DOCSLIB.ORG

UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Changing the State's Story: Continuity and Change in Official Narratives of Dark Pasts Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3fp384kq Author Dixon, Jennifer Margaret Publication Date 2011 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Changing the State’s Story: Continuity and Change in Official Narratives of Dark Pasts By Jennifer Margaret Dixon A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Assistant Professor Ron E. Hassner, Co-chair Professor Gordon Silverstein, Co-Chair Professor T.J. Pempel Professor Margaret Lavinia Anderson Fall 2011 Copyright © Jennifer Margaret Dixon, 2011. All rights reserved. Abstract Changing the State’s Story: Continuity and Change in Official Narratives of Dark Pasts by Jennifer Margaret Dixon Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science University of California, Berkeley Assistant Professor Ron E. Hassner, Co-chair Professor Gordon Silverstein, Co-chair In the past few decades, there has been a striking increase in demands for apologies for a variety of wrongs committed in the past, including genocide, mass killing, ethnic cleansing and slavery. These calls for apology and reevaluations of the past have led to a dramatic increase in the establishment of truth-seeking institutions and in apologies for past wrongs. And yet, in spite of these trends, the world has witnessed neither a wave of apologies by states responsible for past atrocities nor the end of narratives of impunity. Instead, while some states have looked into and apologized for past crimes, many others continue to silence, deny, whitewash, rationalize and relativize dark pasts. Given the tremendous variation in the degree to which different states have tried to come to terms with dark pasts, it seems evident that the processes shaping such narratives involve more than just the dynamics sketched above. In particular, while these trends have pushed some states to look into dark pasts and have led others to apologize for past wrongs, these international processes have not had a similar impact on all states with dark pasts. This prompts questions about how states’ narratives of past atrocities are created and changed. A central question and the core focus of this dissertation is: What are the sources of change and continuity in states’ narratives of past crimes? This theory-building dissertation investigates how states’ narratives about dark pasts are shaped and contested over time. Employing macro-historical analysis, this project traces the trajectories over the past sixty years of Turkey’s narrative of the 1915-17 Armenian Genocide and Japan’s narrative of the 1937-38 Nanjing Massacre. My findings are based on more than eight months of fieldwork, during which I conducted approximately 75 interviews in Turkey, Japan and the US, gathered primary sources in Turkish archives and libraries, and compiled and analyzed news accounts related to both cases. I have also developed a conceptual continuum with which to measure and compare official narratives. At its core, this research focuses on the processes that shape states’ narratives of past atrocities, and explores how state actors negotiate between the demands of various domestic and international audiences in producing and maintaining such narratives. The central argument advanced in this dissertation is that while international pressures can increase the likelihood of change in official narratives of dark pasts, domestic actors largely determine the content of such 1 change. Specifically, international pressure, both by third parties and victim states, is the most frequent trigger for changes in states’ narratives. Such pressure can challenge the domestic legitimacy of an official narrative and/or change the cost-benefit calculus underlying it, which can lead official actors to consider whether and how to change an official narrative. These considerations, however, are further influenced by officials’ ideational concerns and by political factors within the domestic context, along with the nature of diplomatic relations and the relative balance of power between the pressuring state and the perpetrator state (if applicable.) This project uncovers political dynamics that reach beyond the two cases studied, making central contributions to the literature on the diffusion of international ideas and their impact on states’ practices, to interdisciplinary scholarship on transitional justice and memory politics, and to a growing body of scholarship in the field of Turkish studies. My central argument fills a gap in scholarship on memory studies and transitional justice by theorizing the nature and sources of change in official narratives. In particular, it contrasts with work that emphasizes