It could be gone by the morning.

- What is this Diolacton?

- We must leave immediately.

- What are you doing?

- Trying to save your life. Go!

Good morning.

- Can I help you?

- You've done quite enough already.

- Where's Pyle?

- He's not in the office this morning.

- He does a lot of work at home.

- I know what he does at home.

- What do you mean?

- Ask her. She's fixed him up with my girl.

- We can't have scenes in the office.

- I know I am behaving badly.

But I have every intention

of behaving badly.

This is exactly the kind of situation

where one should behave badly.

- Could we please lower our voices?

- Why don't you bugger off?

Thomas, there is a lady here.

This lady and I know each other quite well.

She tried to get a rake-off from me,

but now she's getting one from Pyle.

- We have a lot of work to do.

- If Pyle phones, tell him I called.

It would be polite to return the visit.

How did he get in here?

This is Boston?

No, that's Niagara Falls. So is that.

This is Boston. That's Faneuil Hall.

I can't wait to take you to my country.

My friend from school.

She go to airport with her boyfriend.

He said he'd take her to France.

But in the airport,

he disappear, leave her there.

So many girls with French boyfriend,

no one to marry them.

Well, that'll never happen to you.

I promise.

- Hi.

- Have a nice Christmas?

One long party.

Did Phuong forget something?

Heard you came by the legation.

Yes.

- Who's this?

- Bodyguard. We all have them now.

Are you married yet?

No, I figured I'd wait until we got home

and do it properly.

You don't mind living here improperly?

It's hard to talk

if you're going to be so cynical.

I meant it'd be good to do it

with my parents there.

I had a cable from head office.

They want me back.

Oh, that's...

So it's good that Phuong went off with you.

She might have ended up as another

piece of arse for someone like Granger.

At least I know you'll treat her right.

So does this mean

that we can still be friends?

I don't see why not.

So what is Diolacton, anyway?

- You know about that?

- Shouldn't I?

Well... Diolacton is a milk-based plastic.

It's used for the frames in the eyeglasses.

Are you still in touch with General Thй?

- We keep the channels open.

- And Muoi?

Mr Muoi's helped

get our supplies through customs.

- The French have started to charge for...

- You asked me for advice once.

Here it is. Leave the bloody

third force to Joe,

forget York Harding,

and go home with Phuong.

And would you shut the door

on the way out, please?

Morning, Larry. What is it today?

You know,

some cockamamie assignment.

We should go. Joe Tunney said

to be out of here by ten to eleven.

- What is it, anyway?

- I'm not sure.

- Is it a demonstration?

- I don't know.

My friend is in there.

Did you cut your hand, sir?

Yes.

- How is it down there?

- dead.

Probably more by morning.

They've started arresting

communist sympathisers.

There was a woman.

With a baby.

She covered it with her hat.

This man... he died.

Right in front of his family.

Pyle...

Did you see him?

He spoke Vietnamese.

Like... like it was his,

you know, native language.

Murray! Come over here! Get this.

Move it. Right here. On this side.

Understand?

Go make yourself useful somewhere else.

Diolacton is a milk-based plastic.

We used it for the frames.

- How many stories have we given them?

- This year?

"Casein plastics."

"Made from milk protein."

York Harding: "Dangers to Democracy. "

He put forward the idea of a third force...

"Used in the manufacture

of imitation tortoiseshell and jade."

"Trade name: Diolacton."

"Also used as a plasticiser

in explosive compounds."

Joe Tunney's running aid programmes

with business people close to Thй.

Muoi.

And Thй.

It will take an independent

Vietnamese leader to rule our country.

The Americans have been supplying them

with materials to make bombs.

Fowler sees conspiracies everywhere.

I have some contacts who would

like to speak to your friend.

Joe Tunney?

Pyle?

They feel he can give them

important information about all this.

You're saying Pyle is OSS?

I believe the new name is the CIA.

- Anyone could speak to him.

- It's not so easy.

He's followed by protectors.

But if you asked to meet with him,

man to man,

he would come along.

These contacts. Are they communist?

Officially, no. Unofficially, yes.

I don't know.

Suppose you invite him to dinner

at the Vieux Moulin,

say between . and . .

It's quiet near there.

My friends can speak to him undisturbed.

Maybe he's engaged.

At . my contacts will have someone

in the street outside your apartment.

All you have to do,

if you decide to invite him to dinner...

go to the window and open a book.

What will they do to him?

I promise you-my contacts will act

as gently as the situation allows.

Sooner or later, Mr Fowler,

one has to take sides

if one is to remain human.

I need to speak to you about

what happened this morning

in the Place Garnier.

- Phuong.

- A letter for you.

Thank you.

Just give me a few minutes, all right?

Come in.

I got your message.

So I see.

- I'd love a drink.

- I've only got hard liquor.

You're probably on duty. I've noticed

you're rarely off duty these days.

