"Tokyo Rose" was most likely the most listened to disc jockey in the history of radio. During World War II she would make propaganda announcements from Japan several times each day. Her listening audience was the American military men and women serving in the Pacific. Her show was very popular and most construed it as propaganda, however, she also had the best selection of music in comparison to the Armed forces Radio Network. If you have every watched an movie of World War II, you have no doubt also heard her broadcasts in the background. Following the war, she was tried and sentenced to prison. President Gerald Ford, who had served in the Pacific Theatre pardoned her during his Presidency. Born as American Japanese, she was forced to stay in Japan just prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Controversy still exists today as to whether she was supporting the American military or Japan. You can get onto the www. and find a lot of her original radio broadcasts.
The reason that "Tokyo Rose" comes to mind at this time is that the other night a friend and I was watching the movie, "Flags of Our Fathers". During the movie, I pointed out the radio broadcast of Tokyo Rose. During World War II, the Japanese wanted a way to demoralize the American forces. Psychological warfare experts developed a message they felt would work.
The demoralizing message always contained three key points:
1. Your President Is Lying to You.
2. This War Is Illegal!
3. You Cannot Win the War?
Does this sound familiar to you?
It should, because today we are being bombarded by:
Tokyo Hillary, Tokyo Harry, Tokyo Teddy, Tokyo Nancy, Tokyo Kerry, Tokyo Edwards, Tokyo Murtha, Tokyo Dean, Tokyo Jimmy Carter, etc.
They have picked up on the same demoralizing message and are broadcasting via Tokyo CNN, Tokyo ABC, Tokyo CBS, Tokyo NBC to our troops and their families. The only difference is that they claim to support our troops before they demoralize them. As "Tokyo Rose" always commented in your broadcast, she told the troops that she was on their side, too.
If You Support Our Troops, You Then Support The War On Terrorism, it is one in the same.
