Auto Light and its 98,000 dealers bring you Mr. William Holden in tonight's presentation
of Suspense.
Tonight, Auto Light presents a true story taken from Captain Walter Kerrig's Battle
Report Korea, the facts concerning the United States Navy's mine clearing operations in
Wonsan Harbor in October 1951, Needle in the Haystack, our star, Mr. William Holden.
Hi, Hap, will you have a cigarette?
Oh, no thanks, Harlow, prefer my own brand.
Hey, did you ever think about all the people who feel like you do about cigarettes, but
on something that has to do with the safety and performance of their car, they take a
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What do you mean, Harlow?
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equipment, right?
Right.
But if replacements are needed, do the owners of those Auto Light equipped cars insist on
Auto Light original service parts exactly the same as those specified by the car manufacturer?
Well, I sure would, Harlow.
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And you're wise, Hap.
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for your car's electrical system is a matter of safety and performance.
So for safe, smooth, efficient operation, insist on Auto Light original service parts
for your Auto Light equipped car.
They're available at your car dealers or nearest authorized Auto Light service station.
And remember, from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Auto Light.
And now, Auto Light presents, transcribed the true story of the United States Navy's
actions in Wonsan Harbor in October 1951, Needle in the Haystack, starring Mr. William
Holden, hoping once again to keep you in suspense.
During the last war, we never tried to sweep even a small harbor with less than 30 sweepers.
At Okinawa, for instance, we used 100.
At Normandy, 300.
And at good old Wonsan, as big or bigger than any of them, we started in with 10.
Attention men, Captain Spofford.
Carry on, smoking lamps lit.
Make yourselves comfortable.
The correspondents are beginning to call those ships out there, the fleet that came to stay
and stay and stay at sea.
Well, I agree with you, it isn't a very good joke.
Nothing funny about 250 ships steaming around in circles waiting to get into Wonsan Harbor.
Our job is to make sure they do get in.
Oh, Commander the map.
Yes, sir.
You men on the port want to get in closer.
Now here, between the fleet and the shore, mines.
We don't know what kind of mines, but we do know that all of these anchorages and approaches
will have to be swept clear.
Sir?
Well, yesterday would have been a good time to have the job finished.
We have 20,000 troops packed into space and it would be close quarters for half as many.
That kind of thing isn't very good on the nerves.
Matter of fact, those Marines who are calling this Operation Yo-Yo, they may have something
of that.
Right now, they're as effectively out of combat as if they were still training in North Carolina.
Well, gentlemen, our assault sweep into Wonsan Harbor will commence at 0630.
And that's the way it started.
Assault sweep.
Definition?
An assault sweep is just a polite, official gobbledygook for busting through a minefield
in spite of anything.
Few notes here about mines.
They're different kinds.
A contact mine floats on top of the water and explodes when it touches a ship.
And there's another kind that just sits on the bottom and gets triggered by a ship's
magnetic field.
Magnetic mine.
And if you don't like those, try yourself an acoustic mine.
Dandy.
Detonates from a ship's vibration.
Or there's a pressure mine that just goes off when a ship passes above it.
And if you aren't satisfied with the way they blow up, there just might be a couple of guys
on the beach controlling all of them with an electric cable.
Oh yeah.
One more thing.
For every kind of mine, there's a different sweeping operation.
So go sweep mines.
Fire away!
What's the count?
We've set 21 mines so far, sir.
No casualties.
That's encouraging.
Now let's see.
We're in here.
That means we've already cleared a channel 3,000 yards wide.
From the 100 fathom curve to the 30 fathom curve.
We may get those Marines in action sooner than we expected.
This keeps up.
Helicopters are a big help, sir.
Well, it's something new in mine sweeping.
Flying low ahead of the lead sweep.
Sir?
Yeah.
It's the pilot's radio, sir.
I think he spotted something.
Give me those phones.
Yes, sir.
Sharply angled mine line directly ahead of lead sweep.
Another line just beyond that.
Another.
Order that lead sweep to come about.
Aye, aye, sir.
The pilot had found five mine lines inside the 30 fathom curve.
And with only ten sweepers working, that was a little more than we'd bargained for.
