Figure 1.--Here we see three of the repartriated American boys reaching safety in Portuguese Goa. They were part of the second or missionry-buinessmam exchnge. After nearly 2 years in Japanese hands, a banana was a real treat. The press caption read, "American and Japanese Nationals Exchange: On Octobr 15 last, the Japnese liner 'Teia Maru' arrived at Mormugao, Poruguese India, carrying Americans who had been interned in Jap territory and who were to be exchanged for Nipponese nationals from America. The Swedish ship 'Gripsholm' and the exchange was made with American boarding the 'Gripsholm' for the trip back to America, and the Japs being transfrred to the 'Teia Mau'. " The Portuguese police officer is passing out bananas to the American children.

Two exchanges were orgazized with the Japanese during the war for civilians. The first was for diplomats (July 1942). The second was a more mixed group of missionaries and businessmem. The first exchange wih Japanese diplomats traveled by train to New York where they boarded the Swedish liner Gripsholm. The most logical exchange would have been over a Pacific route, perhaps at Vladisvostock in the neutral Soviet Union. For whatever reason this did not happen. Instead, Mozombique was chosen as the closest neutral territory to Japan. Japanese women and children were driven to the train station at White Sulphur Springs (June 10, 1942). Taxies shuttled the Japanese back and forth from the station to the hotel transporting women and children. The men escorted by armed guards walked the short distance to the station. The guards were primarily to protect the individuals. They boarded two special passenger trains. Senior diplomats were assigned Pullman class with private sleeping compartments. The train took them to New York where they boarded the chartered Swedish liner Gripsholm. The Gripsholm stopped at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Brazil had also declared war on Japan. At Rio, 417 Japanese boarded. A member of the Japanese Embassy staff carried a cloth covered portrait of the Emperor and the Japanese bowed as it passed and was placed on a safe place aboard the ship. The echange was carried out at Lourenco Marques (Maputo) in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique. The ship had a large sign painted on the sides identifying the vessel as 'Diplomatic'. It sailed with lights lit so that U-boat captains could easily identify it. American diplomats arrived from Shanghai and Yokohama aboard the Asama Maru and the Conte Verde an Italian ship the Japanese chartered. The Asama Maru was owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK)--the Japanese Mail Steamship Company. It was launched in 1929. There were large white crosses painted on its sides to identify itto American and British submarines. A second exchange ship, Conte Verde traveled from Shanghai, calling at Singapore. The two ships rondevoued and sailed to Lourenco Marques, arriving on July 23, 1942. The two vessels carried 1,500 Americans from Japan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Saigon. It was an NYK vessel that in 1912 had delivered the first cargo of cherry tree saplings to Washington, D.C. They were a gift from the City of Tokyo's Mayor Yukio Ozaki. After the exchange the Japanese boarded the Asama Maru which had delivered some of the American diplomats. [Stewart] The second exchange was a more varied group, including nationls from many allied nations (Noveber 1943). This time the individuals included many missionaries and busineesmen and thir families as well a diplomatic persinnel from Latin America. Again the Gripsholm was involved. The Japanese ship was the Teia Maru a French ship seized by the Japanese. It was later sank by an American submarine. They were from internmet camps on the Home Islands and Shanghai as well as Hong Kong, Sigon, and Singapore. This time the exchange was made through another Portuguese colony--Gao in India.

First Exchange: Diplomats (July 1942)

The first exchange with the Japanese was for diplomatic personnel and their families. Japanese diplomats traveled by train to New York where they boarded the Swedish liner Gripsholm. The most logical exchange would have been over a Pacific route, perhaps at Vladivostok in the neutral Soviet Union. For whatever reason this did not happen. Instead, Mozombique was chosen as the closest neutral territory to Japan. Japanese women and children were driven to the train station at White Sulfur Springs (June 10, 1942). Taxis shuttled the Japanese back and forth from the station to the hotel transporting women and children. The men escorted by armed guards walked the short distance to the station. The guards were primarily to protect the individuals. They boarded two special passenger trains. Senior diplomats were assigned Pullman class with private sleeping compartments. The train took them to New York where they boarded the chartered Swedish liner Gripsholm. The exchange vessels were instructed to use a special light pattern: green red green red and had to follow a strictly determined route to their destinations . The had to sail unescorted and unarmed. The Gripsholm stopped at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Brazil had also declared war on Japan. At Rio, 417 Japanese boarded. A member of the Japanese Embassy staff carried a cloth covered portrait of the Emperor and the Japanese bowed as it passed and was placed on a safe place aboard the ship. The exchange was carried out at Lourenco Marques (Maputo) in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique. The ship had a large sign painted on the sides identifying the vessel as 'Diplomatic'. It sailed with lights lit so that U-boat captains could easily identify it. American diplomats arrived from Shanghai and Yokohama aboard the Asama Maru and the Conte Verde an Italian ship the Japanese chartered. The Asama Maru was owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK)--the Japanese Mail Steamship Company. It was launched in 1929. There were large white crosses painted on its sides to identify it to American and British submarines. A second exchange ship, Conte Verde traveled from Shanghai, calling at Singapore. A member of the Spanish legation in Tokyo sailed on each ship. Spain was neutral and the Spaniards were the only passengers with the authority to send and receive plain language communication. The two ships rendezvoused and sailed to Lourenco Marques, arriving on July 23, 1942. The two vessels carried 1,500 Americans from Japan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Saigon. It was an NYK vessel that in 1912 had delivered the first cargo of cherry tree saplings to Washington, D.C. They were a gift from the City of Tokyo's Mayor Yukio Ozaki. After the exchange the Japanese boarded the Asama Maru which had delivered some of the American diplomats. [Stewart] Later in the War it would be sunk by an American submarine--the fate of much of the Maru fleet. The Gripsholm with its exchanged American diplomats

