“Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy,???? ???? ?????? a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor” by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll has been published by Harper Select.
“A fast-paced debut . ..Espionage buffs will savor this vibrant account.” — Publishers Weekly
A U.S. naval counterintelligence officer working to safeguard Pearl Harbor; a Japanese spy ordered to Hawaii to gather information on the American fleet. On Dec. 7, 1941, their hidden stories are exposed by a morning of bloodshed that would change the world forever.
Scrutinizing long-buried historical documents, “NCIS” star Mark Harmon and co-author Leon Carroll, a former NCIS special agent, have brought forth a true-life NCIS story of deception, discovery, and danger.
Hawaii, 1941. War clouds with Japan are gathering and the islands of Hawaii have become battlegrounds of spies, intelligence agents, and military officials — with the island’s residents caught between them. Toiling in the shadows are Douglas Wada, the only Japanese American agent in naval intelligence, and Takeo Yoshikawa, a Japanese spy sent to Pearl Harbor to gather information on the U.S. fleet.
Wada’s experiences in his native Honolulu include posing undercover as a newspaper reporter, translating wiretaps on the Japanese Consulate, and interrogating America’s first captured POW of World War II, a submarine officer found on the beach. Yoshikawa is a Japanese spy operating as a junior diplomat with the consulate who is collecting vital information that goes straight to Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto.
Their dueling stories anchor “Ghosts of Honolulu’s” gripping depiction of the world-changing cat-and-mouse games played between Japanese and U.S. military intelligence agents (and a mercenary Nazi) in Hawaii before the outbreak of the Second World War.
Also caught in the upheaval are Honolulu’s innocent residents — including Wada’s father — who endure the war’s anti-Japanese fervor and a cadre of intelligence professionals who must prevent Hawaii from adopting the same destructive mass internments as California.
“Ghosts of Honolulu” depicts the incredible high-stakes game of naval intelligence and the need to define what is real and what only appears to be real.
Star of screen, television, and stage, Mark Harmon is now taking on the publishing world with “Ghosts of Honolulu.” Probably most recognized for his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the hit drama “NCIS,” which he led for 18 seasons, Harmon is also an executive producer on the show.
In his other TV work, Harmon received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for the critically acclaimed “The West Wing.” Previously he earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Special for “Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years.”
He received two consecutive Golden Globe nominations for his work on “Reasonable Doubts,” and received two additional Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Made for TV; one for “After the Promise” and another for his role as notorious serial killer Ted Bundy in “The Deliberate Stranger.”
Along with his co-stars on “Chicago Hope,” he received two Best Ensemble SAG Award nominations. Further credits include HBO’s “From Earth to the Moon,” “St. Elsewhere,” “Moonlighting,” and Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth.”
Harmon made his feature film debut in Alan Pakula’s “Comes a Horseman.” Additional credits include Lawrence Kasdan’s “Wyatt Earp,” “Stealing Home” with Jodie Foster, “The Presidio,” and Carl Reiner’s smash hit “Summer School.”
On stage, Harmon has appeared in Kevin Wade’s “Key Exchange,” Bill C. Davis’ “Wrestlers,” and Mark Medoff’s “The Wager.” In addition, he has done several successful productions of A. R. Gurney’s hit play “Love Letters” with his wife, actress Pam Dawber.
Born and raised in Southern California, Harmon excelled in sports. He quarterbacked UCLA to multiple winning football seasons and was presented the National Collegiate Football Foundation Award for All Around Excellence. The National Football Foundation recently bestowed Harmon with their highest honor, the Gold Medal, making him the first recipient in their organization to receive both the Scholar Athlete Award and the Gold Medal. He is a cum laude graduate with a degree in communications.
Leon Carroll Jr. is the technical advisor on “NCIS.” A native of Chicago, he attended Lindblom Technical High School and went on to earn a BS degree in business economics from North Dakota State University. He was a member of two College Division national championship teams in the late ’60s.
Carroll was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving on active duty for six years and three years in the Marine Corps Reserves, attaining the rank of major. His duty assignments included serving in the Fleet Marine Forces and sea duty onboard the USS Ogden (LPD-5).
Following his stint in the Marine Corps, Carroll began a 20-year career as a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). He served in seven different locations, including tours as a special agent afloat on the USS Ranger (CV-61) and as the special agent in charge of NCIS offices in the Republic of Panama and the Pacific Northwest.
Upon retirement from NCIS, Carroll was selected to be the technical advisor for the top-rated drama of the same name, holding that position for 20 seasons. His experience in foreign counterintelligence gives him unique insight into the world in which Doug Wada operated.