Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy - Ludwig von Mises ...

772 Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy
Keefe then asked Kramer about the cards distributed at the
direction of Noyes to persons who were to watch for a plain-language
Japanese “Winds Execute.” Kramer had testifi ed before the
NCI that “these cards had on them the [ Japanese] expressions
contained in this exhibit, and the meaning.” 143 However, Kramer
told the JCC that “apparently my memory was faulty at that
moment as to what was on the cards. My present belief and conviction
is that the Japanese expressions did not appear on those
cards.” Keefe thought it “perfectly in line with common sense” for
Kramer to have listed the “Japanese words on the card, together
with their meaning, so that these top-fl ight people to whom the
cards were directed . . . would be able to compare it [a “Winds
Execute”] with the Japanese words on the card and then know
the meaning.” However, Kramer wanted to change that testimony.
He insisted that, according to his “present, current, refresh[ed]
recollection,” the only words he had put on the cards were the
“English translation and the country referred to and that was all.
. . . East Wind—rain—United States; west wind—clear—England;
north wind—cloudy—Russia’.” 144
As Keefe’s questioning wound down, Kramer admitted
that there had been a “Winds Execute;” on that point he and
Saff ord were in agreement. And he had “believed that it was an
authentic message of that winds system . . . [u]ntil the last few
days when I. . . . had been making further studies, including the
reading of interrogations of high Japanese offi cials by General
MacArthur.” 145
When Republican Representative Keefe fi nished questioning
Kramer, Democratic Senator Lucas took over. He pointed
out that Kramer had had only a few brief seconds of contact,
143 Ibid., part 9, p. 4126.
144Ibid., pp. 4126–27.
145Ibid., pp. 4123–24; part 18, pp. 3323–31, Exhibit 142D, for November 7,
1945, report on interrogation of Japanese offi cials re “Winds.”