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Welcome to Choice classic radio where we bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for donating@ChoiceClassicRadio.com this is your FBI. This is your FBI. An official broadcast from the files of the federal bureau of investigation, presented as a public service by the equitable life assurance society of the United States. To your FBI, you look for national security and to the equitable society for financial security. These two great institutions are dedicated to the protection of you, your home and your country. Tonight, the story of a crime against our nation. Espionage.
FBI Agent 1
1939. That year, the continent of Europe already echoed the cries of people under aggression. On the continent of Asia, far beyond our western shores, was Japan, a dedicated nation, a dedicated people, dedicated to war upon the United States. But we did not know this yet. Within our western gates were more Japs, thousands of them. Were they dedicated to being good American citizens? Or were there among them, some dedicated to? Our destruction here was a vital task for the FBI. The safety and security of America might depend on what they found out. A Sunday afternoon in 1939, two FBI agents from the San Francisco office stood on a pier at the San Francisco waterfront watching a Japanese cruiser warp into the dock.
FBI Agent 2
How big would you figure that crowd, Jim?
FBI Agent 3
Oh, I'd say, oh, at least a thousand.
FBI Agent 2
Pretty excited for japs, aren't they?
FBI Agent 3
Well, this is a big day for them, Larry. There's not often they get a chance to pay their respects to a big shot from Japan.
FBI Agent 2
I know.
FBI Agent 3
Larry, is this prince Tsuji a member of the royal family?
FBI Agent 2
Yes.
FBI Agent 3
They sure are giving him the Sunday bows, all right.
FBI Agent 2
Funny how they conform to that caste system of theirs. That first line that shook hands with the prince were all top bracket boy.
FBI Agent 3
I know, I've checked him off. Japanese consul general, head of the Jap association, leaders of the prefectural groups. Second line was a middle bracket bunch. Bankers, nip businessmen.
FBI Agent 2
All they got from the good prince was a nod.
FBI Agent 3
Well, that's more than the small fry are getting now.
FBI Agent 2
Those housewives and farmers, they bow and the prince doesn't even acknowledge their presence. Say, hmm, look at that bull Necked little man in the chauffeur's uniform. What about him? You notice something? He's not cringing or bowing. He's standing in line with his head up and shoulders back, like a soldier. Oh, yes. Hey, did you see that? Yes. The prince bowed to him.
FBI Agent 3
I know.
FBI Agent 2
I don't like that, Jim. They don't play it that way in their league. Princes don't go around bowing to chauffeurs.
FBI Agent 3
Unless our chauffeur is a big shot back in Japan.
FBI Agent 2
Yes, that's something you and I better check on.
FBI Agent 1
One Jap bowing to another Jap. A pair of striped pants and cutaway coat bowing to a chauffeur's uniform. The two FBI agents, troubled by what they saw, investigated and learned the chauffeur's name and background. Then they took their information to the agent in charge of the San Francisco office of the FBI.
FBI Agent 2
That's the story, Mr. Walker.
FBI Agent 3
A prince bowing to a chauffeur. That is unusual.
FBI Agent 2
Yes.
FBI Agent 3
Did you follow this man? Yes, sir. He lives at the Osaka Hotel.
FBI Agent 2
His name?
FBI Agent 3
Yasu Kajioka. Did you learn anything about his work?
FBI Agent 2
Yes. He drives a big Cadillac. He owns it. He runs some sort of escort service with headquarters at the hotel.
FBI Agent 3
Anything else on him?
FBI Agent 2
We found out that he's been a very active worker for many of the local Japanese associations.
FBI Agent 3
Well, I think we should do a Thorough check on Mr. Kajioka's activities.
FBI Agent 2
Won't be too easy. We could use some help.
FBI Agent 3
From whom?
FBI Agent 2
Someone of his own race. A Japanese who was loyal to us.
FBI Agent 3
Well, we might try the university. They have quite a few Japanese American students there.
FBI Agent 2
That's a good idea.
FBI Agent 3
Suppose I arrange with the dean of studies out there for you to have a talk with him?
FBI Agent 2
Fine.
FBI Agent 3
I'll get him on the phone right now.
FBI Agent 1
The two FBI agents spent almost an entire day with the dean of studies at the university. They pored over the personal records of many Japanese American students and finally narrowed down their choice to one man. A student by the name of Tom Tanaka. His record showed he lived in the same neighborhood as the Jap chauffeur.