factors within either the international or the domestic sphere, with work that focuses on single in-depth case studies, and with work that focuses on particular indicators or domains of contestation. The conceptual continuum that I have developed is also a valuable tool that can be used by other scholars who study historical memory to compare narratives over time and across cases. This research also contributes to international relations scholarship on the diffusion and impact of international norms on states’ practices by identifying whether, how and why state actors resist and respond to norm-inspired pressures. In addition, while I find that international normative factors do not have as measurable or clear of an influence on official narratives as international pressures and domestic political dynamics, I also find that norms can influence and be leveraged by supporters as well as opponents of change. In addition to these theoretical contributions, my analysis of the evolution of Turkey’s narrative of the Armenian Genocide constitutes the first systematic analysis of the official historiography of the Armenian Genocide. This contributes to the emerging literature on the history and historiography of the genocide, which is an understudied and important topic in Turkish studies. And finally, this research will be of interest to policymakers who are confronted with controversies over past atrocities by shedding light on the longer-term dynamics set off by pressures on and changes in official narratives. 2 Table of Contents Abstract 1 Table of Contents i List of Figures & List of Acronyms ii Acknowledgements iv Chapter 1: Introduction: Coming to Terms with Dark Pasts? 1 Chapter 2: Theorizing Continuity and Change in Official Narratives of Dark Pasts 27 Chapter 3: Turkey’s Narrative of the Armenian Genocide 47 Chapter 4: Out of the Darkness (1950 – early 1990s) 73 Chapter 5: Limited Acknowledgement and Retrenchment (1994 – 2008) 110 Chapter 6: ‘History issues’ in Postwar Japan 147 Chapter 7: Contestation, Normalization and Change (1952 – 1989) 172 Chapter 8: History, Identity and Apology (1990 – 2008) 205 Chapter 9: Conclusions and Insights 247 Bibliography 259 Appendix 1: Textbooks Analyzed 309 Appendix 2: Interviews Conducted 311 i List of Figures 1.1. Continuum for conceptualizing and measuring change in official narratives 14 1.2. Trajectory of the Turkish narrative, 1950 – 2008 19 1.3. Trajectory of the Japanese narrative, 1952 – 2008 21 2.2. Feedback effect processes 41 2.3. Observable implications of different types of feedback effects 42 3.1. Phases in the Turkish narrative, 1950 – 2008 71 4.1. Trends in official and quasi-official publications on the Armenian question, 1950 – 2005 95 5.1. Trends in publications by type, 1950 – 2005 145 6.1. Phases in the Japanese narrative, 1952 – 2008 170 List of Acronyms AKP Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, Justice and Development Party ARF-D Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun ASALA Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia ASAM Avrasya Stratejik Araştırmalar Merkezi, Eurasian Strategic Studies Institute ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASİMKK Asılsız Soykırım İddiaları ile Mücadele Koordinasyon Kurulu, Committee to Coordinate the Struggle with the Baseless Genocide Claims ATAA Assembly of Turkish-American Associations ATASE Askerî Tarih ve Stratejik Etüt Başkanlığı, Directorate of Military History and Strategic Studies CHP Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, Republican People’s Party CSCE Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe CUP Committee of Union and Progress, İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti DTP Demokratik Toplum Partisi, Democratic Society Party DYP Doğru Yol Partisi, True Path Party EEC European Economic Community EP European Parliament ERAREN Ermeni Araştırmaları Enstitüsü, Institute for Armenian Research EU European Union FBIS Foreign Broadcast Information Service FDI Foreign Direct Investment GDP Gross Domestic Product GONGO Government-Sponsored Non-Governmental Organization hYd Helsinki Yurttaşlar Derneği, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly ICJ International Court of Justice IMF International Monetary Fund ITS Institute of Turkish Studies İAGM İstihbarat ve Araştırma Genel Müdürlüğü, Directorate General of Intelligence and Research ii İHD İnsan Hakları Derneği, Human Rights Foundation of Turkey JCP Japanese Communist Party JQ Japan Quarterly JSDF Japan Self-Defense Forces JSP Japan Socialist Party JWRC Center of Research and Documentation on Japan’s War Responsibility LDP Liberal Democratic Party MAZLUMDER İnsan Hakları ve Mazlumlar
Recommended publications
  • A Set of Japanese Word Cohorts Rated for Relative Familiarity

