Decisión a medianoche

Col. Steve Van Dyke: [alone together in a hospital room] Well?

Frederick S. Hobart: I want to know what you're up to Steve.

Col. Steve Van Dyke: Why?

Frederick S. Hobart: I don't care what you think of that government over there, you can't make any kind of a crooked deal with it.

Col. Steve Van Dyke: Who's dealin' with any government?

Frederick S. Hobart: Aren't you?

Col. Steve Van Dyke: Now look Freddy, we asked them over there about Corporal Leatherby, didn't we?

Frederick S. Hobart: Yes.

Col. Steve Van Dyke: So what did they say?

Frederick S. Hobart: That they'd never heard of him, of course.

Col. Steve Van Dyke: So alright, how could I be makin' a deal with a government that never heard of him?

Frederick S. Hobart: You know very well that that's only their way of doing things.

Col. Steve Van Dyke: Not in my book. If a big, friendly power like the Russians tells they never heard of Corporal Leatherby, that's good enough for me. Now will you run along n' let me get on with this job?

Frederick S. Hobart: Then whom are you dealing with?

Col. Steve Van Dyke: Now look Freddy, for Pete's sake, don't you think the Russians like a little private enterprise as well as anybody else? As far as I'm concerned, I'm dealin' with a small group of progressive businessmen over there - what I think you Americans call a mob. Now is there anything wrong with that?

[a knock at the door disrupts their conversation]