Military | Page 26 | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

February 19, 2019 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Ni‘ihau Incident

When Pearl Harbor was attacked on the morning December 7, 1941, Japanese Airman 1st Class Shigenori Nishikaichi was among the raiders, escorting a group of bombers in his Zero fighter.

During the attacks Shigenori Nishikaichi’s fuel tank was punctured by a bullet. Nishikaichi was able to fly and safely land on Ni‘ihau.

Nishikaichi’s choice of Ni‘ihau was, apparently, not random. The Japanese Imperial Navy wrongly believed the island was uninhabited and had designated it as an emergency landing site.

The Japanese had a submarine standing-by off-shore to rescue any Zeros – but it’s not clear why they ordered it away prematurely, leaving him alone on the island.

Ni‘ihau residents were initially unaware of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Nishikaichi was rescued by Howard Kaleohano who confiscated his pistol and papers, but treated him kindly and took him home to be given a meal.

However, Nishikaichi was apprehended when the gravity of the situation became apparent.

Nishikaichi then sought and received the assistance of three locals of Japanese descent (Yoshio Harada and Ishimatsu & Irene Shintani) in overcoming his captors, finding weapons and taking several hostages.

In the end, Nishikaichi was killed by Niʻihauan Ben Kanahele, who was wounded in the process, and one of Nishikaichi’s accomplices, Harada, committed suicide.

Some believe that single bullet set into motion events that would eventually lead to the US interning more than one-hundred thousand people of Japanese heritage – despite their citizenship – in concentration camps for the remainder World War II.

Novelist William Hallstead argues that the Niʻihau incident had an influence on decisions leading to the Japanese American internment. According to Hallstead, the behavior of Shintani and the Haradas were included in a Navy report.

In the official report, authored by Navy Lieutenant C. B. Baldwin and dated January 26, 1942, Baldwin wrote: “The fact that the two Niʻihau Japanese who had previously shown no anti-American tendencies went to the aid of the pilot when Japan domination of the island seemed possible …”

“… indicate likelihood that Japanese residents previously believed loyal to the United States may aid Japan if further Japanese attacks appear successful.”

The particulars of the case “indicate a strong possibility that other Japanese residents of the Territory of Hawaii, and Americans of Japanese descent …”

“… may give valuable aid to Japanese invaders in cases where the tide of battle is in favor of Japan and where it appears to residents that control of the district may shift from the United States to Japan.” (Baldwin)

Ultimately, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the internment with Executive Order 9066, issued February 19, 1942, which allowed local military commanders to designate “military areas” as “exclusion zones,” from which “any or all persons may be excluded.”

This power was used to declare that all people of Japanese ancestry were excluded from “military areas” and “military zones.”

While the incident at Ni‘ihau may not have led inevitably to the evacuation and internment of Japanese Americans, it is believed to have exerted influence in the investigation that ultimately led to the internment Executive Order.

On February 19, 1976, Executive Order 9066 was rescinded by President Gerald Ford.

In 1988, Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed legislation which apologized for the internment on behalf of the U.S. government. The legislation said that government actions were based on “race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership”.

The U.S. government eventually disbursed more than $1.6-billion in reparations to Japanese Americans who had been interned and their heirs.

An interesting twist in all of this is that just as the Nishikaichi events ended on Ni‘ihau, a boatload of soldiers – led by a Japanese American, Lt. Jack Mizuha – reached Ni‘ihau.

Mizuha would later serve in a storied Japanese American 100th Battalion unit in Italy, where he was severely wounded. Still later, he would become the first attorney general of the new state of Hawai‘i – and eventually a justice on the state’s Supreme Court.

Ben Kanahele was awarded the Medal of Merit and the Purple Heart and Howard Kaleohano the Medal of Freedom.

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Ni‘ihau Incident – Crashed Japanese Plane

February 4, 2019 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Four Minute Men

“Men and nations are at their worst or at their best in any great struggle. The spoken word may light the fires of passion and unreason or it may inspire to highest action and noblest sacrifice a nation of freemen.”

“Upon you Four-Minute Men, who are charged with a special duty and enjoy a special privilege in the command of your audiences, will rest, in a considerable degree, the task of arousing and informing the great body of our people …”

“… so that when the record of these days is complete we shall read page for page with the deeds of army and navy the story of the unity, the spirit of sacrifice, the unceasing labors, the high courage of the men and women at home who held unbroken the inner lines.”

