To Kill the Duke

by Sam Moffie

  The second man, whose name was Dalton, said “Yes.”

  The third man, whose name was Algiers, spoke, “I concur with my colleagues, Mr. Hughes.”

  “Why?” asked Hughes.

  “Why what?” the three men answered back in unison.

  “Among other things, bend, fold, mutilate and manipulate a system that was supposed to go after a system that had no business being successful,” pointed out Hughes. “Amongst other things, your report is saying that the Capitalist way is performing all sorts of tricks to go after the Communist way, which is doomed to fail. Why do anything at all? Why not just let the Commies fall flat on their faces?”

  “Because the American system always needs a bad guy,” replied Rosenberg.

  “To work,” added Dalton.

  “To work for those in control,” added Algiers.

  “And to keep on working for them,” Rosenberg added.

  “Pisses me off that I have become part of it,” Hughes said with a deep sigh.

  “The manipulation of you and others was going on far before you made your first deal with the Pentagon, Mr. Hughes,” Dalton said.

  “He’s right,” said Algiers as he pointed at his associate Mr. Dalton. “Let us begin. We never could find out in all our research where the term ‘Cold War’ originated, but we were amazed at how many times both warring factions use that term in their memos, reports and cables.”

  “It’s the hottest cold I have ever experienced, Dalton said.

  “Somehow the phrase ‘Cold War’ has a more sinister meaning than the phrase ‘Hot War,’” Hughes said.

  “The only thing ‘hot’ about the “Cold War’ will be the planet’s surface if these assholes and morons get their way,” Rosenberg added.

  “I’m listening,” Hughes announced.

  “Besides trying to turn American against American in the hopes of uncovering a secret but yet giant American-Communist movement, these guys were using their fellow Americans as human guinea pigs to test the radiation from the bombs that they were dropping on their vast Nevada nuclear test site,” Algiers said.

  “I’m surprised they didn’t round up all the people they thought were Communists and use them as guinea pigs,” Hughes said with a chuckle.

  “I think they would have if they could have had habeas corpus suspended,” Dalton said.

  “What’s that, another secret anti-Communist policy?” Hughes asked them sarcastically.

  “No, just one of those little tiny legal items that protects the average American from overly zealous government types,” Rosenberg said.

  “I better buy some habeas corpus… a lot of it,” Hughes said.

  “Do you spend a lot of money on lawyers, Mr. Hughes?” Dalton asked Howard.

  Hughes nodded and then rolled his eyes upward. He knew that he spent a lot of money on lawyers.

  “Then you have habeas corpus… a lot of it,” Dalton added.

  “I have been derailed. Not that I mind that. It happens to me a lot lately. Must be my injuries. Please continue gentlemen,” Hughes said.

  “That was the big difference between us and the Russians. They detonated their devices in places where they believed no one would be hurt. On the other hand, the Americans in charge of killing the Communists couldn’t wait to hurt other Americans to see how effective our bombs were,” Dalton said.

  “And using dummies and poorly assembled structures and mothballed army vehicles as guinea pigs wasn’t telling them anything that they didn’t already know,” Rosenberg added.

  “They needed live bait,” Algiers said.

  “Pathetic,” Hughes said.

  “So the defenders of America did what they do best when it comes to defending America,” Dalton said.

  “I don’t know if I’m going to like this answer,” Hughes predicted.

  “You won’t,” agreed Rosenberg.

  “They sacrificed their followers,” Algiers said.

  “And the troops never knew it,” Dalton said.

  “Really pathetic,” a disgusted Hughes said.

  “And it still wasn’t good enough,” Rosenberg said.

  “What happened to the troops’ families and friends? Wouldn’t they have asked questions about the missing soldiers?” Hughes asked.

  “They didn’t kill the soldiers. They exposed them,” Dalton said.

  “They stripped them naked?” Hughes asked incredulously.

  “In a way… why, yes,” answered Algiers.

