EPISODE · Jul 17, 2026 · 30 MIN
Betrayal in Vienna
from Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills · host OTR.FM Network
Originally Aired: October 8, 1951 Suspense #442, "Betrayal in Vienna," Colonel Alfred Radel, commander of the VIII Corps and creator of Emperor Franz Joseph's feared Black Cabinet, faces a devastating personal and professional crisis. When he learns that his dearest friend, Captain Oscar Helsinger, has been executed as a spy in St. Petersburg, Radel makes a fateful decision to flee Vienna. At the post office, he retrieves envelopes containing fourteen thousand kronen, adding to the three hundred thousand he already has hidden in a Roman bank. This routine transaction takes an ominous turn when Radel narrowly escapes detection, realizing he may have nearly stepped into the very trap he once set for others. As Radel prepares for his final evening in Vienna, donning his dress uniform one last time and dining at Holbaum's, he reflects on the secret life that began two years earlier. His brilliant career creating an espionage network to rival Scotland Yard seems to be crumbling around him. The master spymaster who once commanded fear throughout Europe's capitals now finds himself on the run, his infallible memory forcing him to relive every step that led to this moment of betrayal and flight.
What this episode covers
Originally Aired: October 8, 1951 Suspense #442, "Betrayal in Vienna," Colonel Alfred Radel, commander of the VIII Corps and creator of Emperor Franz Joseph's feared Black Cabinet, faces a devastating personal and professional crisis. When he learns that his dearest friend, Captain Oscar Helsinger, has been executed as a spy in St. Petersburg, Radel makes a fateful decision to flee Vienna. At the post office, he retrieves envelopes containing fourteen thousand kronen, adding to the three hundred thousand he already has hidden in a Roman bank. This routine transaction takes an ominous turn when Radel narrowly escapes detection, realizing he may have nearly stepped into the very trap he once set for others. As Radel prepares for his final evening in Vienna, donning his dress uniform one last time and dining at Holbaum's, he reflects on the secret life that began two years earlier. His brilliant career creating an espionage network to rival Scotland Yard seems to be crumbling around him. The master spymaster who once commanded fear throughout Europe's capitals now finds himself on the run, his infallible memory forcing him to relive every step that led to this moment of betrayal and flight.
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Betrayal in Vienna
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