“My best wishes and continuing interest are with you in your work as part of the reserve officer corps in a nation thrice armed because through your efforts it knows better the justice of its cause and the value of what it defends.” (Woodrow Wilson, November 9, 1917)

The Four Minute Men, a nation-wide organization of volunteer speakers, was organized June 16, 1917, for the purpose of assisting the various Departments of the Government in the work of national defense during World War I.

They delivered short pro-war speeches, as part of an effort to galvanize public support for the war and suppress dissent. The subject matter was prepared and the speaking was directed from Washington under the authority of the Government. (Four Minute Men, Committee on Public Information, November 25, 1917))

“‘The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth’ – that is the kernel of the messages the Four Minute Men are asked to convey to the American people.”

“The truth about the war, we believe, is such that it need but to be spread clearly in order to convince the public that we must fight on. Those who do not so believe should not attempt to convince others.” (Four Minute Men, Committee on Public Information, 1918)

“Our cause were weak, indeed, if we needed to bolster it up in the approved Prussian fashion by hiding of facts, statements of half truths, exaggerations, and sophistries.”

“Our cause is strong in so far as we can afford to be frank and open, and the speaker who is frank and open ready to concede the contrafacts, willing to admit doubt wherever doubt rightfully exists, and making no claims beyond authentic authoritative knowledge, is powerful, because he. stands on the rock of fairness. His honesty shines through his words.”

“At no time should our audiences be led to feel that Government speakers appear before them to implant thoughts skillfully designed to create some “desired impression.” The public should realize rather that the Government sends its representative to state indisputable facts.”

“To impress others with our honesty we need but to be honest. Then, honesty is the armor, frankness and fairness are the weapons, and the champion of the Right becomes invincible.”

“As a matter of policy, too, we can not emphasize too strongly that the most conservative statement is the most powerful. Calling the Kaiser a devil, condemning everything done in war by the enemy, indulging generally in tirades, may bring applause from partisans, but it does not make a single convert.”

“Our audiences may be divided into three classes – those favoring the war, those in doubt, and those who are so imbued with pacifism or pro-German sentiments that no appeal to the heart to reason or common sense can draw them to us. It is our problem to reach the second class; with the other two classes we are but indirectly concerned.”

“The doubters want reasons and facts, not vituperation. If the speaker shows blindness to common sense, unwillingness to view facts in perspective, if he browses around to find extremest arguments, the purpose of the speech is lost.”

“But if he drives home the facts, the terrible proven facts, then he leaves no loophole for counterargument, and the case against Germany stands out—unassailable!”

In preparing speakers, the program provided the following ‘Four Minute Hints’:

“Stick to your time allowance. Five minutes means a guess; four minutes makes a promise.”
“Begin with a positive, concrete statement.”
“Tell them something at the start.”
“Use short sentences. The man who can’t make one word do the work of two is no four minute speaker.”
“Avoid fine phrases. You aren’t there to give them an ear full but a mind full.”
“Talk to the back row of your audience; you’ll hit everything closer in.”
“Talk to the simplest intelligence in your audience; you’ll hit everything higher up.”
“Be natural and direct. Sincerity wears no frills.”
“Give your words time. A jumbled sentence is a wasted sentence. You can’t afford waste on a four-minute allowance.”
“Don’t fear to be colloquial. Slang that your hearers understand is better than Latin that they don’t.”
“Don’t figure the importance of your job on a time basis. Four hours of thinking may go into four minutes of speaking.”
“You represent the United States of America. Don’t forget it. And don’t give your audience occasion to forget it.”
“Finish strong and sharp. The butterfly is forgotten as soon as he departs, but you recall the hornet because he ends with a point.”
“Finally, and always – Stick to your pledge and the four-minute limit.” (Four Minute Men, Committee on Public Information, 1918)

The Four-Minute Men idea was born in Chicago and has grown into a national division of war work; Hawaii participated in the Four Minute Men program.

“The success of the Four Minute Men is assured here, and their opportunities for usefulness are not restricted to patriotic speeches in the motion-picture houses of the city. They have a far wider field where their utterances should be valuable.” (Star Bulletin, December 6, 1917)

“The Four-Minute Men in Hawaii plan to furnish on short notice speakers on patriotic subjects for gatherings or meetings of any nature. It is now aiding the local food pledge campaign by four-minute speeches each evening at the Bijou and Liberty theaters. The organization is to become a permanent one.” (Star Bulletin, December 4, 1917)

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January 12, 2019 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Money to Burn

“After the Pearl Harbor bombing, people in Hawai’i hoarded money against an emergency such as a possible invasion. Fearing that the Japanese might capture Hawai‘i and find all this money, the U.S. government on Jan. 2, 1942, made it illegal for individuals to own more than $200 in cash. Businesses could own $500.”

