|
Statement of Mizushima (21 October 1947) 51, head priest at Miyoko Temple, Fukuoka for past 30 years. On 18 August 1945 an army Officer brought a box to Mizushima, said it contained the bones of American PWs and for him to take care of it, that the PWs died during the Fukuoka airraid, that they would return for the box. It is customary to have the name on the box of ashes left temporarily, and Mizushima said he would only accept it if the names were on the box, and the officer then took out a piece of paper, read Mizushima the list of names, which Mizushima wrote down in Katakana characters. As Mizushima recalls there were 18 names, and he then placed the list on the outside of the box and wrapped it with a piece of paper. The officer then left, and Mizushima placed the box in his temple. About 7 days later the same officer returned for the box, took the ashes, which were wrapped in separate packages, from the box, and wrapped them all in a cloth, left the box and the paper containing the list of names in the hallway and left. Mizushima recalls the names Charles, Jack, William, and a 4th name in which the first or last name was written in 4 Katakana characters. Mizushima then on questioning, believes that the name of Charles Ensey was on the list, states that Jack Shaloy or Roy was on the list, remembers the name William and believes it was William Cohen, believes the name of the 4 characters was Roberts. Too, he recalls the name Frederick Stearns on the list, believes the name Davison was on the list. Mizushima then wrapped the box, which he let in a room near the temple, then went to the hospital for 3 weeks and when he returned the box was being used to hold old medicine bottles and the paper and the list of names had been torn off and destroyed. Mizushima then identifies Kashi Yukino as the officer, who told him when he returned for the ashes that they were of PWs who died in Fukuoka, and that they were going to make it appear as if they died at Hiroshima when the atom bomb was dropped. |