{"id":31278,"date":"2018-03-21T06:28:46","date_gmt":"2018-03-21T10:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=31278"},"modified":"2018-03-21T06:28:46","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T10:28:46","slug":"wading-river-wwii-fbi-covert-radio-station-listed-on-the-national-register-of-historic-places","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/wading-river-wwii-fbi-covert-radio-station-listed-on-the-national-register-of-historic-places\/","title":{"rendered":"Wading River: WWII FBI covert radio station listed on the National Register of Historic Places"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

(Photo: Camp De Wolfe)<\/p><\/div>\n

(Source: Riverhead Local<\/a> via Mike Hansgen)<\/p>\n

A house on the bluffs at Camp DeWolfe in Wading River, covertly used as an FBI radio transmission station during World War II to gather military intelligence, has been added to the state and national registers of historic places.<\/p>\n

FBI radio operators impersonating German agents used the Wading River Radio Station to communicate with the German intelligence service, according to the site\u2019s registration form with the National Register of Historic Places.<\/p>\n

Information covertly gathered by agents at the radio station was critical to inspiring the United States\u2019 development of an atomic bomb.<\/p>\n

The station was also involved in the Operation \u201cBodyguard,\u201d which used counterintelligence to confuse and mislead the Nazi government about the upcoming Allied invasion of Europe.<\/p>\n

The radio station operated from 1942 to 1945.<\/p>\n

[…]In January 1942, FBI engineers installed radio equipment in the house, hid a large antenna in the woods, and built a diesel-powered generator using an automobile engine to avoid local suspicion about electricity consumption at the house, which was far greater than what was then the norm due to the radio operations. An FBI agent assigned to manage the operation moved in with his family \u2014 and two or three radio operators. The first floor was maintained as the agent\u2019s family home, while the second and third floors were used for the FBI operation, according to the national register registration narrative. They remained there for the duration of the war.<\/p>\n

[…]The FBI had been looking for a spot to locate the transmission station for the spying operation and were attracted by the home\u2019s cliffside location and the site\u2019s remoteness. According to the national register registration document:<\/p>\n

\u201cBy January 1942 [an FBI radio engineer] had stumbled upon the Owen House located in the tiny fishing and farming hamlet of Wading River, New York. Located eighty miles east of New York on Long Island\u2019s North Fork the spacious three story building sat on a cliff bordered on one side by Long Island Sound and acres of dense trees on the other three sides, and the only approach to the station was a bumpy, rutted quarter mile path. Even by today\u2019s standards the house is not easy to find. In 1942 it would have been nearly impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

An FBI agent\u2019s inquiry took the Owen family by surprise. They were sworn to secrecy.[…]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Click here to read the full article at the Riverhead Local.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Source: Riverhead Local via Mike Hansgen) A house on the bluffs at Camp DeWolfe in Wading River, covertly used as an FBI radio transmission station during World War II to gather military intelligence, has been added to the state and national registers of historic places. FBI radio operators impersonating German agents used the Wading River […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,305,288],"tags":[3422,6907,4091,6906,676,1301],"class_list":["post-31278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","tag-mike-k8rat","tag-new-york-wwii","tag-radio-history","tag-wading-river","tag-wwii","tag-wwii-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-88u","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14357,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/rhode-islands-wwii-farmhouse-monitoring-station\/","url_meta":{"origin":31278,"position":0},"title":"Rhode Island’s WWII farmhouse monitoring station","author":"Thomas","date":"August 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Mike (AC4NS), who shares a link to this fascinating article by Tom Mooney? in the TheProvidence Journal. Here's an excerpt: \"There was nothing remarkable to see on Chopmist Hill in 1940 when, a year before the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor and bring America\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SX-99-Dial","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/SX-99-Dial-1024x192.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/SX-99-Dial-1024x192.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/SX-99-Dial-1024x192.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10920,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/wartime-radio-the-secret-listeners\/","url_meta":{"origin":31278,"position":1},"title":"Wartime radio: The secret listeners","author":"Thomas","date":"September 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"After publishing the post about\u00a0Geoff Hanley and the\u00a0Radio Security Service\u00a0last week, I discovered this brilliant 1979 documentary from the BBC which highlights\u00a0civilian involvement in radio-based intelligence during WWI and WWII. Here's a description from the East Anglian Film Archive: \"It was the tireless work of amateur radio enthusiasts during World\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"International Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/international-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RadioSecretService","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/RadioSecretService.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/RadioSecretService.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/RadioSecretService.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63076,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/how-radio-carried-the-news-of-d-day-broadcasts-from-june-6-1944\/","url_meta":{"origin":31278,"position":2},"title":"How Radio Carried the News of D-Day: Broadcasts from June 6, 1944","author":"Thomas","date":"June 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Today marks the anniversary of D-Day\u2014Operation Overlord\u2014the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. If you\u2019ve never listened to how the news broke here in the U.S., the Internet Archive hosts a remarkable collection of recordings from that historic day. It\u2019s fascinating to hear the unfolding coverage in real\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/media-dday-anniversary-lg05.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/media-dday-anniversary-lg05.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/media-dday-anniversary-lg05.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/media-dday-anniversary-lg05.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/media-dday-anniversary-lg05.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/media-dday-anniversary-lg05.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53226,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/07\/bbc-radio-4-scotlands-lord-haw-haw\/","url_meta":{"origin":31278,"position":3},"title":"BBC Radio 4: “Scotland’s Lord Haw Haw”","author":"Thomas","date":"July 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: BBC Radio 4) Scotland's Lord Haw Haw Radio played a key role in the propaganda campaigns of Nazi Germany. The most notorious personality in this radio war was William Joyce, or 'Lord Haw-Haw' - who came to be known as the English voice of Nazi Germany. But he wasn't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Dial.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Dial.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Dial.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16926,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/historic-bawdsey-radar-site-receives-1-4-million-grant-from-the-uk-government\/","url_meta":{"origin":31278,"position":4},"title":"Historic Bawdsey Radar site receives \u00a31.4 million grant from the UK government","author":"Thomas","date":"January 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for sharing this article about the historic Bawdsey Radar site: (Source: Engaget) A radar site considered by some to be as historically important as Bletchley Park will be preserved, thanks to a \u00a31.4 million ($2 million) grant from the UK government. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"(Source: Bawdsey Radar)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Ferry-00094.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Ferry-00094.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Ferry-00094.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Ferry-00094.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63408,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/history-of-the-radio-intelligence-division-before-and-during-world-war-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":31278,"position":5},"title":"History of the Radio Intelligence Division Before and During World War II","author":"Thomas","date":"July 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Mike, who writes: Good afternoon, Thomas. Recalling that there have been a few postings on the SWLing Post over time on the FCC's Radio Intelligence Division, I thought this might interest you and some readers. I just came across this (I don't even remember\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Signal-Corps-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Signal-Corps-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Signal-Corps-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Signal-Corps-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Signal-Corps-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31278\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}