 The Equitable Society presents, 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, and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. The 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 we bring you a special FBI presentation commemorating the fourth anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Stretching tonight from the quiet meadows of France, the hillsides of Italy, and across the sands of North Africa to the jungle islands of the Pacific, are gardens of little white crosses. Where almost 275,000 American boys lie in eternal condemnation of that day four years ago, which will live forever in infamy. Sunday, December 7th, 1941, the day that Japan stabbed America in the back at Pearl Harbor. But long before Pearl Harbor plunged us into global war with them, the Axis nations through their agents in this country were plotting and working against the internal security of America, protected against the interference by those same principles of freedom they sought to destroy. Then on September 3rd, 1939, Hitler began the murder of Poland, the first flame of world conflagration. America had to prepare her defenses and take aggressive steps to safeguard them. Three days after that ruthless invasion, Director J. Edgar Hoover of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, your FBI, assembled his staff in extraordinary session. Gentlemen, I have here a directive from the President of the United States. The Attorney General has been requested by me to instruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, to take charge of investigative work in matters relating to espionage, sabotage, and violations of the neutrality regulations. This task must be conducted in a comprehensive and effective manner on a national basis, and all information must be carefully sifted out and correlated in order to avoid confusion and irresponsibility. To this end, I request all police officers, sheriffs, and all other law enforcement officers in the United States promptly to turn over to the nearest representative of the Federal Bureau of Investigation any information obtained by them relating to espionage, counter espionage, sabotage, subversive activities, and violations of the neutrality laws. Well, I know the Bureau is fully prepared for this undertaking, gentlemen, so we shall proceed to put it into action at once. That's all. Your FBI was ready, but it was nevertheless a mammoth undertaking. For on the day that the President's directive was put into force, over 1,200,000 persons born in Germany were living in the United States. Nearly 85,000 foreign-born Japanese were living in the United States and Hawaii. Nearly every major city in America had large quotas of foreign-born Italians living among the American-born Italian populations, and thousands of special agents of the three Axis nations were actively at work throughout continental United States and all American territories. Ever since the rise of the pompous political criminal Benito Mussolini to the throne of dictator, Italian fascist societies had been at work in America, seeking first by propaganda and when that failed by brutal force to convert American-born Italians to the service of Ilduce, and they didn't stop with threats. In a large eastern city one night, an elderly grey-haired foe of fascism was preparing to leave his office when I just stay put, Barone. Who are you, men, and what do you want here? You've been warned three times to stop talking against Ilduce. Oh, so you have come to warn me again? No. This time we come to make you stop. What I have said about Mussolini and fascismo is the truth. I said we come to make you stop. What Mussolini and fascismo do in Italy I cannot fight against, but I am an American citizen and I can fight against what they are trying to do in my country and I shall continue to fight against it. More insidious and of greater danger to the security of America than the work of fascist agents had been the operations of the foreign-born Japanese, executed with oriental cunning and fanatical worship of their sacred Son of Heaven and behind a false face of friendship. For how often did we read or hear such words as? Japan has always considered America her greatest friend and it is the supreme desire of the government and the people of Japan to perpetuate peaceful relations between our two countries. But throughout the country and in Hawaii, Japanese Buddhist and Shinto priests preached the doctrine of absolute loyalty to the homeland. Japanese children learned that it was glorious to die for the emperor. Japanese consulates spread literature defending Japan's actions in China. Crews on Japanese fishing boats sound at harbor depths and photograph defense installations. Japanese admirals and army officers posing as civilians gathered vital information on America's military strength and production capacity. Behind the locked doors of a ceremonial hall, the sacred society known as the Rising Sun Order met quite often for this purpose. The candidate for membership will come forward and will kneel before the sacred shrine. You will repeat the pledge now. I swear allegiance unto death to His Imperial Majesty, Son of Heaven and Emperor of Japan and declare that through unity of purpose and complete cooperation, we intend to show our friendship to our comrades at war and to express the great spirit to build up the Japanese Empire. As for Germany's part in the picture which now confronted your FBI, the Nazi Party had been active in America as far back as 1926. Eight years before Hitler at last became the Fuhrer and through the ensuing years it spread its tentacles until they reached into every stratum of American life. Nazi agents tried to work their way into all branches of American military and naval service and into the merchant marine. They were workers and even executives in our vital industry. They were editors, authors and lecturers. They were landowners at strategic points along our Atlantic and Gulf coastlines. They were merchants and bankers and lawyers and doctors. They were social leaders. And Nazi sympathizers taught in our schools, preached in our churches and got elected to public offices low and high as servants of the American people. And more than that, thousands of Nazi youth in America and their elders put on grey shirts and uniforms and by day and by night secluded valleys echoed with the goose-stepping of these fanatical legions. Then they boldly came out into the open, held public rallies and one night 20,000 bundles jam New York's