“I don't think it's right, but I think it's expedient.”
Por qué es buena
It admits the wrong out loud and still chooses it, which is the whole moral of the scene.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
I don't think it's right, but I think it's necessary.
00:00 / 04:27
00:00 / 04:27
Howard Tells Bob to Buy the Letter, Explained
The Letter · 1940
Capítulo 11 de 15 · 4'27"
It looks like one friend steadying another. Howard breaks the news that Leslie wrote to Hammond, then proposes buying the letter back from Hammond's widow. The moral is stated plainly: “I don't think it's right, but I think it's expedient.” Bob's answer is trust, not judgment, and the defense quietly turns into a cover-up.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:11–2:12
Howard Decides to Buy the Letter
61s - 2:54–3:23
Dorothy Refuses to Delay the Party
29s
Howard Tells Bob to Buy the Letter, explained
What happens
At their club over gin slings, Howard Joyce tells Robert “Bob” Crosbie that Leslie wrote to Hammond the night he died. The letter is now with Hammond's widow, who threatens to hand it to the prosecution. Howard wants Bob's permission to buy it, and Bob gives it, trusting his lawyer to decide what is right.
What's really going on
The scene frames itself as friendship, but it is really a negotiation about evidence. Howard's phrase “I don't think it's right, but I think it's expedient” tells the audience exactly what kind of lawyer, and what kind of case, this is: he will do the useful thing even when it is not the honest one. His reasoning is almost casual — “Juries can sometimes be very stupid” — and Bob never pushes back; he simply says he will pay and leave the details to Howard. The real tension is that everyone in the room knows an innocent woman would not need a letter bought. The cover-up begins here, politely, over drinks.
Key lines & what they mean
- “I don't think it's right, but I think it's expedient.”
- Howard admits the plan isn't moral but argues it will work, summing up the film's bargain between right and useful.
- “Juries can sometimes be very stupid, and it's just as well not to worry them with more evidence than they can conveniently deal with.”
- His justification for hiding evidence: jurors are easily confused, so giving them less to think about is simply practical.
- “Well, yes, but don't you see, Bob, that it might alter things a good deal in the minds of the jury if Hammond came to your house by invitation.”
- The letter matters because it changes how the jury reads the shooting, turning Hammond from an intruder into an invited guest.
- “But that's impossible. You heard her say she'd had no communication with him for weeks before it happened.”
- Bob's instinct is to trust Leslie's account, and the letter is the first sign that her story is not the whole truth.
- “Nonsense. We're having the party, and you're going to stay.”
- Dorothy refuses to let the trial set the household's schedule, insisting on the party and on Leslie staying.
Theme
- Justice — The lawyer chooses what is useful over what is right, and the jury is kept in the dark.
- Corruption — Buying a letter to keep it from the prosecution turns the defense into a quiet cover-up.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel2/6
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“Juries can sometimes be very stupid, and it's just as well not to worry them with more evidence than they can conveniently deal with.”
Por qué es buena
It justifies hiding evidence as a kindness to a stupid jury, which is cynicism at its most polished.
Registro
Formal
Úsala tú
It's just as well not to explain every detail to him.
“Well, yes, but don't you see, Bob, that it might alter things a good deal in the minds of the jury if Hammond came to your house by invitation.”
Por qué es buena
The sentence builds slowly and puts all its weight on how a jury would read the invitation.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
Don't you see that it might look bad if you go alone?
“But that's impossible. You heard her say she'd had no communication with him for weeks before it happened.”
Por qué es buena
It throws the listener's own memory back at him, which makes denial impossible.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
You heard him say he'd never been there.
“Nonsense. We're having the party, and you're going to stay.”
Por qué es buena
Nonsense kills the debate in one word, and the two short clauses leave no room to argue.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Nonsense. We're going, and you're coming with us.
Siguiente · 12put all your eggs in one basketLa escena: Robert Announces the Move to SumatraIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- A lawyer says expedient out loud so he never has to call it right.
- The letter matters less than who is allowed to hold it.
- Dorothy's party is a small act of denial about the trial.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy does Howard want to buy the letter?
If the jury learns Hammond came to the house by Leslie's invitation, it undercuts her story of being attacked, so Howard would rather keep the letter out of court.
Is buying the letter illegal?
The film treats it as morally wrong rather than simply illegal: Howard calls it expedient, and the payment is arranged quietly through the widow.
Does Bob believe the letter is real?
Yes. Howard tells him Leslie did write it, explaining it was about a birthday present, and Bob accepts his lawyer's account.
What does “expedient” mean here?
It means useful and convenient rather than right. Howard is admitting the plan is ethically wrong but practically effective.
Who is the party for?
It is meant to be held in honor of Robert and Leslie after the trial, and the scene shows the household trying to act as if normal life can continue.