“Everybody was supposed to turn in their cash and securities. Patriotically, they did so – $200 million worth.” (Krauss)

“From the time of the Blitz, everyone realized the possibility of the return of the (Japanese) and naturally gave consideration to the safety of their money.”

“Those who had bank deposits began to worry about the security of their deposits and as a result many withdrew their savings and secreted them in various places considered safe.”

“This worried the banks, but a more serious problem was occasioned by the cashing of drafts by Navy ships for paying the crews in cash and for other purposes and depositing drafts to cover the withdrawals.”

“The money received by the ships, which was used to pay the sailors, was all too quickly spent in Hawaii, but the receivers of that money carefully withdrew a considerable portion of it from circulation and secreted in places best known to themselves. The result was that the banks were gradually running out of cash.”

“During the first week in January 1942 a group of bankers called on me to assist them in getting the Army and Navy to fly in money from the Mainland for them. They had plenty of credit, but their actual cash had shrunk to an alarming state.”

“I had a great deal of sympathy for the bankers, but their plan had two very serious objections.”

“First, neither the Military Governor nor anyone else in the military service had a right to place the Government in the position of insuring private money.”

“Second, the admirals and the generals were using every available airplane for military purposes and both were pleading for more.”

“Both of these reasons forbade the use of military aircraft for the purpose, but it was clear that some remedial action had to be taken and promptly, since the situation was worsening rapidly.”

“The bankers informed me that there was plenty of cash in the Territory but that it was not in their banks. I agreed to think the matter over and late that night I came up with a plan which was a little frightening to me but it would work.”

“When I informed the bankers of it the next day it not only frightened them but astonished them as well.”

“The Military Governor would issue an order prohibiting the withdrawal of more than $200 per month from a bank and forbidding the possession of more than $200 in cash.”

“Exceptions to the order included the Federal Government, the Territorial Government, banks, trust companies, finance companies, building and loan associations, etc.”

“There was also a catch-all provision which permitted anyone to be exempted from the provisions of the order upon a showing of the necessity therefor.”

“The bankers agreed that it might solve their problem, and I became more convinced than ever that some means must be found for substituting some form of legal tender for our present paper money.”

“The so-called ‘money order’ was issued as General Orders #51 and dated January 9, 1942. The effective date of the order was January 12th, three days after the issuance of it.”

“The new bills were similar to the ordinary bank note except that the seals and the numbers were printed in brown ink instead of green and the bills bore the word ‘Hawaii’ overprinted in black on both sides. It was explained to me that the printing of red money would require prohibitive changes in normal Treasury practice and processes.”

“As the old bills came into banks they were exchanged for new bills and then bundled up and destroyed”. (Maj Gen Thomas H Green)

“At first, the money was incinerated at the O‘ahu Cemetery crematorium, in Nu‘uanu Valley. However, it was soon discovered that the facility couldn’t handle the large quantity of bills, it was decided to burn the bills in the ‘Aiea Sugar mill.” (Numismatist)

“All of this was done with the full cooperation of Governor Poindexter and was under careful scrutiny by a committee composed of a local banker, a Treasury representative, and a junior Army officer.”

“Applications for the last-named post were numerous and it was not until I learned of the practice of lighting cigarettes from bills of large denominations that I understood the desirability of such duty.”

“This ritual was enjoyed, especially by young officers who had little prospect of handling, much less burning, bills of large denominations.”

“The objective of the plan was now complete. It placed the Treasury in the position of being able to declare our overprinted Hawaiian money not legal tender in the event that the (Japanese) were able to take the Hawaiian Islands.”

“The plan worked so well in Hawaii that the use of scrip was adopted all-over the world wherever our troops served. While the need for ‘Emmons Money’ ceased with the termination of hostilities with Japan, the money is still in use and I have personally received some of the bills in change in various parts of the United States. (Maj Gen Thomas H Green)

“By October of 1944, the U.S. no longer felt the threat from Japan, and they took the emergency bills out of circulation, allowing normal currency to re-enter Hawaii. The treasury took some of the overprint bills out of circulation and pushed some of them to other islands in the Pacific.” (Numismatist)

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Oahu-cemetery-crematorium&chapel

C. Brewer’s Honolulu plantation mill (1898-1946) located at ‘Aiea, O’ahu, ca. 1902

US-$1-SC-1935-A-Fr.2300

US-$5-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2302

US-$10-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2303

US-$20-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2305

January 9, 2019 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Emmons Money

“Delos Carleton Emmons was born on January 17, 1888, in Huntington, West Virginia. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in June 1909 and was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry. He later transferred to aviation and rose through the ranks, becoming a major general in 1939.”

