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Hello, gang. This is Midge.

Sending you my warmest
and fondest wishes tonight

out to the American
expeditionary forces.

You will soon be welcomed

by a sizable
German greeting party.

There's a lot of them, boys.

What chance do you have?

It's not too late to surrender.

There's no reason
for we Americans

to get mixed up in this mess.

I don't want to see
your lives wasted

in fighting with
the unbeatable German Army.

I'm only saying these things
because I care about you.

In reality, there's no war
between Germany and America.

Do yourself a favor

and be my special guest
in Germany.

This is the captain speaking.

We'll be landing at
Washington National Airport

in about ten minutes.

Hey, stranger.

How can I be a stranger
when I saw you last night?

Doesn't matter.

Bourbon, bitte.

Doesn't matter?

I'm risking my life to see you.

I appreciate
you seeking me out.

But, I'm not sure
I want the job.

It's a perfect fit.

Picture this.

After the war.

Your name would be
in newspapers.

Bright lights on Broadway.

You'll be the talk of town.

I think you're a star.

Max.

You're in love with me.

Nothing has changed.

Ah! She's here.

You set me up.

Hmm-mm.
Meet your new band.

Charlie and his orchestra.

Okay, I'll do it.

Let's give her a hand.

"Won't You?" from the top.
Thanks.

♪ I'm so lonely
And I feel so blue ♪

♪ Looking for a sweetheart
Indeed I do ♪

♪ One who swears
By stars above ♪

♪ He'll be forever true

♪ Won't you come and love me

♪ Love me
Just as I would you? ♪

♪ Won't you come and love me

♪ Love me
Just as I would you? ♪

What is your biggest weakness?

Being an American?

Born Mildred Elizabeth Sisk
in Portland, Maine.

Your mother remarried.

You took the surname Gillars.

In 1911, at 16,
you moved to Conneaut, Ohio.

1918, you enrolled
at Ohio Wesleyan University

to study dramatic arts.

Then I moved
to New York City

and toured with stock companies
and vaudeville.

1929, you moved to France

and lived in Paris.

In 1934, you moved to Dresden
to study music

and was enrolled
as a teacher of English

at the Berlitz School
of Languages in Berlin.

Is this correct?

It is correct, yes.

Why should we hire you?

Because I am the best.

Max Otto Koischwitz,

the program director
of the USA Zone,

wants you on his new show.

Hmm.

I want you
to understand something.

The spoken word is the most
powerful weapon in the world.

With the right words,
a war can be won

before the first rifle
is loaded.

We're here to attract people,
to win them over.

That is "propaganda".

And it works best
when those being manipulated

are confident they're acting
on their own free will.

Are we clear?

Yes. Quite clear.

This is Berlin calling.

Berlin calling the American
mothers and wives.

And when Berlin calls,
it pays to listen in

because there's an American girl
sitting at the microphone

every Tuesday evening

with a few words of truth
to her countrywomen back home.

Now, boys, you know there's
nothing in the world

any sweeter
than the sounds of home.

Is someone missing you tonight?

Is her name Linda?

Sandy? Karen?

Do those thoughts
bring back memories

of the sultry summer nights
dancing so close together?

So close
you can hardly breathe...

and hearing your girlfriend's

- soft laughter.
- Gut.

Sadly, boys,
tomorrow you're once again

going out against
superior German forces.

What chance do you have?

It's not too late to surrender.

Dance with our lovely frauleins

Nice, virile,

and muscular
American men like you.

And now for some music.

She's perfect.

Naturlich.

Get a quick conviction
on Axis Sally.

The case is yours.

Listen, it's a grounder.

There's no question about it.
Easy out.

We've confidence in you,
Mr. Laughlin.

Oh, thanks.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Hi, honey.

- Look who's here.
- Hi.

Got a death threat in the mail.

Oh yeah.
I thought they were past that.

Well, the public
has a hard time forgetting

when you defend communists.

No contest.
I can't read these things.

- I'll read it.
- Tommy's not here.

What's up?

I assumed he was with you.
He didn't call.

Well, he-he-he didn't call?

He hasn't missed a day
in four years, this kid.

He's only been here
four days in four years.

Objection. Hyperbole.

Your 4:00 p.m. canceled.

- Oh, good.
- Yes.

How did it go today?

Axis Sally heard
I was a judge killer.

She's not wrong.
You are.

Okay.
Do you know that judge died

in his own chambers on a recess?

He had
a coronary artery disease,

and he dropped dead.

I didn't kill him.

He loved me.

He loved my shenanigans
in court.

He said I was his court jester.

If I knew I had
the skillset to kill judges,

I woulda had
a baker's dozen by now.

Okay. Can you at least wait
until I pass the bar?

You're gonna need a good lawyer.

Yeah, I'll-I'll
take it from here, alright?

Thank you.

So, are you finished
signing autographs today?

I'm never finished.

Oh.

It's my job.

Well, it's my job
to represent you.

James Laughlin.

- I see.
- Thank you.

So I do have some rights.

Well, I think you do.
You should.

But you're up on eight counts.
Eight counts of treason.

And the prosecution's
looking to hang you.

I was at the hearing.
I'm aware of the charges.

Oh, well, that's good.
Here you go.

This is a contract
that says you're aware.

You've been informed
of what's goin' on.

So what's the plan of attack?

Excuse me? What?

Plan of attack?

I'm sorry.

I-I don't know
what you're saying.

This is the part
where you tell me

that you've got it
all worked out

and I have nothing
to worry about.

Yeah.

That's why you're getting paid
all this money.

Oh, well, I'm not being paid
by you, Miss Gillars.

Well, somebody is.

You don't strike me
as a man who does charity.

In fact, I would bet
you're bought and sold

to the highest bidder.

That hurts even more.
Thank you for that.

Why don't you
finish signing that?

Read it, sign it.

And I'll be back when
you're somehow better framed.

It's your job
to prove I'm innocent.

Miss Gillars, you are,
right now, at this very moment,

the most hated person
in America.

On a par perhaps
with Hitler himself.

The only difference
between you and Hitler,

as the public sees it,
is that you're still breathing.

I will be your lawyer.

I will see
that you get a fair trial.

Nothing more, nothing less.
You got me. Alright?

I want another lawyer.

