'Tokyo Rose/Orphan Ann' World War II Japanese Radio Propaganda

[ginko27]

While there were several different "Tokyo roses", the one who openly addmitted to being the "one and only Tokyo Rose", was an Jap-American named Ivia. She was in Japan when the war started and she got stuck. The Jap police had her under house arrest 24-7 because they thought she was an American spy. She said they were talking about killing her until a military official told her if she just read words over the radio, she wouldn't be considered a spy. She was given a full pardoned by Carter in '77

[flemwad]

at 1.27 (the unintelligible bit) I am sure she says 'little dopes tonight'

[xander7ful]

@flemwad She says, "Well, how are my darling little dopes tonight?" Then something unintelligible. Then, "I know you still hate us, but don't let that... (unintelligible)...it poisons the whole system."

[flemwad]

@xander7ful I think she says ..."dopes tonight, full of beer and belligerence...." love it when she says...your number one enemy lol

[Voxpopuli1861]

Pardon my ignorance of 1940's music. Is the music played all pre-12/7/41?

[Dtwaine]

What a bitch... I mean a traitor.

[Marcohazard]

Tokyo & Rose is now the name of two guns in Call of Duty Black Ops LOL

[zagat44]

Indeed, this "Tokyo rose" was innocent of treason. She did the best she could to help the American war effort in her circumstances. It was only the demagoguery of men like Walter Winchell, the Rush Limbaugh of the era, which led to her trial and conviction.

[Jaabyourface]

wow, this is verry weak propaganda, first of she's openly delcaring ehr intent to harasss and idscourage the moral of the allies, and all she dose and call herself their enmy and play cheap american musical songs. how is this propaganda? this is a joke! if she wants to actualy have an affect on them maybe she should say things like, no none wants them in the war, thwir agressors, murder's and imperialists, their not strong enough to defeat japan, the war is unjust, not this uselss garble.

[shananagans5]

@Jaabyourface This particular "Tokyo Rose" was an American that got stuck in Japan at the start of WWII. She was basically forced to do a program and intentionally mispronounced things to be funny and mock the people forcing her to do the show. She was eventually tried for treason and convicted but was later found to be not guilty and even got a presidential pardon. Basically, she wasn't trying very hard to demoralize our troops. Iva Toguri SP? look her up, its very interesting.

[yuppyguitar1]

@Jaabyourface How wouldn't associating a sweet female voice with the people you're supposed to be murdering be a morale killer? Unless you're some robot or human without a soul.

[xander7ful]

@Jaabyourface Exactly. It sounds as if she just said the minimum of what her bosses wanted her to say, just to get by. It sounds more playful than hostile.

[Chester2929]

My what taste you have, sir, she said.

[Hikikomori013]

The man in charge of the broadcasts was a New Zealand broadcaster who trained in propaganda when he was in the Army. He knew how to twist the words the Japanese gave him to exactly the effect he wanted.

Orphan Ann was ANZAC slang for a friendly unit trapped behind enemy lines. Even the name he gave her was counter-propaganda.

Naturally, if the Japanese had ever realized what he was doing, everyone would have been executed. They had a lot of guts.

[scottpilgrim88]

man what a bitch.

[Demendred1605]

Thank you for this blast of the past

[rsslln]

Ohhh I feel so demoralized after listening to this (???)

[cj397]

Imagine being on a carrier or destroyer in the pacific listening to this shit then, damn.

[averagehomosapien]

I think she says "This is After her weekend Ann moving back on the air". She referred to herself as Orphan Annie.

[emmthreejonny]

@averagehomosapien - Thanks.

[Zeanu]

@averagehomosapien "And"

[hulkyone]

This no doubt Iva Toguri D'Aquino. She never actually said this stuff on her own free will at all, as she was stranded in Japan, after visiting an ailing relative, when the war broke out and had to find work. In 1974, it was proven that witnesses during her trial had given false testimonies and President Ford later pardoned her as a result

[Xanatos1000]

she's my favorite japanese propaganda operator

[Atam45Izindeyim]

@Xanatos1000

Do you know other japanese propaganda operators??? hahahaha

[beninmelb]

The Allies executed the german radio broadcaster lord haw haw but not those who were tokyo rose - clearly sexist. If tokyo rose was male surely executed as well.

