Sawbriars
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- Feb 18, 2012
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- #181
Shadows Dancing: Japanese Espionage Against the West 1939-1945 (1993)
The book notes that, as of the end of January, 1941, the Japanese Foreign Office changed their activities from propaganda in nature to intelligence gathering. ”The objectives included the establishment of an intelligence organ which was to function primarily from the Washington Embassy.”
”The other major aspect of their plan was the recruitment of US citizens of foreign extraction (other than Japanese), Communists, Negroes, labour union members and anti-Semites for intelligence-gathering purposes, especially those who had access to governmental establishments, laboratories, factories and transportation facilities. Also planned was the recruitment as espionage agents of 'second generation' Japanese persons then living in the United States.”
This refers to the Nisei generation, then.
A specific reference to the Japanese Consul in Los Angeles is made when the book states:
”He had engaged reliable Japanese second-generation citizens in the San Pedro and San Diego areas to keep a close watch on shipping and aircraft movements, and other agents had been employed to watch the US-Mexico border. He had also succeeded in employing the services as agents of several US servicemen of Japanese descent then in the US Army, and had spies working in several aircraft manufacturing factories.”
That is quite interesting, especially the part relating to using Japanese Americans already in the US military.
The book moves on to talk about plans for sabotage in the US.:
”Japanese plans to carry out sabotage in the United States involved Negro movements and-originally at least- an ultra-nationalist right-wing subversive movement known as the Silver Shirts.”
The Silver Shirts group was dropped when they proved too strange even for war usage. The book cites some specific black groups as being used, however:
”The Japanese allegedly worked in cooperation with several powerful Negro groups to establish espionage and sabotage operations, including the Negro Congress, the Negro Alliance and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.”
The book refers to the Magic intercepts and notes that, due to what was in them, ”America became fully aware that Japan was pursuing aggressive and warlike intent, and that nothing the Americans could do – at least diplomatically – would prevent the eventual outbreak of the war.”
”Japanese Army intelligence was also heavily involved in the Pearl Harbor region. They operated a vast organization of fifth columnists, mainly shop-keepers and other small businessmen, all of whom were financed by the Japanese Tourist Bureau. Japanese Navy Intelligence was also prevalent in the region, operation in similar fashion but with the advantage of having truck drivers delivering fresh fruits, vegetables and other items to American ships in the harbor.”
The book is among those that claim that the US had full warning of the attack on Pearl Harbor due to the Magic intercepts.
The FBI arrested a number of Japanese-Americans right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. There were around 3,000 arrested, but not for spying;(that was too difficult or impossible to prove) they were community leaders, bankers, ministers, language teachers, journalists, etc, who the FBI felt were potentially dangerous. Thus the ability of the revisionists to claim that no japanese americans were arrested for espionage....very disingenuous claim....but the fact remains the Japanese used Japanese American citizens to spy on America prior to and during the war.
The book notes that, as of the end of January, 1941, the Japanese Foreign Office changed their activities from propaganda in nature to intelligence gathering. ”The objectives included the establishment of an intelligence organ which was to function primarily from the Washington Embassy.”
”The other major aspect of their plan was the recruitment of US citizens of foreign extraction (other than Japanese), Communists, Negroes, labour union members and anti-Semites for intelligence-gathering purposes, especially those who had access to governmental establishments, laboratories, factories and transportation facilities. Also planned was the recruitment as espionage agents of 'second generation' Japanese persons then living in the United States.”
This refers to the Nisei generation, then.
A specific reference to the Japanese Consul in Los Angeles is made when the book states:
”He had engaged reliable Japanese second-generation citizens in the San Pedro and San Diego areas to keep a close watch on shipping and aircraft movements, and other agents had been employed to watch the US-Mexico border. He had also succeeded in employing the services as agents of several US servicemen of Japanese descent then in the US Army, and had spies working in several aircraft manufacturing factories.”
That is quite interesting, especially the part relating to using Japanese Americans already in the US military.
The book moves on to talk about plans for sabotage in the US.:
”Japanese plans to carry out sabotage in the United States involved Negro movements and-originally at least- an ultra-nationalist right-wing subversive movement known as the Silver Shirts.”
The Silver Shirts group was dropped when they proved too strange even for war usage. The book cites some specific black groups as being used, however:
”The Japanese allegedly worked in cooperation with several powerful Negro groups to establish espionage and sabotage operations, including the Negro Congress, the Negro Alliance and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.”
The book refers to the Magic intercepts and notes that, due to what was in them, ”America became fully aware that Japan was pursuing aggressive and warlike intent, and that nothing the Americans could do – at least diplomatically – would prevent the eventual outbreak of the war.”
”Japanese Army intelligence was also heavily involved in the Pearl Harbor region. They operated a vast organization of fifth columnists, mainly shop-keepers and other small businessmen, all of whom were financed by the Japanese Tourist Bureau. Japanese Navy Intelligence was also prevalent in the region, operation in similar fashion but with the advantage of having truck drivers delivering fresh fruits, vegetables and other items to American ships in the harbor.”
The book is among those that claim that the US had full warning of the attack on Pearl Harbor due to the Magic intercepts.
The FBI arrested a number of Japanese-Americans right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. There were around 3,000 arrested, but not for spying;(that was too difficult or impossible to prove) they were community leaders, bankers, ministers, language teachers, journalists, etc, who the FBI felt were potentially dangerous. Thus the ability of the revisionists to claim that no japanese americans were arrested for espionage....very disingenuous claim....but the fact remains the Japanese used Japanese American citizens to spy on America prior to and during the war.