New lawyer?

Nobody
wants to be your lawyer.

You understand that?

I'm your lawyer.
Nobody wanted the case.

And you did?

I was asked.

Not by me.

Oh no, not by you, no.

But beggars can't be choosers.
Can they?

This is not fair.

If you live,
it'll be fair.

Sign that paper,
and I will talk to you soon.

Can I get out of here, please?

Hello, Larry.

Pretty tough case,
Mr. Laughlin.

- Any comments?
- Oh, it's tough. It's tough.

That's why I'm here.

Otherwise, you'd be
talking to Mr. Myers, right?

- Well.
- Yeah.

Oh, and sir, is it true
Miss Gillars shot and killed

- three American soldiers?
- Oh, come on, Larry.

This is a case about words,
not bullets.

Excuse me. Mr. Laughlin!

Hey, I'm sorry,
I don't...

I don't have any spare change.
I don't...

- I don't carry any around.
- Can you...

can you spare a minute
of your time, Mr. Laughlin?

Alright. That's really
a lot more expensive,

but go ahead. Shoot.

Tommy's in the slammer.

Is this real?

- What'd he do?
- Assault and battery.

Messed the guy up pretty bad.
He's gonna do time.

Hot damn.

Now, he had a problem
with the giggle water.

Now how do you know this?

I-I used to work
for Jerry Matthews,

county court public defender.

What do you mean, used to?
What does that mean?

Well, you've got
an open seat at your table

and I-I wanna take
Tommy's place.

Where did you serve?

Almost died of dengue fever
in the South Pacific,

but I got this
when I fractured my ankle

jumping down a 12-foot perch
at Key's Theater

after watching Truman's
inauguration parade.

Well, that's a tough break.

Tough break. That's funny.

You-you-you got
some real wit, sir.

Now, that wasn't a pun.
Drop the ass-kissing.

Tommy was very good
at what he did.

So those are big shoes to fill.

Can you do it?
What do you got?

Well sir, I was the reason
Tommy passed the bar.

I was the top of my class
at George Washington University

and the top
of my officer training class

in the Marine Corps.

I wanna learn from the best.

Well, I'm not looking
for a student.

This isn't county court, kid.

I don't represent hookers.
I don't represent thieves.

What I do affects
the whole country.

I-I'm willing to do
whatever it takes.

Can you sit next to a woman

for the final two months
of her life,

knowing that you'll probably be
the last person she sees

before she's hanged?
You do that?

Uh. yes.

You got an hour.

Uh, you got clothes at home?

- No, sir.
- I didn't think so.

You're gonna need a suit.

And you're gonna need shoes

that look like
you don't walk to work.

So, this is for you.

Now if you're not back
before they swear in the jury,

you lost your seat at the table.

You don't have a job.

You will have a suit.
You will have a pair of shoes.

Yes, sir.
Thank you, sir.

You'll owe me for them.

I won't disappoint you.
Thank you.

I'll be back in an hour.

Well, that's nice to hear.

♪ Yankee Doodle went to town

♪ Riding on his pony

♪ Stuck a feather in his hat
And called it macaroni ♪

Hey, Charlie.

Yes, Mildred?

Isn't there a German
version of this song?

You bet there is.

♪ Yankee Doodle
Stay at home ♪

♪ Don't fly across the ocean

♪ Why should you fight?
It's Europe's war ♪

♪ Save your boys the explosion

We Americans have decided
to side with the British

with their "lend-lease" policy.

And for what?

Since when are the British
our friends?

♪ Yankee Doodle
Clear your eyes ♪

♪ The Germans are your saviors

At least there's no reason

for we Americans

to get mixed up
in this British mess.

Salvador,

what the devil is that station
that you got us listening to?

♪ .gunfire and their bones

♪ And with your girl be randy

That's a wrap.

Hello, James.

Elva, what are you doing here?

I wanted to
wish you good luck.

Good luck?

That's cliche of you,
isn't it?

James, I want you
to look at me.

Oh, your eyes
are still green.

Ah, you always did
love that about me.

I did.

I work for the district
attorney's office now.

Oh! You're lying.

For God's sake,
fix your tie.

Well, you're still bitter,
I can see that.

My tie.

Fastidious.

Bitch.

Here we are.

All rise.

Federal District Court
is now in session.

The Honorable Judge
Edward M. Curran presiding.

This is a matter
of United States versus Gillars.

Ladies and gentlemen
of the jury,

your duty here today and
over the course of this trial

is to determine if the defendant
is guilty of treason or not,

based solely on the evidence
and facts provided here.

We start today
with opening arguments.

Is the prosecution ready?

Yes, Your Honor.

You may proceed.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Is there a greater crime
that a human being can commit

than treason?

As it is not a crime
against just one man,

but a crime against
every man of this great nation?

Therefore, it must be treated
with the utmost severity.

Axis Sally.

She went by other names too.

"The Berlin Babe."

"Hitler's girlfriend."

We've all heard her broadcasts.

Her relentless treasonous praise
of the German military,

of Hitler himself.

She was the voice of a man

who claimed the lives
of over 400,000 American men.

Now I can't stand here
before you and even predict

what the defense
is going to argue,

or if they even choose to
present an argument at all.

But what I can do,
and what I will do,

is prove to you
beyond a reasonable doubt

that Mildred Gillars
is a traitor to our country.

For years, Mildred Gillars
voluntarily utilized

a German propaganda machine

to weaken
the American war effort,

and to destroy
the morale of our troops.

Now if that does not personify

the very definition
of the word 'treason',

I don't know what does.

Thank you, Mr. Kelley.

Mr. Laughlin?

Yes, Your Honor?

Opening statement,
Mr. Laughlin.

Oh, yes. Billy.

- Want you to read that.
- Sir?

Yeah. Just stand up.

Read.

The defense feels
that the charges

as well as the comments we just
heard from Prosecutor Kelley

holds less water than a.
a midget's thimble.

And therefore, Your Honor,

the defense has no comment
at this time.

Thank you, Your Honor.

You didn't come into this world
naturally, did you, Billy?

They had to tear you
out of your mother. Hmm.

Huh?

Billy.

Now, I'm-I'm gonna act like
I'm talking serious as hell.

And you listen
like I'm telling you

the secret password to the best
whorehouse in town. Got it?

