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420 - 7 Feb. 1947 Domicile: Fukuoka Prefecture Born: 1921 1943: Private 2nd Class 11 Jan 1945: 2nd Lt. 16 March 1945: Detached Seibu Army Area Hqs. 1 Dec 1945: Member of Seibu Demobilization Control Office Undeveloped Leads: (420 - 23 Jan 1947) Question as to who told Nakao to tell the KIU prisoners that they were to be transferred to another POW Camp and who advised him they were to be diverted to the University. |
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Statement of Nakao Nakao, 25 years old, a farmer who lives In Fukuoka-ken, having been born In California. He was a 2nd Lt. of the Western Army Hqs. from 16 March 1945 in the Intelligence Section, bis chief being Major Inaga - as to the auditing of Allied broadcasts. He was also used as an interpreter in questioning crew members. The captured fliers were turned over to the AG which had Lt. Col. Jin In charge. Captain Goiyama received the prisoners and Imprisoned them. The questioning was done by Major Inaga, Colonel Sato and 2nd Lt. Yamanaka. The information was turned over to Aihara. In April 1945 Lt. Colonel Mltsuo Sugino became CO replacing Inaga. Nakao recalls Sgt. Billy J. Brown, a B-29 gunner, who crashed into the sea 29 April 1945. Also Corporal Linn E. Czarnecki, tall gunner, 1st Lt. Marvin S. Watkins, the Commanding Officer of the plane of the air raid of 5 May. Also on Wakins' plane was 2nd Lt. William R. Fredericks (Watkins was taken to Tokyo). Also on Watkins' plane was 2nd Lt. Dale Plambeck, radar operator. He also recalls Corporal Robert 3. Williams and Corporal John C. Colehower, a gunner (same plane). Nakao talked to these men about 7 May. He believes this plane crashed near Oguni-machi, Kumamoto-ken. All of the survivors were in good health except one with a shoulder gunshot wound and another with an Injured leg. He also recalls Sgt. Jack Y. Dengler, Private Marvin R. Colvin, and Corporal Irving A. Corliss (evidently a different plane crash). He further recalls M/Sgt. Robert J. Asplnall (plane crash at Usuki on 7 May.) He recalls Sgt. Otto Baumgartern, Sgt. Ralph S. Homines, G/Sgt Edgar L. McElfresh (crash Usa Air Field 7 May). He further recalls Jack Shelley (Sgt. from 9 July raid), and T. Roracka (a survivor of a crash at Takeda-machi of 5 May). (Possibly Teddy J. Poneska). He further recalls 2nd Lt. William H. Fredericks and Corporal Robert 3. Williams (B-29 survivors of a 5 May crash near Tometaka, Miyzaki-ken. He recalls one prisoner captured at Mori-machi who was a survivor of the Watkins plane and a 3~29 survivor of the Okada crash (Sgt. Palmer 27 May (?). He further recalls Lt. Samuel Shepard, who crashed on the Southern tip of Kyushu (5 July (?)) who he heard had been sent to Tokyo, and a Navy flier named Stodd from the Carrier Franklin, who crashed near Akune Air Field on 18 March. Nakao questioned only pilots and co-pilots. Between 16 March and 15 August he estimates that 60 American filers were brought In. Of those, about 18 were sent to Intelligence, Tokyo. Once Nakao saw Sato push a prisoner on the chest. On 11 August Nakao called Hirao, Sato, Kusumoto, Aihara, Col. Tomomori and Yakamaru there at Western Army Hqs. He didn't hear what they all talked about. Sato then told Nakao that all the prisoners had been killed and that If anyone asked what happened to the prisoners his answer was to be they had been sent to Tokyo on an Imperial Staff Hqs. plane. Sato further said that some prisoners had been killed at the hospital. In the middle of May Nakao was asked by Probationary Off leer Komori to accompany him and two prisoners to KIU where the two prisoners were to be vaccinated. Nakao left Immediately after the prisoners were given injections. It was not until after 25 June 1945 when the Hqs. was moved to Yamaie, that he heard that these men were killed in experimental operations. Somebody told Nakao that the prisoners were taken to the hospital and were reported officially as having been sent to Hiroshima. |
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Statement of Yamanaka From March until the surrender Nakao was an Intelligence Officer of the 16th Army Hqs. Yamanaka first heard of the vivisection incident through Nakao who told him that he, Nakao, was ordered to tell the prisoners that they were being transferred to another POW Camp although actually they were being sent to KIU. Nakao told Yamanaka that he, Nakao, would never forget the prisoner on the operating table who yelled "Oh ether". Nakao said that the victims were from Watkins' plane. Nakao told Yamanaka that Komori was a Western Army Hqs doctor who had many friends at KIU. After the operations Komori came over to see Nakao. Yamanaka heard Nakao say that Sato beat the prisoners. |