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4520452
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Clemency - Rose, Tokyo
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4520452
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document
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Clemency - Rose, Tokyo
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Philip W. Buchen Files
Philip Buchen's General Subject Files
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Pardon
Japanese Americans
World War, 1939-1945
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4520452
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1976-12-01
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1976
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1976-06-01
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6
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1976
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The original documents are located in Box 4, folder "Clemency - Rose, Tokyo" of the Philip Buchen Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald R. Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON June 8, 1976 MEMO FOR: PHIL BUCHEN FROM: KEN LAZARUS In answer to your recent question re pardon petition for "Tokyo Rose", please note attached. FORDO LIBRARY MARA THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON Tokeyo June 3, 1976 MEMORANDUM FOR: KEN LAZARUS FROM: PHIL BUCHEN P. Attached is correspondence dealing with a possible Presidential pardon for Tokyo Rose. Is there a petition pending at the Pardon Attorney's Office? Attachment THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON June 3, 1976 MEMORANDUM FOR: KEN LAZARUS FROM: PHIL BUCHEN P. Attached is correspondence dealing with a possible Presidential pardon for Tokyo Rose. Is there a petition pending at the Pardon Attorney's Office? Attachment D Send / for Trayo dift 3 FORD :- LIBRARY 938870 May 27, 1976 Dear Marty: Thank you for your letter of May 21 transmitting a copy of correspondence Senator Hatfield has received regarding a possible Presidential pardon for Iva Toguri. We appreciate your courtesy in passing along this letter. With best wishes, Sincerely, William T. Kendall Deputy Assistant to the President Martin B. Gold, Staff Assistant to The Honorable Mark O. Hatfield United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 bee: w/inc to Philip Buchen FYI WTK:ba LIBRARY GERALD ? FORD United States Senate WASHINGTON, D.C. 10/25/25 May 21, 1976 Mr. William Kendall Deputy Assistant to the President The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Bill: Enclosed is a copy of correspondence Senator Hatfield has received regarding a possible Presidential pardon for Iva Toguri. Senator Hatfield does not know whether such a pardon is being considered, nor does he wish to express a sentiment about it, but he promised his constituents that he would pass their expression on to the White House. That is the purpose of this communication. Sincerely, Martin B. Gold Staff Assistant to Senator Mark O. Hatfield MBG:bc Enclosure FUND & LIBRARY 078870 WILLARD ANDERSON POST NO. 2471 The Dolles, Oregon 97058 May 12, 1976 The Honorable Mark 0. Hatfield United States Senate 463 Russell Building Washington, D. C. 20510 Dear Senator Hatfield: We of V. F. W. Post #2471 strongly urge you to urge President Ford to give Iva Toguri (known as Tokyo Rose) a full pardon on July 4, 1976. Wes Posey In Phymate muchie Haffmon June In United D.R. Covert 67ke Jack Expon In Pay Myon your he Cauth Cram. FORD in LIBRARY GERALD United States Department of Justice Office of the Pardon Attorney Washington, D.C. 20530 May 11, 1976 Honorable Evelle J. Younger Attorney General State of California Department of Justice 800 Tishman Building 3580 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, California 90010 Dear Mr. Attorney General: The President has asked me to reply to your letter of April 23, 1976 recommending that he grant a pardon to Iva Toguri D'Aquino. Iva Toguri D'Aquino filed a petition for pardon after completion of sentence in November 1968. The petition was denied in October 1969. Like any other person who has been convicted of a Federal felony, has served the sentence and been a law- abiding member of the community for several years subsequent to the completion of the sentence, she is eligible to reapply for a pardon if she chooses. However, she has not done SO. If she should reapply, her petition would receive the same consideration accorded to other eligible petitioners. and the Attorney General would advise the President whether in his oninion the petition should be granted or denied. A Presidential pardon, incidentally, is a sign of forgive- ness But does not constitute a finding of innocence, Your interest in this matter is appreciated. Sincerely, Lawrence M. Traylor Pardon Attorney By: David