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(narrator) Every day now,
for more than 30 years,
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00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:39,788
this couple have carried out
this quaint ceremony
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00:00:39,873 --> 00:00:45,169
meant, before their god,
to expiate the guilt of seven souls.
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00:00:48,631 --> 00:00:51,675
(chanting)
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00:00:58,266 --> 00:01:00,225
This is Japan
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00:01:00,310 --> 00:01:04,188
and the seven souls belong to
the seven Japanese war criminals
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00:01:04,272 --> 00:01:07,900
hanged by the Allies affer 1945.
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00:02:14,425 --> 00:02:16,802
Japan suffered more than most countries
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00:02:16,886 --> 00:02:20,013
from the Great Depression
affer the First World War.
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00:02:20,098 --> 00:02:22,015
The population was increasing fast
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00:02:22,100 --> 00:02:28,105
and every year produced
another million mouths to feed.
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00:02:30,859 --> 00:02:35,404
Japan had no mineral resources
of her own, unemployment was high,
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00:02:35,530 --> 00:02:39,741
and crop failures brought
disastrous famines in rural areas.
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00:02:39,826 --> 00:02:44,496
(man) Public life was very hard
in those days
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00:02:44,622 --> 00:02:47,332
and most of the young military officers
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00:02:47,417 --> 00:02:52,087
came from low-class
agricultural families.
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00:02:52,172 --> 00:02:56,550
And our culture was in
a very, very hard position.
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00:02:56,634 --> 00:02:59,761
(man speaking Japanese)
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00:03:02,390 --> 00:03:05,142
(translator)
1930 was the time when Japan
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00:03:05,226 --> 00:03:10,689
entered what might be called
her convulsive period of history.
21
00:03:12,650 --> 00:03:17,362
The influence
of the ultra-nationalists grew
22
00:03:17,447 --> 00:03:21,742
and such incidents as
the young officers' revolt of May 15
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00:03:21,826 --> 00:03:26,872
placed Japan step by step
under the power of the military.
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00:03:26,956 --> 00:03:30,417
The politicians took second place
to the army.
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00:03:33,087 --> 00:03:37,049
(man) The Japanese army
had been in disrepute
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00:03:37,133 --> 00:03:40,344
till about the beginning of the 1930s,
27
00:03:40,428 --> 00:03:47,309
and then they came back through
the so-called patriotic societies -
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00:03:50,104 --> 00:03:52,648
many of them no more than gangsters
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00:03:52,732 --> 00:03:57,402
who could commit any misdeed
in the name of patriotism.
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00:03:57,487 --> 00:04:00,155
(yelling)
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00:04:12,168 --> 00:04:15,128
Those were the years
certain authors have described
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00:04:15,255 --> 00:04:19,633
as the period of
government by assassination.
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00:04:19,717 --> 00:04:21,885
And there were several assassinations
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00:04:21,970 --> 00:04:25,305
of prime ministers and leaders
in those days
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00:04:25,431 --> 00:04:28,684
just because they had giberag views
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00:04:28,768 --> 00:04:32,271
or because they favoured
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00:04:32,355 --> 00:04:35,649
better relations
with the United States, Britain,
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00:04:35,733 --> 00:04:39,778
or more other democratic-minded nations.
39
00:04:43,032 --> 00:04:46,118
(narrator) The army also controlled
the education system.
40
00:04:46,202 --> 00:04:47,869
A respect for the martial arts
41
00:04:47,954 --> 00:04:53,500
was inculcated into every Japanese child
from an early age.
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00:04:59,424 --> 00:05:03,802
To the Japanese,
their emperor was a god.
43
00:05:03,886 --> 00:05:07,639
But Hirohito chose to reign,
not to rule.
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00:05:07,724 --> 00:05:10,642
He allowed himself
to be manipulated by the military,
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00:05:10,727 --> 00:05:14,771
and since every Japanese was pledged
to serVe the emperor unto death,
46
00:05:14,856 --> 00:05:19,484
his connivance was
a considerable asset to the army.
47
00:05:20,820 --> 00:05:22,988
To solve Japan's economic problems,
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00:05:23,072 --> 00:05:26,867
the army favoured expansion
on the Asian mainland.
49
00:05:26,951 --> 00:05:31,663
Korea had long been Japan's, and since
her victory over Tsarist Russia in 1905,
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00:05:31,748 --> 00:05:36,126
Japan had also been allowed
to station troops in Manchuria.
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00:05:36,210 --> 00:05:38,587
Manchuria was mostly empty wilderness,
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00:05:38,671 --> 00:05:41,798
but it contained raw materials
that Japan lacked,
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00:05:41,883 --> 00:05:44,301
such as coal and iron ore.
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00:05:57,857 --> 00:06:01,693
lmpatient that the politicians back
in Tokyo did not see the obvious need
55
00:06:01,778 --> 00:06:03,904
to seize Manchuria once and for all,
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00:06:04,030 --> 00:06:08,658
a group of extremists in 1931
infiltrated the Japanese garrisons there
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00:06:08,743 --> 00:06:12,371
and persuaded them
to take on Manchuria's feeble army.
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00:06:25,218 --> 00:06:27,344
(yelling)
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00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:48,115
Against little real opposition,
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00:06:48,199 --> 00:06:51,201
the Japanese army soon controlled
the whole country,
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00:06:51,285 --> 00:06:55,455
driving the luckless Manchurians
before them.
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00:07:01,170 --> 00:07:03,922
The world was shocked,
but did nothing...
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00:07:04,006 --> 00:07:06,091
(all yell)
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00:07:08,469 --> 00:07:12,180
apart from a rebuke
at the League of Nations.
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00:07:12,265 --> 00:07:14,933
Japan, however,
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00:07:15,017 --> 00:07:18,854
finds it impossible to accept
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00:07:18,938 --> 00:07:22,774
the report adopted by the assembly.
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00:07:23,151 --> 00:07:25,777
(reporter)
And so Japan leaves the League.
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00:07:25,862 --> 00:07:31,199
The Far Eastern war cloud
casts its shadow over the whole world.
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00:07:37,623 --> 00:07:40,625
(narrator) As they had occupied
Manchuria with such ease
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00:07:40,710 --> 00:07:43,462
and without interference
from the rest of the world,
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00:07:43,546 --> 00:07:46,548
the Japanese generals there
soon turned their attention
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00:07:46,674 --> 00:07:49,468
to Manchuria's next-door neighbour,
China.
