BLAKE-ALVA

WAS  HE  THE  NAVY’S  FIRST DOUBLE AGENT?

Alva Davis Blake was reportedly born March 31, 1887, in Manitou Springs, Colorado.  Readily available public historical records reveal little concerning his early life but do report that during the brief period of 1915-1916 he appeared as a bit actor in thirteen Hollywood movies and during World War One he entered the Navy where he served as a yeoman.  Later he became a street performer known as “Keeno, King of the Robots” and found occasional work at fairs and store openings.  He was particularly known for standing motionless in store windows and displays with a mannequin next to him as the public tried to determine which figure was human.  He supposedly set a world record for standing motionless for one hour and twenty-seven minutes

Records reveal that in 1940 Blake crossed paths with an old Japanese acquaintance, Toraichi Kono, from their silent film days.  Kono had previously worked as valet and chauffeur for Charlie Chaplin.  Blake had apparently previously bragged to Kona about access to classified information while in the Navy.  Kono later introduced Blake to Lieutenant Commander Itaru Tachibana, a Japanese naval intelligence officer who was in the U.S. posing as a “language student” at the University of Southern California.  In about early 1941, Tachibana made an offer to Blake to pay him in return for classified Naval information.  Blake realized the offer was beyond his depth and out of patriotism he went to the  Los Angeles FBI to report the situation.  The FBI declined Blake’s offer to respond to Tachibana and thus Blake contacted the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) where Blake’s offer was readily accepted.  During the next several months Blake followed ONI instructions and furnished to Tachibana obsolete Navy information, firing practice reports of the USS Phoenix, and several ancient code books.  He may also have made a trip or two to Hawaii while working with ONI. 

On June 7, 1941, in cooperation with the FBI, arrests were made of Tachibana and Blake.  The FBI searched Tachibana’s rooms and found considerable information about the U.S. Navy which was consistent with espionage activities, and he was arrested on a charge of “conspiracy to obtain national defense information…for…a foreign power.”  Tachibana was promptly released from custody when the Japanese Consul posted $50,000 bail.  Tachibana promptly left the country in late June and returned to Japan.  Blake was released from custody and congratulated by the Navy for successfully keeping a straight face.  Tachibana’s arrest effectively ended the Southern California Japanese naval spy ring and taught U.S. authorities the Japanese Navy’s contacts and what information the Japanese Navy desired.

Alva Davis Blake died November 5, 1966, in Los Angeles County and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles.  He was survived by his wife who he had married on Christmas Day 1948.  The full story of Blake’s work with ONI may never be known but he may very well be the first double agent in a Naval Intelligence operation against a potential enemy which may have set the stage for future double agent operations conducted by ONI/NIS/NCIS.

          

                1938 IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.  MANEQUIN IN BACK SEAT.

Submitted by Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)