The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-24
Closed Doors Of Japan Unlock Their Secrets
Continued from Page D

(Continued after he emerged from his air raid shelter, it was reported.
 3-It was rumored that when Gen. Hideki Tojo, the war lord premier, was inspecting a Tokyo factory late in April a hammer was thrown at him by worker, who blamed nm for death of 100 workers in the ar raid. The hammer was said to nave grazed Tojo's head.
 A United States submarine sank the Japanese liner Taiyo Maru, .457 tons, with loss of 780 Jap- anese technical experts of the Mlt- sui Industrial Company.
 Imprisoned Months
 With the majority of American correspondents, was imprisoned for six months.
 After six months of investigation. some Americans were convicted o1 espionage and sentenced to prison terms up to three years, but these were suspended so that we all could be repatriated by the Liners Asan1a Maru and Conte Di Verdi which now have arrived here on the coast of Mozambique, Portugaps southeast African colony. With us here are the Japanese sent from the United States to be exchanged for us, 1n- cluding Japanese Ambassador Ad- miral Kichisaburo Nomura and special Ambassador Saburo Kurusu.
 The story of the bombing ob- tained from witnesses who saw the raid from the concentration camp in which Americans and other foreigners were held.
 Tokyo had been undergoing a series of air defense drills when the United States Army Air Corps bombers under Brigadier General James Doolittle droned in from the sea.
 At the time, there happened to be no defense drill and for the first time in its 2,600 years of history Tokyo rocked under the impact of bombs.
 The American aviators concen- trated their attack on the Tokyo factory districts.
 Damage, including that from fires, was described as moderately heavy.
 A single plane which flew over the Imperial Palace, in the heart of the city, drew fire from the anti aircraft guns emplaced in the big grounds.
 This Startled Japs
 Although the plane made no at- tempt to drop bombs, the mere fact that the plane flew over the palace, 1t was reported, caused an internal political crisis because the emperor was endangered.
 Members of the cabinet led by Gen. Hideki Tojo, the war lord pre- mier. visited the palace immediate ly after the emperor emerged from his air raid shelter, according to the reports, and apologized.
 Afterward, informants added, there was sweeping reorganization of the air defense command. According to reports. at least two high army officers killed themselves as penance for "endangering the emperor"
 It was early in May, according to the reports have received, that a United States navy submarine sank the liner Taiyo Maru, 14,457 tons.
 With the liner there went to the | bottom of the sea the entire per- sonnel of department of the great Mitsui Industrial Company-780 technical experts on their way southward to organize new re- sources" in the Pacific areas seized by Japan.
 The story of the final hours be- fore Pearl Harbor is that the war lords of the Japanese army kept from Emperor Hirohito the final urgent appeal which President Roosevelt directed to him that peace might be preserved between the United States and Japan.
 According to my information, the Japanese army censorS delayed the Presidents appeal for at least 12 hours.
 The result was that 1t was im- possible for Joseph Clark Grew, the United States ambassador, to see | the emperor before the war lords had arranged the declaration of 1 war
 Tokyo Was Surprised
 The outbreak of war surprised Tokyo. Correspondents had been convinced that the Japanese war lords were about to strike. But when the critical situation in Mo- vember passed, it was generally be- lieved the blow would come several weeks later, not as early as Decem- ber 2.
 Believing that sooner or later the attack was coming, the correspond ents tried to give their foreboding to Americans. They could not say outright that they believed war was near but they tried to indicate by the unusual volume of their dis patches that the situation was seri- ous.
 | recall that I advised the United Press that Tojo had sent President Roosevelt a message through spe- cial envoy Kurusu that if the Ku- rusu mission failed Japan would be forced to go to war. Tojo in his ap- pearance before the Japanese par lament in November re-emphas'zec that determination. Therefore il seemed that war was imminent when 1t became apparent that thG Kurusu mission was failing. Former Ambassador Grew releas-