 In the mounting fury of world conflict, events in the Pacific are taking on ever greater importance. Here is the story of the Pacific and the millions of people who live around this greatest sea. The drama of the people's whose destiny is at stake in the Pacific War. Here, as another public service, is the tale of the war in the Pacific, and its meaning to us and to the generations to come. General Tojo the Razor On the 20th of October 1941, a Japanese in the grey uniform of a Japanese general walked alone up to the great shrines of Issei, nestled among the pine clad slopes near Kyoto. His step was brisk. He walked grimly through the outer shrine. His mouth was a thin hard line beneath a scraggler mustache. His eyes glinted through heavy horn-rimmed glasses. He walked into the inner shrine dedicated to the Sun Goddess, the Ancestris of the Imperial Family of Japan. Before one of the three sacred treasures, the mirror, he knelt in silence. That's your servant. I have received an Imperial command to form a new cabinet. Our exalted Emperor has appointed me Premier and directed that I hid the nation. I come to you to report my assumption of this high office. I am awed with trepidation at my limited ability. I pray for your gracious guidance and help. The humble little man remained kneeling in silence. Then he rose, and for a moment stood motionless. This was General Hideki Tojo, war minister, home minister, minister of munitions, Premier of Japan and known as the razor because of his sharp temperament. He clapped his army hat over his bald head and strode out. He had reported his new job to the Japanese Holy of Holies. Now it was time to roll up his sleeves and go to work. A modern, high-powered, highly polished limousine whisked him to the airport. He flew back the 250 miles to Tokyo. At Tokyo, General Tojo paid his respects at the Yasukuni Shrine and the Meiji Shrine. Then he made a one-minute radio talk to the people of Japan. Japan's policy remains unchanged. The greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere will be pushed, and Japan's ties with the Axis will be strengthened. Japan must go on and develop in ever-expanding progress. There is no retreat. If Japan's 100 millions merge and go forward, nothing can stop us. Wars can be fought with ease. I dislike talking. I will make my policies clear by enforcing them. Your half-just heart, Premier General Hideki Tojo, who has spoken in... Looks like trouble for us from where I sit. He hates the United States. He hates Great Britain too, doesn't he? Yes, Tojo's hated both the United States and Britain for the past two years as the greatest obstacle to lasting peace. But he has been a violent hater of Russia for years. It was in 1938 that he said that Japan must be able to fight China and Russia at the same time. Yeah, I remember that. He has made it plain to the world what his policies are. Even before he was made Premier last month on the 10th anniversary of the outbreak of the invasion of Banchuria, he said, Before the Banchuria incident, our people were divided, suffering from domestic trouble and the foreign evil. The armament limitation conference under the beautiful name of so-called riverism and national self-determination merely increased foreign contempt for Japan. But with the extension of the incident, the Japanese people rose in the royal and courageous Yamato spirit united under the august virtue of his majesty and marched forward for disposal of the incident on the basis of justice. He certainly made it clear what his policies are. But now that the Nazis have attacked Russia and Russia is fighting for its life, do you think that Tojo would dare to take on Russia in addition to his war with China? He dares to take on more than that. Almost immediately after Hitler attacked Russia, Tojo made it plain that he believed the moment had come to strike and he said, The entire Japanese nation must move as one cannonball of fiery resolution. Tojo's attitudes are rooted deep. His father was a Lieutenant General in the Emperor's Army. Young Hideki graduated from the Imperial Military Academy in 1905. Just at the time Japan won a crushing victory over Russia. The Japanese were drunk with pride and in this atmosphere Hideki Tojo sprouted his military wings. With other young officers, he frequented the Kaikosha, the military club in Tokyo where they discussed their grievances. You can't see it all around you. I tell you Hideki, the army is being overshadowed. I know, I know. It is the business interests that are responsible. They are not thinking of Japan. They are thinking of international profits. They talk of peace and disarmament. Who has made Japan great? The civilians have lost sight of that. We cannot permit it. For a thousand years, the samurai has been the strength of Japan. Shall we bow down now to