Evening star., 1942-08-17
BY RELMAN MORN.

Wide World.
ABOARD THE LINER GRIPS
HOLM, Aug. 1.-THE Japanese want
an American Lord Haw-Haw.
They are combing the Far East
for q typical American voice to sell
japanese propaganda to American
radio listeners in typical American
phrases.
The speaker will be called on to
emphasize that he is broadcasting
voluntarily, that no force or coer-
cion has been used to get him
before the microphone and that his
only object is to acquaint the home
folks with the true situation In the
Far East.
Gentle Jap Joke.
This part-the alleged willingness
lis q gentle Japanese joke. For
instance:
In Toxic, five American corre-
spondents, Max Hill, Joseph Dynan,
Otto Tolischus, Robert Bellaire and
Thomas Chrichton, were slugged,
slapped and choked when they re-
fused to make electrical transcript
tions for radio use on designated
Japanese propaganda topics.
In Shanghai, American CORE
spondents received similar re
quests" which were translated into
attempted force when they refused
The majority were able to talk fast
d enough to escape but few are
known to have made recordings for
:. Japanese radios.
, In Saigon, French 1ndo- China,
the proposition was placed before
both newspapermen and consular
! officers interned there.
;. It was preached to me as "a peace
project" Would broadcast Japan's
desire for immediate peace with the
United States? At that time jap
anese arms had taken the Philip
pines, Malaga, Burma, the Neither
lands Indies. Singapore and Hong
Kong Maybe the Japanese would
have liked to cease firing.
Asks for Details.
It was sufficiently crude and bla-
tant to be interesting. I asked for
details. The Japanese intelligence
gave me a list of prepared topics
: to be phrased in homely little chats
for American radio listeners. Word
for word, the first three were:
First, Japan's armed might makes
further opposition useless.
Second. Americans in the Orient
are dissatisfied with the inefhciency
Of their Government.
Third, why America and Britain
can't win.
When I suggested that, for an
American, such talk was seditious
If not downright reasonable, the
celebrated Japanese persuasion"
began.
Money, they said. was no object
name your own figure" Besides,
TOXIC would take me straight to
It's bosom. Every luxury, comfort
and enticement the heart might
desire you'd be provided l said I
thought luxuries were little scarce
In Japan and unpatriotic anyway.
The cheerful atmosphere of our
little conference suddenly evapo-
rated Then an officer said. "Of
course, we have our own methods
of forcing you to undertake this
work"
Coercion Fails.
This was not SO good Kid gloves
seldom are used in japanese prisons.
Later they threatened to refuse to
exchange me on the grounds OF
espionage prior to the war.
so you might as well work for
us as to spend your time in prison."
they said.
They also sought to coerce three
consular officers Sidney Browne
OF Baltimore. Oliver Club of Min
neapois. Mimi, and Kingsley
Hamilton of Wooster, Ohio. The
angle the Japanese used with them
was that American diplomats in
the Far East had sanctioned such
talks. An oficer blandly asserted
that even Ambassador Grew in
Toxic had been on their airlanes-
q complete untruth.
The Japanese may find their
American mouthpiece. II they do,
listen-and pity the person who is
speaking.