Now, this... this may be

the most important part
of the whole thing.

Because no matter
what happens in here,

no matter what those monkeys
across the aisle

say or do or think,

the very most important thing
is that we behave

as if we just won the war
all over again.

You understand?

Confidence is everything.
Everything.

Absolutely everything
in this room.

Don't you ever forget that.

- Yes, sir.
- Yeah.

Told you not to speak,
didn't I, Billy?

Don't talk.
Just listen. Okay.

Don't you ever in your life

repeat what I'm about to
say to you now.

Because I thought about this
a great deal last night.

I cannot stand
that damn Gillars broad.

Did you see the way
she walked in today?

Like she was
Bette Davis or something?

I don't want
anything to do with her

for the rest of the trial.

I'll sit here beside her,
I'll do what I do

because it's
incredible publicity.

Win or lose, though,
makes no difference to me.

That's the point...

A few words, Mr. Laughlin.

- Huh?
- A few words, please?

A few words?

Ingrid, for you,
I got more than a few, honey.

- Hmm.
- I'll be right there, guys.

I'm comin'.

Now, from now on,
after every dismissal,

you go down to her holding cell,
relay anything I give you.

You do the same every morning.

Before she comes up here,
you relay what I've said.

Okay? Same thing
every single day.

Keep good notes,

and tell me anything
you think is important.

Am I making myself
crystal clear?

Look at that!

Confidence catching on.

Don't let it go to your head.

We shall see
what we shall see.

Yes, I am here at last.
I am here.

It was worth... well worth
the wait, I'm sorry.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I'm speaking to you tonight

at a very serious moment
in our history.

For months now,
the knowledge

that something of this kind
might happen,

has been hanging
over our heads.

That is all over now,

and there is no more
uncertainty.

In the meantime,
we, the people,

are already prepared
for action.

How could they do this, Max?

America's neutral.
Why would your ally attack us?

Our ally.

No, this is not
what I signed up for.

Mildred, please be careful
with your words.

Max.

Did you know,
after the last war,

Americans bought the ruins
of German castles

and moved them,
stone by stone, to the USA?

They thought they could
purchase our national history.

They were naive enough to think
that Europe respected the wealth

that enabled them to buy
what their culture lacked.

Did you know that?

No.

America is young.

And we can forgive
the mistakes of youth,

but their arrogance
is unacceptable.

They disrespect our
thousands of years of history,

and preach to us of morality.

They have the ability
to distinguish

truth from falsehood.

Gold from floss.

Only difference today
in the America you left

is that it has decayed
even further.

Their capitalism has produced
a handful of wealthy men,

and a nation of slaves
who think they are free.

Their Hollywood films glamorize
the lifestyle of the upper few,

while the rest of the country
keeps fantasizing

that one day,
this could be them.

They're too unintelligent
to realize

that the few pennies
they are paid

to break their backs
will never afford them anything.

A nation of imaginative,
dreaming fools.

Why do you defend them?

The United States
is falling apart.

Their leaders have been waiting
for this opportunity.

They want a war.

Do you know why?

No.

The president
has led the nation

into an economic catastrophe
from which there is no escape.

An entire generation of youths
lost and jobless.

The country is on the verge
of revolution.

So, they send their sons
to be slaughtered.

We will only war with America

to save the people
from their government,

and show them a way forward.

You have found success here.

You have found a life.

Yes.

Do not choose
to follow a path blindly

because of your birthplace.

Germany has opened
its arms to you.

Stay with us, and you will know
what victory feels like.

I don't have to remind you
that your American passport

and travel papers
have been confiscated.

This is an oath of allegiance
to the Reich.

You must sign this

if you are to continue
to live here.

Um, pardon me,
Miss, uh, Miss Gillars?

My name is Billy Owen.

Are you just
going to stand there

like a lost lemon,
or do you have a note

that you'd like to
read out loud to me?

Oh, uh.
I-I don't have a note.

What a pity.

- May I?
- Yes.

Um, Mr. Laughlin thinks
that in the...

I am not quite sure
I give a damn

what Mr. Laughlin thinks.

- He is the best, Miss Gillars.
- The best of what?

A fast trial,
and an even faster execution?

The best at saying nothing?

The best at telling jokes,

because he did an excellent job
at both of those today.

But his reputation...

That's what's really important
here, isn't it?

The Green Hornet?

The judge killer?

A jury of 12 people
who already hate me

could not give a hot damn
about my lawyer's reputation!

He told me that this would all
be cleared up quickly.

That I would have
another shot at Broadway

from all the publicity.

Miss Gillars, he...

he's trying to help you.

I was wondering about this
when I saw you out there.

And unfortunately,
I was right.

You are as naive and dumb
as you look.

You may go now, Billy Owen.

Well, thank you,
Miss Gillars, um.

Have a nice day.

Please?

What'd you learn?

Um,
she was born in Maine

into a broken home.

Her parents finally split
while she was still a teenager.

Went to university
to study drama.

She was actually a chorus girl.

And, uh, she did
some vaudeville too.

Moved to Berlin in 1933
where she taught English.

Started working
for Radio Berlin...

What are you...
giving me her obituary?

Excuse me?

Everything you just said
was in this morning's paper.

- I read it.
- Oh, was it?

Yeah.

She didn't talk to you at all,
did she?

- No.
- Oh.

No, she didn't.

You know the Senate
has a baseball team?

Won 50 games last year.

They lost 104.

Finished in last place
in the American League.

Forty-seven games behind
the first-place team,

which eventually
won the championship,

the New York Yankees.

Winners worry about winning.

Losers worry about winners.

Uh, sir, I-I'm not sure
I understand.

You're not gonna get very far

chasing ambulances
on that bum leg.

Alright, lock up
before you leave.

Yes, sir.

Your Honor,
the prosecution would now

like to play the recording
from June 17th, 1943.

This is Berlin calling.

Berlin calling the American
mothers and wives.

It's a disgrace
to the American public

that they don't
wake up to the fact

of what Franklin Roosevelt
is doing to the gentiles

of your country and my country.

And I refuse to participate
in it,

and insist on fighting
against it.

You can put American
uniform on our boys.

You can put a rifle in their

hands...

Hey, Sally's on!