  “A soldier’s uniform isn’t going to protect its wearer from nuclear fallout, so the soldiers might as well have been naked,” Rosenberg said.

  “It’s almost like declaring war on your own people,” Hughes said.

  “It is declaring war on your own people,” Dalton said.

  “And to our knowledge, the Russians never attempted to do that to their own people but are aware that we did,” Algiers said.

  “It must be true about their spying network,” guessed Hughes. “I’m sure that exposing our own troops to radiation must have been all hush-hush.”

  The three men simultaneously broke out into loud laughter.

  “Gentlemen, I have a great sense of humor. But I fail to see what the three of you are laughing about,” Hughes said sternly.

  “The Communist spy apparatus is terrible. Most of their spies come to America and never leave, because they end up falling in love with our culture,” Dalton pointed out.

  “The best Communist spies are Americans who hate our government,” Rosenberg said.

  “Besides, the Communist spies didn’t find out about what we did to our troops — the group of people responsible bragged about what they had done,” Algiers said.

  Hughes facial expression went blank as he tried to comprehend what Mr. Algiers had just said.

  “All the people in charge of fighting the Cold War thought that they would scare the crap out of the Communists if the Communists found out, and then verified, that Americans were willing to drop nuclear bombs on Americans,” Dalton said.

  “Those Americans in charge wanted to see if the Russians would either demonstrate one-upmanship or at the least match us,” Rosenberg said.

  “I have to do something about this,” Hughes warned.

  “You bet,” said Dalton.

  “You’re one of the only ones who can, Mr. Hughes,” said Algiers.

  “Someone has to,” said Rosenberg.

  “No question about that,” Hughes said. “I am going to take the names that you have compiled in this report and see the President personally. If I don’t get satisfaction — the report sans your names and mine is going to make it to the press.”

  “You need to do what you just said, but you also have to act now,” Rosenberg repeated.

  “I don’t understand,” Hughes said.

  “You have been used, Mr. Hughes,” Algiers said.

  “Know why you got to lease that land in St. George, Utah for one dollar?” Dalton asked Howard Hughes.

  Hughes couldn’t answer because his mind was racing with all the terrible thoughts.

  “Because the Americans in charge of the Cold War were not satisfied with the reports about the suffering of their own troops. With wind they could find average Americans suffering,” Rosenberg said.

  “And with your film it wouldn’t be average Americans,” Dalton added.

  At this point Howard Hughes totally stepped out of his very calm demeanor and went apoplectic.

  Hughes yelled, cursed, stomped his feet, threw his arms up and down and tossed small items on his desk at a picture on the wall of the Pentagon that had been given to him by a grateful Joint Chief of Staffs in an elaborate ceremony a few years back. He then went over to the picture and smashed what was left of it over his knee. The three men in his office watched with very calm demeanor. After all, they liked being paid by Howard Hughes, and if their meal ticket was pissed off — first of all, he had every right to be and secondly, he was signing their checks.

  “Do you kno
w why I just had my first temper tantrum in years, gentlemen?” Hughes asked the trio.

  The three were silent.

  “What about the sand where my movie is being filmed?” Hughes asked them.

  “Why do you ask?” Dalton replied.

  “Because I may have to ship 60 tons of that sand back to RKO if we can’t duplicate it,” Hughes said dejectedly.

  “Can’t your special effects people do something?” Rosenberg asked.

  “If they can’t, what about your art department simply painting the sand you have on stock to match what they filming on now?” Algiers asked.

  “Do you gentlemen think that the sand is contaminated?” Hughes asked them.

  “Probably,” said Dalton, as both Rosenberg and Algiers nodded in agreement.

  “Any suggestions?” Hughes asked.

  “Why take the chance? Just improvise the best you can with the filming technology you have at your disposal. Who’s going to be paying attention to the sand anyway?” Rosenberg pointed out.

  “In Hollywood, it has to be perfect or everyone in the picture will be crucified on a cross of criticism,” Hughes said. “And in our business, too much negative criticism can be as bad as fallout.”

