureau
'cause I figured
that's the ultimate cop.
- Yeah.
Then you realize that
it's okay to break the law
just so long as you
don't transgress policy.
(gun fires)
- Take the driveway,
check the front.
- [Frank] Just stay down.
- No kidding.
- You're supposed to stay away
from the windows in the front.
- He's gone, Frank.
- How do you know?
- Because I would be.
I'm outta here.
- [Frank] The hell you are.
- I'm not taking my last
breath as a sitting duck.
- You're gonna stay and
you're gonna testify again.
- Mr. McPike.
The area's clean,
no sign of anyone.
- There's a car in the
garage, I want the keys.
- You're gonna stay and
you're gonna testify.
- I have to be alive to do that.
- Give him the keys, Frank.
- Are you kiddin' me?
I can't do that.
- That's exactly
what they think.
That's why it's the
only way I'm likely
to get out of here with my skin.
- Go on, give him the keys.
- Thanks.
- Well, we'll never
see him again.
- He'll be there.
- If he isn't?
- Then we'll light a candle
and pray for his soul.
- Vinnie.
Put the gun down, I'm alone.
You followed?
- Yeah, for a while.
I don't know if it was
the company or the bureau,
but whoever it was is
halfway to Baltimore by now.
I've been turnin'
this city upside-down
since you split last night.
- Nice to be wanted.
Tell McPike not to worry.
I'll be in the witness
chair on Monday morning.
- Where'd you get that?
- Well, Mel was a little
bit of a squirrel himself.
But this is nothin'.
These signature cards
provide the bearer
with access to three of
Mel's Swiss accounts.
You know how much?
- I got a rough idea.
- Let me smooth it out for
ya, over a hundred million.
If things go down the
way I think they will,
it's all yours.
Do with it what you want.
- We're goin' back to
the safe house, Roger.
- The hell we are.
Take your hands off of me.
- I'm trying to help you.
- Take your hands off of me.
- Listen, you son of a bitch,
there might be a way out of this
if you give me a
chance to find it.
Why do you gotta play a martyr.
- I've gotta go about
this my own way.
I thought you of all
people would understand.
(dramatic orchestral music)
I'll be in touch, Buckwheat.
(crying)
- Shh.
Shh.
It's all right.
It's strain you're under, Herb.
Just knowing that you
want me is enough.
It's okay.
- Damn, LoCocca.
50 million people
heard him say I was
some kind of psychotic zealot.
- But when you take the stand,
you can tell them the truth.
You can tell 'em all who
gave you your orders.
- No, no, no.
I have a responsibility
to protect my superiors
as they have to protect me.
That's a sacred
responsibility, Monique.
- Yes.
You're a man of honor, Herb.
- Yeah, thank you.
(sighs)
- I have another client.
He's been watching
the hearings, too.
He wanted me to let you know
if there's anything he can do
for you, I mean, anything at
all, it would be his privilege.
Legal fees, whatever.
- What does he do?
- I think he's in publishing.
- I'll keep it in mind.
- Yeah.
(gavel banging)
- [Pickering] Quiet, please.
Counselor, is your client,
Mr. LoCocco, present?
- [Counselor] Mr. Chairman,
I'm afraid he is not.
- [Pickering] You realize
your client's buttin'
right up against a
charge of contempt.
- I have not communicated
with Mr. LoCocco
since Friday night, when the
attempt was made on his life.
(gavel banging)
- Counselor, you have 10
minutes to produce your client
or this committee
will issue a warrant.
- My apologies for being
late, Mr. Chairman.
- I'm reminding the witness
he's still under oath.
We only have a few
questions left.
- [Counselor] Thank
you, Mr. Chairman.
- Senator Getzloff.
- During the time you
worked for Mel Profitt,
how many people did you kill?
- I really don't know, Senator.
- Well, I realize it's
tough keeping track.
- Excuse me, Senator,
with all due respect,
I'm not going to make
excuses for what I've done.
The people I associated
with were drug traffickers,
sellers of human beings.
It was absolutely vital
that I set my cover
with Mel Profitt, convince
him that I was a loyal
and reliable employee so that
I could eventually direct him
towards the plan to
take over Il Pavo.
- And that was a course
of action you decided
to take entirely on your own?
- No, Senator, let me make
this absolutely clear.
That was a plan outlined
to me by Herb Ketcher.
- [Janet] No further
questions at this time.
- Mr. LoCocco, why did
you blow the whistle
on the Il Pavo operation?
- I was lied to, Senator.
It came to my attention
that the beneficiary
of the takeover of
Il Pavo was not going
to be the people of Il Pavo,
nor the people of
the United States,
but rather Henri
LaLonde and his friends
at Unified Bottling Corporation.
- Now, you've come
before this committee
without a grant of immunity,
and obviously at
great personal peril.
I'd like to know why?
- I've left a lot
of friends lying
under crosses all
over this globe.
They died for something
more than increased profits
for corporate Americana.
