Evening star., 1949-12-14
Jap Woman Leader
Resents Superiority
0fU,S. Officers Wive!
By Roy FoIk
nth American Newspaper Alllon'


TOKYO, Dec. 14.-Americans
often have wondered what the
Japanese really thought Of them.
Now that they have found out,
they don't seem to like it bit.
An example Is the reaction OF
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt in reply
to one Of the first japanese COM
plants made publicly about Amer
leans.
Mrs. Teru Mogi, a wealthy Jap
anese housewife. told off the wives
Of American officers.
She complains that, but for a
few exceptions. Americans close
their houses to japanese, refusing
to associate with them. japanese
women resent their American
counterpart who "feel nothing but
superiority and no interest at
all before these yellow-skinned
Japanese women with their
short bowlegs, their bad shapes
wrapped In clumsy and ante-dated
clothing Fl. yet underneath this
poor appearance are hidden the
beautiful virtues Of the East"
Mrs. Roosevelt Quoted.
Mrs. Roosevelt wrote. in part:
II think you must realize that
since Pearl Harbor day there has
had to be a recognition In this
country Of the fact that while
the people of Japan may not have
actually been responsible for what
their government was doing, still
the people of the United States,
who long lived under a democracy
and had become accustomed to
taking responsibility for their
Governments actions, have a
sense that the japanese must be
held responsible for beginning the
war between our two countries.
That would lead to a certain
artificial contact with anyone you
might meet over there. They would
not want to hurt your feelings
and yet they would feel that 1t
would be difficult to talk on any
real subjects because this bar
rier of antagonism would lie be-
tween them. I imagine you have
given little thought to this pos
sibility, but you must remember
that to us forgetting is difficult"
Mrs. >Mogi was surprised to re-
ceive a letter from the former first
lady. Said she, Il was impressed
that such great lady would write
to me. This is an indication Of
the democracy that pervades the
United States"
How Argument Started.
The international argument
started when Mrs. Mogi, wife Of
Mitsubishi executive, wrote a long
letter to Pearl Buck, the famous
author of Good Earth" telling of
her disappointing experiences with
Americans. Mrs. Buck answered
and in addition sent copies of Mrs.
Mogi's letter to Senator Margaret
Chase Smith and other prominent
American women. They in turn
answered, and the whole corre-
spondence was published In the
japanese Asahi and the English
language Nippon Times with the
result that a new flood Of letters,
mostly bitter, swamped the jap
anese housewife.
Mrs. Mogi starts her letter by
recounting how she visited "the
family of an American officer liv-
ing next door to mine. Opening
their front door was to me OPEN
ing a door to a new world. Il
stepped into a new civilization.
What struck me first was its
cleanliness. Shining walls of white
paint. Scrubbed floors. Clear
w1ndoWpanes. Pretty curtains.
The white electric refrigerator and
range. In Japan only Million
aires have such a kitchen"
Mrs. Mogi was impressed by
everything she saw in the Ameri-
can home. She was dazzled by
her hostess wardrobe. These
American wives enjoy in one week
an amount of pleasure which we
cannot hope to have in years
time" Mrs. Mogi continues. 1--WE,