  “You do know about the destructive power of radioiodine, which is all over the ground that your movie is being filmed on, don’t you Mr. Hughes?” Algiers asked Hughes.

  “Some,” Hughes said weakly, and it wasn’t from the adrenaline rush and crash he had just experienced that caused him to answer weakly. Even the richest man in the world knows when bad news is about to get worse.

  “We firmly believe that the American military leaders of the Cold War really didn’t mind that radioactive particles of any kind were going to find their way all over the Nevada test area and places even farther northwest,” Rosenberg said.

  “The fact that their own research predicted at least 19% of people living in the affected areas would die of some disease, caused by the fallout from their bombs, and that they didn’t stop dropping the bombs, is all you have to learn from our report to figure out what these people are all about, Mr. Hughes,” Dalton said.

  “These so called ‘men’ know who the victims are, don’t they?” Hughes asked the three men.

  “The appendix to our report has a complete copy of the charts and graphs and the names of all the people in the areas that could have become affected by fallout,” Rosenberg told Hughes.

  “So why suck me into renting a giant outdoor movie location when they have enough affected guinea pigs already?” Hughes asked the three men.

  “We think that the men in charge want a higher class of guinea pigs,” Algiers said.

  “What do you mean by better?” Hughes asked.

  “It appears most of the people in their study are not your average Americans,” Dalton said.

  “Does anyone know what an ‘average’ American is?” Hughes asked.

  “The people who infected their fellow Americans think that they do,” Rosenberg answered.

  “Go on — educate me,” urged Hughes.

  “When you study the appendix of the people that were most likely affected by the nuclear fallout, you will notice that the vast majority are rural, uneducated and poor,” Algiers said.

  “In other words — the perfect guinea pigs,” Hughes said.

  “Why do you say that, Mr. Hughes?” Dalton asked Howard.

  “Obviously the rural poor in and around the testing area don’t have access to outstanding medical care, so they are not going to know what has happened to them if they do get sick. They will just accept the fact that they are sick. They won’t seek out a politician or a do-gooder group to help them petition the government about what has happened to them. These are the types of people that won’t question what their government does. They will just abide by the rules,” Hughes said with a sigh.

  “Furthermore, even if a huge amount of them become deathly ill, no one of local authority will live to inform anyone else,” Rosenberg said.

  “That’s a good assumption. You can bet that the Cold War warriors will quickly end anyone’s career if their authority is questioned,” Hughes said.

  “But that’s what has us confused, Mr. Hughes,” Algiers said.

  “Yes. Why risk the exposure of the men and women who make movies?” Dalton asked.

  “Furthermore, why get Howard Hughes involved?” Rosenberg said.

  “Because they need to build a better mouse trap,” replied Hughes, as he started to draw a mousetrap on his doodling pad.

  “What?” the three men asked in unison.

  “If your so-called rural, uneducated and poor victims are not going to challenge the people directly responsible for their afflictions — the powers that be have to find out who will.” Hughes stated.

  “That would explain them contacting you and making you the offer that they did,” Dalton said.

  “Sure is a funny way to find out what people will do,” Algiers said sarcastically.

  “You would think with all their powers, they would have done the exact opposite,” Rosenberg said.

  “Gentlemen. I hate using clichés, but what you three have mentioned is ‘par for the course’ in dealing with our government. At some point everyone in the federal government becomes narcissistic in nature and actions. Narcissistic behavior is passed down from politician to politician. General to general. Bureaucrat to bureaucrat. It is a system that is so spoiled and unchecked by any internal forces that it gets away with what you have uncovered in your report,” Hughes said.

  “What can we do?” the three men asked in unison.

  “Not much when we are dealing with federal government forces run amok… drunk on power… so self-absorbed that it will and has infected its own troops and citizens with nuclear rain and is now willing to find out how far it can push the envelope by involving me, my cast, crew and Hollywood movie stars. Fuck!” Hughes yelled.

