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gky: Can you tell me a little bit about your first interrogation that you did, about the prisoner who committed suicide?

SY: Oh, yeah. This was because I was chief of the interrogation section, I had the privilege of interrogating the first Japanese prisoner that was brought into MacArthur's headquarters, or at Camp [inaudible]. And his name was Miyazaki and when I, the first meeting when I confronted him, I thought instead of my talking I'd tell him, let him talk. But I posed a few questions since as far as his unit, his name was alright, but I started asking him about what unit he was with, and what the objective of the unit was, where their unit was going, and so, in answer to my question, he started telling me the organization of his unit, and his objective where he was going. Before I got to the point where, where the unit was going to advance to, he started telling me the identity of his unit which didn't sound like a unit that was from some homework that I did, I didn't feel that he was telling the actual truth, as far as unit was con -- that he didn't know or what, I had no idea. But, anyhow, I couldn't believe his explanation of his unit. So I told him, "Well, I just can't believe what you're telling me, so you go back to your cell and see me tomorrow. You think about it overnight and see me tomorrow morning." So when he arrived, came up to my interrogation area, he, the first thing he said was, "I'm sorry, I wasn't telling the truth. I was lying to you and hereafter I'll try to tell you the truth." So after they...

gky: Can you start that again, just because you cleared your throat.

SY: Yes.

gky: And so, the next day he came up to you...

SY: The next day he came up and he told me that he was lying, he wasn't telling me the truth, "But from here on in you can rest assured that I'll be telling the truth." So he became very cooperative from then, that point on, and two or three meetings every day I'd see him, and he'd go to the extent that even he was with the 56th Anti-Aircraft Battalion. And he went to the extent that even drawing a picture of the type of armament that they were using. He became very cooperative and we communicated very well. But about that time, I was appointed warrant officer. Kodani, Ishi and myself, we were the first Niseis in MacArthur's headquarters to get warrant. So couldn't imagine when the commanding officer said, "I'll give you guys a three-day pass. Go into Brisbane and get yourself outfitted to officer's uniform." So we were out for three days, and when I got back to -- we had this Commander Bartlett that was in charge of the whole operation. He says, "What did you do to your prisoner? He committed suicide." And I was stunned with this. And he left me a note and said that, "Since you haven't being seeing me for a few days, I felt that you weren't seeing me because you weren't believing, and you weren't believing even though I was telling the truth. And that hurts my pride. And so I have no recourse but to end my life." So he -- Japanese are very honor bound -- and so he, that's the reason he committed suicide and I felt very stunned and in a way I felt sad, because he was a prisoner that turned stake and was telling me the truth. So that was my first experience in interrogation and it, you know, it was happy in a way that I was able to break the person and the way he was telling me he wasn't telling me the truth and came straight, he straightened out, and tell me the truth. But, on the other hand, since we communicated and saw each other for a few days, it kind of saddened me to see somebody die on me in the first interrogation that I undertook.

gky: Yeah, and that was one of the -- just a stunning story, shocking story. Tell me, how did it come about that you were the head of the interrogation section?

SY: I was -- I don't know. I guess Commander Bartlett who was a linguist in the U.S. Navy, and apparently he, there were others, of course, in the interrogation section, not interrogation section, but they were picking out who would be in the interrogation section, who would be in the other areas, transportation section, and he just picked me out to be the chief of the interrogation section.

gky: I've heard that the interrogation section, actually the interpretation section, that you all interpreted more. What do you think the difference is between when you actually interrogated where you were the interrogator and when you acted as an interpreter, not the interrogator? What do you think the difference is in the kind of information that you get?

SY: Uh...

gky: In other words, the dynamics of an interrogation are different when there are two people, you and the prisoner, and when there are three people, you, a hakujin officer and the prisoner. I mean, you build up a different kind of rapport, I guess, with the prisoner.

SY: I hadn't, as far as the interrogation in the front, I hadn't, I was not in a position to interpret, because most of the -- well, let me put it this way. I had no requirement to interpret because I was doing my own interrogation. And so I would feel that if you were interpreting, the subject himself would be a little bit reluctant or hesitant because of possible misinterpretation of information. But, that's only conjecture on my part. But I've never had an interpreting job insofar as prisoners in the, both front, New Guinea or Philippines.

gky: Okay.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2000 Bridge Media and Densho. All Rights Reserved.