Prompt Cast
The Stories of Tokyo Rose and Axis Sally: Propaganda during World War II
TLDR Tokyo Rose and Axis Sally were American women who hosted propaganda shows during World War II, but while Tokyo Rose was released due to lack of evidence, Axis Sally was found guilty of treason and sentenced to prison. These cases were unique and unlikely to be repeated in the future.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
During World War II, radio was used as a medium for spreading propaganda by both the Allies and the Axis powers, with the Japanese government producing English language radio programming using female hosts to play popular American music and deliver heavily slanted news updates to demoralize American troops.
02:09
American soldiers listened to the broadcasts of the female hosts known as Tokyo Rose, who served as a focal point for American anger in the Pacific during World War II, even though there was no one person who was Tokyo Rose, and one person for whom almost all the anger directed at Tokyo Rose came down upon was an American woman named Eva Taguri.
03:58
Eva Taguri, known as Tokyo Rose, hosted a propaganda show called The Zero Hour during World War II, but never said anything explicitly anti-American, and after the war, she was held in custody for a year and investigated, but ultimately released due to lack of evidence.
05:46
Mildred Gillers, also known as Axis Sally, was an American woman who hosted a propaganda show called Home Sweet Home in Germany during World War II, and was arrested and flown back to the US in 1948.
07:40
Axis Sally, also known as Mildred Gillers, was found guilty of one count of treason and sentenced to 10 to 30 years in prison, while Tokyo Rose, or Eva Taguri, was convicted on one weak charge and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
09:35
Eva Taguri, also known as Tokyo Rose, was released from prison after six years and two months due to weak evidence against her, and was later granted a full pardon by President Gerald Ford in 1977.
11:27
The cases of Tokyo Rose and Axis Sally were unique and unlikely to be repeated due to changes in technology and military practices after World War II.
