The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Cloak and Dagger: "A Recommendation from Rommel" (A0022)

Release Date: September 27, 2025
Host: Adam Graham
Original Air Date of Drama: August 6, 1950

Main Theme:

This episode features a suspenseful espionage story from the radio series Cloak and Dagger, based on factual OSS files from WWII. The narrative centers around an American OSS agent operating undercover in fascist Italy, who finds himself in escalating danger—first sharing a train compartment with Field Marshal Rommel, then being swept into local intrigue, and ultimately forced to improvise as the mission grows more perilous and convoluted.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setup and Mission Briefing (01:59–03:13)

• The Opening Challenge:
  Count Pietro Imperiale asks, "Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission behind the enemy lines, knowing you may never return alive?"
• Framing the Story:
  The program introduces the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), their agents' extraordinary risks, and that this story is "suggested by actual incidents recorded in the Washington files."

2. Danger on the Train: Meeting Rommel (03:13–13:14)

• Joe Donato’s Undercover Identity:
  The protagonist, OSS agent Giuseppe “Joe” Donato, travels as an Italian chocolate salesman with a hidden radio in his luggage.

• A Perilous Coincidence:
  By accident, Donato is placed in the same compartment as Field Marshal Rommel, leading to a tense, cat-and-mouse conversation full of narrow escapes and subtle testing of Donato’s cover.

  "We had talked 10 minutes, and I aged 10 years." — Joe Donato (07:40)

• Near Discovery:
  Rommel almost gets Donato's suitcase with the radio, but the agent narrowly avoids exposure.

• Notable Details:

  • Use of forged family photographs to support Donato's cover identity
  • Suspense over a suitcase swap that could expose the radio
  • Rommel’s polite but probing interrogation

  Rommel: "You say you are a chocolate salesman?" (06:50)
  Donato: "See, my office is in Verona. Here is my car." (06:54)
  Rommel: "I'm not in the market for chocolates. You may put the card back." (06:58)

3. Followed in Milan: The Count’s Invitation (13:14–20:01)

• Suspicions and Pursuit:
  After leaving the train, Donato senses he is being followed by a man who watched him with Rommel.

• Count Pietro Imperiale's Proposal:
  The follower, revealed as Count Pietro Imperiale, invites Donato to dinner, feigning friendship due to Donato’s perceived closeness with Rommel.

  "Amico, would you do me the extreme honor of joining me at my palace for dinner this evening?" — Count Pietro (15:05)

• Milanese High Society:
  Donato is swept into lavish surroundings, dinner, and conversation focused on Rommel, heightening his unease but maintaining his cover.

4. The Palace and New Allies (20:01–25:15)

• Antonia’s Interest:
  The Count’s secretary, Antonia, shows a keen curiosity about Donato’s background and his meeting with Rommel.

• The Count’s True Identity:
  Donato learns that the Count is also Superintendent of Police, who offers Donato a position—based on Rommel's recommendation—within the secret police.

  "How would you like to work for me?...perhaps this communication from Rommel will explain." — Count Pietro (22:38)

• A Stroke of Luck:
  Donato’s acceptance of the job provides deeper cover, but also new danger.

5. OSS and The Underground: Critical Intel (23:57–25:52)

• The Double Agent Twist:
  Donato discovers Antonia and her associates are members of the partisan underground, not the enemy. They have found and secured his radio.

  "It is all right, Signor Donato. We are partisans, members of the underground." — Antonia (24:37)

• Mission Culmination:

  • Donato provides a design for altitude bombs to sabotage enemy planes.
  • The underground supplies critical numbers and locations of enemy bombers for the OSS.

  "The Nazis are using northern Italy as a supply base for the Africa Corps...Rommel is expecting air reinforcements." — Antonia (25:15)

6. Sabotage and the Aftermath (26:45–28:23)

• The Sabotage Succeeds:
  The bombs are placed on enemy bombers, aiding the eventual Allied advance.

  • Donato reflects that these efforts hindered Rommel's air support before El Alamein.

  "Although this seems a poor way to repay Rommel for his hospitality. Rommel didn't get his 75 Luftwaffe bombers, no sky protection. And that played a part when he was thrown back from El Alamein a short month later." — Donato (27:39)

• Ongoing Operations:

  • Donato exploits his police post to misdirect fascist raids and help the resistance.
  • He continually evades detection until the Americans liberate Milan.

7. The Final Twist: Mistaken Identity (28:23–29:46)

• Irony and Comedic Relief:
  When Donato tries to report to the American G2 headquarters, he is seen as a fascist police officer due to his cover and possessions—including Rommel’s recommendation.

  "Donato, Lieutenant Giuseppe Joe Donato. Look, you don't understand. I'm a member of the OSS." — Donato (28:36)

• Resolution:
  After several days in jail, OSS headquarters in London sends confirmation, and Donato is released—mission accomplished.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Espionage Tension:
  "We had talked 10 minutes, and I aged 10 years." — Joe Donato ([07:40])
• Rommel’s Understated Danger:
  "Surely one or two of them would not be missed. Is it all right with you if I send my adjutant to get one of the suitcases? Yes. We Germans and Italians must share." — Rommel ([10:31])
• Comedic Twist at the End:
  "I tell you, I'm a member of the OSS!" — Donato ([28:56])

Host Commentary by Adam Graham (31:57–end)

• Reflecting on the Episode’s Tone:
  Adam Graham appreciates the episode’s lighter touch and sense of humor even within the suspenseful wartime context:

  "Our hero was like, I thought I'd lived a charmed life. And then it turned out it was the partisans who found his radio. And so it's like, yeah, you really did have a charmed life. But then the final twist did show him finally get into trouble. And that made me laugh." — Adam Graham ([31:57])

• On OSS Agents’ Character:
  Graham highlights the everyman quality of OSS agents, noting their civilian backgrounds, their improvisations, and the blend of suspense, danger, and humanity in their stories.

  "That's one of the appeals of the oss. While these people did have specialized training, they came from civilian backgrounds. And there's a bit of an everyman nature about the way that the organization worked during the war and the way individual operatives handled themselves in this situation..." — Adam Graham ([Overall Commentary])

• Appreciation for Cast Members:
  Graham also discusses the versatility of actors like Ralph Bell, who rarely played protagonists, and the depth of talent among season regulars.

Important Timestamps

• 01:59 – Mission challenge and OSS context
• 03:13–13:14 – Train sequence, Rommel encounter, chocolate salesman cover
• 13:14–15:34 – Pursuit and Count Pietro’s invitation
• 15:34–20:01 – Palace dinner, Antonia introduced
• 20:01–22:49 – The Count’s real role; police job offer
• 23:57–25:52 – Donato meets partisans; plan to sabotage bombers
• 26:45–28:23 – Watching the sabotage; aftermath for Rommel
• 28:23–29:46 – American liberation; mistaken identity/jail
• 31:57–end – Host commentary: tone, episode highlights, listener feedback

Takeaways

• The episode mixes suspense, covert operations, narrow escapes, and humor, framed by real OSS case files.
• The central tension comes from Donato’s precarious balancing of multiple covers and shifting allegiances—all dramatized with snappy dialogue and classic radio dramatics.
• The story also explores the unpredictable fortune of wartime spies, the importance of local resistance, and the frequent ironies inherent in cloak-and-dagger work.

For those who missed it: This episode offers an entertaining and nuanced example of wartime espionage radio drama, blending close calls, covert sabotage, and a wry sense of luck and improvisation at the heart of every great spy story.