Cloak and Dagger: The Last Mission (A0038)

Summary

The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
Episode: Cloak and Dagger – "The Last Mission"
Host: Adam Graham
Original Air Date: November 22, 2025
Podcast Release Date: [as above]

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Episode Overview

This episode of Cloak and Dagger revisits World War II espionage, delivering a tense and poignant story set in Japanese-occupied Canton, China. Told from the perspective of Tanya Bonilla, an ordinary woman swept into covert resistance against the Japanese, it’s a tale of courage, betrayal, and ultimate sacrifice. The story illustrates both the complexities of wartime loyalties and the often-overlooked roles locals played in OSS operations.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting and Context

• The episode is inspired by true accounts from the OSS (the Office of Strategic Services, forerunner to the CIA), specifically focusing on an undercover mission in Canton.
• Listeners are immediately placed in the uncertain and dangerous world of occupied China, where identities are questioned and allegiances blurred.
  [02:29] OSS Announcer:

  “Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission behind the enemy lines knowing you may never return alive?”

2. Character Introductions and Motivations

• Tanya Bonilla: A Spanish-Russian-Irish woman, now working as a waitress. She is deeply scarred by the Japanese atrocity in Nanking where her family perished, fueling her hatred and determination to resist.
  • Memorable quote [05:01]:

    “How they’d murdered my family in Nanking six years before. My father, my mother, my two sisters. The Japs had killed them all.”

• Charlie (Ian Martin): A seemingly harmless old drunk on the Canton wharves who is later revealed as an American OSS agent operating undercover.
  • “I Am an American. An agent of the OSS.” [13:04]
• Florian: Tanya’s brother, whose moral ambiguity and survival instincts set the stage for family betrayal.

3. Rising Tensions & Espionage Recruitment

• Tanya is recruited by Charlie, who reveals himself as more than the old harbor rat she thought.

  • Insightful exchange [13:27-14:02]:
    Charlie: “I’ve operated alone here for a long time… but now Jap intelligence is tightening up. A lot of things I can’t do alone anymore. That’s why I need you.”
    Tanya: “But I have no experience… I don’t know anything about courage.”
    Charlie: “And you hate the Japanese. That’s worth a lot more than experience.”

• She is asked to gather information via her position at the tavern, using conversation—and sometimes "knockout drops”—to glean shipping details from Japanese sailors.

  • Charlie [15:39]: “You wait on sailors at Lee Chan’s all day. You drink with them…”
  • Tanya: “I’ve never drunk with a Japanese sailor.”
  • Charlie: “But you could.”

4. Espionage and Risk

• Tanya quickly proves adept, passing vital information enabling Allied submarines to sink Japanese ships.

  • Charlie [20:13]:

    “Chalk up another one for Tanya. The scourge of the Jap merchant marine.”

• The narrative is laced with tension. Tanya is aware both of the possibility of being caught and of her fragile alliance with her brother Florian, whose resentment and pragmatic outlook make him a liability.

5. Family Betrayal and Consequences

• Florian ultimately betrays Charlie to the Japanese authorities for financial gain, unwittingly endangering a crucial OSS operation.

  • Tanya [24:43]: “How much did they pay you, Florian?”
  • Florian [24:58]: “Quite a bit. It seems they've known for a long time there was one operating in Canton… They haven't been able to get their hands on him. Until you betrayed him.”

• Tanya, devastated but resolute, is determined to save Charlie.

6. Race Against Time: The Last Mission

• At the climax, Charlie and Tanya must get back to the hidden transmitter, now surrounded by Japanese soldiers, to countermand a message: American fliers are to be transported on a ship targeted for Allied destruction.
  • Charlie [27:09]: “Fifty of them have been brought into Canton. They're being sent to prison camps in Japan. They sail tonight aboard the Takota Maru.”
  • Charlie [27:32]: “They will torpedo our own men then… if I don't countermand the order.”
• A daring rooftop infiltration ensues, with Charlie staying behind to ensure the transmission is sent, sacrificing his own escape.

7. Charlie's Sacrifice and Aftermath

• Realizing time is critical, Charlie tricks Tanya into escaping while he remains.
  • Charlie [29:23]: “Tanya, quick. I’ll throw the trap door and over the roof. Those are orders…”
• Charlie pulls the lever, destroying the transmitter and himself to prevent it falling into Japanese hands, but only after ensuring the essential message is delivered.
  • Tanya [30:52]:

    "Later, a long time later, I learned that the Dakota Maru had passed safely through the submarines with 50 American flyers aboard. Charlie had sent this message in time. He had performed his last service for the OSS. The last but one, I mean—the very last had been to die for it."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tanya's Motivation [16:19]:

  “When I think of my father and mother and sister, it doesn’t scare me at all.”

