Syndicated from 1953 to 1956, "I Led Three Lives" was based on Herbert A. Philbrick's non-fiction novel about his experience as a government infiltrator of the American Communist Party. Philbrick really did lead three lives: as a Boston ad executive, Communist Party member and FBI agent. Although the show claimed to be fact-based, its plots were often a bit wilder than Philbrick's reports to the FBI (for instance, the television communists' plan to turn vacuum cleaners into bomb launchers). Another reality-based show, "Pentagon U.S.A." (CBS) also appeared in 1953, with cases adapted from the files of the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division.