SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Next week marks 250 years since American Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale was executed by British forces for spying on September 22, 1776. Of course, his last words have become enshrined in history. I regret that I might have but one life to give for my country. Well, maybe he said that. For more on Nathan Hale, we are joined by Nathan Hale. He is the author of the graphic novel "One Dead Spy," which tells the story of the life and death of his namesake. Nathan Hale, the author, thank you for being with us.
NATHAN HALE: Hello. I'm glad to be here.
SIMON: Can I tell you that I regret I have just one interview to do for our country?
HALE: (Laughter).
SIMON: You've heard it all, right?
HALE: Right.
SIMON: Are you any relation to any previous Nathan Hales?
HALE: Well, Nathan Hale was executed at age 21, and he had no children. So he has no direct descendants. He did have a brother who had, I believe, nine children. So he has a lot of descendants, and I think I'm somehow connected to that group.
SIMON: God bless him, but did Nathan Hale say, I regret I have but one life to give for my country?
HALE: Well, that's the big argument. There have been all kinds of different things written about whether he said that or not. The British officer who was in attendance said that he comported himself extremely well and said some inspirational things but had no mention of the famous last words. But I like to believe that he said those things.
SIMON: He was on a dangerous mission, wasn't he?
HALE: He was supposed to go to British-occupied New York and just report on how many troops, how many guns - you know, things like that. So he went in disguise, but he essentially was in disguise as a schoolteacher, which is what he already was. So his disguise was himself.
SIMON: I mean, bless him, but he really is no James Bond, is he?
HALE: No. No, no, no. He was very idealistic, but he was also, apparently, a very honest and...
SIMON: Yeah.
HALE: ...Open person, and he was well known. And he had an injury on his face - a powder burn from a musket that kind of showed he wasn't exactly telling the truth about just being a schoolteacher.
SIMON: Why did you want to tell his story to a new generation of young readers?
HALE: I mean, a lot of it has to do with that being my name. All my life, I'd heard people talk about the spy. And so I thought, you know what? I'd like to jump in and really get into the details of what happened.
SIMON: What do you think it is about that famous line that maybe or maybe did not utter that has put it into history?
HALE: You know, it's just such a brave-sounding thing. And I've also always thought that last words are the worst way to become famous because you don't get to enjoy any of that fame because you're gone by then.
SIMON: What's it been like for you to share that name?
HALE: It's been interesting. A lot of teachers in elementary school would say, oh, we have a famous patriot in our class...
SIMON: (Laughter).
HALE: ...And his famous last words were, give me liberty or give me death. And then I'd have to correct the teacher (laughter).
SIMON: Oh, my word. Yes. I'm sure you've been asked this before, but have you ever met somebody named Aaron Burr or Patrick Henry?
HALE: I have not, but I have met other Nathan Hales. There was another Nathan Hale in my public library system growing up. And when I would check out books, they'd have to make sure I was the right one.
SIMON: Yeah. But I - so that's made you more interested in his story over the years.
HALE: Yes. Absolutely.
SIMON: What would you like us to keep in our hearts about Nathan Hale?
HALE: Oh, boy. Well, I like the idealism - the self-sacrifice, the willingness to die for an important cause. I think these are the things that we take away from Nathan Hale. I also like that he was a schoolteacher. You know, he had his diploma on him from Yale, so if he was stopped and apprehended, he could show them his diploma, which, of course, had his real name on it - so not a great spy but, I presume, an excellent schoolteacher.
SIMON: Nathan Hale, author of the children's history series "Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales." Thank you so much for being with us.
HALE: Thank you very much.
(SOUNDBITE OF MF DOOM'S "SARSAPRILLA") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.