Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Adventurers of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of Cloak and Dagger.
I do want to encourage you, if you're enjoying the podcast,
to please follow us using your favorite podcast software, and
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by the financial support of our listeners. You can support
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Detectives dot net, or become one of our ongoing Patreon
supporters for as little as two dollars per month. But now,
from June eighteenth, nineteen fifty, here is the catching story.
Speaker 2: 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.
Speaker 3: This is.
Speaker 2: Clock and Dagger. Black warfare, espionage, international intrigue. These are
the weapons of the OSS. Today's adventure, the Cutchin story
tells of an agent an American agent dropped behind Japanese
lines in Burma, a story suggested by actual incidents recorded
in the Washington files of the Office of Strategic Services,
a story that can now be told. The sky hangs
low over Burner in nineteen forty four. It was more
than just the smoke and dust haze that blankets in
the dry season. It was the tension in the air
that weighed the clouds down so that they almost seemed
to be pressing against the wings of our plane.
Speaker 4: You gotta reach your objective in a few minutes, Mike good,
I'll tell you when to hit the cell.
Speaker 2: You got everything, yep, Radio spies, I'm all set. Why
that's thick jungle down there, thick with Jeff, That's what
I mean. I looked down on the towering jungle colored
mountains of North Burma. I thought of the small band
of Cutching natives who are waiting to meet. I thought
about how pitifully outnumbered they were behind the enemy lines.
Now they hated the Japs. And then, all of a sudden,
I didn't have time to think anymore. Lousy jet fighter,
what cloud did he crawl? Too late to run? We're
in for it.
Speaker 4: Sorry, you're gonna be late for your appointment.
Speaker 2: Brother. What I could do with a tail gunner?
Speaker 1: Now?
Speaker 2: Hold out of your stomach.
Speaker 4: Mic, We're gonna see if I can loop and get
behind him.
Speaker 2: Hi, he's stilling a tail.
Speaker 4: Yeah, he looked right behind me.
Speaker 2: He hit or rented. I'm quiet lousy, I swirt. You
caught him? How better we hit? We all making better?
Speaker 4: Try to belly laugh?
Speaker 2: Can we jump? Hold off for that? Hold on, watch
those trees. I can't pull her up, bike, I.
Speaker 3: Can't, I can't.
Speaker 2: I was thrown from the plane when we crashed. I
got off with nothing more than a that was bleeding
pretty bad. When I crawled back to the wreck, I
found a pilot. He wasn't so lucky. I started to run.
I didn't know where I was going, but I started
to run anyway through the bamboo thickets. My leg was
throbbing with pain, and I tripped. The pistol dropped out
of my hoster and disappeared into the high grass. I
didn't have time to look for it, somewhere to the
north with the Cutchins. I had to get to them.
This was headhunter country in those days. Japs paid high
prices for American scalps. After a while, my breath came up.
I couldn't go any for them. My imagination put japs
in headhunters behind every tree. I told myself I had
to stop. I told myself I didn't have enough wind
to take another step. I changed my mind when behind
me I heard a twig snap. There was someone followed,
a quiet, stealthy someone, and padded cat's feet. I kept
up running into the river. I didn't bother and looked
first for crocodiles. A numbness from my bad legs spread
all over me. I could hardly swim. All I wanted
to do was get away from that shadow behind me.
When I reached the opposite shore, I climbed on. It
was sending part safe, safe, And then I looked back.
I saw the tireless shadow emerge from the bushes and
flipped silently across the river on a fallen tree truck.
My lungs were ready to burst. I pulled myself up
again and hull over some roots and waited, waited for
that shadow to catch up with me. I just laid
there and waited. Okay, okay, you win. Where do we
go from here? I'll say something. I'll just stand there.
I probably won't be able to understand you, but say
something anyway. I half to make of warrior just stood
there staring at me, saying nothing. I hadn't given anything
to have having a gun back again, and all of
a sudden I did. He just reached down and handed
it to me. Hey, I I don't get it. What's that?
What's that cad? You hold? Follow this guide? He will
lead you to safety.
