Evening star., 1945-07-27

Alrborne DIVISION yesterday at
must be prepared to pay only t.
pull the chestnut from the Fal
Eastern fire for whom they should
now know" he concluded.
The Tokyo radio followed tn,
Domei commentator with broad
cast in English to North Americs
reiterating Japanese denials O
peace offers to the Allies. The speak
er, identified as Hireshi Oyama
made no reference to yesterday
Allied proclamation, but discussed
unconditional surrender in gen.
eral
He said the American State De.
partment demanded unconditional
surrender in Germany when the
Reich was on it's knees and the out
come was obvious, but that the East
Asia picture is different. Oyams
claimed American forces have nc
major base handy, and have won
only few small parts of Japanese
islands" after four bloody years.
mot an enemy soldier stands on
Japan's mainland, nor is any likely
to without paying a terrible, I can
say almost prohibitive, price,
Oyama declared. THE bitter les
sons learned on all of Japan's tiny
invaded islands =" should have
impressed the American mind that
Japan is fl!mly and doggedly deter
mined to resist and battle tooth and
nail for every inch of her sacred
soil"
Meanwhile, it was reported from
Salisbury, Austria. that at least one
japanese militarist has admitted he
was wrong and that Japan should
surrender unconditionaliy.
He Is Gen. Hiroshi Oshima, the
Japanese Ambassador to Germany
at the time the Nazis surrendered
Movements Under Scrutiny.
Oshima's movements both before
and after the German capitulation
were under close scrutiny today. He
and his staff, 1t was reported, could
have surrendered to neutral Rus
slams or got into Switzerland, but
they fed westward toward American
lines and allowed themselves to be
taken by their enemies instead.
There was speculation at the time,
and the question still Is unanswered.
1t is possible that Oshima. negotiator
and signer of the anticomintern
pact against Russia, may have felt
he might not thrive too well in
Russian - even neutral Russian -
hands. But why he did not try
to get into Switzerland remains
a secret.
A possible answer came from
Salzburg. United States Army CEN
sors allowed correspondents to cable
the news that Oshima's secretary
American-born Toshio Yamanaka,
said that before Oshima was brought
to this country for internment he
made recommendation" that
Japan surrender Internationally.
An eyewitness Of Allied destruc-
tion Of Berlin until mid-March, and
able to see what had happened to
other German cities on his way out
of Germany, Oshima was described
as convinced of the futility of con-
tinuing the fight against overwhelm-
ing superiority Of airpower. Yaman-
aka said that Oshima, one Of Ja-
pans foremost militaristic diplo-
mats, was extremely anxious to pre-
vail on his government to meet AL
lied terms Immediately.
Japs Had Asked Better Terms.
What happened to Oshima's rec
ommendation" was not known, but it
was assumed that this government
would have lost no time in relaying
it through neutral channels to
Tokyo. Tokyos single appeal yes
terday for more lenient American
peace terms may have followed us
receipt in Tokyo. If SO, a counter
answer was provided in the Pots
dam declaration.
Oshima landed in New York July
II with part of his staff. Since then
nothing had been released regard
ing him until yesterday.
From Manila came a report that
Japans leaders were preparing the
country for surrender before in
vasion.
A former Japanese Domei news
war correspondent said the navy
would have a dominant voice in the
final decision on the Allied ultima
tum.
The correspondent, Ken Mura-
yama, American-born former chief
of Domei's English section in Ma
nila, said he expected Japan to
capitulate within few weeks.
Okada Called Key Man.
Murayama inserted that Admiral
Keisuke Okada, who narrowly
escaped assassination when premier
in 1896, is the current strong man"
behind the Japanese cabinet and
spokesman for the naval faction
which has been dominant since the
overthrow of Premier TOTO.
Murayama, who was in Tokyo
prior to the war, recently sur
rendered to the 38th Division after
four months retreat in the hills
east of the Marakina Valley, Luzon.
The 34-year-old New York-born
correspondent said Okada, who GER
tainly is a key figure these days,
holds no Official position but has
direct access to Emperor Hirohito.
Murayama said that the recent
intense RECOMMENDATION of the Japa-
nese people, which Tokyo labels as
preparation for defense of the Jap
anese homeland, actually is intend
ed to provide a tight checkrein on
fanatics in event of sudden capitu-
lation."
No Assurance Against Action.
The absence Of Premier Stalin's
signature on the Allied ultimatum
may give enemy propagandists a
talking point. but to the Tokyo gov
ernment it is no assurance against
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