[Ads-l] sleeper agent, sleeper

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Excellent cites, Jon and James.
IMDB states that the New York City premiere of "The House on 92nd
Street" was September 26, 1945. Of course, the screenplay must have
been written before that date.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037795/releaseinfo/

Here is a citation for "sleeper agent" from earlier in 1945.

Date: March 28 1945:
Newspaper: New York Herald Tribune
Newspaper Location: New York, New York
Article: Hollywood News
Quote Page 20, Column 3
Database: ProQuest

[Begin excerpt]
Poldy Dur, Viennese actress, who played one of the feminine leads in
"The Hitler Gang," has been added to the cast of "Now It Can Be Told"
at Twentieth Century-Fox. She will be seen as a spy, known as a
"Sleeper Agent"--one who is trained in Germany and sent into a foreign
country, where the spy becomes a "respectable" citizen before making
contact with the Gestapo.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Sat, Oct 28, 2023 at 6:21 PM James Eric Lawson <jel at nventure.com> wrote:
>
> Earlier, 'sleeping agent', not in OED:
>
> 1939  *The Oakland Post Enquirer* (Oakland, California) 2 Aug 12/4
> (newspapers.com)  It isn’t likely that your next-door neighbor is one of
> this army.
>      But he might be.
>      He might be a “sleeping agent,” one of a pledged host who do
> nothing save go about their own business until secret orders come.
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oakland-post-enquirer-sleeping-agent/134239775/
>
>
> 1939  *Narandera Argus and Riverina Advertiser* (Narrandera, New South
> Wales, Australia) 26 Sep 2/7-8 (newspapers.com)  Military intelligence
> services classify spies under four categories. They are “stationary
> agents,” “mobile agents,” “special agents” and “sleeping agents.”
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/narandera-argus-and-riverina-advertiser/134241025/
>
>
> 1941  *Santa Ana Register* (Santa Ana, California) 24 Jul 7/3
> (newspapers.com)  These agents, the speaker said, are to be found in all
> walks of life. Some are called “sleeping” agents. They just rent a place
> and apparently have no business, some are taxi drivers, university
> professors, or ambassadors; and sometimes there are four or five agents
> assigned to one job, so, if one fails, subsequent attempts will be more
> sure to succeed.
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-register-sleeping-agent-person/134239145/
>
>
>
> On 10/28/23 08:13, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > OED: 1973   ("sleeper" 1955)
> >
> > 1945 Barre' Lyndon, Charles G. Booth, John Monks, Jr. _The House on 92nd
> > Street_ (film) : Right now you're what we call a sleeper agent. The Nazis
> > planted you here long ago.
> >
> > 1950 Phila. Inquirer (Oct. 5) 27: Any release of such information would
> > have to include the names of the Communist Party's "sleeper agents." These
> > "sleepers" are silent party members, and invariably unknown to the
> > community or factory in which they work, and unknown to the local Communist
> > Party chiefs. "Sleepers" are the agents assigned by the CP underground to
> > special spots, in key classified production units of secret war plants, or
> > on railroads near vital switches, or in unions or in Government departments.
> >
> > JL
> >
>
> --
> James Eric Lawson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org