Sunday, September 11, 2016

Courtesy and Kindness

     In the 1930s, the California resort at Byron Hot Springs drew legendary Hollywood stars like Clark Gable and Mae West. After the USA entered World War 2, however, the resort hotel and spa became "Camp Tracy."
     American interrogators welcomed Japanese Prisoners of War to the California spa and offered meals prepared by Japanese chefs.
     US Army Major Alexander Corbin researched the interrogations at Byron Hot Springs.  As reported by Brentwood, California newspaper The Press, Corbin told a crowd gathered at the remnants of the resort hotel in 2010, "Courtesy and kindness overcame the most reticent prisoner."
     Alex Corbin wrote the book, The History of Camp Tracy: Japanese WWII POWs and the Future of Interrogation.
     During the course of World War II, the forces of the Empire of Japan became notorious for religious extremism and gruesome decapitations.  Near the end of the war, Japan even employed kamikaze suicidal pilots.  The cruelty of an indoctrinated enemy, however, was no excuse for unkindness to prisoners. 

No comments: