Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission behind the enemy lines, knowing you may never return alive?
What you have just heard is the question asked during the war to agents of the OSS.
Ordinary citizens who to this question answered, yes.
This is Cloak and Dagger.
Black warfare, espionage international intrigue. These are the weapons of the OSS.
In today's adventure, the swastika on the windmill, the role of Paul Halfand, an OSS agent in Holland, is played by Lestremijn.
The story is suggested by actual incidents, recorded in the Washington files of the Office of Strategic Services.
A story that can now be told.
My mouth was as dry as ashes. The palms of my hands were ringing wet.
My revolver was drawn, and I moved slowly, slowly along the dark hall.
Everything I had been taught led up to this, this moment.
Boards under my feet teetered. For a terrifying moment I almost lost my balance and fell backwards.
Something was ahead of me. In a room along that dark passage, I sensed it more than anything else.
Then I heard it.
I stopped breathing until I passed that room and the voices of the hidden Germans almost slid past them to the end of the corridor.
There was a Nazi stormtrooper in uniform right in front of me blocking the exit.
Well, fire, fire, fire again!
Good work, Paul. Well, that's it. You passed the test. Now the colonel wants to see you.
What I had just come through was a cleverly designed scare house that rivaled any Coney Island chamber of horrors for one-a-minute thrills.
This was part of the training of an OSS agent, and it took place less than an hour's ride from Washington, D.C.
Lieutenant Halfond, at the present time we have no information, and no way of getting information, on the disposition and plans of German troops in the Netherlands.
We think they're up to something. We want to know what. Now, you'll be flown to England, and from there a submarine will take you to the coast of Holland.
The coast of Holland? To me, Holland was that little country where my Uncle Brom lived, where I visited when I was twelve.
Where the windmills were now under the shadow of the swastika.
I guess we can surface about here. There's Mack on Holland. I want to take a look, Lieutenant Halfond.
Thanks, Commander Sperling.
Through the periscope of the submarine tuner, I could see a windmill from the flat lowland of the Netherlands.
I couldn't see the swastika, but I knew it was there.
The pressure gauge showed twenty feet of salt water above us. Take her up!
Surfer's.
Open the hatch!
We climbed the ladder through the hatch, where an information signal was sent to the submarine.
We climbed the ladder through the hatch, where an inflated rubber boat was waiting to take me to shore.
I'm only a couple of yards from shore. I can get out here. Hand me that rucksack, please.
Hey, officer. Have you far to go from here?
It's only about five miles from Markum to Boleswad, where my uncle lives. I can make it before the sun comes up.
Goodbye. And thanks.
Good luck. Good luck, sir.
So when you rang the bell at Santa Paul, I jumped from my bed.
The devil, I said. It's the Gestapo. They finally put two and two together and connected me with the underground.
Hush, Bram, hush. God gave you a tongue. Must you use it so loosely?
I'm afraid my new aunt Hilda doesn't trust me completely.
I trust no one these days.
Oh, Hilda, Hilda, this is Paul. How often have I spoken to you of the times he came here when he was... how old, Paul?
Twelve, Uncle Bram.
Yes, twelve. And so proper, so correct. A miniature model of propriety. Well, from the looks of it, you've grown, but you haven't changed much.
Still proper as the devil.
The result of my strict Quaker upbringing, Uncle Bram, remember? We were both taught never to drink or smoke or lie or... or swear, Uncle Bram.
Yes.
How long will you stay in Holland?
Only long enough to contact the leader of the underground and get the information I'm after.
I see. Tell me, why should we believe that you are an allied spy?
Hilda.
Answer me.
Surely you don't expect me to carry proof about me that I'm a spy in case the Germans find me.
Then how do we know?
That's enough, Hilda, the devil, I say. I'll hear no more of this talk.
All right, Bram. It will be as you say. And on your conscience.
Your wife doesn't trust me.
You were surprised, no doubt, to find your Aunt Katrina dead and I remarried.