Speaker 3: Well, well, now you're talking, sure, And you couldn't look
more surprised, Captain, than if the tall grass potted and
you came on a field of fall leaf clovers. I
feel that my father, like you, turned over a stone
and there we were.
Speaker 2: What's about it? I thought that night of following him
it was a head hunter. I know they'd turned any
American over. The Japs were a two pound bag of salt.
Speaker 3: Hey, you're right there on the holy savages that they are.
We saw your plane fall, and I sent you here
after you with that message written on the card.
Speaker 2: He's the fastest runner in the Kutchin village.
Speaker 3: I'm sorry he puts such's care into you. Oh forgive me, Captain,
say did I pull the bandage too tightly?
Speaker 2: Then? No, No, that's okay. I don't want it too much.
When I think it would have happened to the pilot.
I was lucky. Yes, it was a pitchy about the
pilots Ying. This is if you don't mind. Thank you.
Speaker 3: There now almost don't now. Then we'll go out and
you will meet the villages. The women have prepared a
special banquet for you, and that's very nice in them.
Speaker 2: Have you been a missionary here in Burma? Long father?
For almost twelve years now? I hardly remember any other life.
Speaker 3: These good natives have all become sons and daughters to me.
We've taught each other. I speak their language. They all
speak English. Now I do as well as I almost.
Then I have a question, father, Yes I'll come. Ying
over there took ten years off my life, chased me
through the jungle. Why didn't he say something? Well, Ying
didn't speak to your captain Shay because he wasn't able to.
He was a prisoner of the Japanese some time ago.
They cut out his tongue, that other all of bandage. Pleasing,
thank you you, Colleen. Put more wine in the bamboo
cup for our guest.
Speaker 5: Yes, I will be happy to here you are.
Speaker 2: What did you call her? Father, Colleen?
Speaker 3: To make it easier for me, I've renamed many of
the villagers. That woman stirring the big Kettler's Kathleen and
the other beside her bridget I get.
Speaker 2: The general idea.
Speaker 3: And your name is shay Ah Mike say a good
Irish nahorbo?
Speaker 2: I ever heard one? Well, actually, father, it's Michael Chicaalnikov.
Would you mind repeating that Chicagnikov? It's Polish, I shorten
because everybody has trouble pronouncing. Sometimes I have trouble myself
spelling them.
Speaker 3: I see, well, no matter, no matter. Tell me more
about your mission.
Speaker 2: When I was sent by the OSS to establish radio contact, father,
with the Northern Area Combat Command in Burman, give them
any information and help by CAM. That is, with your help,
of course.
Speaker 3: A well, you'll find us of great assistance immediately after
the bank which you can find a place to set
up your radio.
Speaker 2: How are you enjoying? You mean? My wife never made
anything of taste it like this? Did you like it? Well?
Let me feel your plate some more. Thanks, that's very good.
H What is it we make it?
Speaker 5: I sure for you today, white bee sweep boy for hours.
Speaker 2: Uh, I guess I've had enough. I don't feel right
moving you out of your het, father.
Speaker 3: Gosh, quite all right, I can easily find another basher.
Speaker 2: This is the best spot for your radio.
Speaker 3: I'll even leave you the decorations on the walls to
inspire you.
Speaker 2: Ginger Rogers, that's your favorite pin up? Well, she's a
fair lass, all right. She brightens up the basher with
your permission. Then I'll stick a snapchat of my wife
up with the rest of these pictures. And that does it.
You know when I think of my wife, will Phil
little guilty? Why is that? Micheon? Oh? I don't know.
I thought of her going blind, squeezing all the nose
from home in the female were in a self sick
about me and all the time I never felt more
free in my life. Hey, I know just what you mean.
Speaker 3: I love this life in the jungle as well as
the people, my people here. I don't think I could
ever leave now, check bitter By, Do you mind if
I call you?
Speaker 2: Oh, Shay, No, not at all, father, O do them?
Not at all? This jungle home was a far cry
from a third four walk up in New York and
the job behind the desk in the insurance office. The
Cutching Warriors aren't imposing figures. The short squat with long
matted hair and teeth worn to a black stub by beetlenut.
