The Worst Soldier I Ever Saw

Sir John Harvey brings Colonel Leslie, the original Hunter, to see the present incumbent at Section headquarters. Leslie has been working as the British government’s adviser to the Sultan of the African country of Abu Tafa - a country rich in oil. Leslie and Harvey inform Hunter that the Sultan has his eyes on the oil fields of other countries - the British protectorates - but that Britain cannot afford to offend the Sultan, or he will turn to the Russians for support.

The Sultan has a large army and good equipment, but lacks a trained military commander. However, he has offered the post to a former commander of British forces in Abu Tafa, Brigadier Pringle (Allan Cuthbertson). Pringle must be stopped - he is a Red File case.

Callan seeks to make contact with Pringle through his daughter Sarah (Tessa Wyatt), who works voluntarily dishing out soup to down and outs. Dressed down to his worst, Callan approaches her soup stall, and in as unpleasant a manner as he can, insists to her that her father owes him a job for having him thrown out of the army. Indeed, Pringle had been Callan’s commanding officer at one time, and had had him thrown out of the army.

Sarah offers to arrange a meeting. Hunter wants the Pringle business concluded before he goes to Moscow to arrange security for the Soviet President’s visit to Britain. He mentions to an amused Meres that his temporary replacement will be Colonel Leslie, but not to mention it to Callan.

The following day, Pringle meets Callan, and offers him a job as his batman. Pringle tells Sarah that Callan was far too much of an individualist for the army, but as a killer, he was unequalled. Once in Pringle’s employ, Callan is able to make good use of his time. He learns that Pringle is arranging to meet a Dr. Megali (Saeed Jaffrey), the Sultan’s spy, and later is able to take a wax impression of a key to a safety deposit box.

The Brigadier soon tells Callan that he can offer him a more exciting job; soldiering, but the telephone rings and Callan is dismissed. Over the phone, Pringle invites General Joe Klinger (Larry Cross), of the U.S. Army, to dinner. Later, when Pringle discusses a possible move to Abu Tafa with Sarah, he tells her he intends to take Callan with him.

Callan meets Lonely in a betting shop, and asks him to follow Pringle to see where the safety deposit box is, for which Callan has the impression of the key. Megali arrives at Pringle’s house to give the Brigadier a medical. He tells Pringle to feign illness so they can meet often without arousing any suspicion, then goes on to say that the Sultan needs to know the Americans’ military plans for the Middle East, which Pringle must coax out of Klinger.

Meres arrives at the house, posing as a friend of Callan’s, just returning a portable radio. The radio contains bugging equipment which Callan fits to the phone. In the kitchen, Callan and Meres exchange information in disguised phrases while the cook, Mrs. Carr (Julia McCarthy), prepares Pringle’s and Klinger’s meal.

After a brief argument between Sarah and her father over her unwillingness to accompany him to Abu Tafa, Klinger arrives. Before, during and after dinner, Pringle probes Klinger, who gets progressively more drunk and talkative, for the answers to Megali’s questions, secretly taping the conversation.

Meres returns to the house once again, and reminds Callan that Pringle is in a red file. The following morning, Megali visits to confirm the Brigadier’s appointment as military commander. He will leave for Abu Tafa at two o’clock the following morning, before Security can have a chance to act.

Lonely phones Callan at the house to inform him that Pringle has withdrawn a large sum of money from the bank, then is asked to come to the house tonight for a job. Pringle summons Callan to the study where he gives him a firm offer of a job in Abu Tafa, to which Callan appears interested.

Later that night, Callan drugs Sarah to keep her out of the way, while Lonely blows Pringle’s safe open. However, Megali shows up, so Callan is forced to knock him unconscious. Lonely gets to work on the safe with explosives, but Pringle is awakened by an alarm call, just before the safe is blown open. He rushes down to the study, gun in hand, where he is disarmed by Callan, who reveals his true purpose there.

Pringle chides Callan for working for Security, and doesn’t believe he will pull the trigger, so dismissively turns to leave. As he reaches the door, Callan fires and kills him.

Colonel Leslie criticises Hunter’s handling of the affair, saying he would have had Megali shot, and Sarah too if necessary. Hunter hands Leslie all the outstanding files - all red - then leaves for Moscow.

Callan enters and is appalled to find his old boss back behind the desk. He is less surprised to see that all the files on the desk are red.