European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 9, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Yank the army weekly 1945 answer yes to their then Jitter Why do you think the emperor is god and the pfc said that every japanese knew the emperor was they knew he because it was the Only the Only thing in life that really meant anything to Jitter looked at me what can you do he then he turned to the Pudgy faced Sailor do you think Japan will win the war0 the Jap Sailor grinned of course Japan will win the Why Japan can beat the others were listening hanging on to each what makes you think Japan will win Japan never lost a she cannot be All of Japan is one what do you Japan is one mind i in his answer the prisoner used a phrase that i had heard frequently throughout the question it was Yamato when i asked what it Jitter said the phrase is hard to there is no american word or phrase which Means quite the same the closest i can come to it is fighting but to these people it Means much More than if you think of a will Power that no Force on Earth could discourage Short of killing its and add to that the cold belief of a you might get a Little closer to its mean he went on with his do you think Japan can beat America at for example How about baseball didst the americans beat your pants off at baseball a few years ago they got the highest you mean that America didst beat you Japan Jitter looked at me with an expression of exaggerated tapping his fingers on the ground like Oliver Hardy used to do when Stan Laurel tripped him into a trough of White first you said that the americans got the High score and now you say that Japan what exactly do you mean by that Tomato you got High but there Are More important its the Way Japan plays the then the Sailor burst into a flood of wild hissing chatter that lasted a Good two when he Jitter you come Over to play in a big base Ball you hit the Ball you make but your players Are not they were they didst Bow and talk prop Erly to and while they played they paid no attention to anything but the they show no Yamato they Wear uni forms with no american Flag on every japanese player wears a uniform with the rising Sun on Jitter stood i he that gives you a pretty Good picture of How his brain lets go out and get some fresh outside the Sun was trying to break through the but there was a dismal drizzle and the Yard was deserted except for one prisoner who was filling a canteen from the Lyster bag that Hung in the Center of the that Joe Over there is a Navy Jitter Tough thinks Hes above All the others lets talk to the Pilot was about 25 years he had a stringy Mustache and some hairs on his Chin that passed for a there was a Pur ple streaked swelling Over his left and one of his front Teeth was he had been shot Down in san Pedro Bay on aplus4 and picked up by one of our Navy though he had been cocky around the other when he saw Jitter approaching he be came All smiles and Jitter told him i would like him to answer a few and he nodded so agreeably that you would have thought answering my questions was his lifes where is your Home How Long have you been in the Navy six How Long have you been a fighter Pilot i graduated from Kasuga Muira four months Ever in combat before levee do you feel any disgrace because you were captured 1 Why did you let them pick you up out of the Bay i was very Why didst you kill yourself then you had a didst you but it was Rusty How did you think you would be treated As a prisoner i didst International Law protects did you Ever hear of Jimmy Doolittle raid on Tokyo do you know what happened to the Ameri can pilots who were captured there did Vou know that their Heads were Cut off a they do you believe it Jitter shrugged and offered a cigarette to the Jap Pilot who took it but Only after he had executed a Quick have you heard about the b29 raids on Tokyo they have told us about did they Tell you that the raids caused any appreciable damage they told us there was not much do you think the b29s can wreck Japan they cannot Hurt Why Japan has too much too much too Many fighter what do you think of american pilots some some Are they any better than japanese pilots we have some some who do you think has the stronger air Force the Pilot looked Blank for a at tempted to formulate an tried a few broken phrases and gave when you went out to attack an american troop ship or what did you think about hitting the anything else no 1 did you think of anything else no i Why did you do it for the the Jap Pilot snapped Why do you think the emperor is making Japan fight Japan is fighting for eternal do you think Japan will win a a the interrogation progressed we had been walking slowly Over to the far Corner of the compound where the pilots tent we were in front of the tent and the Pilot bowed us in on a i cot at the rear of the tent squatted a Little wizened Jap with Horn rimmed he was about 40 years old As Jitter sex a doctor with More than three ears army when we he was read ing what appeared to be a japanese medical there were illustrations showing operating blood transfusion equipment and other medical Jitter questioned the while the question ing went the like the silent prisoners in the other sat very listening youve widely in do you think that americas contribution to world Medicine has been important i think it has been extremely you have of of Johns hop the Mayo clinic and other american medic Al centers their work has been of the utmost importance to the general Advance of do you know that anaesthesia was Dis covered and developed by american scientists How do you think japans its its operating equipment and so on com pare with those of America Japan is first rate in Tell who do you think will win the War Japan will Are you aware of How Many places your army and Navy have lost in the last two years during americas steady March into the far East they Tell us of the Progress of the Why Are you being beaten so steadily we Are not being we will strike when the time when do you think the War will end they do not Tell us Jitter looked at me and said the doctor Doest understand As you Hes a pretty Well educated professional now watch what happens when i begin to question him on another have you read americas Bill of rights do you As that document that All people have a right to worship god according to their own without dicta Tion from anyone at this the doctors face sagged and his eyes his Blank look recalled the uncomprehending Osaka sergeant of the first in i dont Jitter put his hand out in an appealing you have read the Bill of you know that it sets Forth certain certain protections for the securities of god fearing do you think that document is a right doctrine i do not what is a right doctrine for decent human living the emperors the doctors spine would you do anything the emperor commanded you to do you consider yourself an honorable Man and you believe that the japanese Are an honorable do you think your leaders Are honest and aboveboard in other you feel if you think you have a right to something another Man has you ought to go to that Man and talk things Over sensibly and try to Settle the matter rationally and fairly while you were thus talking to that other your lets came up be Hind him and stabbed him in the Back and grabbed for you the thing you would you feel that you were getting that thing Honor fairly of course did you Ever hear of Pearl Harbor i have heard of Pearl did you know that the japanese sneaked up on Pearl Harbor without any warning stabbed America in the Back did you know at that very two of your most celebrated statesmen were in Washington plead ing for eternal peace do you believe it Jitter looked at the doctor for a few smiled wearily and nodded his head As if admitting that the whole thing was then he turned to me and had enough i said i and we went out of the As we left the just As we turned through the we caught a glimpse of the sergeant from he was squatting under a tent picking the Scab on his every now and then the tic above his right Eye would twitch Page 4 i