FBI Supervisor
Gentlemen, have you reached a decision?
FBI Agent 2
Yes, sir. This man, Tom Tanaka looks good to us.
FBI Supervisor
Well, I think you've made an excellent choice.
FBI Agent 2
He lives in the same neighborhood as the man we want watched. If he measures up in other ways, that's a definite plus.
FBI Supervisor
I understand.
FBI Agent 3
You realize, sir, how important it is to us that we be able to trust this boy implicitly.
FBI Agent 2
Yes, I do.
FBI Agent 3
We've got to know if he's Loyal. He's a real American at heart. He thinks and acts like an American.
FBI Supervisor
There are thousands of men and women.
FBI Agent 1
Who live here on the West Coast.
FBI Supervisor
Mr. Schuyler, who look Japanese and are the sons and daughters of Japanese. But I know them as true Americans. They're as loyal as any of us whose ancestors were German, English, French, Irish or whatever. I say that this boy is an American, just as you or I.
FBI Agent 3
Good. Can we meet him? At once?
FBI Agent 2
Tom, I imagine your dean has told you that we're special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Tom Tanaka
Yes, sir, he has.
FBI Agent 3
We've selected you, son, from the list of the entire enrollment of Japanese Americans here at the university.
Tom Tanaka
As a student?
FBI Agent 1
No.
FBI Agent 3
No, as an American.
Tom Tanaka
Well, what about it? I am an American.
FBI Agent 3
We believe you are, in every sense of the word.
Tom Tanaka
Has somebody been talking about me?
FBI Agent 2
No.
Tom Tanaka
Then what's this all about, sir?
FBI Agent 3
Tom, we want you to help us.
FBI Agent 2
How?
FBI Agent 3
In a very important, perhaps very dangerous way.
FBI Agent 1
You.
Tom Tanaka
You want me to work with the FBI?
FBI Agent 3
Yes.
FBI Agent 2
Do you know a man called Kajioka Yasu? Kajioka?
Tom Tanaka
Why, yes. We're neighbors. I helped him compose letters in English several times.
FBI Agent 2
Good. What do you remember? You.
Tom Tanaka
I think so. He said once that he might give me a job doing secretarial work in my spare time. Why do you ask me about Kajoka?
FBI Agent 2
We need a loyal Japanese American like yourself to help us investigate this man. We want to know if he is connected with any UN American activity.
Tom Tanaka
What do you want me to do?
FBI Agent 3
Help us to get information, Tom. All we want are facts.
Tom Tanaka
I see.
FBI Agent 3
You said that you. You know Kajioka, that he offered you a job once. We want you to go to him. Take the job.
FBI Agent 2
We're giving you the opportunity to do this as an American, Tom.
FBI Agent 1
Well.
Tom Tanaka
What would I say to Kajoka? How would I ask for the job?
FBI Agent 2
You'd tell him that you are in need of money to finish your studies. If he hired you, you'd undertake at once to impress him with your love of Japan and the Japanese.
FBI Agent 3
We don't want you to put your life in danger. You'd be cautious, never inquisitive.
FBI Agent 2
What do you say, son?
Tom Tanaka
I'll do it.
Yasu Kajioka
No. What you want, young man?
Tom Tanaka
I want to talk to you, Mr. Kajoka.
Yasu Kajioka
What about? Please.
Tom Tanaka
A job.
Yasu Kajioka
Why?
Tom Tanaka
To earn some money.
Yasu Kajioka
Why do you come to me, lowly chauffeur, if you need money?
Tom Tanaka
You told me Sunday you might give me a job.
Yasu Kajioka
Oh, yes. Why you want to earn money?
Tom Tanaka
To keep up my studies.
Yasu Kajioka
You got father, mother.
Tom Tanaka
I don't want to ask them so.
Yasu Kajioka
But you ask lowly chauffeur why everyone.
Tom Tanaka
Says good things of Kajoka.
Yasu Kajioka
Good you here Perhaps other I visit cruiser.
Tom Tanaka
They say Kajoka was greatly honored.
Yasu Kajioka
So they say correctly. Please you sit down.
Tom Tanaka
Thank you.
Yasu Kajioka
Now how you think?
