SHOWCAS, NEXT.
>> THIS IS CHRONICLE.
SHAYNA: GOOD EVENING.
MOE BERG WAS ATHLETIC ENOUGH TO PLAY PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL FOR SEVERAL MAJOR LEAGUES, INCLUDING THE RED SOX.
SMART ENOUGH TO ATTEND PRINCETON AND COLUMBIA AND EARN A LAW DEGREE.
AND DARING ENOUGH TO SPY ON THE NAZIS DURING WORLD WAR II.
NOW HIS AMAZING LIFE IS CAPTURED IN A NEW DOCUMENTARY, "THE SPY BEHIND HOME PLATE.
♪ >> WHENEVER YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING WITH MOE BERG, IT IS GOING TO BE COMPLICATED.
>> HELL OF A STORY.
>> HE LOVED BEING A MYSTERY.
>> MOE BERG WAS A TERRIFIC ATHLETE.
MOE WOULD DISAPPEAR AFTER GAMES.
HE WAS VERY CHARMING.
GIRLS WOULD GO GAGA.
>> HE WAS A LONER WHO WANTED TO EXPERIENCE THE WORLD AND FOUND A WAY TO DO IT.
>> WHO IS THIS GUY WHO COULD DO ALL THIS?
>> HE WAS SMART AND HE WAS FUNNY.
>> HE COULD SPEAK SEVEN LANGUAGES AND COULD NOT HIT IN ANY OF THEM.
>> BRAIN AND BRAWN MAKES MOE BERG THE ULTIMATE JEWISH ATHLETE.
>> MOE BERG WAS VERY AWARE THAT PEACE WAS GOING TO BE DISRUPTED IN THE WORLD.
>> THE CATCHER HAS TO HAVE THAT BIRDSEYE VIEW.
>> WAS HE DOING INTELLIGENCE WORK WHILE STILL IN BASEBALL?
>> HE IS ASSESSING WHAT IS IN FRONT OF HIM.
WHO IS PITCHING, WHO IS UP, WHAT CAN OR CANNOT HE HIT?
>> HERE IS A GUY WHO WENT TO PRINCETON AND COLUMBIA, SPOKE MANY LANGUAGES, IT PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER.
IF HE WAS NOT REAL WE WOULD HAVE TO INVENT HIM.
>> GERMANY GOT A BIG HEAD START IN BUILDING AN ATOMIC BOMB.
>> IT WAS OBVIOUS IF ANYONE COULD UNLOCK THIS GREAT SECRET THEY WOULD CONTROL THE WORLD.
>> THE OSS HAD GIVEN THE MANHATTAN PROJECT ITS OWN SPY.
THAT WAS MOE BERG.
>> IT HAD TO BE ABOUT AS DANGEROUS A JOB AS SOMEONE COULD UNDERTAKE.
HE WENT BEHIND THE LINES IN A WAR WHERE A MAN’S LIFE ISN’T WORTH TWO CENTS.
IT TAKES A GREAT PATRIOT TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> MOE BERG’S FATHER NEVER SAW HIM PLAY SINGLE-GAME.
BUT MOE BERG SAID HE WOULD RATHER BE A BASEBALL PLAYER THAN A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE.
BUT HE WOUND UP BEING AN AN AMERICAN HERO.
SHAYNA: JOINING ME NOW IS THE PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR OF "THE SPY BEHIND HOME PLATE." THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
IN THE MOVIE, MOE BERG IS CALLED A RENAISSANCE MAN.
HE WAS THE ULTIMATE JEWISH ATHLETE, HE WAS A JAMES BOND-TYPE SPY.
HE WAS ALSO A REALLY SMART INDIVIDUAL.
>> IT IS INTERESTING BECAUSE HE PLAYED FOR THE RED SOX FIVE YEARS HERE IN BOSTON.
WHEN HE WAS ON HIS OFF TIME HE WOULD GO TO ALL THE BOOKSTORES.
HE WAS A REAL INTELLECTUAL, A LINGUIST WHO GRADUATED SUMMA COME LOUDLY FROM PRINCETON.
HE WAS A COMBINATION OF BRAIN AND BRAWN.
HE WAS CALLED THE BRAINY US MAN IN BASEBALL.
SHAYNA: WHAT TYPE OF BASEBALL PLAYER WAS HE?
>> HE PLAYED FOR 15 YEARS.
HIS AVERAGE WAS .234, WHICH FOR A UTILITY PLAYER IS NOT BAD.
15 YEARS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES.
FROM 1935 TO 1939 IN BOSTON.
HE WAS A CATCHER MOST YEARS.
TWO YEARS AS A COACH IN BOSTON.
HE LEFT BOSTON WHERE THAN ANY OTHER TEAM HE PLAYED FOR AND THEY LOVED HIM.
SHAYNA: IN THE 1930’S HE DID A BASEBALL TOUR WITH BABE RUTH AND OTHER BASEBALL STARS.
WAS AT THE START OF HIS ESPIONAGE CAREER?
>> I THINK THE FILM DEPICTS IT AS CLEAR THAT IN 1934 THERE WAS AN ALL-STAR TEAM.
EVERYONE EXCEPT FOR MOE WERE ALL-STARS.
HE WOULD GO TO THE HOSPITAL UNDER GUISE OF VISITING THE AMBASSADOR’S DAUGHTER WHO JUST HAD A BABY.
GOES UPSTAIRS WITH A CAMERA AND FILMS THE LANDSCAPE OF TOKYO, WHICH WAS PROBABLY USED AS PREPARATION FOR THE DOOLITTLE RAID.
SHAYNA: AFTER HIS BASEBALL CAREER HE BECAME INVOLVED IN THE MANHATTAN PROJECT.
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THAT?
>> HE, AS MANY OTHERS, WERE RECRUITED BY WILD BILL DONOVAN TO JOIN THE OSS.
THEY HAD AN SPECIFICALLY ASSIGNED TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT IF THE GERMANS HAD A BOMB OR NOT.
HE WAS SENT ON MANY MISSIONS TO ITALY AT FIRST TO FIND OUT WHAT GERMANY WAS DOING FROM OTHER ITALIAN SCIENTISTS.
SHAYNA: GO TO ZURICH TO ATTEND A LECTURE BY A GERMAN NUCLEAR PHYSICIST.
>> HE WAS ASSIGNED TO ATTEND THE LECTURE WITH A CYANIDE PILL IN ONE POCKET AND A GUN IN ANOTHER.
IF HEISENBERG EXPRESSED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF KNOWING THE GERMANS WERE DEVELOPING A BOMB, MOE WAS SUPPOSED TO SHOOT HIM.
YOU HAVE TO SEE THE FILM TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED.
SHAYNA: WHAT A FASCINATING STORY.
WHERE AND WHEN CAN PEOPLE SEE THIS?
>> IT IS OPENING UP JUNE 28 AT THE KENDALL SQUARE CINEMA.
I WILL BE THERE THAT SUNDAY TO DO A QUEUE AND DAY.
SHAY