Goodbye Tokyo's Rose: Iva Toguri

Goodbye Tokyo's Rose: Iva Toguri

When we lived near Clark and Belmont in the late 70s, we frequently stopped by Toguri’s to get cooking supplies (bought my first wok there) and candy (Bo-Tan, my favorite since fifth grade).

I do recall seeing Iva Toguri there, and it was tacitly grasped that she did not want to chit-chat about her days as a “Tokyo Rose,” one of the radio voices that allegedly demoralized G.I.’s in the Pacific during WWII. She died Tuesday.



I always thought it was pretty cool, though, that this quiet woman who was then running a business around the corner from my house was once the “voice of the enemy” (who I recalled from old war movies was usually portrayed as saying things like, “Surrender Yankee boys,” “The end is near for American imperialism,” etc.). Her mother died in an American concentration camp; she was pardoned by the US government in ’77 (she had been a US citizen and faced charges of treason after the Big One ended).

You can hear some of Iva’s broadcasts here: http://womenshistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.earthstation1.com/Tokyo%5FRose.html

The Wife and I walked by Toguri’s a few weeks ago, and it seemed to be going strong, as always.

J. Toguri Mercantile Company
851 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 929-3500

World peace through food,

Hammond