• Charlie on Trust [16:08]:

  “If you refuse, I won’t worry about what you know. I’ll still trust you.”

• Tanya’s Growing Competence [20:13]:

  “Chalk up another one for Tanya. The scourge of the Jap merchant marine.”

• Family Betrayal [24:43]:

  “There was so much I could have said, but I didn’t waste the time. Only one thing mattered now. Charlie was still free. I swore by the memory of my mother and father that I would keep him free.”

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Important Timestamps

• [02:43] – Opening OSS question and premise
• [03:39-06:15] – Tanya’s backstory and emotional fallout from Nanking
• [13:04-14:02] – Charlie reveals his true identity and recruits Tanya
• [20:13] – Tanya’s first successful information gathering
• [24:43-25:32] – Florian’s betrayal
• [27:09-28:45] – Urgency to countermand order to save American fliers
• [29:07-29:39] – The tense radio message and Charlie’s final sacrifice
• [30:52] – Closing narration of Charlie’s legacy

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Host Commentary & Reflections (Adam Graham)

Starts at [32:28]

Unique Aspects of the Episode

• Graham highlights the unusual perspective of the narrative—told from a local’s point of view, rather than the OSS agent’s—which “is very earthy for the era” and “really fleshed out this character.”
• Praises Brenda Rayburn’s (Bryna Raven) performance as Tanya:

  "Brenda Rayburn is just great in this. She's a fantastic performer and also a really good narrator and brings the story to life... she is so unique for a viewpoint character. I don't believe I have ever heard a character like her as this again."

• Discusses Ian Martin’s range as an actor for playing both the undercover Charlie and his real identity: “I was a bit stunned when I heard the real voice after having heard the Undercover Charlie voice... I would never have guessed it was the same actor.”

Listener Feedback

• Responds to a previous episode’s debate about the pronunciation of "Himalaya," explaining the complexities and various pronunciations throughout India, showing Graham’s characteristic appreciation for historical and linguistic detail.

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Closing & Programming Notes

• Only three episodes of Cloak and Dagger left before a holiday break; the show will then transition to Counterspy.
• Patreon supporter “Douglas” thanked.
• Reminder to listeners to subscribe, rate, review, and send feedback.

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Summary

“The Last Mission” captures both the suspense and emotional reality of undercover work in WWII China, blending the intrigue of espionage with the pain of betrayal and the nobility of self-sacrifice. Through Tanya’s eyes, listeners witness transformation, loyalty, and moral complexity, driven by strong performances and taut writing. The episode is both a gripping spy story and a meditation on the real human costs of war.

Recommended listening for fans of classic radio drama, WWII history, and stories of unsung heroes.

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For full details and future episode updates, visit greatdetectives.net.

Transcript

[Narrator/Liberty Mutual Announcer]

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[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[Narrator/Liberty Mutual Announcer]

Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Vary underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates Excludes Massachusetts.

[Grainger Advertiser]

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[Narrator/Liberty Mutual Announcer]

Limu Emu and Doug Here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[Narrator/Liberty Mutual Announcer]

Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Vary underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates Excludes Massachusetts Foreign.

[Podcast Host (Adam Graham)]

Welcome to the great adventurers of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host Adam Graham. In a moment we are going to get into this week's episode of Cloak and Dagger, but first I do want to encourage you if you are enjoying the podcast to please follow us using your favorite podcast software and our program is brought to you in part by the financial support of our listeners. You can support the show on a one time basis, support.greatdetectives.net and become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $2 per month. Go to patreon.greatdetectives.net now from September 29, 1950, here is the Last Mission.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission behind the enemy lines knowing you may never return alive?

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

What you have just heard is the question asked during the war of 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. Today's adventure the Last Mission the story of an American OSS agent in Canton, China is suggested by actual incidents recorded in the Washington files of the Office of strategic services. A story that can now be told.

[Tanya Bonilla]

He must have had another name, but I never knew what it was. Everybody on the waterfront called him Charlie. He was old and he limped and he should have drunk less and shaved more. We'd see him on the wharves in the afternoons in his dirty dungarees and Thorn sweater, begging cigarettes from sailors. Then evenings he would hobble into Lichen's Tavern, where I worked to beg for something else.

