The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023) Movie Script

And what's the plan? It
will only confuse you.
Listen, I can't be any more
confused than I already am.
Steve, I would rather be
prosecuting than defending you.
Why? Because I
think you're guilty as hell.
Well, maybe I should
get another lawyer then.
Well, I'm not looking forward
to twisting the Navy's arm.
Why? What, are you scared of
the brass? Worse.
Respectful.
You know, sometimes I
think the Navy's a master plan
designed by geniuses
for execution by idiots.
Where did you hear that? I couldn't
have just made that up myself?
Could have made up the Gettysburg
Address too. Where'd you hear it?
That's one of Tom Keefer's
wisecracks.
Thomas Keefer, your
novelist friend. Yeah.
He's got the sharpest mind on
the ship. He's sharp, all right.
He knows everything Queeg did.
I'm sure he does.
The trial counsel will state
the charge and specification.
Charge one, mutiny.
Violation of Article 94, Uniform
Code of Military Justice.
In that
Lieutenant Stephen Maryk,
while serving as executive
officer aboard the USS Caine,
did on December 18th, 2022,
commit an act of mutiny.
Lieutenant Maryk willfully,
and without proper authority,
and without justifiable cause
did relieve from duty Lieutenant
Commander Philip Francis Queeg,
then serving as the duly
appointed commanding officer
of the USS Caine,
who was then in lawful
exercise of his command.
How do you plead?
Not guilty.
Defense will stipulate
that Lieutenant Maryk
was serving as executive
officer aboard the USS Caine,
18 December, 2022.
Trial counsel, you may
call your first witness.
Call Lieutenant Commander Queeg.
Do you solemnly swear that the
evidence you give shall be the truth,
the whole truth and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?
I do.
Be seated.
State your
name, rank and present position.
Philip Francis Queeg, Lieutenant
Commander, United States Navy,
currently attached to Headquarters,
Fifth Fleet, awaiting reassignment.
Do you recognize the accused?
Yes.
Lieutenant Maryk, US Navy.
Commander Queeg,
on December 18th, 2022,
were you in command
of the USS Caine?
Yes, I was.
What type of vessel
is the Caine?
Well, her official designation is an
MCM... mine countermeasures ship.
And what is her primary mission?
Well, the Caine is designed to
detect and neutralize sea-based mines.
We conduct
minesweeping operations
as directed anywhere
in the Persian Gulf,
with an emphasis on
the Straits of Hormuz.
Commander, on
December 18th, 2022,
were you relieved of
command of the Caine?
Yes.
By whom?
The accused, Lieutenant Maryk.
Was this
a standard watch change?
No, it was totally irregular.
How would you describe it?
Well, the most charitable description
would be that it was an incident,
a regrettable incident
of the temporary
and total collapse
of military discipline.
Commander, please relate all the facts
that bear on this unauthorized relief.
Okay, well,
the Caine sortied from
Bahrain on December 16th.
Our mission was to sweep for mines from the
Persian Gulf through the Straits of Hormuz.
When a cyclone came along
the operation was canceled,
and the boat started to
maneuver to evade the storm.
The storm was
traveling due west.
What was the date
and time of that course change?
Well, that would be early
morning of the 18th, ma'am.
And as I say, the storm
was pretty bad at that point.
Visibility was almost zero.
Couldn't see any of the
other ships in the detachment.
We were sailing blind
through the rain and the spray,
and with the wind
and the sea and all,
we had to maneuver
using engines and rudders
to hold the evasion course
that had been ordered.
But w-we were doing fine.
My executive officer, however,
pretty early in the game,
began to show unusual
symptoms of nervousness.
What were these symptoms?
Well, for example, he
started talking pretty early...
Couldn't have been more than half an hour
after the ship started running south...
That we needed to operate independently
and come around to the north.
Why did he want to do that?
Well, to give you the picture, the
cyclone was coming at us from the east.
We were on the
western edge of it,
which means where we were,
the wind was from due north.
Now, the Commodore, of course, was running south
with the wind to get out of the storm's path,
which was in accordance
with all existing storm doctrine.
My exec, however, insisted that our
ship was on the verge of foundering
and that we had better
turn into the wind,
wh-which was the north,
if we were to survive.
Now... of course,
we weren't in that bad of shape.
And that's what I
mean by nervousness.
What was your objection
to coming north,
as your executive
officer suggested?
Well, everything was wrong with
that idea that could be wrong with it.
I mean, in the first place, my
orders were to proceed south.
My ship wasn't
in danger. It...
It was functioning normally.
To drop out of station and act
independently under those circumstances
is out of the question.
And to come around north
would be to head the ship directly
into the heart of the cyclone.
It was a senseless suggestion and,
under the circumstances, almost suicidal.
I have since checked all of
my decisions of December 18th
with the finest
ship handlers I know,
ranking all the way
up to rear admiral,
and unanimously they agree that the
only course in that situation was south.
Commander,
your last remark was hearsay.
I'm... I'm sorry.
I'm not up on
these legal distinctions
as well as I should be, I guess.
It's perfectly all right.
Will defense counsel move to strike out the
part of the testimony which was hearsay?
All right, so move.
Please continue.
Well, i-it's just that Maryk's
insistence on us coming around
became more and more strident
as the weather deteriorated.
I finally became
concerned about him
when suddenly
he moved towards me
and out of the blue said I was on the
sick list and that he was relieving me.
I-I... To be honest, I
couldn't believe my ears.
Took me a moment to catch on.
It wasn't until he started shouting
orders at the officer of the deck
and started countermanding
my instructions
that I-I did begin to
realize what was going on.
Commander, can
you recall anything
that could have provoked
your executive officer's act?
Truthfully, no.
I don't think my bearing or
manner had anything to do with it.
Look... it was a pretty scary
situation in that wheelhouse.
Winds were force ten to
12, screeching and all,
and the waves were mountainous.
The barometer had dropped about as low
as it's ever been in US Navy history,
and we took a very bad roll.
And I mean a very bad one.
I've done a lot of
North Atlantic rolling too.
I just think that Maryk
simply went into a panic.
Was the Caine in grave
danger at that time?
Well, I-I wouldn't say
that, no, ma'am.
I-I thought we righted ourselves
very nicely out of that bad roll.
He repeatedly tried to order me off
the bridge, but I stayed right where I was
and gave him orders only as I thought
necessary for the safety of the ship.
I-In the situation, I
thought that the chief hazard
would be any further
act of frenzy on his part.
And to the extent that the Caine
did come through that storm safely,
despite the unprecedented...
running amok of my executive officer,
I believe that my handling of the
emergency was the correct one.
Did Maryk cite any authority
at all when he relieved you?
He mumbled something
about our Article 1108.
I didn't even
catch it at the time.
It wasn't till later that
he said his authority
was Article 1108
of Navy Regulations.
And were you familiar with these
articles? Certainly.
In substance, what
do they provide?
Well, it's my understanding
that they make it possible
for the executive officer to relieve
the captain i-in an emergency,
a highly unusual emergency
where... where the captain is...
Well, frankly, where the
captain is absolutely unhinged.
Were these articles properly
invoked in your situation?
Well, I'm sort of an
interested party here.
But you don't have
to take my word for it.
I was successfully conning
my ship through that cyclone,
and fortunately for me, I
have 130 witnesses of that fact.
Everybody aboard that ship.
Commander,
sorry, there again, sir,
you're testifying to the
conclusions of others.
Well, obviously I'm not
a legal expert. Sorry.
Strike the witness's last
sentence from the record.
Have you ever been
mentally ill, sir?
No.
Were you ill in any way
when Mr. Maryk relieved you?
I was not.
Did you warn your executive
officer of the consequences of his act?
I told him he was
performing a mutinous act.
And what was his reply?
He expected to be
court-martialed.
He was going to
retain command anyway.
What was the attitude of Lieutenant Junior
Grade Keith, the officer of the deck?
Keith was in a state of
panic as bad as Maryk's.
What was the
attitude of the helmsman?
Stilwell was emotionally
unbalanced and for some reason
very devoted to Mr. Keith.
They both backed Maryk.
Is there anything else, Commander
Queeg, that you would care to state
in connection with the events of
December 18th aboard the Caine?
Well, I just...
I've thought a lot about
all of this, obviously.
It's the gravest
occurrence in my career.
The only questionable
one I-I'm aware of.
I-I just think that if
the officer of the deck
had been anyone other
than this immature Mr. Keith
and the helmsman
anyone other than Stilwell,
then none of this
would have happened.
I mean, a competent officer would
have repudiated Maryk's orders
and a normal sailor at the helm
would have disregarded both
of those officers and obeyed me.
It was just bad luck
that these three men,
Maryk, Keith and Stilwell,
combined against me
at such a crucial time.
Bad luck for me
and I'm afraid even
worse luck for them.
The court would
like to question the witness.
Commander Queeg,
you've taken all the prescribed
physical and mental examinations
incident to entrance to
the academy, graduation,
commissioning,
promotion and so forth?
Yes, sir, for 21 years.
Does your medical record contain any
history of illness, mental or physical?
No, sir, it does not.
Have you ever had an unsatisfactory
fitness report, Commander Queeg?
Negative, sir.
Commander, can you account for Lieutenant
Maryk's opinion that you were mentally ill?
All I can say, sir,
is that I assumed command over an
extremely... disorganized and dirty ship,
and that's not a reflection
on the officer that I relieved.
The Caine had gone through
a year and a half of arduous duty
a-and it was understandable.
But still, for the safety of that ship
and its crew, it demanded to be shaped up,
and I took a lot
of strong measures,
a-and Lieutenant Maryk did
not see eye to eye with me at all
on this idea of making
the Caine a tight ship again.
Well, maybe...
Maybe he thought I was
crazy to keep trying.
Anyway, that's
the picture of it, sir.
- Thank you.
- Your witness.
Commander Queeg,
I would like to ask you
whether you have ever heard
the expression "Old Yellowstain."
In which connection?
Old Yellowstain, sir.
No, I have not.
You weren't aware that
all the officers of the Caine
habitually referred to
you as Old Yellowstain?
I object to the question.
Impertinent badgering of the witness.
How does Defense Counsel Greenwald
justify this line of questioning?
Please the court, the
nickname Old Yellowstain,
used by the officers
of the Caine,
will be relevant to the
issue of mental competence.
Before ruling, the court wishes
to caution defense counsel.
This is a most unusual
and delicate case.
The honor and
career of an officer
with an unblemished military record
of 21 years standing is involved.
The defense counsel will
have to bear full responsibility
for the conduct of this case.
Subject to the
foregoing comment,
the trial counsel's
objection is overruled.
Court stenographer
will repeat the question.
"You aren't aware, then, that
all the officers of the Caine
have habitually referred
to you as Old Yellowstain?"
I was not aware of that.