They led a simple village life, eating rice, trapping wild pigs,
the technique they also used in trapping wild Japs. But
they were friendly, happy people, and life for them it's pleasant.
Until one afternoon when a report came in on the radio.
Speaker 6: North Area Combat Command to Agent chakaal Nikov.
Speaker 2: Agian chakol Nikov of the OSS to North Area Combat Command,
you're coming in clear A waiting message come in over Capture.
Speaker 6: Of jungle town of Mitchina and its airstrip is vital
to aid a light advance in Burma. Battalions of American
marauders will attempt capture. They will rely on your help
to get them through the jungle. Over Agient Chicolonnikov. The
headquarters have small band of Cutchins organized. We will do
what we can. A waiting further instructions over Other native
armies under OSS leadership have been alerted. Stand by, stand by.
This is imperative.
Speaker 2: Over and out, Oh, father tool, I didn't see who
standing there? You heard? I heard Oshi. This is a
big push all right. That airport at Mitchener could mean
success of failure the whole American campaign. Burman, We'll get
our warriors ready. In the meantime, there's nothing we can
do but wait for orders. That's always the worst part
of it.
Speaker 7: Wait quite quite, my children, Quite now, Jesus, I have
told you, when the order comes from the Americans, we
will advance upon the enemy.
Speaker 2: We leave now, father, catch enemy ourselves.
Speaker 3: No, no, no, no, that's not the way we must work.
Speaker 2: From now on. The American will be our leader. We
will do as he says. We will follow Captain or shame.
Speaker 6: North area. Comeback command to Aged Chakalnikov in Burma. A
battalion of marauders on the way to Minchina has been
caught off from the main body of the column and
lost in the jungle.
Speaker 2: Radio contact. Gone find them and supply reinforcements. Overt Asian
Chakhonakov the headquarters. We'll do the best we can. Over
not well, we've waited two weeks for an assignment, but
when it came it was a beauty.
Speaker 3: Well, the problem oshe is locating that battalion. Now it
occurs to me, yes, yes, father, it occurs to me
that if they're surrounded by the Japanese somewhere in the jungle.
The Japanese themselves would know exactly where that spot is.
Speaker 2: Father, I don't get you.
Speaker 3: Well, there's a Japanese beople wacked less than six miles
from here. They're are undoubtedly Japanese high command who have
the information we're after.
Speaker 2: I've got you now, father, But one of the scouts
can with me to show me the way with the jungle.
We'll sneak into that JAP camp and bring one of
the officers back with us here. Lor sure sure to
who my neighbors will liably get caught. Just a couple
of us can make it all right.
Speaker 3: Wait till the moon is halfway across the sky, then
go and the Lord go with you.
Speaker 2: When the moon was halfway across the sky, the scout
and I set out back through the jungle I had
come from. Only this time I was a shadow too,
slipping behind the bamboo thickets, cutting my way through a
dense jungle foliage. We didn't talk much, only what was necessary.
Speaker 8: JAP camp, Claw, Jack camp there ahead, she so bushes.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I see, And those fires lit must be some
kind of a power going on.
Speaker 8: Sent there were finger point Yeah, yeah, I see it.
We will surprise and sneak in camp. I'm there behind,
not duck guy, not tuck nice being many chap okay
through the bushes, follow me, Watch for.
Speaker 2: Snakes that your worry about? What about the time? It's
wild boards, commodo lizards?
Speaker 8: What a snake?
Speaker 2: Snick? Your move is? Strike? What do we do? Can
you get them? With a stick? A rock? Gun? Best gun?
The hearers gun best rock? No good, stick, no good.
If I miss, you.
Speaker 8: Would die then none bomb.
Speaker 2: And I stood there like somebody who can froze, dumb
and stiff. My heart was pounding like a jungle tom tom.
If he killed the snake, the Japs were sure to
come running. If he didn't. He raised his gun, slow slow.
The snake was swaying back and forth, that snake much debt.