Madison Square Garden. Well, you will be called upon to contribute your part in building this new world. A world of order. A world rid of these corrupt peoples who have been a cancer on the advancement of civilization. I say that day is near at hand. Be prepared. Be resolute. Be ready to smash the enemy. Hail Hitler! That was the picture that confronted your FBI on September 6, 1939. The day the president said, take defensive action. Director Hoover said, we are ready. And to his staff, go into action at once. Operator. Operator. Operator. Within the space of a few minutes after Director Hoover had read the presidential directive to his staff, the nerve center of your FBI in Washington had transmitted the impulse for action with the threat of contact in the vast web of its organization. And soon special agents were surveying America's defense plans and taking precautionary measures against sabotage, setting up protection for America's transportation and communication systems, watching the movements of Axis diplomatic officials using their immunity to carry on hostile operations and embarking on the widest spread spy hunt in the nation's history. But the biggest task of all was that of checking on all suspected Axis aliens and compiling dossiers on those who might become active enemy aliens. Day and night from Seattle to Miami, from San Diego to Bangor, this work went on. In an Italian bar and grill. Don't talk us in loud. What do I care? When Mussolini gets in the war, it'll be all over in Europe. You'll come over here. I beg your pardon. I'm a special agent of the FBI. You an American citizen? Sure I'm an American. You have an alien registration card? I think you'd better come with me. In a rowboat one night in the murky waters lapping the pilings of a jet fishing village on the west coast. If I'm not mistaken, that secret radio receiver is in that shack over there. We can't raid the place. We can't tell them that's what we're looking for. All we need is a reaction. In a plane factory turning out medium bombers for the British. Just a minute there. What is your name? Carl Wilson. Think again, I'm a special agent of the FBI. My name is Carl Wilson. Our records say that you were born in Germany, entered this country illegally, and your name is Carl Schmidt. Come with me. 24 hours around the clock, seven days a week. The checkup went on throughout the 48 states and territories of the United States. The checkup and all other parts of the vast program of defensive action were the result that FBI agents were able to report. 2,300 defense plants surveyed and protected against sabotage. Railroads, airlines, harbors, bus lines, and vital inland waterways protected against sabotage. The ordination of all local and state law enforcement agencies with the FBI into one internal defense unit ready for any national emergency. All potentially dangerous Axis aliens catalogued and whereabouts known at all times. Complete record of activities of all Axis diplomatic officials in the United States and all 42 members of two German spy rings taken into custody. Yes, by the summer of 1941, the President's directives had been carried out in full. America's internal security was protected. There remained only the important job of keeping a constant vigil and this your FBI did during the remainder of the summer through the fall and this it was still doing when it was another Sunday in America. Christmas was hardly more than two weeks away but still the people were following their usual Sunday habits. In some parts it was time to go to church elsewhere it was Sunday dinner time. Some were playing golf driving in the countryside visiting friends seeing movies or dozing in a big chair at home. In the telephone switchboard room of the FBI in Washington the operators on duty took care of routine calls. Then a yellow light glowed on panel number six. Washington right away sir Honlulu calling Mr. Hoover. Yes sir, go ahead Honlulu. We will return to our FBI file in just a moment. Meanwhile look over our shoulders while we open some of the mail that arrives at the equitable society every day from your neighbors and who knows maybe from yourself. It's a very good thing for a man to be happy in his work to feel that his job benefits others as well as himself. Well that's the way we of the equitable life assurance society of the United States feel about our job. The equitable society members think of this society as a friend for they know that the equitable society is a society not only in name but in fact and that they the members are the sole owners of this society which is run for their benefit and theirs alone. Consequently every day in the equitable mailbox there are letters from our members the kind of letters a person writes to a good friend here's a letter from a widow telling us how her equitable society policy stepped in to save her family from disaster. Here's one from a farmer asking our advice in financing the purchase of a piece of land and here's one from the officer of a large corporation with a suggestion about our group insurance plan. Yes in every mail we get pats on the back and friendly criticisms problems to solve and suggestions to consider and we firmly believe that these close contacts with our members are important in keeping the equitable society alert progressive future minded with life insurance policies exactly suited to present day needs and with forward looking investments that promote the prosperity of the entire country. Yes by serving its members the equitable society serves America and now back to this is your FBI through the telephone transmitter which the Honolulu agent held out of the office window director Hoover listened to the exploding bombs which were taking a terrific toll of lives leaving Honolulu and Pearl Harbor and Inferno smoke and flame and turning battleships of the Pacific fleet into a mass of twisted steel at the bottom of the bay then the agent came back on the line put our emergency plans into operation at once to receive further instruction shortly. Operator this is Mr. Hoover have a staff call issued immediately and have all members of the bureau not on duty report for duty at once. Here's Mr. Hoover I'd like a status report gentlemen well all employees here at Bureau headquarters have reported for duty I see special agents and employees of all field offices are now on duty and standing by from now on the Federal Bureau of Investigation is on a 24 hour basis you'll put our general plan of action into operation at once and