Tom Tanaka
What do you mean?
Yasu Kajioka
It could be important for me to know.
Tom Tanaka
I think Japanese also.
Yasu Kajioka
And what are those thoughts?
FBI Agent 3
Please.
Tom Tanaka
I love my people. I love Japan.
Yasu Kajioka
So I think maybe you lie.
Tom Tanaka
Why should I who can read my thoughts?
Yasu Kajioka
Very, very good. Yes.
Tom Tanaka
Will you give me a job?
Yasu Kajioka
Yes. You work for me now. Come every day I try to read your thoughts. Very good. Very good. Y.
FBI Agent 1
Once the all important inside contact had been made, many FBI agents took up the trail. They learned that Kajioka always drove Japs who were easily identified as high ranking naval officers on vacation. They learned that he was the head of a secret Jap organization on the west coast, the Hamusha kai. Boasting over 10,000 members, all eligible for military service in Japan, the society masked itself as a charitable one charity in the sense that thousands and thousands of dollars were drafted from the members and sent back to Japan. Why? The answer came quickly and dramatically one night on a street corner. Young Tom Tanaka reported to the special agents of the FBI.
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FBI Agent 2
Tom. Tom.
Tom Tanaka
Yes, sir.
FBI Agent 2
Here we are.
Tom Tanaka
I haven't much time, sir. I've got to get back.
FBI Agent 3
What have you got, son?
Tom Tanaka
Something big is cooking. There's a great meeting called in the basement of the Japanese high school for tonight. Kajoka will make an appeal to get more funds to send back to Japan.
FBI Agent 3
I see.
Tom Tanaka
Also, they are to show preparedness movies sent over from Japan.
FBI Agent 3
Are you supposed to attend this meeting?
Tom Tanaka
Yes. Kajoka will expect it.
FBI Agent 2
Tom.
Tom Tanaka
Yes, sir.
FBI Agent 2
We need a list of the members in that organization. Practically everything depends on our getting it. Do you think you could go to the meeting, get the list and get away alive?
Tom Tanaka
Yes. The pictures may go on about 8 o'.
FBI Agent 3
Clock.
Tom Tanaka
I'll try and sneak out and meet you here then.
FBI Agent 2
Good boy.
FBI Agent 3
Good luck. We'll be waiting.
Choice Classic Radio Host
We momentarily closed The Federal Bureau of Investigation file on Kajioka Enemy alien. We will reopen this file in just a moment. Yesterday, Thomas I. Parkinson, president of the Equitable life assurance Society of the United States, received an interesting letter. It was from a member of the Equitable Society, and it read, Mr. Parkinson, just how many businesses is the Equitable Society in anyway? Our radio program talks about millions of Equitable dollars invested in war bonds and more millions in key war industries like shipyards and railroads in oil, steel and aluminum. Friends, tell me how the Equitable Society helps keep kids in school and helps people own their own homes and farms. It all sounds mighty complex to me. Yes, investing the premium dollars of 3,200,000 members of the Equitable Society is, of necessity, a very complicated operation. For safety's sake, those Equitable funds have to be spread out widely, must go into thousands of different enterprises. And yet, all this is done to make it easy and simple for Equitable Society members to attain greater security for themselves and their loved ones. And so, you see, by employing its funds in all kinds of activities that are useful to the nation as a whole, the Equitable Society is able to offer sounder and safer protection to its members than any one member could achieve by his own unaided efforts. By serving its members, the Equitable Society serves America. And now back to the file on Kajioka. Enemy Alien.
FBI Agent 1
1939. In that year, there wasn't even a slight buzzing in our ears to warn us that enemy planes were warming up for an attack. There was nothing in the word protocol to make us think of anything but where the wife of some ambassador might have to sit at some state dinner. Yet two men of the FBI standing on a dock at San Francisco had seen in a bit of jap protocol enough to make their blood run cold, enough to make them, on their own initiative, as Americans set up a series of patient, exhaustive, dangerous investigations which inched down 1939 through 1940, and brought them, on the evening of February 3, 1941, to stand tense in a darkened hallway near a high school in the Jap section of San Francisco.
FBI Agent 2
Watch it, Jim. Don't let that strike street light hit you.
FBI Agent 3
I've counted about 2,000 have gone into that meeting so far.
