Ryker’s Outburst in Court | Sergeant Ryker 

Now, how is IT GOING TO BE POSSIBLE FOR ME TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHO WAS IN COMMAND AT THE TIME OF the interrogation? >> It is not obligated to advise you, counselor. Please proceed. >> But you are sustaining every objection by trial counsel. I haven’t got a chance. >> Since we’re embroiled in technicalities, Captain, I’m sure you understand that the court does have an obligation to the witness.

 Now, will you please proceed? >> No more questions. I have no questions of this witness, sir. >> Does the court have any questions? >> No question. >> All right. The witness is excused. Subject to recall. Next witness. Captain. Well, Captain. >> Captain Young. Desert. All right, Reker. This is the end of the line either way. Now, you can do as you see fit, but I’m not going to quit until I give you one last chance to tell your story.

>> Defense calls Paul William Riker to the stand. >> Raise your right hand, please. You swear the testimony you’re about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help you God. I go be seated. >> State your name, rank, organization, and armed force. Um Paul William Ranker, Sergeant Infantry, US Army.

>> Now, Sergeant, I want you to tell this court in your own words how you met Colonel Chambers and about all the subsequent events. Well, um it all started with this photograph in a newspaper and the um the caption under it identified the photograph as a General Nom, the Red Chinese Army, but I recognized him as a man that I knew as Kim Lee at Western State University.

I thought it was my duty to bring this to the attention of the CIC. I thought the information might be valuable. Well, I I didn’t know Colonel Chambers, but I knew of him, so I sent him the information in an envelope marked, confidential. >> Poor devil. I wonder what lies he’s telling now. Anyway, that means they’re going to wrap this whole thing up in a few hours.

>> That’s the truth. >> So, so God, that is the truth. It’s the whole story just as it happened. Cross-examine. Well, that’s interesting, Sergeant. Fascinating. Well, now you’ve uh you’ve told the whole thing, haven’t you? The whole truth. Yes, sir. In the letter that you wrote to Colonel Chambers, I’m kind of curious as to why you didn’t mention that in your first version of your story.

 I mean, at the first trial. >> Well, maybe I should have, but I just felt that everything was against me. >> Well, then at your first trial, you did not tell the whole truth. You lied under oath. >> No, sir. I just left out one thing. >> Left out any mention of your 10-year friendship with Kim Lee, General Nam, as we now know him. I wonder why.

>> I’ve already told you. >> Were you ashamed? Perhaps. Objection. The question’s already been answered twice. Sustained. >> Sir, this man is a self-confessed perjurer. WHY IS A LIAR NOT A LAWYER? >> MAJOR, >> my apologies to the court, sir. Did you desert in the field in the presence of the enemy? >> I did not.

>> You did not desert. >> I was operating under Colonel Chambers’s orders. >> A colonel in the United States Army ordered you to desert. Is that your statement? >> When I accepted this assignment, I I pretended >> You pretended to be a communist and then you came back here and pretended not to be one. >> I was not pretending.

>> Pretending here or pretending there? >> Pretending here. >> Sergeant, you reinlisted in the army just before the outbreak of hostilities in Korea. >> That’s right. >> Did you know the red aggression in Korea was coming? >> How could I know that? Well, with a friend like Kim Lee, you might very well have known. Isn’t that true? Objection.

Isn’t that true? No. Answer that now. Did you give vital military information to the enemy? >> You know I did. Colonel Chambers gave me information to give them. >> Colonel Chambers gave you vital military information to hand on to the enemy. >> No, not vital. By what means were you passing THE INFORMATION BEFORE YOU CROSSED THE LINES AND JOINED THE >> YES, SIR.

That will do. >> Now, both of you have been badgering this court. Now, at the next violation of proper conduct, I’m going to suspend and write letters of reprimand. >> Well, what does that mean? Does that mean they can call me a liar and a spy as long as they’re polite about it? >> That’ll do, right? >> No, I’m beginning to see who’s on trial here, and it’s not me.

 It’s that lousy rule book. >> Yeah. Paul William Riker, may he rest in peace. Where am I? Did you look at my cell? Did I fall off the world or something? Words come out of my mouth, they don’t mean one lousy thing. Sergeant, I’d better advise you. Anything you say is >> I don’t need any of your advice. Just let me out of here.

>> Sergeant, you have not been dismissed. Sit down. >> Shut your mouth. I don’t have to shut my mouth. I DON’T GIVE A HOOT about your conduct here. I open my mouth. Nobody hears, huh? I told you not to put me on that stand. But you put me there anyway. It’s all pretty clear to me now. You and my wife. Oh, boy.

 Just great, huh? And you, boy, just great, huh? Great American tradition. Okay, boys. is going to hold a little honest trial here and I’m going to hang him. Huh? >> Oh boy. Look, go ahead and do anything you want to do, but you’re not going to make a  out of me anymore. You know, I put my life on THE LINE. MY LIFE ON THE LINE AND YOU PUT ME THROUGH THIS. Go ahead, hang me.

 But I’m going to tell you something. You’re dead already. When I think of what I did in China, Burma for guys like you. AND NOBODY CARED. CUZ WHEN THE LITTLE GUYS WERE GONE, THE FATMOUTH BRASS ASS TOOK OVER, HUH? A SICK SOCIETY THAT DESPISED ME CUZ THEY OWE ME SO MUCH. NOW YOU WON’T EVEN GIVE me a credit card, huh? You want to know what happened over there? They believed me.

They made me a major with honors. AND YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE ME A PACI. Go on. Put a rope around my neck. Stop my mind. I TRY TO SAVE SOME American lives, but forget what I did. Huh? Just hang me. Stop my thinking. What I think about you. You and your proper conduct. You and YOUR LOUSY EVERYTHING THAT YOU STAND FOR.

 BECAUSE I ONLY MADE ONE MISTAKE, BOYS. I CAME BACK. [music] [music] I’ll go back tomorrow and go through the motions. General Bailey’s in Tokyo. I’ve asked him to appear, but It’s just mechanical, Anne. I can’t save it. It’s over. >> Captain Young. >> Yes, Sergeant. >> I don’t know whether this is important or not, but uh I heard this scuttlebug today.

>> About the trial. Something about you trying to find out if Colonel Chambers was in a habit of sending guys out on strictly secret assignments. >> That’s no scuttlebutt. >> Well, he was my co, sir. always used to run around doing things for me, you know, and he actually only sent me out once on the QT.

 So, you couldn’t exactly say he wasn’t going to happen. Besides, it was no big deal or anything. >> No, no, wait, wait a minute. Hold on. Are you saying that Colonel Chambers once gave you a secret assignment? >> Well, I guess you could call it that. He asked me not to tell anybody, sir. >> [music]