"Tokyo Rose" signs off

[Eve]

Another interesting obit today:

CHICAGO (AP) – Iva Toguri D’Aquino, who was convicted and later pardoned of being World War II propagandist “Tokyo Rose,” died Tuesday of natural causes, said her nephew, William Toguri. She was 90. Tokyo Rose was the name given by soldiers to a female radio broadcaster responsible for anti-American transmissions intended to demoralize soldiers fighting in the Pacific theater. D’Aquino was the only U.S. citizen identified among the potential suspects. In 1949, she became the seventh person to be convicted of treason in American history and served six years in prison. But doubts about her possible role as Tokyo Rose later surfaced and she was pardoned by President Gerald Ford in 1977.

D’Aquino was born in Los Angeles on July 4, 1916, to Japanese immigrant parents. She began to use the first name Iva during her school years. D’Aquino had recently graduated from UCLA and was visiting relatives in Japan when she became trapped in the country at the beginning of World War II, according to a statement Tuesday from a Toguri family spokeswoman, Barbara Trembley. 'Aquino began working odd jobs to support herself while trying to find a way out of the country. That led to her work on a Japanese propaganda radio show manned by Allied prisoners called “Zero Hour,” the statement said.

The FBI and the Army conducted an extensive investigation to determine whether D’Aquino had committed crimes against the U.S. Authorities decided that the evidence then known did not merit prosecution, and she was released. A subsequent public furor convinced the Justice Department that the matter should be re-examined and D’Aquino was arrested in Yokohama in 1945 and tried. Aquino spent the years following her release from prison living a quiet life on Chicago’s North Side.

[CalMeacham]

My understanding is that there was no single “Tokyo Rose”, but that the name was generally applied to several female broadcasters:

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Nevertheless, the unfortunate Ms. D’Aquino got tried and convicted for this. I think this was grossly unjust, even if she had[ done all she was accused of, and multiply so if, as likely, little or none of it was true.

[Paul_in_Qatar]

What was untrue? How do we know that? A court looked into it after all. Is there better, more recent information?

[CalMeacham]

Paul in Saudi writes:

What was untrue? How do we know that? A court looked into it after all. Is there better, more recent information?

Read the link. I have heard this friom multiple reputable sources – this is just the first link about it I’ve found.

Her trial was considered the most expensive in American history at that time. The U.S. government stacked the deck against Toguri and her meager defense, and the judge later admitted he was prejudiced against her from the start. Toguri was found guilty of only one of the eight treason charges – “That she did speak into a microphone concerning the loss of ships.” She was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $10,000. Because she was a model prisoner, Toguri was released early in 1956, although she was served with a deportation order which took two years to fight.

It’s not unknown for trials to be prejudiced, especially in highly emotionally charged issues.

[CalMeacham]

Here’s the FBI’s own site on her, which pretty much tallies:

http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/rose/rose.htm

[samclem]

Heard an NPR story on her on the way home tonight. My recollection is that she did NONE of the things she was accused of. People lied. I’ll see if I can find a link.

And, the reason she was originally brought up on charges is that Walter Winchell stirred up public sentiment against her. Right-winged bastard that he was.

[samclem]

Iva Toguri D'Aquino Dies at 90

[Guinastasia]

From what I gather, the trial destroyed her marriage and the stress resulting from the whole thing caused her to miscarry. :mad:

[John_Carter_of_Mars]

Not too far off topic;

Did y’all know that during the Cuban missile crisis Castro had one of the Havana radio stations juiced up and put his own version of Tokyo Rose on the air?

I know this because I was stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City at the time. We were told that we were going to be part of an invasion of Cuba. Every freakin’ plane had to be combat ready, and a large detachment of Airborne troops shipped in and camped next to the hanger where I worked.

We were on 12-hour shifts, and I worked the night shift. We found a “new” radio station that was playin’ great rock ‘n’ roll, but instead of commercials between songs, this chick would come on talkin’ all of her propaganda stuff.
We set the hangar intercom system up next to a radio and listened to “Havana Hannah” all night long. It was more than passin’ cool: First the Shirelles would be singin’ Tonight’s the Night, then Hannah would tell us “Death awaits you, American Soldier”. Lotsa’ laughs.