...you can send them

across the borders
to destroy Germany,

but you can never
bring understanding

between the Americans
and the British.

I say, forget Roosevelt,

and Churchill,
who made this war possible.

As an American girl,

I stay over here
on this side of the fence.

'Cause Germany's
the side that's the right side.

In reality, there's no war
between Germany and America,

but a war between
the Jews and the gentiles.

And I almost forgot,

I want to say hello to

the 36th Infantry Division...

...who just landed
outside Tobruk.

Maybe tonight she'll say
something about Jimmy's unit.

You will soon be welcomed

by a sizable
German greeting party.

And while you're over there
fighting for Roosevelt

and all his Jewish cohorts,
I do hope

that way back
in your hometown,

nobody will be
making eyes at honey.

Are you thinking about

what your girlfriends and wives
are doing tonight, fellas?

You don't really blame them
for wanting some fun, do you?

The last thing in the world
they want is for you boys

to get all mutilated
and broken up

from fighting with
the unbeatable German Army.

Any girl likes to have her man
in one piece.

I'm only saying
this because I care about you.

I don't want to see

your lives wasted
for that mental,

moral, and physical cripple
of a president of yours.

And now for some music.

♪ Yes we have no bananas

♪ We have no bananas today

♪ We've string beans and onions... ♪

♪ And tomatoes.

♪ ...and potatoes

♪ But yes we have no bananas

♪ You'll pay
If you stand in our way ♪

♪ I've got two words

♪ So yes
We're all out of mercy ♪

♪ And you'll pay
If you stand in our way ♪

Yeah.

Good, boys. Good job.

That's my guys.

Ja.

Ja.

Nein.

"We girls have needs too,
you see.

"The last thing we want
in the world

"is for you boys to be
all mutilated and broken up

from fighting with
the unbeatable German Army."

Unbeatable?

Uh, yes.

Ja.

That's what I recall.

You went off script.

Dr. Goebbels, since the
beginning of my acting career,

I've been taught that you're
supposed to convey the feelings.

Not-not necessarily
word for word,

that sometimes
you go off script.

Dr. Goebbels?

Unbeatable.

is simply the opposite
of beatable.

There's no opposite
for the word "invincible".

That was the word
I used in your script,

which you failed
to express correctly.

Did you notice anything, Max,
when you were leaving?

No.

I want outta here.

I have an idea
for a new show.

It's called Letters to Home.

We'll visit.
prisoner of war camps,

and you will interview
American POWs.

It'll show parents back home
that their sons are alive,

and are getting treatment.

Dr. Goebbels would approve
because it will show Germans

treating Americans
with such kindness, care.

Soldiers can record messages
and send them back home.

Hello, gang,
Midge calling.

I'm interviewing a very nice
soldier named Harold,

from New York City.

And Harold would like to speak
to his sister and mom.

Everyone would tune in

because they'll get the news
faster than from anywhere else.

You're brave
and beautiful to me.

Okay.
Let's get a big smile here.

After all,

Germans and Americans
aren't really enemies.

Anybody for some
Apennine nectar?

Yeah!

It's actually a little
stronger than Appenine.

Johnny, would you
like to say a few words

to those back home,
maybe family or a sweetheart?

To Alison,
and tell her I love her.

Oh.

One, two, three.

Massimale!

Do you know,
without a doubt,

that the woman
who interviewed you

as a prisoner of war

while she was masquerading
in a Red Cross uniform,

is this woman right there?

Everyone kept whispering

that it was the famous
Axis Sally,

but she called herself
another name.

And how did you respond?

To tell you the truth,

I had a hard time concentrating
on anything she was saying.

And why is that?

- Well, um, sir...
- Yeah.

- When she sat down...
- Yes?

She didn't leave
a lot to the imagination.

Really?
I don't quite understand that.

Would you describe what it was?

Well, um, sir.

Yeah?

When she moved
forward a bit.

Hmm.

.to adjust
the microphone.

Hmm.

I saw. quite a-a bit.

You saw quite a bit?

Well, can you describe
what it was that you saw?

I don't know that I can

- say it in mixed company, sir.
- Oh, come on.

You could say it.
You could say it here.

Look, I'm sure everyone here
has heard

quite a bit of everything
during this trial.

Won't you-won't you
enlighten us, please?

Are you serious, sir?

I'm as serious
as the metal plate

in your forehead, buddy.

There's a woman's life
on the line.

And you testified that she
somehow made you say things

you wouldn't normally have said.

So, what is
so all-fired secretive

you can't let it out?

Let it out.
Come on. Let's hear it.

It wasn't just
the cleavage showing, sir.

She wasn't wearing
any underwear.

Oh, well, that is
understandable, don't you think?

Defense rests.

You were interviewed
as a prisoner of war, correct?

Yes, sir. I had been a part of
the Army's 29th Division

when I got captured.

Alright.
Where are we calling?

Calling the greatest town
in the world.

Minot, North Dakota.

So who do you have in Minot?

Got my girl, Margaret,
and our firstborn son.

He's a handsome boy.
He looks like his daddy.

I bet.

I bet. And what would you
like to say to them?

How are you doing?

Fever's low.
Spirits are high.

Got a little shrapnel
tickling my leg,

but I'm gonna be alright.

She told me and another group
of wounded soldiers

that our folks back home
would be happy to hear

that we're still alive
and bein' treated well.

And were you treated well?

No, sir. Not exactly.

But, well, I guess
you are in a makeshift hospital

and they're doing
the best they can,

under the circumstances.

They're not
doing much, ma'am.

A soldier's life,
you kind of take it as it comes.

Hello, gang, it's Midge.

I'm coming to you
from a hospital in Germany

where I have a handsome young
soldier named Andrew

- from North Carolina...
- Can you identify

the person who interrogated you

in a German
prisoner of war camp?

It was her.

I told her
that I recognized her voice.

What did she say?

She smiled and said,

"I guess you know me
as Axis Sally?"

And how did you answer her?

I told her
that we knew her

by a few other choice names.

After you and the others
had talked to her,

what happened?

Well, I didn't know
at the time, sir,

but when I got back home,

I found out they had
edited the tapes

to make it sound like
something completely different.

Can you remember
anything specific?

She made it sound like
we thought it was a disgrace

what President Roosevelt
had allowed to happen

to us fighting men,
and that it was a futile war.