the fat and self-seeking money makers? Military must be strong. Military can be no stronger than its people. What do you mean by that Hideki? Yes. I know the meaning of poverty and what it does to the people. Are you suggesting, Hideki, that this civilian business be encouraged? Not at all. I was born on the Greek plains far in the north where there is little food. I have seen haggard men and women struggling for the food to live and I have seen half-starved babies. An army can only be as strong and as healthy as its people. Half-starved mothers can only give us weak sons. If we are to have a strong army, we must first go to war to take new sources of raw materials in order to build up our country. That is right, Hideki. Yes. And they say that business has brought more prestige to Japan than the army. That is the view of the industrious. Business has not worked in the interest of Japan. It has worked for profits for itself. We have become servants of the civilians rather than their leaders. The military must not be the frunky of the civilians. We must dominate the government. We must make sacrosanthe emperor and determine in our own way Japan's destiny. We can no longer depend. All things were grist in the mill of Tojo's ambition. He went to Germany as Japanese military attaché and he kept his eyes very wide open. By 1928, when at the age of 44, he was a colonel, his soldiers learned the sharpness of the razor, learned to think as he thought. Where's my towel? Where's my towel? You do not have any towel. I brought it in with me. Give it to me. I can't see. I have soap in my eyes. There it is. Hanging on your belt. Well, oh yes. Hurry and get through here. I must get washed up. Just a minute. I'm not through yet. Assembly is going to sell in a few minutes. Yes, and the new colonel may be here. He's going to take command of the inspection this afternoon. What's your job? What's your job? It's the new colonel, Tojo. The men washed themselves right here in their barracks. You see colonel Tojo? Yes. Do they wash cream? Yes, sir. Very creole. Let me look at you. Yes, sir. So, that's why do we will not wash behind your ears? But there is not enough time. Let me look at you. Yes, sir. You are not washed behind your ears either. Lieutenant, why do not these men wash behind their ears? Oh, it is because they are all not in a basin. There are no more basins at once. I will see you get them. Yes, sir. And starting tonight, there will be two daily scrubbing from six to seven o'clock in the morning and from six to eight o'clock in the evening. Every day, you understand? Yes. To be healthy, men must be clean. Only healthy soldiers can carry out the Army's mission to fight abroad and to rule at home. Tojo's first infantry regiment was well scrubbed and well trained. Then, with the invasion of Manchuria, he was made chief of mobilization. Step by step, he was moving upward. Four years later, as chief of the Military Investigation Bureau, he was the Heinrich Himmler of the Japanese Army. In this post, he enjoyed the affection that a Gestapo spy enjoys. And around him, there came to be an aura of sinister danger. Tojo became known as the Bogeyman. And in 1935... Do you suppose the assassination of General Nagata will be a great shock to Tojo? No. They say he approves of it. He was in the conspiracy. It is not necessary to assume that. But according to custom, he has resigned from the war department. Already? General Nagata is hardly called. Tojo understands procedure very well. He is already appointed head of the military gendarmerie of the Guangdong Army in Manchukuo. Then he will continue in the same capacity as head of the secret police. His tolerance and his experience are far too important to the Army not to be used to advantage. They say that he will take over the Red Bridge headquarters in Mukden. The Bogeyman went to Manchukuo. It was a lucky move for Tojo. For in Manchukuo, two Japanese generals, Yuzo Nishio and Fei Shiro Itigaki, had made the Guangdong Army almost an independent subsidiary of the Imperial Army. Tojo became their right-hand man. With this powerful, almost autonomous army, they laid the groundwork for a fascist state in Manchukuo. Then Tojo, his commander of the military police, kept a sharp eye on all whose behavior might, in any way, affect the operations of the Guangdong Army. Certainly, Cox, they can't keep secret what that Red Brick building over there is for. Everyone knows that it's Tojo's headquarters. I sure. The important thing is that you are an American newspaper man and I'm a British newspaper man. And Tojo doesn't like to have us guess what goes on in that building. I don't have to guess. Everyone knows that he's constantly checking up on the loyalty of the officers of the Guangdong Army and that he keeps records there on everyone. It's probably just