The Imitation Game - The Power of Knowledge Against Nazism
Hugh Alexander:
My God, you did it. You just defeated Nazism with a crossword puzzle.
John Cairncross:
There are five people in the world who know the position of every ship in the Atlantic. They are all in this room.
Joan Clarke:
Oh, good God.
Hugh Alexander:
Oh, I don't think even He has the power that we do right now.
Joan Clarke: [getting closer to map]
No. There's going to be an attack on a British passenger convoy. Right there.
John Cairncross:
God, you're right. Those U-boats are only twenty, thirty minutes away.
Joan Clark:
Civilians. Hundreds of them. We can save their lives.
John Cairncross:
And knock out a whole German fleet in the process.
Hugh Alexander:
I'll phone Denniston's office so that he can alert the Admiralty.
Alan Turing:
No.
Joan Clarke:
Do you think there's enough time to save them?
John Cairncross:
There should be. If we can get a message to that convoy—
Hugh Alexander: [into phone]
Commander Denniston's office please, it's urgent—
Alan Turing: [grabs and hangs up phone]
No, no!
Hugh Alexander:
What the hell are you doing?
Alan Turing:
You-you can't call Denniston. You-you can't tell him about the attack.
Hugh Alexander:
What are you talking about?
John Cairncross:
We can have air support over that convoy in ten minutes.
Alan Turing:
Let the U-boats sink the convoy.
John Cairncross:
Look, it's been a big day, maybe you're suffering from—
Alan Turing:
Oh, shut up—
Hugh Alexander: [tries to grab phone back]
We don't have time—
Alan Turing:
No!
Joan Clarke:
Oh, Hugh! Hugh! Stop! That's enough!
John Cairncross:
Stop, Hugh!
Peter Hilton:
John, the attack is in minutes.
Joan Clarke: [rushes to Alan's side]
Are you all right?
Alan Turing: [to Hugh]
Yes, no, I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm fine. Do you know why people like violence, Hugh? It's because it feels good. Sometimes we can't do what feels good. We have to do what is logical.
John Cairncross:
What's logical?
Alan Turing:
The hardest time to lie is when the other person is expecting to be lied to.
Joan Clarke: [getting it]
Oh, God.
John Cairncross:
What?
Alan Turing:
If someone's waiting for a lie, you can't just, uh, give them one.
Joan Clarke:
Damn it, Alan's right.
Peter Hilton:
What?
Alan Turing:
What would the Germans think if we destroy their U-boats?
Peter Hilton:
Nothing. They'll be dead.
John Cairncross:
No. No, you can't be right.
Alan Turing:
So our convoy suddenly veers off course... a squadron of our air bombers miraculously descends on the coordinates of the U-boats... what will the Germans think?
Hugh Alexander:
The Germans will know that we have broken Enigma.
Joan Clarke:
They'll stop all radio communications by midday, and they'll have changed the design of Enigma by the weekend.
Hugh Alexander:
Yes.
Alan Turing:
Two years work. Everything we've done here will all be for nothing.
John Cairncross:
There are 500 people in that convoy. Women. Children. We're about to let them die.
Alan Turing:
Our job isn't to save one passenger convoy, it is to win the war.
Hugh Alexander:
Our job was to crack Enigma.
Alan Turing:
Oh, we've done that. Now for the hard part. Keeping it a secret.
Peter Hilton:
Carlisle.
Joan Clarke:
What?
Peter Hilton: [points to the map]
The convoy you're about to... it's, uh... The HMS Carlisle is one of the ships. We can't act on every piece of intelligence? So fine, we won't. Just this one.
Joan Clarke:
Peter, what's the matter with you?
Peter:
My brother's... well, he's on the Carlisle. A gunnery ensign.
Alan Turing:
I'm... I'm so sorry.
Peter Hilton:
Who the hell do you think you are? This is my brother. He's my big brother, alright, and you have a few minutes to call off his murder.
Alan Turing:
We can't.
John Cairncross:
He's right.
Peter Hilton:
Alan. Joan. Hugh. John. Please, I... the Germans, they won't get suspicious just because we stopped one attack. No one will know. I'm asking you. As your friend. Please.
Alan Turing:
I'm so sorry.
Peter Hilton:
You're not God, Alan. You don't get to decide who lives and who dies.
Alan Turing:
Yes, we do.
Peter Hilton:
Why?
Alan Turing:
Because no one else can.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.