For them, freedom wasn't
some abstract idea,
it was as tangible
and as personal
as the right to make
up your own mind
about how you want to live.
That's why I'm here, Senator,
I'm here because they can't be.
- [Delaney] Thank
you, Mr. LoCocco.
- Mr. LoCocco, you're excused
pending further investigation
of these allegations
against you.
- Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
- [Pickering] This committee
now calls Herbert W. Ketcher.
- I don't think you
realize what you've done.
- Oh, yes I do, Herb, yes I do.
- Raise your right hand, please.
Herbert W. Ketcher, do you
swear the testimony you're about
to give this committee
is the truth,
and that you testify
without reservation
or purpose of evasion?
- I do, Mr. Chairman.
- No, ma'am, thank you.
Thank you.
They just okayed LoCocco
for the witness program.
- Frank, that's great.
- He won't go for it, will he?
- No, thanks for takin' a shot.
- Do you expect
to hear from him?
- He said he'd be in
touch if he's able to.
I'm sure he will.
- This witness has
every right to--
- This witness is perfectly--
- Mr. Ketcher, please
continue, if you will.
- I know nothing about
mercenaries, Senator Delaney.
- [Delaney] Mr. LoCocco
said you ordered him
to procure and train them.
- In 1974, I judged
Roger LoCocco to be one
of the finest young
men I'd ever met.
But as our association
continued, it became clear to me
that he suffered from certain
delusionary conditions,
sense of paranoia and
inability to deal with stress
in a logical,
non-confrontational manner,
and an almost blind ambition
that renders him unable
to see the subtleties that
many of our operations require.
- And to what do you
attribute that, Mr. Ketcher?
- Agent Orange.
(laughing)
- Is Mr. Ketcher an expert on
the effects of Agent Orange?
What kind of evidence
can you produce
that indicates Mr.
LoCocco was ever exposed
to that defoliant, let
alone ingested quantities--
- Mr. Chairman, I ask your--
- I'll move off
that for a moment.
What did Admiral Strichen have
to do with Operation Il Pavo?
- His involvement was spiritual.
- Well, you're really
gonna have to explain that.
- Gladly, Senator, it was
his spirit that fueled
the idea of
political realignment
of Il Pavo through
democratic means.
In that spirit, I was
able to obtain funding
as part of covert operations.
At no time was the
admiral, did he authorize,
nor was he aware
of the subversion
of funds by LoCocco and LaLonde.
Admiral Strichen is one of the
preeminent patriotic thinkers
this country has ever produced.
He believes, as do
the American people
that the strength of
democracy lies in its ability
to win people to its cause
without the use of force.
This nation owes
him a great debt,
a debt that in my humble
opinion it can never repay.
- This just came
for you, Vinnie.
- Oh, thanks.
(suspenseful orchestral music)
(moves into dramatic
orchestral music)
- This is Sullivan, pick
up the gold Oldsmobile
headed west on King
Street, could be Terranova.
(suspenseful orchestral music)
(squealing)
(dramatic orchestral music)
- [Vinnie] Roger!
(exploding)
(dramatic orchestral music)
(moves into somber
orchestral music)
- [Man] Ready, sir?
(gavel banging)
- To protect the
officer's identity,
we will refer to him as John.
John, you have been sworn
before this committee?
- Yes, sir, I have.
- Tell us what brings
you here today.
- I'm an undercover operative
for the Organized Crime Bureau.
In that capacity, I infiltrated
Mel Profitt's business.
And through that infiltration,
I became aware of overthrow--
- [Secretary] Admiral
Strichen's office.
- Yeah, I need to
speak Admiral Strichen.
- [Secretary] I'm sorry,
he's not in right now.
- Don't tell me he's not there.
(clicks)
- Who was in charge
of these mercenaries?
- Herbert Ketcher.
- And did you actually see Mr.
Ketcher with the mercenaries?
- Yes, I did.
He arrived with Henri
LaLonde, and had a briefcase
that contained several
hundred thousand dollars,
recon photos, and launch
strategy timetables
for the invasion of Il Pavo.
- Is this the briefcase?
- [Vinnie] Yes, sir, it is.
- Is this all the evidence
you have against Mr. Ketcher?
- Through travel
and phone records,
we have established that
Herbert Ketcher's movements
duplicate those of
Roger LoCocco's.
And through phone
records, we established
that Herb Ketcher has made
contact with Admiral Strichen.
- Do you have transcripts
of conversations
between Strichen and Ketcher?
- No, ma'am, I do not.
- Do you have any physical
evidence that Strichen
and Ketcher actually
talked to one another?
- Only records that show
that Ketcher's telephone
was frequently online
with Admiral Strichen's.
- Did LoCocco or Ketcher ever
mention Admiral Strichen?
- No, ma'am.
- Have you ever seen
Admiral Strichen?
- No, ma'am.
- Do you think Roger
LoCocco was a sane man?
- I'm not sure I know how
to answer that question.
