January 1940 to February 1942

CHAPTER IV

COURT-MARTIAL AND RELEASE

Six weeks had already gone by and I had not heard any word of Kageyama for nearly three weeks. Why no news from Mizuno? Something must have gone wrong. I had long since lost any interest in the rounds of the warder, and the jingle of his keys no longer raised my hopes. One morning, intent on the prophecies of the Book of Ezekiel, I hardly believed my ears when I heard the warder shout "Number 98", as he opened the cell door. Once again I was back in the sergeant's office and glad to see Kageyama there. "I have some news for you. Kamii has arrived and negotiations are under way for your trial, which will probably take place in a couple of days. I naturally am to be interpreter. With any luck now, you might be out of this place in a few days." (Kamii was another of our Japanese advisers. 11e was a funny little man, bred in the school of diplomacy, and a former member of Japan's delegation to the League of Nations at Geneva.) The sergeant started to speak. He seemed puffed up with his own importance and was intent upon driving home some particular point, frequently tapping the table with his pencil, and at the same time indicating a document lying on his desk. When he had finished, Kageyama took up the paper.

"This," he said, "is a document that it is necessary for you to sign before the trial. It is a statement to the effect that you have had a fair and equitable trial under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Japanese Army and that you are completely satisfied with the judgment handed down by the court. This may appear to you to be a somewhat unusual procedure, but this is an unusual case. I have known it to be done before, particularly when they are in some doubt as to the legality of their case and settlement is a matter of negotiation. You had better sign it, as you are in no position to refuse, and whatever you feel about the trial, there is nothing that you can do about it."

"No, nothing, except refuse to sign it. If I sign this, then they are completely covered. I may be kept here for months, perhaps years. I have no guarantee what the verdict will be. If there are any enquiries through diplomatic channels, I see no reason to assist them in getting out of their own troubles. No, I see no good reason for signing this paper."

Kageyama became annoyed. "Aren't you ever going to realise that you are a defeated enemy? What right have you to buck the Japanese Army? What good is it going to do you? I do my best to help you, but what is the use when you are so stubborn? If you want to get out of this place, sign." By now the sergeant had evidently gathered the trend of the conversation and snatching the paper from Kageyama's hand put it down on the desk in front of me with his pen and, thumping the desk with his fist, shouted something which obviously meant "Sign ! Sign, you bastard!

"No, Kageyama, I'm damned if I will. I am sure there is something crooked about it, and in any case, if they are the conquerors, what the hell have they got to worry about? By now I was beginning to feel that if it went on much longer, my desire to snatch up the paper and tear it into shreds would get the better of me, and I began to wish for the quiet of my cell rather than this bedlam. The sergeant was now standing at his desk, jabbering and striking it with both fists. Fortunately Kageyama prevented the situation from developing any further by telling the two guards to take me away, and, deciding there were worse places than my cell, I lost no time in getting out. Back "home" once more, I had ample time to meditate on the situation. Between the warder's patrols, I told the story to Wang. He had no advice to offer except to contribute a few round oaths directed at certain organs belonging to the sergeant's mother and grandmother. By the end of the day I had begun to regret that I had not taken Kageyama's advice and signed. I was in the position where it didn't make much difference and my object was to get out of this place. I began to fear that my action might have unpleasant repercussions. If they were intent upon having this document signed, then next time they would probably use a little persuasion of one sort or another. Long after the others were snoring, I was turning the problem over and over in my mind, and finally fell asleep without coming to any particular conclusion.

During the course of the following morning I was called in again. I had now decided that if they 'a anted me to sign, I would do so. Kageyama offered me a smoke. "I had a long talk with Kamii last night you know both of us have been working hard to get you out of this mess. It has been agreed that the court-martial will be held during the next day or two. The Military have insisted that you sign this document but it has now been agreed that you will do so immediately after the trial." I agreed and Kageyama passed the information on to the sergeant, who seemed somewhat relieved. "O.K. That's all for the time being. General Okata is away at the moment, but as soon as he comes back, the trial will take place."

It was hard to realise that perhaps within four or five days I might be out of this place. When I passed on the news to the others, they all seemed to be pleased. Perhaps some of them would be there for months yet, others might never get out, but the fact that one vas leaving gave hope to the others. After all, I was a foreigner; they seemed to think it natural that I should get out. In their eyes I still had some prestige as such. They were quite convinced that the dwarf islanders would not dare to be too drastic in their treatment of a British or American citizen! The anticipation of release made it practically impossible to eat the rotten mush that was thrown at us three times a day. I tried to cat the noon meal, could not stomach it and passed it to Wang. In the evening I gave my portion to the old man, w ho passed it on to his nephew. By the morning my excitement had worn off and I was famished. Nothing happened that day and I ate the three meals with considerable appreciation.

I spent a lot of time in considering what I should do when released. Food was my first interest: eggs and bacon for breakfast, steak for tiffin. . . . I should be able to wash my hair, I would have my beard clipped off and have a shave, a bath, clean clothes . . . get between clean white sheets!