[Murray]

Hey, Tanya, ain't you gonna buy Charlie one little drink, eh?

[Tanya Bonilla]

No, I'm not, Charlie. No drinks on the house tonight.

[Murray]

But tonight's the night there ought to be drinks in the house. Are you forgetting? It was just five years ago tonight? Canton fell to the Japanese. We gotta celebrate.

[Podcast Host (Adam Graham)]

Don'.

[Murray]

What's the matter? I say something wrong?

[Tanya Bonilla]

I don't like your sense of humor.

[Murray]

I don't see what you got again. The Japs don't you? With all them nationalities mixed up in you, you probably got some Jap blood yourself.

[Tanya Bonilla]

No, I haven't. Every other kind may be Spanish and Russian, even Irish, but there's not a drop of Jap blood in the bonillas, right?

[Murray]

All right, all right. Don't get steamed up. I still say there's no reason for you to hate him. What do you care who's running Canton?

[Tanya Bonilla]

I told him then I don't know why I did. I've never told anyone else how they'd murdered my family and Nanking six years before. My father, my mother, my two sisters. The Japs had killed them all. And if we hadn't got out of the city ahead of them, they'd have killed my brother, Florian and myself.

[Florian]

So.

[Murray]

So you wasn't always a waitress in a waterfront dive, huh, Tanya?

[Grainger Advertiser]

No.

[Tanya Bonilla]

And my brother didn't always prowl the streets looking for trouble. I got the jobs to thank for that. Now maybe you can understand.

[Murray]

Easy, Tania. We got visitors.

[Tanya Bonilla]

What do they want now?

[Murray]

Checking identification papers again.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

You a priest? Arise. Always arise in the presence of the soldiers. Remember that hereafter. No. Your papers, priest. Tania Bonia, born in Madrid. You are Spanish, but you have Russian.

[Tanya Bonilla]

First name and an Irish middle name. What does that make me?

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

Perhaps makes you an Aryan. Captain. Yes, Lieutenant? It would be very dull in Canton.

[Tanya Bonilla]

If we put all the beautiful girls in jail.

[Florian]

That is true.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

Your papers are in order, Ms. Bonnier. Your papers, Pris.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Who, me?

[Murray]

I ain't got no papers, Captain.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

What you done with them?

[Murray]

I don't know. I guess you must have lost them.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

What is your nationality?

[Murray]

I don't know that neither. Nobody never told me. Seems like I've been around Canton since it was knee high.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

You are American, perhaps?

[Tanya Bonilla]

American.

[Murray]

That's good.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

Take him away, Lieutenant.

[Murray]

No, wait a minute. Hold your horses, will you? I ain't gonna do you guys no good locked up in the brig. But I could help you plenty if I was free to mosey around the dock. You come now.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Oh, I will.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

What you mean, old man? How could that help us?

[Murray]

Why, I get around, Captain. Old Charlie talks to everybody and everybody talks to me. And they ain't too careful what they say, neither. If anybody was planning any monkey business, sabotage or anything like that, old Charlie would be just about the first to know about it.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

And you would report it to us?

[Murray]

Why not? You're the guys who are running the show. So you're the guys I take orders from. See what I mean?

[Tanya Bonilla]

They saw what he meant, and when they left, he was still sitting with me, grinning as if he were proud of what he had done. I got up without a word and went to the bar and bought a drink. I brought it back and held it out.

[Murray]

Say, did you buy that for me, Tanya?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Yes, I bought it for you.

[Murray]

Well, now, that's mighty nice of you. Let me have it.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I'll let you have it.

[Florian]

There.

[Murray]

Hey, what's the idea of throwing good whiskey in my face? What's the idea of that?

[Tanya Bonilla]

I couldn't find words to tell you what I think of you, Charlie. But I wanted you to know. I was sorry afterward. After all, Charlie was old and hungry and half cracked. I should have saved it for somebody else, someone closer and dearer to me. I should have saved it for my brother Florian, who was waiting for me when I got home.

[Florian]

I thought you'd never get here, Tanya. Hurry up and change your clothes. We're going to a party.

[Tanya Bonilla]

A party? What party, Florian?

[Florian]

Well, it's sort of an anniversary banquet. You know, five years in Canton. There's gonna be a lot of important people there. Chinese, Japanese, both. Big celebration.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Oh, and we're going to celebrate with them.