as well not to talk too much about it. He's got agents everywhere out here. Yeah, he must be a busy man. I understand he's also in charge of the army's prostitution and narcotic monopolies, and that he's number one man in protecting Itigaki and Nishio from assassination. Probably. In a very good job he does have it. Yeah, there's a bogeyman for you, Cox. It is best to be careful that the bogeyman doesn't get you. He wouldn't touch a correspondent of a foreign nation. Tojo missed no tricks. When General Itigaki was called back to Japan, Tojo became chief of staff of the Guangdong Army and as such became the male fist of Manchukuo. Then General Itigaki brought Tojo back to Tokyo to be vice-minister of war and two years later Tojo himself was top man in the war department. And then it was the James Cox, the British correspondent whom Tojo remembered from Manchukuo was arrested with a dozen other notable Englishmen. They were taken to the police headquarters in Tokyo, held in Communicado for three days, questioned. And while Cox was not being questioned, he was locked up in a dark dungeon-like cell in the basement of the prison. The ceiling was so low that he could not stand up. Then one day a Japanese brought a message about Cox to his American newspaper man. You are acquainted with James Cox? Yes, we've been newspaper men together for years. An unfortunate accident has happened. We are sorry to inform you that Mr. Cox jumped from the upper window of the police headquarters. Jumped from the... Why? Why? Is he dead? Not yet. He is in the hospital but he will not... What hospital? What hospital? I'm going to see him right away. In the hospital, they found him dying. He had been picked up brutally battered and bloody on the sidewalk under the upper window of the gendarmerie. The Japanese foreign office announced that Cox had attempted suicide. What do you want? Last two... Must have been going on ever since he was brought in. Jimmy Cox wouldn't try to kill himself. There must have been something else. We found 36 hypodermic punctures in his body. 36 punctures? They drugged him to try to get him to talk. Are there any other marks on him? Yes, many of them. They tortured him. That's what they did. And he either tried to get away from them and jump from that upper window or else they threw him out. Look, Tojo was behind this. I know, I know. Quiet. You think he's got a chance? Can he live? No. He's sinking. Jimmy, listen to me. Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy! Before the razor became war minister, he was made chief of the Army Air Force. He had long been aware of the importance of aviation in modern war. He had taken note of the effectiveness of the aerial operations against China carried out by the Navy. He also noted that army aviation was relatively a poor stepchild. Fourth with, when Tojo became chief of the Army Air Force, he jumped into a transport for an extensive inspection tour. How much longer must we do this? As long as the general wishes. This is the sixth day. You have better not speak so loud. Every time we land, he inspects every inch of the airport. He has to get into planes, check up on the control towers, examine the signal system. Yes, and notice that he writes notes on everything he sees. He's worn out all of us on his stuff, but he keeps right on going. He insists that we take the same interest in the tour that he does. But we can't keep on going forever. I've been worn out since the fourth day. The general is not tired. I don't see the sense of visiting every air base like this. Tojo does. We've flown all over Japan, and here we are in Famosa. Where are we going next? Manjoko. Manjoko. We will never finish inspecting all the air bases in Manjoko. This should give us some idea of how Tojo is going to run the Army Air Force. You had better get used to it. The world looked on and watched Japan's growing air power. Warplanes began to roll off the assembly lines. Pilots were trained. Bombardiers, navigators, gunners. Parachute units were organized. And the day Tojo became War Minister in July 1940, he called his staff together and said, There's no use wasting precious time thinking and arguing. Put your decisions into practice at once. Work fast. Also, if we are to have a strong Army, we must have healthy soldiers. Starting today, members of my staff will spend half of your noon hour doing exercises. And orderly. Yes, sir. Send out this general order. Yes, sir. To all personnel. You are to stop disagreeing on fundamental issues of politics. If you cannot argue it out with your company commander, take it to your regiment commander. If you cannot argue it out with your regiment commander, take it up with me. Tojo was whipping his military machine into shape. He moved rapidly to streamline his army. France had fallen before the Nazis. And Tojo