- Johnny Leffingwell: The phone - Senator Munson.
- Robert Leffingwell: Tell him I've gone out.
- Johnny Leffingwell: Why?
- Robert Leffingwell: Because, Johnny, he'll want to do some things that might obligate me.
- Johnny Leffingwell: I mean why do you want me to lie? If you're in, you're in; if you're out, you're out.
- Robert Leffingwell: Son, this is a Washington, D.C. kind of lie. It's when the other person knows you're lying, and also knows you *know* he knows. You follow?
- Robert Leffingwell: I'm an egghead. I'm not only an egghead, I'm a premeditated egghead. I set out to become an egghead and at this moment I'm in full flower of eggheadedness, and I hope to spread the spores of egghead everywhere I go.
- Bob Munson: Mr. President, with the chair's permission, I shall be very brief.
- The Vice President: The chair gladly gives any senator permission to be brief.
- Fred Van Ackerman: What I did was for the good of the country.
- Bob Munson: Fortunately, our country always manages to survive patriots like you.
- Bob Munson: Was that Brig? What's the matter?
- Senator Lafe Smith: [Hanging up phone] He's dead.
- Bob Munson: Brig?
- Senator Lafe Smith: In his office. Cut his throat.
- Senator Seabright Cooley: Now, Mr. Gelman. You told me something about names in this comunist cell.
- Herbert Gelman: Yes. Nobody used their right names. Mr. Leffingwell was called Walker, Bukowski was called Fitzgerald. I never learn James Morton's real name. They tried to give me the name of Andrews. About that time I quit.
- Senator Seabright Cooley: What happened when you quit?
- Herbert Gelman: Mr. Leffingwell failed me in his class of Government administration.
- Senator Seabright Cooley: Why didn't you report all of this to the University authorities?
- Herbert Gelman: I was afraid.
- Senator Seabright Cooley: And you're not afraid now?
- Herbert Gelman: Yes. I'm afraid. But I couldn't stand by and see a man like Mr. Leffingwell get into a position of such power of Secretary of State.
- Senator Brigham Anderson: Can you corroborate this story, Mr. Gelman?
- Senator Seabright Cooley: This man is an eyewitness, under oath, Mr. Chairman.
- Herbert Gelman: [shouting] I'm not lying!
- Senator Brigham Anderson: I didn't say you were lying.
- Fred Van Ackerman: Mr. President, is the Senator calling me a liar?
- Senator Bessie Adams: The record must stand as it is, Mr. President. How the Senator interprets that record is his own problem, not mine.
- Journalist: Senator Anderson. Senator Van Ackerman is accusing the commitee of using smear tatics. Would you comment on this?
- Senator Brigham Anderson: If Senator has any complaints to make he ought to write a letter to his congressman.
- [all the reporters laugh]
- Senator Orrin Knox: Don't you feel we're worth the effort of an opening statement?
- Robert Leffingwell: I'm only being practical, senator.
- Senator Orrin Knox: Well, then I too shall be practical, Mr. Leffingwell. Are you loyal to the United States?
- Robert Leffingwell: I don't mind admitting that I'm loyal to the United States.
- Senator Brigham Anderson: Mr. Leffingwell, I'm sure you know all the members of the committee here. Senator Cooley is not a member of the subcommittee... but the full committee voted him permission to join us... for the purposes of cross-examination.
- Robert Leffingwell: I welcome Senator Cooley's participation, Mr. Chairman. If not wholeheartedly, certainly without fear.
- Senator Brigham Anderson: I commend your courage. Frankly, the senator scares the wits out of everybody else.
- Senate Majority Leader: [referring to the balance of power of the three branches of Federal gvernment] ... that none can become absolute has made this government the miracle of the ages. We must always guard this balance...
- [first lines]
- [a boy is selling newspapers outside the U.S. Capitol, with the headline "Leffingwell Picked for Secretary of State"]
- Paperboy: [to a customer] Thank you.
- Stanley Danta: Morning, son.
- Paperboy: [taking change from Danta] Good morning, senator... thank you.
- [Danta gets into a taxicab]
- [last lines]
- Bob Munson: Senators. A great leader is dead. A bitter loss for our country. A bitter personal loss for all of us here. I move we adjurn out of respect until further notice.
- Senator Seabright Cooley: So ordered!
- Ellen Anderson: No, I don't know. He was good, and kind, and honest. I don't know what they were trying to use against him, but whatever it was, they can't use it anymore. So it doesn't matter, does it?
- The Vice President: Do you have any idea who might be behind this?
- Ellen Anderson: No!
- [sobbing]
- Ellen Anderson: N-no... excuse me... please excuse me...
- Bob Munson: What do you think about that, you old buzzard?
- Senator Seabright Cooley: Us old buzzards can see a mouse dying from 10,000 feet up. Us old buzzards have the sharpest eyes in creation. Right now I'm studyin' the terrain.
- Bob Munson: [to Brig about the President withdrawing Leffingwell] He'll bend if he has to, and I guess he has to.
- Senator Brigham Anderson: [with an air of desperation] Call the press and announce your withdrawl and forget the President.
- Robert Leffingwell: I've given the President my word.
- Senator Brigham Anderson: Your word is not exactly coin of the realm.
- Robert Leffingwell: No, maybe it isn't thanks to your committee, but I still place a value on it... and there's nothing more to be said.
- [with finality]
- Robert Leffingwell: Good night, Senator.
- The President: I guess I've been wrong in many many things. I don't suppose history will have much good to say of me. I can't dwell on that. I've done my best.
- Bob Munson: You're one of the great Presidents, Ross.
- The President: Well, if you think so, that's almost as good as History. Bye, Bobby.
- Bob Munson: Good night, Mr. President.
- Bob Munson: [Confronted by Fred for avoiding his phone calls] Look, Fred, you've forced me to offend you. I'm sorry.
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