Soon after ten the next morning I was called out. This then was to be the day!

"'Morning," said Kageyama. "We are due to go on at ten-thirty. I do not think there will be any complications. I am to act as your interpreter. It has been decided that a heavy fine will be imposed and that you will receive a suspended sentence of two years' solitary confinement. When the amount of the fine is announced and you are able to complete arrangements for payment, you will be released."

Lieutenant Nakamura, who was present, then spoke: " Today I shall be one of the judges and you will be able to witness and benefit personally by the impartial administration of justice as executed by the Imperial Japanese Army. There can be no appeal and the judgment will be final, but you can be sure it will be fair." It looked as if Kageyama had been speaking out of turn, so I assured the Lieutenant that I felt confident the case would be handled with complete fairness. He then went on to talk of the plans for the liberation of the Asiatic peoples from the pressure of British and American exploitation.

"Well, we ought to be going," said Kageyama," but first let me look you over. You do not look very clean. Button up your jacket and remember that you must stand rigidly to attention throughout the trial. O.K. Let's go!

I followed him through several courtyards and finally into a large building that appeared to be either a lecture hall or a schoolroom. There were rows of benches on either side of a central aisle facing a dais on which was a large desk, flanked by two smaller ones; a Japanese flag was draped over the front of the former. There was no one in the room and we walked to the stove in front of the dais and stood warming our hands. In a little while a side-door opened and a Japanese clerk shuffled in, carrying a sheaf of paper and brush pens which he distributed amongst the desks. He then sat down at a desk on the floor level and busied himself preparing pen and papers. According to Kageyama, he was the official recorder of the court. At a quarter to eleven the side-door opened again and Kageyama told me to stand to attention as he and the recorder fixed themselves in a position of rigidity. A party of five officers in single file marched in. They were in full military dress with the usual long sword dangling from their waists. Mounting the dais, they took their respective seats. Kageyama told me to bow; this was of course ignored.

The General, a man in his early fifties, wore rimless glasses and had a very impressive bushy black moustache, trimmed after the old German military style with upturned ends. On his left sat Lieutenant Nakamura, and on his right a short clean-shaven and plump little man, bald except for a fringe just above his ears; in his native costume he might well have passed for the good host and proprietor of a geisha house. At either end of the dais sat a young officer. Lieu-tenant Nakamura opened a dispatch-case and taking out some papers, placed them in front of the General and at the same time held a whispered conversation with him. The General, after the usual identification questions, proceeded to read from the papers on his desk. Soon he had finished and Kageyama translated: " He says that you are charged with the violation of the currency laws, promulgated by the Autonomous Government of the Mengchiang Republic, with intent to depreciate the currency of the State, which is punishable under military law. You have been brought before the court today to be tried and punished in accordance with the law as administered by His Imperial Japanese Majesty's Army. It is understood that you plead guilty of this crime."

"You must, of course, say ` guilty '," said Kageyama.

"Guilty," I replied, which, translated by Kageyama, brought a nod from the General, who again proceeded to read aloud from the papers. It proved to be a statement on the instances of my crimes and he ended with a request that I acknowledge these as being correct. This I did, and he replied that in this case there was no need to go any further with the proceedings and, turning to the small rotund gentle-man on his left, asked him a question, to which he shook his head. He then turned to Nakamura, who exchanged a few words with him, and leaning over his desk he nodded to the Lieutenant at the end of the row on his left, who also shook his head. Finally he turned to the sour-faced Lieutenant on his right, who immediately got up, bowed to the General and, sitting down again, addressed a question to me: " How long have you been in China ?

"Ten years," I replied.

"Then you have been in China long enough to appreciate Japan's special position in the Far East, especially in China. Therefore you are guilty of deliberately undermining the confidence of the Chinese people in the Japanese economic structure. This under the existing conditions of war is a capital offence."

" What am I supposed to reply to that? " I asked Kageyama." I think you had better tell him that I am a business man and am concerned only with business."

"He wants to know whether you recognise Japan's sovereign rights in Manchuria.?" By now I realised that I had run into one of the young militarists who seemed determined to throw sand in the works. At this juncture the General leaned over and whispered something to Nakamura, who passed it on to my inquisitor.

"Tell him that it makes no difference what I personally think about Japan's interests in Manchuria. This is a question of Governmental Foreign Policy."

Unfortunately this seemed to annoy him, as he sprang up from his chair and addressed the General in rather an uncontrolled way. The General, who was now clearly bored with the proceedings, looked decidedly annoyed. Things were not going as planned. He stood up, issued a word of command and marched off the dais, followed, rather hesitatingly at first, by the other four.

