WWII experiments

and US cover-up?
WORLD PRESS
BY ALAN BERGER
:•
rican prisoners of staff killed and cre-
;, During World War II, Ame lurrendereci." The Japanese
of human guinea were still living, and
)ar were among thou san ds Mated those prisoners who
warfare expert- a, taking their lab-
pigs who died In Japa nese germ lien fled through South Kore
decided, after the rds with them , acco rding to the re-
Prnts. yet American officials prato4 reco
Japanese officers
*tar, to make a deal with the OPrt. the Bulletin report
ons ible for the expe rime nts. trading Immu- I; The documents cited In
Osp officials promised
In return for the ikicate that senior Ame rica n
Oty from legal prosecution unity from prosecu4
ane se had accu mul ated on their Oen. Ishii and his staff Imm
data the Jap on of his germ war-
are prog ram . The se disclosures ld'on in order to gain possessi
I:iiological warf the United States
Sun day' s Lon don Observer, PAr e rese arch data , and that
4sere made in last any reference to
ly documented re- essf ul effor t to keep
It an article based on a "ful Made a succ
s from entering
ber Issue of the Bid- .Japanese germ warf are prog ram
tort" appearing In the Octo that evid ence of the re-
Atom ic Scie ntist s. File Tokyo war trial s, so
ibtin of the sian hands.
on previously .rch could be kept out of Rus
The Bulletin's report drew US military head-
ume nts obta ined und er the Free- One top secret cable from
Plassified doc sed doe- the War Department in
Act. One of the relea iiiar ters In Tok yo to
dom of Information guarantee of im-
ugh most victims of gton prom ised that a
dments indicated that, altho :Washin
ecutions "will re-
with biological war- diunity from war crimes pros
4he Japanese experiments erie nce of the di-
were Chin ese pris one rs of war, Americans, lilt In exploiting 20 year s exp
Ike , who can assure com-
aps som e Briti sh, were also used "be- Octal.. former Gen. Ishii
4.rid perh er subordinates."
nese inte rest in stud ying 'the im- plete cooperation of his form
Ouse of Japa traveled to Tokyo
lo-S axo ns to infe ctious dis- V. Two US Army doctors who
4iunity of Ang 's mate rials were so Im-
lid Inve stiga te Gen . lshil
(*sea: " r's account of the the exte nt of Japa nese germ warfare
According to the Observe pressed by
be made with
lved giving pris- they urge d a dea l
*port. "The experiments invo *search that
tors : "Such infor-
l diseases, Including ers. Said the doc
()hers massive doses of letha research
in our laboratories
anthrax, smallpox. piatiot could not be obtained
1,1'ubonic plague. typhus. to human experi-
and chol era, with som e being slaugh- picatibe of scruples attached
gangrene

r ed at various stag
archers could chec k
es
on
of
the

er The American POWs kno

illne
prog
ss so that re-
ress of the dis-

wn to have per-
dier ktio

pito/v/ar
n."
tate Department memoran
peri od sum
1047 deal with Gen. Ishii:
mar ized
dum from the
the rationale for
"The value to the
held at a Japanese of Jap ane se biol ogical weapons
Vied in this program were titl States
onal security
as "Unit 737." the Imp orta nce- to nati
lficility in Manchuria known of such
uing from war
st of seve n such biol ogic al warfare labora- far outweigh the value accr
Irge
in occu pied Chin a and Japan. The report prosecution."
•tpries
com pris ed "a larg e self-contained
*Id Unit 737
soph istic ated germ and insect-
pastallation with nds. an
, a pris on, testi ng grou
*reeding facilities
bs, an airfield, its
arsenal for making germ bom
crematorium for the
divn special planes and a
human victims."
direction of Lt.
This installation, under the
. Shir o Ishii . a Japa nese army surgeon. was
Oen
last days of World
':hurriedly dismantled In the
iet tank s cros sed the Siberian-
War II as Sov
shor tly befo re the Japanese
Manchurian border