Evening star., 1944-01-29
Stories Of Atrocities
Branded Propaganda
|By Japanese Leaders
CONTINUED From First Page. }


(referring to Foreign Secretary
Eden's speech in Commons
yesterday authorities found It
to resort to their favorite
tactics Of vicious allegations In order
to cover up their own brutal assaults
on our helpless hospital ships, re-
garding which the Japanese gov
ernment recently protested most
They, japanese military leaders,
declared that, while the enemys
present accusations are not worth
attention, they should not be sur
prised to see another recurrence CT
similar Anglo-American vicious az
cusations in the future whenevcr
the enemy cares to resort to in
human attacks, which are quite
to be expected"
Observers here noted that, the
broadcast attempted no concrete
refutation Of the facts presented
In the Army-Navy release-that
American troops had been tortured
and killed in violation of all ac-
cepted rules OF warfare. No Japa-
nese picture Of conditions in the
prison camps was given. Nor, ac-
cording to the FEC monitor, did
the japanese give any account of
the Washington charges to their
own people.
Study Practical Aspects.
Meanwhile, following Secretary Of
State Hull's statement yesterday
that responsible japanese would be
punished for the atrocities, officials
and legislators here turned to the
practical aspects of the matter.
The murderers and torturers OF
American soldiers, according to a
legal Interpretation by Maj. Willard
B. Cowles Of the judge advocate
generals office, are liable to what
ever punishment an American mill
tary commission may find proper.
That, he said, could be the death
penalty.
Maj. Cowles, speaking before the
Inter-American Bar Association last
night, cited the trial of war GRIM
inals as far back as the American
Revolution, and in this war the trial
OF the eight Nazi saboteurs here and
the recent Kharkov trials of Ger
man officers, as legal precedents for
punishment Of the Japanese.
Pointing out that there are few
limitations on the sentences which
may be imposed by military COM
missions" Maj. Cowles cited the
Army's basic field manual as say
ing, "All war crimes are subject to
the death penalty, although lesser
penalty may be imposed"
The authority of military tri-
bunals, he pointed out, Is valid only
during, a state of war, but may be
extended beyond the peace by spe-
cific treaty agreement.
Observers gathered from this
statement that If Japan-in accord
ance with the Roosevelt Churchill
Casablanca formulas required to
surrender Internationally, one OF
the peace terms imposed on her
might be the right Of American mill
itary courts to try japanese war
criminals.
After the initial shock of the
Army Navy revelations, ofiicials here
pondered today its effect on Amer
ican prisoners now In the hands OF
the japanese.
Long Known by Officials.
The story of the sufferings and
indignities heaped on the American
and Filipino soldiers who defended
Bataan and Corregidor until lack of
munitions and food made further
resistance hopeless has been known
to the Army and Navy for more than
a year. But the facts were carefully
guarded by officials so long as they
held any hope that food, clothing
and medicine sent from this country
might be allowed by the Japanese
to get through to their victims.
Presidential Secretary Stephen T.
Early made it clear yesterday that
this hope now has been abandoned.
The Office Of War Information
said the true story was made public,
at long last, in the hope that world
publicity might improve Japan's
treatment of its prisoners. But some
military Official feared that it
might have the opposite effect.
Meanwhile study of Army rec
ords indicated that the Japanese
probably captured at least $4,000
American and Filipino fighters in
the Philippines. OF these, approxi-
mately 22,331 were American SOL
diers, sailors and marines, 12,037
Philippine Scouts and the others
members of the Philippine Common
wealth Army. The Army estimates
that there were approximately 5000
sick and wounded in the hospitals Of
Bataan at the time Of surrender.
U. S. Nurses Prisoners.
Among those still in Japanese
hands, unless some of them have
died. are 76 Army and Navy nurses,
ofncial files show. Only 20 nurses
were able to escape. They --ere
taken to Australia.
Director Elmer Davis OF the owl
today took issue with the statement
made in magazine article by
Palmer Hoyt, recently resigned do
mestic director of the owns infor-
nation service, that most of $4,000
Americans taken prisoner in the
Philippines have been slain by the
Japanese.
That is not information in the
possession of OWL" Mr.. Davis said.
IF the Army has it, we don't know
about it. Mr.. Hoyt apparently OBJ
tanned it from unofficial sources"
The Army-Navy report on Japa-
nese atrocities estimated that $500
American soldiers had died In two
Jap prison camps in the Philip
pines and that thousands Of Fill
pino prisoners died
Meanwhile. the Navy corrected .
statement in its communique say
ing that Marine Corpl. Reid c.
Chamberlain of Ell Cajone, Calf,
was among Americans. known to
have escaped from Jap prison
camps. A check Of the facts showed
that he escaped from Corregidor en-