The Big Story
Hush Hush Operation
Paul Fisher, Kansas City Star
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Only part 1 of this broadcast recording is known to have survived. The program presents the story of Paul Fisher’s reporting for the Kansas City Star on a major narcotics operation linked to the political machine of Tom Pendergast.
The account describes a multi-state ring extending from the Midwest to the Pacific coast, amid a broader network of political corruption and criminal activity. Federal investigators eventually prosecuted and imprisoned about 600 people. Pendergast was convicted of tax evasion for failing to pay taxes on bribes he received.
Fisher spent nearly seven years covering the case as his sole assignment, and his reporting helped bring the operation to public attention. This surviving portion offers a dramatized account of investigative journalism under pressure, centered on the work that helped expose the enterprise.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.