Evening star., 1942-07-27
News Correspondents
Tortured by laps,
Writer Charges
7 U. s. Men and Canadian
Woman Held in Solitary
Confinement by Enemy
r iEt Associated Press.

r 'ts Associated Press.
NEW YORK, July 27.-The New
York Times reported today in a
Lourenco Marques dispatch from
Otto D. Tolischus, its former Toxic
correspondent, that seven American
newspapermen and one Canadian
newspaper woman were arrested by
the japanese in TOXIC and Yoko-
hama and held for six months in
solitary confinement and conditions
Of SevereSt hardship.
Mr.. ToliSchus said they were
charged with espionage and with
violating Japans national defense
act by sending out political econom-
ic and diplomatic news
During examinations three Amer
lean neWspapermen, Walter R Wills,
publisher of the Japan Newsweek
and representative of the Columbia
Broadcasting System; Jasper N
Bellinger, an employe of the Japan
Times Advertiser, a Canadian. and
myself, and Miss Phyllis Argall.
correspondent of the News Chron-
icle of London. were subjected to
physical torture" Mr.. Tolischus re-
ported.
Forced to Squat for Hours
Miss Argall was tied up and
handcuffed when she was arrested
and was repeatedly slapped until her
face was cut the dispatch to the
Times said Mr.. Wills was slapped
u,
period, lasting more than three
months. He was forced to squat for
hours in japanese fashion. with the
result that he is still suffering an in
jury to his left knee
Mr. Bellinger was slapped, kicked
on the shins and forced to stand for
hours with his hands above his head.
Il likewise was accused of espion-
age and secret intelligence work for
the American and British Embassies
and of coming to Japan on secret
mission which the police seemed to
connect with the German-Japanese
alliance pact.
ITO force confession the police
threatened me with firing squads as
death at the hands of the examining
police. For four days early in Jan
uary I was forced to squat for hours
in the japanese fashion while four
policemen slapped my face kicked
me and made feints at strangling
me until my knees were covered
with open wounds and 1 was
physical wreck
All newspapermen are spies the
police said, because they try to find
out the truth. Japanese correspond
ents abroad are spies; SO are Jap
anese newspapermen at home. We
could arrest all of them"
Mr.. Tolischus said other arrested
correspondents, Max Hill, chief of
the Toxic Bureau of the Associated
Press, Percy Whiteing, Richard
Tenelly and Ray Cromley, were
questioned on similar charges but
escaped violence.
Never Saw Their Lawyer.
"1n May" Mr. Tolischus reported,
"All the arrested correspondents
except Mr. Bellinger were sentenced
to l8 months to two years imprison-
ment. Though the defendants were
represented by a lawyer, some of
them never saw him The presid-
ing judge, in announcing my SEN
tence, said: This is war and Japan
must protect her national interests
Two Axis newspapermen, Richard
Sorge of the Frankfurter Zeitung.
and Branco de Vukelith, Yugoslav
representing the Havas Agency, were
reported to have been sentenced
to life imprisonment on charges of
spying for Russia.
During their imprisonment the
correspondents were kept in solitary
confinement in tiny, unheated
cells
Investigation revealed that the
police had been watching all foreign
ers for months and possessed records
Of conversations in clubs, private
homes and even in embassies. In the
case of Mr.. Wills the gendarmerie
produced photostat copies of minutes
of staff meetings at the British En-
bassy and reproduced at least one
conversation of Ambassador Grew
at the American EMBASSY"