[Florian]

We weren't invited, of course, but I know a fellow at the door. He's gonna let us in. We rub shoulders with some of the most important people in Canton.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Maybe even with the men who murdered your mother and father.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

What?

[Florian]

Oh, nah, don't. Don't be like that, Tanya. That was a long time ago. These aren't the same fellows who took Nanking.

[Tanya Bonilla]

They're Japanese. We're not going to the party, Florian. We got nothing to celebrate.

[Florian]

No or maybe you're not going. But I am.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Why?

[Florian]

Because I know what side my bread is buttered on, that's why.

[Tanya Bonilla]

The Jap side.

[Florian]

As long as they're top dog yet. And it looked like they're going to be top dog for a long time.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I see. You're a traitor to our family, Florin.

[Florian]

We haven't got family, Tanya. We haven't got anything. And we never will have. Unless one of us starts playing on the winning team. See you later.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I didn't sleep well that night. I lay there in the dark, feeling as if I were alone in a world of enemies. That same feeling haunted me all the next day at Li Chen's. Charlie didn't come to the tavern that evening. I didn't see him till I was through working. Till I stepped out into the dark street. Then a shadowy figure came staggering up to me. You're drunk, Charlie. You better go home.

[Murray]

That's just what I was thinking. Murray. I can't seem to get there. His feet keeps going round in circles. How about you kind of steer old Charlie along?

[Tanya Bonilla]

I'm sorry. I want to get home myself. It's late.

[Murray]

Oh, come on, Tyler. Be spoilery. Help old Charlie.

[Tanya Bonilla]

He grabbed my arm and hung onto. Seemed easier to do what he asked than to argue about it.

[Murray]

My goodness.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I had never seen his home. But he remembered the address and I led him toward it through the deserted streets.

[Murray]

Here we are.

[Tanya Bonilla]

It was the kind of place you'd expect Charlie to live in. A filthy two story dump in the worst part of Canton. He was still holding my arm as I took his key and unlocked his door for him. Good night, Charlie. Go to bed and sleep it off.

[Murray]

Come on in for a while, why don't you?

[Tanya Bonilla]

No. Good night, Charlie.

[Murray]

There's a bottle in there, Johnny. We can have a little drink.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I don't want it.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

Drink.

[Murray]

Oh, come on in anyway.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Come on, Charlie. Charlie. Let go. Let go.

[Narrator/Liberty Mutual Announcer]

You're here.

[Tanya Bonilla]

But he didn't let go. His fingers were like a vice around my wrist. He jerked me across the threshold. He shoved me into the pitch black room and slammed the door.

[Murray]

Now where's that lie, you filthy old bum?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Let me out of here.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Sorry I had to manhandle you like that. It was the only safe way of getting you in here.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I thought someone else had said it. I thought there must be three of us in the room. Then the light flashed down and there were just two. Just Charlie and me.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Surprise. Tanya. I'm sorry, but I have to play it safe. You see, Tanya, I Am an American. An agent of the oss.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I didn't speak. I stared at him and tried to understand. Tried to connect him with the shuffling little wharf rat I'd always known as Charlie.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

You realize, of course, Tanya, that this is something of an act of faith, Exposing my identity to you like this. No one else in Canton knows who I am. I thought a long time before I decided to let you in on it. When you told me about your family, I had a hunch I could trust you. And then when you threw that drink in my face, I was sure of it.

[Tanya Bonilla]

But Charlie, I mean.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

That's right. I'm still Charlie.

[Tanya Bonilla]

But why have you done this? Why should you trust me with your life?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

For a very good reason. Because I need your help.

[Tanya Bonilla]

My help?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

You see, I've operated alone here for a long time. Oh, it hasn't been too tough. But now, no Jap intelligence is tightening up. A lot of things I can't do alone anymore. That's why I need you.

[Tanya Bonilla]

But I have no experience. I don't know anything about courage.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

And you hate the Japanese. That's worth a lot more than experience.

[Tanya Bonilla]

What do you want me to do, Charlie?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Come on upstairs.

[Tanya Bonilla]

He led me up a long, narrow, rickety staircase. He opened the door to a tiny guard like room just beneath the roof. It was hot and stuffy. The light they switched on was so dim that at first I couldn't see.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Do you know what this is, Tanya?

[Tanya Bonilla]

A radio transmitter.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

That's right.

