I was a Communist for the FBI

Espionage thriller drama (1952 - 54)

Based on the book by real-life undercover agent, Matt Cvetic, I Was a Communist for the FBI was a dramatization of Cvetics life during the time he infiltrated the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA). In real life, Cvetic lost everything he loved--his wife, children, parents, friends--except for his country and love for that country is what kept him going.

The old time radio show stars Dana Andrews in the lead role and paints a picture of a man constantly under stress, constantly tested in his loyalty and devotion to the party. While the radio drama was just that, a drama, the stories of Cvetic constantly walking a fine line between discovery by the Communists and doing his job as best he could to gather information and throw up road blocks to their activity in the United States.

Cvetic lived in constant fear for nine years from 1941 to 1950 while he was a party member knowing that if he was discovered, he would pay with his life. His recruitment by the FBI was something out of a spy movie. After failing to gain entry into the US Army in 1941 because he was too short, he received a mysterious phone call. He met his handler exactly once and never met him again though submitted over 50,000 pages of reports.

Music by David Rose. For more espionage, see also Federal Agent, Cloak and Dagger, Spy Catcher, Counterspy - David Harding!, Dangerous Assignment, Intrigue, The Adventures of Frank Race, Harry Lime (The Third Man), Secret Agent K7 Returns, Top Secret, and The Man Called X.

This collection is also part of the larger Red Scare in Old Time Radio compilation.