C. Stephenson Deputy Pardon Attorney bcc: Kenneth A. Lazarus Associate Counsel to the President LIBRARY FORD is THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON December 2, 1976 Dear Dr. Uyeda: Thank you for sending to me the correspondence and background on the Mrs. Iva Toguri d'Aquino case. I have forwarded the package of material to Mr. Philip Buchen, Counsel to the President, who handles these matters. With kind regards. ROBERT T. HARTMANN Counsellor to the President Dr. Clifford I. Uyeda Chairman Japanese American Citizens League 1765 Sutter Street San Francisco, California 94115 CC: Mr. Wayne Horiuchi FORD is LIBRARY annual COMMITTEE FOR IVA TOGURI OF THE JAPANESE AMERICAN CITIZENS LEAGUE JACL Headquarters Bldg. 1765 Sutter Street San Francisco, California 94115 Clifford 1. Uyeda, M.D. Attorney Wayne M. Collins, Chairman Consultant Partial Listing - November 26, 1976 Individual Endorsements: Gov. George A. Ariyoshi, Hawaii Mayor Tom Bradley, Los Angeles Rep. Yvonne B. Burke, California Lt Gov. Melvyn Dymally, California Secretary of State March Fong Eu, Calif. Rep. Donald M. Fraser, Minnesota Prof. S.I. Hayakawa, S.F. State Univ. Mr. Robert T. Hartmann Rep. Spark M. Matsunaga, Hawaii Counsellor to the President Rep. Abner J. Mikva, Illinois Assemblyman S. Floyd Mori, California The White House Mayor George R. Moscone, San Francisco 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Rep. B.F. Sisk, California Atty Gen. Evelle J. Younger, California Washington, D.C. 20500 Organizational Endorsements: Dear Mr. Hartmann: American Civil Liberties Union, No. Calif. Chapter Americans for Democratic Action, Enclosed are three editorials that No. Calif. Chapter were brought to my attention, all dated California State Legislature National Council of the November 22nd. Churches of Christ San Francisco Board of Supervisors San Francisco Commission on I was informed that the New York the Status of Women Times, December 5th, will feature the Willard Anderson Post #2471, case in its magazine section. It is VFW, Dalles, Oregon written by John Leggett (English Dept, Media Editorial Endorsements: Univ. of Iowa). Dayton Daily News (Ohio) Denver Post Honolulu Advertiser The Board of Supervisor, County of Los Angeles Times Minneapolis Tribune Santa Clara (Calif.) passed a resolution on San Francisco Chronicle November 16th supporting a presidential pardon San Francisco Examiner San Francisco KFRC-Radio for Mrs. Iva Toguri d'Aquino. Seattle Post Intelligencer Washington Star (D.C.) Sincerely yours, Supporting Articles: Chicago Daily News Chicago Tribune Christian Science Monitor Honolulu Star-Bulletin Clifford I. Uyeda, M.D. National Observer Wall Street Journal Washington Post FORD is LIBRARY GERALD THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON November 18, 1976 Mr. Hartmann: Wayne Horiuchi of the Japanese American Citizens League called. 223-1240. He would like to have an appointment with you (along with David Ushio, National Director of the organization) the week after Thanksgiving to discuss a Presidential pardon for Tokyo Rose. (see* - attached correspondence). Gail FORD is LIBRARY COMMITTEE FOR IVA TOGURI OF THE JAPANESE AMERICAN CITIZENS LEAGUE JACL Headquarters Bldg. 1765 Sutter Street San Francisco, California 94115 Attorney Wayne M. Collins, Clifford I. Uyeda, M.D. Consultant Chairman Partial Listing - November 18, 1976 Individual Endorsements: Gov. George A. Ariyoshi, Hawaii Mayor Tom Bradley, Los Angeles Rep. Yvonne B. Burke, California Lt Gov. Melvyn Dymally, California Secretary of State March Fong Eu, Calif. Rep. Donald M. Fraser, Minnesota Mr. Robert T. Hartmann, Prof. S.I. Hayakawa, S.F. State Univ. Rep. Spark M. Matsunaga, Hawaii Counsellor to the President Rep. Abner J. Mikva, Illinois The White House Assemblyman S. Floyd Mori, California Mayor George R. Moscone, San Francisco 1600 Pennyslvania Ave., N.W. Rep. B.F. Sisk, California Washington, D.C. 20500 Atty Gen. Evelle J. Younger, California Organizational Endorsements: Dear Mr. Hartmann: American Civil Liberties Union, No. Calif. Chapter Americans for Democratic Action, Enclosed please find copy of a letter forwarded No. Calif. Chapter to President Ford. California State Legislature National Council of the Churches of Christ Yesterday, the official petition for presidential San Francisco Board of Supervisors San Francisco Commission on pardon was mailed from the San Francisco post office to the Status of Women the Pardon Attorney, Lawrence M. Traylor, as called for Willard Anderson Post #2471, in the protocol. VFW, Dalles, Oregon Media Editorial Endorsements: We would greatly appreciate your assistance in Dayton Daily News (Ohio) Denver Post bringing this matter up to the President. Honolulu Advertiser Los Angeles Times Minneapolis Tribune Thank you. San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Examiner San Francisco KFRC-Radio Sincerely yours, Seattle Post Intelligencer Washington Star (D.C.) Supporting Articles: Clifad Vegida Chicago Daily News Chicago Tribune Clifford I. Uyeda, M.D: Christian Science Monitor Chairman. Honolulu Star-Bulletin National Observer Wall Street Journal Washington Post is FORD CALD LIBRAST COMMITTEE FOR IVA TOGURI OF THE JAPANESE AMERICAN CITIZENS LEAGUE JACL Headquarters Bldg. 1765 Sutter Street San Francisco, California 94115 Attorney Wayne M. Collins, Clifford I. Uyeda, M.D. Consultant Chairman November 17, 1976 Partial Listing . Individual Endorsements: Gov. George A. Ariyoshi, Hawali Mayor Tom Bradley, Los Angeles Rep. Yvonne B. Burke, California Hon. Gerald R. Ford Lt Gov. Melvyn Dymally, California President of the United States Secretary of State March Fong Eu, Calif. Rep. Donald M. Fraser, Minnesota The White House Prof. S.I. Hayakawa, S.F. State Univ. Washington, D.C. 20500 Rep. Spark M. Matsunaga, Hawaii Rep. Abner J. Mikva, Illinois Assemblyman S. Floyd Mori, California Dear Mr. President: Mayor George R. Moscone, San Francisco Rep. B.F. Sisk, California Atty Gen. Evelle J. Younger, California The petition for pardon for Mrs. Iva Toguri d'Aquino Organizational Endorsements: was filed this morning by her attorney, Wayne M. Collins. American Civil Liberties Union, No. Calif. Chapter Americans for Democratic Action, Senator-elect Dr. S. I. Hayakawa had earlier brought No. Calif. Chapter to your office informations pertaining to the case. As California State Legislature you know Mrs. d'Aquino was convicted of treason as "Tokyo National Council of the Churches of Christ Rose" in 1949 following the most incredible chain of San Francisco Board of Supervisors circumstances. San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women Willard Anderson Post #2471, Researchers, including the media, have concluded that VFW, Dalles, Oregon it was the "legend of Tokyo Rose" and not an individual Madia Editorial Endorsements: that was convicted. Dayton Daily News (Ohio) Denver Post Honolulu Advertiser Mrs. d'Aquino has served her time and has paid her fine. Los Angeles Times In spite of over 30 years of suffering, abuse and humiliation Minneapolis Tribune San Francisco Chronicle she has remained steadfastly loyal to the United States. San Francisco Examiner San Francisco KFRC-Radio Seattle Post Intelligencer In this bicentennial year when we are celebrating the Washington Star (D.C.) glories of our nation conceived in justice and fair play for Supporting Articles: all, we urge you to pardon Mrs. d'Aquino with a statement of Chicago Daily News her innocence and restore her cherished American citizenship. Chicago Tribune Christian Science Monitor- Honolulu Star-Bulletin We witheld the filing of the petition for pardon until National Observer Wall Street Journal after election because we did not want you to be confronted Washington Post with the problem during your busy election campaign. Sincerely yours, Clified Myda GERALD LIBRAR Clifford I. Uyeda, M.D. THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON December 2, 1976 MEMORANDUM FOR: PHIL BUCHEN FROM: The attached is self-explanatory. JACK MARSH June Could you prepare a status report for the President on the matter involving Tokyo Rose. I am of the view that you, rather than the President, should get to Senator-elect Hayakawa. CC: Dick Cheney FORD 1 THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON December 2, 1976 ADMINISTRATIVELY CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM FOR: JACK MARSH FROM: JIM CONNOR I E E The following notation was directed to you in the President's outbox: "Senator Hayakawa called. Interested in pardon for Tokyo Rose I said I would ask for status report and then make decision on course of action. Talk with me." Please follow-up with appropriate action. cc: Dick Cheney THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON From: Robert T. Hartmann RTA To: Philip Buchen a.m. Date: December 2, 1976 Time: p.m. Per our telephone conversation. Thanks! GLEATE FORD LIBRADA December 6, 1976 Dear Spark: This is to acknowledge receipt and thank you for your November 23 letter to the President recon- mending consideration of a Presidential pardon for Mrs. Iva Toguri 'Aguine (Tokyo Rose). lue you know, initial responsibility for requests for Executive Clemency rests with the Pardon Attorney at the Department of Justice. His recom- mendations are submitted to the Attorney General, who La sum submits then to the President. I will be pleased to ask that your letter be placed with Hrs. Toguri's records. With kindest regards, Sincerely, Charles Leypert, Jr. Deputy Assistant to the President The Renorable Spark N. Matsunaga FORD Rouse of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20315 BERALD bee with incoming to Philip Buchen for appropriate Kandling WTK:CL:JEB:kt 12-1 SPARK M. MATSUNAGA DEPUTY MAJORITY WHIP 1ST DISTRICT, HAWAII