James Cagney
Nick Condon
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Synopsis
An American newspaper editor in Tokyo obtains a document that powerful officials are determined to suppress. As people connected to the story come under attack, getting the information out becomes a matter of survival. A mysterious woman's loyalties complicate this wartime spy thriller, whose political conspiracy is a fictional construction rather than a historical account.
Cast
DirectorsFrank Lloyd
Inspirations
The plot builds a fictional espionage adventure around the disputed Tanaka Memorial. Its dramatic account should be read as wartime storytelling, rather than a documentary reconstruction of the document's origins.
Behind the scenes
James Cagney trained in judo with Los Angeles policeman Jack Sergel for the film's unusually physical confrontations. Sergel also appeared onscreen under the name John Halloran, bringing the training relationship directly into the action.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.
Availability checked on September 10, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- James Cagney — Warner Bros. Studio (work for hire) · Public domain
- Sylvia Sidney — Paramount Pictures · Public domain
- Porter Hall — Photographer:DeForrest Studios, San Francisco. · Public domain
- John Emery — Vandamm Studio, New York · Public domain
