The_Black_Radio

Cloak and Dagger is an NBC radio series, a foreign intrigue adventure adapted from the book Cloak and Dagger by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain. Ford also was host of the series. Cloak and Dagger was broadcast from May 7 to October 22, 1950, as part of "a mystery block with several other shows of far inferior quality". The program was sustaining for all 22 episodes

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Are you willing to undertake a dangerousmission behind the enemy lines, knowing you
may never return alive. What youhave just heard is the question asked during
the war to agents of the OSS, ordinary citizens who, to this question

(00:23):
answered yes. This is cloak anddagger, black warfare, espionage, international

(00:48):
intrigue. These are the weapons ofthe OSS. Today's story, the Black
Radio, concerns an OSS agent whobroadcast a light propaganda from behind the enemy
lines, and is suggested by actualincidents recorded in the Washington files of the
Office of Strategic Services, a storythat can now be told. It was

(01:14):
one of those quiet days. Thesun was splashing into the windows, and
I was marking time until lunch inthe cafeteria and a date I had with
reddited secretary. There were just thetwo of us in the big gadget room
of the OSS in Washington, justme and Hank Martin. Then all of
a sudden, Hank grabbed my armMark get down air rate? Okay,

(01:42):
okay, what was the idea?Oh? I wish I had a camera
just then? How did you look? Scare? What was that thing you
just throwing aways basket? Just alittle noise maker. Great if you get
in a tight spot. You wantto start a ride? All right,
Look, let's start from the beginning. Huh how does it work? Well?
Like you see, it's not veryjust about the size of a lemon.
Easy to slip into your pocket.All you do is pull out the

(02:05):
cap and throw it and when itexplodes, paw. We call it the
heady Lamar, Major Longha, Ihave a job for you. When our
armies crossed the Rhine into Germany,the Fribourg will become a strategic city.

(02:27):
The less resistance we get from thepeople when we make that advance, the
less lives will be lost. Upto date, we have no report of
any underground or partisan movement there,and the OSS wants me to go in
there with a black radio and softenthem up. Is that it's right?
Cut in on the Nazi local stationsbroadcast the information we want them to get.

(02:47):
Another of our agents infiltrated that areaover three months ago to get acquainted
with the city and locate shootable hidingplaces for the radio. Of course there
it will have to be moved everytime we use it. Right now,
we haven't heard from our agent sinceshe was sent in. We didn't want
her to run the risk of tryingto contact dot. Did you say she,

(03:09):
colonel, that's right? Have youany objection to working with a woman?
Oh no, sir, I meanno. See her name was Lucille,
the colonel said. I wondered ifshe was anything like the Redhead as

(03:30):
Lucille. Nobody had heard from herfor months. Maybe she'd been caught,
Maybe the Nazis had twisted out ofher the reason she'd been sent to fry
Boy. Maybe maybe I'd have areception committee of Germans waiting for me.
It gave me something to think about. On the plane flying over the Black

(03:50):
Forest in Germany a few weeks later, there's your Honda points straight ahead,
straight ahead and straight down. Youmean running in? Ready, Ready,
go, good luck. I tossedthe radio at first, then I jumped
after it. No matter how manytimes I jumped, that was always the
first time. The feeling of falling, sick, feeling like a dream.

(04:13):
I came to with a jaunty asharp pain across my sighs from the pull
of the strap and the crack ofthe chute. Then are all around me.
I looked down on the black forestthat was blacker than ever. At
oh four hundred four o'clock in themorning. There were no Germans waiting,

(04:40):
but no lu Ceo either. Therewas nothing but a foreign country and up
above. The plane faded away.Then it was gone and I was alone.
The radio had to earth about fiftyfeet away. I checked it,

(05:01):
made sure it was all right,buried my parachute, and wondered what to
do next. There was a milkwagon coming down the road. I could
hear the milk cans swaying with themovement of the cart. I could see
a shadowy figure holding the reins.I dragged the radio behind a clump of
bushes, and then I waited forthe wagon to pass. For a moment,