No further questions.
For now.
Commander Queeg will be
called as a witness for the defense.
For the defense?
Yes, sir.
You're excused,
subject to recall.
Thank you, sir.
Call Lieutenant Thomas Keefer.
State your name, rank
and present station.
Thomas Keefer, Lieutenant,
United States Navy,
communication officer
of the USS Caine.
If you recognize the
accused, state his name.
Lieutenant Steve Maryk,
executive officer of the Caine.
What is your occupation
in civilian life?
I'm a writer.
And has any of your
work been published?
A number of short stories have
been published, yes, ma'am.
Did you do any writing in
your spare time while in service?
Yes, I have completed
half a war novel.
And what's the title?
Multitudes, Multitudes.
And has this novel,
though incomplete,
recently been accepted
by a publisher?
Yes.
Now, Lieutenant Keefer,
were you serving aboard the
Caine in your present capacity
on December 18th,
2022? Yes.
Was Captain Queeg relieved
of his command on that date?
He was.
By whom?
The executive officer.
Describe how you learned that
the captain had been relieved.
Well, Mr. Maryk passed word for all
officers to come up to the wheelhouse.
When we got there, he told us that the
captain was sick and he had assumed command.
Did Captain Queeg show
any external signs of being sick?
Look, at the height
of a cyclone...
Was he raving, or
was he foaming, or... No, no.
Did he look any worse off
than, say, Lieutenant Keith? No.
Or Maryk? No.
W-We were all tired,
dripping and wiped out.
Mr. Keefer, did you make
any effort to persuade Mr. Maryk
to restore Queeg to command?
No, I did not.
Did you not feel the
seriousness of the moment?
I certainly did.
Why did you take
no remedial action?
I wasn't present when
the captain was relieved.
Maryk was in full command. The
entire ship was obeying his orders.
I thought that, for
the safety of the ship,
my best course was
to obey his orders.
Mr. Keefer, were you
aboard the Caine
throughout the period that
Captain Queeg was in command?
Yes, I was. Did you ever observe
any evidence of insanity in him?
I don't... I can't answer that
question, not being a psychiatrist.
Did you ever think
he might be insane?
Objection.
Witness is not an expert and matters
of opinion are not admissible evidence.
I withdraw the question.
Mr. Keefer, at any time
prior to December 18th,
were you informed that Maryk
suspected Queeg of being mentally ill?
Yes, I was. Describe
how you learned this.
Well, let me see.
Two... Two weeks
before the cyclone,
Maryk showed me a medical log
he had kept on Captain
Queeg's behavior.
He asked me to come with
him to report the situation to...
To Admiral Williams,
Commander Fifth Fleet.
And did you consent
to go with him?
Yes, I did.
Why?
He was my superior officer
and also my close friend.
Did you believe that Maryk's
log justified the relief of Queeg?
No. No.
As soon as we got aboard
Admiral Williams's ship,
I told him as forcibly as I
could that, in my opinion,
the log wouldn't
justify the action.
What was his response? After
a lot of arguing, he told me...
After a lot of
arguing, he... he followed my advice.
We returned to the Caine.
Were you surprised two weeks later
when he relieved the captain?
I was stunned.
Were you good with
that, Mr. Keefer?
I was badly disturbed.
I thought that, at best, he would
be involved in grave difficulties.
I thought it was a terrible
situation and an error on his part.
No further questions.
No questions.
Does the defense intend
to recall this witness
at a later time?
No, sir.
No cross-examination of
this highly material witness?
No, sir.
The court will
question the witness.
Mr. Keefer...
Now, as to this
so-called medical log,
the facts it contained which
convinced Lieutenant Maryk
that he should report the
captain to Admiral Williams
didn't convince you.
Is that right?
They did not, sir.
Why not?
Sir, it's not something a
layman can intelligently discuss.
You've stated you're a
close friend of Mr. Maryk.
Yes, sir.
Well, this court is trying to
find out, among other things,
any possible extenuating
circumstances for his acts.
Did this medical log
merely indicate to you
that Captain Queeg was a highly
normal and competent officer?
Sir, speaking from ignorance,
it's always seemed to me that mental
disability was a... a relative thing.
Captain Queeg was
a very strict disciplinarian
and extremely meticulous in
hunting down the smallest matters.
He wasn't the easiest person
in the world to reason with.
And there were several occasions
where I thought he came down too hard
and spent excessive
time on small matters.
They were very unpleasant.
But to jump from them to the conclusion
that the captain was a maniac,
no, no, I was compelled,
in all honesty,
to warn Maryk
against doing that.
State your
name, rank and present station.
Junius Urban, Quartermaster
Third Class, US Navy
of the USS Caine.
Do you recognize the accused?
Ma'am?
Do you recognize the accused?
M-Ma'am?
Do you recognize the
officer at that table?
Wh-Which
one? There are two.
Name the one you recognize.
Th-That's the exec.
What's his name?
M-Mr. Maryk.
What is he the exec of?
The... The ship.
Name the ship.
The Caine.
Thank you. Sorry.
Urban, on December 18th, 2022,
were you serving aboard the
Caine in your present capacity?
Is that the day it happened?
The day what happened?
I don't know.
That was the day
of the cyclone, yes.
Sure. I...
I was aboard.
Were you in the wheelhouse
when Mr. Maryk
relieved Captain Queeg?
Yes.
Who else was in the
wheelhouse at the time?
Well, um, there was... there
was the captain and M-Mr. Maryk.
Yes?
Th-Th-The helmsman.
His name? Stilwell.
Who else?
The officer of the
day. His name?
Mr. Keith.
What were you doing
in the wheelhouse?
I had the watch.
Urban, describe
in your own words
how Lieutenant Maryk
relieved the captain.
H-He said...
"I relieve you," ma'am.
What was happening at the time?
Well, the ship was rolling very
bad. It was an ass-kicker storm.
Urban, describe
everything that happened
in the ten minutes before
Captain Queeg was relieved.
Well, li-like I say,
the ship was rolling very bad.
That's all?
Did the captain say anything?
Did the exec say anything?
Did the officer of the
day say anything?
Or did the ship just roll
in silence for ten minutes?
Well, ma'am, it was a cyclone.
Petty Officer Urban,
you are under oath.
W-Well...
I-I think the captain
wanted to come north,
and the exec wanted
to come s-south.
O-Or the other way around,
or something like that.
Why did the
captain want to come south?
I don't know. Why did the
exec want to come north?
Ma'am, I'm just a
third-class petty officer.
Did the captain
act crazy? No.
Did the execs
seem scared? N-No.
Did the captain? No.
Did anyone?
I... I was goddamn scared.
I-I beg your pardon, sir.
But the captain did not act crazy
in any way that morning, correct?
The captain was the same as
always. Crazy or sane, Urban?
H-He was sane.
S-S-S-So far as I knew.
Petty Officer Urban,
how old are you?
Twenty. What
schooling have you had?
High school...
High school diploma.
Have you been
telling the whole truth here,
or haven't you?
Sir, a-an enlisted
man o-on watch
isn't supposed to listen to arguments
between the captain and the exec.
Did you like the captain?
S-Sure, I liked him, sir.
Continue your examination.
No further questions.
Petty Officer Urban,
were you aboard the Caine
when she cut her own tow cable?
Y-Yes... Yes, sir.
And what were you doing at
the time? I was...
Well, that is, the captain was
bawling me out on the bridge, sir.
What for? My
shirttail was out.
Was the captain very strict
on the subject of shirttails?
Yes, sir. He was
very strict on shirttails, sir.
And while he was
describing your shirttail,
the ship went around
in a full circle
and steamed over
its own tow cable.
Is that what happened? I
object to this line of questioning.
Counsel has tricked the
witness with leading questions
into asserting that the
Caine cut its own tow line,
a material point that was not
touched upon in direct examination.
Please the court,
the witness has stated
that he's never seen the
captain do anything crazy.
I'm simply trying to
refute that statement.
Defense counsel will have the
opportunity to originate evidence later.
Objection sustained.
Cross-examination thus far
will be stricken from the record.
Urban, what is a
paranoid personality?
A paranoid personality.
What is it? Sir?
Would you recognize a psychotic
person if you saw one?
Me? It's okay.
No further
questions. Thank you.
Petty Officer Urban,
you will not discuss your testimony in
this courtroom with anybody, understand?
Wh-Who, sir? Me, sir?
No, sir.
Witness excused.
Thank you, sir.
I see that, trial
counsel intends to call
a dozen members of
the crew of the Caine.
Yeah? Yeah,
that's correct.
And the purpose is to
confirm Urban's testimony
no one ever saw the
captain do anything crazy.
That is the purpose.
Okay, I'll concede that.
I'll concede they'll all
corroborate Urban's testimony
if you concede that none of them know
any more about a paranoid than Urban does.
Yeah, I'll gladly accept that
concession on those terms, sir.
Okay. Lieutenant,
that's a weighty concession.
And by your leave, sir,
I'll make that concession.
Mr. Greenwald, I understand that
you were appointed as defense counsel
by the judge advocate.
Yes, sir.
When were you
appointed? Four days ago, sir.
Do you feel you've had enough
time to prepare your case? Yes, sir.
Did you undertake the
assignment willingly?
Sir, Lieutenant Greenwald
accepted the assignment
at the request of
the judge advocate.
I see that you're
a naval aviator. Yes, sir.
What do you fly? Primarily
the F/A-18 Super Hornet, sir.
Why aren't you flying
now? Medical leave, sir.
Why? Forced to eject
from a damaged aircraft.
I see.
Did you have a chance to
practice much law? A little, sir.
Lieutenant Maryk.
Yes, sir.
I need to know if you're happy with
your counsel's conduct of the defense.
Sir, if he answers that
question, he does on blind faith.
Can I just have a moment to
speak to my client privately?
Two minutes.
Come on.
Thank you.
So, do you want
to get rid of me?
I don't know.
I think I'm screwed
at this point.
Fifteen years in the brig?
Tell me one thing. Why
didn't you cross-examine Tom?
I don't have time
to tell you everything.
Tom Keefer knows everything the
captain did. Everything. I'm sure he does.
If he wouldn't talk, it's
up to you to drag it out.
Wasn't it? You
don't understand.
No, I don't understand what
you're doing. That's for sure.
I want to fight
this case. Why?
Because I want
to win it. Why?
Is that not enough?
Before you said you'd rather be
prosecuting than defending me.
So maybe this is your
bizarre way of prosecuting.
Steve, listen to me
very carefully.
Implicating Keefer
harms you. What?
Two disgruntled bastards
instead of one heroic exec.
I have a chance
with one heroic exec.
Making that stick is the
only chance for you to win.
For the record, the
court asks the accused,
are you satisfied
with your counsel?
I'm satisfied, sir.