saw Japan's golden opportunity. The Blitzkrieg methods of the Nazis were succeeding. Tojo acted at once. Little more than two months after he ascended to power, members of his military staff were in Berlin. Gathered around the table in the German chancelory were Adolf Hitler, Ambassador Seguro Kurosu, Gianna of Italy, and Joachim von Ribbentrop. Hitler glowered as the tripartite pact was read by von Ribbentrop. Japan recognizes and respects the leadership of Germany and Italy in the establishment of a new order in Europe. Germany and Italy recognize and respect the leadership of Japan in the establishment of a new order in greater East Asia. Germany, Italy, and Japan will assist one another if one of the three contacting powers is attacked by a power at present not involved in the European war or the Chinese-Japanese conflict. We affirm that the aforesaid firms do not... The alliance against the United States was signed by Ribbentrop, Gianna and Kurosu. Then in the austere presence of his Fuhrer, Ribbentrop squared his jaw and added an epilogue as commentary. The pact is a military alliance between three of the mightiest states on Earth. It is to help to bring peace to the world. Any state, should it harbor intention of mixing in the final phase of the solution of these problems in Europe or Eastern Asia or attacking one state signatory, we'll have to fight the entire concentrated might of three nations with more than 250 million inhabitants. Japan had joined the Axis and back in Tokyo when he had received word of the signing of the pact, Reza Tojo beamed benevolently and said, I am overwhelmed with the mingled feeling of austerity and joy. I rejoice that we can now go forward with renewed strength toward Japan's fixed goal in world affairs. The reins were in Tojo's hands and he was driving fast. He was racing the clock. The Air Force and the mechanized army increased by leaps and bounds. Japan bristled with terrible power as new weapons took the place of the old, younger, more enterprising personnel took the places of the older, more conservative heads. From now on, keen and able officers will be rewarded with promotions without regard to seniority. World observers in Japan Well, if you can say nothing else for the Reza, I have to admit that he's a ruthless administrator. It's no trick to administrate when you hold all the power. You mean that Tojo has silent partners? He's a member of the Black Dragon Society. Oh, yes. And you've never heard of any Japanese being executed for killing anyone for patriotic reasons, have you? Well, if Tojo's operating on that basis, it's funny that Premier Kanoya hasn't been bumped off. Kanoya is a weak sister to Tojo. Premier Kanoya is of royal blood. He's a prince. No assassination squad's going to touch him. Well, what is Tojo going to do about Kanoya then? Hey, hey. Well, did you hear about Baron Hiranuma? The Vice Premier? Yeah. They've tried to assassinate him. Who? Who did it? Who did it? Who do you think? They tried to shoot him twice, but the old man escaped both times. Did they catch the assassins? It was the Shinto priest hired by the army. They got him down to the police station now, and the Shinto priest is giving the cops a sermon on patriotism. What about Kanoya? He's resigned. Kanoya's out? Mm-hmm. That means the new cabinet. And it looks awfully like the razor to me. Great. They can't shoot the prince. So they tried to assassinate the Vice Premier. Tojo was in. Now he was Premier, War Minister and Home Minister. He made his pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Goddess Isi, at the Meiji Shrine, to the Asakuni Shrine. Now he rolled up his sleeves. He had his army ready. He had control of the government. Less than a month after he became Premier, on November 15, 1941, while Japanese men of war were steaming toward their rendezvous to attack Pearl Harbor, and on the very day that Segura Kurusu arrived in Washington to stall for time, Razor Tojo called an emergency session of the diet. Only 14 emergency diet sessions had been called in all Japanese history, and each presaged some great event. He made a fighting speech. An economic blockade between non-Borigeran countries is a hostile action no less serious than armed warfare. Such action cannot for a moment be tolerated. Japan is now faced by a grave crisis, which forces her to lay down a plan which would affect her permanent interests for better or for worse. I am the blade and the eyes of the weapon used in this struggle. You are the body and brains, and the blade cannot be wielded without you. I ask your full support to set the inferior mind at ease. It took days for the Japanese aircraft carriers to reach their destination in the Carolins. Meantime, peace envoy Kurusu and Ambassador Nomura, as Tojo's instruments in Washington, were parrying with Secretary