Alva D. Blake

According to Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton, USN (Ret.), in his book, "And I was there" Pearl Harbor and Midway - Breaking the Secrets (Pages 106-108), Al D. Blake was "also known as Keeno, King of the Robots, from the world record he had set by standing motionless fora an hour and twenty-seven minutes. He was a sometime vaudeville performer whose robot act got him occasional jobs at fairs and store openings." Layton goes on to describe how Blake was instrumental in helping to expose Lieutenant commander Itaru Tachibana for espionage and spying while in the U.S. posing as a 'language student' prior to the Imperial Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Layton states that "Blake was broke and jobless" and knew Tachibana's chauffeur. It was through the chauffeur that Blake was offered $5,000 to produce classified naval information. "Blake, now realizing he was beyond his depth, went to the FBI in Los Angeles with this story, saying that he had led Tachibana on out of patriotism, intending to expose him." Blake offered to cooperate and, eventually, helped the FBI and the Office of Naval Intelligence to bring Tachibana's operation down. However, before this success, Blake very nearly spoiled the sting operation. Layton read Blake the riot act and the woman was convinced to keep quiet by warning her that, if she failed to do so, the tape of her indiscretion would be shared with her husband. Blake completed the second drop of faked intelligence, at which time Tachibana was picked up.