He killed him, all right? If we didn't have time
to escape back into the foliage. After that, nothing's there
on my mind. For Jap's all around us, yelling like crazy,
and lots of guns going, and the cutching scouts fell
flat on his face dead. Then somebody buttered me from
behind with a pistol, and the moon went out of
the heavens and the sky that hangs low over Burma
came down and hit him her face.
Speaker 9: Wake up, American, wake up?
Speaker 2: What happened?
Speaker 1: Oh?
Speaker 2: Oh my head.
Speaker 10: I am kind of Hiji of Japanese High Command. I
regret that we were forced to render you such stormy.
Speaker 2: Welcome, Colonel Hiati Eh, you speak English pretty well.
Speaker 10: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CHLUSS thirty seven.
Speaker 2: The wed Clinton High School, the Bronx class of thirty three.
We will get along well.
Speaker 10: I think if we make a little trade.
Speaker 2: What kind of a trade you're right for?
Speaker 10: Little information? I see the American marauders. I want to
know the numbers, their positions, their objective.
Speaker 2: I don't know. If I did, I wouldn't tell you God.
Speaker 10: That whip was simple. We have much more in store
for you. If you do not agree to be more
agreeable to our simple requests. I give you twenty four
hours to take it o by American.
Speaker 2: The hot they threw me under was small and dark.
There was a sentry posted at the entrance. What I
remember most about those twenty four hours was the heat. Wet,
sticky heat that made my skin crawl and my lips dry.
It was a cute tricketing in my tea graduate class
of thirty seven to let the water drip from a
pipe right outside the barred window. After a while, it
begins to get you when you're thirsty.
Speaker 10: Yo, get up, Get up, Canna I eat it?
Speaker 2: See you now? Up? American?
Speaker 6: Up?
Speaker 2: Oh, okay, okay, get your hands off me. What's that stampede? Stampede? Even?
Speaker 3: Oh god, that's one less Japanese to what is the
true where you come from? What is this? No time
for long explanations now, lad They out numbered as fifty
to one, and we needed heavy ammunition.
Speaker 2: Elephant with the heaviest we could fight. Yeah, but how
to tell.
Speaker 3: When you didn't come back? I sent a run out.
We found the body of this guy. Come, we must
leave now.
Speaker 2: But the information I came to get, oh that we'll
take it with us. Cutching warriors in this village have
a grudge against your people, Colonel Hayachi, Maybe you can
tell us why.
Speaker 10: You cannot frighten me American. You'll get no information from me.
Shoes on the other foot, now, huh.
Speaker 2: So it would seem ying I'd like you to meet
Ying Colonel haih Some months ago, he was a Japanese prisoner.
His tongue was cut out. I'm gonna turn you over
the ying No no, he can ask your questions his
own way. Go on take him no, no, no, no, get
you away from me. I will tell you what you
want to know.
Speaker 3: I won't tell you why we have surround and lost,
but tell you I tell you where they are.
Speaker 2: That's more like. It's not talk. Warriors got ready to attack,
and a great holiday spirit took over the village.
Speaker 5: But we must come. We always come oshe when our
warriors go ambush Japanese.
Speaker 2: But this is crazy. I can't have a lot of
women and kids and old men tagging along. We go,
we go.
Speaker 5: Old men carry fintlock muzzle loader. Women we do our
job or so now wait a minute. When battle finish,
women cook, big party, somebody dear.
Speaker 2: Monkey me what and serve a pipe and hot in
the front lines. Nothing doing. I'm gonna see father, oa't
tool about this. You have your problems.
Speaker 10: I have my no say, But we can't let that
whole tribe come along. This isn't kids play. They'll come
with your life be pure or not?
Speaker 3: Ohay, they always do in the mean boy, look at
my predicament. John soner shait.
Speaker 2: And stole me false teeth. What an't I to do
without your tea? Father oat tool? Please? We have much
time I eat. You gave us a map. We know
where the marauders and the Gap attackers are, but we
won't do them any could just sitting here. I'm not
just sitting here, Chay. I'm trying to find me teeth.