Court will not reopen this
question. I understand that, sir.
I'm satisfied with
Lieutenant Greenwald.
Proceed with your case,
Commander Challee.
Call Lieutenant Keith.
State your name, rank
and present station.
Willis Keith, US
Navy Junior Grade,
assistant communications
officer on the USS Caine.
Mr. Keith, were you officer
of the deck of the Caine
on December 18th, 2022?
I was.
Was the captain relieved
of his command on that date?
Yes, ma'am.
Do you know why
the executive officer
relieved the captain? Yes.
Captain Queeg had
lost control of himself
and the ship was in
grave danger of foundering.
How many years have you
served at sea, Lieutenant?
One year, three months.
Do you know how many years
Commander Queeg has served at sea?
I guess about 17 years.
Which one of you is
better qualified to judge
whether a ship
is foundering or not?
Myself, ma'am,
if I'm in possession of my
faculties and Commander Queeg isn't.
Well, what makes you think he
wasn't in possession of his faculties?
He wasn't on the morning
of December 18th.
Have you studied
medicine or psychiatry? No.
Did the captain foam or rave
or make insane gestures?
No. No. What he
did do was just as bad.
Clarify that, will you?
His orders were vague.
He insisted on going south when we had a
north wind of 90 miles an hour behind us.
With a stern wind that strong,
the ship couldn't be controlled.
In your expert opinion
as ship handler, that is.
Well, Steve Maryk thought so,
and he's an expert ship handler.
Were you completely loyal to your
captain or not, prior to 18 December?
I was, antagonistic to Captain
Queeg at certain isolated times.
At what isolated times
were you antagonistic?
When the captain mistreated
his men, I opposed him.
When did the captain
ever mistreat his men?
Well, for one thing, he
systematically persecuted
Gunners Mate
Second Class Stilwell.
In what way?
First, he restricted him to the ship
for six months for reading on watch.
Refused to grant him leave when we
were back in the States in December 2021.
The man was getting anonymous
messages about his wife's infidelity.
Maryk gave
Stilwell a 72-hour emergency leave.
He returned a few
hours over leave...
Hold on. Hold on. You say
that Maryk gave Stilwell leave.
Did Maryk know that the
captain had denied Stilwell leave?
Yes.
Did Maryk check with the captain
before authorizing this leave?
No, um...
Are you testifying,
Mr. Keith,
that Maryk deliberately
violated his captain's orders?
I... I mean, i-it
was my fault, actually.
'Cause I begged
him to. He was...
Mr. Keith, we now
have your testimony
that you and Stilwell and Maryk
conspired to circumvent an express
order by your commanding officer
a whole year before the
cyclone of 18 December.
Now, please tell the court
any other instances of
mistreatment that occur to you.
He cut off Internet
access for six months
'cause he wasn't invited
to a screening by mistake.
He restricted water use
in the middle of a heat wave
'cause he said the men were using
too much, they had to be taught a lesson.
Did the captain ever issue any rules or
punishments not permitted by regulations?
He never did anything
not allowed by regulations.
You don't like the captain,
do you, Lieutenant?
I did.
I did at first.
Very much.
But I gradually came to realize
that he was a petty tyrant
and utterly incompetent.
Did you think
he was insane, too?
Not until the day
of the cyclone.
Very well. Come to
the day of the storm.
Was your decision to obey Maryk
based on your judgment that
the captain had gone mad?
Or was it based on your
hatred of Captain Queeg?
I... I just... I don't remember
my state of mind at that time.
No further questions.
Mr. Keith, you stated you
disliked Captain Queeg, yes?
I did dislike him.
And did you state all your reasons for
disliking him? Not at all.
Okay, well, please, state
the rest of those reasons now.
Well, for one thing, he extorted
a thousand bucks from me.
Objection.
The issue in this case is not whether
Captain Queeg was a model officer,
but whether he was
insane on 18 December.
Defense counsel hasn't
even touched that issue.
Well, please the court, this
bears directly on the fitness
of Captain Queeg to
command a naval vessel.
And as evidence, it is
nothing but clarification
of Keith's dislike for
his commanding officer,
a fact brought out by trial
counsel, at great pains, I might add,
under direct examination.
The objection is overruled.
Mr. Keith, could you please
describe this so-called extortion?
Well, this was back last
December in Port Doha, Qatar.
The captain had this crate,
this big crate full of duty-free whiskey
that he wanted to sneak aboard.
He appointed me boat officer,
and a working party started
to load the crate in the gig.
It was incredibly heavy,
and Captain
Queeg... got excited
and started screaming out a
whole bunch of contradictory orders.
Sailors got rattled, they
dropped the crate in the water,
it sank like a stone, I
was out a thousand bucks.
No, you mean the captain
was out a thousand bucks.
No, no, no, sir. I was.
Captain informed me
it was my responsibility,
'cause I was boat officer
in charge of loading,
and he asked me what
I wanted to do about it.
I was supposed to go
on leave the next day.
My girlfriend had flown out
from New York to be with me,
so I went to the captain,
I apologized for my stupidity,
and I offered to
pay for the crate.
He took my money and
signed my leave papers.
What other reasons do you
have for disliking Captain Queeg?
Well, my chief reason
for disliking Captain Queeg
was his cowardice in
dangerous situations.
Objection!
Counsel is originating evidence
beyond the scope
of direct examination.
He is leading the witness to irresponsible
libel of an officer of the Navy.
Please the court, the witness's
dislike of Captain Queeg
was not only in the scope
of direct examination,
it was the key fact brought out.
Now, the witness has confessed
an ignorance of psychiatry.
Things Captain Queeg did
which forced the witness in
his ignorance to dislike him
may in fact have been the
helpless acts of a sick man.
I respectfully urge
my objection, sir.
Let me remind everyone
of the serious nature of the
issues in this line of questioning
and the implications involved.
From the earliest
days of our service,
the worst charge that can be leveled
against a naval service officer,
especially the commanding
officer of a vessel,
is that he displays cowardice or negligence
in the face of danger to his ship or crew.
Counsel and the witness
are herewith cautioned
that they are treading on dangerous
and unprecedented grounds here.
Court offers defense
counsel the opportunity
to withdraw his question
from the record.
My question stands, sir.
Lieutenant Keith,
you have the opportunity to
withdraw or amend your answers.
I stand by what I said, sir.
Very well.
Court finds that the question is
within the scope of direct examination
and that the answer is material.
The objection of the
trial counsel is overruled.
Mr. Keith, can you
describe when and where
the captain displayed
this aversion to danger?
Well, I guess the worst time
was a mine-sweeping operation
in the Straits of Hormuz.
That's where he got the
nickname Old Yellowstain.
And this nickname, Old
Yellowstain, what does it imply?
Well, cowardice, of course.
It refers to a yellow dye
marker he dropped over the side.
Describe. Describe this
Yellowstain incident for us, please.
I wasn't on the
bridge at the time.
I only heard about it afterwards...
Objection.
Does defense counsel seriously expect to
enter these hearsay libels on the record?
I withdraw the question, okay?
Defense will introduce direct
evidence on the Yellowstain incident.
Strike the question and
the answer from the record.
Describe incidents of cowardice
to which you were an
eyewitness, Mr. Keith.
Any time there was
a difficult situation,
Captain Queeg was always to be found on
the side of the bridge away from it all.
I saw that a dozen times when I
was officer of the day. Thank you.
No further questions.
Mr. Keith, has Lieutenant
Commander Queeg
ever been investigated or
charged by higher authority
for any of this alleged unprofessional
behavior that you describe?
No.
Can you cite
any official records
that'll substantiate
any of these fantastic
and libelous stories
that you've been telling
under the guidance
of defense counsel?
Official records, no.
Mr. Keith, do you
know for a fact
that the crate that was lost
contained smuggled liquor?
It's common knowledge.
Common knowledge.
Did you see the liquor
in the crate? No.
Can you name one person who will
testify that they saw liquor in the crate?
Naturally, he was pretty careful
about that. Okay, not one person.
I just... I don't... I don't know
who would have actually seen it.
Mr. Keith,
you've testified
that you don't like
Captain Queeg.
You're reporting as fact
every evil rumor about him
and you're making wildly
irresponsible charges under oath.
Isn't that the plain truth of
your testimony, Mr. Keith?
I haven't lied once.
Mr. Keith, on the morning
that the captain was relieved,
did you really think
he'd gone crazy?
I said before,
I can't say for sure what
my state of mind was, or his.
No more questions.
Call Captain Southard.
State your name, rank
and present station.
Randolph Southard,
Captain, US Navy operations
officer, Fifth Fleet.
You understand that you've
been called as an expert witness
on Avenger-class ship handling?
I do.
State your qualifications.
Some 20 years
on smaller combatants,
ten years of
commanding all types,
including ships ranging up
to guided missile destroyers.
To clarify for the members, will
you use the map marked "Exhibit A"
to illustrate the position of the Caine
when she encountered the storm?
The Caine was
approximately here.
The storm hit from the
northeast, heading southwest.
Vessels of the task
force steered south
in an attempt to
outrun the weather.
The Caine, in her spot on the
right flank of the sweep pattern,
caught the worst of it.
Rather than steering
with the wind aft,
she turned north into
the wind and seized.
That was the situation in the
strait on the day in question.
Thank you, Captain.
You may be seated.
Trial counsel, you may proceed.
Thank you.
Captain, let's say
that, hypothetically,
you're the one who's in
command of the vessel.
A cyclone blows up without
warning traveling west
and you're directly
in the path of it.
The wind keeps increasing,
its direction holding
steady from the north.
Soon your wind is force ten to
12 and your seas are mountainous.
Under the circumstances,
what would you do?
Well, I'd execute the
classic Navy maneuver
known as getting
the hell out of there.
And how would you go
about that, Captain?
Well, it's almost rule of thumb.
You say the winds from
the north are 90 knots,
center of the cyclone
coming at you from the west.
The best course is south.
You might have to head a couple
of points one way or the other,
depending on your seas,
but there's only one way
out of that mess... south.
But then you have a terribly
strong stern wind, don't you?
What about it?
Well, can a small vessel ride safely
going downwind in such conditions?
She'll ride just as well
going downwind as upwind.
In fact, with your high
freeboard going forward,
a smaller vessel
tends to back in the wind.
Other things being equal, she'll
do slightly better going downwind.
How about turning north in those
circumstances and heading into the wind?
Well, that would be dubious and
dangerous, not to mention idiotic.
Why, sir?
Well, you're heading yourself right
back into the path of the cyclone.
Unless you're interested
in sinking, that's not smart.
That's all, sir.
Captain, have you ever conned
a ship at the center of a cyclone?
Negative.
Been on the fringes often, but
always managed to avoid the center.
And have you ever commanded a
mine countermeasures ship? Negative.