Yes, yes, I was, Uncle Bram. I was lonesome. It's not good for a man to live by himself.
And she is a good woman.
But she doesn't trust me.
She has her reasons. There was a man in these parts not long ago. He passed himself off as a British agent, gained the confidence of some of the underground.
Then he turned them over to the Gestapo.
Oh, I see.
Hilda's family was among those executed.
You understand now?
Uncle Bram, you haven't seen me nor heard from me since I was a boy. You don't know where I've been during those years in between. You don't know what my loyalties are.
Do you trust me?
Tomorrow I will take steps to put you in contact with Hans Boke in Luaden, the leader of the Dutch underground.
When I awoke a few hours later, it was about ten o'clock.
Through the window of the spare room that Aunt Hilda had made up for me, I could see the neat little milk carts jolting over the kastinen, the cobblestones.
And I could see the endless stream of bicycles.
And here and there a German soldier in uniform, like a blot on the landscape.
I'm afraid the breakfast is not as sumptuous as it was in the old days, Paul.
Do not apologize for what we cannot change.
Aunt Hilda is right. It was very good. The Roggebrood was just as I remembered it. And these current buns, these krentenbroodjes, they're wonderful.
I will leave you. I have a house to clean.
You're still suspicious of me?
Have I any reason not to be?
Hilda, enough! Paul is my sister's son. I will stake my own life's blood that he is to be trusted.
Let us hope you do not have to.
Hilda!
Aunt Hilda, look, this pistol, I'm giving it to you. It's the only one I have.
The only one you have? And you give it to me?
Yeah. I put myself at your mercy. If at any time you have proof, even the slightest, that I'm not what I claim to be, take my own gun and turn it on me.
I will take your gun and take you at your word.
That should convince her, Paul. You are what you say.
I hope so. Now, what about this Hans Buck? How can I get in touch with him?
I will arrange for a meeting between you halfway at Harlingen, five days from now, to give him time to collect the information you are after.
The days until Thursday when I was supposed to meet Hans Buck passed slowly, but they weren't wasted.
I set up the shortwave radio on the wine cellar in the living room. I had long talks with Uncle Brum, and I went out of my way to win over Aunt Hilda.
Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help you with dinner, Aunt Hilda?
Nothing. Thank you.
Oh, it's still raining.
Well, need not be too clever to see that.
In Holland it seems always to be raining now. Rain, mud, and despair.
I remember when I came here years ago. It was winter. I was in time for the skaters races.
Yeah, skaters races.
And the booths. Remember the little booths that sold chocolate and milk cooked with aniseed? And the little cakes, all the varieties of gingerbread. Oh, how I loved them.
Hand me the spoon.
Here. Here you are.
Thank you.
Tell me about America. What is it like?
It's too large to describe in a sentence or two, Aunt Hilda. When the war is over, you must come visit us.
When the war is over.
Well, it can't last forever. And America's helping. And remember, our leader, President Roosevelt, is himself of Dutch ancestry.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow perhaps I will make you a gingerbread cake.
Yes, I won her over slowly. And on Thursday when I left for Harlingen, she said goodbye to me at the door with Uncle Brom.
You know where to meet him, Paul. You have everything clear?
Yeah. Everything, Uncle Brom. I'm to meet him beside the monument of the stone man on the North Sea dikes. I'll be knotting and unknotting a piece of string so he'll know me.
Good. Good. We will see you later tonight then?
Yeah.
Paul, here. This is for you. In case you should have need of it.
My pistol.
Take it back.
Thank you. Thank you, Aunt Hilda.
Good morning.
This habit you have of knotting and unknotting string, is it not a waste of time?
Nothing is a waste if it serves a purpose.
Herr Bock?
Yeah, Leutnant Alfond. We meet this friend.
The information. Do you have it?
Yeah. Where? Where?
In my head. You'll have to memorize it as I give it to you. I could not take a chance of writing anything down.
I'll remember then.
Remember it and use it well. There are 40,000 Nazi troops in Holland and Belgium. These troops will be on the move within two weeks.
