Sunday, June 25, 2006
The Traitorous New York Times
Remember not to question the patriotism of those who release military secrets in time of war:
From The People's Cube.
Courtesy of Michelle Malkin.
Update, 6/26/06: Otto has asked if I know who was the last American executed for treason. I don't have an answer to that question, but I have two candidates for the last Americans to be charged/convicted for treason. Those would be Ezra Pound and Iva Ikoku Toguri.
Ezra Pound made pro-fascist radio addresses from a nation, Italy, that the United States was at war with. At the end of the war he was captured by Italian partisans. Instead of being hanged upside down and shot (oh well), Pound was turned over to American forces. Pound was charged with treason, but judged mentally incompetent to stand trial. Pound spent thirteen years in the loony bin. However, even in those days insane traitors could count on "liberal" friends to bail them out:
After his release Pound left for Italy giving the Fascist salute. He remained good pals with Brit fascist Oswald Mosley until the day he croaked.
Iva Ikoku Toguri, aka "Tokyo Rose," is a more troubling case. An American citizen, she was stuck in Japan after Pearl Harbor:
After the war Toguri was indicted on eight counts of treason, but only convicted on one. She was sentenced to ten years in prison. The conviction was controversal for several reasons, including the involvement of POWs in the broadcasts and the question of if the released information was really detrimental to US security. She also helped to smuggle food to American POWs. President Ford gave Toguri a full pardon in 1977.
As for the last American executed for treason, Otto may have to look back to John Brown. Of course, Brown was hanged by the state of Virginia on December 2, 1859 for treason, not by the federal government. I really can't find a more recent case.
From The People's Cube.
Courtesy of Michelle Malkin.Update, 6/26/06: Otto has asked if I know who was the last American executed for treason. I don't have an answer to that question, but I have two candidates for the last Americans to be charged/convicted for treason. Those would be Ezra Pound and Iva Ikoku Toguri.
Ezra Pound made pro-fascist radio addresses from a nation, Italy, that the United States was at war with. At the end of the war he was captured by Italian partisans. Instead of being hanged upside down and shot (oh well), Pound was turned over to American forces. Pound was charged with treason, but judged mentally incompetent to stand trial. Pound spent thirteen years in the loony bin. However, even in those days insane traitors could count on "liberal" friends to bail them out:
By 1953 Pound had still not been formally diagnosed. Inquiries from the Justice Dept. solicited an admission that at most Pound had a "personality disorder." By the mid-1950's various influential figures and magazines were campaigning for Pound's release. After 13 years confinement, Pound's treason indictment was dismissed on 18 April 1958.
After his release Pound left for Italy giving the Fascist salute. He remained good pals with Brit fascist Oswald Mosley until the day he croaked.
Iva Ikoku Toguri, aka "Tokyo Rose," is a more troubling case. An American citizen, she was stuck in Japan after Pearl Harbor:
After war was declared on Japan, Toguri was denied her request to return to the United States. She refused to renounce her American citizenship, and was often placed under surveillance by the Japanese government as a possible enemy operative. Toguri spoke very little Japanese and from 1941 to 1943, she went to school to learn the language. She later took a job as a typist for Radio Tokyo in 1943. Because she knew English, Japanese executives at Radio Tokyo recruited her to voice the "Zero Hour" program. Toguri broadcast under the name Orphan Ann, and worked on the show until the end of the war.
After the war Toguri was indicted on eight counts of treason, but only convicted on one. She was sentenced to ten years in prison. The conviction was controversal for several reasons, including the involvement of POWs in the broadcasts and the question of if the released information was really detrimental to US security. She also helped to smuggle food to American POWs. President Ford gave Toguri a full pardon in 1977.
As for the last American executed for treason, Otto may have to look back to John Brown. Of course, Brown was hanged by the state of Virginia on December 2, 1859 for treason, not by the federal government. I really can't find a more recent case.
# posted by Grant Jones @ 2:11 PM 
Comments:
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The principals should be prosecuted for treason...as in aiding and abetting the enemy in wartime.
If I'm not mistaken, that is punishable by death.
If I'm not mistaken, that is punishable by death.
In reference to Camojack's comment. I asked Grant this question before. But, does anybody know who was the last person the US executed for treason? I would like to know the details. I know that we executed the Rosenbergs for espionage not treason. So I am thinking the last treason execution must have been in the 1940s. It seems to me that the details of this last case might be important in this context.
Sorry Otto, I haven't had any time to look that up. In this case maybe the charge would be releasing classified info instead of treason. My headline was more directed at the NYT's motives, not the technical legal violation. In any event, I hope the Bush Admin has the balls to go after these bastards.
Camojack, shooting is too good for them, hanging is for traitors, spies and saboteurs.
Camojack, shooting is too good for them, hanging is for traitors, spies and saboteurs.
Grant, I am actually interested in the question for historical reasons. A quick google search came up with a couple of Wiki articles that suggested the last execution for treason in the US occurred before the end of the Civil War. Wikis are often unreliable so I don't take them as authoritative. But according to what they did have it appears that even during WWII that convicted traitors managed to avoid the noose. If true this is pretty shocking.
Thanks, Grant I actually found two other WWII cases. But, neither resulted in hanging. Tomoya Kawakita was tried for treason and sentenced to death, but deported to Japan rather than hanged. Hans Max Haupt received a life sentence for treason. It appears that the state of Texas executed somebody for treason to the Confederate cause in 1862 by the name of John Conn. But, for the US Federal government it may be that we have not executed anybody since John Brown. I find this shocking. I am very curious why Kawakita who was sentenced to death was deported to Japan instead of hanged now.
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