[Tanya Bonilla]

You send messages. To whom?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

American submarines operating off the Chinese coast. And what I send is all the information I can get about Jap shipping entering and leaving the port of Canton. I see, Tanya. You wait on sailors at Lee Chan's all day. You drink with them.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I've never drunk with a Japanese sailor.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

But you could. Sailors talk a lot when they're drunk. And if they don't talk enough, I could provide you with knockout drops. They'd sleep peacefully while you examined their papers.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I. I see.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

It scares you a little.

[Tanya Bonilla]

A little? Yes. You see, I.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

What did you tell you?

[Tanya Bonilla]

What?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

That lever on the wall, you almost touched it. You better not.

[Tanya Bonilla]

What is it, Charlie?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Oh, it's a little precaution I've taken. I wouldn't want this transmitter to fall into Japanese hands. They could do a great deal of damage with it.

[Tanya Bonilla]

But the lever in the wall, that.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Can do a great deal of damage too. It sets off an explosive that'd blow this building. Sk.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I wasn't sorry to leave that room. We went downstairs a few minutes later. He stood in front of me, watching me.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Tanya, let me explain something. We're all volunteers in the oss. And the people who help us are volunteers, too. You don't have to do this unless you want to.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I understand, Charlie.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

If you refuse, I won't worry about what you know. I'll still trust you.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I don't intend to refuse.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

It doesn't scare you too much?

[Tanya Bonilla]

When I think of my father and mother and sister, it doesn't scare me at all.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

It's a deal.

[Tanya Bonilla]

It's a deal.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

I don't have any liquor. We might have a smoke on it, though.

[Tanya Bonilla]

American cigarettes. I haven't had one for years.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Keep the pack.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Thanks.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

To a free world, Tanya.

[Tanya Bonilla]

To a free world. That night I slept. Work now. I had friends and allies. That is, I slept. I slept well until sometime shortly before dawn. And then the sound of my bedroom door opening awoke me. I wasn't frightened. I knew who it was and what he wanted. It had happened so many times before. I waited until he reached my dresser. Until he bent over my purse. Don't take any of my money, Florian.

[Florian]

Oh. Oh, you're awake. Well, I was just.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Yes, I know, but I really can't spare any this week. I need the little I got.

[Florian]

You don't need it any more than I do. I'm broke, Tanya. Now where am I supposed to get money to live on?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Not out of my purse. Please. Close it, Florian.

[Florian]

All right, all right. Bowser.

[Murray]

What's this?

[Tanya Bonilla]

What?

[Florian]

Where you get these?

[Tanya Bonilla]

What, Florian?

[Florian]

These American cigarettes.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I got them at the tavern.

[Florian]

Who from?

[Tanya Bonilla]

From a Jap soldier.

[Florian]

A Jap soldier?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Yeah. He had taken them off an American prisoner of war.

[Florian]

And a Jap gave them to you?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Yes, why not?

[Florian]

You accepted them?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Naturally, I accepted them.

[Florian]

Well. So now my noble sister is accepting gifts from the enemy. Either you had a great change of heart, Tanya, or else.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Or else what?

[Florian]

Or else you are lying.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Beginning the very next night, I flirted with every Jap sailor who came into lichens. I kept my mouth closed and my ears open. I used every trick I knew to persuade them to talk. And when it became necessary, I used something else. The little white pills that Charlie had given me. No more to drink, but the evening is young. Daddy. Come on. Come on, let's drink it. Toast to the Emperor. Stand up.

[Grainger Advertiser]

Stand up.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Of course you can. Here, I'll help you. Come on. That's it. Now, to the Son of Heaven. His Imperial Majesty. Drink. Oh, it was so easy. Charlie. He was out cold. I just reached into his pocket and there were his papers.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

No one saw you?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Not a soul.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

You put the papers back, of course.

[Tanya Bonilla]

After I'd copied them. Here's the information. How am I doing, Charlie? I knew I was doing well. And as time went on, I did even better. We would hear reports on Charlie's radio of Jap ships, torpedoes sunk in Chinese waters. And Charlie would say, that was the.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Baby you told me about last week. Chalk up another one for Tanya. The scourge of the Jap merchant marine.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I was proud and I was happy. And I believed my father and mother and sisters knew and that they were proud, too. And then came the night. I went straight from Li Chen's tavern to. To Charlie's house to tell him what I'd heard.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Takora Maru, huh? That's one of the Nip's biggest ships.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I know, Charlie. And she's carrying industrial machinery to Yokohama. One of those factories they've stripped in Fuchau.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

You sure about the sailing time?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Quite sure. Tomorrow night at 10 o'.