This woman
sold out our country.

Yes. You mentioned that
repeatedly now.

Did she undermine your morale?

Absolutely.

- She... she did?
- Absolutely.

How did she
undermine your morale?

That's what I'd like.
How'd she do it?

My morale was upset
by this woman

working for the Germans.

I see.
Now, you were a paratrooper.

You know, you used to fly
behind enemy lines

and jump out, right?

- Correct.
- Yeah.

Do you recall a tune named,
"Germany Is Marching On"?

You remember that?

Doesn't ring a bell. No.

No? Well, maybe this'll help.

Billy.

♪ And Germany
Keeps marching on ♪

♪ And Germany
Keeps marching on ♪

I recall the tune.

Yeah.

As you say now,
that upset your morale?

Your will to fight in the war?

That's what I said.

Well, it seems
a little hypersensitive

for a man who jumps
out of planes

behind enemy lines,
don't you think?

Objection!

Sustained.
Watch your step, Mr. Laughlin.

I'm sorry for stepping
on the truth, Your Honor.

Mr. Laughlin,
can I ask you something?

Yeah, just make it quick,
Billy, please. What?

Have you thought about
using the First Amendment

as a defense?

Well, that's
freshman stuff, Billy.

Introduction to Law 101.

The prosecution is saying

she aided and abetted
our enemies.

You want to argue
freedom of speech?

I'm sorry.

Alright. Well, what about
the Expatriation Act of 1868?

I don't have time
for this, Billy, please.

She renounced
her American citizenship

and swore allegiance
to the Third Reich.

Yeah. Ah-huh. Ah-huh.

Right.

You can't commit treason
if you're not a citizen.

You know, it's not
that you're not smart, Billy.

You're just dumb. That's all.

Sir, what... what does
that have to do with anything?

You know, there's things they
don't teach you in law school.

Like how the world works.
You know, the bigger picture.

Actors on a stage

aren't the only one
with a role to play.

And not every player
in this game

shows up in the courthouse.

Newspapers have to be sold.

Politicians make promises
they got to keep.

And the American public,

they need retaliation
for the war.

Don't they? Hmm.

Did you make a deal?

Well, what are...
what are you talking about?

- Of course, I made a deal.
- Did you make a deal?

I made a deal.
Of course!

I always make a deal.

I wouldn't be here
if I didn't make a deal.

That's the job description.

Alright.

Here, let's imagine
I argue expatriation.

Do you know what that means?

For all the other Americans
who went over there

and contributed
to the German war effort?

Now no one
will get held accountable

for their actions, right?

What would that mean?

Get it?

But she didn't do anything.

What did you say?

But she didn't do anything.

Boy, you got some extra bone
in that head of yours.

Doesn't matter, Billy.

Get it through your skull.
It just doesn't matter.

But her life is at stake.

I mean, doesn't that mean
anything to you, sir?

I know the picture of death.

You understand?
I got it framed right here.

Have you seen it?

I'm sorry, sir.

I...

I didn't know.

No, because
your mouth is open.

Listen, don't you come up here
with your dick on fire

and question my morality.

You just keep taking notes

and dreaming about getting laid
by Goebbels' ex-whore.

- Go ahead.
- I-I...

I'm not dreaming
about getting laid

- by Goebbels... is this...
- Well then, wake the fuck up!

You wanna keep your job, Billy?

Seriously?

Yes.

Really?
You wanna keep it?

Yes, sir.

Do me one thing.

Keep your mouth shut
during the trial

and in the courthouse,
and you'll keep your job.

Yes, sir.

See, we just made a deal.

Kitchen's closed, kid.

Come back another time.

I listened to you
during the war.

And you made me laugh at a time
when nothing else did.

I wasn't the only one either.

And I'm watching
all these guys come in

and exaggerate
the way they felt.

It really burns me up.

I know I'm not the guy up there
asking the questions, but...

I just want you to know
that I'm on your side.

Cards might be stacked
against us,

but I didn't come back
from Okinawa

without learning how to fight.

This is for you.

Ah, oh-oh.

Hmm.

Hmm.

Oh.

Hmm.

I feel like a kid at Christmas.

Thank you.

Okay, kid.

Let's talk.

Danke.

Thank you. Thank you.

I'm honored.

♪ Outside the barracks
By the corner light ♪

♪ I'll always stand
And wait for you at night ♪

♪ We will create
A world for two ♪

♪ I'll wait for you
The whole night through ♪

♪ For you, Lili Marlene

♪ For you, Lili Marlene

You were marvelous tonight.

You just tell me
what I want to hear.

I've got an idea
for a new radio play.

It's about an American mother
who has a dream

that her son dies
in an invasion of Europe.

Okay, thank you.

Yes, it's me.

All right.

So, Billy sent me down here,
said you want to talk to me,

you got something to say
that will change the whole case.

I tried to kill
Dr. Joseph Goebbels.

Is that what you brought me
down here for, to tell me that?

Yes. Yes.

Didn't that mean
something to you?

Take it easy.

Did anyone see you try this?

Someone we can call on
to testify?

Anybody?

No.

Then it didn't happen.

But it's true.

Yeah.

Talk to me,
tell me this truth.

Let's do it.

Okay, Dr. Goebbels
wanted me in his hotel.

- Yes.
- And I was in the room.

- Yes.
- And there was a gun

on the table.

I reached for the gun,
I pointed it at his head.

And I pulled the trigger.

And then?

No bullets.

No bullets?

I hoped to kill him.

Uh-huh.
Hoping the hope.

Well, that's not the best
situation to be in, now, is it?

- Hm-mm.
- No.

Did anyone
see this thing, now?

No.
I told Max about it.

Yeah, well, Max is dead.

Yes.

So, your assassination
attempt failed.

You have no witnesses.

And now, everyone who was
alive at the time is dead.

But it's the truth.

You've to prove it.

What is reality,
and what we have to accept,

is not always the truth,
and that's the truth.

I had lived in Germany
for five years

before the war even started.

I had a life there.
I was in love.

- Hm-mm.
- I never had

those things in the States.

And they took my papers,
Mr. Laughlin.

I couldn't go anywhere.

I couldn't return to the States.

Hm-mm.

What was I supposed to do?

