Evening star., 1952-05-04
Mrs. SeubuId Writinq
Novel About japan
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tended Mt. Ida finishing school
in this country in Newton, Mass.
Shortly after returning to ia
pan she met Seabald, recent
graduate of the Annapolis Naval
Academy, who was then attached
to the United States Embassy in
Tokyo as a japanese language
officer. They were married June
IA, 1927. They have no children.
On the fourteenth Of next month.
exactly Is years after their mar
riage, they will board the Queen
Mary for England, on the first lap
of their trip to Burma.
En- route they will stop of at
Madrid to visit Mrs. Seabald's
sister, Marie, who was married
last December in New York to
Mai. Gen. Charles Willoughby.
The general, a ling-time member
of Gen. MacArthur's staff.
retired from the Army after Gen.
Macarthur was recalled from
Japan last year. The Willoughbys
are vacationing in the Spanish
capital.
Women Without q Country
Ever since her marriage Mrs.
Seabald has been "a woman with
out a country" she says. II lost
my japanese citizenship when I
married a foreigner" she ex-
planned. She was barred from
American citizenship by the Orien-
tai Exclusion Act of 1924. She is
watching with great interest" the
Walter bill which passed the
House last week, which would wipe
out all racial exclusion clauses in
immigration and nationality laws.
She bears the distinction Of be-
ing the first foreigner to be
granted permanent residence in
the United States by Act Of Con-
greSs.
After their. 1927 marriage the
SeabaldS remained in Tokyo until
1899, except for one period when
they came back to Baltimore, Mr..
Seabald's birthplace, while he got
a law degree at Maryland Univer-
sity. After getting the degree he
Joined her fathers law firm in
Tokyo.
They decided to return to the
United States in 1889 because they
were convinced war was coming.
Seabald practiced law in Washing
ton for two years, on Pearl Harbor
Day volunteered for Naval duty.
He was made head of combat in
telligence for the Pacific, serving
in Washington under Admiral
King.
At the same time Mrs. Seabald
went to work for OSS, as a psy-
Geological consultant in morale
operations.
mo. I had no feeling of divided
loyalty in working against my
homeland" she said in answer to
a question. For one thing. had
no close relatives in Japan by
then. My parents were both dead,
and my sister and two brothers
were all in other countries.
Besides, when you have been
married as long as I had, and
been as closely identified with
your husbands work as I was,
your sympathies naturally. are
with him and his country. Per-
haps felt that even more strongly
because in Japan woman always
becomes a part of the family she
marries into. She knows when she
marries that she is leaving her own
family behind"
Beck to Tokyo
After the war Seabald returned
to Tokyo as assistant to the late
George Atcheson, the first political
adviser to the Supreme Com
mander of Japan. When Atcheson
was killed in plane crash year
later Seabald was given his job.
That was in 1947, just at the time
Mrs. Seabald arrived from the
United States to rejoin her huS-
band.
AS top civilian in the occupa-
ton, with rank equivalent to an
Ambassador, Seabald was assigned
quarters in a lovely home which
had been requisitioned from a
wealthy japanese nobleman, Baron
Sumitomo.
It was set in the midst of about
three acres of ground, with in
rradihlv 1ovelv treeS-DineS QinkOS,