[Podcast Host (Adam Graham)]

Clock.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Good enough. I'll tip off the subs right away. And they'll be laying for her if she isn't traveling in convoy.

[Tanya Bonilla]

She isn't, Charlie.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

And they'll get her like a sitting duck. Well, it's late, Tanya. Better get going.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I'll see you tomorrow, Charlie.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Not during the day. I'm going down to Tong Ho's junk on the river. Be back here by evening.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Good night, Charlie.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Wait a minute. Let me see if the coast is clear. Okay, go ahead. Good night.

[Tanya Bonilla]

It was late. The streets were dark and deserted. I would have taken a rickshaw home, but. But it was too late for that. So I walked. Or rather, I tried to walk, but it was hard to keep myself from running. I told myself I was a fool to be afraid. The streets were safer than in broad daylight. There was no one on them. There was no one who could possibly. I stopped. I thought I heard footsteps. Someone walking behind me. I turned. There was no one there. At least I couldn't see anyone. I started walking faster and I grabbed the revolver that Charlie had given me. Then I heard the sound again. This time I stopped and whirled around. There was a street lamp behind me. And I saw a shadow on the wall of the building. The shadow of a man. Who's there? Come out and show me who you are. If you don't, I'll shoot.

[Florian]

Take it easy, Tanya.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Florian.

[Florian]

You wouldn't want to shoot your own brother, would you?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Florian. What are you doing here? Where were you following me?

[Florian]

Oh, just curious. That's All. I've been wondering for quite a while what you are up to.

[Tanya Bonilla]

For quite a while?

[Florian]

I've seen you go to that place several times. I even took the trouble to find out who lives there. It's that old fellow they called Charlie.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Yeah, that's right. Charlie does live there. He's sick.

[Florian]

Oh, he's sick. Yes. Just. Just an errand of mercy, huh?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Exactly. An errand of mercy. You act as if you didn't believe me.

[Florian]

Of course I believe you. I certainly don't think you're in love with the old boy. And what other reason would you have to visit him?

[Tanya Bonilla]

We walked the rest of the way home together. I was sure he didn't believe me. But I couldn't go back to Charlie's to warn him. Not without getting Florian more suspicious in the morning, I thought. But then I remembered that Charlie would be on Tong Ho's junk on the river in the morning. Lichen's Tavern opened at noon the next day. The minute I walked in, I knew something was wrong. There were too many Japanese soldiers. Far too many. They sat at the bar drinking. They played cards at the tables. They lounged against the walls, puffing their cigarettes and eyeing me as I crossed the room and whispered to Lichen. Why are there so many of them? Nietzsche, maybe? Your brother can't tell you, Tanya. My brother? He in back room.

[Grainger Advertiser]

He said you come back see him.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I knew then, and I was sick with anger and shame. But I was sicker still when I saw him sitting alone in that back room. When I saw the smirking triumph on his face.

[Florian]

Good morning, Tanya. How's your sick friend this morning?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Don't.

[Florian]

Don't stand and stay. I haven't done anything so terrible after all. One spy more or less.

[Tanya Bonilla]

How much did they pay you, Florian?

[Florian]

Quite a bit. It seems they've known for a long time there was one operating in Canton. They haven't been able to get their hands on him.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Until you betrayed him.

[Florian]

Yes. Yes. Though they still haven't found him. There are some soldiers waiting for him over at his place. Where you went last night, I mean. And there's a crowd of them here. They're bound to pick him up pretty soon.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Didn't you get a bonus for betraying me, too?

[Florian]

Oh, I might have. But I wouldn't sell out my own sister. I kept you in a clear. I told him you helped me spot him.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Thank you, Florian.

[Florian]

Not at all, Tanya. By the way, I can pay you back some money I lifted from your purse. After all, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be sitting pretty now with a couple of hundred yen. Even the score, huh? What do you say?

[Tanya Bonilla]

There was so much I could have said, but I didn't waste the time. Only one thing mattered now. Charlie was still free. I swore by the memory of my mother and father that I would keep him free. It was a half hour before I managed to slip away from Li Chen's unnoticed. Charlie had introduced me to Tong Ho, and I had been aboard his junk the week before. So the guerrillas on guard around the boat recognized me. They led me to a cabin.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

That you, Tong Ho?

