Get this and get it straight. Crime is a suckers road and those who travel it'd wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave.

The story you were about to hear is true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective.

The Adventures of the Saints starring Vincent Prize.

Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account.

America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator.

Yours truly, Johnny Deller. the Hello and welcome to down these mean streets and more crime fighters from the

golden age of radio. This week we're leaving the private eyes and cops behind

and we're joining up with a trio of government agents.

Men who worked at home and abroad to keep us safe in three old-time radio

adventures dramatized from actual espionage cases. Up first is cloak and dagger, an adventure series that presented files from the

Office of Strategic Service. The United States Intelligence Agency formed

during World War II that evolved into the CIA.

Each week during the show's short run,

cloak and dagger presented the stories of OSS operatives engaged in daring missions in the European and Pacific theaters.

These were dangerous assignments designed to keep secrets out of the hands of the enemy or

to get desperately needed plans and supplies to our allies.

What set cloak and dagger apart from other radio adventure shows was the survival of its

heroes was never guaranteed. Some episodes would end

with a brave sacrifice made by an agent to complete their mission. The series was inspired by the book of the same name, an account of the agency's history

written by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain.

Today we'll hear direct line to bombers, originally aired on NBC on June 25th, 1950.

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