Evening star., 1942-07-27
Toxic Painted Wrecked Bomber
After Raid, Called 1t u. S. Plane
American Subs Actually Coused as Much
Fear as Aircraft, A. P. Writer Declares


marched me off in military fashion
to the district station, where I was
told I was accused of sending stories
detrimental to Japan's diplomacy.
Shortly after Toxic was BACKED
cut, inpressing the populace that
the nation was at war. I was re-
moved to the prison proper where
I was stripped and searched and
where l was locked in a solitary
confinement cell.
Constant Cold.
In the Is days following I re-
maineo in solitary. knowing only
that war was declared and hearing
an llnSubstantiated rumor that
Pearl Harbor had been bombed The
guards were antagonistlc the first
night. but the attitude was not re-
peated and most prison officials
were helpful and tolerant
There was constant cold, day and
night, with ice forming on the water
basin. I was naturally depressed
over my fate, by the police in
Sinuation that | would be accused
of espionage, and I was additionally
disturbed by the Scanty and poor
Japanese food.
Throughout my confinement the
police used torture as their main
weapon. Once I was told the gen.
darmeS were taking me over. and
that I would be court -martialed
instead of remaining in the hands
Of the civil authorities.
Finally. on Christmas Eve, shuf-
fling along without shoes. I was
led from my cell into a smoky room
where l was questioned briefly
Then I was returned to the cell
without explanation and remained
there until January s. when the
formal questioning under Inspector
Takehara began from morning
until night.
l lost weight rapidly in DeceAber
and January due to the prison fare.
Breakfast was a small bowl of
mixed barley and rice and a small
cup of soup made of seaWeed or
turnip tops boiled in water. Lunch
was the same So was dinner.
Allowed to Switch Food.
After a few days I was permitted
to supplement this with 2 yen
of outside food in japanese STYLE
until February, when I was allowed
to switch to foreign style food cost
Ing yen a day. The portions were
small, with few vegetables and meat
sometimes horse or whale, but the
quality generally was fair.
The officials did not permit me
70 eat the prison fare when outside
food was delivered, despite the need
OF this additional food, saying the
outside food was sufficient.
The first day in the cell. the
guard confiscated my shoes. keep
ing them until April. Because 1 was
trying to keep warm 1 both wore
and walked on a tatame (Japanese
mat.
Finally early in January T was
called from the barren cold cell into
the questioning room where I was
confronted by Inspector Takehara
a squat bullet-headed man with two
assistants.
Takehara's brilliant and incisive
mind was evident immediately, Al
though expressing personal sym-
pathy with my plight he was a re-
lentless inquisitor, hammering at me
Win questions, squirting his ewes
ana rubbing his close-cropped head
until he became to me the very in
carnatlon of the devil himself
Questioned About Official.
A typical line of questioning was
ABOUT koh 1shii, who in the summer
OF l94l, was the official Japanese
CABINET spokesman, and the story of
the Liner President Coolidge.
TN August, 1941, the State De-
partment at Washington dis
closed that the japanese had re-
fused to grant clearance papers
to the President Coolidge if it
sought to remove the more than
100 private citizens then in
JAPAN
was asked why sent a story so
harmful to Japan even though
quoting Government official, and
l was forced to admit that such
information was useful to foreion
governments.
mus a story obtained from
recognized source of news became
one which would react against the
Japanese.
A brief story describing the an
tagonism between former Foreign
Minister Yosuke Matsuoka and
Baron Kiichiro Hiranuma, a former
Vice Premier and Home Minister
became in this manner what the
Japanese called world-shakinp copv
The story. the japanese said. en-
couraged the Russians to oppose
Japan and spurred the Chinese ma
tlonal government at Chungkine to
greater efforts, and also caused the
United States to believe Japan's
leaders were divided. ACTUALLY,
this story received little attention
abroadD
Finally, after a week of steady
| questioning during which was
told fatty that unless my informa
ton was more satisfactory I would
.