Iva Toguri, in memoriam
Few people probably recognize the name "Iva Toguri" -- but what about if I said "Tokyo Rose"? Ring a bell then?
Well, one of the several women who bore the monniker "Tokyo Rose" passed away yesterday. I doubt that many people know the true story behind that name. But we all should. This is a bit of very important history. But perhaps not for the reasons you think.
Iva Toguri's story is truly one of American governmental persecution -- and a tragedy. She was a young woman caught in a very, very bad situation but whose determination not to trade-in her American citizenship for survival led her own government to accuse her of being a traitor (how very ironic) and ultimately ruined her entire life.
Read about Iva Toguri here. She had a hard life and had to make even harder choices. How many of us would have had her strength? Remember, she was a single woman of 25 who didn't speak Japanese when her saga began.
While reasonable minds may disagree about the nature of Toguri's broadcasts during the war (and whether she was a traitor), I think it's clear that this woman was an American patriot who loved her country dearly, despite how the government villified her.
Sound familiar? Seems to be a theme for the Japanese American community in World War II.
Iva Toguri -- I hope that in rest you have the peace that you never had in life.
UPDATE (9/28): Check out Eric's post on Iva Toguri, an excerpt from a law journal article he published. I do disagree with one thing he wrote though:
"Tokyo Rose" remains a villain in pop culture, and she was never able to live that down -- even though "Tokyo Rose" was a caricature, and Iva Toguri was more victim than villian.
Well, one of the several women who bore the monniker "Tokyo Rose" passed away yesterday. I doubt that many people know the true story behind that name. But we all should. This is a bit of very important history. But perhaps not for the reasons you think.
Iva Toguri's story is truly one of American governmental persecution -- and a tragedy. She was a young woman caught in a very, very bad situation but whose determination not to trade-in her American citizenship for survival led her own government to accuse her of being a traitor (how very ironic) and ultimately ruined her entire life.
Read about Iva Toguri here. She had a hard life and had to make even harder choices. How many of us would have had her strength? Remember, she was a single woman of 25 who didn't speak Japanese when her saga began.
While reasonable minds may disagree about the nature of Toguri's broadcasts during the war (and whether she was a traitor), I think it's clear that this woman was an American patriot who loved her country dearly, despite how the government villified her.
Sound familiar? Seems to be a theme for the Japanese American community in World War II.
Iva Toguri -- I hope that in rest you have the peace that you never had in life.
UPDATE (9/28): Check out Eric's post on Iva Toguri, an excerpt from a law journal article he published. I do disagree with one thing he wrote though:
Three times her supporters applied for a presidential pardon, in the administrations of Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon, and were refused. Finally, on his last day in office in January of 1977, President Gerald R. Ford issued a full pardon to Iva Toguri d'Aquino, bringing to a forgiving close her rather muddled prosecution for treason.Iva Toguri may have received a pardon, but I doubt very much that this brought her closure, although it may have closed the case. And I wonder that it can be appropriately characterized as "forgiving."
"Tokyo Rose" remains a villain in pop culture, and she was never able to live that down -- even though "Tokyo Rose" was a caricature, and Iva Toguri was more victim than villian.
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