  “In taking you and Hollywood on… they will lose,” Algiers pointed out as his other two partners in drafting the report shook their heads in agreement.

  “I’d like to think that I can beat them at their own game, but how? If I speak up too soon and if I am wrong… your report will be wrong, because the powers that be will make all of us look foolish. Once you look foolish in a game at this level, it’s all over,” warned Hughes.

  “How can you be made to look foolish?” Rosenberg asked the richest man in the world — Howard Hughes.

  “The United States federal government can make anything look very foolish. They can also make rich people poor people. Poor people rich people. Famous people infamous people. Infamous people famous people. Live people dead people. The only thing they haven’t figured out yet is how to make dead people live people,” Hughes answered.

  “Can we do anything to help?” Dalton asked.

  “Tell me if you like my idea that I just came up with about trucking the sand back to Hollywood,” Hughes said.

  “What is your idea?” the three men asked in unison.

  “There are a lot of trees, brush and big rocks on the sand that I need back in Hollywood. Bushes, leaves, branches and rocks had to have diluted some of the fallout from hitting the sand. I’ll tell my diggers to concentrate on the sand under rocks, trees with branches and the brush. That should limit the damage,” Hughes said… hoped.

  “With all due respect Mr. Hughes, are you crazy?” Dalton asked the richest man in the world.

  “A good many say so,” Hughes said with a wry smile.

  The memories of not only being in the Pentagon and then his own office with Dalton, Algiers and Rosenberg were racing through Hughes’ mind after talking to Dick Powell.

  Nuclear fallout was going to harm many people that he knew.

  Nuclear fallout was going to harm people that he didn’t know.

  Both the people he knew and didn’t know were all victims of their own government.

  The report that Dalton, Algiers and Rosenberg had completed for him w
as too good and very scary.

  Howard Hughes knew he had to do something.

  “But what?” he said out loud. He took out the list of the entire cast and crew and started trying to picture each one in his own mind.

  Most, if not all Americans would find it very difficult to believe that the richest man in the world would or could suffer from stress of any sort.

  Dick Powell did. And now Howard was remembering the conversation with Powell as he started in motion his own way of stress release.

  “What could possibly cause you stress other than women’s breasts shrinking to the size of men’s breasts?” Powell joked to his boss.

  “Depends on which men’s breasts you’re referring to,” Hughes deadpanned.

  “I have met a lot of men. None have had breasts like women,” Powell pointed out.

  “Then you haven’t met as many men as I have. You would be surprised at some of the boobs I have seen on men,” Hughes said.

  “I’m not so sure I want to continue this discussion, boss,” Powell said.

  “Hey… you brought it up,” Hughes now pointed out.

  “But not to be disgusted,” Dick said.

  “Don’t you think that I stress out about losing all my money?” Hughes asked Powell.

  “I didn’t think that was possible,” Dick Powell said.

  “It isn’t,” Hughes said with a laugh. “It never will be. But it sounded good.”

  Powell laughed.

  “I stress out about things I don’t have control over. Since I control my money, it’s something that I don’t worry about,” Hughes said. “Pan Am really stresses me out!” Also, the place in Southern Utah where I want to, and have to, film some movies is starting to really stress me out, but I can’t tell Dick yet.

  “Pan Am?” a befuddled Powell asked.

  “That’s right — Pan Am. My main competition to control the airlines. Only, it’s not competition with them, it is total control by them over my airline and the other airlines. Total control is not a good capitalist way to do things. Competition is the good capitalist way to do things. Imagine Hollywood under one studio?” Hughes said.

  Dick had thought the very same thing many times during his career as an actor. In fact, at one point he thought that all the studios sometimes acted like they were one when it came to how they treated actors and what types of movies were being produced. Whether it was in his past thinking or now in the present with Howard Hughes, Dick Powell could only conjure up one word to describe Hollywood under one studio: