| 2nd Lieutenant Morita Matsuda (???? – ????), a Japanese officer in his mid-twenties and Shanghai’s Assistant Army Press Bureau Chief, delivers a speech to Woosung (Wusong) Prisoner of War Camp’s occupants. Matsuda proudly identified himself as a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and he spoke a brand of English that did honor to his alma mater. Adopting a cordial tone, he began by sharing some bad news with his audience. He announced that the British had surrendered their supposedly impregnable stronghold at Singapore on February 15, and he predicted the imminent defeat of General Douglas MacArthur’s Filipino and American forces on Bataan and Corregidor. Having dropped these bombshells, Matsuda closed on a more comforting note, saying, “We wish that you know the news of the world. Therefore, the General [Shunroku Hata (July 26, 1879 – May 10, 1962), Commander in Chief of the China Expeditionary Army, who had just visited Woosung Camp] presents each barracks with a radio. The Japanese Army wishes to make this a good camp and will improve your conditions. We shall issue more rice, and today, we have brought an extra sweet roll which you will like. Also, here are Shanghai and Tokyo newspapers, and we shall send in more.” In addition to these prepared remarks, Matsuda invited the Prisoners’ senior military leaders and a few American civilians to join him for an informal conference at some tables and chairs set outside the barracks. The ostensible purpose of this gathering was to provide these Prisoners with a forum to air “their opinions on Nipponese treatment and things in general.” All the while, however, a photographer from General Hata’s entourage snapped pictures to preserve the moment and Matsuda’s earlier speech as a propaganda coup. The article that appeared with these shots in Freedom, the Japanese English-language magazine, purported that the Prisoner of War officers urged Matsuda to “tell the public that we are all well and are receiving good treatment from the Japanese.” The camera kept clicking as selected prisoners lined up to record short messages for subsequent broadcast by the Japanese. “There was much preliminary discussion among us as to the pros and cons of making such recordings,” conceded 1st Lieutenant Kessler: “We realized that the Japs were not being nice guys, but they intended to use our message for propaganda purposes.” Despite such misgivings, the Wake Islanders and their comrades could not forego telling the world they were alive and well. The Japanese allowed the men to state their names and addresses, which enabled ham radio operators in the United States to pass their messages to the appropriate parties. Consequently, a little more than a month later, Louise E. Cunningham (October 30, 1895 – March 28, 1987) received a letter conveying the following tidings from her husband: “This is Commander Winfield Scott Cunningham [(February 16, 1900 – March 3, 1986)], United States Navy, age forty-three years. At Wake Island, I was in command of all Navy and Marine forces. My home is Annapolis, Maryland. Since capture at Wake, the prisoners, including myself, have been fairly treated and all are in good health and are looking forward to getting back to their homes. To my wife at Annapolis, Maryland, I wish to send my best greetings, and I hope for her welfare; also, I wish to tell her I am in perfect health and expect to stay that way for a long time.” Woosung had ceased to be a mere Prisoner of War camp. Tokyo was presenting it to the world as a symbol of Japanese humanity. The Prisoners of War at Woosung especially remembered Matsuda as a compassionate young officer for his thoughtfulness. He was shocked when he came to the camp and learned that the Americans hadn’t been allowed to communicate with their families in the States. “He did his best to intercede for us with the camp commander,” said United States Marine Corps Corporal John S. Johnson (December 23, 1921 – January 15, 2014), “and I think it helped.” The radios mentioned by Lieutenant Matsuda in his speech arrived at Woosung by March 18, but there were only 3 of them, instead of the 7 promised. Imperial Japanese Army Colonel Goichi Yuse (???? – ????) handed over the compact shortwave sets to Colonel William W. Ashurst (October 30, 1893 – February 18, 1952), United States Marine Corps Major James P. S. Devereux (February 20, 1903 – August 5, 1988), and contractor Raymond R. “Cap” Rutledge (February 25, 1895 – October 8, 1952) – whom the Japanese recognized as the leader of the civilians — in a little ceremony staged as another photo opportunity. The radios had been adjusted to pick up only stations in occupied Shanghai, but they still became an immediate hit. The Prisoners of War welcomed getting daily doses of American jazz and older swing tunes, classical music, and Chinese and Japanese songs. They also discovered that a Vichy French station and a Russian station broadcast news in English. The Russian announcer covered the fighting in Europe with a Soviet slant, but both stations adhered to the Japanese line in reporting the Pacific War, which left the prisoners feeling frustrated, isolated, and frequently depressed. “I do wish I could get hold of some good news that wasn’t Jap[anese] inspired,” United States Marine Corporal Henry L. Durrwachter (June 26, 1921 – October 18, 1984) complained on March 22. During cold weather, the Prisoners of War could tune in Allied stations from Chunking. Desiring reliable news on a steady basis, 2nd Lieutenant John F. Kinney (November 1, 1914 – July 6, 2006) of VMF-211, 2nd Lieutenant James D. McBrayer (September 9, 1918 – September 26, 2006) of the North China Marines, Sergeant Charles A. Holmes (September 17, 1915 – September 5, 1990) of the Wake Marines, and several contractors improvised an adaptor and wire antennas that widened the radio’s range. The improved sets picked up the British Broadcasting Corporation out of New Delhi and American news straight from San Francisco. The North China Marines also reassembled the shortwave radio they had smuggled into camp, which provided additional access to Allied news outlets. Stealth and American ingenuity ensured that these Prisoners of War learned about the Doolittle Raid in April 1942, the United States Navy’s slim strategic victory in the Coral Sea in May 1942, and the United States 1st Marine Division’s landing at Guadalcanal in August 1942. To avoid detection by the guards, loose-lipped comrades, and possible collaborators, the shortwave broadcasts had to be monitored late at night with the volume turned low or otherwise muffled. Other than a small circle of trusted friends who received direct reports, information gleaned from Allied sources circulated through the camp as anonymous rumors. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1497.jpg |
| Image Size | 514.43 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2048 x 1228 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 26, 1942 |
| Location | Woosung |
| City | Shanghai |
| State or Province | Shanghai |
| Country | China |
| Archive | Freedom Magazine, 1942 |
| Record Number | Page 48 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database