The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-25
SWEDISH LINER
 HOME FROM JAPAN
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Continued from Page D sued short formal statement. Home at last" he said, "and a red letter day 1t is for all of us who have looked forward to this moment with absolutely inexpressibly keen antici- patton. In varying degrees, we have, all of us, passed through dif- ficult months, and terribly difficult moments.
 Climax of Happiness
 '"To be actually standing on the soil of our beloved country again brings us climax of happiness far too profound to describe in mere words. I cannot even attempt to do so.
 That feeling has grown with every mile of the more than 18,00O miles We have traveled since leav- ing Japan and those who have come from China and Indo- China and Thailand have travelled almost as far.
 But with all our gratitude for this deliverance we have constantly thought of our compatriots who are still in the territories that we have left and only when they likewise have come home will our cup of happiness be full.
 T can add only this: We have come home to contribute our maxi mum efforts to the winning of the war in whatever way we may find or to carry out whatever part we may be caled upon to take.
 We shall win through with our national spirit and determination without any shadow of doubt to ultimate victory. I thank God that we are here to contribute to that victory"
 The big white liner, which ar- rived shortly after 9 8. m., had abroad such diplomats as Joseph c. Grew, United States ambassador to Japan, and Willys R. Peck, United States minister to Thailand. Other passengers included foreign corre- spondents, missionaries, business men and others trapped in the Orient when Japan struck at Pearl Harbor.
 It was believed that there might some hours delay before passen- gers were permitted to debark from the Gripsholn, whose arrival was awaited by scores of relatives and friends of those abroad. They were not permitted to enter the pier which was guarded by police and sailors.
 Questioning of passengers, 1t was said, would not take as long as when the Swedish Liner Drottning- holm arrived from Europe on June 30. It took week for officers of the army and navy intelligence. the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the state department and the United States Immigration service to question the Drottningholm passengers, about 100 of whom still are being held.
 The passengers who arrived on the Gripsholm left Japan in mid June abroad the Japanese Liner Asama Maru which brought them to Portuguese East Africa, where there was an exchange of Japanese and western hemisphere nationals.
 It was announced that members of the American diplomatic corps would be permitted to leave the ship first, followed by Latin Amer ican and Canadian diplomatic per- sonnel, persons in transit from one country to another, and, finally, American citizens.
 Counsel Warner Home
 Among the first to leave the Gripsholm was Gerald Warner, Con- sul at Kobe, of Northampton, Mass, who said that "the attitude of the Japanese has stiffened considerably toward Americans held in Japan, after Brig. Gen. James H. Doolittle led a flight of American bombers over Japan.
 Asked about reports of Japanese brutality, he replied:
 There was some of that, especial ly in places outside Japan proper. We had reports of it from Shang- hai and oh places"
 Warner, who had been consul in Kobe for one year and for three years prior to that in Formosa, said it would be necessary to defeat the entire Japanese people as well as the military.
 "The Japanese people go along with the military" he said, land we've got to beat the whole bunch of them"
 Warner, who lost 20 pounds while confined in Japan, said he was kept prisoner in his own home but was able to buy his own food in limited quantities, which provided very ht- tie meat or fish.
 The Japanese, he said, are "very much rationed."
 After the first bombing of Japan he said. the Japanese expected more bombings would follow. The Ameri- cans, he said, saw bombing planes over hobe which they believed to be American.
 Some returning passengers, he said, burst into tears as they sighted the statue of iiberay when the Gripsholm entered the harbor this morning.
 'Tt was q great slght," he said We had another thrill at LOurencc Marques when we arrived there and