Okay, this trial, sir, concerns
an Avenger-class MCM
at the center of a
very dangerous storm.
I'm aware of that.
I've had MCMs under my command,
and I've read the book on them.
They don't differ from
smaller-class vessels
in terms of characteristics
and handling in rough weather.
I only ask these questions, sir,
because you are the only
expert ship-handling witness,
and I believe the extent of your expert
knowledge should be clear to the court.
Well, I've handled these ships
in almost every conceivable
situation for the last ten years.
Haven't handled a mine countermeasures
at the center of a cyclone,
but I don't know who the hell has
besides the skipper of the Caine.
That's a thousand-to-one shot.
Then would you state,
without reservation,
that the same rules hold for an
MCM at the center of a cyclone?
At the center of a cyclone,
there are no hard and fast rules.
That's one situation where it's
all up to the commanding officer.
Too many things happen too fast.
You remember the hypothetical
question put to you by trial counsel
about the storm, yes?
I do.
I want you to assume
in that situation
that the wind and the
seas become bigger.
They become bigger than anything...
Anything you have ever experienced.
You have lost control
of your ship, sir.
You actually believe
she could sink.
You are in the
worst-case scenario.
Do you bring around
north into the wind,
or do you continue
south, stern to the wind?
You're getting very extreme.
Yes, sir, I am. Would you prefer
not to answer the question?
I'll answer it. Please.
In the worst-case scenario,
I'd come around the north,
into the wind, if I could.
But only in the worst-case
scenario. Why?
Because the engines in your
rudder have the best chance that way.
That's why. It's your last chance
to keep control of your ship.
But aren't you heading back into the
center of the storm? First things first.
If you're on the
verge of sinking,
you about as bad
off as you can get.
Mind you, you said
worst-case scenario.
I did, sir. Thank you very
much. No further questions.
Captain, who, in your
opinion, is the best judge
as to whether a ship is in
the worst-case scenario?
There's only one judge.
The commanding officer.
Why, sir?
The Navy made him captain 'cause
his knowledge of the sea and of ships
is better than anyone
else's on the ship.
It's very common for some subordinate
officers to think the ship is sinking
when all that's happening
is a little weather.
Well, don't you think, sir,
that when his subordinates
all agree that the
ship is going down
that the captain ought
to listen to them?
Negative.
Panic is a common hazard at sea.
The highest function of
command is to override
and listen to nothing but the voice
of his own professional judgment.
Call Dr. Joan Lundeen.
State your name, rank
and present station.
Lieutenant Commander
Joan Lundeen,
Medical Corps, US
Navy, Head of Psychiatry,
US Naval Hospital,
San Francisco.
Were you the head of the medical board
that examined Lieutenant Commander Queeg?
I was.
And how long did your
examination last, Doctor?
We had the commander under constant
observation and testing for three weeks.
And what was
the finding of the board?
Commander Queeg was
discharged with a clean bill of health.
Doctor, is it possible that two
months ago, on December 18th,
he was in such a state
of psychotic collapse
that relieving him from naval
command would be justified?
No.
Is it possible for a sane man
to perform offensive,
disagreeable, foolish acts?
It happens every day.
We didn't find that the
commander was a perfect officer.
Yet, you still say that to
relieve him from naval command
because of mental illness
would be unjustified?
Completely unjustified.
Thank you.
Dr. Lundeen,
my background is
legal, not medical,
so I hope you'll bear with me as I
try to clarify some technical terms.
Of course.
I'm going to ask some pretty elementary
questions. All right.
Would you say Commander
Queeg is absolutely normal?
Well, normality, you know,
is a fiction in psychiatry.
No adult is without problems
except a happy imbecile.
What are Commander
Queeg's problems?
You might say his overall problem
is one of an inferiority complex
generated by an
unhappy childhood
and aggravated by
certain adult experiences.
Unhappy childhood in what way?
Divorced parents,
financial trouble,
problems at school.
And the aggravating
factors in adult life?
In his adult life,
the commander is
troubled by his low standing
in his academy class
and other such factors,
but he has become well-adjusted.
Can you describe
the nature of that adjustment?
His identity as a naval
officer is the essential factor.
It's the key to his
personal security.
Therefore, he has a fixed anxiety
about protecting his standing.
That would account
for his harshness.
Would he be slow
to admit mistakes?
Yes, of course. There's
nothing unbalanced in that.
Really? I mean,
would he be a perfectionist?
Such a personality would be.
Inclined to hound
his subordinates
over the smallest
little details.
Any mistake of a
subordinate is intolerable
because it might cause him harm.
Yet he will not admit mistakes
that he makes himself.
You might say that he
revises reality in his own mind
so he comes out blameless.
Doctor, isn't distortion of
reality a symptom of mental illness?
It's a question of degree.
Each one of us
has our own reality.
Yes, Doctor, but doesn't Commander Queeg
distort reality more, say, than you do?
Yes, that's his weakness.
Other people have
other weaknesses.
It's definitely not disabling.
Well, if he's criticized, would he
think he was being unjustly persecuted?
It's all one pattern,
all stemming from one basic
premise that he must try to be perfect.
Inclined to stubbornness, then.
Well, you'll have a
certain rigidity of personality
in such an individual.
His inner insecurity
stops him from admitting
that those who differ
from him may be right.
Doctor, you just testified that the following
symptoms exist in Commander Queeg's behavior.
We have rigidity of personality.
We have feelings of persecution.
We have unreasonable suspicion.
We have withdrawal from reality.
We have performance anxiety.
We have an unreal basic premise
and an obsessive sense
of self-righteousness.
All mild, sir. All
well-compensated.
Yes, Doctor, yes.
But is there an inclusive psychiatric
term, one label for this syndrome?
Syndrome? Who said
anything about a syndrome?
You're misusing a term. There's no
syndrome because there's no disease.
I'll rephrase it.
Do these symptoms fall into
a single pattern of neurotic
disturbance, a common psychiatric class?
I know what
you're getting at. Well?
It's a paranoid personality, but
that is not a disabling affliction.
Doctor... A what
personality, Doctor?
Paranoid.
A paranoid?
Yes, paranoid.
Um, Doctor, in a...
In a paranoid personality,
like Commander Queeg's,
would he... I'm...
I'm gonna put this to
you hypothetically.
Can a man have a
paranoid personality
that would not disable
him for subordinate duties,
but would disable
him for command?
It's conceivable.
And is the disabling factor likely to
be detected in a personal interview?
With a skilled
psychiatrist, yes.
Why? I mean, why is
a psychiatrist needed?
Can't an educated, intelligent
person detect a paranoid?
Well, you evidently aren't too
well acquainted with the pattern.
The distinguishing
mark of this neurosis
is the extreme plausibility and a most
convincing normal manner on the surface,
particularly in
self-justification.
Self-justification.
Thank you, Doctor.
No further questions.
The court wishes
to clear up one point.
Doctor, is... is such
a thing possible...
Well, let me put it this way.
Let's say that a man
with a mild condition
is not disabled for all the
usual stresses of command.
Now let's say those stresses are multiplied
manifold by an extreme emergency.
Would there then be a tendency
to make erroneous judgments?
There might be, sir.
Of course, extreme stress
does that to almost anybody.
It's not supposed to do it
to commanding officers.
No, but practically
speaking, sir, they're human.
State your name, rank
and present station.
Allen Bird, MD, US Navy Reserve.
I was called to serve on the
psychiatric evaluation team.
Was this the board that
was headed by Dr. Lundeen
which recently inquired into the mental
health of Lieutenant Commander Queeg?
Yes. And what was
the finding of the board?
We found that the commander
is mentally fit for command now
and has never been unfit.
Did you find any indication
that Commander Queeg
had what is known as
a paranoid personality?
Well, I prefer to call it obsessive
personality with paranoid features.
Right, but this did not indicate
mental unfitness. No.
You agree, Doctor, that Commander
Queeg is mentally fit now
and must have been mentally
fit on December 18th
when he was relieved on the
grounds of mental illness?
That was our
unanimous conclusion.
Thank you, Doctor.
Dr. Bird,
do you have any special
training in psychoanalysis?
Yes.
Okay, and in psychoanalysis, is
there such a thing as mental illness?
There are disturbed
people and adjusted people.
But those terms,
"disturbed" and "adjusted,"
they correspond roughly
in layman's terms
to "sick" and "well,"
as we use them.
Very roughly, yes.
Would you say Commander Queeg
suffers from an inferiority complex?
Yes, but it's...
well-compensated.
Is there a difference between
"compensated" and "adjusted"?
Most definitely.
Okay, could you please
describe that for us?
Well, let's say
a man is suffering
from some deep-seated
psychological disturbance.
He can compensate by finding
outlets for his peculiar drives.
Okay. So, has Commander
Queeg ever been psychoanalyzed?
No. He's in your terms,
then, a disturbed person?
Yes, he is. Not disabled,
however, by the disturbance.
Okay, how is he compensated?
Mainly two ways.
The paranoid pattern, which
is useless and not desirable,
and his naval career, which is
extremely useful and desirable.
Yes, Doctor, have you noticed that
little thing he does with his hands?
You mean rolling the
steel balls? Yes.
Could you describe
that for us, please?
It's an incessant rolling
of two marbles in his hand.
Why does he do it?
His hands tremble.
He does it to still his hands
and conceal the trembling.
Why do his hands tremble?
Inner tension. It's
a surface symptom.
Doctor, you've testified
that Commander Queeg
is a disturbed, not
an adjusted person, yes?
Yes. So he is,
in layman's terms, sick.
Yes?
I remember agreeing to the rough resemblance
of the terms "disturbed" and "sick,"
but by those terms an
awful lot of people are sick.
Yes, Doctor, but this court only has
Commander Queeg's sickness at issue.
If he is sick, how could your board
have given him a clean bill of health?
Y-You're playing on words.
We found no disability.
Doctor, just suppose
for an instant
that the requirements of command are way
more severe than you believe them to be.
Wouldn't even this mild sickness
be enough to disable him?
That's absurdly hypothetical,
because... Is it?
Have you ever had
sea duty, Doctor? No.
No? How long have you been
in the service of the Navy?
Five months.
Five months?
Five... Six
months. Six, I guess now.
Six months in the
service of the Navy.
Have you ever had any dealings
with ships' captains prior to this case?
No.
No?
Then on what do you base
your estimate of the
requirements of command?
My general knowledge.
Would you say it takes somebody,
a person of exceptional ability,
highly gifted, highly skilled to be
a commander of a naval vessel?
No. No. Really?
Not highly gifted,
no. Then what?
Reasonable
responses. "Reasonable"?
Fairly good
intelligence. "Fairly good"?
Sufficient training
and experience, but...
Is this enough equipment, say,
for a highly skilled psychiatrist?
Not exactly.
