MAINE PEOPLE So Millie packed her bags, ate one, maybe two last bagels, and headed for North Africa. North Africa? Listen, for her it was an obvious next step. Anyway, after a while Millie figured the bread would be fresher in Paris, so she moved again. But one spring morning she caught a whiff of some fabulous chocolate cake and followed its wafting trail, sniffing and snuffling all the way. And Portland's Bad, Bad Girl what did she find at the end of her journey but Hitler's own Radio Berlin! Mildred Gillars (she'd changed Axis Sally her name) wasn't the innocent lit- tle girl on Park Street anymore. She started broadcasting provoca- tive radio shows to the Allies, try- BY ERIC MOODY ing to demoralize U.S. troops and make our boys homesick. Our Boys! She also posed as a Red F YOU were a 10-year-old Cross volunteer, solicited recorded girl on Park Street, would messages from paws for "the you leave, become an folks back home," then spliced unsuccessful actress, and them into jack-booted propaganda then take off for North for the bad guys in black. Not nice Africa? Neither would 1. And then . at all. In fact, it's treason. Not lit- would you hang around in France, tering. Not indecent exposure. killing time until you could have Treason, Bub. Treason. your own Nazi radio show? No So in 1948, the good guys with way,]ose! And when they brought the nice hats (that's us) finally you back to ask you why you did it, decided to bring her back to the would you say that it was all for States for some questions. She first the love of some guy named Max? claimed that she had performed I didn't think so. But for Axis Sally, under duress. The old "the Nazis it was all in a life's work. made me do it" line. But then sud- Axis Sally started out in 1900 as denly she changed her tune. "I did Mildred Sisk right here in Port- it all for Max," she said. What? land, Maine. But when she learned Yes, she claimed that she was only that Funtown wouldn't be built for vying for the affection of one Max another 60 years, she decided to Otto Koischwitz, a former college look elsewhere for excitement. Mil- professor and, coincidentally, her lie moved away. boss at Radio Berlin. And to top it Her first big mistake was land- off, she went ahead and lied about ing in Greenwich Village in New her age. (What's nine years forgot- York City. Artists live there. Millie ten when you feel so young!) You got too close to them, caught guessed it: Mildred "Axis Sally" Bohemian fever, and woke up Gillars went to jail. Mildred Elizabeth Gillars was charged screaming, "I wanna be an Axis Sally. Not exactly the nick- with 10 counts of treason by the Uni- actress!" But it just wasn't in the name you always wanted as a kid. ted States Government in August cards. While her waistline grew The American GIs had pinned it 1948. After 17 hours and 20 minutes, larger and larger, her roles were on her while she was doing her a jury found her guilty of one count, reduced to bit parts. So, having radio show as "Midge at the Mike." for which she served 12 years in a flopped as a chubby actress, Millie So she'd gone from little Mildred West Virginia federal prison. After figured doing radio would be the Sisk to Mildred Gillars to Midge at being paroled in 1961, she returned to easiest way to make it big and slim the Mike to, gulp, Axis Sally. What Ohio Wesleyan University - which her image at the same time. went wrong? she had left In 1922 without gradua- (N obody can see you sneaking a Well, it's obvious, isn't it? They ting - where she resumed studies, leg of lamb when you're behind the just should have built Funtown earning a degree In speech In 1979. forgiving veil of radio waves.) about 60 years sooner. • 28 PORTIAND MONTHLY.