マーティンデール氏と八藤雄一先輩の手紙
| マーティンデール氏と八藤雄一先輩の手紙
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| Jan 29, 2000 |
| Dear Yuichi: Enlosed is a copy of a letter which I have sent to Ms.Nansai thanking her for her for the copies of Kano's diary and statement. I felt that it was important to thank her personally; but I wanted you to have a cpy in case she will need help in understanding what I have said in the letter. I also realize that she may not speak English and may need your assistance. I am still trying to catch-up on my correspondence which had accumulated due to my having a bad cold after Christmas and then the discovery of a tumor when I had my annual physical examination. Fortunately, it was not cancerous and required only a minor operation to remove it . Now I am trying to get back some of the 10 pounds in weight which I lost during the past two months. I am still slow in getting things accomplished. Your card of the 13th arrived Friday and I was amused to learn the reaction of Lt.Hayashi and Uwamori to prison life. That type of change is not uncommon. I saw it happen a numbber of times during the war when individuals showed much "bravado" ( false bravery ) when there was no danger, but became cowards when their lives were in danger. I have learned that this type of person cannot be relied upon. I have just remembered that I had forgotten to tell Ms.Nansei the two reasons why I wanted my manuscript published. I wanted people to know about the interesting stories I had gathered in order to show that there was another side of life as a POW besides that which is usually given in publications about or by a POW. I also wanted people to know that allJapanese were not bad to the POWs and that there were individuals like you, "Gentleman Jim", Sgt.Oguri and others. I was particularly interested in telling how important were the actions of Kano in our lives at Omori and how much we were indebted to him. I feel that I have had some success in this matter because a number of X-POWs have written or told me how their attitude towards the Japanese have changed since they read my book. Please convey ( pass on ) these reasons to Ms.Nansei. My best wishes to you and your family in this new year. Sincerely Bob Robert R. Martindale |
| *次の手紙が添付されています January 29,2000 Dear Ms.Nansei: I want to thank you for having Mr.Hatto send me the copies of your father's diary and statement. I am very honored to have them and I will make sure that they are included in my collection of materials about Omori POW ( Prisoner-of-War ) Camp when it is given to the Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas, to be included in the President Bush Center for the War in the Pacifi. This will help ensure that Kano's story will be available for future generation to know. Your father and I became very good friends when we worked together in Omori and I quickly developed a great amount of respect for him and also for Sergeant Oguri. Both men treated all of the POWs with compassion and fairness. I was particularly glad to be working with Kano on a daily basis because it made my duties as the POW Camp Work Officer less stressful than previously. Therefore, when Kano and I started to correspond with each other several years after the end of the war, I was very sad to learn that he had unjustly suffered the humilitation and indignity of being imprisoned. I became very angry with our military officials for making this mistake in identities. Belatedly, I want to extend to you my personal apology for the unwarranted actions of the government upon your father. I am enclosing two items which you may liketo see and have for your records about your father. The first is a copy of the only letter I still have from him. The other item is a copy of the interrogation report which was made when the military authorities questioned Kano after the war. It was a very pleasant to see on page 12 of the diary one of the two photographs taken of me in Omori. It shows me, Kano and a Kempei standing in front of the camp office building. I regret I did not have a copy of it to include in my book, The 13th Mission, because it would have been an important addition in order to show the readers how we looked at that time. The heavy British uniform clothing and especially the baggy pants made me look shorter and much heavier. I would appreciate it very much if you could send me a copy of the original photograph, if you still have it, so that I can have a negative made in order to have additional copies made for my family. The other photograph of me was identical to the one on page 12 which shows Captain Joe Mills and Private Ito, the camp clerk. Sergeant Watanabe took similar photographs of me and Mills. He gave us copies. Unfortunately, the copy of me was lost after the war when I sent it to a photography studio to have copies made for my family. I want to thank you again for your consideration and kindness in sending me the important documents. I am sending a copy of this letter to Mr.Hatto. Sincerely, Robert R.Martindale |
| *八藤さん宛の日本語の手紙が添付されています 平成11年10月26日南西由美子さん(なんさいゆみこ/旧姓加納/加納勇吉さんの娘さん)より。父勇吉さんの日記刊行について、マーティンデール氏の著書に、勇吉さんが大森収容所で書かれた脚本「シンデレラ」について触れられていること、ハローラン氏に母が会ったことがあること、等が記されてます |
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如水会 実務英語研究会
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