(05:28):
I didn't recognize the saw, andthen all of a sudden, the
words wrote themselves in my head.Come away with me, Lucille in my
merry old smoke, Gusil, Gusille. I'm sorry. I was lead Majo
lange Duram a soldier. I knowstuff to talk. I couldn't break away

(05:53):
without being impolite. Just as longas you got here, hoim John,
let's go here. I was neverso glad to see anyone in my life.
Gee, but I didn't quite expectto need to knock me. What
did you think I'd be like?Now? Oh, I ah, come,
come made Well, I had noidea, no doubt you pictured a

(06:15):
slim, young thing who would interestyour intrigue. I've been either slim nor
young for longer than I'd like toremember. Tell me what did you do
before the world taught history in gradeschool? Now I'm helping to make it.
It's a good feeling until you considerthe possibility of getting caught. We've
got to make sure we don't getcaught. There is always that possibility.

(06:39):
Major accepted, then it's much easierto take it. If it comes.
Yeah, who is it? Yeah? Come in, well, what do
you want? It's across the hall. I'm surely to make your acquaintance.

(07:02):
My name is Gruber. Am Idisturbing you? Helena? Well you know
my name. I see as apoor old widower alone in this world with
very few interests outside of the futureof the fatherland. That is, I
make it my business to know everyonein this roomy house. Do you You

(07:23):
are arrived in Fribora only a fewdays ago. Nine, that's right,
you have a medical discharge from thearmy. You are wounded. It ansioll,
is there anything about me you don'tknow? No, do not take
offense my friend. I asked thelandlady about you. It was she who
told me your information is right here, grouper. I was wounded. I

(07:44):
spent two months in the hospital andI'd like to be left alone. Yeah,
you are bitter, yeah, necificallylife will not be easy, but
you must mix with people, makefriends, don't keep too much too yourself.
Now Here I wrote with me thisbottle of schnapps and two small classes.

(08:09):
Will you not join me? Well, uh yes, yeah do the
future helga, Well, I'll drinkto that. There was something about the
old wind bag who rented the roomnext door to me on the third floor
that I didn't like. I couldn'tput my finger on it. Maybe it

(08:31):
was the way his eyes like patternleather buttons, kept darting around the room.
Right. Good schnapps nine Helana,Yeah, very good. Not like
we used to get before the war. Of course, I'm not complaining.
It is such a little sacrifice tomake for the right. Yes, of
course. What are you planning todo here in Friburg? Well, I

(08:58):
have my crack car as a union. Motion picture projections I worked in the
film house in Berlin before the warand was hoping to find a position here.
You had no success yet, No, no, not yet. The
motion picture house a blocked from themining university. Have you tried there?
Well, no, I haven't dodo do try it till the manager.

(09:20):
Yes, Schmidt, but you area friend of mine. He's always complaining
to me about being short of help. That also is just a little sacrifice
to make for the right, ofcourse, of course. Uh, I'll
go there tomorrow. Oh, tellme what is your business group? I?

(09:41):
Oh, I am a clerk,A clerk in the administration building of
Gestapo headquarters motion naps. I maynot have liked the old went back,
but I took his lead anyway.I went to the movie house near the

(10:01):
university and got myself a job thereon a day shift, and I counted
the hours until the Thursday, wheni'd meet Lucille at the deserted carbarn we'd
agreed on. On Wednesday, Iwas in the projection room running a half
hour news reel, most of whichwas a close up with Hitler making a
speech in Berlin and pulling at themouth. I looked down over the heads

(10:26):
of the audience. Wondered if allof them were as enthusiastic about the fure
as they pretended to be. Wonderedhow much it would take to push them
into starting their own underground, wonderedhow many of them would be listening to
their radio the next month listening tome. How long I came to tell

(10:46):
you what I'll turn that's beau,I came to tell you you may have
tomorrow afternoon off tomorrow afternoon, butI don't understand. I will walk to
you tomorrow night instead of But tomorrownight is possible, I mean longer you
have to go drop here for askyou to take the night shift. This
once, I seem no need forargument. Oh but you see, it's

(11:07):
what you have to do that importantthat it cannot be postponed. Nine Schmidt,
that's so important. I'll be herethe next night. At twenty minutes
past ten, the feature film wentoff. I set the machine, the
news reel with run by itself forhalf an hour, no more. I

