# Today's "Tokyo Rose" subject

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-tokyo-rose-subject/824256>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [November 9, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-tokyo-rose-subject/824256 "2018-11-09T19:08:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mdcatdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@mdcatdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mdcatdad)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-tokyo-rose-subject/824256/1 "2018-11-09T19:08:44Z")

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“Purple” was a cipher machine used by Japanese diplomats, not the military.

The US exploited JN-25, a Japanese fleet code, to discover Yamamoto’s travel plans  
and ambush him.

Regards,  
Gary (NSA retiree)

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**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-tokyo-rose-subject/824256/2 "2018-11-09T19:17:11Z")

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This column?

[How did WWII propaganda broadcaster Tokyo Rose get info on Allied ship movements?](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1705/how-did-wwii-propaganda-broadcaster-tokyo-rose-get-info-on-allied-ship-movements/)

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**Author:** ![mdcatdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@mdcatdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mdcatdad)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-tokyo-rose-subject/824256/3 "2018-11-09T20:49:13Z")

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in reply to the comment at the end

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-tokyo-rose-subject/824256/4 "2018-11-10T14:43:37Z")

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From the column:

"Iva Toguri and her associates gathered much of the news they broadcast listening to short-wave radio from the U.S. mainland. In that respect, we did “leak information like a sieve.”

Probably the worst example was the “May incident”, where Congressman Andrew May told a press conference that the Japanese were setting their depth charges too shallow and allowing U.S. subs to avoid them (and numerous media sources were stupid enough to pass along his comments). The Japanese Navy subsequently developed depth charges that exploded deep enough to sink up to ten U.S. submarines.

> **[Andrew J. May](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_J._May)**
>
> Andrew Jackson May (June 24, 1875 – September 6, 1959) was a Kentucky attorney, an influential New Deal-era politician, and chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee during World War II, infamous for his rash disclosure of classified naval information that may have resulted in the loss of 10 American submarines and 800 sailors, and his subsequent unrelated conviction for bribery. May was a Democratic member of United States House of Representatives from Kentucky during the 72nd to 79th Ma...