Where are they going?
Northern Italy. They'll be used to cut off the American advance there.
The Colonel did suspect the worst. Thank you. Thank you. I'll radio this out tonight.
It is appropriate, is it not, for us to meet under the stature of this stone man? See the inscription?
Terminus.
Yeah. It means thus far and no farther. A threat to the sea that is held back by the Dykes.
Thus far and no farther. A threat also to the Nazis?
Yeah. You understand me well. Remember me to your uncle and goodbye for now.
Her book is in constant danger of discovery by the Gestapo poor. It's why he could not take a chance and write that information down for you.
No, it wasn't necessary, Uncle Bram. He passed it from his head to mine.
When will you radio it to London?
It's after midnight. I think I can start now. What's that?
A car. Stuffing in front of the house. There are two men getting out.
So late? Who are they, Bram? Do you know them?
No, I don't.
I'm afraid. I'm afraid it was like this once before when I came to get my family. Paul, we were turned in end by someone who pretended to be a friend.
Is that Hilda? Do you believe that?
I don't know. I don't know what to believe.
I'll answer it.
Mr. Keldemann.
Yeah.
We have business with you.
Come in. This is my wife and my nephew, Paul Halfond.
Your nephew?
Max, take a good look at him. Would you say he looks as if he's to be trusted?
I never trust a man who looks so innocent.
What are you talking about? Who are you?
Do not be so suspicious. We are from Hans Bok. We're members of the Underground.
Underground? I was not conscious there was an Underground in the Netherlands. What do you want with us?
You're being very careful. I can see that, Mr. Keldemann, and that's good. Perhaps this will prove who we are.
Would you not say that is Hervox's own signature?
Yeah, that is his all right. I know it well.
I'm convinced now. Read it aloud, Uncle Brom.
Let me read it, Paul. Have reason to distrust men you sent me today. Show proof who he is or turn him over to these men for Underground execution.
This is ridiculous. I do not understand.
Nor I. Hervox seemed to trust me well enough this afternoon.
Your nephew is a German spy, a traitor in our midst.
The devil he is. I do not believe that. Not Paul. He's not the spy. Not for the Germans.
You want proof? I will give you proof. See here in the wine cellar that this is his short-wave radio.
He was going to send a message tonight. He is a friend. He is an ally. He's a member of the American OSS.
Don't you believe me?
What is it? What is the matter?
We believe you well enough. Thank you for giving us proof of what we suspected.
What's this? Shall I show them my badge here, Commander? Do that, Sergeant. Do that.
Take a good look.
The skull and cause bones. The Gestapo.
We've been trailing, Hervox, but we had no definite proof that he was connected with the Underground. We only suspected.
And today we saw him meet your nephew here on the North Sea dikes.
Where did you meet him? Until now, too.
We figured that if we arrested them then and there we might get nothing from them. So we waited. We arrested Hervox and we found a paper with his signature on it.
That note you showed us was forged. Quite right, Frau Kelderman. The note was forged.
Little by little, inch by inch, I have made my way to the kitchen door.
You have killed him. Right again, Frau Kelderman.
And then around the corner and up the back stairs.
Commander, he escapes. After him. Art! Grandpa, the attic! Art, I am in good mess with you.
In a flood of memory it came back. Chamber of horrors, an hour's drive from Washington.
My mouth was dry as ashes, the palms of my hands were ringing wet.
Along the dark hall, my revolver drawn. Everything I had been taught led up to this. This moment.
Have you covered from both sides? Drop your gun!
Well, fire! Fire! Fire again! Into the darkness!
At this time there was no instructor to say good work, Paul.
There was just a gun in my back and a leader of the Gestapo to say...
You are under arrest, Lieutenant Harald von...
How long do you think you can hold out? We have ways of making you taller.
No, no.
Must we convince you more? Sergeant.
Well?
Eh, perhaps we'll have better luck if we question your aunt.