The whole village went along, whether I liked it or not,
and Father Road too came along too without teeth. The
Cutching warrior n the black trails of the jungle as
well as I knew forty second street. Ying' seemed to
be the leader, and he met us through a little
known passes along hidden underbrush, closer and closer than the
spot where we know the Japs had the American battalion
cut off helpless, just what they wanted them. No one
made a sound, and Ying held up his hand. What
is it? Ying?
Speaker 3: This junction of the two trails. He's not sure which
one to take. That's itching, isn't it?
Speaker 2: Madam's split up half. Let's go one way?
Speaker 3: No no, no, they're on to no pu.
Speaker 2: The cutcheons have their own methods. Where is Ying pointing
at me?
Speaker 3: He's given you the honor of contributing the hair from
your head. The hair from your head. Here, let me
have one. Ah, thank you, hideyo ying.
Speaker 2: Why's he throwing it on the ground.
Speaker 3: We'll go in the direction to hair points.
Speaker 11: It's not very scientific, but g tar rage works. Ah,
it points to the right. We'll go to the right,
the right, father told the dead word. There are the chaps,
and there were the marauders down here to those foxhorts.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're surrounded or right for it as so when
if they held out this long?
Speaker 3: Our business there needs to attack the enemy from the
rear and give them a tiding.
Speaker 2: A chance to hit back. We can't attack them. There's
too many of them. We'll have to ambush. Hey, he's true.
Speaker 12: For me, I had my teeth, or you could think better.
Speaker 2: Gin, some of you others come here, listen. Our only
chance is to draw them off from the left. Is
a clearing name. They'll give the marauders a chance to
get out of them and circlement.
Speaker 10: He says, chaps, Oh, here we set trapped with them.
That's the idea, Panji, we like pang pangy.
Speaker 2: What's that? Hey, you want to trap?
Speaker 3: Said what he'd about witness the cutcheons secret weapon.
Speaker 2: What are they doing?
Speaker 3: Their wit and goes bamboo pooge to sharp pors. Then
they'll stick to them with the slangs beneath the underbrush.
I'll need to show you to the trade. When the
enemy passes our war is your ployer and the Japanese
a dive to the sides.
Speaker 2: I get it and cut themselves to ribbons. Very affect,
very quitted. The natives work quickly, the women helping them
whittle a bamboo to raising points. When everything was ready,
I took a few of them unto the left flank
and we fired, and they ran right into our trap.
Very effective, not se critter. I committed mass harry carry
all along the trail. That's all there was to it,
And I never thought we'd get out of those foxholes alive.
Captain Chichonikov, thanks helping us chase the rest of the
chaps off. I'm glad we got to help. Major. The
cutcheons will lead you to the rest of the Whites
through the jungle so you can rejoin the main body
of your column. Can we leave now? Oh?
Speaker 3: No, Major, The women would be in shirted hundred in
the battle table. Visual preparing the victory fish.
Speaker 2: Pretty sure of themselves.
Speaker 3: The good wives, they have confidence in their husbands. The
feast is ready. They're even dressed for it.
Speaker 2: Worry that blows in their hair and everything all dressed up.
Speaker 3: One of them may show a dressed Colleen comb here, yes, father,
don't you? Yes?
Speaker 2: Father me? What do you got around your neck? Well?
Speaker 5: I bow for the victim.
Speaker 2: My fag teeth.
Speaker 3: Now you find yourself another neglition. Give them back story?
Speaker 2: No, then I have nothing, say Colleen. Listen to me. Here,
he's something prettier. My shop. Shoot is meted shot shoot
mm hmm. Every American soldier has one to give the
previous girling meats. Would you like it? So shiny?
Speaker 5: Driven? Pretty too? Father too?
Speaker 2: You have back your.
Speaker 3: Teeth, Captain Shikarnikov, you're worthy of the name of war shame.
