John Ford's "Undercover: How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines" (60:00, B&W, 1943) From the C.I.A. Archives) It's not everyday we discover a virtually unknown feature film by an Oscar Winning director, let alone one that contains his only speaking role in a talking picture. Hollywood legend John Ford directed this training film during World War 2 on the art of espionage for the O.S.S (Office of Strategic Services, forerunner of the C.I.A) and plays a cameo role as a secret intelligence officer. This is the first film ever made on how to be a spy in enemy territory produced by a secret intelligence service to train their agents.

The film opens with examples of foreign intelligence operations that failed in North America and why they were found out We then follow the fictional careers of two American agents from recruitment through training, infiltration, and on to their field operations. (One is a "fisherman," the other a "factory worker." This is a very hands on, how to guide to espionage, with right-way wrong-way examples on skills like crossing boarders, inventing and employing a cover story, establishing a residence, contacting your control, using "dead drops," dressing to blend in with the locals getting a the right job, maintaining a low profile, dealing with "the authorities," gathering intelligence and much more. An engaging and informative tale told by a master storyteller.

House Search (30:00, B&W, 1943) From the C.I.A. Archives. Another "hands on" agent training film produced by the O.S.S. during Word War 2 on the art of hiding (and finding) objects & secret information hidden in locations like homes, apartments, and hotel rooms. The story begins with an American industrialist working in a neutral country, who is working as an O.S.S operative. He has hidden a purloined chemical sample and other info in his apartment, which is soon searched by an enemy agent , who knows a few things, but doesn't know enough to find what he's after. The table's are then turned and the enemy agent's rooms are searched by O.S.S operatives, who do a much better job finding secret information. You'l learn a lot along the way, including how to set "traps" so you know your place has been searched, hiding & finding different kinds of objects and printed information, prioritizing & managing a through search, secret panels, doing a search so no one knows you've been there and much more

Body Search (20:00, B&W, 1943) From the C.I.A. Archives. In this O.S.S training film, a courier is caught. arrested and thoroughly searched by enemy experts -- and we mean "thoroughly." (There is brief nudity, so this film may not be suitable for young viewers.) You'll learn how to hide & find things like microfilm dots on and in pretty much every part of the human anatomy, on articles of clothing, and in everyday possessions like eye glasses and paper currency. And just as important, you'll get tips on how to maintain your cover story and avoid giving away hiding through speech and gestures during interrogation

The Case of the Tremendous Trifle (20:00, B&W, 1943) Bonus Feature! This fascinating film shows how various intelligence sources, including spies, interrogations of refugees & POWs, aerial reconnaissance and seemingly innocuous sources like corporate parts catalogs were tied together and used in the strategic planning and execution of one of the epic missions of World War 2, the bombing of the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt, Germany. The "tremendous trifle" refers to how the interruption of supply of an apparently insignificant, but vital part like a ball bearing can have a huge impact on war production because so many machines depend on them. And there’s some exciting footage of 8th Air Force bombing operations too!