Sergeant, get Frau Kelderman, bring her here. No, no, no, don't do that. Let her alone.
Simply because you request it.
Sergeant, do as I say. You'll see how long she holds out.
If she is absent, we'll have a shot and you will be a witness, Lieutenant.
You find this amusing, Lieutenant Harald von?
Well, I know when I'm beaten.
Don't bother the old lady or the old man either.
What are you saying?
Well, I thought I could hold out. I can see now there's no point in holding out.
You've won, what more is there to say?
If you're just stalling for time...
I'm not stalling here, Commander.
I'll prove it, I'll confess everything.
Tell you everything you want to know.
Now you're becoming smart.
And so I told them everything they wanted to know.
General Donovan heads the OSS in Washington.
The OSS is part of the American State Department.
The Minister of Finance in Britain is also head of the British Secret Intelligence.
Go ahead, Lieutenant Harald von, we're listening. Corporal, take this down.
I gave them a mixture of fact and fantasy that would have done the German Propaganda Ministry proud.
The true facts I told them I knew they already knew.
The rest they seemed to accept at face value.
So I kept my story with a real whopper.
You taking all this down, Corporal?
Well, take this down with a red pencil.
An invasion of North Holland is part of the Allied plan.
What?
The invasion will be made in the eastern area of Friesland on the Dutch North Sea coast.
You are lying to us!
We'll see if you know you're upbeat.
Perhaps you've been on the wrong side, Lieutenant Harald von.
You've set up a radio?
I think you ought to use it tonight.
Time is now 2300. 2300. Paul Hall von calling headquarters.
Can you hear me? Over.
OSS headquarters to Paul Hall von.
You're coming in clear.
Been waiting for your message, Paul. Good to hear your voice.
What did you say? There's a gun in your back.
I can see it's going to take a lot to convince you.
Paul Hall von headquarters. Listen. Listen carefully.
It's stinking weather for a drop, but I've got to have supplies.
It's darned important. Over.
Headquarters to Hall von.
Would you mind repeating that so we're sure?
Repeat, please. Over.
What the devil's the matter?
You said you were getting darn good reception.
I said the weather's lousy, but it's darned important
that I get a supply drop at designated point tomorrow night.
Can't make it any darn clearer than that. Over.
Okay. Okay, Paul. We get it.
It's darn clear now. You'll get your supply drop.
Good night. Over and out.
You heard it yourself. The drop will be made.
Are you beginning to be convinced of my sincerity?
Were you nervous, Lieutenant?
Why do you say that?
I never heard you use such language before.
Oh, I expect to get over my nervousness
after I broadcast many of these radio messages for you,
Commander Brandt.
After that, they drove me back to the jail.
Commander Brandt of the Gestapo
had never heard me use such language before,
and neither had OSS headquarters.
In the Army, they used to make fun of me
because of my proper speech.
I gambled on the chance that the radio operator who knew me
would detect something odd about my speech.
When he answered back the same way,
I knew he understood I was a prisoner of the Germans
and that the supply drop would probably save my neck.
I didn't sleep that night,
and I didn't really take a deep breath
until 11 o'clock the next morning.
Good morning, Lieutenant.
Would you care perhaps for a piece of chocolate
or an American cigarette?
I knew the drop had been successful.
They sent us home.
Uncle Brom, Aunt Hilda, and me.
But we brought a border with us
in the person of Commander Brandt.
House was different now.
Aunt Hilda prepared meals silently.
Uncle Brom smoked his pipe and looked at me, wondering.
And twice a week, they sat in the living room
and watched and listened as Commander Brandt and I
contacted OSS headquarters.
OSS headquarters to Paul Halvin.
This is important.
Four and twenty blackbirds are coming through the rye.
Storm clouds overhead.
Take in your washing.
Good night. Over and out.
What did that mean?
15,000 more Allied troops are added to preparations
for the invasion of Holland.
And we will rush 20,000 more German troops
to the Dutch North Sea coast.
Already we have 40,000 troops waiting there.
