Okinawan/ Ryukyuan Politics
By Bill Steele (The Marion)
Menso-re Uchinau
Welcome
Red Card Movement
Recognize that what follows is the pure quill !!
The United States of American won the war with Japan and Japan signed an
Unconditional Surrender. Understand what Unconditional means.
Under the Cairo Accords of 1943 the Ryukyu Islands were taken from Japan
after Japan signed the Unconditional Surrender in 1945 and the Ryukyuan
people were then recognized as the Government of the Ryukyu Islands.
After the war with Japan ended with an Unconditional Surrender and the
Ryukyu Islands were returned to the Government of the Ryukyu Islands it
was absolutely recognized the Ryukyuan people suffered the loss of over
240,000 persons and were absolutely destitute and definitely needed help
in order to exist. The land that was returned to them was completely
devastated.
It is recognized the Franklin Delano Roosevelt before his death on April
12 1945 had already contacted Chiang Kai-shek (November 22/26 1943) and
inquired whether China would be amenable to taking on the support of the
Ryukyu Islands. Kai-shek begged off as he pled he wasn't financially
able at that time. Roosevelt died 124 days before the Unconditional
Surrender and thus it became Truman's problem as to how to support the
liberated Ryukyuans and I suggest that an occupational agreement was
worked out to put the military into the Ryukyu Islands to shepherd the
Ryukyuans to recovery.
I further suggest that Supreme Commander Douglas Mac Arthur was doing
his best to bring about the recovery, but his relationship with
President Truman was bumpy at best and Truman sent only a group of
stateside rejects out to the Ryukyu Islands and these military men were
not mentally equipped to cope with this entirely new problem. It was
further confused when Truman, through Executive Order gave first class
citizenship to minorities and these minorities made the military part of
their own recovery agenda. We had the blind leading the blind.
Many of us came to the Ryukyus to help in the recovery, but we not only
had to fight with greedy Japanese that came down to try to get into the
public trough, but we also had to fight with inept military officials
who had only their own priorities to salve. When one wanted to contact
the military leadership, they were found in their clubs, be they their
dinner clubs, their golf clubs or their yacht clubs; these people were
living high on the hog and to hell with the Ryukyuan.
Frankly, I wanted to whip their asses, but as you know this only gets
one put in jail. We could resort to the courts and I did, but after
five years of fighting, you realize you were just playing their game.
You could resort to calling out your Senators or Representatives, but
when they came out they were wined and dined and they were told that we
who were fighting for the Ryukyuan were troublemakers. They filled
their bellies and rush back to Washington, D.C.
The State Department came out and flung such phrases as "Residual
Sovereignty" around, but this meant nothing and then it was "Reversion"
all of which is in conflict with Unconditional Surrender, but who in the
hell cares, especially when it happens 8000 miles away from their
constituency.
Justification came in the form of interjection in two civil wars; one
in Korea and another in Vietnam. The years sped by and today we've been
fighting the battle for 56 years and Japan is back in the saddle and I
ask you - who won World War Two?
And today the Japanese openly brag the Emperor of Japan owns every foot
of the beaches of the Ryukyu Islands. And should they discover oil in
the China Sea, who will our military be fighting to assure the "right"
side gets the drilling rights????
Yes, that was me ( Last December 2000) in my red shirt that was out on
Highway 58 suggesting that we remove our forces from Okinawa and give
these islands back to the Ryukyuan people. And yes, that was me that
has been telling you that our country has already built a complete base
for our military on our own islands at Saipan, Tinian, Rota and Guam.
And yes, the Chinese now are using this base as a textile operation
complete with young girls who it is said, sew, when aren't doing
something else.
A copy of this letter will be afforded to our incoming President and
then I will sit back and see what I will see.
The Marion
Bill Steele
Started counting 14 January 2001
Last Update or revision: 11 September 2005
Nihe de Biru (Nifee dee bire)
Thank You
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