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Salonique nid d'espions
In a French jail:
Coudoyan (Pierre Blanchar) is in a prison in France. He has been recognized as a German spy and they have enough on him to put him to death. Trying to bargain for his life, he offers a list of German agents in Verdun, but it's of no use, the French have that already. When the French agent starts to leave, Coudoyan offers him the list of French agents in Germany.
'What? What use would that be to us?'
'None, of course. But can you prevent the list from crossing the border?' Mademoiselle Docteur is stealing the list right now, at the 2nd Bureau, Coudoyan says. The French try to catch her, but they are too late.
In Berne:
Mlle Docteur just came home to Berne. Her superior congratulates her. She's depressed, as usual after a mission, she wants to stop for a vacation. The colonel says they have no news from Salonique. There'll be a conference of the Allieds there, but they have no liaison. Mlle Docteur says she'll go. 'You knew I would.' The colonel gives her new IDs: she'll pretend to be an American reporter, Lillian Stanley. She must get in touch with the boss of a cabaret in Salonique: the password is 'A quoi pensez-vous? (what's on your mind?), the answer, 'A la grande aventure' (great adventures).
In Salonique:
A spy has been caught. A man (Alexandre) runs away through the streets back to a fruit store and tells Simonis the store keeper (Jouvet) that one of their men has been caught and that he himself was followed. A strange man (Barrault) comes in asking for a melon. 'Why the beautiful knife?', asks Simonis. 'To open this. It looks alright but I like to see the inside of things.' He tastes the melon. 'Magnifique. I've never eaten anything like this.' He leaves.
'You almost made a mess', says Simonis to Alexandre.
-Don't tell me he looks normal!
-There are not only cops in life. There are also madmen.
The boss of the cabaret, a spy, was arrested and shot. Alexandre and Gaby are afraid they'll be next. Simonis calms them down. He tells Gaby to go to the cabaret as usual. She doesn't want to, she's afraid.
'We're waiting for an emissary and we have nobody there; if you don't go, we have no chance', says Simonis.
Alexandre offers to go with her. 'No use risking getting the two of you caught. They won't abandon us. One of ours is probably en route.'
On the train:
Mlle Docteur, alias Lilian Stanley, is on the train to Salonique. A bridge is down and the train can't continue. A man takes advantage of this to sell his car and Mlle Docteur outbids everybody. She also wants a good driver (she drives very badly, she says), so she asks a French officer to drive her.
On the way she asks: 'Can't you go any faster?'
-I can, but the car can't.
It's raining, they stop at a house. But in the morning, she's gone with the car.
At the cabaret:
Mlle Docteur goes to see the boss and asks him for a job. She came from afar, she says. She gives the password.
-What's on your mind?, she asks.
-None of your business, he says.
He gets angry... she says she knew the old boss. He tells her the old boss is dead. 'I've only been here 15 days.'
Back in the cabaret, she listens to Gaby's song: 'A quoi pensez-vous?
At the fruit store:
Mlle Docteur goes to meet Simonis. He recognizes her. She tells him his son was wounded, but is now out of danger. He's worried about the lack of news from his family. She gives him a letter.
'You took that risk?'
'We thought it would make you happy.'
'I'm sorry, he says after reading the letter. People like us shouldn't have any family.'
He asks how the war is going. She tells him and he says he knew already. Why didn't he communicate this then?, she asks. He tried to, three times. The agents never came back.
'They never arrived', she says.
He tells her about those who were arrested and the fear they all have that they will be next. He'll put an agent at her disposal, she'll meet him at the hotel.
Allieds conference:
The Allieds plan to send Bulgarian agent Gregoriev across the border with a message. Mlle Docteur, posing as Miss Stanley, meets the US consul. He turns down an interview and invites her at a reception the following Thursday. She asks to call her hotel; she's waiting for a telegram, she says.
Colonel Bourget arrives, and as Miss Stanley is leaving, she pretends to hurt her foot and asks the phone operator to get her a car. While he's away, she listens in on the conversation about Gregoriev's mission.
At the fruit store:
Simonis has had a phone line installed to communicate with the front. He's in contact with a farmer who can send signals to the German posts. But first, they must warn the German posts and establish a code; and to do this they must send someone across the border.
'We can do that tonight', says Mlle Docteur.
At hotel Bristol:
They kidnap Grigoriev.
Cpt. Carrere meets Miss Stanley again.
Good bye, he says.
-Why good-bye?
-You didn't say it the last time.
-My work is very jealous.
-Will your work let you dance with me?
Alexandre leaves in the car intended for Grigoriev. Leo (really Coudoyan), the man sent by Simonis, is introduced to miss Stanley (he's supposed to be a writer).