of State Cordell Hull. In these weeks, the Razor was making last preparations for the blow-off. General Tojo, we have received word by radio from our aircraft carriers. They have arrived at the rendezvous and they are in position for operations. Confirm the order. The order will be executed as planned. Yes, sir. Tojo sat in Tokyo and pulled the strings. The Japanese had long known the sharpness of the Razor. Now it was to be turned on the people Tojo hated. On December 7th, 1941, the day that his bombers struck at Pearl Harbor, Tojo made another flying trip to the Shrine of the Sun Goddess Etise, then returned to Tokyo and broadcast to the world. Japan has done her utmost to prevent this war. But in self-protection and for self-existence, we could not help declaring war, considering the past attitude and acts of the United States. A rise for fall of East Asia depends on this fight. We ask your cooperation. I hereby promise you that the final victory will be Japan's. I ask that every individual in the Iron Empire do his utmost to defend our country. In the 2600 years of Japanese history, we have never lost a war. There is nothing to fear in this one. This was the blow-off. Tojo had worked toward this climactic moment since he was a youth. Now it was here. Now he had taken his people into war, and now he had to deliver. The cutting personality of the Razor became sharper than ever before, and he grimly knuckled down to his task. There is General Tojo's army limousine. Is he in there? Yes, look at the bodyguards around him. He's going to get out of the car. All the bodyguards are getting out first. Bodyguards? Yes. I remember when I used to ride through the streets on horseback, around, that he is getting out. Get back over there. Right to see how he looks. Get back, sir. That he is. He is working order. Yes, but besides fighting this war, he has seven children and two grandchildren. What happened? Somebody shot Tojo. Somebody shot Tojo. Get out of the way. Get that Korean. The police shot the assassin. It's Korean. Yes. But the shot goes out, people. Go. Is Tojo dead? Is Tojo dead? Get back there. Get out of the way. Come in through. Come in through. Tojo was wounded in the left shoulder. The Korean assassin was killed on the spot by the police, and three other men, innocent bystanders, fell riddled with police bullets. Before Tojo could return to the task of fighting the war, he had time to consider the task he had cut out for himself. He returned with his jaw a little grimmer, his eyes a little narrower, his mouth a little tighter. Soon he was to extend his power still farther, and when the ugly word dictator arose, he said, I am not speaking for absolute dictatorship, but I would like to make this clear. I possess power as premier by order of the emperor. I am reader of the nation. There was none to dispute this, for all knew that Tojo spoke not only for himself, but for the Japanese military, particularly for the powerful Wandung army leaders who had raised him to power, and all jumped to his tomb. Tojo has taken over control of all labor, materials, motive, power, and capital. Tojo has assumed unlimited powers to suppress all criticism of the government. Tojo has taken away the right of local residents to elect their own officials. Hereafter, these key officials will be appointed. Tojo is preparing to draft Chinese into the armed forces of Japan and into labor battalions. When American forces won a smashing victory over the Japanese on the stronghold of Troop, Razor Tojo removed Field Marshal Sugiyama as chief of staff of the Japanese army and took the post himself, and ousted Fleet Admiral Nagano, chief of staff of the Japanese Navy. Relentlessly, Tojo is bringing all his power and the resources and determination of the Japanese people to bear against the United Nations with one objective, to prolong the Pacific War until the people of the United States and Britain grow weary of the struggle. We shall fight until we make the boundless virtues that the Emperor prevails throughout the world. You have been listening to the Pacific Story, presented by the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations as a public service to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the cost currents of life in the Pacific Basin. For a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send 10 cents in cents or coins to the University of California Press, Berkeley, California. We repeat, send 10 cents in cents or coins to the University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific Story is written and directed by Arnold Marshall. The original music score was composed and conducted by Thomas Paluso. The role of Tojo was played by Edgar Berrier, your narrator, Jane Whitman. This program came to you from Hollywood with the National Broadcasting Company.