Speaker 2: The capture of the vital airstrip and the ultimate conquest
of Mitchener was due to the combined efforts of the
marauders who attacked it and the Kuchin warriors who helped
them and harass the enemy all along the way. And
once more, the report of an OSS agent closes with
the words mission accomplished. A further Adventure in Black Warfare
is next week's Cloak and Dagger. Heard in Today's Cloak
and Dagger Adventure where Raymond Edward Johnson, Carl Weber, Bill Quinn, Joe,
Julian Everett Sloan Inga Adams, Jackson Beck and Jerry Jarrett.
The script was written by Winterfred Wolf and Jack Gordon.
Music was under the direction of John Gart. Today's True
Oss Adventure was based on the book Cloak and Dagger
by Cory Ford and Allister McBain. This has been a
Lewis G. Kahn production in association with Alfred Hollander and
was under the direction and supervision of Sherman Marx Robert Warren.
Speaker 12: Speaking do you enjoy a capricious caper or a melodramatic mystery?
NBC offers three of the best for your pleasure Later today,
a giant among men, the Big Guy leads off with
Vincent Price as the Saint close behind. Popping off this
list is Sam Spade license number one, three, seven, nine
six in the Elmer Longtail Caper. So listen for three
top mysteries on NBC.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to be fair to father O'Toole. It's hard
to focus on anything if you're missing something important to you,
and I can't imagine trying to go about my business
while missing my teeth. Kudos to the actor for portraying
that point and being as consistent as possible in showing
how Father O'Toole was struggling to talk without his teeth,
and Father O'Toole is probably one of the wider characters
we've heard. Though certainly not strictly comic relief, this story
brought home the painful reality of Japanese war crimes and
crimes against humanity during the Second World War and the
period leading up to it, which are not nearly as
well remembered as those committed by the Germans, but were
still on a horrific scale between nineteen and thirty million
dead in an eighteen year period of Imperial Japanese aggression,
including Japanese civilians, prisoners of war, and native population. And
even beyond deaths, there were many degradations, torture, inhumane treatments
by that ruling regime. So this definitely has the ring
of truth about it. And this is also an interesting
story just in terms of the mission. It puts Kalishnikov
in an interesting positions. There are stories and situations based
on the files from the OSS where they might take
a stronger hand in directing operations. There was that great
Jack Web story operation Florida Lee, where he parachuted behind
enemy lines and found himself worth keen with a ma
key with no experienced leaders. Here though, he's dealing with
people who knew what they're doing, but they did things
in a very different way, and despite coalition to cost protests,
he had to just get out of their way and
let them do their thing, really coordinate with, you know,
with the US action in terms of the timing of
their operation, but then just let them do their things
and work as partners. And I think O'Toole helped him
with that. Listener comments and feedback now and just one
comment from YouTube, Mark just gave a simple nurse and
I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Ryan Serr
made a comment about the music sounding similar to Tales
of the Texas Rangers, and I think I addressed that
an episode back, that there's a lot of music reuse
on these sort of mystery programs on NBC in the
early nineteen fifties, where a lot of the bridges and
incidental music get reused from show to show, so that's
not something that was imagined.
Speaker 2: All right.
Speaker 1: One other thing, I was kind of thinking about maybe
doing a T shirt around Cloak and Dagger or the OSS.
If there is interest in that, please let me know.
But now let's go ahead and think all Patreon supporter
of the day, and I want to thank Bernie, Patreon
supporter since June of twenty twenty four, currently supporting the
podcast at the Shawmas level of four dollars or more
per month. Thanks so much for your support, Bernie. And again,
if you are enjoying this podcast, please follow us using
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be sure to like it, subscribe to the channel. All
those great things help YouTube channels to grow. Now we
will be back Saturday with Cloak and Dagger. Now we
crosspost this to Great Detectives, so if you're listening on
Great Detectives on Monday, we'll be back with the Falcon
On Tuesday. We will be playing Flash Gordon on the
Great Adventurers of Old Time Radio. And if you are
interested in catching up on the interplanetary Adventures of Flash
Gordon as well as all the great adventure series that
we are going to do, be sure to subscribe to
the Great Adventurers of Old Time Radio on your podcast
app or by going to Great Adventures dot info. In
the meantime, do send your comments to Box thirteen at
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Great Detectives From Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Grahamson.