They give the password. Leo then goes to speak with the French captain. Coudoyan is the one who's been selling the other German spies. He asks for agents tonight at 14, rue de Smyrne. He then asks miss Stanley to the same address.
In Leo's room:
Mlle Docteur meets with Leo. (The Allieds agents wait in another room and are upset that Leo is seeing a woman while they're waiting.)
Leo's impressed when he realizes who she really is. She tells him about the agent crossing the lines and that a price has been put on her head. She wants to know why there were so many arrestations.
'Is there a traitor?'
He tells her one of those arrested is probably selling the others in exchange for his life and money.
-Disgusting, she says.
-Maybe he's thinking the same thing, but can't do otherwise.
-I'd kill him like a dog.
-I'd kill him too, if I could.
He asks for his instructions, but she says she'll tell him tomorrow.
-You don't trust me?
-I'm your leader, I don't have to explain myself to you.
He goes to see if the coast is clear and tells the French they came for nothing; the German agent won't come.
Later:
At the front, they establish the signals.
Leo is questioned and tells the French to check the Bulgarian emissary when he comes back from the front. 'He'll look changed.'
Miss Stanley and Cpt Carrere spend some time together. Aren't they lucky to have found each other in Greece? All sort of circumstances must have happened to get them here. He's sad he'll have to leave Salonique soon. She tells him not to change a thing in his life because of her. He'd regret it.
Later that night:
They see Alexandre being arrested when he comes back from the front. Carrere tells Miss Stanley he's a spy and that he will be shot. During the night, at the hotel, she goes to Carrere's room; she's afraid.
Leo tries to get her on the phone. Gaby, his girlfriend, is jealous, and the woman at the hotel tells her that Leo is now bringing another woman to his room.
The next day:
Carrere is given an important mission.
Meanwhile, Leo meets with Mlle Docteur and tells her that the message Grigoriev was carrying was only half a message and is worthless.
The Allieds are going to send another emissary.
Walking by, Carrere tells her that he has a new assignment and must leave for 24 hrs.
Leo tells Mlle Docteur that Carrere is the one carrying the new message.
In her room, Mlle Docteur receives a note from Carrere telling her he loves her. When she goes to steal the message, there's nothing there.
At the cabaret:
Simonis wants to know where Leo was last night. He was supposed to meet him and didn't come, and Alexandre was arrested. Gaby says he was with her. 'That's good for him. Don't tell him I came here.'
Leo calls Mlle docteur who's getting ready for the reception at the consulate.
He stole the message before she did and wants to meet her at his hotel.
At Leo's hotel:
Gaby is waiting for Leo, she makes a jealous scene. 'It's only work', he says. 'I don't care about her.'
-Then why don't you sell her like you did the others?
She tells him they could escape with the reward money. When he leaves her, she tells him: Beware Leo, there's nothing I wouldn't do.
In the hotel room:
'What right did you have to steal that message?, asks Mlle Docteur. Who commands, you or me?'
He wants to talk to her. When the waiter comes in, she doesn't want him to touch her.
'You find me disgusting', he says, and then declares his love.
He knows she loves Carrere and tells her that can't be, 'we can only love each other in our profession, we're like lepers'.
Downstairs, Gaby is denouncing miss Stanley as Mlle docteur.
At the Consulate:
Carrere tells his superior the message's been stolen. They're told about the phone call denouncing Miss Stanley. They tell Carrere about Leo being a double agent. They go to question Leo about the stolen message.
'It's my turn?', asks Leo when they come to get him.
At the fruit store:
Simonis receives a message from Mlle Docteur: Coudoyan didn't want to give the message, he must be the traitor.
Gaby comes in and tells Simonis Leo has been arrested. He must do something. 'Calm yourself, forget him, he was a traitor', Simonis says.
'No, I'm the one who did it, Gaby says. I phoned the Bureau of Information and sold Mlle docteur.'
-You did that?
At the reception:
Miss Stanley receives a message from her agency. The messenger is Simonis. The message: 'You were betrayed. Leave'. She gives him the message to send to the front.
-How will you manage to send it?, she asks.
-I'll phone from home.
-They'll get you.
-That's just too bad.
He gives her the gun.
The allieds are afraid they'll make an embarassing mistake by arresting miss Stanley. When miss Stanley tries to leave, the colonel brings her to his office.
Meanwhile, they're questioning Leo about the woman he met in his room. He won't talk despite their threats. Carrere questions the waiter and discovers it's miss Stanley who's been meeting with Leo. 'Who is she?', he asks Leo. Leo won't say.
-It's your last word?
-One of my last words. Because from now on, I think I'll be able to count them.
They question miss Stanley about Leo.
-You'll tell me where you were at 8 o'clock. Do you hear?
She hears the German planes.
-I hear perfectly, colonel.
She manages to escape in a car, with Carrere pursuing her...
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