We didn't lose any shipping that first day, but we didn't get an inch closer to Wonsan
Harbor.
At zero-nine hundred the following day, we tried something
else that was new in mine sweeping.
A fly-fly boy spaced off at 600-yard intervals and came roaring in at 1,500 feet, loaded
with bombs and rockets.
Object?
To try and blast a channel for the sweepers.
It was quite a sight.
A five-mile column of airplanes dropping their goodies into the water on time signals.
I've just reported that the aerial countermining operation is complete.
It's up to us to find out whether or not it worked the hard way.
Forces two-four-eight, speed eight knots, proceed as planned.
Lieutenant Hyatt aboard the pirate, sir.
We are proceeding as ordered.
The pirate was the lead ship in the formation.
The whole fleet watched as she edged out and headed for the waters that had been raked
by the planes.
Not far behind came the pledge and the incredible and the redhead, all trailing their sweeping
gear, all anxious to get a job done.
One at a time they turned to pass between the islands.
We are now entering unswept waters.
Will it work, sir?
I hope so.
If there are any mines in those waters, the bombs and rockets should have done some good.
Yeah.
Well, we'll know in a minute, son.
Yak,according to Res anthropologist, the
We lost the pirate and the pledge that day.
Aerial countermining had been an experiment.
Another good idea that didn't work.
And learned there's no shortcut to mind sweeping.
Cigarette Don.
Thank you sir.
For the last 20 hours the fleet commander has been asking can we land as scheduled,
can we land tomorrow, if not tomorrow when?
I know sir.
I can't answer him until I get some answers myself.
We know their influence, mines, but we don't know what kind, magnetic contact or what.
Or how many or where they're placed.
We've got to have this information so we'll know how to sweep.
And so I can give the fleet commander an accurate answer.
You all set?
All set sir.
Good luck Don.
Thank you sir.
All right sailors, shove off.
Aye aye sir.
Hold the course.
Holding the course sir.
Beg pardon sir.
Yeah?
How far in can we go sir?
Until we get to the end of those marked lines.
I'll swim it from there.
Does it always go like this?
I mean we've tried about everything to get those ships into the harbor.
Nothing seems to work.
It's that way sometimes.
How long you been in the Navy son?
Well this is my first time out, about 18 months now sir.
What did you do before that?
High school.
Sir, could I ask how long you've been in the Navy?
Well I started out as a seaman.
Let's see, 20 years now.
That's a good long time sir.
Have you always been looking for things?
I mean minesweeper.
14 years of it.
Okay cut him.
Aye aye sir.
When I'm clear take her back and follow the cans.
Yes sir.
Well, so long.
Good luck sir.
It took me a half an hour to swim the rest of the way.
A couple of times my legs brushed against the mines, moored no more than two feet below
the surface.
When I finally got onto shore there was a welcoming committee waiting for me.
About 12 Korean fishermen.
Aye, aye you there.
Hello, you speak any English?
Do you hear me?
You speak any English?
I say do any of you speak English?
Yankee, Yankee.
That's right I'm a Yankee.
Do you speak English?
Fish, me fish.
Yeah, yeah you're a fisherman.
Then maybe you can help me get the information I need.
I'm from that ship out there, understand?
In order to land all those boats we have to find out what kind of mines are in these waters,
where they're located, how many.
Can you tell me anything about them?
Can you tell me who laid them?
Do you understand?
Men who lay mines in water?
Yeah, yeah that's it.
It took a lot of men and boats to mine that whole area.
The commies had to have help.
Now who helped them?
The Sampan men.
All the Sampan men help.
The soldiers say help.
The soldiers made the Sampan boats help, huh?
Well then a Sampan skipper can tell me what I want to know.
Where can I find one?
For gone.
What?
No tell anything.
I'll tell you, kill all Sampan men.
Auto Light is bringing you Mr. William Holden in Needle in the Haystack, the true story of
the United States Navy's operations in Wonsan Harbor in October 1951.
Tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Say Hap, did you ever hear about a person buying cigarettes without asking for a particular
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No, never Harlow.
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You mean they don't insist on parts exactly like those specified by the car manufacturer,
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Believe it or not, Hap.
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light you're always right with Auto Light.