Second Exchange: Missionaries and Busnessmen (October 1943)

The second exchange was a more varied group, including nationls from many Allied nations (Noveber 1943). This time the individuals included many missionaries and busineesmen and thir families as well a diplomatic persinnel from Latin America. Again the Gripsholm was involved. The Japanese ship was the Teia Maru a French ship seized by the Japanese. It was later sank by an American submarine. The exhange individuals were from internmet camps on the Home Islands and Shanghai as well as Hong Kong, Sigon, and Singapore. The Teia Maru departed Yokohama (September 14, 1943). It had only American repatriates from Japan. Teia Maru reached Mormugao (October 15). It delivere 1,525 priests, nuns, protestant missionaries, and businessmen with their families. They included 1,270 Americans, 120 Canadians, 15 Chileans, and smller numbers of British, Panamanians, Spanish, Portuguese, Cubans, Argentines, and nationals from other South and Central American countries. Arriving from the other direction aboard the Swedish vessel Gripsholm whichhad been used in the first exchnge were 1,340 Japanese officials and businessmen with their families (Octoberr 19). Two days later they sailed from Mormugao (October 21). The repatriated Japanese reached Yokohama (November 14). The Teia Maru after carrying Allied POWs was subsequently sunk by an American submarine.

Japanese Internment Camps

With the occupation of the Philippines, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mayasia, Borneo,and the Dutch East Indies, large number of civilians from combatant nations were interned by the Japanese. Conditions gradually deteriorated and the internees were forced to endure horific conditions. The internees were not as abused as the POWs, but the living conditions were still terrible. Medical supplies ran out. Food ws the major problem. The Japanese rations were inadequate and after a while the internees were not allowed to obtain food outside the camps. The Allies tried to send Red Cross packages, but few got through to the internees. The death rates were apauling, especially among the children. One source places the number of Western civilians at 130,000 51,000 men, 42,000 women, and 40,000 chilren). The largest group of civilins were Dutch. There were about 70,000 Dutch women and children or about half of the Westerners interened by the Japanese. They were interned in early 1942. About 15,000 died in captivitu, or more than 10 perecent. They were, howeever, in terrible state dur to malnutrition and lack of medical care. Had the war not ended in Augut 1945, many of the internees would not have survived. One Dutch girl remembers at age 10 reporting to the church in Bogor where the Japanese processed them for different camps. She was in five different camps before being liberated. Her father had already been taken by the Japanese to a mens' camp. Only the younger boys stayed with the women. Her mother had a terrible choice. Should she hold on to Rob the youngest boy or let him go with Will hoping that together they would have a better change of surviving. She finally decided to let him go and agonized about it afterwards. When the British got to her camp after the war, her foot was rotting off. Somehow they all survived, but were forever changed. [Halewijn Brown] There were Americans, Australians, British abd others among the internees. Most of the Americans were in the Philippines. One British boy whose family was in Hongb Kong later described his experiences in The Empire of the Sun which was made into a movie. . Japanese Army aithorities in Tokyo ordered camp authorities to kill the internees at the end of the War to destroy evidence of how the civilians and POWs had been mistreated. As the Americans had broken the Japanese Army codes, some of this traffic was probably picked up, but we do not yet know the details.

Treatment

The indiviuals exchnged were very fortunate given the horific condition in the Jpaneseine=ternment cmp. The American diplomats were for the mostpart treated orrectly, although hardly thestandard orovided the Joanese diplomats at the Greenbriar. We are not sure hiw the second group was treated and if they were affirded special treatmentvoncevyheywere selected fir repatriation. By the time this photograph was taken, the tide of the war has shiftn the Pacifuc, although the enormity of the defeat whjich Japan would uffer was not yet fully indrstood. The conditions of the interment camps for the 0.3 million Western civilianns began to deteriorate as the Jaoanese defeated one defeat fter another. And the treatment of POWs was far worse. As the totality of Japan's efeat became increasingly apprent, the Japanese Army was preparing to kill the internees nd POWs becuse of the descropitions they ould tell of atrocities and war crimes. Some Japanese commnders did kill POWs. This was of great concern to American commaners in the Philippines as they neared the internment camps. The intenees in other areas werre in even wirse cindutin, as hey had several more months of starvation rations abd brutal treatment. Had America not foirced Japan to surrender (Auhyst 1945), few of the internees and POWs woukd have survivd.

Sources

Stewart, William H. Military Historical Cartographer. "First Diplomatic Exchange of World War II".

Created: 8:04 AM 1/5/2016
Last updated: 4:03 PM 3/26/2024