FBI Agent 2
Still coming. Kajioka sure must have passed the word along. What time is it?
FBI Agent 3
Almost 7:45.
FBI Agent 2
Looks like the meeting is getting started.
FBI Agent 3
Somebody coming along? See the channel?
FBI Agent 2
Go back.
FBI Agent 3
Here. It's Tom.
FBI Agent 2
Tom here. Oh, hello.
Tom Tanaka
We've got a wonderful break. Kajoga forgot to bring the records. He wants me to go to his house and get them and bring them to the meeting.
FBI Agent 2
What part of the meeting is on now?
Tom Tanaka
They're going to run off the movie.
FBI Agent 3
How long will that take?
Tom Tanaka
Until about 9:15.
FBI Agent 2
Good. I'll go with you. Get the records, bring them to the FBI office. We'll have them photographed and back in your hands by 9 o'. Clock.
Tom Tanaka
Can you do it that soon?
FBI Agent 2
We got to. Jim. Yes. You stay here. Call the office, tell them what we have to do. Ask for the entire staff to stand by. Right. I'll drive Tom over.
FBI Agent 3
It's going to be tight going.
FBI Agent 2
I know. This is the first break we've gotten and it may be the only one. Let's go.
FBI Agent 1
While the movies whip the Japanese audience up with blatant pictures of Japan's armed might. While distinguished visitors sat rigidly straight in the front rows, their cropped heads marking them high officers of the Emperor's army and Navy. While almost 3,000 sons of Nippon shared a new sense of oneness, of dedication to Emperor and country. An alerted FBI office, brilliant with lights crowded with 100% staff, worked feverishly to photograph the secret documents and make the deadline.
Tom Tanaka
I don't think we can wait any longer, Mr. Logan.
Yasu Kajioka
It's 8:54.
FBI Agent 2
I know.
FBI Agent 1
I've got to be back to the.
FBI Agent 2
Hall before the lights are coming. Turned up. Well, maggot.
FBI Agent 3
One minute to deadline. How are you coming?
FBI Agent 2
Two more sheets. The others are finished.
FBI Agent 3
Come on then.
FBI Agent 2
Hurry it up, please.
Tom Tanaka
You've got to give me the originals. I can't wait. The movie ends at 9:15.
FBI Agent 2
Let's start correlating pages in the original. You know how they go. Tom.
Tom Tanaka
Yes, sir.
FBI Agent 2
I'll grab them as fast as they're finished.
FBI Agent 3
Number two is finished. Come on. Snap up on number three.
FBI Agent 2
Machine.
FBI Agent 1
Please hurry.
FBI Agent 2
Hold an elevator.
Yasu Kajioka
Right.
FBI Agent 2
Here you are. This is the final thanks. We'll put them together in the car.
Yasu Kajioka
It's 8:55.
FBI Agent 1
Let's go.
FBI Agent 2
Go. We'll just make it.
Tom Tanaka
Mr. Kajioka.
Yasu Kajioka
Where have you been? It took you a long time to get papers.
Tom Tanaka
I stood in the back of the hall to see the pictures.
FBI Agent 2
I thrilled with the people.
Yasu Kajioka
Give me the records.
FBI Agent 2
Here you are, sir.
Yasu Kajioka
Good. I have news. We have received orders to change names of all branch chapters of our organization.
FBI Agent 3
And?
Yasu Kajioka
And we must at once seem to stop our activities.
FBI Agent 2
Why?
Yasu Kajioka
Why? Because soon glorious Japan will win honor or downfall. And we are ordered to prepare for duty. As soldiers behind the guns.
FBI Agent 1
The FBI had everything it needed. Now on brother Kajioka, his position as head of the secret Society. His activities as chauffeur deluxe for visiting Japanese offices. His role as collector extraordinary of funds for the Japanese war machine. His devious role as espionage agent. Everything the FBI needed. Except the right to go out and arrest him. Under our way of government, we do not go about arresting citizens of friendly nations. The FBI could watch and wait. And to add insult to injury, while it fretted over its watching and waiting, one of the FBI agents had reason to phone into the agent in charge of the San Francisco bureau.
FBI Agent 2
Yes, this is Logan.
FBI Agent 3
Yes, Larry.
