In this tale of a loyal government worker who is wrongfully accused of being an unacceptable security risk, we find several key elements for us to mull over.
Of course we have the hero, Bernie Goldsmith, a loyal, hard working, Naval civilian employee. He is wrongfully accused of being a Communist sympathizer.
Now, before I go further, I must make a major point. The Navy is not wrong in wanting to rid itself of someone whom circumstantial evidence shows might have sympathies toward a repressive government, dedicated to the downfall of our republic. The Navy is not wrong in investigating allegations it received about one of its employees, with access to sensitive data.
Where the Navy makes its biggest mistake is in the personnel it used to glean information. As the movie unfolds, it appears that at least one of the investigators it sent in to vet Mr. Goldsmith, did not report accurate information. It appeared that he may have even falsified statements alleged to have been made by some of the people quoted in said investigation.
The gentleman who precipitates this whole ordeal is revealed to be a bigot of the first magnitude. He hates everyone who is not white or Anglo-Saxon, as evidenced by his statement to legitimate Navy investigators later in the movie. Hence his dislike for Goldsmith.
Having worked in military intelligence for 6 years in the U.S. Army, I know that, as the facts are given in the time line of the movie, the Navy was justified in pulling Mr. Goldsmith's access to classified and sensitive information. To do otherwise would have been inexcusable.
By rights, the ideal last scene of this movie would have been the villain being brought up on charges for his false statements, under oath.
I think it is wonderful that, for the most part, the citizenry of the town, starting with the Christian pastor, supported Goldsmith in his efforts. It was only the warped view of a small group of people who brought this whole case about.
Of course we have the hero, Bernie Goldsmith, a loyal, hard working, Naval civilian employee. He is wrongfully accused of being a Communist sympathizer.
Now, before I go further, I must make a major point. The Navy is not wrong in wanting to rid itself of someone whom circumstantial evidence shows might have sympathies toward a repressive government, dedicated to the downfall of our republic. The Navy is not wrong in investigating allegations it received about one of its employees, with access to sensitive data.
Where the Navy makes its biggest mistake is in the personnel it used to glean information. As the movie unfolds, it appears that at least one of the investigators it sent in to vet Mr. Goldsmith, did not report accurate information. It appeared that he may have even falsified statements alleged to have been made by some of the people quoted in said investigation.
The gentleman who precipitates this whole ordeal is revealed to be a bigot of the first magnitude. He hates everyone who is not white or Anglo-Saxon, as evidenced by his statement to legitimate Navy investigators later in the movie. Hence his dislike for Goldsmith.
Having worked in military intelligence for 6 years in the U.S. Army, I know that, as the facts are given in the time line of the movie, the Navy was justified in pulling Mr. Goldsmith's access to classified and sensitive information. To do otherwise would have been inexcusable.
By rights, the ideal last scene of this movie would have been the villain being brought up on charges for his false statements, under oath.
I think it is wonderful that, for the most part, the citizenry of the town, starting with the Christian pastor, supported Goldsmith in his efforts. It was only the warped view of a small group of people who brought this whole case about.