Meanwhile , broken and incoherent radio messages between Lieber and the search party are intercepted by intelligence agents tracking their progress , and rumours begin to spread across the world of Hitler 's capture . Debates flare up over his impending trial , where it will be held and under whose jurisdiction . Orosso is identified as the nearest airfield to the last known location of the search party , and aircraft begin arriving at the hitherto unknown town . But when the search party loses radio contact with Lieber , they must make a decision : do they sit out the storms and deliver their captive to Lieber later , or do they try Hitler in the jungle before their prize is snatched from them by the world at large , who they know will be waiting ? Their decision is the latter , and against Lieber 's advice ( " You must not let him speak ... his tongue is like no other " ) they prepare for a trial with a judge , prosecution and defence attorneys selected from the members of the search party . Teku , a local Indian tracker , is asked to observe the trial as an independent witness .