“He was soon promoted to lieutenant general and became chief of the Air Force Combat Command in June 1941. He replaced Major General Walter C. Short as commanding general of the Hawaiian Department on December 17, ten days after the Pearl Harbor attack.”

“Emmons oversaw the implementation of martial law in Hawai‘i and is credited with preventing the mass exclusion of Japanese in the Islands. He also promoted the entry of the Nisei into the military with the formation of the 100th Infantry Battalion and eventually encouraged the end of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans on the mainland.” (Nakamura)

“Martial law involved the outright suspension of constitutional liberties as civilian courts were declared closed. Additionally, all government functions—federal, territorial, and municipal—were placed under army control, and a military regime was established. “

“As the commanding general, Emmons held the title of the ‘Military Governor’ of Hawai‘i and controlled the entire civilian population with absolute discretionary powers.”

“According to some ‘Emmons played a key role in the fate of Japanese Americans in Hawai‘i’ by challenging allegations of sabotage made by Navy Secretary Frank Knox. Emmons is thus credited with preventing plans for the mass forced removal of Japanese from the Islands citing logistical problems, cost, and labor shortages.”

“However, in lieu of mass removal, the army and the FBI quickly rounded up aliens and other suspicious persons in the Japanese community who had been investigated earlier for being disloyal or dangerous during a war. Of the 1,569 persons eventually detained on suspicion of disloyalty, 1,444 were of Japanese descent.”

“Emmons also played a key role in the formation of the 100th Infantry Battalion and supported the entry of Nisei into the military who were partly responding to ‘extreme insecurity’ in wartime Hawai‘i.”

“During the period of military rule in Hawai‘i that lasted until late October 1944, some 181 general orders were issued under the names of the commanding general Emmons and Lt. Col. Thomas H. Green, the latter having been given the title of ‘Executive, Office of the Military Governor.’” (Nakamura)

“The so-called ‘money order’ was issued as General Orders #51 and dated January 9, 1942. The effective date of the order was January 12th, three days after the issuance of it.”

“Before the effective date of the order, more than one and one-half million dollars had been deposited in the banks and on each of the following days there were queues of people waiting to deposit their money in the banks.”

“Suddenly, the banks found themselves with more than twenty million dollars on deposit. Some of the money deposited was in the form of gold certificates long outmoded by the Treasury, and much of the money was moist and even wet, indicating that it had recently been excavated.”

“The public response to General Orders # 51 was instantaneous. Perhaps some of it was motivated by fear of punishment because the penalties prescribed were severe. However, I think the major factor in this, as well as in all other undertakings, was that the public trusted the integrity and intelligence of the Military Governor.”

“The problem of keeping the banks supplied with money having been solved for the moment, there still remained the greater problem of substituting something for that money. I was obsessed with the idea that something further must be done in the interest of security.”

“I finally came up with the idea of exchanging United States currency for some other form of legal tender which, in the event of invasion, could be outlawed as legal tender and therefore defeat its use by an invader.”

“I appreciated that any such plan would have to be approved by the United States Treasury. I began discussing the idea with my staff and decided upon a substitute paper money which would be red in color instead of green.”

“I began calling it ‘Emmons Money.’”

“I took up the matter with General Emmons who scoffed at the idea of calling the substitute money ‘Emmons Money’ but he told me to go ahead.”

“Early in March 1942, a Treasury detail came to Hawaii from Washington to close the deal with us whereby regular currency would be exchanged for specially printed paper money. The agreement was consummated and some twenty million dollars on regular currency was exchanged for the special issue money.”

“When the new money arrived I was disappointed as I hoped that it would be red in color and have ‘Emmons’ written all over it.”

“The new bills worked out well, in fact there was an immediate demand for the new currency and the transfer from the old to the new was made without incident.”

“The plan worked so well in Hawaii that the use of scrip was adopted all-over the world wherever our troops served. While the need for ‘Emmons money’ ceased with the termination of hostilities with Japan, the money is still in use and I have personally received some of the bills in change in various parts of the United States.”

“I obtained the first four one dollar bills of this Emmons money to be issued in Hawaii by exchanging for it four one dollar bills of regular currency.”

“At my request, General Emmons endorsed his name on all four bills and I did likewise. I then sent all four bills to Admiral Nimitz with the request that he endorse his name on all four bills, retain one for his scrap book and return the other three to me.”

“In my letter of transmittal, I explained that I intended to give General Emmons one of the bills for his scrap book, retain one for myself, and send the fourth to The Adjutant General of the Army for historical purposes, because, to my knowledge, it was the first time such a money transaction had been accomplished.”