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00:07:49,552 --> 00:07:52,888
The China of 500 million souls.
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00:07:52,972 --> 00:07:59,352
The China that for centuries had thought
itself secure behind its Great Wall.
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00:07:59,437 --> 00:08:02,481
ln July, 1937,
an incident was manufactured
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00:08:02,565 --> 00:08:06,693
whereby the Chinese appeared
to fire on the Japanese.
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00:08:06,777 --> 00:08:10,906
Without waiting to investigate,
Japan invaded China.
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00:08:31,511 --> 00:08:37,098
Disunited and ill-equipped, the Chinese
were no match for the ruthless Japanese.
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00:08:53,658 --> 00:08:57,661
Within a matter of weeks, the Japanese
had overrun most of northern China
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00:08:57,745 --> 00:08:59,579
and were bombing Peking.
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00:09:02,416 --> 00:09:05,126
(air-raid siren)
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00:09:24,230 --> 00:09:28,275
Peking soon fell,
and it was then Shanghai's turn.
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00:10:21,412 --> 00:10:25,999
Once Shanghai had fallen, the Japanese
forces advanced up the Yangtze valley
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00:10:26,083 --> 00:10:30,837
to threaten
the then-capital of China, Nanking.
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00:11:42,326 --> 00:11:44,411
(all yell)
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00:11:54,255 --> 00:11:58,341
lt was here at Nanking
in December, 1937,
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00:11:58,426 --> 00:12:01,553
that the Japanese perpetrated
what was, until then,
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00:12:01,637 --> 00:12:04,389
one of the worst atrocities
of this century,
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00:12:04,473 --> 00:12:09,644
when their troops massacred
more than 200,000 Chinese in cold blood.
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00:12:17,111 --> 00:12:23,908
Even the Nazis were shocked, and offered
to mediate to prevent further bloodshed.
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00:12:23,993 --> 00:12:26,536
But the Japanese generals
were unyielding
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00:12:26,620 --> 00:12:28,788
as their military successes mounted.
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00:12:28,873 --> 00:12:33,334
By the summer of 1938, the Japanese had
captured a considerable part of China,
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including most of the major cities,
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00:12:35,796 --> 00:12:38,631
but they were only conquering territory,
not people,
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00:12:38,716 --> 00:12:42,302
as the Chinese retreated
into their vast hinterland.
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00:12:42,386 --> 00:12:46,014
Worse for the Japanese,
their conquests incurred the suspicion
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00:12:46,098 --> 00:12:49,225
of their old enemy to the north, Russia.
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00:12:56,567 --> 00:13:01,404
ln the summer of 1938, Russian and
Japanese troops battled for possession
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00:13:01,489 --> 00:13:05,867
of a barren hill
on the Soviet-Manchurian border.
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00:13:14,794 --> 00:13:17,045
The Japanese received such a drubbing
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that they opted for a settlement
affer only two weeks.
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00:13:43,405 --> 00:13:45,782
Ten months later,
another squabble broke out
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00:13:45,866 --> 00:13:47,992
and once again the Japanese were beaten,
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00:13:48,077 --> 00:13:51,830
this time by none other
than General Zhukov.
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lt made them wary of further conflicts
with the Soviet Union.
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(all yelling)
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00:14:09,849 --> 00:14:13,434
But it also pushed them
closer to Germany and ltaly.
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00:14:13,519 --> 00:14:15,520
- Banzai!
- (all yell)
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Living in Japan became difficult
for other Westerners.
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You were constantly under
the superVision of police.
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00:14:34,039 --> 00:14:38,543
You were always, as a European,
suspected of being a spy.
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00:14:38,627 --> 00:14:41,671
ln the railway stations,
you'd offen see posters
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00:14:41,755 --> 00:14:45,466
of a man with a Sherlock Holmes cap
and a curly pipe,
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00:14:45,593 --> 00:14:48,386
which said, "Beware of spies".
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00:14:48,470 --> 00:14:54,100
You had the intensified activities
of the thought police and the Kempeitai,
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00:14:54,184 --> 00:14:58,438
who controlled speech and thought.
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00:14:58,522 --> 00:15:02,734
Then you had the introduction of
a national uniform called Kokomin-fuku.
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00:15:02,818 --> 00:15:07,614
Affer leaving school, people were
supposed to wear these to go to work.
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00:15:07,698 --> 00:15:08,781
And they were khaki
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00:15:08,866 --> 00:15:13,870
and they were similar
to the uniforms worn by the serVicemen.
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00:15:13,954 --> 00:15:16,956
And then the cinema and plays,
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00:15:17,041 --> 00:15:22,754
the complexion of these became more
martial and more a glorification of war,
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00:15:22,838 --> 00:15:28,176
and the radio would play more
and more music of a military nature.
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00:15:32,014 --> 00:15:38,269
Then on the political field you had the
Taisai Yukusankai, the one-party system
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00:15:38,354 --> 00:15:40,146
that made it easy for the military
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00:15:40,230 --> 00:15:45,693
to consolidate
their influence over the country.
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00:15:47,863 --> 00:15:50,657
(nationalistic song)
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00:16:02,586 --> 00:16:04,671
(applause)
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00:16:08,092 --> 00:16:10,843
There was constantly
the sight and sounds
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00:16:10,928 --> 00:16:13,846
of soldiers being sent off ceremoniously
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00:16:13,931 --> 00:16:16,516
to the front in China.
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00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:18,476
(Busn) They were always taught that
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00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,396
the greatest thing
that could happen to any family
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00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:25,483
was to be able to give a son or two sons
or three sons or seven sons
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00:16:25,567 --> 00:16:27,193
to the serVice of their country
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00:16:27,319 --> 00:16:31,072
and to die for the emperor
and the imperial family.
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00:16:31,991 --> 00:16:37,620
(Mutsu) You had the so-called
ash boxes, remains of soldiers,
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00:16:37,705 --> 00:16:41,416
coming back to Japan,
so we knew we were at war.
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00:16:48,799 --> 00:16:52,176
(narrator) Western influences
had grown in Japan in the '30s,
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00:16:52,261 --> 00:16:55,388
which the military disliked
and now discouraged.
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00:16:55,472 --> 00:17:00,768
(Busn) l remember my former wife -
it must have been about 1938 -
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00:17:00,853 --> 00:17:04,063
coming from a hairdressers'
where she had her hair waved
145
00:17:04,148 --> 00:17:06,691
and being stopped by a policeman,
146
00:17:06,775 --> 00:17:11,404
who told her that this was
a sign of Western decadence -
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00:17:11,488 --> 00:17:15,324
you shouldn't have your hair waved.
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00:17:15,409 --> 00:17:18,161
Dancing, even Western music -
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00:17:18,245 --> 00:17:23,583
except classical music, which was mostly
German, Beethoven, sort of thing -
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00:17:23,667 --> 00:17:25,626
was frowned upon.
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00:17:25,711 --> 00:17:31,924
Dancehalls were closed down and any kind
of pleasure introduced from the West,
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00:17:32,009 --> 00:17:37,930
the military did their best to
prohibit it and rub it out altogether.
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00:17:41,894 --> 00:17:48,441
(Busn) When l leff Japan, early '40,
there was rationing, prices were high,
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00:17:48,525 --> 00:17:50,902
students of high schools, universities,
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00:17:50,986 --> 00:17:54,072
were doing military training
practically every day,
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00:17:54,156 --> 00:17:59,410
you had army officers attached to
every school to superVise such training.
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00:17:59,495 --> 00:18:02,830
And so it was a nation
preparing for war.
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00:18:03,248 --> 00:18:04,832
(yells)
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00:18:27,231 --> 00:18:29,816
(narrator) The China war
dragged on into 1940,
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00:18:29,900 --> 00:18:32,693
though the Japanese generals
were looking to end it
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00:18:32,778 --> 00:18:35,780
without too much loss of face.
162
00:18:41,995 --> 00:18:45,998
But Hitler's swiff victories over
Holland and France in May, 1940,
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00:18:46,083 --> 00:18:48,960
and the seemingly imminent
defeat of Britain
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00:18:49,044 --> 00:18:53,381
made the Japanese generals
greedy for more.
165
00:19:00,973 --> 00:19:08,688
Generally speaking, the Japanese public
was very elated by the German success.
166
00:19:08,772 --> 00:19:12,316
The catchword in those days
was "Don't miss the bus".
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00:19:15,612 --> 00:19:18,197
Within three months of France's fall,
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00:19:18,282 --> 00:19:20,908
the puppet Vichy government
had been persuaded
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00:19:20,993 --> 00:19:23,786
to allow Japanese troops
to enter French lndochina,
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00:19:23,871 --> 00:19:28,666
ominously close to the Philippines,
then an American dependency.
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00:19:28,750 --> 00:19:30,543
America reacted sharply
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00:19:30,627 --> 00:19:35,173
by embargoing supplies to Japan
of iron ore and aviation fuel.
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00:19:35,257 --> 00:19:38,885
The embargo pushed Japan
still closer to the Axis.
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00:19:57,404 --> 00:19:59,197
ln Berlin in September, 1940,
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00:19:59,281 --> 00:20:05,244
Germany, ltaly and Japan
concluded the Tripartite Pact.
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00:20:05,329 --> 00:20:08,581
The two wars at opposite ends
of the globe were now linked,
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00:20:08,665 --> 00:20:12,293
though not yet joined.
178
00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:23,971
Japan's pro-German foreign minister
YĆsuke Matsuoka
179
00:20:24,056 --> 00:20:28,434
followed up his goodwill trip to Hitler
with a visit in April, 1941 , to Moscow,
180
00:20:28,518 --> 00:20:31,604
where he signed a neutrality treaty
with Stalin.
181
00:20:32,981 --> 00:20:40,321
(man) The Soviet Union had already
posed a threat to Japanese security,
182
00:20:40,405 --> 00:20:47,078
and so the army was itching
for a showdown with the Soviet Union.
183
00:20:47,162 --> 00:20:50,581
The navy, on the other hand,
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00:20:50,666 --> 00:20:53,501
wanted to advance southward
185
00:20:54,544 --> 00:20:57,672
because the resources
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00:20:59,174 --> 00:21:05,179
our country lacked
were largely in the South Seas.
187
00:21:05,264 --> 00:21:08,933
And so Japan was, so to speak,
pulled apart
188
00:21:09,059 --> 00:21:14,605
between the army ambition
and naval design.
189
00:21:14,690 --> 00:21:20,111
But when the time for interVention
against the north passed,
190
00:21:20,237 --> 00:21:24,824
the army naturally joined with the navy.
191
00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:31,205
(narrator) Japan had
the strongest navy in the Pacific,
192
00:21:31,290 --> 00:21:36,002
but when she occupied the rest of
French lndochina in the summer of 1941 ,
193
00:21:36,086 --> 00:21:38,087
the United States embargoed oil,
194
00:21:38,171 --> 00:21:41,966
which leff the Japanese navy
critically short of it.
195
00:21:52,561 --> 00:21:55,688
Japan could either climb down
and suffer loss of face,
196
00:21:55,814 --> 00:21:58,274
or else move south to seize these,
197
00:21:58,358 --> 00:22:02,361
the oil wells of the Dutch East lndies.
198
00:22:02,446 --> 00:22:05,656
Serious planning for such a move
began straight away.
199
00:22:05,741 --> 00:22:12,413
Special jungle training and amphibious
landing exercises were put in hand.
200
00:22:39,107 --> 00:22:40,399
Army leaders argued that
201
00:22:40,525 --> 00:22:44,820
unless an invasion of the Dutch East
lndies began before the end of 1941 ,
202
00:22:44,905 --> 00:22:48,282
a shortage of oil
would rule it out forever.
203
00:22:48,367 --> 00:22:52,203
Even so, some Japanese politicians
still hadn't given up hope
204
00:22:52,287 --> 00:22:55,664
of achieving Japan's aims
by diplomatic means.
205
00:22:55,791 --> 00:22:57,666
But time was short.
206
00:22:57,793 --> 00:23:01,087
The generals had given the diplomats
until mid-October.
207
00:23:01,171 --> 00:23:05,716
When that deadline passed,
Hirohito, on Marquis Kido's advice,
208
00:23:05,801 --> 00:23:09,637
invited his war minister General Tojo
to form a government.
209
00:23:09,721 --> 00:23:13,641
There are many interpretations
of Marquis Kido's actions
210
00:23:13,725 --> 00:23:18,437
in choosing General Tojo
as the prime minister
211
00:23:18,522 --> 00:23:23,734
over the last cabinet
preceding the outbreak of the war.