FBI Agent 2
Jim and I have been following Kazioka. Yes, we followed him from the Osaka Hotel. He drove straight to Sutter Street. Yeah, park his car, proceeded on Foot to 111 Sutter Street.
FBI Agent 3
Why, that's our building here.
FBI Agent 2
I know.
FBI Agent 3
Well, where did Kajioko go?
FBI Agent 2
He's in your foyer waiting to see you.
FBI Agent 3
He's what? Well, thanks, Larry. Goodbye. Yes? Mr. Kajioka to see you, sir. Send Mr. Kajioka right in.
Yasu Kajioka
Mr. Walker?
FBI Agent 2
Yes.
FBI Agent 3
What can I do for you?
Yasu Kajioka
I am Kajioka.
FBI Agent 3
Sit down, Kajioka. Now, what do you want to see me about?
Yasu Kajioka
I come to FBI because I am honorable man.
FBI Agent 3
I see.
Yasu Kajioka
I wish to offer my services to the United States.
FBI Agent 2
Why?
Yasu Kajioka
I hate Japanese.
FBI Agent 3
Oh, tell me about it.
Yasu Kajioka
I was born in Japan. One time in Japan, they arrested my father. He was a good man, harmed nobody. They say he was disloyal, but they have no proof. And it is a lie.
FBI Agent 3
What happened to him?
Yasu Kajioka
I never see him again. They murder my father.
FBI Agent 3
And so you hate Japanese?
Yasu Kajioka
Yes, very much. I would be good agent for FBI.
FBI Agent 3
What makes you think so?
Yasu Kajioka
Japanese government tried to get me to work against United States. You know how it is. You have information on certain secret Japanese organizations here? No.
FBI Agent 2
A little.
Yasu Kajioka
Oh, that is too bad. With me you get to know much. I know all Japanese tricks. I make valuable agents.
FBI Agent 3
Perhaps you would, Mr. Kajoka.
Yasu Kajioka
You think about it. And remember. I want to work for United States. Great country. I work for FBI and kill many Japs.
FBI Agent 3
Well, we're not interested in killing Japs, nor anyone else.
Yasu Kajioka
Sometime it will be necessary. Then you tell Kajioka what to do, where to go, and he goes.
FBI Agent 3
Well, thank you very much for your offer, Mr. Kajioko. We'll take it under consideration and we'll let you know in due time.
Yasu Kajioka
Thank you so much.
FBI Agent 3
Not at all. It will be a pleasure.
FBI Agent 1
Mr. Kajioka might have smelled a rat. That is, if a rat can smell himself. But his surprising offer was politely refused. And his intensified wanderings by day and night Were as equally matched by the more intensified watching by the many electricians and workmen, laundrymen, truck drivers, cabmen, innocent motorists who sent in their reports under the names of special agents of the FBI. Still, all they could do was watch, watch and follow the little man who was dedicated, like his country, to the destruction of America. Then came December 7, 1941. On that fateful day, the entire staff of the FBI was gathered. Intense silence in each of the Bureau's offices in San Francisco. Even the local law enforcement officers were present, Waiting, waiting.
FBI Agent 3
Everyone here?
FBI Agent 2
Everyone, sir.
FBI Agent 3
Larry, you and Jim can stand by and watch the teletype.
FBI Agent 2
Right, sir.
FBI Agent 3
The names are coming in from Washington. Names and addresses of enemy aliens to be picked up when the word comes through.
FBI Agent 2
We'll take them.
FBI Agent 3
I know a name you two will want to watch for.
FBI Agent 2
Yes, sir. Thank you.
FBI Agent 3
Getting into the caves now.
FBI Agent 2
Yeah. Hello?
FBI Agent 3
Yes, sir.
FBI Agent 2
Right.
FBI Agent 3
That's the word. Get going. K is in Kajioka. K is in Kajioka. Come on. Teletype.
FBI Agent 2
There it is. Capital K for Kajioka, the little rat. We got him now.
FBI Agent 1
Come on.
Yasu Kajioka
What's all. Now you see who I am, Major Kajioka. How do I look in my uniform? Top.
Tom Tanaka
Very well, sir.
Yasu Kajioka
Yes. No more knowledge of her glorious Japan has struck American fleet. No more Pearl Harbor. No more or gone soon. Pains come. Then transport.
FBI Agent 2
Yes.
Yasu Kajioka
I have two revolvers, see? Oiled and loaded. I give you one. Soon our soldiers march in the streets. And you and I will go out and kill every dirty American we see. Yes, yes, yes. You watch at the window. Tell me when you see planes. Tell me when you see glorious soldiers of our brave army. I will pour drink for ceremonial toast.
Tom Tanaka
Yes, sir.
FBI Agent 1
I'll keep watch.
Yasu Kajioka
Soon I will be Connor. Then dinner. Wait until you see how they will reward me for what I've done. I will be big men.
Tom Tanaka
Yes, of course.
Yasu Kajioka
I hear planes. Do you see them yet?
Tom Tanaka
Not yet.
Yasu Kajioka
Listen. Our soldiers are coming. I drink to glorious Japan. They are here. Come in, Banzai. Come on.
FBI Agent 2
Katioka.
Yasu Kajioka
Hi.
FBI Agent 2
Uncle Sam wants to see you about a place called Pearl Harbor.
FBI Agent 1
Kajioka was rounded up with thousands of his kind. Rounded up with the aid of a loyal Japanese American. Like the rest, Kagioka wondered how the FBI had known of his work. Does he remember that little incident back in 1939 when a pair of striped pants and a cutaway coat bowed to a chauffeur's uniform on the hard deck of a Japanese cruiser? Probably not. He wouldn't understand the things that make Americans tick. The American willingness of those who serve our country in the ranks of the FBI. No, Kajioka probably will never understand until it's too late. And how will he ever know that it was too late that day back in 1939?
Choice Classic Radio Host
You'll hear about the disposition of this case in just a minute. On the beaches of Normandy, our boys were seeing the latest movies 24 hours after landing. And not long ago, on a Pacific island, two Japanese snipers were captured when they tried to join a GI audience to see an American film. Yes, movies follow the flag. Because Uncle Sam knows that they're first rate morale builders for battle weary men. So will you join the Equitable Society in a salute to the motion picture industry? A salute to the daring cameraman who risk their lives in every American attack. To the technical men who developed special equipment to photograph Tokyo from 45,000ft in the air. To the actors, musicians and directors who made tens of thousands of valuable training films for our armed forces. And to the 16,000 theater managers who have sold millions of war bonds in every drive. Members of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States will be proud to learn that their premium dollars have helped finance this great industry which has proved such a vital asset to the nation at war. For years, the Equitable Society has invested in the motion picture industry as well as in other essential American industries and American agriculture. Yes, in wartime, Equitable Society dollars are fighting dollars. And at all times they are security dollars for you, your home and your country.
FBI Agent 1
As an enemy alien, Yasu Kajioko, was placed in an internment camp to remain there for the duration of the war with Japan.
Choice Classic Radio Host
The incidents used in tonight's broadcast are taken from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, all names used are fictitious. And any similarity thereof to the names of persons living or dead is accidental. Programs in this series of particular interest to service men and women are broadcast overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Tonight, Kajioka was played by Ted Osborne. The music was under the direction of Van Cleave. The author was Frank Wilson. And your narrator was Frank Lovejoy. This is your. FBI is a Jerry Devine production. Now, this is Carl Frank speaking for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time for this is your fvi. And now, the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States brings you a message from the Office of War Information. It may seem slightly ridiculous these hot July days to be thinking of winter heating problems, but actually it's the most sensible thing you can do. The fuel situation is still critical, so don't put off your heating problems and forget all about them. Check your heating equipment now. Order insulation for the walls, windows and doors of your home. Talk with your fuel dealer and take his advice. Fill your coal bin or your oil tank right away before the fall rush begins. This is the American Broadcasting Company.
Choice Classic Radio Detectives | "This is Your FBI: Espionage - File on Kajioka" Summary
Release Date: July 27, 2025
Episode: "This is Your FBI: Espionage - File on Kajioka"
In the gripping episode of Choice Classic Radio Detectives, titled "This is Your FBI: Espionage - File on Kajioka", listeners are transported back to the tumultuous era of World War II. Hosted by Choice Classic Radio, the episode delves into a dramatized account of FBI agents uncovering a potential espionage threat within the United States, highlighting themes of loyalty, identity, and national security.