We were going to send them to...
elsewhere.
But they will undoubtedly be of more use here.
Undoubtedly.
I'm going up to bed now.
Don't worry.
The dinner was very good, Frau Kelderman.
I cannot help being a good cook.
It's thoughtful of him to leave us alone so much.
Is it?
I do not care much for your company.
Hilda, maybe he's got his reasons.
I wanted to tell them my reasons.
But I didn't dare.
Instead I stood at the piano and played the scale with one finger.
Even Uncle Brum was getting to the point where he couldn't look me straight in the eye.
But as Uncle Brum became more suspicious,
Commander Brandt became less suspicious.
I think I will go up to bed too.
Something was wrong with the piano.
The C was sharp.
As if something were pressing on it, making it sharp.
I walked around to the back of the Baby Grand.
And I saw it.
It was a small round disc the size of an overcoat button.
I knew it was attached to a dictaphone in Brandt's room.
That was why he left us alone so much.
I'd give him something to listen to.
Paul, I know there must be some explanations for these things you are doing.
Now look.
You haven't had it so good for years.
Eggs on the table.
When did you have eggs on the table last?
Privileges nobody else has.
Extra ration books.
You might as well face it. This is a new order.
Germany's order.
And if you're smart like I am, you'll fall in with them.
Paul, Paul, is this you?
I told you he was a traitor.
A spy.
I warned you.
You wanted to see me, Herr Commander?
Ja.
Paul.
Thank you for coming to my office so promptly at my call.
I follow orders.
So I'm beginning to see.
Sit down, sit down.
I want you to hear something.
I think I'll go up to bed too.
I don't understand.
A dictaphone.
But I still don't think...
I know there must be some explanations for these things you are doing.
That's Uncle Brom.
Ja. Go ahead.
Now look.
You haven't had it so good for years.
That's me.
Eggs on the table.
What's the idea of doing eggs on the table last?
Privileges nobody else has.
Extra ration books.
You might as well face it.
This is a new order.
Germany's order.
You have convinced me completely.
If you're smart like I am, you'll fall in with them.
I have a proposition for you.
Yes?
I want you to go to England for us.
Act as our double agent.
You can be more valuable to us there.
Leave Holland?
Ja.
But aren't I a great help to you here?
I know the risk it involves.
But Germany will pay you well after the war.
Take it over.
I thought it over and let him convince me.
And a few days later a German stormtrooper gave me a personal escort to the border.
And I made my way back from the enemy lines.
After I left, my aunt and uncle escaped and were hidden by the underground.
And it wasn't until the war was over that I was able to see them and explain.
Lieutenant Paul Hulfund returned to OSS headquarters.
And thousands of Nazi troops waited on the shore of the North Sea for an invasion that never came.
Thus once again the report of another OSS agent closed with the words,
Mission accomplished.
Listen again next week for another true adventure from the files of the OSS.
On.
Cloak and Dagger.
The
Heard in today's Cloak and Dagger adventurers Paul Hulfund was last remain.
Brom was played by Stefan Schnabel, Hilda by Virginia Payne,
Vant by Barry Kroger, the Colonel by Raymond Edward Johnson.
Others were Carl Weber, Jerry Jarrett, Arnold Robertson and Bob Wild.
The script was written by Winifred Wolf and Jack Gordon.
The music was under the direction of Murray Ross.
Today's true OSS adventure was based on the book Cloak and Dagger by Corey Ford and Alastair McBain.
This program was produced by Louis G Cowan and Alfred Hollander.
It was under the direction of Sherman Marks.
Programs, get your programs here.
Mystery fans, there's an exciting evening waiting for you tonight on NBC.
First, some listener will have a chance to win a double reward for solving the case on $1000 reward.
Next, when a woman reads her own obituary in the paper,
the saint finds himself involved in a case that leads to murder.
Then Sam Spade works his way through the rod and real caper.
Yes, you'll find adventure here tonight.
Stay tuned now for High Adventure and The Big Guy on NBC.