So in other words, it takes
more ability to be a psychiatrist
than it does to be the
commander of a US naval vessel.
It takes... That is,
different abilities are required.
You're making the
comparison, not I.
No, Doctor, you're the one that said you
don't think Commander Queeg's sickness
should disable him for command.
I am suggesting that since you evidently know
little about the requirements of command,
that you may be wrong
in your conclusion.
Well, I reject your suggestion.
You do? Why?
Because you've deliberately
substituted the word "sick,"
which is a loose... a polarizing...
Have I?
A what word, Doctor?
Polarizing.
A polarizing word.
I never said "sick."
My grasp of the requirements
of command is adequate,
or I would have disqualified
myself from serving on the board.
Maybe you should
have disqualified yourself.
Objection! The witness
is being badgered!
I withdraw my last statement.
No further questions.
Doctor, the defense counsel has
managed to put words into your mouth
that I'm certain you don't mean.
I'm not aware that he succeeded
in putting any words into my mouth.
Doctor, he drew the implication
from you that Captain Queeg is sick.
Surely you don't... I'm careful
in my use of terminology.
I did not use the term "sick."
Captain Queeg is definitely not disabled
for command, which is the only issue here.
Prosecution rests.
Defense, present your case.
I call the accused.
Does the accused request that
he be permitted to testify? Yes, sir.
You have the right
not to take the stand.
If you don't take the stand, that
fact won't be to your prejudice.
If you take the stand, you may be
subjected to a rigorous cross-examination.
I understand that, sir.
You may take the stand.
State your name, rank
and present position.
Steven Maryk,
Lieutenant, US Navy,
executive officer
of the USS Caine.
Are you the accused in this
court-martial? Yes, I am.
What was your
occupation in civilian life?
Helping my father in his fishing
business. We own a couple boats.
Where?
San Francisco.
Then you were familiar with the
problems of ocean-going ship handling
prior to joining the Navy?
Yes, I've been on
boats since I was 14.
Did you relieve the commander of
the USS Caine 18th December, 2022?
Yes, I did.
Was the Caine in trouble when you relieved
its captain? Yes, it was.
And on what facts do you base that
judgment? Well, several things.
We couldn't hold course.
We broached three times
in an hour. "Broached"?
Yes, wind and sea took charge and
tossed us sideways ten minutes at a time.
We were rolling too steeply
for the inclinometer to record.
We were shipping water out of the
wheelhouse. The generators were cutting out.
The ship was not responding to
emergency rudder and engine settings.
We were lost and out of control.
And did you inform your
captain of this? Yes.
Repeatedly for an hour. I begged
him to come north into the wind.
What was his reply?
Well, mostly just a
glazed look and no answer.
Mr. Maryk,
when did you start keeping your
medical log on Commander Queeg?
Shortly after the incident with
the mines in the Straits of Hormuz.
And why did you start it? I began to
think the captain might be mentally ill.
Why? Because of the
yellow dye marker business.
You mean the incident where the commander
acquired the nickname Old Yellowstain?
Yes.
Were you an eyewitness
to this occurrence?
I was navigator. I was
right there on the bridge.
Please describe this
Yellowstain incident.
It was the third day of an
assigned sweep with two other MCMs.
We had detected a
field of acoustic mines.
It was the third day
of an assigned sweep
with two other MCMs.
We detected a field
of acoustic mines
in the narrowest
part of the strait
and we'd been ordered to destroy
them in place using high explosives.
And that's delicate business.
It's gotta be done just right.
We milled around out
there for a while.
Then the captain decided
not to set the charges.
He gave us some excuse
about faulty equipment.
I checked the gear. It was
in perfect working order.
And the captain
wouldn't hear it.
He said the tech was
incompetent and he knew better.
So we dropped a yellow
dye marker over the side,
radioed to the other MCM
to destroy the mines.
They radioed back to slow down, but
we just... we steamed right out of there.
"Steamed."
Now, Mr. Maryk...
The court wishes to
question the witness.
Lieutenant, you say the gear was in
working order. Did you check it personally?
Yes, sir, along with the chief
electronic tech and the sonar men.
It was fine. There was absolutely
nothing wrong with the gear.
And after you steamed away, was
there any danger due to shock waves
from the underwater detonations?
No. No, there was not.
MCMs are designed to withstand that
kind of thing. We do this all the time.
Now, you say these boats
signaled to you to slow down.
Yes, sir. Was the signal
reported to your captain?
I reported it to him myself.
Was he aware that
he was steaming away
from his assigned spot
in the sweep formation?
It was obvious to everyone
on the bridge. I pointed it out.
I said we were breaking
the sweep pattern,
that the other vessels would not
know where we'd found the mines.
And that is when he said, "We'll drop a
yellow dye marker over the side then."
You may continue.
Mr. Maryk, why didn't you go
immediately to a higher authority
with your doubts about
Captain Queeg's mental health?
I felt if I had a record,
I'd be on stronger ground.
That's when I decided
to keep the medical log.
If I was wrong, I'd just burn
it. I kept it under lock and key.
And what, in your opinion,
made an incident worthy of
keeping a record in the medical log?
Any act that seemed
abnormal or strange.
Like what? Like
the coffee machine.
The coffee machine
business? Yes.
Well, please describe
the coffee machine thing.
We had a new coffee
machine in the wardroom.
And, Captain really liked his
coffee. But you had to be careful.
You couldn't leave it plugged in
too long or the thing would burn out.
That's exactly what happened.
One of the guys assigned to the
wardroom mess duty forgot to unplug it
and the thing was...
It was just fried.
And none of them would
admit which one had done it.
So the captain ordered all the officers
of the ship to sit as a trial of inquiry
to find out who'd burned
out the coffee machine.
Which... Look, in
itself, it's a silly thing.
But this went on for 36 hours.
All ship's work suspended.
And there we are, all of
us, we're in the wardroom.
We're dying for sleep,
we need showers,
and we're trying to figure out which one of these
poor bastards burned out the coffee machine.
And they're so scared, they think
whoever did it is gonna get shot.
They'd have sooner died
before they told us.
And so, finally,
I go to the captain
and I say all the officers will admit
that they're incompetent investigators
and take the hit on
their fitness reports,
but we can't find out who left the
coffee machine plugged in for too long.
And so he makes a mark in his
black book and he calls off the inquiry.
It's things like that.
Or the water business.
The water
business. Yes.
Please describe
that water business.
Look, it's all in the log. I know, but
please describe the water business.
The captain restricted
water use from the entire crew
for two days in the
middle of a dust storm
because he caught one of
the deck gang taking a shower.
Or it's plain crazy things.
Cheese business.
The cheese business.
The strawberry... Yes.
Cheese business? I don't
recall any cheese business.
This was on the first ship the captain
was assigned to, sir, as an ensign.
Cheese was going missing
from the ship's stores.
And the captain investigated
and he caught a sailor
who'd made a duplicate key to
the padlock to the refrigerator.
Now, for catching
this cheese thief,
he was given a letter
of commendation.
This is during peacetime, so
naturally he's pretty proud of the thing.
So when the strawberry stuff started,
he insisted it was the same thing.
And all we had to
do was find the guy
who had made a duplicate
key to the wardroom fridge.
But of course that's ridiculous.
It was one of the guys assigned
to the wardroom mess again.
We all knew that they'd
eaten this quart of strawberries.
It was left over from
the wardroom mess.
They were entitled to
it. That was the custom.
But when the captain started to
freak out about those strawberries,
they froze up, said they
didn't know who'd eaten them.
And the captain's so hot on
his theory he believes them.
So he ordered the search
for the key. Yes, sir.
We have never seen Captain
Queeg so happy before or since.
He's living the cheese
business all over again.
He organized the search himself.
We collected every
key on that ship.
We had just boxes...
Barrels of keys.
That's about 2,800
of them all told,
each tagged with
the owner's name.
And just to be safe, we searched
that ship from stem to stern,
from the radar
mast to the bilge.
We stripped the crew naked.
Naked?
Yes, sir. Naked.
Each one of them
lined up, stark naked,
and we shook out their clothes.
We searched their lockers. We searched
every hole, every place on that ship.
We crawled under the bilge and
pulled out the lead ballast blocks
that are 200 pounds apiece.
This went on for three days.
Three
days? Yes, sir.
All in the name of a
key that never existed.
So, when I saw the
captain sitting by the fridge,
pulling keys one by
one from a barrel
and trying them in a padlock for
hours on end with a gleam in his eye,
I gave up.
And that is when I showed the
medical log to Lieutenant Keefer.
Mr. Maryk,
when Lieutenant Keefer finished
reading your medical log,
what was his first comment?
Sir, I don't remember.
Did he encourage you
to go to Admiral Williams?
No, sir, I did that on my own.
But he went with you
to the flagship.
Yes, sir. So, at first,
he didn't discourage you?
Once we were aboard the
flagship, he discouraged me
and said we shouldn't
go through it and we didn't.
Would you say his testimony on the
subject was substantially correct?
Yes, sir. This was
all my doing, sir.
Continue your examination.
Mr. Maryk, when
the cyclone was over,
did Commander Queeg make
an attempt to regain command?
Yes.
On the morning of the 19th,
after the storm had blown out.
What happened?
Well, I was in the chart
house writing up a dispatch.
And? I was reporting the
relief to Admiral Williams.
And?
Captain Queeg came and asked if I
would go to his cabin and speak to him
before I sent the dispatch.
So I went below and we talked.
And what happened?
It was the same as
before, at first.
He said I'd be
court-martialed for mutiny.
And then he went on this long thing
about how much he loved the Navy,
that he has no other interests,
and even if he was cleared of
this that his record would be ruined.
And I told him
I felt sorry for him.
And I... I really did.
And that's when he
came out with his proposal.
Which?
He said he wouldn't
write me up and report me,
that he would resume
command of the ship
and that the whole thing would
be written off and forgotten.
And what was your
reply to his proposal?
I was amazed.
I said, Captain, the whole ship
knows about it. Yes.
It's written up in
the quartermaster's log.
It's written up in the
officer of the deck's log.
And, And he hemmed and hawed.
And?
What happened next?
Finally, he said it
wouldn't be the first time
that a rough log had been
corrected and fixed up after the fact.
Did you remind him that the
alteration of logs is strictly forbidden?
Yes, I did. And
he kind of laughed.
He said it was either that or a
court-martial for mutiny for me
and a black mark on his record
which he felt he did not deserve.
And what followed?
He begged and he pleaded.
And, at one point he cried
and eventually got very angry
and he ordered me
out of his cabin.
That is when I
sent the dispatch.
Then you had the opportunity,
less than 24 hours later,
to expunge this whole
event from the official records
with your captain's
knowledge and approval.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Maryk, were you
panicky at all during the storm?
No, I was not.