Everybody likes to think

that they would always do
the right thing,

always make the right choice.

But it is not like that in war.

There's no right and wrong.

There's just death and survival.

And I did what I could
to survive.

What would you have done,
Mr. Laughlin?

I probably woulda
tried to kill Goebbels too.

This is Berlin calling.

And when Berlin calls,
it pays to listen in.

Instead of
our regular program,

we want to present a play
entitled Vision of Invasion.

When you performed in the play
Visions of Invasion,

what do you recall
about Miss Gillars?

She was quite a good actress.

So, she was serious
about the role?

Extremely, sir.

Objection!
Your Honor!

The witness's opinion of
Mildred Gillars' performance

is in no way
relevant to this case.

Oh, come on, Counsel!
Don't be absurd.

Of course, it is!

She was the star
of a radio play

that predicted American soldiers
being slaughtered like pigs.

This was psychological warfare
in which she was a soldier!

You know,
I sometimes have dreams.

premonitions.

I can't stop thinking about
one I just had

about all of our young men
getting ready for D-Day

and the invasion of France.

D-Day!

D stands for doom and disaster,
defeat and death!

Did you consider
not accepting your role

in the play?

No, of course not.

Why not?

Saying no was never an option.

What would have happened if
you refused to play your part?

My wife,
my children and myself

might have been sent
to a concentration camp.

Come with me
halfway around the world

as Evelyn's vision continues.

In her dream,
she sees her despondent son

aboard the troop ship,
speaking to his buddy.

They say
we've got the go-ahead

to go hit the beaches.

I wonder what will happen to us?

I've got a feeling inside

that we'll never
see the States again.

I was just thinking
what Mother is doing now

and what she's heard.

I was dreaming, son,
but you are real.

You are home. Safe.

Alan, I'm so happy.

Mr. Houben,
you were the manager

of the overseas division

of the German Broadcasting
Company during the war.

Were you not?

Yes, sir.

Do you remember
the defendant

working on a radio play
named Vision of Invasion?

Yes, sir. I was there
when they recorded it.

Do you remember
if everyone in the play,

including Miss Gillars,
read from a script?

Yes, sir.
They always used a script.

Oh!
Something horrible happened!

Alan is dead!

What's the matter,
my dear?

Bad dreams again?

He was right here
in the room!

It was real.

Who was the scriptwriter?

Max Otto Koischwitz.

Not Miss Gillars.

- No.
- No.

Bravo.

Prost.

Hmm.

You were fantastic.

The whole country
was listening.

Dr. Goebbels,
Der Fuhrer himself.

Mm.
Will it do any good?

Hmm.
Somehow. Of course.

Ooh.

Max? Max?

It's nothing.
Maybe the wine.

I'm fatigued.
Stress. That's all.

You should rest.

No, no.

Now, we're celebrating.

This is another beginning
for us.

I hope so.

Max, you have a fever.
We have to get you into bed.

Come.

Tell me, do... do you
remember ever Miss Gillars

going off the script
during that production.

You know, saying the words
she wanted to say?

No.

Do you remember
any time the actors,

on any of the readings
of the programs, went off script

or refused to follow
the directions

written on the script?

Yes.

Hm-mm.

And what happened to anyone who
refused to follow directions?

They disappeared.

Disappeared?
Vanished?

No, sir.

No?
What happened to them?

The man who held
the position before me did it.

And what happened to him?

He and his family

were sent
to a concentration camp.

So, it wouldn't have been
out of the ordinary

if Miss Gillars
had refused to read the script

or follow the notes,

that the same thing
might have happened to her?

Either that,
or she would have been shot

like several other
broadcasters we all knew.

Were you ever threatened
in connection with your work?

Objection!

This is... this is ridiculous,
Your Honor.

Counsel, approach the bench.

Your Honor...

Your Honor,
we have established

time and time again
in this trial

that the fear of punishment

does not constitute
actual punishment.

The defense continues to put
witnesses on the stand

and goads them into saying they
were in fear for their lives,

which has never been
the question at hand.

The whole world knows
that life in Germany was scary,

but that in no way
excuses a criminal act.

I don't know how much clearer
this can be made.

If the defense could produce
a witness

who was actually
threatened themselves,

we would have no objections.

Mr. Kelley,
do you have anything to add?

No. I think
that just about sums it up.

Dare I ask,
Mr. Laughlin?

To her point, the dead
don't talk, Your Honor.

So, if they did, we'd have
a lot of witnesses.

As it is, you can't subpoena

someone who's six feet
under the ground.

And I am bound by the rules.
That is all.

And hearsay and speculation are
not allowed in a court of law.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I didn't know that.

And
on the 5th day of June 1944,

just as you see them here,

a fleet of more than 4,000
ships put out from England.

Paris is liberated.

Cheering crowds
line the streets

as the Allies speed
through the outskirts.

Freedom
comes back to Greece.

Field Marshal von Rundstedt

struck with 20 divisions
on a 40-mile front.

The Battle of the Bulge.

This is all been
hard for me to witness,

as it was been hard for you
to listen to, girls.

My thoughts go out to Margaret,
Delbert's wife tonight,

and to their young son.

And I hope that Delbert
will be home to you soon.

We have two more soldiers
to report on.

There's Louis Koch
from Milwaukee.

I have a report
from the 4th of December.

It states that he had a crushing
fracture of the right arm

which was so bad
that the doctors had to amputate.

A later report says that the
wound is healing quite nicely.

And there is Jimmy Thomas
of Portland, Maine.

- Jimmy? She said our Jimmy?
- Jimmy is in a camp.

.and sends his love to
his family on this Christmas.

He's got a bullet
in his left knee

which unfortunately
splintered the bone.

The German doctors
worked on him tirelessly

and I have to tell you
that Jimmy was just so thankful

when I saw him.

He walks with a limp now.

...but he has his life
and his health.

Jimmy is alive.

I just found out
on the Axis Sally show.

Uh-huh.

He told me
about films he had seen in America.

Films which dealt with
the barbarism in Germany,

and the treatment
which she deals out

to American prisoners.

But that wasn't
his experience at all.

He said he realizes today
that that's only propaganda.

Men are coming in
by the hundreds.