As the door shut Kageyama turned to me with a worried expression. "I shouldn't have translated your last reply. He told the General that you are a person of dangerous thoughts and as such he has demanded that you be detained until the end of the war. Christ knows what will happen now; the General has adjourned the court." I was feeling sufficiently roused now not to care very much. It was quite clear that he was unaware that the case had already been decided and that the trial was merely a face-saving device. If he persisted, then there might well be some unexpected turn of events. Fifteen minutes dragged into half an hour. I began to consider the prospects of imprisonment for the duration. With the summer would come cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and with no medical attention half the prisoners would die. I began to realise that my life might depend on the successful conclusion of this morning's performance. Kageyama walked over to the recorder, who was leaning back in his chair with his feet on the desk and his eyes closed; he had a few words with him and then left the room. An hour and five minutes had already passed since the court had adjourned. There must have been some difficulties in connection with the Lieutenant who had interfered; it must he serious, otherwise they would have by now returned. Kageyama had been away twenty minutes; what could have happened to him? I paced up and down, wet with perspiration and my mind full of ugly possibilities. At last he returned. "They are just finishing their lunch and will he back shortly." In a few moments, led by the General, the party returned. As they took their places, I was again instructed to bow. The General removed his glasses and, looking directly at me, commenced to speak. As he finished Kageyama translated :" The General says that after due consideration it has been decided to levy punishment in the form of a fine in the amount of two hundred and fifty thousand Mengchiang dollars and a term of two years' solitary confinement, which will be suspended. Upon payment of the fine you will be released, but in order to keep a check on your future activities, it will be necessary for you to report to the Military Police once every week. There is nothing further. Bow to the General." As I bowed, the General pushed back his chair and led the way out of the hall, followed by the other four and the recorder.

As the door closed I turned to Kageyama and, shaking his hand, thanked him for his help. "Well, you can consider this incident in your life as just about over. I'll try to get in touch with Kamii and have him come down to see you and arrange for the details of the payment. As soon as that is settled you can leave. In the meantime you will have to return to your cell."

Soon I was again sitting facing the wall and the recipient of whispered congratulations. I would probably never see any of these people again who in the past two months had become part of my life. They were good honest people, generous with their friendship at a time when human companionship meant so much. Within a couple of hours or so I was called, and as I opened the office door I heard Kamii's excitable voice. As soon as he saw me he rushed over and grabbed my hand, tears streaming down his face. "Ah My dear Tipton, are you all right? What a terrible time! Never mind, it is over. You must come back to Peking ― there is room for you in the mess there. Ah! Your beard, we must shave. Your hair, we must cut. And food, you are hungry? ",

He had had the foresight to bring a cheque-book with him. The amount of the fine had apparently been governed by our bank balance, and there was just enough to cover the fine, which was the equivalent of U.S. 525,000. I signed, and in the meantime Kamii went off to negotiate the cheque. He was soon back with the news that the funds could not be obtained until the following day. They refused me permission to leave until they had received payment, but that night I was taken to a small room with a brick bed and a stove, and two thick cotton quilts. For the first time in two months j was warm and stayed warm. By the next morning everything was arranged and Kamii suggested that I should sleep during the afternoon and he would take me to his hotel later in the evening; we would have dinner, steak and fried eggs.

I realised he did not wish to be embarrassed by my presence in the hotel during daylight hours. I did not blame him particularly, as I was an extremely dirty-looking individual, so I agreed only on the promise that we would not eat western-style food. Having lived in Kalgan and knowing what would be produced under the label "western food", I wanted to wait until I got to Peking to enjoy such delicacies.

After dark Kamii appeared, accompanied by a Chinese with my clothes. I stripped off my khaki outer shirt and pants, retaining my lice-ridden underclothing, feeling much the same way about my cleanliness as I did about the food: no half measures. When I reached Peking I would burn my clothes, de-louse, shave, bath and then tackle the food problem. We left by the midnight express, accompanied by a member of the Military Police who was to hand me over to his opposite number in Peking. We arrived the next morning at half-past seven. "We had better go and see my friend Suzuki, he will take you over from this man and then that will be all. I'll phone the mess and let them know you have arrived." At the Military Police Headquarters we were ushered into the usual reception-room, furnished with two plush arm-chairs, a plush-covered sofa, a table covered with a plush cloth, and the usual ornate cigarette-box and ash-trays. We had hardly sat down before a young Japanese with long hair and horn-rimmed glasses appeared, greeted Kamii, and then turned to me. "I am Suzuki, Japanese Special Police. You friend my good friend Mr. Kamii? Any trouble you come me I fix." In a few moments we left for the Wagons-Lits Hotel, where a room had been booked for me to " w ash the insects away ", as Kamii said, before going over to the mess. Suzuki walked down the corridor with us. “you dance?" he said, addressing me. "You I go dance one night. Plenty whisky, plenty girls." I began to wonder what sort of a war this as I was just finishing my bath when Billy Christian arrived to take me up to the mess, and a few moments later my boy appeared with a bottle of "White Horse ". Life was rapidly getting back to normal.

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