Statements Concerning Okumura

Statement of Okumura (3 Oct - 15 Oct 1947)

27, came to Japan from California in 1938 after attending Pasadena Junior College for 1 year, drafted into Japanese army in 1943 > was transferred to Intelligence Section of WAH in mid April 1945, which section was transferred from Fukuoka to Yamaie with the tactical troops in late June to 18-19 August. Okumura was assigned to the liaison section as a civilian interpreter at end of war, was discharged 31 August as a leading private., continued with demobi­lization bureau.

WAH Intelligence Section: Maj. Kameyama, the chief; Capt. Aihara, Captain Sakura, 2nd Lt. Yamanaka, 2nd Lt. Nakao. Until 17 June Nakao and Okumura were the only Niseis, then 5-6 came in with 14 EM interpreters. Okumura audited American and Australian broadcasts, submitted to Nakao. One occa­sion Okumura interpreted the interrogation of 3 airmen, on another occasion acted as interpreter and accompanied 3 captured American airmen to KIU. These were the only two instances.

Okumura believes Nakao also served as interpreter for American airmen.

About 25 April Okumura interpreted as to 3 flyers of a B-29 that crashed after raiding Omuta. One was a corporal and tail gunner, about 5,7", 155 lbs., blond, short curly hair. One of the others was a radio operator, about 5'6", 145 lbs., light hair. The other person was a captain and bombadier, about 6', 170 lbs., was not a crewman, but an observer, had been in the ETO; this was Captain Louis W. Nelson. The other two were evidently Benn Thornton and Frederick A. Stearns, (Okumura identifies picture of Thornton) 2nd Lt. Yamanaka was the only other person present.

In late May, Nakao told Olmmura he had some interpreting for him to do, that he was too busy, that he should go to the detention rooms, find PO Komori, who would instruct him. Komori told him that he was to keep the matter secret, that he should tell the Prisoners that the injections Komori was going to give them were for cholera.

They then entered the building; Komori ordered the guards to open a cell. The Prisoner stood up and Komori injected something in his arm through a syringe. They then did the same in a 2nd cell, but the 2nd Prisoner commented that a large amount of fluid was being injected into him. A 3rd Prisoner in a 3rd cell was then injected. Komori then said he would use him that after­noon.

All the Prisoners were Caucasians and from their general appearance and the accent of one they appeared to be American. 2 were dressed in cotton khaki with full length trousers, the 3rd was in greenish coveralls. All seemed to be around 5'7", 140 lbs. All looked haggard. None had any bandages, bruises, or injuries, to Okumura's knowledge. Aside from being undernourished, they appeared in good health.

Shown 25 pictures, he is quite sure that Robert B. Williams was one of the Prisoners received an injection from Komori.

OKUMURA -2-

About 1400 Okumura was ordered to return to the detention rooms, noticed a truck parked alongside. Present was Capt. Goiyama, another officer and a few civilians. Komori ordered the guards to open the 3 cells on the south side of the building, told Okumura to tell the Prisoners they they were going to be moved, would have to be blindfolded. They were the same 3 Prisoners. They were blindfolded and handcuffed, placed on the back of the truck. Okumura and 2 guards also got in the back of the truck. Komori got in the front with the driver. One of the Prisoners asked where they were being transferred and if they could send message to relatives, another asked him if he could eat part of a rice ball he had that he hadn’t eaten at lunch.

The Prisoners appeared drousy, lay down, entered the main entrance to KIU Medical College, drove down this street a few hundred yards, then took a back road and the truck stopped near the rear of a wooden building. The Prisoners were aroused, walked under their own power, did not appear to stagger, but were led (blindfolded). Komori led the group to the hallway of a large wooden building, told 2 of the guards to take 2 Prisoners into the large room and let the other Prisoner wait in the hallway. Okumura led the 2nd Prisoner, the other guard stayed with the 3rd Prisoner in the hallway.

They entered the large room through a double door, only half of which was open. Okumura noticed a short heavy man in operating gown and 2 nurses. The windows were in the far end; the near end was rather dark. There were 2 parallel tables about 5 1 apart. Either the short gowned person or Komori then told Okumura and the guard to lead the Prisoners to the tables, were made to lie down, with the 2 nurses assisting, strapping them down.

The 1st Prisoner attempted to sit up, but the 2 men held him down and the nurses quickly strapped him, and he soon relaxed. There were many surgical operating instruments lying on a small table on the other side of the 2 long tables. The 2nd Prisoner was put down and the nurses strapped him to the table. Okumura was excited.

A floor lamp or lamps was turned on near a table. Komori and the short man exposed the chest of the 1st Prisoner, opening his shirt, and someone removed his shoes, Komori told Okumura to wait in another room, better that he not see it, went to a large vacant room with a concrete floor and radiators. Komori did not put a gown on in Okumura's 20 minutes in the room. Okumura believes a picture of Ishiyama might be the short man he refers to.

Someone then 10-15 minutes later told Okumura to take the place of the 3rd guard, since the guards were going to ride back to Headquarters, that the Prisoner was asleep. The Prisoner was asleep on tatamis in a small room off the hallway, and Okumura remained alone outside the room for about an hour, when 2 persons in operating gowns came down the hall, asked how the Prisoner was. They looked at them, and the taller and thinner one then left, returned in about 2 minutes with a cylinder about 4" in diameter and 7" long, tapered at the bottom, with a cap on one end, a face mask on the other, with a bag attached to the center. A mask was placed over the Prisoner's face and the short man held the Prisoner down. Okumura believes he also assisted in holding the Prisoner down. The cap was taken off the cylinder, a liquid smelling like ether was poured into the cylinder, and the Prisoner relaxed,

OKUMURA -3-

and the mask was removed. At about the same time Okumura removed the ring from the Prisoner’s finger and put it in his pocket.

The Prisoner was then placed on a stretcher by the short man, Okumura, and 2 nurses and carried him into the corridor, When someone took Okumura's place, the Prisoner carried into the room where the other 2 had been.

Okumura then waited about an hour, during which time a person in operating gown went down the corridor and returned carrying a bottle of clear liquid^ about 3" in diameter and 4" tall. He came out about 10 minutes later, having something in the bottle a light pink in color, took this into a room. Okumura did converse casually with a civilian about 10 minutes during his waiting.

About 1630 Komori came out dressed in uniform carrying a bucket in one hand, a pair of handcuffs in another. The bucket was about 10" in diameter, 12" deep; a scarf was placed over it, raised in the center, suggesting something was inside it. Komori and Okumura left the building by the front entrance, then Komori warned Okumura to secrecy.

While waiting for a street car part of the scarf was blown off, exposing a large glass flask, the bottom of which filled the bottom of the bucket. The flask was almost filled with a reddish liquid. Komori immediately recovered it, said it was blood, that he was going to make an insecticide to kill bed­-bugs. Okumura was then given the bucket to carry.

Statement of Okumura (15 October 1947)

Okumura states he might have talked to Irving A. Corliss, but is not certain; While he previously thought he talked to Louis W. Nelson and Frederick A. Stearns, he could not certainly identify them on being shown their photographs.