212
00:23:23,819 --> 00:23:28,614
l myself asked this point
213
00:23:28,698 --> 00:23:32,326
and Marquis Kido's reply was:
214
00:23:32,411 --> 00:23:37,706
"Nobody except Tojo
was powerful enough to control the army,
215
00:23:37,791 --> 00:23:40,042
which was running amok."
216
00:23:40,752 --> 00:23:47,716
And also: "Tojo was deeply devoted
to the person of the emperor,
217
00:23:47,801 --> 00:23:53,472
and if His Majesty
made his wish known to General Tojo,
218
00:23:53,557 --> 00:23:56,642
Tojo would faithfully
abide by such a wish."
219
00:23:56,726 --> 00:23:59,520
(speaking Japanese)
220
00:24:05,152 --> 00:24:08,737
(narrator) But even General Tojo
shrank from the brink of war.
221
00:24:08,822 --> 00:24:13,617
He extended the deadline for diplomacy
another month, until November 25,
222
00:24:13,702 --> 00:24:18,456
sending special envoys to Washington to
negotiate the ending of the oil embargo.
223
00:24:18,540 --> 00:24:22,710
(man) Say a few words for us, sir.
lf you come quite close...
224
00:24:22,794 --> 00:24:27,882
Gentlemen, you all know
how difficult my mission is.
225
00:24:27,966 --> 00:24:30,134
But l will do all l can
226
00:24:30,218 --> 00:24:34,180
to make it a successful one
for the sake of two countries,
227
00:24:34,264 --> 00:24:37,600
Japan and the United States.
228
00:24:37,684 --> 00:24:41,604
(narrator) And so that autumn,
with scant sincerity on either side,
229
00:24:41,688 --> 00:24:44,398
the diplomatic charade was played out.
230
00:24:44,483 --> 00:24:46,275
(Kase) The government undertook
231
00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:49,445
the difficult negotiations
with the United States,
232
00:24:49,529 --> 00:24:53,908
but the temper of the nation
grew more militaristic,
233
00:24:53,992 --> 00:24:59,538
which made it practically impossible
to continue the negotiations.
234
00:24:59,623 --> 00:25:02,541
(narrator) While the diplomats
talked in Washington,
235
00:25:02,626 --> 00:25:05,419
in Tokyo the militarists
put the finishing touches
236
00:25:05,504 --> 00:25:07,171
to their plans of conquest.
237
00:25:08,131 --> 00:25:11,675
To capture the oil wells intact
called for a surprise assault,
238
00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:15,763
not just on the Dutch East lndies,
but also on Malaya and the Philippines.
239
00:25:15,847 --> 00:25:19,350
Having got the oil, there was
the problem of getting it back to Japan
240
00:25:19,434 --> 00:25:22,603
unhindered by either the Royal Navy
based at Singapore,
241
00:25:22,687 --> 00:25:29,318
or the massive United States Pacific
fleet based in Hawaii at Pearl Harbour.
242
00:25:29,402 --> 00:25:32,279
(man speaking Japanese)
243
00:25:33,949 --> 00:25:36,116
(translator)
lt was felt that if war came
244
00:25:36,201 --> 00:25:39,119
and Japan were to fight
in a conventional way,
245
00:25:39,204 --> 00:25:42,831
she had little hope of winning.
246
00:25:42,916 --> 00:25:45,417
And so the idea was to strike a blow
247
00:25:45,502 --> 00:25:48,337
against the American fleet
at Pearl Harbour
248
00:25:48,421 --> 00:25:51,966
simultaneously as the war started.
249
00:25:56,221 --> 00:25:57,888
There were three main problems
250
00:25:57,973 --> 00:25:59,932
in attacking Pearl Harbour.
251
00:26:00,016 --> 00:26:02,184
The first was to keep it a secret,
252
00:26:02,269 --> 00:26:04,353
because if the Americans knew
253
00:26:04,437 --> 00:26:09,191
a Japanese fleet was approaching,
then they would immediately attack it.
254
00:26:09,276 --> 00:26:11,986
The second
concerned which route to take,
255
00:26:12,070 --> 00:26:14,989
and the third
concerned the attack itself,
256
00:26:15,115 --> 00:26:17,783
whether it would be possible
to use torpedoes
257
00:26:17,867 --> 00:26:20,828
in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbour.
258
00:26:22,330 --> 00:26:29,503
(man) The most difficult problem
was torpedo launching in shallow water.
259
00:26:30,547 --> 00:26:32,381
The British navy
260
00:26:32,465 --> 00:26:37,094
attacked the ltalian fleet at Taranto
261
00:26:39,180 --> 00:26:42,600
and l owe it very much for this lesson
262
00:26:42,684 --> 00:26:46,145
in shallow-water launching.
263
00:26:46,229 --> 00:26:49,231
(man) We made a model of Pearl Harbour
264
00:26:49,316 --> 00:26:54,153
and the situation of the battleships
and other warships.
265
00:26:57,073 --> 00:27:01,952
We sent our agent to Pearl Harbour.
266
00:27:02,037 --> 00:27:07,791
(man) Sometimes l went
Japanese teahouse in Aliwa Height.
267
00:27:08,835 --> 00:27:15,382
From there, l saw the fleet
in Pearl Harbour.
268
00:27:16,426 --> 00:27:22,473
Sometimes l go round Pearl Harbour
269
00:27:22,557 --> 00:27:24,850
by taxi or bus.
270
00:27:24,934 --> 00:27:32,316
Sometimes l walk along the front,
drinking beer, to get information.
271
00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,152
l did, you know, fishing.
272
00:27:35,236 --> 00:27:38,947
l measured the depth of the sea,
273
00:27:39,032 --> 00:27:42,076
but it was very... danger.
274
00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:47,998
And one time l was ordered
to see the torpedo gate.
275
00:27:48,083 --> 00:27:52,753
So l went to the prohibited area
of Pearl Harbour,
276
00:27:52,837 --> 00:27:58,550
but l could not discover
the submarine gate.
277
00:27:59,761 --> 00:28:04,973
l sent my information
278
00:28:06,559 --> 00:28:12,314
by commercial telegram, in code.
279
00:28:13,358 --> 00:28:18,320
(narrator) The Japanese carrier fleet
had leff Japan on November 26.
