The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-06-01
By JAMES r. YOUNG

Gen. Douglas macarthur last
February issued an emergency rul'
ing that Filipino collaborators, and
others, who had aided the japanese
would be held by U. S. Army auth.
critics until the war is ended. That
Gen. Macarthur showed foresight
was demonstrated recently when
Brig. Gen. Manuel A. Roras, n
prominent Filipino politician who
was captured by the japanese. an'
nounced his opposition TO the cur
rent policy OF eliminating from the
commonwealth government and the
Filipino army any who had worked
for the Japanese.
At the time OF Gen. MacArthur's
proclamation ! asked question:
How would the ruling apply to
the Spanish Consul General TO Ma
Mia. Jose Del Castano?
For many months / was on the
trail OF Del Castano. A Filipino
army officer told me that he was
killed In Manila. A diplomat eau.
toned me to withhold this inside
story explaining that "in a few
weeks he will turn up very much
alive" Recently was in COM
munication with Manila in my ef.
fort to trace the Franco agent
Imagine then, my surprise to learn
from the attorney general OF Cali.
fornia, Robert w. Kenny, that Dal
Castano was attending the United
Nations Conference.
Congressman John NJ. Coffee, Ia
coma, Wash. who has kept the Del
Castano case on the floor OF Con-
gress, describes him as a "despica-
BILE war criminal who betrayed
Americans to japanese" Consul
Del Castano reached San Francisco
in early May, according to Mr.. COT.
fee and he is lobbying at the con-
ference with other Spanish dele
gates. He travelled with diplomatic
immunity TO the United States
81 am outraged that Gen. Mac
Arthur and the War Department
failed TO arrest and hold him for
trial" Mr.. Coffee wired me. The
State Department has passed the
buck to the War Department, who
in turn pass II back TO State"
was the Tokyo correspondent
for the MGpila Herald. published
by Carlos p. Romulo, now a briga-
dier general. and Philippine COM
missioner to Washington. From
that newspaper first learned OF
Del Castano's arrival in Manila to
head the Spanish Ealange in the
Philippines His appointment re-
ceived State Department approval.
He had jurisdiction over many
Spanish colleges, shipping con-
Gems, sugar, mining and tobacco
interests. Prominent Spaniards at
the time we're taking Filipino citiz.
enship to line themselves. up for
the day OF independence. Previous.
" Del Castano worked in Madrid
with a Nazi party organizer, Gen.
Wilhelm Won Faupel. who con.
trolled the Nazi-Fascist-Falangist
movement In Spain. Two Japa'
nese undercover hangmen in this
cd chain OF international plotters
were the ambassador TO Madrid.
Yakichiro Suma, whom | knew in
Tokyo az the foreign ONCE spokes-
man. He was active in the Black
Dragon Society, a counterpart OF
the Falangist. A second Japanese
was ambassador to Vichy. Takano'
bu Mitani, recently seized by U.
s. 7th Army troops in Europe,
The Spanish government sent
'Genaro Riestra to Havana in a
post similar 10 Del Castanos at
Manila but within SO days Of his
arrival Riestra was ordered out Of
Cuba. Del Castano. however, re-
NAMED through both the Japanese
capture OF Manila and American
Filipino Liberation of the city. He
was the neutral representative with
whom we negotiated on matters
concerning American civilian pris-
oners of war. His Office at 622
Colorado St, Manila = was the clear
ing house for all American infor'
nation, which he could then turn
over to the japanese ambassador,
a shipping magnate from Osaka.
Shozo Murata. former governor Of
the 10th district OF Rotary Inter
national, and to the commander
OF all japanese armies in the
Philippines, Gen. Tomoyuki Yama-
shita.
Japan's ambassador TO Madrid,
on Jan. 5. 1912, honored the Philip
pine section OF the Spanish Falange
in appreciation OF what Del Casta-
no was accomplishing for the Axis.
Francois official paper, Arriba, on
the occasion editorialized that ia
pans invasion OF the Philippines
hal revealed her ancient and re-
nowned culture and displayed ex-
ceptlonal human values in victories
which were the admiration OF the
world" There followed then the
death march TO Camp O'Donnell
and the horrible prison tortures Of