The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-09-05
Jops psAccused Of Murder
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signed but the State Department said she has repeatedly main- tained" she Is applying 1t to the treatment of war prisoners.
 Since the beginning of the war the United States sent Q total Of 240 protests to Japan about viola tions of the prisoner of war conVen- ton. but with little effect upon Jap anese authorities. The last was sent on June 8 last and revealed that civilian interneeS in Shanghai were "in grave danger of starvation"
 Secretary of State James P, Byrnes described the release aS mot 0 pleasant story" and promised that the perpetrators of tortures and massacres of Americans would be dealt with by properly constituted authorities, The reports were filled with names of Japanese responsible for the atrocities,
 The state department release said the full account" of Japanese bar baritieS would not he revealed until the men, women and children who survived captivity return home to tell their stories,
 "only with the deepest horror can the civilized people of the world comprehend e deliberately thought out policy of such brutality" the state department said.
 10000 Vanished
 The report revealed that nearly 10000 American prisoners were held by the Japanese in camps never visited by Q neutral representative. Practically nothing, 1t said, was known of the whereabouts or wei. fare of American airmen who were shot down in action over Japan.
 Throughout the report only one incident appears of c civilized rla- ture. It Is praise for c unnamed Japanese doctor aboard Q prison ship whose humane and compass sionate conduct, has won the com mendation of the survivors aS 1t must of all humane men"
 Starvation, disease, lack of cloth ing filthy shelters, virtual lack Of sanitary facilities, no medical aid and Japanese theft of even meager medical supplies, these were com rnonpiace.
 More shocking were the details of the recapitation in New Guinea Of an American flyer. Here Is the re- cord of that incident as cabled to Japan in a protest through the Swiss government:
 "The government of the U. s. has received conclusive evidence of the torture and decapitation of an (un- named) American airman captured by the Japanese in the Aitape area, on March 23, l944.
 "Ie was taken captive about 9 a. m, the Japanese, bound his hands behind his back and commenced beating him with sticks. This beat ing continued until the afternoon of March g at which time the pris- oner was taken to the quarters of the Aitape garrison commander, Kurita, at Korako village. Here beat- ing was resumed and continued throughout the night
 At seven o'clock the following morning the prisoner was taken back to the place of capture by It. Kosaku Seto and a Japanese civil ian named Inouye. There the Amer ican was again subjected to relent- less beating until three o'clock In the afternoon at which time he was recapitated by Inouye with six slashes of the saber.
 "The loud shouts of joy which emanated from the Japanese troops during the torture of the American flyer indicate the sadistic character of his tormentors and executioners." 1"
 Kill 750 Aboard
 Another display of barbarian was the grenading of 750 Americans aboard a prison ship in the Philip pines in August, l944.
 "The matches were almost con- tinuously battened down. Ap- peals that more air be admitted to the holds were maliciously ignored. Drinking water was grossly insufficient and the prisoners ra- tions were at starvation level. :. The prisoners were confined under these conditions for IS consecutive days.
 aAt zamboanga the prisoners were transferred to another ship where conditions were even more intolera- ble. S. On Sept. ' (the ship) was torpedoed and sunk. ..
 '"rhe behavior of the Japanese officers after the vessel was tor- pedoed was savage. The guards machine. .gunned prisoners in the sea, fired upon and threw grenadeS upon those hopelessly trapped in the holds, and after seizing the life- boats for themselves continued fire ing upon prisoners struggling in the water. go prisoners were re- captured from the sea by the Jap- anese, taken to another vessel where they were individually shot and their bodies thrown into the sea"
 lS0 Buried Alive
 The brutal massacre" of l60 American prisoners in a gigantic gasoline bonfire occurred on Dec. l4, 1894, at Puerto Princesa. Palawan, Philippine Islands. Here ls