Mark Harmon, a veteran of NCIS, and former Special Agent Leon Carroll Jr. have collaborated on a non-fiction book titled “Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor.
” The book explores a World War II operation led by the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), the predecessor to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Scheduled for release on November 14, the book delves into historical events surrounding Douglas Wada, the only Japanese American agent in naval intelligence, and Takeo Yoshikawa, a Japanese spy assigned to gather information on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor.
Mark Harmon expressed his motivation to contribute to unveiling the history and real story behind NCIS. He emphasized the importance of shedding light on the work of NCIS agents, often unknown and working as public servants at the highest level. The book draws on long-buried historical documents and weaves a narrative that encompasses the undercover work of Wada in Honolulu, posing as a newspaper reporter, translating wiretaps on the Japanese Consulate, and interrogating the first captured POW of World War II. Meanwhile, Yoshikawa collaborates with the consulate as a junior diplomat, feeding vital information to the Japanese Navy.
The book aims to provide readers with a different perspective on NCIS as an agency and showcase its multifaceted role beyond the conventional portrayal of homicide investigations. Carroll Jr. hopes that the book will be the first in a series offering an inside look into the inner workings of NCIS in accomplishing its mission. Harmon, an executive producer on CBS’s NCIS, has not appeared on-camera as Leroy Jethro Gibbs since early Season 19.