The film was shot in a semi-documentary style that became highly influential in post-war American cinema. The story follows the FBI's efforts to expose a Nazi spy network operating in the United States during World War II. The Bureau discovers that a secret cell is trying to smuggle classified information about Process 97, a critical component of the American atomic bomb program, to Germany. FBI Inspector George Briggs leads the investigation, code-named Case Christopher, after the mysterious leader of the spy network. To infiltrate the organization, they recruit William Dietrich, a German-American student whom the Nazis attempted to recruit. Dietrich works as a double agent, navigating constant suspicion from Nazi operatives under Elsa Gebhardt, while helping the FBI close the leak and identify Mr. Christopher. The film uses authentic FBI footage and locations, giving it an authentic, almost newsreel-like quality that set it apart from typical war thrillers of the time.

Filming Locations:

55 East 93rd Street and Madison Avenue

In the Film

Scene where the headquarters of the Nazi spy cell, disguised as an ordinary townhouse, becomes the main location where Elsa Gebhardt and her agents coordinate espionage and attempt to smuggle atomic bomb secrets to Germany. This building is at the center of the FBI investigation.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at the actual building used as the 'House on 92nd Street', which was located at 55 East 93rd Street near Madison Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Despite the film's title referencing 92nd Street, the real location was one block north. The original building has been demolished, and the site is now part of the residential Upper East Side.

Broadway between Morris Street and Rector Street

In the Film

Scene where the FBI surveils suspected Nazi agents on the bustling streets of Lower Manhattan, and the noisy commercial district creates a realistic urban backdrop for the surveillance operations shown in the film's documentary-style scenes.

In Reality

The scene was filmed in the Broadway area of the Financial District in Lower Manhattan, one of New York's oldest commercial corridors. This stretch runs through the heart of the historic financial district, surrounded by iconic buildings, near Trinity Church and the former World Trade Center site. It remains a bustling thoroughfare for pedestrians and traffic.

Columbus Circle at West 59th Street

In the Film

Scene where characters move through the busy intersection of Columbus Circle, using the famous Manhattan landmark as a meeting point amid the wartime urban landscape, with the distinctive circular layout and surrounding architecture clearly visible in the background.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at the major traffic circle and iconic intersection at the southwestern corner of Central Park in Manhattan. At its center stands the Christopher Columbus monument, and it is a key junction where Broadway, Eighth Avenue, Central Park South, and Central Park West converge. Today, it houses the Time Warner Center and is a popular meeting spot.