"Privacy of the Mind"

(Original air date 02/27/77)
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Steve impersonates a renowned neurologist who’s been approached by enemy agents
to collaborate on a classified project
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Writer:Vanessa Boos

Director:James Lydon

While working in his computer laboratory, prominent neurologist Dr. George Berman (Roger Perry) is approached by his young associate, Bob Kemps (Leslie Moonves), with a shady request to pick his brains for a special assignment worth a hefty sum of money. At the OSI’s demand, Berman accepts, unsure of what the project entails. In the adjacent room, Oscar witnesses the exchange, thus confirming his suspicion about his trusted agent.
Later, both men meet with Steve in Oscar’s office to determine the reason that would drive an exemplary OSI agent such as Bob Kemps to cross to other side. Oscar suggests that Steve masquerades as Dr. Berman to unravel the mystery, and devises a plan to put Kemps out of commission for a few days to clear the way for Steve to step into character.


The plan is now in motion. Oscar informs Dr. Berman of the amount of food that Kemps consumed at lunch so that the doctor can safely dose a sedative in the man’s coffee cup.
Once Kemps out of the lab, he measures the amount of liquid ingested and then relays the information to Steve waiting out front in a car.


Steve then tails Kemps’s car until the drug takes effect. He pulls the swirling vehicle to a halt, bursts a tire and slams it into a tree to simulate an accident.
Dr. Berman drops by the hospital to visit the patient in traction. Kemps assures him that despite his misfortune, the deal is still on.


A crash course in neurology and computer programming, enough to deceive the enemy, and Steve is ready to assume his role as Dr. George Berman. He goes to the scientist’s house where two men chloroform him and bring him to an estate where he awakes in the presence of the domain master, Terry Campbell (Paul Mantee).


After a short briefing on the nature of the work expected of Dr. Berman, Campbell brings him to an exact replica of the computer laboratory where Steve is introduced to Russian scientist Dr. Tamara Batalova (Suzanne Charny), with whom he will collaborate on a mutual bio-cybernetics project involving mind control, one that Dr. Berman abandoned years ago for lack of progress. They wish to combine Dr. Batalova’s revolutionary process of reading human thoughts by feeding the brain waves into Dr. Berman’s computer to decipher their meaning.
Upset by Dr. Berman’s aloofness, Tamara urges him to start concentrating on the work at hand. She decries having been compelled to defect to the US to work on the project, contrary to his being here of his own accord.


Steve sends Tamara on a phony errand to get her out of the lab. Once the door closed behind her, Steve jumps up and grips the banister to stuff a ball of paper into the surveillance camera. Quickly he goes to the back of the computer to rewire the panel, a ploy to stall for time. He then removes the hindrance and resumes his seat just as Campbell breezes into the room to investigate the malfunction. Tamara also returns empty handed only to learn that Berman had the alleged documents in his briefcase.


Steve mentions the computer glitch and that rewiring will likely take a few hours. Once fixed, Tamara demonstrates the process with a volunteer to whom she asks a simple command that the computer interprets.
Later Steve summons Campbell in his room to discuss a sizeable raise, insisting that a project of this magnitude has to be honoured accordingly. He suggests Campbell to contact his boss with his demand; otherwise he will take his project elsewhere.


Steve leaps out the window to follow Campbell to his office where he jumps up to the balcony to zoom in on the phone number being dialled.
Once Campbell out of the room, Steve sneaks in to contact Oscar with the latest information but not his location, still unknown to him. He suggests leaving the phone off the hook so they can trace the call. He then swiftly returns to his hiding place just as Campbell and an associate enter the office. The receiver is then placed back in its cradle before the OSI can pinpoint the area.


Steve returns to the lab to question Tamara about her involvement in the project and learns that her people have planned it so that she’d be branded a traitor to her country. She had no other alternative but to accept and can only hope her knowledge will contribute to the advancement of science and the welfare of people. Steve scoffs at her belief that Campbell and his men are aiming toward that noble cause. He confesses that he was originally under the impression that these people were showing interest in his project on pain depression. His other notes on bio-cybernetics were forged to impress the scientific world.
Irate by the startling revelation, Tamara sets out to expose him as a fraud to Campbell, but has a change of heart as she witnesses the man deliberately injure her partner with a heavy barbell.


At the hospital, Kemps accidentally drops his broken leg onto the floor and finds that surprisingly enough, it hardly feels sore. Suspicious, he removes his head bandage to search for the concussion. He then cracks open his cast to find that his leg is intact.


At night, Tamara goes to Steve’s room doggedly intent on attempting an escape. Steve reluctantly follows, temporizing any way he can by throwing monkey wrenches in her plan. He ends up leading her straight into the surveillance camera’s frame in order to get caught, as his mission of meeting with the brain of the outfit is not yet complete.

Back at the hospital, Oscar is informed of Kemps’s escape and worries that Steve’s identity is now in jeopardy.
Tamara proceeds to a second test and this time she asks Dr. Berman to assist, but Steve’s limited knowledge of biology gives him away. When alone in the lab she confronts him; however he succeeds in winning her silence by exposing the goal of his assignment, which is to dismantle an enemy organisation set on stealing the project on mind control.


In comes Campbell’s boss, Sergei Kulikov (Curt Lowens), whom Tamara lashes at for orchestrating her kidnapping. Kulikov makes light of her threats and reciprocates with his own, warning the two scientists of the consequences should they not complete their work within the next forty-eight hours. Now that the mastermind behind this operation has revealed his identity, Steve and Tamara can escape. Kemps manages to drive to the estate and after explaining about his fake accident he notices that Dr. Berman is an impostor. Quickly Campbell orders his men to seize the good doctor that they tie to a chair while they take Tamara upstairs to interrogate.


Steve easily severs the ropes and overpowers the two men. He then makes his way upstairs to subdue the rest of the bunch with Tamara's help.


He and Tamara head for the pool to neutralize the remaining watchdogs. Steve even throws in a sweet revenge by throwing Campbell a barbell to reciprocate his gesture.
Days later at the OSI, Oscar is pleased to inform Tamara that all charges of betrayal have been dropped and that she is free to return to her country. She learns that Kulikov intended to use her device to rule the world by deciphering the thoughts of political and military leaders. She is grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Steve and to have met with the real Dr. Berman, with whom she hopes of collaborating on a future project.


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