Lieutenant, you are charged
with relieving your captain willfully,
without authority and
without justifiable cause.
Did you relieve
Commander Queeg willfully?
Yes. I knew
what I was doing.
Did you relieve him
without authority?
No, my authority is Chapter
11 of Navy Regulations.
Did you relieve without
justifiable cause? No.
My justifiable cause was the
captain's mental breakdown
at a time when the
ship was in danger.
Thank you. No
further questions.
Mr. Maryk, this
amazing interview
in which the captain offered
to falsify official records,
were there any witnesses to it?
We were alone in his cabin. No.
This incident with the mines. Did
anyone else see these records?
Which, according to you,
indicated that the Caine
had departed her
assigned sweep formation?
Was there anything in the
records of the ship's movements
that would verify
that departure?
Well, about an hour
after it happened,
the captain asked to see the
chart, he took it to his cabin,
and when I got the log back,
there was no mention of the incident.
Right. Then you have no
corroboration of this story.
No.
Mr. Maryk, who coined the
nickname Old Yellowstain?
That just sprung into existence.
Throughout the ship or
just among the officers?
Just among the officers.
You sure you didn't
coin it yourself?
I didn't.
What kind of rating would you give
yourself for loyalty to your captain?
I'd say I was a loyal officer.
Did you issue a 72-hour liberty
to Petty Officer
Stilwell in December
against your captain's
express instructions?
Yes. You call
that a loyal act?
No.
Then you admit to a disloyal act
in your first days
as executive officer.
Yes.
Mr. Maryk, where did
you get your schooling?
Public schools, San
Francisco. Okay.
And San Francisco
State University.
And how were your grades
in elementary school?
They were okay.
Average? Above
average? Below average?
Average.
How about your
high school grades?
Well, I didn't do so good
there. Below average.
What kind of courses
did you take in college?
Business courses.
Any pre-medical
courses? No.
Any psychology? Any psychiatry
courses? No.
How were your grades in
college? They...
I got by.
Below average?
Yes.
Where did you get
these ideas about paranoia?
Prob... Well, books. And...
a lot of research online.
Books? What books? Name
the titles. Which websites?
They're medical type
books about mental illness,
and I-I don't remember
the exact names of the sites.
Was this your intellectual
hobby, reading about psychiatry?
No. Well, then where
did you get these books?
Fr... I borrowed them from,
ships' doctors here and there.
And with your
background, your scholastic record,
you imagine that you understood these
highly technical and scientific works?
I got something out of them.
What is a conditioned reflex?
I don't know.
What is schizophrenia?
I think it's...
It's a mental illness.
You think so? Yes.
What are its symptoms?
I don't know.
In fact, you don't know what you're talking
about when you discuss mental illness.
Is that right? Well, you know, I
never said I knew much about it.
Have you ever
heard the expression
that a little learning
is a dangerous thing?
Yes.
You had a head full of
terms you didn't understand,
and on that basis
felt you had the right
to depose a commanding officer
on the grounds
of mental illness.
Is that right? I didn't relieve Captain
Queeg because what the book said.
I relieved him because the ship was in
danger of sinking. No, never mind the ship.
We are discussing your
grasp of psychiatry.
Did you hear the diagnosis of the qualified
psychiatrist who examined your captain?
Yes. And what
was their diagnosis?
Was he crazy or wasn't
he on December 18th?
They say he wasn't.
But you, with your whining
gripes of strawberries
and coffee makers, know better.
Mr. Maryk, who was the third
ranking officer on your ship?
Lieutenant Keefer.
Was he a
good officer? Yes.
Do you consider his
mind as good as yours?
Yes.
Better. Better.
Did you show your
medical log to him? Yes.
Was he convinced by it that
the captain was mentally ill?
No.
He talked to you out of trying
to have the captain relieved.
Yes.
And yet two weeks later,
despite the whole weight
of naval discipline,
despite the arguments of
the next officer in rank to you,
a superior intellect,
despite all this,
you went ahead and
seized command of your ship?
I relieved Captain Queeg
because he
definitely seemed sick
on the morning of the cyclone.
You still believe that your
diagnosis of Captain Queeg
is superior to the doctors'?
J... O-Only about Queeg on
the morning of the cyclone.
No more questions.
No re-examination.
You may step down, Lieutenant.
Call Lieutenant Commander Queeg.
Commander, you are reminded
that you are still under oath.
Yes, sir.
Be seated.
Commander, on the morning
of the 19th December,
did you have an interview in
your room with Lieutenant Maryk?
Well, let's see.
The 19th, the
day after the storm.
Yes. Yes, I did.
Was the interview at
your request? Yes.
What was the substance
of the interview?
Well, as I say,
I felt sorry for him.
Hated to see him
ruining his life
over one panicky mistake,
particularly knowing that it was his
ambition to make the Navy a career.
I tried as hard as I could to show
him what a mistake he had made,
suggested he relinquish
command back to me
and offered to be
as lenient as possible
when reporting
what had happened.
You never offered not to report the
incident? How could I?
It had already been
recorded in the logs. Yes.
Those logs, were they
handwritten, typed, or what?
It wouldn't have
made a difference.
Were they handwritten,
Commander? Well, probably.
Quartermasters log, OOD.
Rough logs are
usually handwritten.
I can't imagine that the yeoman
had time to type out smooth logs,
given all the excitement.
Did you offer to alter the
logs and not report the incident?
No, I did not. Alterations
are not permitted.
Lieutenant Maryk testified
under oath, Commander,
that you made such an offer.
Not only that, but you begged and
pleaded with him to alter the logs,
in return for which you promised
to hush up the story completely
and make no report.
Well, that's just not the truth.
There isn't any
truth in it at all?
It's a complete distortion of what
I've said. My version is the exact truth.
You deny the proposal to alter
the logs and hush up the story.
Yes. I deny it completely.
Th-That's the part that he's made
up, the crying and the pleading.
It's fantastic.
You're accusing
Mr. Maryk of perjury.
I-I'm not accusing him...
He's accused of
enough as it stands.
I'm just saying you'll hear a lot of
strange things about me from Maryk.
Th-That's all I'm saying.
Isn't it obvious, Commander, that one of you
is not telling the truth about this meeting?
Well, it appears so. Can
you prove that it isn't you?
Only by citing a clean record
of 21 years as a naval officer
over the word of a man
standing trial for a mutinous act.
Commander, did you ever receive
$1,000 from Lieutenant Junior Grade Keith?
I don't recall offhand.
He testified you did. I
did? On what occasion?
On the occasion of the loss of a
crate of yours in the Port of Oman.
Y-yes. Okay.
I remember that.
That's over a year ago,
December thereabouts.
He was responsible for the loss.
Well, insisted on paying
for it, a-a-and so he did.
And what was in this
crate that cost $1,000?
Well, uniforms, books,
n-navigating instruments,
the usual things.
How was Keith responsible?
Well, he was the boat officer.
He was responsible for loading.
He issued foolish, contradictory
orders that rattled the men.
They dropped the crate
into the water and it sank.
A wooden crate,
full of clothes, sank.
It had other things in it.
Souvenir coral rocks, for
example.
Commander, wasn't the... the crate
entirely full of bottles of booze?
Certainly not.
Lieutenant Keith testified that he paid
you $1,000 for a crate full of liquor.
Well, you'll hear a lot of strange
distortions from Keith. A-And from Maryk.
They're the two culprits here. They're apt
to make all kinds of strange statements.
You make this crate yourself?
No, a man from the engine room
did. What's his name?
I don't recall. It'll be in
the personnel records.
He's been gone from the ship for quite
some time. Okay, where is he now?
I-I don't know.
Because you don't know what
his name is? No.
Was it Engineman Second
Class Otis F. Langhorn, sir?
L... Langhorn?
Yes.
Langhorn, yeah.
Well, th-that
sounds about right.
There's an Otis F. Langhorn, engineman
first class, in transit right now.
Defense has arranged to
subpoena him if necessary.
Are you sure it's the same one?
Well, it says 20 months aboard the
Caine. It's got your signature upon it.
Would it be useful to
have him called, sir?
Objection to this entire
irrelevancy about the crate
and request it be
stricken from the record.
The witness's credibility
is being established.
I put it to the court, sir, that nothing
could be more relevant to this trial.
Overruled.
Court stenographer
will repeat the question.
"Would it be
useful to have him subpoenaed, sir?"
Well, the real question is,
which crate did Langhorn nail up?
I-I now recall
having two crates.
Well, this is new information
not mentioned by Keith.
Did Langhorn nail
up both crates, sir?
I-I can't... I can't recall if I had
two crates on th-that occasion
or two crates on two
separate occasions.
It's been a long time and I've had a
strenuous year of command from ports of storm.
I... I just... I can't be clear.
Commander, there are a
number of issues in this trial
which turn on the
issue of credibility
between yourself
and other officers.
If you wish, I can request a
quick little five-minute recess
while you clear your mind as best
you can about the matter of this crate.
No, no, that won't be necessary.
Just give me some time to think.
Please. Please.
Um...
O-okay. I-I've
got it straight now.
I misspoke.
San Diego, 2014, I lost a
crate in similar circumstances.
That was the crate
with the clothes in it
and the crate that Keith
lost did contain liquor.
Entirely full of liquor.
Well, I suppose so.
You transported
this on your ship.
You are aware of
Navy Regulations, sir.
Of course I'm aware
of regulations.
Th-The crate was sealed
before I got under way.
I gave it the same
locked stowage that I did
the medicinal brandy,
three years' steady duty.
I gave myself this leeway as the captain of
the Caine, which was a common practice.
I do believe that rank has its
privileges, as they say, and, well...
I-I didn't mean to
conceal it from the court.
It's not something
I'm ashamed of.
I just got the two crates
mixed up in my mind.
Lieutenant Maryk
also testified, sir,
that you gave all the
orders to the boat crew
which resulted in
the loss of the crate.
Well, that's a lie.
And that you refused to sign his leave
papers until he paid you for that loss.
And that is another lie.
Commander, during the period when
the Caine was sweeping for mines
off the Straits of Hormuz,
did you steam over and
cut your own tow line?
Objection!
This tow line business
is the last straw.
The tactics of the defense
counsel are an outrage
on the dignity of
these proceedings.
He is systematically
turning this trial
into a court-martial
of Commander Queeg.
Please the court,
the trial counsel believes
she has a prima facie case
based on the report
of two psychiatrists.
Now, I believe it is
up to the court
and not two shore-bound
doctors, however brilliant,
to decide whether the captain of
the Caine was mentally well enough
to retain his self-control
and his post during a cyclone.
The objection is overruled.
The witness will
answer the question.
Okay, well, here's the story
on that particular slander.
Stilwell was a-a-at the helm,
a dreamy, unreliable man
who failed to warn me that we were
coming around the full 360 degrees.