[Tanya Bonilla]

It's Tanya, Charlie.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Tanya. I thought you were Tong Ho. He just wanted sure to meet a courier from Hong Kong. Some sort of important news.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Not as important as the news I have for you. I poured it all out, and he listened thoughtfully.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Well, they found the transmitter, of course. But that's no good to them.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Couldn't they use it to send false messages?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Not without the code book. The subs would know the messages were phony. They'd figure out what had happened.

[Tanya Bonilla]

But where is the code book?

[Podcast Host (Adam Graham)]

Right here.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Oh, Charlie. Then there's no reason why you can't escape.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Oh, none that I can see. My usefulness in Canton is over. Yeah. We'll pull out. Both of us.

[Tanya Bonilla]

You'll take me with you?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Sure. Tong Ho will take us upriver. Here he is now. I hope that courier's report was better than the news Tanya brought me. Tong Ho.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

It was about captive American flyers, Charlie.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

What about them?

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

50 of them have been brought into Canton. They're being sent to prison camps in Japan. They sailed tonight aboard the Takota Maru.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Maru, Charlie, that's the ship I told you about last night.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Yeah, it's the ship I radioed the subs to torpedo.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

They will torpedo our own men then, Charlie?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

They will if I don't countermand the order. Gotta let them know the fliers are aboard. They gotta let that ship go through.

[Tanya Bonilla]

You cannot tell them, Charlie. You cannot get to the transmitter.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

I have to.

[Tanya Bonilla]

But there are Japanese soldiers there waiting for you.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

So I'll get past them somehow.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Charlie, no. Don't go back there. They'll kill you if you do.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

And they'll kill those flyers if I don't. There are 50 of them. There's only one of me.

[Tanya Bonilla]

I said I would go back with him. I said he would need help getting past the Japs. I said I wouldn't leave Canton without him. And in the end, because I left them no choice, he allowed me to stay at his side. He told me his plans before we left the boat.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

We're waiting for me in the room downstairs. But we won't go that way. There's a trapdoor on the ceiling of the radio room. If we can get into the building next door and out onto the roof, we'll be able to jump over onto my building. We may get in and send the message without even letting them know we're there.

[Tanya Bonilla]

A half hour later, we were creeping up the stairs of the building next door. And a few minutes later, we stood huddled on the edge of the adjoining room.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

Roof.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

All right, let's jump. Try to land as quietly as you can.

[Tanya Bonilla]

And then, flat on our stomachs, we crawled toward the trap door and pried open its rusty hinges and lowered ourselves into the radio room. Charlie sat down at the transmitter, his code book in his hand. I wanted the door, my revolver in mine. Have you made contact with them, Charlie?

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Not yet. Any sounds from downstairs?

[Tanya Bonilla]

No, not yet. Charlie, hurry.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

I'm doing the best I can.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Yes, but if you. Charlie.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Yes?

[Tanya Bonilla]

Listen.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Someone coming. Upstairs.

[Tanya Bonilla]

Two of them, at least. Maybe three.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Okay, get going.

[Podcast Host (Adam Graham)]

Tanya.

[Tanya Bonilla]

No.

[Charlie / Ian Martin]

Quick. I'll throw the trap door and over the roof. Those are orders. But you, Charlie, I'll be right behind you. I've made contact. Now all I have to do is finish the message. Now get out of here.

[Tanya Bonilla]

It was a lie. It was the only lie that Charlie ever told me. As I crossed the roof, I looked behind me, and he wasn't there. I went down the stairs next door and out onto the street, and he still wasn't there. I moved quickly through the crowd, still looking back, still waiting, still hoping. And then. He had pulled the lever that destroyed the transmitter. Later, a long time later, I learned that the Dakota Maru had passed safely through the submarines with 50American flyers aboard. Charlie had sent this message in time. He had performed his last service for the oss. The last but one, I mean the very last had been to die for it.

[Narrator/OSS Announcer]

And once again, the report of another OSS agent closes with the words mission accomplished. Listen again next week for another true adventure from the files of the OSS.

[Tanya Bonilla]

On cloak and Dagger.

[Credits Announcer]

Aired in today's Cloak and Dagger adventure. As Charlie was Ian Martin, Tanya, Bryna Raven, Florian Arnold Moss. Others were Ralph Bell, Raymond Edward Johnson, Carl Weber and Guy Repp. Script was written by Ken Field, and music was under the direction of John Garth. Sound effects by Max Russell and Frank Lockford. Engineering Don Abbott. Today's OSS adventure was based on the book Cloak and Dagger by Corporation Corey ford. And Alistair McBain. This program is produced by Lewis G. Cohen and Alfred Hollander under the direction and supervision of Sherman Marks. Three chimes mean good times on NBC.