And now Auto Light brings back to our Hollywood sound stage Mr. William Holden.
In Elliot Lewis's production of Needle in the Haystack, a true report well calculated
to keep you in suspense.
What kind of minds are sinking our ships?
How many?
Where are they?
All tough questions and tougher to answer.
The Wansan fishermen said there was no such thing.
All the answers had been killed off.
I tried another source, Rock headquarters in the friendly city of Wansan.
Commander De Forest?
Yes.
Lieutenant Ching, sit down please.
Thank you.
Sorry to have kept you waiting.
It has been busy here.
Yes, I noticed.
They leave slowly.
They seem to.
We'd like to speed that up a little bit.
I know.
You want to get those ships in the harbor.
What can I do?
Well, you can find me a Sam Fan boat skipper who knows all about the mine laying job.
You have been to the waterfront?
Yes, I have.
Then you know that all who helped have been killed or taken away.
I thought there might be one someplace.
Twenty-five miles north of here there is supposed to be a mining depot they use.
Well, maybe we can find out something there.
They are still out there.
You realize, huh?
Huh.
Well, I'll have to take that risk.
Can I get some kind of transportation?
We have a jeep.
Good.
Now any chance of borrowing somebody as an interpreter?
I am as anxious as you are to secure this harbor.
I will go with you, Commander.
Ching was dog-tired and nervous and a little trigger-happy.
As we drove over the roughest road in North Korea, he sat with a pistol and a rifle ready
to handle anything.
About fifteen miles out of one sound we came to a village, a place of about a thousand
people or so.
When they heard the sound of our motor, they scattered in all directions.
By the time we pulled to a stop, there wasn't a soul in sight, except a little girl about
five years old.
Well, hey, wait.
Where are you going?
We were questioned.
No, no.
Let's try this little lady with the muddy face first.
It's Charles?
Yeah, kids are the same all over the world.
At least I think they are.
Come on, leave that rifle here.
It is not...
Okay.
Hello there, honey.
What's your name?
You ask her, Singh.
Oh.
Can I take?
I guess she's a little scared.
Can I take?
No, don't ask her anymore.
She's as scared of you as she is of me.
I have something here for you, honey.
Here.
Candy for you.
Go ahead, take it.
Here.
For you, honey.
Well, at least the candy was a hit.
This is no way to handle these people, Commander.
What do you want to do, Singh?
Start pumping bullets into them?
They have no flag above the village.
We do not know whether they are friendly or not.
They are not friendly.
They are not friendly or not, we are taking unnecessary chance.
We do not like it.
Something should happen pretty soon.
Over there.
Get your hand off that side arm.
Maybe that candy worked.
The old gent's coming over to us.
Singh.
What?
You know how to smile?
We'll do it now.
What does he want us to do?
He wishes us to follow him.
Over there.
The wooden house.
Looks like some kind of meeting hall.
Now, come on.
It might not be advisable.
Nothing's happened to us yet.
Whole place is sure turning out to see what's what.
They see my rifle in Egypt.
Can you get any of that?
Not much.
Something about a stranger.
No guns or swords on the walls.
They must be friendly.
They do not count on it, Commander.
He wants us inside.
Then inside we go.
Now what?
The boss man of the village.
Tell him that we've come here.
My oldest son joined a communist party.
He killed his mother and two sister because they no join.
He tried to kill me, but failed.
What you want?
I'm not here to hurt anyone, sir.
I'm a member of the UN forces that have come to North Korea to help restore this country.
But before that, I need your help, sir.
UN?
Yes, United Nations.
The war has changed many things.
Yesterday it seemed the communists might win.
Today, the UN.
Tomorrow, my people know not.
We must speak before we decide to help.
They had a council meeting and everybody who was anybody in the village got in on it.
They discussed how we'd come in, why we were there, and what we wanted.
And most of all, the candy bar I had given to the little girl.
In the end, the candy bar won.
The old man with his black robe and white beard said that they would give us any help
that we needed.
Then he gave another order and a few minutes later a group of men brought in a tall, rangy
looking character who didn't like it one bit.
What's all this?
I do not know.
The man's name is Sandhee.
Well, why all the fuss?