These American boys,
day after day,

they're flying over Europe
in their terror raids

trying to extinguish
a whole race,

killing ruthlessly
helpless women and children.

I ask you, American women,

if you brought up your boys
to be murderers?

Because that's what
they are becoming.

These boys were asked to
sacrifice their youth

and their future...
and for what?

Now Midge,
it's Christmas Eve.

I'm sure there will be a stop
to all the killing for a moment.

The boys are missing
their families

and their families
are missing them.

Why don't we give them
this Christmas song?

Good idea, Charlie.

♪ Wouldn't we rather be home
For Christmas? ♪

♪ Closing out the year
With those we love ♪

♪ What joy
If on that winter day ♪

♪ My boys who were
So far away ♪

♪ Came home at Christmas time

♪ Christmas time is meant
For making merry ♪

♪ Not making war
From London to Berlin ♪

♪ Reindeer,
If you'll lead the way ♪

♪ I promise I'll forever
Stay at home ♪

♪ For Christmas time

♪ At home for Christmas time

Keep listening to this show

for more soldiers'
medical reports.

As you know.
we often have updates.

Merry Christmas, America.

From Berlin.

Would you answer
the question, please?

You signed
the oath of allegiance

to save your life,
is that it?

Yes. I signed the oath
in order to live.

You said again and again

that the Allies should
just surrender to Germany.

Did you think your words
would actually

cause them to, what?
Just give up?

It was entertainment.

We sang songs.
We joked around.

We tried to make it fun
for the soldiers.

Oh, fun.

You sometimes talked about
the girlfriends,

the wives back in the States

running around
with the 4-Fs back home.

Did you think that was entertaining
to the guys on the front lines?

They knew
I was just clowning around.

Were you clowning around
in your medical reports

when you read a mother's name

and told her that her son
had just died in action?

No.

Or when you continued
to tell that mother

about her son's sufferings
before his death?

Was that just clowning around?

You know it wasn't.

Miss Gillars, as Axis Sally,

did you really want the
United States to lose the war?

No.

Right.

Were you in love with
Mr. Max Otto Koischwitz?

That's a personal question.

It's personal.
Yes, I know.

But would you answer
my question anyway?

Yes, I loved him.

I had known him
when I was a student

back in Hunter College
in New York City.

And I reunited with him
in Germany

when we worked together.

And did Prof. Koischwitz

have any influence
on your life?

I considered him
my destiny.

What do you mean by that?
Your destiny.

Without the presence
of Prof. Koischwitz in my life,

I would not be alive

and fighting for my life
here today.

And, I believe that those years
that we had together

were worth everything.

Even all the misery
that came later.

It's your firm belief?

I loved him
with all my heart,

and I would do it again.

Fever is too high.

The infection has spread
beyond control.

There's not much we can do
for him anymore at this point.

Tuberculosis
is very contagious.

You perhaps should be checked.

Thank you, Doctor.

Sweet Max, how will I
ever live without you?

You're my knight.

So smart, so sweet,
and always, always

believed in me, loved me.

You are the only man
I've ever loved.

and the only one
who ever loved me.

I'm sorry.

Don't be sorry.

Don't be sorry, Max. Please.

I love you.

Always, I love you.

Good evening, women of America.

As you know, as time goes on,
I think of you more and more.

I can't seem to get you
out of my head somehow.

We can all only hope
for the best from all of this.

And for the American soldiers,
I hope that my broadcasts

have somehow brought you
some relief from the war.

And that wherever you were
in Europe or North America,

that somehow,
I helped get your mind

off of the killing,
and made it a little better,

if only for a few minutes.

This is my last broadcast.

and I hope
that you'll be safe and well.

Oh, your resignation.
Very professional.

Thank you.

Who's gonna replace you?

I don't know.
I'm very hard to replace.

For sure.

All right.

For you.

Parting gift.

Be prepared.

Don't look prepared.

See?

Always carry what the
prosecution has against you.

Let's see.

Nothing.

Defense would have you believe

that Miss Gillars was a victim,

but the evidence
suggests otherwise.

Her friends were Nazis,
her fiance was a Nazi,

everyone around her. Nazis.

She chose to be there.

She felt they couldn't lose.

She was on the right side,

and all she cared about
was her own ambitions,

her own selfish fame.

And as time went on,

she realized
that she had done wrong.

So much so,
that when the war was finished,

she went by a false name

until we finally
tracked her down.

Now, is that the behavior
of an innocent victim?

Or of a lying,
opportunistic traitor?

What she did was
unnerve our soldiers,

and brought aid and comfort
to our enemies.

As far as the Constitution,

that is the definition
of treason.

I ask you...
I, uh, I beseech you...

find that woman guilty
of the heinous crimes

that she perpetrated
against our great land.

Okay.

Yes.

Ladies and gentlemen
of the jury,

I'm gonna have to apologize
for the vague odor in the room

that the prosecution left.

Um, horse manure.
It'll go away.

I didn't get the laughs
I expected.

I never do.

"Anyone who thinks,
must think of entering this war

as they would of suicide."

Eleanor Roosevelt said that.

"Never think that this war,
no matter how justified,

"is not a crime.

Never think it's not a crime."

And that is Ernest Hemingway.

But neither of them
are being tried for treason.

Why is that?

Like Miss Gillars, they opposed
our involvement in the war.

And like Miss Gillars,
they spoke out about it.

But unlike Miss Gillars,

neither of them
had a gun to their head.

And unlike Miss Gillars,

their words were not spoon fed
to them by the Nazis.

Miss Gillars is on trial
for eight counts of treason,

for reading from a script
she did not write,

saying words
she did not believe in,

and being ordered
to say these words

on penalty of death.

And now this prosecution
would have her hanged.

"Congress shall make no law

abridging
the freedom of speech."

I've heard that before.
That's the First Amendment.

Mrs. Roosevelt,
Hemingway and all the others,

they say what they said,

and our American laws
protected them.

Ladies and gentlemen
of the jury,

you must understand.

America is watching.

The world is watching us,
all of us.

If Miss Gillars is found guilty,

freedom of speech
may no longer be our right.

It will be a privilege,

and a privilege can be revoked
at any time, for any reason.

But let's be honest,
right now,

Axis Sally was not a person.

Axis Sally was a persona,

a character that Miss Gillars
played on a radio show.

