5th August 1945, “Tokyo Rose,” Japanese-American Iva Toguri D’Aquino, is arrested in Yokohama for her radio broadcasts meant to demoralise US troops.

5th August 1945, “Tokyo Rose,” Japanese American Iva Toguri D’Aquino, is arrested in Yokohama for her radio broadcasts meant to demoralise US troops.

5th August 1945, “Tokyo Rose,” Japanese-American Iva Toguri D’Aquino, is arrested in Yokohama for her radio broadcasts meant to demoralise US troops.

On July 5, 1941, Toguri sailed for Japan from San Pedro, California, without a U.S. passport. In subsequent years, she gave two reasons for her trip: to visit a sick aunt and to study medicine.

In September of that year, Toguri appeared before the U.S. Vice Consul in Japan to obtain a passport, stating she wished to return to the U.S. for permanent residence. Because she left the U.S. without a passport, her application was forwarded to the Department of State for consideration. Before arrangements were completed for issuing a passport, Japan attacked America, and war was declared.

She later withdrew the application, saying she would voluntarily remain in Japan for the duration of the war. She enrolled in a Japanese language and culture school to improve her language skills. From mid-1942 until late 1943, Toguri worked as a typist for the Domei News Agency; in August 1943, she obtained a second job as a typist for Radio Tokyo.

In November 1943, Toguri was asked to become a broadcaster for Radio Tokyo on the Zero Hour program. The program was part of a Japanese psychological warfare campaign designed to lower the morale of U.S. Armed Forces. The Zero Hour was broadcast every day except Sunday, from 6 p.m. until 7:15 p.m., Tokyo time. Toguri participated in most weekday broadcasts, but other women handled weekend duties.

Toguri was introduced on the program as “Orphan Ann” or “Orphan Annie.” Toguri’s average time on each program was about 20 minutes, during which she made propaganda statements and introduced popular records of the day, such as “Speak to Me of Love,” “In a Little Gypsy Tea Room,” and “Love’s Old Sweet Song.” The remainder of the program was devoted chiefly to news items from America and general news commentaries by other members of the broadcasting staff.

D’Aquino’s trial began on July 5, 1949, one day after her 33rd birthday. On September 29, 1949, the jury found her guilty on one count in the indictment. The jury ruled that:

“...on a day during October, 1944, the exact date being to the Grand Jurors unknown, said defendant, at Tokyo, Japan, in a broadcasting studio of the Broadcasting Corporation of Japan, did speak into a microphone concerning the loss of ships.”

This made D’Aquino, who had gained notoriety as Tokyo Rose, the seventh person to be convicted of treason in the history of this country. On October 6, 1949, D’Aquino was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment and fined $10,000 for the crime of treason.

On January 28, 1956, she was released from the Federal Reformatory for Women at Alderson, West Virginia, where she had served six years and two months of her sentence. She successfully fought government efforts to deport her and returned to Chicago, where she worked in her father’s shop until his death. President Gerald Ford pardoned her on January 19, 1977. She passed away in 2006.