Whisky'd be fine. People change.

Or maybe they just never were

what we thought they were.

Who of us is, Thomas? Who of us is?

You want to talk about General Thй?

Yes. And Mr Muoi.

And Diolacton.

- We met with Thй this afternoon.

- He's in Saigon?

Come to see how his explosives worked?

His original target was a military parade.

We were pretty tough on him.

Did you tell him you wouldn't support him?

- We told him if he steps out of line again...

- He tried to kill you on the road to Saigon.

No. He tried to kill you.

You knew?

I suspected that he might try something.

Or one of his officers.

So I tagged along just in case.

You're a fool if you think

you can control General Thй.

In a war, you use the tools you've got.

Right now, he's the best we have.

And in the meantime,

even more people must die.

Last year the US government

gave $ million

in military assistance

to the French in Indochina.

If we are going to stop communism

and underwrite a third way,

we need to give the people

a leader who they admire.

Tomorrow when Congress reads

the sees the photographs

of the communist atrocities,

they are going to give us that support.

The French won't stop the communists.

They haven't got the brains

and they haven't got the guts.

How did I fit into all this?

Am I part of your cover?

Or a source of information?

Or did you have your eye

on Phuong all the time?

You and Phuong? I never planned for

any of that to happen. Believe me.

It would have been easier

if I'd never met either one of you.

- But you did. And you lied to us.

- What do you want me to tell you?

That I took no action?

That I have no opinion?

Tell me that you don't mean any of this.

Tell me that you were only obeying orders.

Or tell me that after what you saw

in the square, those children,

who did nothing and hurt no one,

tell me that you were

so confused and horrified

at how brutal and insane

these actions are.

Tell me how your love for Phuong

has caused you to have some doubts.

But it's because of Phuong

that I am even more determined.

Let's just look at Phuong. There's beauty.

There's daughter of a professor.

Taxi dancer.

Mistress of an older European man.

That pretty well describes

the whole country.

Look, Thomas, we are here

to save Vietnam from all of that.

What happened in the square

makes me sick.

But in the long run, I'm going to save lives.

It's you, isn't it?

Joe Tunney, the staff at the legation,

Mr Muoi, General Thй.

They all take their fucking orders

from you, Pyle.

York Harding prattles on about a third

force in that book you carry around.

You've actually gone out and made one.

I don't think you see

the big picture, Thomas.

No, I do not see the big picture.

Do you know this poem?

"I walk down the street

and I don't give a damn

The people, they stare

and they ask who I am

And if by chance I should run over a cad

I can pay for the damage, if ever so bad."

We can disagree and remain friends,

can't we, Thomas?

Yes.

Look, I'm sorry.

Let's have dinner

and put all this mess behind us.

- . Vieux Moulin. OK?

- That sounds great.

I miss our conversations.

Vieux Moulin it is.

All right, then. I'll tell Phuong

she can have dinner with her sister.

I'll get her to meet me here afterwards.

Look, if you can't make it,

come straight here.

- I'll wait for you.

- All right.

I'll see you soon, Thomas.

Walk.

I need to talk to somebody

who speaks English.

You see, it's my son's birthday tonight.

We need to ask you some questions.

I'm from the American legation.

I just try and help people see.

The thing is, I...

I got a cable from my wife.

My boy has polio.

They don't know if he's going to make it.

I don't care if he's crippled.

I just don't want him to die.

I'm sorry. I've just got to get some air.

At least people were killed

and scores of others injured.

In the wake of last week's bomb blast

in Saigon,

French officials report...

I'm sorry to bother you, but...

would you mind to come

downstairs with me?

- What do you want?

- I have something to show you.

It seems Monsieur Pyle came

to see you the night he died.

- So what, Vigot?

- You said he did not.

By the way, we found Pyle's dog.

They cut its throat.

You see here?

Pyle's dog had cement between its toes.

This was poured

on the afternoon of his murder.

So what does that prove?

And the patron of the Vieux Moulin told me

that night you asked for a table for one.

Not two.

I have nothing more to add

to my original statement.

Nothing?

You know I didn't kill him, Vigot.

There's a war on.

People are dying every day.

Ask another girl.

I don't want another girl.

Will you come back now, Phuong?

- Will you come back to me?

- To London?

No. Not to London.

Then I don't come back.

Please. I...

I can't take you to London.

Because I'm not going.

I'm not leaving you.

Never.

Will you come back to me?

- Will you take down my hair?

- Yes.

Do you miss him?

Yes.

I'm sorry.

Why are you sorry?

I don't know.

I just feel that...

I ought to apologise to... someone.

Not to me.

Never to me.

They say you come to Vietnam

and understand a lot in a few minutes.

The rest has got to be lived.

They say whatever it was

you were looking for

you will find here.

They say there is a ghost in every house.

And if you can make peace with him,

he will stay quiet.