And here's the long
and short of it.

Nobody died.

Not a single, solitary
American life was lost

because of Miss Gillars'
radio broadcast, not one.

That's a fact.

On the other hand,
many a worried parent.

American mothers, fathers.
they all got comfort,

because they were hearing
about their sons' whereabouts

through her radio programs.

Millions listened to each
and every broadcast every week.

Yet this unjustly maligned
and accused woman

sits here today,
fighting for her life,

even though there's not
a single shred of evidence,

no evidence,
that any of her broadcasts

were harmful to this country,
or they in some way,

undermined the morale
of our fighting soldiers.

Oh, are you kidding?

Our boys engaged
in the rigors of wars

are not paying attention
to what Mildred Gillars,

or Axis Sally,
says over a radio program.

Some ridiculous song?
Did you hear the song?

"Germany's beating you"
or something like that,

whatever it was, something.
it was a silly jingle!

A slapstick parody!

Of course, they...
they found it ridiculous.

They laugh and they mock it,

and they write home
to their folks saying,

"Did you hear what Axis Sally
said the other day?"

Ha-ha-ha, it's a joke.

You understand?
It's a joke.

Of course, she did say things
we didn't like.

Of course, she did.

But that was the persona.

That was Axis Sally.
It wasn't Mildred Gillars.

Don't forget, that was a part
she was forced to play.

Who is really responsible
for those words?

It was the ugly propaganda
machine of the Third Reich,

Goebbels' and Hitler's words,

not Miss Mildred Gillars' words.
No.

Let's just stop for a minute.

And let's just take a look at
what's really going on here.

Millions of lives were lost.

Now, I don't know.

I don't know if you can
win a war that cost so much.

I don't know.

But I do know that there isn't
a person in this room

who wasn't affected
by this war, not a person.

So what do we do?

Some lost friends.

Some lost whole families.

relatives, brothers, sons.

My son.

I'll read this for you.

"If there is harm.

"then you shall pay
life for life.

An eye for an eye,
a tooth for tooth."

We all know that.
We've heard it before.

We want justice for this war.

We want our enemies
to pay dearly

for what they took from us.

And we're not wrong
for wanting this.

But we must pause.

We must be vigilant
in where we point the finger.

The woman who sits
in this chair here,

is not your enemy.

She never was.

We cannot let our pain
for our loss, our feelings.

cloud our judgment.

Confuse blind justice
with blind vengeance.

I have to say,
this feels like vengeance.

We must not sacrifice this woman
at the holy altar of patriotism.

A patriotism, which very easily
could be covering up a lynch mob!

Then the tyranny which
we fought against for years

will become us.

Mildred Gillars.

We saw her
during this whole trial.

We know her.

We heard her life story.

We heard the little things
about her,

the innuendos, et cetera.

We heard the prosecution
hammering away,

as he is wont to do.

Being alone
without a passport,

foreign country,
no place to go.

In a war zone, a war zone
that became her life.

What do you do?

What happens to someone
who has to live through that?

Philosophers, psychiatrists,
from Plato to Freud, tell us,

"Foremost among
our basic human instincts

is the reflex to survive."

That's what Mildred Gillars did.

And that's all she did.

Survive.

Let me ask you,
what would you have done?

Any one of you?

Think about it.

If you lived in fear,

every single moment
of every single day,

knowing that your life
could end

with a single bullet
to the head.

What would you do?

Or an oven?

Picture yourself
in that situation.

Imagine it.

What would you have done

with a gun, literally,
to your head?

What would you have done?

Because if you think
for one moment

your choices would have been
different than hers,

well, I don't think
you'd be breathing right now.

I just don't.

Axis Sally, the persona,
is over,

like the war is over.

Mildred Gillars, the person,
the human being, is still here.

A person who managed to beat
unthinkable odds to survive

is here.

Give Miss Gillars
her life back,

her freedom.

She's an American.

She always was an American.

Let's treat her like one.

We're not going to
kill this woman

because she managed to
somehow survive, are we?

Are we going to do that?

I don't think so.

Well, I hope not.

Thank you very much.

Rest, Your Honor.

Since I was a little girl.

I've always known.

I wasn't the prettiest
or the best.

Every success I've found,

I worked for it,
harder than anybody.

My father was a drunk.

He abused my mother, then me.

She left him,

and married another one
just the same.

My stepfather
raped me for years.

I'm so sorry, Mildred.

I don't need your pity.

I'm a survivor.

When you're forced to grow up
that fast, that young,

you have to be.

Men have taken advantage of me
my whole life.

But not Max.

I'm damaged goods.

But he...

He told me
I had what it takes.

And to hear people
talk about him

like he was
some horrible person,

it breaks my heart.

I loved him.

When he died.
a part of me died with him.

Mr. Foreman,

has the jury
agreed upon a verdict

on each of the eight counts?

Yes, we have, Your Honor.

Will the defendant please rise?

What say you?

On count one, we the jury,

find the defendant,
Mildred Gillars...

not guilty.

On count...

Order in this court.

Please continue.

Count two, not guilty.

Count three, not guilty.

Count four, not guilty.

Count five, not guilty.

Count six, not guilty.

Count seven, not guilty.

And on count eight,
involving her part

in the German propaganda
broadcast of the radio play

Vision of Invasion,

we the jury find her
guilty as charged.

Grounder.

I believe that's what
you called it?

Well, it was
a hard-hit ball,

but it was an easy out.

Our British friends
hung their Axis Sally

and the trial took three days.

Good for them,

but the powers that be
told me I should, you know,

make it look good.

You got a conviction.

She got 30 years. You won.

Pretty good, no?

You have another case,
Herbert John Burgman.

Broadcaster.

Sixty-nine counts of treason.
You're going to Berlin.

Well, that's fine.

Goodbye, Mr. Laughlin.

Yeah, for now.

No?

All right.

Oh, man.

When I got this idea

of trying to contact
this very famous lawyer

that I'd been reading about
in the newspaper,

who was defending Axis Sally,

he doesn't pay
any attention to me.

And then a little later,
he comes over and says,

"Can you be at the courthouse
at 9:30 in the morning?"

I said, "Sure I can."

And he sits me down
in the counsel table

in this most famous trial.

I'd never been
in a courtroom before.

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