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A
Jason King novel describing how a man is smuggled across
the East-West German border lands its author in a danger-loaded
espionage plot!
If
Jason King (PETER WYNGARDE) has never written
a thriller titled "A Page Before Dying", he would have
saved himself a lot of discomfort. For the book describes
an ingenious way of smuggling a man from East to West
Berlin by hiding him in a safe, and when the British
want to get a man named Gorini (OLAF POOLEY)
out of West Berlin, Whitehall's Sir Brian (DENNIS
PRICE) decides to make use of Jason's book ... and
of Jason himself.
Ryland
(RONALD LACEY), one of Sir Brian's agents, sets
the ball rolling by arranging for Jason to be lured
to West Berlin on the pretext of a fabulous offer for
the film rights in the book.
Unfortunately
for Jason, America's C.I.A., represented by Jenson (RYCHARD
WYLER). also want Gorini. Even more unfortunately,
East German Security are well aware of what is going
on. It's difficult to keep Secret Service secrets from
other Secret Services!
The
British have even started an export business in safes
with East Germany, and in charge of this is an attractive
espionage agent named Ingrid (MADELINE HINDE).
Jason is up against formidable opposition in his determination
to refuse to collaborate in the plan for him to be smuggled
into East Berlin in a safe and return the wanted Gorini
in the same manner. But he is tricked into entering
the safe and is unable to get out. The next thing he
knows is that he is in East Berlin!
The
authorities are waiting for him and he is trapped. It
seems as though Gorini is trapped, too. Both Jason and
the East Germans believe him to be hidden in a safe,
but when it is forced open, he isn't there.
Gorini
has been smuggled out of the country by an entirely
different method. Maybe the East Germans knew what Whitehall
had in mind; but Whitehall, in turn, knew that the East
Germans knew! Jason realises that he has been used as
a decoy. He also realises that he is in grim danger.
After all, a novelist is expendable! Whitehall has tricked
Jason King, the C.I.A. and the East Germans alike, but
what of Jason's future? It's something he himself has
to take care of, and Sir Brian has an embarrassing surprise
ahead....
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