Evening star., 1943-04-21
Toxic Raid
Continued From First Page

'SollUllluCh lOIIl L Ii SG TdSt-'
This recourse by our enemies to
frlghtfulneSs is barbarOuS The ef-
fort of the japanese warlordS thus
to intimidate us will utterly fail. 1t
will make the American people more
determined than ever to blot out the
shameless militarism Of Japan. ]
have instructed the Department of
State to make public the text of
our communication to the japanese
government
The State Department statement
which covered the text Of the COM
munication of this Government to
the japanese. said that this Govern
ment had received a reply from
Japan which was sent February II
to the Swiss Minister at Toxic. who
inquired on behalf of this Govern =
ment as to the correctness OF broad
cast reports from Japan that the
authorities there intended to try be-
fore military tribunals American
prisoners and impose severe pen
alties, including the death penalty.
Some Put to Death.
THE japanese government. the
statement continued states that it
has tried the members of the crews
of the American planes who fell into
japanese hands after the raid on
Japan on April IS, last, that they
we're sentenced to death and that,
following communication of the
sentence of the larger number of
them the sentence of death was ap-
piled to certain of the accused
The Government of the United
States has subsequently, been in
formed OF the refusal of the Japa-
nese government to treat the re-
manning aViatorS as prisoners of
war, to devulge their names, to state
the sentences imposed upon them,
or to permit visits to them by the
Swiss Minister as representative of
the protecting power for American
interests
The japanese government alleges
that it has subjected the American
aviat tors to this treatment because
they intentionally bombed non
military instaIlatio and deliber-
ately fired on civilians and that the
aviatorS admitted these acts.
The Government of the United
States informs the japanese govern
ment that instructions to American
armed forces have always ordered
those forces to direct their attacks
upon military objectives The Ameri-
can forces participating in the at
tack on Japan had such inStruc-
tions and it is known that they did
not deviate therefrom. The Gov
ernment of the United States brands
As false the charge that American
aviators Intentionally have attacked
noncombatantS anywhere.
EXtortIon Charged.
With regard to the allegation
of the japanese government that
the American aviatOrs admitted the
acts Of which the japanese govern
ment accuses them. there are nu-
morouS known instances in which
japanese official agencies have en-
ployed brutal and beaStial methods
in eXtortlng alleged confessions from
persons in their power 1t is Gus
tomary for these agencies to use
statements obtained under torture,
or alleged statements in PROCEEDINGS
against the victims.
If the admissions ALLEGED by the
Japanese government to have been
made by the American aviators were
in fact made, they could only have
been eXtorted fabricationS."
The official War Department story
Of the raid last night disclosed:
That the base from which Mai.
Gen. James H. Doolittles l6 twin
engined BPS bombers took off to
blast war plants in Toxic and four
other japanese cities was the air.
craft carrier Hornet later lost in
the Pacific battle of Santa Cruz,
October 26.
That the idea of the spectacular
attack-a first installment on the
Pearl Harbor debt-Was conceived
In January, 1912. presumably by Gen.
Doolittle. and intense training in
utmost secrecy preceded its eXecu-
tion on April l8.
That the bombers took off from
the Hornet IN rough weather 800
miles from the coast of Japan and
attacked at noon. whereas the origi-
nal plan had called for them to take
off only 400 miles offshore and to 60
in at night.
That not one of the planes
reached the Chinese landing fields
to which all had been supposed to
60; the additional 40O-mile fight
to the island and a storm en-
countered after leaving it drained
away their gasoline reserves, forcing