TOKYO ROSE

  Tokyo Rose was a generic name for approximately 12 women who broadcast propaganda broadcasts in World War II. The most famous of these women was Iva Toguri D'Aquino who was a native of Los Angeles and an American of Japanese descent. She was visiting her family in Japan when Pearl Harbor was attacked and was trapped there. Because she was American she was forced to do a program on Japanese radio which lasted about 20 minutes. She became known as "Orphan Ann". Iva did propaganda skits, slanted news reports, and played popular American music. For this reason American servicemen listened to these broadcasts. When the war ended she was detained for about a year by American forces but the U.S. Justice Department released her because it was determined that her broadcasts were innocuous. When she returned home, however; the American people were outraged. Walter Winchell and the American Legion lobbied relentlessly for a trial. The F.B.I. renewed it's investigation. In 1949 she was convicted on 1 of 8 counts for treason. She served 6 years in prison. In 1974 an investigation discovered that key witnesses had lied. President Gerald Ford issued her a pardon and Iva died in 2006.