(11:31):
didn't give me much time before thereel would run out. Just a half
hour to get to the car barnbroadcast and get back. Now I'd si
to see you. Seven hundred andthirty kilo cycles, but I can't seem
to get reception. Ah, theyare signing one. This is k starts
on car day, signing off untiltomorrow morning. Hit Well, there we

(11:54):
go to the finished crossed. Don'tturn off your radios, people are this
is for you. I am yourvoice of freedom, bringing you news as
it actually exists, not as thepropaganda ministry would like you to believe.
It's good, wonderful. It wasn'tfifty sons of Friburg who died at the

(12:15):
Anzio beach had but five hundred.You mothers, wives, sweethearts, who
have not heard from your men.You think the males are slow? Is
that why you haven't received letters?Your men will never write again. They
were killed at Anzio. Women,they are taking your men away. What

(12:39):
do you have for compensation? Youhave no food, you're cold, and
the political leaders want to sacrifice everythingbut themselves. Haven't you sacrificed enough?
Mark, It's leat, It's allright and now until another time soon,

(13:05):
this is the voice of freedom.Good night. I will not say Hyle
Hitler. I say instead, Godbe with you, the first of many,
God be with us. Both wedismantled the radio I lifted it into

(13:28):
the back of the milkwag and ranas fast as I could back to the
theater and slid in through the sidedoor. And then I heard it,
Hey, longa, longa, Wherewhere are you a Schmidt? Well,
I am what business had you toleave the protection during the usual of the
fure. I only hope your talitydo not your fist our leader top up
in the middle of his speech,Well, where were Where was I?

(13:50):
I was in the washroom. Iwas just going up to see if good
boy, y see, I don'tgo pick the machine clicking up? When
when did this happen? Happen justa minute to good dearly if you wonder
you couldn't heal the disturbance from themushroom and come up here? Yeah?
Yeah, I ran up the stairsto the projection of God. Must have

(14:11):
been with me that first night.If the machine had broken down five minutes
earlier, Schmid would have known I'dleft the theater. The next week,
and the next and the next wewere on the area. We moved the
radio to a deserted warehouse, toa cave in the black forest, to

(14:35):
a barn on the outskirts of town. As a voice of freedom. I
told the people of Fryborg, youare fighting a lost cause. The losses
of the Luftwaffer are seventy five percenthigher than reported resistance in all German occupied
territory is growing stronger people in thecity, but the same. We're as

(15:03):
respectful as ever to the Nazi soldiersthat walked the streets. None of them
showed, by so much as alook or a word, that they ever
heard those broadcasts. And then Ireceived my first indication. I saw you
through the window of the coffee shop. He langa, May I join you
at your table if you'd like,I'll so. Have you been listening to

(15:26):
your radio lately? I have noradio. If you get one, then
I advise you not to listen toReichstatsune car every day. Oh why not?
Because the Gestapo will arrest any onecaught listening to the man who calls
himself the Voice of Freedom. Whatdoes he talk about? This Voice of
Freedom? It's nonsense, of course, a light propaganda nonsense. You sure

(15:52):
you have never heard him? Itold you here Growber, I have no
radio, but of course I forgot. Why is it long? I have
the feeling I've seen you somewhere before. It was ridiculous to suppose that he
had ever seen me before. Buthe told me one thing. The people

(16:14):
were listening, and the Gestapo waslooking for me. I'll mark with that
cough of yours. Perhaps i'd betterbroadcast tonight. No, no, no,
I'll be all right. Yeah,people of Fribourg, this is your

(16:37):
voice of freedom. I want totell you, my friends, how step
by step Hitler has developed his program. Step by step he has carried it
out successfully. First he took ourmen and destroyed them. And now Hitler
is destroying our cities and our factories. Allied bombings will destroy all Germany.

(16:59):
Our men are already dead in onehundred battlefields. This is the purest greatest
achievement for Germany. He is accomplishingit all in less than twelve short years.
Twelve short years of hitler Rite's success. Be addemming the radio, mark,
you'd better sign off. This isthe voice of freedom saying good night.