I was the one who recognized what was
happening, reversed course immediately.
We did not go over the tow
line. I-It parted in the tight turn.
Weren't you reprimanding a
petty officer named Urban at length
for having his shirttail out while
your ship was turning 360 degrees, sir?
Who told you that? Keith
again? Answer the question, please.
It's a malicious lie, of course.
Was Urban on the
bridge? Yes.
Was his shirttail out? Yes, and I
reprimanded him. Took all of two seconds.
It's not like I dwell
on these sort of things.
But now that you've
brought the shirttail thing up,
I'd like to point out that Ensign
Keith, a department head,
was responsible for
enforcing uniform regulations
and completely screwed
the whole job up.
When I took over the ship, it
was like some third-world navy,
and I bored down on Keith to
look out for things like shirttails.
And, well, maybe that's one of the
reasons that he hates me so much
and insists on circulating this
nonsense about me cutting the tow line.
Did you drop a yellow dye
marker off the Straits of Hormuz?
No, I, Maybe.
I-I don't recall.
Do you recall what
your first mission was?
Well, to detect and destroy
mines in the Straits of Hormuz.
And did you fulfill that
mission? Yes.
So why did you drop the
dye marker? I'm not saying that I did.
But if I had, it would have been to
mark a mine that we had detected.
Commander, didn't you drop the
marker and retire at high speed,
taking the Caine out of
its assigned sweep pattern?
Now, didn't you do this to avoid
contact with a dangerous underwater mine
and leave it for
another ship to handle?
The question is abusive
and flagrantly leading.
I withdraw my last question on
account of the witness's dim memory.
I'll proceed to
more recent events.
Court desires
to question the witness.
Commander Queeg,
in view of the implications
in this line of testimony,
I urge you to search your
memory for correct answers.
Well, I certainly
am trying, sir.
These are very fine points, and I've had a
number of arduous missions since that storm.
And th-then there's,
well, all of this business.
I appreciate that.
But it will facilitate justice if
you can remember enough
to give a few definite
answers on points of fact.
First of all, did you depart your assigned
sector due to equipment problems?
Yes. Yes. Okay...
Okay, I-I remember.
Yes, that was the case here.
So you departed the pattern rather than try
to repair or troubleshoot the equipment?
But... an active
mine had been detected.
Is that why you dropped the dye
marker? There was a safety factor.
It didn't make sense to me to try
and detonate mines using defective gear.
But I wanted every vessel in the area
to know exactly where that mine was,
s-so I marked it.
Now, if I erred on the side of
being overcautious, well, I-I'm sorry.
But then again, sir, I don't think
you can err on the side of safety.
Did you have the
conn? Well, no.
A-As I recall,
Maryk was on the conn.
And I also recall warning him
not to stray too far out of formation.
But we did need to leave room for other
ships to come in and deal with that mine.
Well, how much room?
I don't remember exactly.
I-I just know that we had strayed
outside of our assigned sector,
and then, well, I pulled him
aside and admonished him.
Didn't you direct him to
return to station immediately?
Sir, everything was
happening very fast.
We had to mark the area
and then get out of there
and make room for other ships
to come into the area, as I said.
These are your factual
recollections, Commander?
Those are the facts, sir.
Resume your examination.
Commander, did
you make it a practice
to retire to your room during
minesweeping operations?
Well, that's an insulting
question. The answer is no.
I had to be on every side
of that bridge at all times.
I-I had Maryk as a navigator and Keith as
an officer of the deck at general quarters.
Invariably, they'd squirrel over
to the same side of the bridge
and I'd have to be captain, navigator and
officer of the deck all rolled up into one.
That's why I had to go from one side of
the bridge to the other all the time.
And that's the truth.
I don't care how many damn lies have
been told about me in this courtroom.
The court will
question the witness.
Sir, the witness is obviously and
understandably agitated by this ordeal
and I request a recess to
give him a breathing space.
I'm not agitated in the least.
I'm glad to answer
any and all questions.
In fact, I-I demand the
opportunity to set the record straight
for any derogatory statements made
about me in testimony that's gone before.
I didn't make a single mistake in the
15 months I was aboard the Caine,
and I-I can prove it.
I've had a spotless
record up until now
and I don't want it
being discredited
by these lies and distortions
told by these disloyal officers.
Commander, would
you like a recess?
Certainly not.
In fact, if I had
any say in this,
I would ask there be no recess.
Very well.
I simply want to ask,
if the performance of these two
officers was so unspeakably bad,
why did you tolerate it?
Why didn't you beach them or
rotate them out of your command?
Well, this is gonna sound
strange to you, sir, but,
well, the truth is I'm-I'm
a softhearted man
and not many people know that.
But I wanted to keep
them under... under eye
to try and train them up,
make them good officers.
L-Last thing I wanted to
do was wreck their careers.
A concern they certainly didn't
share for me. E-Either one of them.
Commander, on the morning
of the 18th of December,
the exact moment you
were relieved of command,
was the Caine in
the last extremity?
Certainly not. Was it in
grave danger at that moment?
Absolutely not. I was in
complete control of the ship.
And did you inform any of your
other officers of your intention
to change course,
come north at ten o'clock,
15 minutes after Lieutenant
Maryk relieved you of command?
Yes, yes. I made that statement
and that was my intention.
Then Lieutenant Maryk's decision to come
north was not a panicky, irrational blunder.
His panicky blunder
was relieving me.
I kept him from making any
disastrous mistakes thereafter.
I wasn't trying
to vindicate myself.
Commander, have you seen
Lieutenant Maryk's medical log?
Yes.
Yes, I've read that interesting
document. Yes, sir, I have.
Biggest conglomeration of lies
and distortions and half-truths
I've ever seen.
But I'm extremely glad
that you've asked
'cause I wanna get my
side of it all on the record.
Please.
Please give us your
version of any comments
factually related to
episodes in the log.
Okay, well, starting right
with that strawberry business.
The real truth is
that I was betrayed,
d-double-crossed
by my executive officer
and this precious
gentleman, Mr. Keith,
who between them
corrupted my wardroom
so I was one man
against the whole ship.
No support from
my officers, okay?
Now, you take
that strawberry business.
Why, if that wasn't a case of outright
conspiracy to protect a malefactor from justice.
Maryk carefully
leaves out the little fact
that I had conclusively proved
by a process of elimination
that someone had
a key to the fridge.
Now, he says the messmen
ate the strawberries.
But if I wanted
to take the trouble,
I could prove to this court
categorically that they couldn't have.
I-It's the water
business all over again.
Like when the crew was taking
showers seven times a day
and I tried to initiate the simplest
principles of water conservation.
But, no, Mr. Maryk,
the hero of the crew,
wanted to go right
on coddling them.
Well, you take that
coffee business.
Well... No.
No. Excuse me.
Sorry, sir.
Strawberry thing first. Okay.
Everything hinged on a
thorough search for the key,
and that's when Maryk and, as usual,
with help from Mr. Keith, fudged it.
Went through a lot of phony
motions, didn't prove anything.
Like thinking that the burning
out of the coffee makers,
which were government property,
was some kind of joke.
And that was the attitude of
everybody from Maryk on down.
No... No sense of responsibility.
And I kept emphasizing
over and over
that all of these things were
gonna have to be accounted for.
It was a constant battle.
Always... Always the same thing.
Maryk and Keith undermining
my authority, always arguing.
Now, I wanted... I wanted to
train Keith up to be a good officer,
but I was stabbed
in the back by...
Well...
Well, I... I think I've covered
that strawberry business.
And, yes, the
mess account business.
Well, I had to watch them like
a hawk, and believe me, I did.
Didn't sneak
any fast ones by me.
It wasn't for a lack of trying.
Instead of paying attention to
their accounts and their inventories,
which I would have to
go over again and again...
Always a few pennies short
or a couple dollars over.
But what do they care about keeping accurate
records? Let the captain worry about it.
Well, by God, I did.
I-I defy anyone to find a single wardroom
mess statement or ship service inventory
filed aboard the USS
Caine while I was captain
that had a mistake of
a single, solitary cent.
And by that, I mean, I defy a certified
public accountant to do it. Okay?
Well, what else?
There's so much bullshit
in that precious
log of Mr. Maryk's.
Yes!
Th-The movie business.
Okay, no respect for command.
Th-That was the whole
trouble with that ship.
The movie operator, who had
a disrespectful manner anyways,
started the movie without waiting for
the arrival of the commanding officer.
Out of that whole ship's
crew, officers and men,
did one person stand up and call a halt or
even notice that the captain wasn't present?
I missed those movies
more than they did.
I banned them, and,
by God, I'd do it again.
Wh-What was I supposed to do, start
issuing them all letters of commendation
for this gratuitous insult
to the commanding officer?
It's not like I
took it personal.
It's the principle. The principle
of respect for the command.
That principle was dead when I came
aboard that ship and I brought it to life.
And I nagged and I
bitched and I hollered,
and, by God, I made it
stick while I was captain!
And as I... as I say,
it wasn't just the
coffee makers.
It was a matter of respect.
When I ask a sailor a question,
I want a straight answer.
Nobody's gonna get away
with this shifty evasion,
if I have to hold a court
of inquiry for a week.
What do I care about strawberries?
It's a question of principle.
Stealing is stealing.
And on my ship...
Well, it's not like we got
a lot of nice treats anyway.
If we ever did get something
pleasant once in a blue moon,
like... like strawberries, well,
it was outrageous that I couldn't
have a second helping if I felt like it.
I wasn't gonna let them
get away with it, and I didn't.
By God, I never let anything
like that happen on that ship again!
As I say, I...
Okay, um...
H-How many of these
things have I covered?
I... I can only roughly
do this by memory.
If you ask me specific
questions, I'll...
I'll tackle those
one by one by one.
That won't be necessary, sir.
That was very thorough.
Thank you.
I draw the court's
attention to Exhibit 12.
Commander, I show you
an authenticated copy
of a fitness report that you
wrote for Lieutenant Maryk
July 1, 2022.
Do you recognize it as such?
Y-Yes.
And by this time had the
following events occurred...
The water shortage, the
coffee maker investigation,
the banning of the
movies, the Internet
and other events?
Yes, I believe so.
Please read your comments
on Lieutenant Maryk, July 1.
Well, n-not being vindictive,
I-I don't write down every
single, solitary instance.
A fitness report goes
into a man's record,
and, well, I've always
tried to go easy on them.
A-Always have, always will.
I appreciate that, sir.
Please read the comments.
"This officer has, if anything,
improved in his
performance of duty
since the last fitness report.
He is consistently
loyal, unflagging,
thorough, courageous
and efficient.
He is considered at present
fully qualified for command
of a 1,200-ton MCM.
His professional determination
and integrity set him apart
as an outstanding
example for other officers,
reserve and regular alike.
