Detroit evening times., 1945-11-16
By BARRY FARIS
EDITOR In Chief. International New. s.r,r

WOulO iii MdulSOn square Gar
den six times day Al S.
head.
This attraction is group OF
top Japanese war criminals who
are living in comparative COM
fort in what once was a filthy
camp housing American prison.
ers mostly airmen.
This prison camp-Omori by
name--is on little island Just
off the mainland half way be-
tween Tokyo and Yokohama.
When the army first began
rounding up Jap war criminals
most Of them were housed in
the city prison at Yokohama,
which comes under the COM
mand OF 1t. Gen. Robert l..
Eichelberger, commander OF
the Eighth Army.
Gen. Eichelberger looked over
the Omori camp and decided II
would be poetic justice to put
the top layer Of the Jap crimi-
nails in the same camp. He
picked out about Is assorted
generals. admirals and former
cabinet members and placed
them there after the camp had
been thoroughly fumigated and
cleaned up.
"I'II say II was cleaned up,"
said one of the American SER
geants. now on duty there. "Our
boys went over II five times
with every thing we had. II WAS
80 bad when We came In that
YOU couldn't walk through the
stinking place. II would knock
YOU out faster than n gas at
tack"
Not only did the Americans
clean IL up but they Installed
modern plumbing.
THERE are about half A dozen
i frame barracks in the prison
coSnponnd. which rs surrounded
hy a high board fence over
which has been strung half
dozen strands of harbed virc.
At each corner . the Conp0U0f
there IS a sentry box, high over
the camp
In each Of these sentry boxes,
An American soldier IS con-
stantly on guard. armed with
machine gun II would
rather difficult for any Of ''o
portlv and aged prisoners -
scale that high fence but ~ 80
event any of them tried II 1hcre
probably would bc no need ~ a
trial ,
Inside me compound the prlS-
oners can move about much as
they please. Nearly the entire
number are housed together IN
one of the barracks where they
sit all DAY. playing japanese
version of checkers. The one
notable exception is Hidcki
Tolo. the former premier who
launched the Pearl Harbor at
tack
TOio'S former associates shun
hlm as they would a leper. He
spends his time in one OF the
buildings entirely alone. His
building is unheated while the
others huddle around fire
burning day and night in huge
iron pot
While II is forbidden to talk
with the prisoners. our party
was permitted 10 walk through
their barracks AS we passed
through Tojo's domicile the ex-
premier was walking up and
down tho aisle.
As We passed in single file
there were about six Of us-Tolo
bowed low 10 each as he passed.
No one bowed back or even
nodded
4 MOTHER infamous prisoner
"a in this camp was Gen.
kenii Dolhara He was quite
active m the early DAYS Of the
war in Manchuria. and he is one
OF the Jap war criminals the
Chinese would like very much to
get their hands on
Doihara was blandly playing
The checker game when We
passed through the barracks IN
which he was living
I've always wondered who
won one OF these games" SAID
rrf4Fdn thnsr.
playing II constantly. hut can
never figure out who wins"
At that one Of the Japs looked
up and, pointing Al one OF the
most aged and portly members
OF the polygot crew. said
"IIe il the master. We are
pupils"
"See," said our guido These
birds understand YOU we'll
enough even II they claim they
don't know English"
II Col. Arthur l.. Selbv ~
Fargo, y. d. is commandant
of tho camp. He directs al "
the work in putting The camp
on a healthy basis The Japa-
neSe government has 10 supply
food for the prisoners and they
daily receive supply of fish
and rice. plus some green Vege-
tables The food IS prepared by
Jap non-cOmS also war crimi-
mails
THE first day the non-coms
served the food 10 their. former
high and mighty lords they
bowed low 10 them" Col. Selby
related. But the non-coms
underwent change of heart
and following that first day
there WAS no more bowling. In
fact, they almost throw the