(17:22):
I will not say Hyle Hitler.I say instead, God be with
you. I'm afraid they may beclosing in hees Sille. It's the first
time the Janda broadcast. We'll haveto move fast, dismantle Radion't get out
of here. The vegan is rightoutside, horry. Less than five minutes
later we'd left the basement of theschoolhouse near the cathedral. It was quiet

(17:47):
in the streets, too quiet,as if the city were holding its breath,
waiting for something to happen. GoodNight until Friday. You know the
place. Me take the radio,ton hold back to your room with it
under your arm. What foolish lucilialways take the risk of being caught gate.
I have the milk wagon to hideit and the barn to bury it.

(18:11):
Better not stand it any longer.Good Night again, and take care
of that car. I started towalk quickly in the opposite direction. The
German triangulation had found the general locationof the radio. The neighborhood would be
swarming with Gestapo any minute. Theheadlights of the official car came out of

(18:32):
nowhere around the corner and blinded me. Here you are, Hu started to
run. I got into a doorway, up the stairs to the roof,
across the roof, down some stairsagain back into the street. Somehow I'd
shaken. Now I was three ofthem. I had to find somewhere to

(18:56):
go, somewhere to hide the moviehouse where I worked was close by.
I went in through the side door. Yanks punched down in the seat anonymous
in the darkness. I was oneof hundreds of people watching the trap.
And then something happened in the filmand the soundtrack went, so that's another

(19:21):
time, you people listen to me. There will be no field tonight.
Should not be reject your dedication ofa free man. And this one by
right, that god looking from manof the steam coming into the theater through
the side dock, a man whois fronted for christening by the Gestapo.

(19:42):
You will file out the exit oneby one and row by row, with
no talking. We mean to theright, then to the left. There
will be no Maybe my forged identificationwould pass suspect easily, but the man
would chasing me had a general ideaof my height and way. I couldn't
take the chance. I put myhand in my pocket and pulled out a

(20:04):
round disc about the size of alemon. The noise maker oss called the
heady Lamara. I yanked out thecap and threw it. I started a
riot, all right. The soldierscouldn't hold them back. The practically walked
over them, and they rushed toget off, and I walked out too,

(20:26):
swept along and the tied up panicGouden Park. You are a group
just on your way to work.I see, I will walk with you

(20:47):
padway. Well, if you'd liketonight when you get home from your work,
listen to your radio. I toldyou I have no radio. I
do keep forgetting. Yeah, we'regoing to listen to mine. Then there's
to be an important announcement at seveno'clock. Announced it about what I learned
about it this morning at the administrationbuilding where I work. Yes, there

(21:08):
has to be a hanging in thesquare at noon tomorrow. And a lined
spy was caught with a radio.What did you say? Spy? She
was picked up last night driving amilkway. Can you imagine the job?
You? Look? Are you?I haven't been well. Call. I
haven't caught the man yet, theone who calls himself the voice of Freedom.
But I have no doubt they will. So they're offering a large reward.

(21:30):
How are they? It's a verybad here tonight. When you return
from work. It remind me togive you some of my cough medicine.
It's very Oh I turn off here. People say I didn't stop buying for

(21:51):
the cough medicine. After work,I locked myself in my room and stayed
up all night, looking out ofthe window about the ice blue stars that
hung over Germany. M and Itried to think of something to do to
help Lucille. Before noon the nextday, I went to the square,

(22:12):
but I still didn't have the answer. Isn't it frightening? Hanaiyah? The
way an execution withdraw the people likeit flies to honey is a destination?
Do you think of seeing someone elsesuffer? You'll tell me, A Grover,
you should know you're here A SoI am? Like? Then?
So are you? Woo woman?Have you anything to say before you die?