He cannot be too
highly commended."
Thank you.
No further questions.
No cross-examination.
You're excused, Commander.
Yes, sir.
Defense rests.
Is the trial counsel
ready for summation?
No summary, sir.
Prosecution rests.
No argument at all?
If it please the court,
I'm... I'm at a loss
to discuss the case the
defense has presented.
I have nothing to refute.
It's no case at all.
It has nothing to do
with the charge
or the specification.
The defense counsel's very
first question in this trial
was, "Commander, have
you ever heard the expression,
Old Yellowstain?"
That was the key
to his entire strategy,
which was simply to twist
the proceedings around
so that the accused would become
not Maryk, but Commander Queeg.
He has dragged out
every possible vicious
and malicious criticism of the
commander from the other witnesses
and forced Captain Queeg to defend
himself against them in open court,
on the spur of the moment,
without advice of counsel,
without any of the normal
privileges and safeguards
of an accused man
under naval law.
Can this court possibly
endorse the precedent
that a captain who doesn't please his
underlings can be deposed by them?
And then that the captain's
only recourse afterward
is to be placed at a witness
stand in a general court-martial
to answer every petty gripe
and justify all his
command decisions
to a hostile lawyer taking the
part of his insubordinate inferiors?
Such a precedent is nothing
but a blank check for mutiny.
It is the absolute destruction
of the chain of command.
However, all
this doesn't worry me.
I am confident
that this court hasn't been
impressed by such aggressive tactics.
I know that the court
is going to reject
this cynical play
on its emotions,
this... insult to
its intelligence,
and find the specification
proven by the facts.
I've only this to say.
Whatever the verdict
on the accused, I...
I formally recommend that
Defense Counsel Greenwald
be censured by this court
for conduct unbecoming
an officer of the Navy
and that this reprimand
be made part of his record.
Defense counsel.
Closing argument?
Please the court,
I undertook the defense of
the accused very reluctantly
and only at the urging of the judge advocate
that no other defense counsel was available.
I was reluctant
because I knew that the
only possible form of defense
was to prove the mental
incompetence of an officer of the Navy.
It has been the most unpleasant
duty I have ever had to perform.
However, once
having undertaken it,
I have done my best
to win an acquittal.
I thought this was my duty, both as
defense counsel appointed by the Navy
and as a member of the bar.
Let me make one thing clear.
It is not the contention
of the defense
that Commander Queeg is a coward
and that therefore, if he commits
questionable acts under intense fire,
the explanation
must lie elsewhere.
The court saw Commander
Queeg's bearing on the stand.
The court can imagine what
his bearing must have been like
at the height of the storm.
And on that basis,
the court can decide
the fate of the accused.
Before recessing,
the court will rule on the
recommendation to censure you.
Yes, sir.
This has been a
strange and tragic trial.
In the 248-year
history of the Navy,
there has been only
one other attempted mutiny.
You have conducted your
case with striking ingenuity.
But your conduct
has been puzzling
and it does raise questions.
Has your conduct
here been responsible,
Lieutenant Greenwald?
The reprimand,
if there is to be one,
must come from
your own conscience.
Court finds defense counsel
has not been in contempt.
Recommendation to
reprimand denied.
Court stands in recess
until further notice.
What happens now? Well,
that's the ball game.
And when do we find out?
If it's an acquittal, soon.
If not, well, they won't
publish their findings for weeks.
Okay.
You were terrific.
Thanks.
You murdered Queeg up there.
Yes, I murdered him.
I'm grateful to
you, win or lose.
Okay.
What's wrong?
Not a thing.
Well, look, I need to
ask you something.
What now?
Tom Keefer's having a
party tonight at the hotel.
This morning he got a
$10,000 advance on his novel.
Well, I hope he sells
a million copies,
wins the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer
Prize, the Medal of Honor.
Wrap this whole thing up
in a nice, pink ribbon.
We're both invited.
What?
Look, I know what
you probably think.
But one way or
another, it's over.
I don't know what I would
have done in Tom's place.
You'd go to Keefer's party.
I'll go if you will, if
you think we should.
All right, quiet, quiet!
Quiet, you drunken
bums of the Caine!
Here he is, the guest of
honor, our courageous hero.
Hey! Whoo!
Speech! Speech,
speech, speech!
Speech!
Speech! Speech! No, no, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no!
Come on, Barney!
No, I-I-I'm drunker than any
of you guys.
I've been out with
the trial counsel,
trying to get her to take back some
of the dirty names she called me.
I finally got her to shake hands on the
third bourbon and soda, maybe the fourth.
That's good. That's good. I
had to talk loud and fast, Steve.
I played some pretty
dirty pool in court. Well...
Poor Katherine
Challee? Yeah.
So what's this?
It's a double celebration.
A cake baked like a book.
$10,000 came in the mail
today. Advance on my novel.
Very nice. Very nice.
I got something
in the mail today too.
What's that, Barney?
Medical clearance.
Orders back to my ship.
Leaving tomorrow.
Good.
Hey, that's great.
Ten thousand bucks?
You know, maybe I should
return the celebrated
author's toast.
Yes! A little,
little speech.
All right, all right, all right.
Here we go, here we go.
Okay.
War novel, isn't
it? That's right.
I assume you gave the
Navy a good screwing, yeah?
Yeah?
I don't think that Navy Public
Affairs would approve it at any rate.
Well, somebody should show up
these stupid, stuffy old pricks?
Yeah! Who's the hero, you?
If there's any similarities,
it is purely coincidental.
Okay, I'm warped and I'm drunk.
But it suddenly seems to
me, if I wrote a war novel,
I would try to make a
hero out of Old Yellowstain.
Come on.
That's right, I would. No. No.
No, I would.
And I'll tell you why.
You see, Mr. Keefer,
while I was studying law
and you were
writing short stories,
and Willie Keith was playing
on the fields of Princeton,
why, all that time, these...
These old birds we call regulars,
these stupid, stuffy pricks,
were standing guard
on our fat, dumb
and happy country.
Of course, they were
doing it for dough.
Same as anybody does anything.
But the question is,
in the last analysis...
I mean, what do you do
for dough? You and me.
We're advancing
our free little careers.
So when 9/11 happened and
so many of us rushed to join up
to fight those assholes that crashed
those planes into the Twin Towers...
You couldn't fight them with a
law book, so I... I went active.
I joined the Navy.
Maybe I'd fly over
the Middle East
and bomb the shit out
of some terrorists, right?
Whoo!
But there were already a
lot of guys ready to do that.
And it wasn't me. Not yet.
Wasn't Tom Keefer,
still in school,
or Willie Keith in
midshipman training,
but Old Yellowstain
and guys like him.
They were already
on station, ready to go.
And they're a lot
smarter than any of us.
I mean, let's... Come on.
Let's not kid ourselves.
I mean, you don't get anywhere in the
all-volunteer, upwardly mobile American Navy
unless you're goddamn good.
And these old-line pros, they may
not be up on the latest video game,
but they know how to
get a tough job done.
And they were standing by,
and they were ready to do it,
while the rest of us were still
trying to know shit from Shinola.
Barney. Hey,
Barney. It's over.
All right? Come on.
Let's just enjoy dinner.
Dinner's a sham,
Steve. You're guilty.
Of course, you're
only half guilty.
I mean, there was someone else
standing very neatly out of the picture,
the guy who started
the whole idea
that Queeg's a
dangerous paranoiac,
who argued you into
it for six months,
who coined the
nickname Old Yellowstain,
who pointed out the psychiatry books and
Article 1108 and kept hammering it at you.
All right, wait a minute here.
Yeah, yeah,
Mr. Keefer. That's right, yeah.
I had to drag it out of Steve.
Big dumb Polack tried to
tell me it was all his own idea.
He wouldn't know a paranoid from an
anthropoid. But you knew, didn't you?
You told him his medical log
was a clinical picture of a paranoid.
You advised him to go to Admiral
Williams. You offered to go with him.
You didn't get cold feet until you stood
on Williams's quarterdeck in Bahrain.
Yeah, and then you ducked, and
you've been ducking ever since.
I don't know where
you're getting all this.
Biggest favor you
could have done Steve,
as far as winning
an acquittal went,
though I doubt you realize it.
But if there is a
guilty party, it's you.
If you hadn't filled
Steve Maryk's thick head
full of paranoia
and Article 1108,
why, he'd have... he'd have
got Queeg to come north.
Or he'd have helped him
pull through to the south.
And the Caine wouldn't
have been yanked out of action.
And that...
That is your contribution
to the good old USA, my friend...
Pulling a minesweeper out of the
Persian Gulf when it was most needed.
That... That... and
fucking Multitudes, Multitudes.
You're drunk.
You know, excuse me, okay?
I'm all done.
You know, here's to you.
You bowled a perfect score. You
went after Queeg, and you got him.
You kept your own
whites all starchy,
and you wrote your novel
proving the Navy sucks,
and you'll say, you know, you'll make
a million dollars, marry a movie star.
And so you won't mind a
little verbal reprimand from me.
What does it all mean?
You know, I-I
defended Steve Maryk
because I realized the
wrong guy was on trial.
And the only way I could defend
him was to murder Queeg for you.
And I'm pissed off that I was put in
that position. I'm ashamed of what I did.
And that's why I'm drunk.
Queeg deserved better.
He served this
country for 21 years.
So I'm not gonna
eat your dinner,
drink your wine.
I'll make my toast and go.
So here's to you.
Here's to Caine's
favorite author.
Here's to your book.
Baby's into runnin' round
Hangin' with the crowd
Puttin' your business
In the street
Talkin' out loud
Sayin' you bought
her This and that
And how much you done spent
I swear she must believe
It's all heaven sent
Hey, boy
You better bring
Your chick around
To the sad, sad truth
The dirty lowdown
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
Taught her how To talk like that
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
Gave her that big idea
Nothin' you can't handle
Nothin' you ain't got
Put your money on the
table And drive it off the lot
Turn on that old love light
And turn a "Maybe" To a "Yes"
Same old schoolboy game
Got you into this mess
Hey, son
Better get on back to town
Face the sad old truth
The dirty lowdown
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
Put those ideas In your head
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
Well
Come on back down Little son
Dig the low, low
Low, low, lowdown
You ain't got to be so
bad Got to be so cold
This dog eat dog existence
Sure is getting old
Gotta have a jones
for this Jones for that
This runnin' With the Joneses
Boy, just ain't
Where it's at, no, no
You gonna come back around
To the sad, sad truth
The dirty lowdown
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
Got you thinking Like that, boy
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
Said I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
Look out For that lowdown
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
That dirty, dirty
Dirty, dirty lowdown
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
Got you thinkin' like that
Got you thinkin' By yourself
Lookin' that girl In the face
It'sasadaffair
Ashamedofyourself
I wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder who
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