15 quotes
Facing Unpopularity with Acceptance
James B. Donovan
Everyone will hate me, but at least I'll lose.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Unwillingness to Discuss Information Exchange
Hoffman
Has your guy talked?
James Donovan
Excuse me?
Hoffman
You met him. Has he talked? Has he said anything yet?
James Donovan
We're not having this conversation.
Hoffman
Of course not.
James Donovan
No, I mean we are really not having it. You're asking me to violate attorney-client privilege.
Hoffman
Aw, come on, counselor.
James Donovan
You know, I wish people like you would quit saying, Aw, come on, counselor'. I didn't like it the first time it happened today. A judge said it to me twice. The more I hear it, the more I don't like it.
Hoffman
OK, well, listen, I understand attorney-client privilege. I understand all the legal gamesmanship, and I understand that's how you make your living, but I'm talking to you about something else, the security of your country. I'm sorry if the way I put it offends you, but we need to know what Abel is telling you. You understand me, Donovan? Don't go Boy Scout on me. We don't have a rule book here.
James Donovan
You're Agent Hoffman, yeah?
Hoffman
Yeah.
James Donovan
German extraction.
Hoffman
Yeah, so?
James Donovan
My name's Donovan. Irish, both sides. Mother and father. I'm Irish and you're German. But what makes us both Americans? Just one thing. One. Only one. The rule book. We call it the Constitution, and we agree to the rules, and that's what makes us Americans. That's all that makes us Americans. So don't tell me there's no rule book, and don't nod at me like that you son of a bitch.
Hoffman
Do we need to worry about you?
James Donovan
Not if I'm left alone to do my job.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Question of Worry and Help
James Donovan
Aren't you worried?
Rudolf Abel
Would it help?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Uncertainty in Strategy and Decision Making
Rudolf Abel
What's the next move when you don't know what the game is?
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Foreign Agents and Registration Inquiry
James Donovan
You have been charged with three counts and nineteen overt acts. Conspiracy to transmit United States defence and atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, conspiracy to gather secrets, and failing to register as a foreign agent.
Rudolf Abel
Do many foreign agents register?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Conversations on Coercion and Choices
James Donovan
Were you beaten?
Rudolf Abel
No. I was talked to. Offers were made.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Power of One Honest Man
Taglines
In a world on the brink the difference between war and peace was one honest man.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Facing Death with Composure and Resolve
James Donovan
The death sentence is not a foregone conclusion. Don't worry.
Rudolf Abel
I'm not afraid to die, Mr. Donovan. Although, it wouldn't be my first choice.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Urgency for Dialogue in Global Tensions
James B. Donovan
We need to get off this merry-go-round sir. The next mistake our countries make could be the last one. We need to have the conversation our governments can't.
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The Nature of Covert Warfare
Agent Williams
We are engaged in a war. This war does not for the moment involve men at arms; it involves information. You will be collecting information. You will be gathering intelligence about the enemy. The intelligence you gather could give us the upper hand in a full thermonuclear exchange with the Soviet Union, or it could prevent one. For public purposes, as far as your wife or mother or sweetheart or the good lord above, your mission does not exist. if it does not exist, you do not exist. You cannot be shot down. You cannot be captured.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Question of Assistance
Rudolf Abel
Would it help?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Importance of Personal Conviction
James B. Donovan
It doesn't matter what others think. You know what you did.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Authority and Perspective in Leadership
Rudolf Abel
Well, the boss isn't always right. But, he's always the boss.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Resilience of the Standing Man
Rudolf Abel
Standing there like that you reminded me of the man that used to come to our house when I was young. My father used to say: "watch this man". So I did. Every time he came. And never once did he do anything remarkable.
James Donovan
And I remind you of him?
Rudolf Abel
This one time, I was at the age of your son, our house was overrun by partisan border guards. Dozens of them. My father was beaten, my mother was beaten, and this man, my father's friend, he was beaten. And I watched this man. Every time they hit him, he stood back up again. So they hit him harder. Still he got back to his feet. I think because of this they stopped the beating. They let him live. Stoikiy muzhik'. I remember them saying. . Which sort of means like uh, standing man'... standing man...
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Courage in the Face of Conflict
Taglines
In the shadow of war, one man showed the world what we stand for.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.