(22:40):
People frightened? Remember what you heardon your radios. Remember what the
Voice of Freedom told you? Thegruth the truth, You'll need it.
I've been playing you advise the flyworld. I rea see, I've tanged
with you. It happened quickly.It was all over that I hadn't done

(23:08):
a thing to stop it. Yes, who is it? Only? I?
Yeah? Groover? Go away?Will you please go away? I

(23:29):
don't want to talk to anyone,said my friend about the hanging this afternoon.
No, no, I I justdon't feel well. Now, don't
torment yourself this way. There wasnothing you could do to prevent it.
She did not expect it. Whatare you talking about? Trust me,
you have no one else to trust. The Gestapo is going to check and

(23:52):
cross check every man's papers, everyman in Friedboar. Are you sure you
can stand a thorough investigation? Areyou crazy? Are you accusing me?
Are the voice of freedom? Isuspected it for a long time. I
was never sure. I was afraidto step forward soon. Now listen to
me. I know you don't likeme. I have not liked myself for

(24:17):
years, afraid of my own shadow, afraid to think, afraid, afraid,
but no longer her grover look,I am a discharged soldier. From
the remark, I have made yourface look familiar. It was not your
face, but it was something aboutyou, your voice. I thought I
recognized it, and then I startedto think. I think I would have

(24:42):
been afraid to think for years.You came to Friborg, but at the
same time the broadcast began, youwere you were too ignorant of what was
going on. And then yesterday youcoughed as he had, and I was
almost sure. Then and now tobe I watched your face when she was

(25:02):
hanged, and then you have noone else. He was right, I
had no one else, and Ihad to get out of fryboys. Gruber
offered to drive me across the bridgethat night. From there, it would

(25:22):
be only a few miles to theborder of France. With his official pass
from Gustapo headquarters, Gruber would beable to get past the guard. I
got into the trunk of the car. It was open just enough to let
me breathe. I still didn't knowwhether to trust him. There was a
pretty big price on my head.The car slowed down when you reached the

(25:45):
bridge. Let me see your identificationthere you are. What is your business
outside the fireboys? Official business forthe administration? This looks so I have
orders to search all cars. Well, you can see that it's nothing in
mine. Please, will you hurry? I'm this is official business for the

(26:07):
one moment, one moment. Notso first, what's in your trunk?
The trunk? Well, go seefor yourself. I have an American spy
there. I'm smuggling him across theboard. Don't be impudent, you understand.
I'm sorry. I was just havingmy little joke, and I don't
like jokes. You work as aclerk for the administration, or your head

(26:30):
swells you think you're him? Allright, pass, I'm sorry, all
right, Pass quickly, quickly,get out here. I want to apologize

(26:56):
for the things I thought when youtold the guard what you did. It
was the only thing I could thinkof. It the moment that would prevent
him from searching the trunk. Well, good bye, yes, and thank
you, thank you bred No,wait, look, don't feel the woman
died for nothing. She did notyou, and she have given us the

(27:18):
courage to look at ourselves in themirror. We will continue to talk in
whispers. Yeah, but after youhave gone, there will be many of
us who will no longer thinking whispers. Yes, well, good bye,
good bye. Major Mark Langer madehis way back to Allied lines. When

(27:47):
Fribourg was taken over some months later. It offered little resistance thanks to the
strong underground that had been encouraged bythe Black Radio US. Once again,
the report of another os SAH closeswith the words mission accomplished. Listen again
next week for another true adventure fromthe files of the OSS on Cloak and

(28:10):
Dagger. Heard in Today's Cloak andDagger Adventure as Mark was Larry Haynes,
Lucille, Lily Darvas and Gruber BarryKroger. Others were Raymond Edward Johnson,
Arnold Moss, Stepan Schnabel, Bobwill and Jerry Jerry. Script was written

(28:34):
by Winifred Wolf and Jack Gordon.Music was under the direction of John Guard,
sound effects by Chethill, Dick Gillespieand Art Cooper. Today's Oss Adventure
was based on the book Cloak andDagger by Corry Ford and Alistair McMain.
This program was produced by Lewis G. Cowan and Alfred Hollander under the direction
and supervision of Sherman Marx. ThreeChimes Mean Good Times on NBC. There's

(28:57):
mystery and music tonight on End NBC. The mystery is Sam Spade's latest case,
in which the romantic Private Eye solvesthe caper of too many clients.
The music is the NBC Symphony SummerConcert with Antol Dorati's guest conductor, and
the American Album of Familiar Music,one of radio's best loved musical programs,
which returns to the air tonight.Three Times Mean Good Times on NBC