- Well, that seems
pretty simple, yes or no?
- None of this is simple.
- Well, you were with him
for a long period of time,
do you have any
personal judgment?
- Yes, I do.
- What is it?
- I believe that Roger LoCocco's
patriotism was subverted
by machiavellian forces
within the government.
- Are you saying that
this former, tough,
independent war hero
suddenly became a puppet?
- People can be blinded
by their beliefs.
- A man blinded by his beliefs
is allowing delusions to
determine his actions.
- Mr. LoCocco was not deluded.
- [Janet] Thank you.
- Wait a minute.
- That's all.
- Do you have a closing
statement, John?
- Yes, sir, I do.
Sometimes in the
pursuit of principles,
we lose sight of
those principles
and get caught up
in the adrenalin
that comes with the pursuit.
- Has that happened to you?
- It's a disease that
is caused by ambition,
and yes, Senator, I
have been too ambitious.
What about you?
Roger was blinded
by his pursuit.
But his vision returned,
he understood his guilt
and he tried to
redeem himself for it
in testifying to this committee.
Now, he died for that testimony.
And whatever footnote
he may hold in history,
at least for me, Roger
LoCocco died a hero.
- [Pickering] Thank you, John.
- [Monique] Hello.
- Monique, can you come over?
- [Monique] I'll be right there.
- Ah, great, thanks.
(gavel banging)
- Can we have quiet, please?
Admiral Strichen, please stand.
Raise your right hand.
Admiral Strichen, do you
swear that the testimony
you're about to give this
committee is the truth,
and that you testify
without reservation
or purpose of evasion?
- [Walter] I do, sir.
- You said some
good things, Vince.
- Ah, it doesn't matter.
He'll skate.
I won't be comin' back, Frank.
You're okay.
- What are you doin'?
- I'm resigning.
- Don't do that.
- Frank, it's done.
I never wanna see another
lie as long as I live.
- I will turn this
into a six-month leave.
- Fine, it is what it is.
You take care of yourself.
(somber orchestral music)
- I suppose in retrospect,
I should have smelled
that something was amiss.
But Mr. Ketcher's duties
as I expected them
to be exercised was
simply the maintenance
of a relationship
with Henri LaLonde,
an exiled leader of Il Pavo.
I had no idea that that
relationship would terminate
in an airplane hanger on the eve
of an illegal invasion
of a sovereign nation.
- [Delaney] You actually
expect this committee
to believe that Herbert
Ketcher was acting
without your authority
or knowledge?
- [Walter] I'm
embarrassed to admit it.
And insofar as Mr. Ketcher clung
to my political philosophy
and perverted it,
I accept the responsibility
for his actions.
- Oh God, he's destroying me.
- How would you
explain his actions?
- That would be better
left to a psychiatrist.
- Do you wanna meet my friend?
- You mean this entire
scheme was a single act
of a lunatic?
- I believe Herb lost
sight of principle
in favor of ambition.
I believe he fantasized
that a successful invasion
of Pavo would herald his
return to Washington.
I believe Herb actually felt
that we would forgive his means
if he reached a successful end.
- Yes.
- [Walter] What Herb
failed to understand is
that there is no excuse
for subverting democracy
in order to arrive at it.
- [Monique's Friend] Monique's
wonderful, isn't she?
- Oh yeah, she tells me you're
in some kind of publishing.
- I'm in all forms of the
media business, Mr. Ketcher.
What you've been
through, what you know
has value we're willing
to make an offer on.
- What kind of offer?
- Political asylum.
- Asylum?
- You're a man without
a country, Herb.
The end result of
plausible deniability.
There's a very real possibility
the justice department's
gonna come through
that door any second
now and confine you
behind bars for the
rest of your life.
Now, if you're willing
to leave immediately,
I'll provide you with a new
life in the Soviet Union.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- You're nuts.
What kind of life could
I have in your country?
- What kind of life
do you have here?
Look, we're not
exactly doing backflips
for your citizenship, Herb.
We're reluctantly willing
to accept you into our home
in exchange for your knowledge
of US government affairs,
and whatever little media
value we can exploit
out of your defection.
Take it or leave it.
Monique's job is
here in Washington.
- I'm gonna turn you over.
I'm gonna turn you over
to the state department.
- We intercepted a
phone call you made
to an escort service and
we sent you one of our own.
Now, you take us to
the state department,
all they'll have a record of
is your soliciting a
prostitute, yes or no?
Right now.
(dramatic orchestral music)
- Excuse me.
(dramatic orchestral music)
(gun fires)
(dramatic orchestral music)
- I've been livin'
in the shadows
for two years now, Uncle Mike.
- [Mike] Vince, I really
don't wanna lose you.
- You're not going to.
I'll keep in touch,
one way or the other.
- Take care of yourself, son.
You deserve it.
- Thanks, Uncle
Mike for everything.
(dramatic orchestral music)
(moves into upbeat
orchestral music)