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Tokyo Rose: Orphan of the Pacific
Fine Book. 4 1/4 By 7 1/4`` G.I. invented name for at least two female radio voices attempting to demoralize our troops. Extraordinary political trail, nature of treason, role of racial prejudice in wartime. A few red under linings, No other damage.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 12, 2022
True story , Tokyo Rose not just 1 person. An image larger and to a degree made up. , however , an innocent women sent to prison because she was accused of being the only tTokyo Rose . Mostly because the news Media needed to sell papers and needed a scapegoat. Govt wanted to punish someone for the tremendous Lloyd of life in WWII. It was such dragged out read hard to keep reading but knowing an injustice was done I wanted to finish but it was not my style of book. My son gave me this book to read otherwise I would not have read it. I read lots of WWII books this was ok
March 3, 2021
Pretty sure I skimmed this in early fall 2019, but hey, I fully read it for notes this time. Fantastic and pithy summary of the Tokyo Rose case and how Iva Toguri got railroaded and f*ked over by a government who thought she was American enough to convict for treason, but not American enough to get a passport.
September 4, 2018
Did not finish
February 28, 2016
The book begins by pointing out that "Tokyo Rose" was a myth, and that the woman arrested and convicted of being her, Iva Toguri, was basically young, rather foolish and naive and ended up being the victim of politics.
The author points out that Toguri was tried in a city with a history of anti-Japanese feeling, that the jury was all-white, and the government lacked any transmissions or broadcast transcripts.
The next chapter describes the rush of journalists into Japan after the end of the war and the nature and growth of the Tokyo Rose myth. Then it covers the meeting of the reports with Iva Toguri and how she ended up signing a contract that said she was Tokyo Rose.
The book goes into very great detail about the interviews, questions about her identity from soldiers who couldn't recognize her voice, and her ultimate arrest. The next chapter goes into her life in California and her life growing up, her trip to Japan and the difficulties she had there adjusting to the Japanese culture.
Then it goes into how she was trapped in Japan at the start of the war and had to find some kind of a job. Then the book goes into describing the program, Zero Hour, that she was involved in on Tokyo radio. The breakdown of the show is given and Toguri's portion was limited to playing music and reading a script prepared for her by someone else.
The book then talks about the Walter Winchell part of the Tokyo Rose myth and Toguri's prosecution in the U.S., then follows with the events leading up to the trial and the trial itself.
Her time in prison is discussed as are the problems she faced when she was released, including the government's effort to kick her out of the country and the Japanese-American communities effort to stay away from her. Even that changed, though, and an effort was made to get her a Presidential pardon.
To put it in proper perspective, however, it was a pardon for a crime she was convicted of that she didn't really do. It's been shown beyond any doubt that the government lied and distorted during the trial that should never have been held in the first place. It was another miscarriage of justice, just like the convictions of the Japanese-Americans who had their court cases during the internment years, and like those it took a long, long time to get straightened out.
>An excellent book about one of the most popular myths of the war.
The author points out that Toguri was tried in a city with a history of anti-Japanese feeling, that the jury was all-white, and the government lacked any transmissions or broadcast transcripts.
The next chapter describes the rush of journalists into Japan after the end of the war and the nature and growth of the Tokyo Rose myth. Then it covers the meeting of the reports with Iva Toguri and how she ended up signing a contract that said she was Tokyo Rose.
The book goes into very great detail about the interviews, questions about her identity from soldiers who couldn't recognize her voice, and her ultimate arrest. The next chapter goes into her life in California and her life growing up, her trip to Japan and the difficulties she had there adjusting to the Japanese culture.
Then it goes into how she was trapped in Japan at the start of the war and had to find some kind of a job. Then the book goes into describing the program, Zero Hour, that she was involved in on Tokyo radio. The breakdown of the show is given and Toguri's portion was limited to playing music and reading a script prepared for her by someone else.
The book then talks about the Walter Winchell part of the Tokyo Rose myth and Toguri's prosecution in the U.S., then follows with the events leading up to the trial and the trial itself.
Her time in prison is discussed as are the problems she faced when she was released, including the government's effort to kick her out of the country and the Japanese-American communities effort to stay away from her. Even that changed, though, and an effort was made to get her a Presidential pardon.
To put it in proper perspective, however, it was a pardon for a crime she was convicted of that she didn't really do. It's been shown beyond any doubt that the government lied and distorted during the trial that should never have been held in the first place. It was another miscarriage of justice, just like the convictions of the Japanese-Americans who had their court cases during the internment years, and like those it took a long, long time to get straightened out.
>An excellent book about one of the most popular myths of the war.
May 11, 2018
This is the anguishing story of an American woman of Japanese descent who was wrongfully convicted of war crimes. I first read it as a library title from the Base Library in Yokosuka US Navy Base, Japan. I later found a used copy in a shop in Canoga Park, CA. What a treasure! I've loaned it to several friends who agree it's a MUST read.
December 22, 2008
Quoted her greatly in my Senior extended paper. Great assemblage of facts in her life.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews