XXVIII.
THE "MORI" CONVERSATION; JAPANESE BURNING PAPERS
General
Short testified that about December 5th or 6th, he received intelligence
reports to the effect that the Japanese Consulate was burning papers.
Admiral Bloch said that after the receipt of information to
the effect that the Japanese were burning papers, he didn't know whether or not
that was something that was really filled with meaning; he believed that so
long as there were negotiations going on in Washington, there was a possibility
of the period of waiting being extended; he had a very definite feeling that we
were going to have war sometime in the future but just how far in the future he
was unable to predict. (p. 17)
Lt. Stephenson discussed in some detail the Mori telephone
conversation intercepted on December 6, 1941 and stated his conclusion that he
believed it unlikely that this was a calculated transmission of information
from Honolulu to Japan.
On
December 6th, he received a report of a long telephone conversation between a
person named "Mori" and someone in Japan, in which references were
made to the weather, ships at Pearl Harbor, and the local attitude toward the
Japanese (page 233).
The Mori conversation was as follows:
(Exhibit 39)
IC (J) Hello, is this
Mori?
(H) Hello, this is
Mori.
(J) I am sorry to have
troubled you. Thank you very much.
(H) Not at all.
(J) I received your
telegram and was able to grasp the essential points. I would like to have your
impressions on the conditions you are observing at present.
Are airplanes flying
daily?
(H) Yes, lots of them
fly around.
(J) Are they large
planes?
(H) Yes, they are
quite big.
(J) Are they flying
from morning till night?
(H) Well, not to that
extent, but last week they were quite active in the air.
(J) I hear there are
many sailors there, is that right?
(H) There aren't so
many now. There were more in the beginning part of this ear and the ending part
of last year.
(J) Is that so?
(H) I do not know why
this is so, but appears that there are very few sailors here at present.
(J) Are any Japanese
people there holding meetings to discuss US‑Japanese negotiations being
conducted presently?
(H) No, not
particularly. The minds of the Japanese here appear calmer than expected. They
are getting along harmoniously.
(J) Don't the American
community look with suspicion on the Japanese?
(H) Well, we hardly notice any of them
looking on us with suspicion. This fact
is rather unexpected. We are not hated
despised. The soldiers here and we get along very well. All races are living in
harmony. It appears that the people who come here change to feel like the rest
of the people here. There are some who say odd things, but these are limited to
newcomers from the mainland, and after staying here, from three to six months,
they too begin to think and feel like the rest of the people in the islands.
(J) That's fine.
(H) Yes, it's fine,
but we feel a bit amazed.
524 CONGRESSIONAL
INVESTIGATION PEARL HARBOR ATTACK
(J) Has there been any
increase in . . ? . . of late? That is, as a result of the current tense situation.
(H) There is nothing
which stands out, but the city is enjoying a war building boom.
(J) What do you mean
by enjoying a war building boom?
(H) Well, a boom in
many fields. Although there is no munitions industry here engaged in by the
army, civilian workers are building houses for the army personnel. Most of the
work here is directed towards building houses of various sorts. There are not
enough carpenters, electricians and plumbers. Students at the High School and
University have quit school and are working on these jobs, regardless of the
fact that they are unskilled in this work.
(J) Are there many big
factories there?
(H) No, there are no
factories, but a lot of small buildings of various kinds are being constructed.
(J) Is that so?
(H) It is said that
the population of Honolulu has doubled that of last year.
(J) How large is the
population?
(H) The population
increase is due to the present influx of Army and Navy personnel and workers
from the mainland.
(J) What is the
population?
(H) About 200,000 to
240,000. Formerly there were about 150,000 people.
(J) What about night
time?
(H) There seem to be
precautionary measures taken.
(J) What about
searchlights?
(H) Well, not much to
talk about.
(J) Do they put
searchlights on when planes fly about at night?
(H) No.
(J) What about the
Honolulu newspapers?
(H) The comments by
the papers are pretty bad. They are opposite to the atmosphere pervading the
city. I don't know whether the newspaper is supposed to lead the community or
not, but they carry headlines pertaining to Japan daily. The main articles
concern the U.S.-Japanese conferences.
(J) What kind of
impression did Mr. Kurusu make in Hawaii?
(H) A very good one.
Mr. Kurusu understands the American mind, and he was very adept at answering
queries of the press.
(J) Are there any
Japanese people there who are planning to evacuate Hawaii?
(H) There are almost
none wishing to do that.
(J) What is the
climate there now?
(H) These last few
days have been very cold with occasional rainfall, a phenomena very rare in
Hawaii. Today, the wind is blowing very strongly a very unusual climate.
(J) Is that so?
(H) Here is something
interesting. Litvinoff, the Russian ambassador to the United States, arrived
here yesterday. I believe he enplaned for the mainland today. He made no
statements on any problems.
(J) Did he make any
statements concerning the US‑Japan question?
(H) No. Not only did
he not say anything regarding the US‑Japan question he also did not
mention anything pertaining to the Russo‑German war. It appears he was
ordered by his government not to make any statement.
(J) Well, that means
he was very different from Mr. Kurusu.
(H) Yes.
(J) What kind of
impression did Litvinoff make?
(H) A very good one
here. He impressed the people as being very quiet and a gentleman.
(J) Did he stop at the
same hotel as Mr. Kurusu?
(H) Yes, at the Royal
Hawaiian Hotel overnight. He has already enplaned for the mainland.
(J) Do you know
anything about the United States fleet?
(H) No, I don't know
anything about the fleet. Since we try to avoid talking about such matters, we
do not know much about the fleet. At any rate, the fleet here seems small. I
don't know whether all of the fleet has done this, but it seems that the fleet
has left here.
(J) Is that so? What
kind of flowers are in bloom in Hawaii at present?
(H) Presently, the
flowers in bloom are fewest out of the whole year. However, the hibiscus and
the poinsettia are in bloom now.
*(J) does not seem to know about
poinsettias. He admits he doesn't know.
(J) Do you feel any
inconvenience there due to the suspension of importation of Japanese goods?
PROCEEDINGS OF
HEWITT INQUIRY 525
(H) Yes, we feel the
inconvenience very much. There are no Japanese soy, and many other foodstuffs
which come from Japan. Although there are enough foodstuffs (Japanese) left in
stock to last until February of next year, at any rate it is a big
inconvenience.
(J) What do you lack
most?
(H) I believe the soy
is what everyone is worried about most. Since the freeze order is in force, the
merchants who have been dealing in Japanese goods are having a hard time.
(J) Thanks very much.
(H) By the way, here
is something interesting about Hawaii. Liquor sells very fast due to the boom
here. The United States, which twenty years ago went under prohibition, is
today flooded by liquor. British and French liquors are also being sold. The
Japanese merchants, whose business came to a standstill due to the suspension
of importation of Japanese goods, engage in, liquor manufacture. The rice from
the United States is used in brewing Japanese sake here, and the sake is
exported back to the mainland.
*(H) explains that the Japanese sake
brewed in Honolulu is called "Takara‑Masamuno"; that a person
named Takagishi was the technical expert in charge of the brewing; that said
Takagishi is a son‑in‑law of Grand Chamberlain Hyakutake, being
married to the latter's daughter; and that said Takagishi returned recently to
Japan on the Taiyo Maru. He adds that Japanese here and the Americans also
drink sake. He informs (J) that Japanese chrysanthemums are in full bloom here,
and that there are no herring‑roe for this year's New Year's celebration.
(J) How many first
generation Japanese are there in Hawaii according to last surveys made?
(H) About fifty
thousand.
(J) How about the
second generation Japanese?
(H) About 120,000 or
180,000.
(J) How many out of
this number of second generation Japanese are in the United States Army?
(H) There aren't so
many; up to the present. About 1,500 have entered the army, and the majority of
those who have been drafted into the army are Japanese.
(J) Any first generation Japanese in the
Army?
(H) No. They do not
draft any first generation Japanese.
(J) Is that right,
that there are 1,500 in the army?
(H) Yes, that is true
up to the present, but may increase since more will be inducted in January.
(J) Thank you very much.
(H) Not at all. I'm
sorry I couldn't be of much use.
(J) Oh no, that was
fine. Best regards to your wife.
(H) Wait a moment
please?
(J) Thank you.
(J) Off phone.