MEMBER: WASHINGTON OFFICE: COMMITTEE ON RULES 442 CANNON BUILDING 20515 (now Congress of the United States STEERING AND POLICY COMMITTEE HONOLULU OFFICE: house of Representatives CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE 218 FEDERAL BUILDING OF SELECT 96813 COMMITTEE ON AGING Washington, D.C. 20515 November 23, 1976 The President The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: On November 17, 1976, at the former site of MP the Federal District Court in San Francisco, now used as a post office, a petition for the pardon of Iva Toguri, convicted of treason in such court 27 years ago, was mailed to the Pardon Attorney in Washington, D.C. Ms. Toguri, a victim of the World War II "Tokyo Rose" legend, is deserving of a Presidential pardon as this Nation's Bicentennial gift to her. As a member of Congress, I fully support the granting of a Presidential pardon in order that Ms. Toguri may once again possess that which she once cherished above all else - - her U. S. citizenship. Ms. Toguri's story does not begin in 1949, when she was tried, convicted, and sentenced for treason, indisputably the most serious offense against this country that any American could commit. Nor does her story begin during the lonely World War II years that she spent in Japan, where she was stranded while visiting a sick aunt, and where she allegedly engaged in the acts for which she was later to be FORD indicted and brought to trial. Ms. Toguri's story actually begins with her birthright; she was born an American citizen, her most cherished possession, on LIBRARY July 4, 1916. Unlike many others who chose a course of personal convenience, some of whom were later to testify against her -- falsely, according to recent disclosures -- Ms. Toguri came home to America after World War II had ended. Her return to the United States apparently was motivated by two basic reasons: First, she loved her country, and that love was not in any way diminished while she was forced to lead a hand-to-mouth existence in the land of her country's enemy; and second, she The President November 23, 1976 Page Two sincerely believed in her "Orphan Ann" broadcasts which were beamed to American troops in the Pacific from Tokyo, that she was aiding, not hindering, America's war effort. Today, Ms. Toguri, age 60, lives quietly and modestly in Chicago. She was released from prison after serving 6 years and 2 months, with reduced time for good behavior, of a 10-year sentence. She has paid her fine of $10,000 in full. But she has not regained her cherished U. S. citizenship, which she lost when she was sentenced. She remains remarkably composed despite recent disclosures by the press, for example, Far East correspondent Ronald Yates' story on the front page of the Chicago Tribune of March 22, 1976, stating that prosecution witnesses living in Japan informed him that "they were forced to tell half-truths and withhold vital information at her 1949 trial for treason." Ms. Toguri's one abiding wish is to have her American citizenship restored to her. She seeks no retrial of her case, even though it now appears that she was made a scapegoat. She only wants a Presidential pardon, and in no way claims that she was denied due process. She does not condemn the American judicial system. A Presidential pardon, if granted to Ms. Toguri, would therefore demonstrate the strength of our system -- that its checks and balances insure justice in every possible case. The granting of a Presidential pardon and the restoration of U. S. citizenship to Ms. Toguri would further serve as a symbolic act on the part of our Government that our system's greatness lies in part in its flexibility to show kindness and tolerance toward those whom it once prosecuted. Mr. President, the petition merits your favorable consideration. I strongly recommend that Iva Toguri be granted the pardon that is prayed for in her petition. Aloha and best wishes. Congress Mr. President November 23, 1976 Page Three cc: Honorable Lawrence M. Traylor Pardon Attorney Department of Justice 320 First Street Washington, D.C. 29537 THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON December 6, 1976 ADMINISTRATIVELY CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM FOR: PHIL BUCHEN FROM: JIM CONNOR JEE SUBJECT: Article entitled: "Tokyo Rose: Traitor or Scapegoat? The President returned the attached article in his outbox with the following notation: "Very interesting article. Keep me posted on this matter. 11 Please follow-up with appropriate action. cc: Dick Cheney Tokyo Rose: By John Leggett For most servicemen, the worst of modern war- fare is the boredom of it. On my World War II ship, the U.S.S. Elden, that boredom was as vast Traitor as the Pacific itself-day after day, same watches THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN and drills, same food and smells, same heat and shipmates. That is why the Elden's crew, and the rest of the two million young Americans in the or scapegoat? Pacific theater during World War II, made so much of the woman they referred to as Tokyo Rose. Her voice was native-American with a dash of soy sauce, and she played us our songs, the ones we had danced to the summer before (or was it the summer before that?). She was talking to us from Japan, flirting with us, calling forth those After World War II, an American girl romantic illusions from "Terry and the Pirates." We lost some confidence in her newscasts when named Iva Toguri d'Aquino was she reported us sunk, but that only added to our enjoyment. She knew what was on our minds. convicted of broadcasting from Tokyo to She was lighthearted, and sometimes raunchy about it, suggesting that our sweethearts back American troops in the Pacific. Her case home were two-timing us, with help from the 4-F's and fat cats. We didn't take her seriously. tells America something about itself. There was a tongue-in-cheek quality to the rela- tionship, an understanding between us that is illustrated by the bomber squadron said to have responded to her apology for playing only old records (they were all she had) by addressing her a carton of late releases and parachuting it into the center of Tokyo. So, for this World War II veteran, it is astonishing and saddening to find what that war brought to an American woman named Iva Toguri. It was her fate to have been one of several women who broad- cast from Japan to American troops in the Pacific, and her misfortune to have been the only one convicted of treason and jailed for doing so. To- day, at the age of 60, she lives in Chicago, where her friends know her by her married name, Iva d'Aquino. She is the proprietor of Toguri's, a shop on the North Side, where you can buy parasols, fish kites, books on judo and Zen, incense and, presumably, even the complete teahouse at the back of the big white store. For many years after her release from prison in 1956, she asked only to be left alone with her work and her circle of friends. She had had enough publicity in the years immediately following the war. But recently, a committee formed in her behalf has brought increasing attention to her, and last month, Iva sent a letter to President Ford re- questing a pardon. At a press conference just before mailing the letter, she said she hoped to get a pardon so that her American citizenship could be restored: "You don't realize the importance or significance of such a thing until you lose it." On a recent evening I found her at her shop, counting cash in the register and saying good night to her employees as they filed into the street. She has a square, handsome face, clear eyes and a resonant voice that clangs like an iron bell. There is an abruptness to her speech, an all-business tone, but her laughter is sudden, called forth by remem- bering some preposterous turn of her life, and as American as her frequent "hecks" and the Midwest flatness of her "a's." Sometimes her responses are immediate, but when she must search back through the decades to recall loneliness and fear in wartime Tokyo, or during her trial, she rattles and wanders as she looks for familiar paths. She is numbed by questions. People have been questioning Iva Toguri d'Aquino for 30 years. This is how she remem- (Continued on Page 125) John Leggett is director of the Writers' Work- In the teahouse of her Chicago shop, Iva Toguri d'Aquino denies bitterness over the ordeal that began in a shop at the University of Iowa. His most recent Japanese jail cell in 1945 (top). "Heck," she says, "you just have to adjust your life." book is "Ross and Tom." 56 Some items in this folder were not digitized because it contains copyrighted materials. Please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library for access to these materials. THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON Bobbie is waiting for material from Pardon the atty. GERALD SEP LIDRAGA FORD December 20, 1976 I checked with Dawn on the status of this and she advises that Ken talked with Laurence Traylor about this last week. It was decided at that time that something would be done one way or the other before President Ford left office. As you probably noticed, Tokyo's name did not show up on the Xmas list. There is another list scheduled soon. Dawn wasn't sure her name would be on it. The person who probably knows exactly where this matter stands in the AG's office is Traylor. FORD is LIBRARY 077830 THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON December 20, 1976 ADMINISTRATIVELY CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM FOR: PHIL BUCHEN FROM: JIM CONNOR JEG The attached notation was directed to you in the President's outbox: "What is status of Tokyo Rose? 11 Please follow-up with appropriate action. cc: Dick Cheney PHOTO GERALD R FORD LIBRARY LIBRARY