280
00:28:18,405 --> 00:28:21,699
lt took them 1 1 days to sail,
undetected,
281
00:28:21,783 --> 00:28:24,535
the 4,000 or so miles to this point,
282
00:28:24,619 --> 00:28:27,788
a mere 200 miles short of Hawaii.
283
00:28:27,872 --> 00:28:32,126
The Americans had broken the Japanese
codes and knew war was imminent,
284
00:28:32,210 --> 00:28:36,714
but they had not found out
where the Japanese might strike them.
285
00:28:36,798 --> 00:28:41,635
"Climb Mount Niitaka"
came the message from Tokyo.
286
00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:45,723
lt was the signal for war to commence.
287
00:28:45,807 --> 00:28:51,937
6am on the morning of
Sunday, December 7, 1941 .
288
00:28:53,022 --> 00:28:59,361
The first of 400 Japanese bombers
and torpedo planes take to the air.
289
00:29:20,842 --> 00:29:24,762
Their destination: Pearl Harbour.
290
00:29:27,766 --> 00:29:31,518
ln the early morning of December 7,
291
00:29:31,603 --> 00:29:33,562
Joseph L Lockard and myself
292
00:29:33,646 --> 00:29:39,526
were detailed to operate a problem
from our radar unit.
293
00:29:40,570 --> 00:29:44,698
The problem was to last from 4am to 7am.
294
00:29:44,783 --> 00:29:48,076
And it was a training programme.
295
00:29:48,161 --> 00:29:54,917
l was the plotter and
Joseph Lockard was the radar operator.
296
00:29:55,001 --> 00:30:00,380
We picked up a very large blip,
which we had never seen before,
297
00:30:00,465 --> 00:30:03,425
and proceeded to plot that flight in.
298
00:30:03,510 --> 00:30:06,512
lt was then that l suggested
that we send the information
299
00:30:06,596 --> 00:30:09,181
in to our information centre.
300
00:30:09,265 --> 00:30:15,145
l called in and the switchboard operator
told me that there was no one there.
301
00:30:15,230 --> 00:30:19,066
Did we wish to have someone call back
to our radar station?
302
00:30:19,150 --> 00:30:23,195
And that's when this Lieutenant Tyler
called back
303
00:30:23,279 --> 00:30:27,825
and told us, in essence, to forget it.
304
00:30:29,077 --> 00:30:32,913
We continued the flight
until about 20 minutes of eight,
305
00:30:32,997 --> 00:30:39,962
when the flight seemed to disperse to
the right and to the leff of the island.
306
00:31:08,491 --> 00:31:12,327
(man) l was on board
the USS Californla, tied to quay 3.
307
00:31:12,412 --> 00:31:15,289
l was on the quarterdeck,
getting ready for a colour -
308
00:31:15,373 --> 00:31:18,458
as a matter of fact,
l was a member of the band.
309
00:31:18,543 --> 00:31:21,837
And looking slightly to the south,
310
00:31:23,381 --> 00:31:27,301
l could see planes coming that
direction, and some from that direction.
311
00:31:27,385 --> 00:31:30,387
That was about the time
of general quarters.
312
00:31:30,471 --> 00:31:33,223
And l dropped my instrument,
which was a clarinet,
313
00:31:33,349 --> 00:31:35,767
went down below into my battle station,
314
00:31:35,852 --> 00:31:41,899
and, about five minutes later,
torpedoes hit us and exploded.
315
00:31:42,942 --> 00:31:48,238
(man #2) I was aboard the West Virginia
when the first airplanes came over.
316
00:31:48,323 --> 00:31:52,993
They were built similar
to our Helldivers, in those days.
317
00:31:53,077 --> 00:31:55,913
And the pilot had the greenhouse back,
318
00:31:55,997 --> 00:31:59,374
and he flew so low
that l still remember him.
319
00:31:59,459 --> 00:32:05,213
He had the leather helmet,
like World War ll had, and the goggles,
320
00:32:05,298 --> 00:32:08,592
and the reason l remember,
he had a real thick moustache.
321
00:32:08,676 --> 00:32:11,720
As he flew over, he kind of smiled
and looked at the ship
322
00:32:11,804 --> 00:32:16,350
and flew over towards the hangar there,
when he starts laying his first bomb.
323
00:32:24,192 --> 00:32:28,820
l saw the Arizona blow up,
and it was like she just rained sailors.
324
00:32:28,905 --> 00:32:33,617
Those were the ones fortunate enough
to live, the ones blown off the ship.
325
00:32:33,701 --> 00:32:36,745
l ran to the stern first
to see if l could get off that way,
326
00:32:36,829 --> 00:32:39,456
cos everything was burning
at this time.
327
00:32:39,540 --> 00:32:43,251
And so then l ran to the fo'c's'le.
328
00:32:43,336 --> 00:32:47,047
And then there was a lot of oil,
but it hadn't caught fire at this time.
329
00:32:47,131 --> 00:32:50,258
So l said, "The best thing to do
is to dive off there."
330
00:32:50,343 --> 00:32:54,972
So l hit the water
and swam around this way
331
00:32:55,056 --> 00:33:00,644
and then came up over this rock there,
and this is where l landed.
332
00:33:00,770 --> 00:33:04,856
The thing l remember most about
that morning was terror and confusion.
333
00:33:04,941 --> 00:33:08,944
First place, it was early in the
morning - everybody wasn't quite awake,
334
00:33:09,028 --> 00:33:11,655
and to have somebody
trying to kill you at that hour
335
00:33:11,739 --> 00:33:15,909
kinda confuses you at best.
336
00:33:16,035 --> 00:33:20,122
We were taking power and steam
from the dock,
337
00:33:20,206 --> 00:33:22,165
since we were alongside for repairs,
338
00:33:22,250 --> 00:33:26,253
and somebody in the confusion cut our
power and steam line, so we were leff...
339
00:33:26,337 --> 00:33:28,505
Everything had to be operated in manual.
340
00:33:28,589 --> 00:33:31,425
We only had one battery en masse
that we could use,
341
00:33:31,509 --> 00:33:33,552
which was the port five-inch battery,
342
00:33:33,636 --> 00:33:36,722
so we started using it on the aircraff
as they came in.
343
00:33:36,806 --> 00:33:40,183
The low-flying torpedo planes
all came directly over the hill
344
00:33:40,268 --> 00:33:42,602
and down this way toward battleship row,
345
00:33:42,687 --> 00:33:45,397
so we were able to get
some pretty good shots at 'em,
346
00:33:45,523 --> 00:33:47,357
even though we were in manual.
347
00:33:47,442 --> 00:33:51,236
However, the guns had to be serVed
by manual means -
348
00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:54,197
we had to pass ammunition by hand.
349
00:33:54,282 --> 00:33:57,284
We had a young chaplain aboard, JG,
at the time -
350
00:33:57,368 --> 00:34:01,246
he'd been aboard less than two months.
His name was Hallow M Forgy,
351
00:34:01,330 --> 00:34:04,332
and he was...
352
00:34:04,417 --> 00:34:07,002
As for his battle station,
he didn't have one -
353
00:34:07,086 --> 00:34:11,089
he was concerned with crew morale -
so he marched along the gun deck,
354
00:34:11,174 --> 00:34:13,842
saying, "Praise the Lord
and pass the ammunition."
355
00:35:04,060 --> 00:35:06,061
You live with these ships all the time -
356
00:35:06,145 --> 00:35:08,730
you never dream
they could be damaged like this.
357
00:35:08,856 --> 00:35:13,193
There were ships afire, ships burning,
explosions going on all over the place.
358
00:35:19,325 --> 00:35:22,828
(man) My first knowledge of the attack
was when l was awakened
359
00:35:22,912 --> 00:35:27,707
by the sound of bombs dropping and
the roaring of aircraff all around us.
360
00:35:27,792 --> 00:35:32,754
l ran out on the lanai and saw
immediately they were Japanese planes
361
00:35:32,839 --> 00:35:35,507
and there was a fella
standing next to me who said,
362
00:35:35,591 --> 00:35:37,676
"lt certainly looks real, doesn't it?"
363
00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:40,053
And l said, "Yes, l'm afraid it is."
364
00:35:40,138 --> 00:35:42,264
l ran over to my offices
365
00:35:42,348 --> 00:35:44,057
and l was standing alongside
366
00:35:44,142 --> 00:35:47,227
the commander-in-chief himself,
Admiral Kimmel,
367
00:35:47,311 --> 00:35:52,482
and we were glumly watching the havoc,
the carnage, that was going on.
368
00:35:52,567 --> 00:35:56,778
And suddenly he reached up,
a motion of this kind,
369
00:35:56,863 --> 00:36:00,031
and tore off
his four-star shoulder boards,
370
00:36:00,116 --> 00:36:05,579
which indicated his rank and title
as Commander-in-Chief of Pacific Fleet.
371
00:36:05,663 --> 00:36:09,666
He stepped into his adjacent office
and when he came out,
372
00:36:09,750 --> 00:36:12,752
he realised that
he was going to lose command
373
00:36:12,837 --> 00:36:18,008
and he had donned
two-star rear-admiral shoulder boards.
374
00:37:04,388 --> 00:37:07,974
(narrator) All nine battleships
of the United States Pacific fleet
375
00:37:08,059 --> 00:37:09,309
had been sunk or ruined,
376
00:37:09,393 --> 00:37:12,395
together with several
destroyers and cruisers,
377
00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:15,649
but no aircraff carriers.
378
00:37:15,733 --> 00:37:17,192
Luckily for the Americans,
379
00:37:17,276 --> 00:37:21,488
the carriers had been at sea
that particular Sunday morning.
380
00:37:26,869 --> 00:37:30,914
However,
the Japanese were well satisfied.
381
00:37:32,458 --> 00:37:38,171
(Fuchida) The United States
Pacific fleet was not prepared
382
00:37:39,215 --> 00:37:42,425
and we succeeded.
383
00:37:43,094 --> 00:37:44,844
(cheering)
384
00:37:47,390 --> 00:37:49,766
(narrator)
The Japanese did not just succeed
385
00:37:49,850 --> 00:37:52,602
against the Americans at Pearl Harbour.
386
00:37:52,728 --> 00:37:56,564
On December 10, the pride
of the Royal Navy in the Pacific,
387
00:37:56,649 --> 00:38:00,402
the Prince of Wales and the Repulse,
were sunk.
388
00:38:00,486 --> 00:38:04,739
(cheering)
389
00:38:04,824 --> 00:38:07,951
That same day, Guam fell.
390
00:38:08,035 --> 00:38:10,996
(cheering)
391
00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:14,624
On December 23, Wake lsland.
392
00:38:14,709 --> 00:38:17,711
(cheering)
393
00:38:17,795 --> 00:38:21,506
On Christmas Day, Hong Kong.
394
00:38:21,590 --> 00:38:23,675
(cheering)
395
00:38:27,305 --> 00:38:32,892
On New Year's Day, 1942,
Manila, capital of the Philippines.
396
00:38:32,977 --> 00:38:35,854
(cheering)
397
00:38:36,689 --> 00:38:39,983
On January 19, Borneo.
398
00:38:40,067 --> 00:38:42,777
(cheering)
399
00:38:42,862 --> 00:38:48,074
But the biggest prize of all
awaited the Japanese in Malaya.
400
00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:52,746
(man)
The plan for the defence of Malaya
401
00:38:52,830 --> 00:38:57,417
was based entirely on the air force.
402
00:38:57,501 --> 00:39:03,256
And there were to be
some 335 first-class aircraff,
403
00:39:03,341 --> 00:39:07,052
with the army protecting their bases
and their aerodromes,
404
00:39:07,136 --> 00:39:09,763
and the idea was that they should attack
405
00:39:09,847 --> 00:39:13,600
the Japanese whilst they were at sea
406
00:39:14,643 --> 00:39:17,854
and destroy them or damage them
407
00:39:17,938 --> 00:39:20,690
before the campaign started.
408
00:39:20,775 --> 00:39:26,279
Percival's idea was
to oppose the Japanese as they landed.
409
00:39:26,364 --> 00:39:34,120
And that didn't come off -
they were able to land in Thailand
410
00:39:34,205 --> 00:39:39,084
and we would not break the neutrality,
411
00:39:39,168 --> 00:39:42,545
and so we were at a disadvantage
from the start.
412
00:39:43,339 --> 00:39:46,424
(narrator) The Japanese
were outnumbered two to one.
413
00:39:46,550 --> 00:39:51,888
They had only the poorest of maps,
usually pages torn from school atlases,
414
00:39:51,972 --> 00:39:56,351
but they kept the British on the run,
not stopping to consolidate or regroup.
415
00:39:56,435 --> 00:39:59,270
(Smyth) One reason
we were thrown onto the defensive,
416
00:39:59,355 --> 00:40:02,399
the Japanese employed 300 tanks.
417
00:40:02,483 --> 00:40:04,359
We hadn't any tanks at all.
418
00:40:05,027 --> 00:40:07,362
(narrator)
British strategists had decreed
419
00:40:07,446 --> 00:40:11,491
that armour was not suited
to jungle warfare.
420
00:40:18,332 --> 00:40:22,377
Back in Whitehall, the British
thought the jungle impenetrable,
421
00:40:22,461 --> 00:40:26,506
whereas in some places it was cleared,
in others not so dense,
422
00:40:26,590 --> 00:40:31,719
and, anyway, the really dense patches
could always be bypassed by sea -
423
00:40:31,804 --> 00:40:35,598
which was precisely
what the Japanese did.
424
00:40:59,290 --> 00:41:01,958
(Gkada) The jungle is
not such a terrible place.
425
00:41:02,042 --> 00:41:07,088
We can live on rice, salt and
sesame seeds, and salted fish, you see.
426
00:41:07,173 --> 00:41:09,799
This can keep a soldier going
a long time.
427
00:41:09,884 --> 00:41:11,843
The jungle did not have the fear for us
428
00:41:11,969 --> 00:41:16,347
that it seems to have had
for some of the Allied soldiers.
429
00:41:21,353 --> 00:41:23,771
(narrator) The Japanese
had bombed Singapore
430
00:41:23,856 --> 00:41:25,857
the same morning as Pearl Harbour.
431
00:41:25,941 --> 00:41:29,944
The lights of the great port had guided
them in and remained on during the raid
432
00:41:30,029 --> 00:41:33,323
because no one knew
how to switch them off.
433
00:41:33,407 --> 00:41:39,579
Such confusion was to typify Singapore's
reaction to the Japanese onslaught.
434
00:41:39,663 --> 00:41:43,583
(Busn) l remember
a British national newspaper ran a story
435
00:41:43,667 --> 00:41:45,668
in which the opinion was expressed
436
00:41:45,753 --> 00:41:48,046
that the Japanese
would never be good flyers
437
00:41:48,130 --> 00:41:51,090
because they had no sense of balance
438
00:41:51,175 --> 00:41:56,846
through being carried on
the backs of their mothers as children.
439
00:42:45,145 --> 00:42:50,900
(narrator) The Japanese secret weapon
in Malaya was... the bicycle.
440
00:43:16,343 --> 00:43:20,805
When their tyres punctured, the Japanese
soldiers simply rode on their rims.
441
00:43:20,889 --> 00:43:25,310
To the retreating British, the clatter
on the stony road sounded like tanks,
442
00:43:25,394 --> 00:43:27,854
and added to their fear.
443
00:43:55,132 --> 00:44:00,136
l think the fundamental reason
why we failed in Malaya
444
00:44:00,220 --> 00:44:04,223
was that we were stretched to the limit
at that time
445
00:44:04,308 --> 00:44:07,518
in our war with Germany and ltaly
446
00:44:07,603 --> 00:44:14,942
and there simply were not
the trained men, air forces and ships
447
00:44:15,069 --> 00:44:19,906
that we should have supplied
to beat the Japanese attack.
448
00:44:31,377 --> 00:44:37,423
The priority of arms and equipment
for Malaya at that time was very low.
449
00:44:37,508 --> 00:44:39,175
They were only number four,
450
00:44:39,259 --> 00:44:43,388
affer Great Britain,
the Middle East and Russia.
451
00:44:43,514 --> 00:44:49,268
Also, with regard to men,
the first priority was the Middle East,
452
00:44:49,353 --> 00:44:52,146
and Malaya only came second.
453
00:44:52,231 --> 00:44:57,652
Some of the Australians that arrived
in Malaya had never even fired a rifle.
454
00:44:57,778 --> 00:45:01,781
So we did field
very much a second eleven
455
00:45:01,907 --> 00:45:06,369
against the very highly trained
and strongly supported Japanese.
456
00:45:06,954 --> 00:45:09,580
(narrator)
Like the Americans at Pearl Harbour,
457
00:45:09,665 --> 00:45:15,169
the British in Malaya wrongly believed
the Japanese air force was poor,
458
00:45:15,254 --> 00:45:19,674
but now British air cover waned
and eventually disappeared.
459
00:45:19,758 --> 00:45:23,177
There was no effective plan
to stop the Japanese by land
460
00:45:23,262 --> 00:45:26,055
and too little determination to resist.
461
00:45:30,102 --> 00:45:33,396
Your forces
462
00:45:33,480 --> 00:45:37,817
are not so aggressive as we expected.
463
00:46:09,475 --> 00:46:12,310
The British planners
had thought that, at worst,
464
00:46:12,394 --> 00:46:15,438
northern Malaya could hold out
for at least three months,
465
00:46:15,522 --> 00:46:20,443
enough time to enable substantial
reinforcements to be sent to Singapore.
466
00:46:20,527 --> 00:46:25,531
But it took the Japanese, under
General Yamashita, just seven weeks
467
00:46:25,616 --> 00:46:29,911
to advance the 600 miles
down the Malayan peninsula.
468
00:46:37,044 --> 00:46:39,796
On February 8, 1942,
469
00:46:39,880 --> 00:46:42,882
they crossed the thousands yards
of the Straits of Johor
470
00:46:42,966 --> 00:46:45,551
onto the island of Singapore.
471
00:46:47,471 --> 00:46:51,265
No defences had been built
on the northern shore of the island,
472
00:46:51,350 --> 00:46:54,602
so the Japanese were able to land
relatively unmolested.
473
00:46:54,728 --> 00:46:56,729
What is more,
they were able to capture
474
00:46:56,814 --> 00:47:00,274
most of Singapore's water supplies
with ease.
475
00:47:03,904 --> 00:47:08,366
By now, the Japanese bombers
raided Singapore at will,
476
00:47:08,450 --> 00:47:10,785
for there was virtually no air defence.
477
00:47:11,995 --> 00:47:14,914
The Japanese, in fact,
were almost out of ammunition
478
00:47:15,040 --> 00:47:18,459
and were considering
withdrawing to the mainland,
479
00:47:18,544 --> 00:47:22,713
but, unknown to them,
British morale had collapsed.
480
00:47:25,467 --> 00:47:28,803
(speaking Japanese)
481
00:47:31,181 --> 00:47:34,350
(translator) General Yamashita
had not prepared any plans
482
00:47:34,434 --> 00:47:37,728
in the event of a British surrender.
483
00:47:39,314 --> 00:47:44,777
And so when, on February 15,
Major Wild, General Percival's emissary,
484
00:47:44,862 --> 00:47:48,823
arrived at our forward headquarters
at 3pm,
485
00:47:48,907 --> 00:47:51,033
no one there believed him.
486
00:47:53,996 --> 00:47:56,622
l was ordered to discuss with him
487
00:47:56,748 --> 00:48:02,253
his suggestion of a meeting between
General Percival and General Yamashita.
488
00:48:02,337 --> 00:48:04,547
Major Wild wanted General Yamashita
489
00:48:04,631 --> 00:48:07,216
to go to the governor general's
residence,
490
00:48:07,301 --> 00:48:09,594
but did not mention surrender.
491
00:48:09,678 --> 00:48:14,599
l told him it was out of the question
for General Yamashita to go anywhere
492
00:48:14,683 --> 00:48:17,518
and that his general must come to us.
493
00:48:17,603 --> 00:48:23,357
Eventually Major Wild agreed to this
and said he would bring him at 6pm,
494
00:48:23,442 --> 00:48:26,527
but again made no mention of surrender.
495
00:48:26,612 --> 00:48:32,325
When l reported this to my superiors,
they were suspicious and unbelieving.
496
00:48:32,409 --> 00:48:37,079
However, l returned at six
to meet General Percival and Major Wild.
497
00:48:37,748 --> 00:48:40,249
l guided them to the Ford factory,
498
00:48:40,334 --> 00:48:44,670
where the meeting with General Yamashita
was to take place.
499
00:48:44,755 --> 00:48:48,090
Because of this disbelief
on the Japanese side,
500
00:48:48,175 --> 00:48:53,054
they were still setting up tables
when we arrived.
501
00:48:53,138 --> 00:48:56,182
Straight away General Yamashita
asked General Percival
502
00:48:56,266 --> 00:48:58,059
whether he was surrendering.
503
00:48:58,143 --> 00:49:02,897
But the British general merely talked
about wanting to keep 1 ,500 soldiers
504
00:49:02,981 --> 00:49:05,942
to maintain peace and order
in Singapore.
505
00:49:06,026 --> 00:49:08,945
General Yamashita again asked
about surrender,
506
00:49:09,029 --> 00:49:13,616
but General Percival went on
talking about these 1 ,500 troops.
507
00:49:13,700 --> 00:49:17,536
And so these two conversations
continued in parallel
508
00:49:17,621 --> 00:49:19,538
and time was passing.
509
00:49:19,623 --> 00:49:22,458
Finally, General Yamashita
could wait no longer.
510
00:49:22,542 --> 00:49:27,129
He banged the table and asked
General Percival if he was surrendering.
511
00:49:27,214 --> 00:49:31,384
Otherwise, the Japanese would launch
an immediate night attack.
512
00:49:31,468 --> 00:49:33,552
Would that be all right?
513
00:49:33,637 --> 00:49:39,016
Percival replied, no,
he did not want any more attacks.
514
00:49:39,101 --> 00:49:43,270
So again General Yamashita asked,
"Will you surrender?"
515
00:49:43,355 --> 00:49:46,816
And at last General Percival said yes.
516
00:49:46,900 --> 00:49:48,985
(cheering)
517
00:50:00,247 --> 00:50:04,250
(narrator) Singapore had been thought
by the British to be impregnable,
518
00:50:04,334 --> 00:50:07,003
but they were thinking
of an attack from the sea.
519
00:50:07,087 --> 00:50:12,717
lndeed, all the big fortress guns
pointed seaward, not landward.
520
00:50:12,884 --> 00:50:17,304
Said Churchill later, "The possibility
of Singapore having no landward defences
521
00:50:17,389 --> 00:50:19,181
no more entered into my mind
522
00:50:19,266 --> 00:50:23,686
than that of a battleship being launched
without a bottom."
523
00:50:23,770 --> 00:50:28,482
We were so surprised,
because we expected that
524
00:50:28,567 --> 00:50:36,574
your forces were about 50,000 in total.
525
00:50:36,658 --> 00:50:39,952
And we found out that there were about
526
00:50:40,037 --> 00:50:47,251
1 10,000 prisoners in Singapore.
527
00:50:47,335 --> 00:50:50,880
(narrator) Singapore's fall
was the worst military disaster
528
00:50:50,964 --> 00:50:53,549
in British history.
529
00:50:53,675 --> 00:50:57,511
More than 130,000 troops
laid down their arms
530
00:50:57,596 --> 00:51:01,223
in the largest capitulation
the British army has ever known.
531
00:51:01,308 --> 00:51:05,644
The Japanese soldiers
are told not to be prisoners,
532
00:51:06,188 --> 00:51:08,105
so it's quite natural,
533
00:51:08,190 --> 00:51:14,028
when they see the tens of thousands
of white prisoners at Singapore,
534
00:51:14,112 --> 00:51:16,197
they look down on them.
535
00:51:27,709 --> 00:51:30,419
Thousands
of British and Commonwealth troops
536
00:51:30,504 --> 00:51:33,923
had arrived in Singapore
only days before,
537
00:51:34,007 --> 00:51:36,717
just in time to surrender.
538
00:51:46,186 --> 00:51:50,481
Singapore's fall meant that the whole
of Southeast Asia lay at Japan's feet.
539
00:51:50,565 --> 00:51:53,734
Within weeks, the Japanese army
was at the borders of lndia
540
00:51:53,819 --> 00:51:57,404
and the Japanese navy was steaming
close to the shores of Australia.
541
00:51:57,489 --> 00:52:01,700
They had succeeded
beyond their wildest dreams.
542
00:52:06,832 --> 00:52:09,542
For the British, a last humiliation.
543
00:52:09,626 --> 00:52:14,713
The garrison was paraded
before the triumphant Japanese.
544
00:52:48,123 --> 00:52:51,167
The sun had set on one imperial power.
545
00:52:55,881 --> 00:52:59,133
On another, the sun was still rising.
47931
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