thumb|The radio program also found its way onto television. Pictured are Mandel Kramer as Peters (left) and Don McLaughlin as David Harding in 1952.

Counterspy was an espionage drama radio series that aired on the NBC Blue Network (later ABC) and Mutual from May 18, 1942, to November 29, 1957.

David Harding (played by Don MacLaughlin) was the chief of the United States Counterspies, a unit engaged during World War II in counterintelligence against Japan's Black Dragon and Germany's Gestapo. United States Counterspies was a fictional government agency devised by the program's creator, Phillips H. Lord after Lord "had a certain amount of difficulty with J. Edgar Hoover over story content in Gang Busters." Mandel Kramer played Peters, Harding's assistant.

The program's plots progressed through three phases. During World War II they involved "threats from the Axis powers." After the war ended, Cold War threats took precedence. In the third phase, "they addressed all manner of illegal activities. and Telestar Films' releasing of Counterspy for syndication.

A Spanish version of Counterspy was transmitted to South America via shortwave radio in 1942. An article in Broadcasting reported that commercial were deleted and that the effort was "in cooperation with the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs."

References

Logs

  • Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: Counterspy
  • Episodic log of Counterspy from RadioGOLDINdex
  • Episodic logs of Counterspy (and more) from The Digital Deli Too

Audio

  • RadioEchoes: Counterspy
  • Script of "Case of the Framed Congressman" episode of Counterspy
  • Zoot Radio, free old time radio show downloads of "David Harding Counter Spy"

TV pilots

  • Pilot of TV version of David Harding, Counterspy, starring Reed Hadley
  • Pilot of TV version of Counterspy starring Don Megowan

Magazine article

  • Radio and Television Mirror article "by David Harding" with information from "actual cases from the Counterspy files."