The 1973 holiday issue: Iva Toguri d’Aquino and the ‘Tokyo Rose’ trial

Vol. 77, No. 25, December 21, 1973. 60 pages. View this issue

The treason trial of Iva Toguri d’Aquino filled most of this 60-page holiday issue. The paper followed the San Francisco case through jury selection, the cross-examination of George Mitsushio, Norman Reyes’s testimony and her own turn on the stand, up to the guilty verdict on one of eight counts. Two editorials, “The Tyranny of a Legend” and “Punishing a Legend,” argued that the ‘Tokyo Rose’ legend, not the defendant, was being tried, and Phil Jordan placed the case alongside earlier injustices against minorities.

Elmer R. Smith began a historical series on Japanese immigrants in the Americas, opening with Brazil. Sociologist Stanford Lyman spoke to a JACL district council on the generations, Lora Nishimura reported her study of Issei, Nisei and Sansei values, and Gail Miyasaki compared growing up in Hawaii and California. About 42 of the pages carry holiday greetings from JACL chapters and members.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• The Japanese in Brazil, by By Elmer R. Smith, page 1. Elmer R. Smith begins a historical series on Japanese immigrants in the Americas, starting with Brazil’s Japanese community, its size, and its cultural diversity. The article traces early migration and the sponsored labor movements that brought Japanese to Brazil’s coffee plantations and cities.
• Tokyo Rose found guilty of treason, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The jury convicted Iva Toguri d’Aquino of one of eight treason counts after weeks of deliberation, a verdict that surprised many spectators. Defense counsel announced an appeal against the conviction.
• Tokyo Rose trial jury selection and prosecution tactics, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Citizen reports on the trial of Iva Toguri d’Aquino in San Francisco, focusing on the government’s use of peremptory challenges to exclude non-Caucasian jurors. The article outlines the prosecution’s position that race played no role and the defense’s concerns.
• Mitsushio in hot seat under cross-examination, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Trial coverage details the grueling cross-examination of prosecution witness George Mitsushio, who admitted gaps in his recollection and was pressed on dates and his citizenship renunciation. The defense sought to show his testimony was memorized from the indictment.
• Norman Reyes contradicted by FBI statements, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Former Philippine lieutenant Norman Reyes, a defense witness, was confronted with signed FBI statements that contradicted his testimony. He said he had signed them under intimidation, and the defense sought to repair the damage.
• Iva on the stand denies being a traitor, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Iva Toguri d’Aquino testified in her own defense, describing her life in Los Angeles and Japan and denying any intent to betray the United States. She was cross-examined by prosecutor Tom De Wolfe about her citizenship and broadcasts.
• Prosecution parades platoon of witnesses, by P.C. Staff, page 10. In the sixth week, the government called a variety of witnesses, including a Japanese teacher, a jazz musician, and radio engineers, who gave conflicting accounts of the broadcasts. The defense used the testimony to challenge the identification of Mrs. d’Aquino’s voice.
• Defendant ill; trial recessed, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The trial was recessed when Mrs. d’Aquino fell ill with intestinal influenza, her counsel told the court. Her physician treated her at county jail.
• Grand jury heard key man bribed to tell lie, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Cross-examination of FBI agent Frederick Tillman revealed allegations that a government witness, Hiromu Yagi, was bribed to testify falsely before the grand jury. The defense also highlighted Mrs. d’Aquino’s repeated efforts to return to the U.S.
• Sociologist Stanford Lyman addresses district council, by By Ed Kitazumi, page 13. Dr. Stanford Lyman addressed a JACL district council on generational differences among Issei, Nisei and Sansei. He discussed identity, assimilation, and the generational crisis facing young Japanese Americans.

Commentary

• The Tyranny of a Legend, by P.C. Editorial, page 1. The editorial argues that Iva Toguri d’Aquino is a victim of the ‘Tokyo Rose’ legend, a generic name applied to many women broadcasters. It asserts that her trial rests on a myth rather than on her individual conduct.
• Punishing a Legend, by P.C. Editorial, page 1. The editorial criticizes the ten-year sentence and $10,000 fine as unduly harsh, arguing the judge punished the legend of Tokyo Rose rather than the individual. It notes only one woman among Radio Tokyo staff was prosecuted because she kept her American citizenship.
• Jury, verdict both not right, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Quoting the Alameda Times-Star, the article contends the judge effectively pressured the deadlocked jury toward a verdict by citing trial expense. It argues the prosecution’s exclusion of non-white jurors further compromised fairness.
• Nisei of the Biennium and JACL awards, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A summary of JACL’s biennial awards, the Nisei of the Biennium and JACLer of the Biennium, lists past honorees and explains the selection process. The awards recognize leadership and community service.
• Stuff ‘Zero Hour’ aired from Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Trial reporting describes testimony about the music played on Radio Tokyo’s Zero Hour, including American standards used to attract listeners. Witnesses testified to the program’s entertainment content and the disc jockey style of Orphan Ann.
• What Christmas meant in ’41 to a teenager in Yamaguchi, by By S. Chang, page 7. A reprinted Daily Yomiuri story recounts a Japanese Catholic woman’s wartime Christmas Eve in Yamaguchi, when she and fellow converts sang carols outside a kempeitai headquarters to show support for an arrested priest. The piece highlights faith under repression.
• Sansei personality study shows them as followers, by By Lora Nishimura, page 14. Lora Nishimura summarizes her master’s thesis comparing value orientations across Issei, Nisei and Sansei using the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. She found that acculturation is well advanced but some Japanese cultural traits persist.
• Nisei and Sansei life styles compared, Hawaii and California, by By Gail Miyasaki, page 15. Gail Miyasaki contrasts the experiences of Sansei raised in Hawaii with those raised in California’s urban and ghetto environments. She notes differing community structures and the influence of mainland neighborhoods.

In-Depth

• Interest in case looms as matter of justice, by By Phil Jordan, page 2. Phil Jordan connects the civil rights history of the Tokyo Rose case to earlier injustices against minorities. He recounts how Iva Toguri’s citizenship and wartime loyalty made her a target, and why the case matters for Japanese Americans today.

Military & Veterans

• Japanese Canadian and Mexican communities in World War II, by P.C. Staff, page 14. The article reviews the wartime experiences of Japanese in Mexico and the prewar Japanese settlement in British Columbia and North America. It describes economic patterns and discrimination that shaped the community.

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