The story commences in 1939, a year marked by global tensions as Europe grapples with aggression and Asia witnesses Japan's militaristic expansion. Two FBI agents from the San Francisco office, Jim and Larry, find themselves surveilling the San Francisco waterfront as a Japanese cruiser docks. Their vigilance is piqued when they observe unusual behavior:
FBI Agent 2 (Larry): "Pretty excited for japs, aren't they?" [02:49]
FBI Agent 3 (Jim): "Unless our chauffeur is a big shot back in Japan." [03:09]
The agents note the presence of Prince Tsuji, a member of the Japanese royal family, and an enigmatic chauffeur named Yasu Kajioka. The peculiar interaction between the prince and the chauffeur raises red flags, prompting Jim and Larry to investigate further.
Determined to unveil any covert operations, the agents seek assistance from within the Japanese American community. They approach the university's dean of studies to identify potential assets and narrow their search to a student named Tom Tanaka:
FBI Supervisor: "There are thousands of men and women... but... I know them as true Americans." [06:26]
Recognizing Tom's American identity and loyalty, the agents approach him to assist in their investigation. Tom, embodying the quintessential American spirit, agrees to infiltrate Kajioka's operations:
Tom Tanaka: "I'll do it." [08:57]
Tom's mission is to gain Kajioka's trust by accepting a secretarial job offer. He successfully integrates into Kajioka's circle, demonstrating his commitment without arousing suspicion:
Tom Tanaka: "I love my people. I love Japan." [10:13]
Kajioka, impressed by Tom's apparent allegiance, involves him in the operations of the Hamusha Kai, a clandestine Japanese organization disguised as a charitable society. The organization, boasting over 10,000 members, channels significant funds to support Japan's war efforts.
As Tom navigates his role within Hamusha Kai, he uncovers crucial information about the organization's activities, including plans to mobilize funds and showcase military readiness through propaganda films:
Tom Tanaka: "There's a great meeting called in the basement of the Japanese high school for tonight. Kajoka will make an appeal to get more funds to send back to Japan." [12:18]
The FBI, leveraging Tom's findings, orchestrates a timely operation to seize secret documents and expose Kajioka's espionage:
FBI Agent 2 (Larry): "We'll just make it." [18:24]
On December 7, 1941, the infamous day of the Pearl Harbor attack, the FBI's meticulous surveillance culminates in Kajioka's unmasking. During a pivotal meeting, Kajioka reveals his true intentions, articulating a fervent desire to undermine American security:
Yasu Kajioka: "I have two revolvers, see? Oiled and loaded. I give you one. Soon our soldiers march in the streets... I will pour drink for ceremonial toast." [24:40]
However, the FBI's readiness triumphs as they swiftly move to apprehend Kajioka, ensuring that his plans are thwarted before causing irreparable damage:
FBI Agent 2 (Larry): "Uncle Sam wants to see you about a place called Pearl Harbor." [25:36]
Kajioka is detained alongside thousands of other enemy aliens, their fates sealed by the combined efforts of loyalty and diligence within the FBI.
The episode concludes by highlighting the critical role of dedicated individuals and strategic intelligence in safeguarding national security. Through Tom Tanaka's courageous infiltration and the FBI's unwavering commitment, the narrative underscores the importance of vigilance and unity in times of crisis.
FBI Agent 1: "No, Kajioka probably won't understand the things that make Americans tick... until it's too late that day back in 1939." [25:51]
While dramatized, the episode reflects genuine wartime concerns about espionage and the scrutiny of immigrant communities. It captures the essence of pre-war paranoia and the subsequent rush to secure the nation’s interests. The portrayal of FBI operations exemplifies the era's tension and the fine line between security and suspicion.
Notable Quotes:
"We believe you are, in every sense of the word." — FBI Agent 3 [07:25]
"I don't like that, Jim. They don't play it that way in their league." — FBI Agent 2 [03:59]
"We're not interested in killing Japs, nor anyone else." — FBI Agent 3 [21:58]
"Listen. Our soldiers are coming. I drink to glorious Japan. They are here." — Yasu Kajioka [25:25]
Final Thoughts
"This is Your FBI: Espionage - File on Kajioka" serves as a compelling narrative that intertwines suspense with historical significance. By featuring relatable characters and meticulously crafted plotlines, Choice Classic Radio effectively immerses listeners in a pivotal moment of American history, emphasizing the enduring values of loyalty and resilience.