Cousens & Toguri.

This is coolbert:

In response to the comment of "Sherman made Georgia howl".

Let me answer in reverse order:

"Don't just say she got off easy. Put yourself in her shoes. What would you do?"

To this I have no answer. I would not be presumptuous to say one way or the other. Everyone likes to THINK they know how they would respond. But until you are exactly in the position of having to decide, "do I live or do I die??", you honestly cannot say with even a slight degree of certainty what you would do!!

Of course!!

"All she had in an appalling situation was Major Cousens' guidance"

This Major Cousens was unfamiliar to me. See this link for the full rap on the Major.




The above photo is of Charles Cousens in a post-war broadcasting role. Never could get away from the media, could he??

"the United States and Australian militaries are still unsettled on the question of the degree of physical and mental endurance that may be expected from allied soldiers made prisoners of war."

Soldiers are generally expected to be able to endure, if necessary, as part of their normal duties, extremes of cold, heat, thirst, hunger, fear. As a prisoner of war, obviously the situation has changed. Especially if you have fallen into the hands of a brutal, cruel, even sadistic enemy. YOU ARE NOT expected to have to endure severe punishment or torture, such as the rack, the red-hot-iron, thumbscrews, etc.

"It is unfair to lump Iva Toguri with deck as Joyce, Amery & Gillars."

I would not necessarily lump Iva in with the others.

I was making a point that her punishment was less than for that of Gillars. And surely much less than that for Joyce and Amery. And Ezra Pound for that matter too. It seems a fever pitch attitude toward Iva was generated by Walter Winchell.

All of the four [Joyce, Amery, Gillars, Pound] were clearly fascist collaborators and did their broadcasts without any hint of coercion. In the case of Pound, the man was rendered a babbling idiot by the ill treatment he received after capture by his fellow countrymen. And Joyce and Amery were X-ECUTED. Hung! Again, surely that is way much more of a punishment than Toguri got!!

[the trial for Amery lasted a whole seven minutes!! A month later he was swinging from a rope!! Swift and sure British justice!!]

coolbert.