[darksidehero]

@beninmelb The British executed him.

[edydon]

@beninmelb Lord Haw Haw was actually an Irish national. When the British found he had a British passport they executed him for treason.

[mildseven73]

Toguri statrted broadcast in 1943. but many american sodiers heard Tokyo Rose's broadcast since 1941. that means Toguri wasn't Tokyo rose.

[shaggybreeks]

My father was a Pacific vet. Once I asked him about "Tokyo Rose". After about a minute, he stopped laughing enough to tell me: First, there was no one "Tokyo Rose", and second, the GI's loved her.

It was Japan's intent for "her" to undermine American morale, but they chose the wrong woman (Eva Toguri) for the job. She was 100% American to the end. This is a great video, and it's obvious how she played up her knowledge of American humor to good results, while fooling her bosses.

[bearcub410]

THE JAPANESE WERE TRULY EVIL DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR , ASK ANY SURVIVOR FROM A JAPANESE PRISONER OF WAR CAMP , THAT IS THE TRUTH , WHAT THEY DID TO THE CHINESE IS BEYOND THE PALE , RAPE AND KILLED THOUSAND AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ,

[MDSJR67]

It's a shame She went through what She did after the War,considering She was forced to do the broadcasts.

[OniLunchbox]

The Tokyo Rose persona was about as effective at being demoralizing as Lord Haw Haw, but the english killed him anyway cause they thought he had super powers. lol

[SCE2AUX]

Iva Toguri D'Aquino (Orphan Ann) was convicted of treason on false testimony. She was granted a full, unconditional, and deserved pardon by Gerald Ford in 1974

[ef38cc]

oh you want to know something reallly funny? she was forced to do this. born and raised in LA ,she was an american citizen who was abandoned in japan while visiting a relative. she was left there where she decided to just tough it out and get a job as a typist. then she was chosen to be the infamous "tokyo rose". so yeah.. on top of that she was pardoned and wasnt even considered guilty for the crime of treason. basically.. you should have your ass raped. [:

[Luketheking1]

There was more than one idiot.

[apmcmanis]

Fully accurate. Except there was more than one Tokyo Rose. It wasn't always the same woman. And Iva, the woman you speak of, went to UCLA. A I'm guessing simple google search explains all of this but some folks would rather make idiotic comments.

PS: No one should have their ass raped. Very painful

[theshadow1932]

@apmcmanis And Iva, the woman you speak of, went to UCLA.

Ahh, sooooooo...........You are SURPRISE I speak your ranguage! You see, I was edructed in your country, at UCRA!

[irish89055]

@theshadow1932 ha ha,,, sounds like lines out of one of those WW2 movies where the jap officer had gone to UCLA.. and speaks very good English...

[bravo0105]

It's all rather laughable, especially in hindsight. Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose: laying the foundation for today's American Journalism back in the middle of the last century!

[drunkenstooge]

Tokyo Rose should have had her ass raped.

[bearcub410]

they should have hanged her

[whato1986]

Why? This is unlikely to have any impact at all on anyone!

[corrion1]

they did...

[mainestategop]

If she were around today she would have had her own show on NPR or Air head America.

[whato1986]

Oh thats awesome! You changed 'Air America' into 'Air Head America'!

Haha, you rock!

Are you a republican? I reckon you are because only republicans are this witty!

I love you man!

[SgtSanchez]

(I know this is an old comment, but) Iva Toguri voted for Wendell Wilkie in 1940. She was still an amazing person, feeding POWs with what little food she could afford, but she was a republican. I'm not saying this to denounce your comments, whatto1986, it just makes mainestategop a fucking tool for what he said.

[whato1986]

@SgtSanchez and in my old comment I was only really referring to the GOP of today, I'm aware that they were a pretty different party pre-mid-1960s. Interesting info, thanks

[SgtSanchez]

@whato1986 It's just ironic that a woman he considers a "traitor" (which she most certainly wasn't) was a Republican. :p

[phantastickyle]

Filthy Traitors!

[AlmostClassic]

@phantastickyle

Forced to do it by the Japanese - they were POWs. If she didn't, then American soldier POWs, all of whom she cared for deeply, would be starved and beaten.