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[Podcast Host (Adam Graham)]

Welcome back. This is a very different episode in the way that it's open. You know, usually you have the OSS agent getting the mission. Here you're just kind of waiting for the OSS angle to come in. This time we get a story that is told from the perspective of a local working for the oss. It's a very earthy story for the era. It also touches on the brutality of the Japanese government, which is part of the reason why so many people were willing to ally themselves against the Japanese government. I just have to say that Brenda Rayburn is just great in this. She's a fantastic performer and also a really good narrator and brings the story to life and helps us to really connect with this character and her motivations and really fleshed out this character. And she is so unique for a viewpoint character. I don't believe I have ever heard a character like her as this again. This sort of viewpoint character, Ian Martin, of course, was also great. And I was a bit stunned when I heard the real voice after having heard the Undercover Charlie voice, because I expected the real voice to at least be in the same range. But it wasn't. I would never, never have guessed it was the same actor doing both voices. And it illustrates the difficulty that we have coming up with cast list if they're not included in the broadcast or newspaper log or in a script because you have performers like Martin. If he was doing doubles as two different characters and it was on one of those anthology programs that didn't feature credits, I never would have guessed that it was the same guy. Now, it's important to note that Ian Martin would be a really important figure in the revival of the Golden Age of Radio. He would appear in 243 episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater. He'd also write around 100 scripts and scripts for Adventure Theater. Now we turn to listener comments and feedback and we return to a subject that first came up as a result of someone listening to the episode the Roof of the World and commenting that one of the characters pronounced the word Himalayas as Himalaya. And I kind of responded, trying to think about why that error or blooper might have happened, either, you know, tight production times or what have you. But another listener responded with a perspective. Cuthbert writes, actually, her pronunciation was correct. We Westerners have anglicized it. Well, thank you so much for Cuthbert sharing that on YouTube. And there's some truth to the fact that we've anglicized it. Like, if I were to say the Himalayas, that would not be a pronunciation that a native speaker would use with the S at the end. But how do you actually pronounce it? Well, it's quite complicated. Sir Jeffrey Corbett, back in 1929, writing in the newsletter for the Himalayan Club, shared that he had been a member of the Indian legislature, which included people from all over India. And they actually stopped work for a morning to discuss how the word should be pronounced. And they were given two answers from northern India, depending on whether you spoke Hindi or whether you spoke Urdu. And then there was a different answer from those who were from Bengal, and still another pronunciation from those who were from southern India. So it's tough to say that she was pronouncing it correctly when there was a big debate over what was correct. And it depends on where you came from. I will say that I don't know if we should assume that it was a mistake on the part of the actress or production team. It could be that it was intended to be read exactly how it was read and was meant to send a signal about the type of person that she was as a professional with local sensitivities and inability to reach out and work with a variety of people, which would be extremely helpful on this mission. Now, that said, I don't know how much that pronunciation would have helped. While the Tibetans do have a word for the Himalayas in their language, the origin of the name is Sanskrit. But regardless, I think that at this point, I'd give benefit of the doubt that there is a. A reason for the pronunciation, rather than a bungling by Luis Barclay of the Line or Sherman Marx as a director, because Barclay gave a really good performance. And I don't think Sherman Marx has really missed a whole lot in all the time we've been listening to the series. All right, well, a programming note, and that is that we actually only have three more weeks of Cloak and Dagger to go. And after that, we will be going into our holiday break and I'll have more to talk about what you'll hear in those intervening weeks. And after that we will have a couple of anthology episodes that tie into the OSS theme before getting to our next series which will be counterspy. Well, now it is time to thank our Patreon Supporter of the Day and I want to thank Douglas, Patreon supporter since January, currently supporting the podcast at the Secret agent level of $4 or more per month. Thanks so much for your support Douglas and that will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software and be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from. We'll be back next Saturday with another episode of Cloak and Dagger on the Great Detectives Podcast. Join us back here tomorrow for our Thanksgiving week encore and then we return to the normal lineup on Monday with Danger with Granger. In the meantime, do send your comments to box Thirteenreatdetectives.net Follow us on Twitter at radiodetectives and check us out on Instagram instagram.com greatdetectives From Boise, Idaho, this is your host Adam Graham signing off.

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