マーティンデール氏から八藤雄一先輩への返信 No.107 June 20,1999

Dear Yuichi:

I received your letter last night just before my son and I went to San Antonio in order to be with my oldest daughter and her family for the weekend because Sunday was "Father's Day". We had a nice time.

Your letter was a "mystery" letter when I received it because a postal machine had damaged it and only about a half of the letter was received. I have read and reread it and I believe I can guess what was said in the missing part. Althogh my guess may be incorrect, I will try to reply as I believe what was generally intended.

Nrs.Nagasawa was very fast in reproducing and getting a copy of the tape to me. I appreciate her efforts and concerns. My thanks also go to you for seeing I received it. I would have liked to have had it before I went to the American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor meeting ( ADBC ),but it would have been difficult to get the four people , whom were in Omori, together at the same time.

I am uncertain about what you said about Jim Sansom. He seems to be
a reasonable person. I am surprised that he agreeded to being interviewed by British TV.

Now, I will give a few more comments about the video tape. I sent one copy to Tony Montanari. He is a professional maker of documentaries and he is the person who did the one about "Tokyo Rose". He thought the "Tojo" tape was very poorly done ( professionally ). After seeing it several more times, I now agree with him. It did not give the viewer a positive conclusion about Tojo's character. I believe that there should have been a better introduction, or identification, of the people who were shown in the film; such as you, Sansom and the others. All of this is a matter of my personal opinion; right or wrong. I do believe the film could and should have been done much better. Regardless of the questionable quality of the film ( professionally ), I did enjoy seeing it and I did learn from it.

Again, I am not sure what you said about Trejo and his comment about my earlier statements about Tojo's visit. I do not worry about his comment, but I am concerned about being as accurate as possible. I keep asking people about Tojo's visit to Omori, but there are too many gaps and uncertainties in our memories about this event. I talked to Milton McMullen at the ADBC meeting. He was a mechanic at Omori and worked on the Colonel's car and the truck. He said he was near the garage when Tojo came to the camp and that he bowed to Tojo. He did not recall seeing anyone prostrate ( on the ground ). I will keep asking the X-POWs about this question and the many others that I have about other events. It may be too late to get any definite answers because there are too few of us alive and our memories are fading so fast.

(Monday morning)

Although my memory is now uncertain about what Tojo was wearing when he came to Omori ( civilian clothes or in uniform ) , I must agree that he must have been in uniform. This is based upon what you have said, how he was shown in the video and my discussions with Al Hankin when I was in California. I had forgotten about Tojo entering Barracks No.6 and talking to Al Hankin and the other officers until Al and I began to recall the incident. Then I remembered being in the room across the hall from them and seeing Watanabe and Tojo talking to them. This was after I had returned to my room. However, I still ould not recall what Tojo was wearing. I will now agree that I must have been wrong.

I presume that your trip to Norway is delayed until late July or August due to a dragon-fly commitment.

The past ten days have been very interesting. The Amiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg dedicate a new building as teh President Bush Gallery. This was on Friday ( 11 th ). Thursday I was on a local TV station's noontime news broadcast ( briefly ) promoting the dedication. I then left for Fredericksburg. I signed books before and after the ceremonies. I was surprised when the Japanese Consul-General in Houston came by to buy a copy of my book. He asked a number of questions about it. I would like to know his reactions and feelings after he has read it. Ex-President Bush was there to make the dedication. I was an invited guest at the luncheon for Bush. My daughter from San Antonio was with me. The new gallery is very impressive.

The Consul-General's name is Masami Takemoto. Hap Halloran from California was also there. He was in the Special Barracks at Omori.

I received a nice letter from Takeo Sasamoto thanking me for the list of POW camps which I sent you and you gave to him. The list should be a big help in his research. Another letter and materials were received from Toru Fukubayashi in Kyoto. He is the high school teacher who is doing researh on the Allied airmen shot down over Japan and captured. I am enclosing a copy of his data and map which I condensed down to one page.

My best wishes to you and your wife. May you have a very good summer and trip to Norway.

Sincerely
Bob
Robert R. Martindale

*表が添付されています
ALLIED FLIERS CAPTURED IN JAPAN DURING WORLD WAR 2
Total Captured 568
Returned to U.S.A. 319(56.0%)

*新聞記事が添付されています
1998.8.14朝日新聞？
題：捕虜の半数帰国できず
内容："京都府立向陽高校教諭福林徹さんが、米国公文書「GHQ法務局調査部報告」などを調べ現地調査を行った結果によると、太平洋戦争の末期、日本空襲時に国内各地に不時着し捕虜になった連合国軍飛行士飛行士の総数は520-570人と見られ、うち少なくとも150人が憲兵隊や地元住民らに処刑され、1945年5月26日の東京陸軍刑務所の火災で62人が焼死、広島原爆で被爆死した11人等を加えると、捕虜飛行士の死者は270人にのぼる。福林さんは、「米軍の無差別爆撃は国際法違反と思う。一方で飛行士らを日本の軍部や民衆がどう扱ったかも解明されるべきだ」と話している。"