What's the matter, sir?
He is telling the man he will not be harmed.
He's giving him his word.
That's pretty scary.
You talk to Sandhee.
The only one left alive.
He escaped.
Is this Sandhee, sir?
Yes.
He helped Russian plant mine, make mine.
What's that?
Sandhee, him, Sam Fan Man.
So, I told the old man, I will not be harmed.
I will not be harmed.
The poor junk pulled the Sam fans loaded with mine.
Sometimes the junk laid their mine in a curve.
When that happened, the Sam fans keeper was shot.
Ask him how he got away.
He jumped from his ship and swam ashore.
He's quite a boy, isn't he?
How many junks did they use?
32.
Does he know how many mines?
He says 3,000.
He knows where they are.
He will show you.
Well, good.
We'll take you up on that, old boy.
Where do you get your first ride in a helicopter over the harbor?
Now for the $64 question, Saint.
What kind of mines?
Magnetic contact or what?
Doesn't he know?
Mine is a mine to him.
He knew everything else.
That information is vital.
We've got to know what kind so we know how to sweep.
Cigarette?
Yonkey cigarette?
Here, have a smoke buster.
You were great while you lasted.
Donkey.
What now?
Tell him to wait here.
We're going to find that mining depot who you were talking about and we're going to
find out what kind of mines they used.
The road to the abandoned mine depot followed a narrow gauge railroad.
All along the way there were bunkers and barricades indicating that the area had been heavily
guarded.
Now and then we passed campsites where communist guerrillas had recently been.
Snipers fired at us from both sides of the road, but we didn't make any stops until we
got to the abandoned mine depot.
When we stopped in front of the thick concrete entrances, I forgot all about the trouble
we'd had in getting there and ran for the nearest one.
Oh no.
Flooded.
Yeah.
They must have flooded it before they left.
Then there's no way to find any parts, any plans that will tell you what kind of mines
were assembled here.
Nothing.
The whole thing's a bust.
Trying to find anything in that water would be like trying to find a needle in that pile
of hay over there.
Now what would a pile of dry hay be doing on this upper level?
Why, I...
To pack things in.
To pack cartons of coils, detonating parts.
Well, what do you know?
Mine?
You bet your life.
The eye and nose of an 1800 pound magnetic mine.
Magnetic?
Yeah.
Seeing you can tell your friends that we found a needle in a haystack.
The landing was held up to allow the minesweepers to clear all channels.
The beach was finally turned over to the troops and 22,000 men went ashore in two days with
no losses.
Before the end of the week, the 10th Corps was ashore with 50,000 men.
Operation Yo-Yo was over.
The long march to the Yalu had begun.
Suspense.
Presented by Auto Light, the night star, Mr. William Holden.
This is Harlow Wilcox speaking for Auto Light, the world's largest independent manufacturer
of automotive electrical equipment.
In 28 plants from coast to coast, Auto Light makes over 400 products for cars, trucks,
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These products include bumpers, speedometers, batteries, such as the famous Auto Light Stay
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Auto Light is proud to serve the greatest names in the industry.
So from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Auto Light.
Next week, it will be our pleasure to present part one of the first detective story ever
written, a tale considered by many to be the greatest ever written.
Ricky Collins, the Moonstone, our star, Mr. Peter Lawford, that's next week on Suspense.
Suspense is transcribed and directed by Elliot Lewis, the music composed by Lucian Morawick
and conducted by Lutte Gluskin.
Needle in the Haystack was adapted for Suspense by E. Jack Newman from Captain Walter Carey's
Battle Report Korea.
Featured in tonight's cast were Joseph Kearns, Jack Prusian, Ben Wright, Steve Roberts, David
Young, Bert Holland, and Ted Bliss.
William Holden will shortly be seen co-starring with Ginger Rogers and Paul Douglas in Paramount's
new comedy, Forever Female.
And remember, next week, Mr. Peter Lawford in part one of Wilkie Collins, the Moonstone.
You can buy Auto Light original service parts, Auto Light standard or resistor type spark
plugs, and Auto Light safe full batteries at your neighborhood Auto Light dealers.
Switch to Auto Light.
Good night.
This is the CBS Radio Network.