OH 1502 | Oral History

OH 1502

Postmater. His experiences and observations as a guard during the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo after World War II. Enlistment in the Army, October 3, 1946; basic training, Fort Dix, New Jersey, 1946; voyage across the Pacific to Japan, February, 1947; stopovers at Oahu and Guam; assignment to the 720th MP Battalion at the Imperial War Ministry Building in Tokyo, March, 1947; rules and regulations for MP guards; guard duty in the court docks during the tribunal; comments about the defendants; steps taken to prevent suicides among the prisoners; his physical description of the interior of the courtroom in the War Ministry Building; checks for hidden weapons in the courtroom; courtroom procedures; his experiences in guarding Hideki Tojo; his description of various security procedures; comments about the Allied judges; steps taken to impress the Japanese people; description of living quarters and conditions at the War Ministry Building; relations with Japanese civilians; black market activities; his relationship with a Japanese correspondent and trading cigarettes for photographs of the proceedings; his description of Sugamo Prison; comments about his commanding officer, Lt. Col. Aubrey S. Kenworthy.

About this Oral History

Physical Description 104 pp. plus documents (8 pp.)
Terms of Use Open
Interviewer(s) Christopher N. Koontz
Date of Interview June 27, 2003

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Category

Military Posts

Years