THE NOT-SO-FORGOTTEN HOLOCAUST
January 2nd, 2009 From
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>Date: Sun, 14 Dec 1997 17:01:33 -0500 (EST)
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>To: mahan@microworks.net
>From: rickt@cris.com (Eric Bergerud)
>Subject: Re: THE NOT-SO-FORGOTTEN HOLOCAUST
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> It may be that only the influence of the
> >Emperor made the occupation peaceful; again, something about which we can
> >never be sure.
> >
> >John Forester 408-734-9426
> >forester@johnforester.com 726 Madrone Ave
> >http://www.johnforester.com Sunnyvale, CA 94086-3041
> >
> >
>John is not the first person to wonder why relations between the US
>occupation and the Japanese civilians were pretty good coming on the heels
>of a savage war. It is essential to realize that the Japanese people had
>been fed an intense propaganda barrage concerning their fate if the foreign
>devils occupied Japan. Relative to German civilians, the Japanese were
>isolated, remarkably provincial and extraordinarily vulnerable to
>manipulation by their government. When they saw that the reality did not
>match the propaganda there was a sigh of relief one could have heard in
>Hawaii. No doubt the emperor’s speech was of a huge importance. Also, there
>is no doubt the Japanese civilian population was deeply, intensely war weary
>and ready to take their chances with the Americans. (They were looking
>famine in the face, and fire-bombings do nothing to improve morale.) But the
>major factor was the strict discipline placed on the US occupation forces
>which prevented large scale acts of revenge on the part of US soldiers
>against a hated foe. Obviously this also says good things about American
>soldiers too. We were the good guys in that war, no joke.
>Eric Bergerud, 531 Kains Ave, Albany CA 94706, 510-525-0930