“With his reply, dated July 29, 1942, Admiral Nimitz returned all four of the bills, duly endorsed, and stating that he was not including American currency in his scrap book and added, ‘No doubt you will have constructive use for the one allocated to me.’”

“At the bottom of the letter was a pen-written postscript which typifies the keen sense of humor possessed by that great commander. It read, ‘I have a particular yen for Japanese yen taken from captured or destroyed planes – and if you get a collection of that kind of currency please don’t forget me. CWN.’” (Maj Gen Thomas H Green)

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US-$1-SC-1935-A-Fr.2300

US-$5-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2302

US-$10-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2303

US-$20-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2305

Oahu-cemetery-crematorium&chapel

C. Brewer’s Honolulu plantation mill (1898-1946) located at ‘Aiea, O’ahu, ca. 1902

December 7, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Prince Kūhiō’s View on Pearl Harbor

“I shall simply cite some historical facts to show how conclusively and for how long a time the strategic value of Pearl Harbor and the Hawaiian Islands has been officially recognized by the Government of the United States.”

“Beginning in 1842, President Tyler gave notice to European nations that the United States would never consent to their occupying the Hawaiian Islands.”

“In 1851, when the French were threatening to occupy Hawaii, Daniel Webster, then Secretary of State, wrote: ‘I hope the French will not take possession of Hawaii; but if they do, they will be dislodged, if my advice is taken, if the whole power of the Government is required to do it.’”

“William L. Marcy, when Secretary of State, reiterated the declaration that Hawaii would not be permitted to fall into the hands of any European nation. Up to that time there was no menace of Hawaiian occupation by any nation other than European.”

“Almost a third of a century ago, when King Kalakaua was the reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, the United States, by reciprocity treaty, obtained rights over the waters of Pearl Harbor. This was the first step toward carrying out the policy announced by President Tyler thirty-five years previously.”

“Coming down to the days of Blaine and McKinley, we find those, statesmen repeating the declarations of their predecessors.”

“By the time that President McKinley reached the White House, it had become apparent that the danger of the occupation of Hawaii by a foreign power had been shifted from European nations to those of the Orient.”

“Finally, ten years ago, when the unexpected events of the Spanish-American war thrust a new situation upon this nation, it became apparent that it was necessary for the United States to acquire the sovereignty of the Hawaiian Islands, both for the protection of the Pacific coast and in order to make it possible to maintain any naval base in the Far East.”

“But although this Government annexed the Hawaiian Islands for the particular value of their strategic location, they have permitted almost ten years to pass without turning a sod or laying one foundation stone toward the actual construction of a naval station at Pearl Harbor.”

“It is true that a magnificent site of over 600 acres of ground has been acquired for this purpose.”

“The 10 square miles of landlocked waters in Pearl Harbor could easily accommodate the combined fleets of this nation and of Great Britain, but that can never give shelter to a battle ship till docks are built and the channel approach is straightened.”

“The importance of Pearl Harbor as a naval and military base has been repeatedly urged by men able and experienced in military and naval science; among them Captain (now Admiral) AT Mahan, who pointed out with unanswerable arguments the commanding importance of Pearl Harbor as the key to the Pacific.”

“Gentlemen of the committee, this Government has for ten years neglected the safeguard of preparing a naval base in the mid-Pacific.”

“Our relations with other nations are such to-day that it would be inexcusable neglect of the responsibility of Congress to the nation to postpone the beginning of this work another year.”

“The Navy Department and the General Board are at last keenly awake to the urgent need of opening Pearl Harbor and building a dry dock there at once. Both these lines of work should be carried on together, and both should be provided for in this bill.”

“I would respectfully suggest that your committee invite Admiral Dewey or some member of the Naval Board to appear before you and state to you personally in an executive session some of their reasons for the urgency of work at Pearl Harbor, which they may not care to transmit to you in writing.”

“The development of Pearl Harbor is not a Hawaiian proposition; it is a national need. But as my nation gave over its sovereignty to this country ten years ago, we have a right to ask, and we do ask that adequate protection be provided for our islands, so that we could not be captured by a single hostile battle ship as could be done to-day.”

“Coast fortifications alone are not sufficient; there must be an operating base for war vessels as well as coast defenses, and the latter are useless without the former.”

“Hawaii should be defended for its own protection; but I repeat that it is far more important for the offensive and defensive plans of the nation as a whole.” (Prince Kūhiō Statement, Committee on Naval Affairs, January 29, 1908)

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U.S.. Naval Station, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, looking North East by East,(NHHC) circa 1918