here are some further steps to take immediately give these priority over all other messages sent by teletype that's all all special agents in charge contact all commercial airlines your district immediately request no Japanese civilian or diplomatic be permitted to travel by air Hoover arrange immediately with all transportation companies your district to stop all traveled by Japanese individuals on train bus or vessel Hoover arrange immediately with all telephone and telegraph companies your district to discontinue all telephonic and telegraphic communications by Japanese to points outside the United States Hoover advise all press associations immediately to spend all service to Japan and occupied China Hoover contact all defense plants transportation and communications companies your district and request them take prescribed steps to prevent sabotage Hoover barely more than two hours after the first Japanese bombs rained down on Pearl Harbor your FBI was fully mobilized operating on a 24 hour basis and with its prepared plan of action moving at top speed special agents had located and had under close surveillance those who they had reason to believe would try to sabotage the United States then there came chattering over the teletypes into every field office in the United States and Hawaii in the Arctic order which every agent was waiting for and eager to execute immediately arrest all Japanese individuals on A, B and C lists also all other Japanese aliens on whom you have information indicating arrest necessary for best interest internal security this country these are very urgent instructions we are receiving how much longer do you think it will be safe to stay here we are cleverly concerned we will never be found grab that radio Tom what is meaning of this outrage we are special agents of the FBI you are both under arrest you are Sayido Fuji are you interested in oriental antique I'm a special agent of the FBI you are under arrest we will take your suitcase full of dynamite along too in cities up and down the west coast all the way across the country to New York and all through the night the arrests went on and they were still going on next day when congress in special session formally declared war against Japan this was quickly followed by other declarations against Germany and Italy and the FBI was being rewarded for its years of preparations at a railroad station in Dallas, Texas just a minute you are about to leave it will have to leave without you Lachman we are from the FBI the back room of the bar in Cincinnati, Ohio what's the idea we are agents of the FBI you are all under arrest in a cabin overlooking the Jersey coast we are special agents of the FBI you are all under arrest the roundup continued and by nightfall of December 8 hours after Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor nearly 2,000 enemy aliens on the highly dangerous list had been arrested and the war against espionage and sabotage was to continue along with every other phase of the FBI's internal defense program until VE Day and VJ Day brought total victory to America and her allies and when the end had come Mr. J. Edgar Hoover said this my co-workers throughout the Federal Bureau of Investigation and I are proud to be able to report that during the four long years of war not one single act of enemy directed sabotage was successfully carried out in this country but the credit is not alone the FBI's it belongs also to those local and state law enforcement officers of yours who worked faithfully and around the clock with us under the alertness and cooperation of you is there not something highly significant in that by working side by side together in common cause each for getting self the American people have won a great victory in war is not a victory in peace dependent on that same unity of mine and heart and purpose before you answer think a while of those 175,000 sons and husbands and brothers and sweethearts of yours lying under those little white crosses and now before we tell you about next week's thrilling case from the files of the FBI here's an important message about an unusual classroom in which adults are back at school this week at the equitable society I sat down in a classroom and not men were going to school the students in this class were ex-servicemen in rank they ranged from first class privates and naval petty officers to colonels and commanders one was a fighter pilot with a distinguished record another was a marine a veteran of many hard fought landings on the islands of the pacific before going into the service all of them had been agents or field representatives of the equitable life assurance of the society of the United States and now they're taking what you might call a refresher course to bring them up to date on recent developments you see life insurance is one business that never stands still here in the equitable society we are constantly finding ways to improve the many protective services we render to our three and a quarter million members and this means that every equitable society representative must be well trained qualified on the subject of life insurance life insurance is their profession and they must at all times be prepared to offer professional advice and assistance to equitable society members present and future we of the equitable life assurance society of the United States take particular pride in the men and women who have been chosen to represent us it is due to the great measure to their conscientious efforts that we are able to say that this week and every week for 86 years the equitable society has been building security for you your home and your country next week we will bring you another colorful story from the files of the federal bureau of investigation the highway hijackers the incidents used in tonight's equitable societies broadcast are taken from the files of the federal bureau of investigation the role of J. Edgar Hoover was impersonated all other 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 servicemen and women are broadcast overseas through the worldwide facilities of the armed forces radio service tonight the music was under the direction of Frederick Steiner the author was Frank Ferries and your narrator was Dean Carlton this is your FBI is a Jerry Divine production now this is Carl Frank speaking for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community and inviting you to tune in again next week at the same time for this is your FBI this is ABC the American Broadcasting Company