    A Set of Japanese Word Cohorts Rated for Relative Familiarity

    A SET OF JAPANESE WORD COHORTS RATED FOR RELATIVE FAMILIARITY Takashi Otake and Anne Cutler Dokkyo University and Max-Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics ABSTRACT are asked to guess about the identity of a speech signal which is in some way difficult to perceive; in gating the input is fragmentary, A database is presented of relative familiarity ratings for 24 sets of but other methods involve presentation of filtered or noise-masked Japanese words, each set comprising words overlapping in the or faint signals. In most such studies there is a strong familiarity initial portions. These ratings are useful for the generation of effect: listeners guess words which are familiar to them rather than material sets for research in the recognition of spoken words. words which are unfamiliar. The above list suggests that the same was true in this study. However, in order to establish that this was 1. INTRODUCTION so, it was necessary to compare the relative familiarity of the guessed words and the actually presented words. Unfortunately Spoken-language recognition proceeds in time - the beginnings of we found no existing database available for such a comparison. words arrive before the ends. Research on spoken-language recognition thus often makes use of words which begin similarly It was therefore necessary to collect familiarity ratings for the and diverge at a later point. For instance, Marslen-Wilson and words in question. Studies of subjective familiarity rating 1) 2) Zwitserlood and Zwitserlood examined the associates activated (Gernsbacher8), Kreuz9)) have shown very high inter-rater by the presentation of fragments which could be the beginning of reliability and a better correlation with experimental results in more than one word - in Zwitserlood's experiment, for example, language processing than is found for frequency counts based on the fragment kapit- which could begin the Dutch words kapitein written text.
  • Nationalism in Japan's Contemporary Foreign Policy

    Nationalism in Japan's Contemporary Foreign Policy

    The London School of Economics and Political Science Nationalism in Japan’s Contemporary Foreign Policy: A Consideration of the Cases of China, North Korea, and India Maiko Kuroki A thesis submitted to the Department of International Relations of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, February 2013 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of <88,7630> words. Statement of use of third party for editorial help I can confirm that my thesis was copy edited for conventions of language, spelling and grammar by Josh Collins and Greg Demmons. 2 of 3 Abstract Under the Koizumi and Abe administrations, the deterioration of the Japan-China relationship and growing tension between Japan and North Korea were often interpreted as being caused by the rise of nationalism. This thesis aims to explore this question by looking at Japan’s foreign policy in the region and uncovering how political actors manipulated the concept of nationalism in foreign policy discourse.
  • The Rape of Nanking: a Historical Analysis of the Aftershocks of Wartime Sexual Violence in International Relations

    The Rape of Nanking: a Historical Analysis of the Aftershocks of Wartime Sexual Violence in International Relations

    FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS HUMANAS Y SOCIALES The Rape of Nanking: a historical analysis of the aftershocks of wartime sexual violence in international relations. Autor: Ester Brito Ruiz Quinto Curso del Doble Grado de ADE y Relaciones Internacionales Director: Jose Manuel Saenz Rotko Madrid Junio 2018 Ester Brito Ruiz international relations. The Rape of Nanking: a historical analysis of the aftershocks of wartime sexual violence in in violence sexual wartime of aftershocks the of analysis historical a Nanking: of Rape The Index 1) Abstract & Key words. 2) Methodology & Research Design. 3) Introduction. 4) Historiography and debates on Nanking. 5) Historical analysis and drivers of the Second Sino-Japanese war and interbellum change in protocols against foreign combatants and civilians. a. Conditioning Japanese political factors. b. Economic drivers. c. The role of the international order. 6) The route to Nanking a. Introduction: planning and intent of Japanese imperial forces when entering Manchuria. b. Road to Nanking: the advance of the imperial army, Loot all, kill all, burn all imperative. c. The entry into the city and mass killings. d. Rape in Nanking and beyond the capital. e. Torture inflicted upon combatants and civilians. f. The weeks following the fall of Nanking. 7) Radicalization of the Japanese imperial army: understanding historical warfare practices and theories of violence. 8) Rape as a weapon of war. 9) Other war crimes and implications of Japanese Imperialism 10) Historical memory of Nanking a. Significance of diverging historical memory in politics b. China: the century of humiliation narrative c. Japan: the historical aggressor-victim dilemma 1 11) Historical impact of Nanking on current international relations.
  • Teacher's Guide and Lesson Plans for a History of Chinese American

    Teacher's Guide and Lesson Plans for a History of Chinese American

    Teacher’s Guide and Lesson Plans For A History of Chinese American Achievement In the United States For grade 7 – College Series produced by Centre Communications, Inc. for Ambrose Video Publishing, Inc. Executive Producer William V. Ambrose Teacher's Guide by Mark Reeder Published and Distributed by... Ambrose Video Publishing 145 West 45th St., Suite 1115 New York, NY 10036 1–800–526–4663 24–Hour Fax 212–768–9282 http://www.ambrosevideo.com This DVD is the exclusive property of the copyright holder, Copying, transmitting or reproducing in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission from the copyright holder is prohibited (Title 17, U.S. Code Section 501 and 506). (c) MMV Ambrose Video Publishing, Inc. 1 Table of Contents Page Table of Contents and Rights……………………………………………………. 2 Materials in the Series…………………………………………………...….....… 3 Instructional Notes………………………………………………………………. 3 Introduction and Summary of Series………………………………………....…. 4 Links to Curriculum Standards………………………………………………….. 6 Suggested Lesson Plans…………………………………………………………. 6 Chinese American Entrepreneurs............................................................... 6 Chinese American Heroes.......................................................................... 7 Chinese Americans Culture........................................................................ 7 Chinese Americans and Civil Rights.......................................................... 8 Chinese American Storytellers.................................................................... 8 Chinese
  • James Ker-Lindsay Paper

    James Ker-Lindsay Paper

    Preventing the Emergence of Self-Determination as a Norm of Secession: An Assessment of the Kosovo 'Unique Case' Argument James Ker-Lindsay London School of Economics European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE +44 20 7955 6815 (Tel) / +44 20 7955 6497 (fax) [email protected] Abstract When Kosovo declared independence, in February 2008, it was stated that the move was not an act of self-determination. Instead, the key states that supported the decision insisted that the case for statehood arose from a unique set of circumstances. Kosovo was not a precedent; it was a sui generis case in international politics. This article considers the arguments underpinning this claim to exclusivity and argues that, taken either individually or collectively, the main justifications used to support Kosovo‟s „unique‟ statehood – such as the abuse of human rights - in fact have serious consequences for other separatist conflicts elsewhere. Introduction On 19 December 2007, Sir John Sawers, the then permanent representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations made one of the most extraordinary statements of modern British diplomacy. Emerging from a meeting of the Security Council, which had been discussing efforts to find a final status settlement for Kosovo, the diplomat stated: „You have the principle of territorial integrity. You also have the principle of self-determination. There are times when those principles are in tension with one another, and the principle of territorial integrity is qualified by the principle of self-determination.‟1 This was an astounding statement. A senior British official appeared to be contradicting the long- standing principle of international relations sanctifying the territorial integrity of states, and endorsing the right of a group of people, albeit under certain conditions, to pursue secession and independence.
  • 1 This Translation of Book III Distinctions 1 to 17 of the Ordinatio (Aka Opus Oxoniense ) of Blessed John Duns Scotus Is Comple

    1 This Translation of Book III Distinctions 1 to 17 of the Ordinatio (Aka Opus Oxoniense ) of Blessed John Duns Scotus Is Comple

    1 This translation of Book III Distinctions 1 to 17 of the Ordinatio (aka Opus Oxoniense) of Blessed John Duns Scotus is complete. These distinctions fill volume nine of the Vatican critical edition of the Latin text edited by the Scotus Commission in Rome and published by Quarrachi. [Note that distinctions 18 to 25 are lacking in Scotus’ Ordinatio. Their place is filled here in an appendix from Antonius Andreas, one of Scotus’ more faithful followers.] Scotus’ Latin is tight and not seldom elliptical, exploiting to the full the grammatical resources of the language to make his meaning clear (especially the backward references of his pronouns). In English this ellipsis must, for the sake of intelligibility, often be translated with a fuller repetition of words and phrases than Scotus himself gives. The possibility of mistake thus arises if the wrong word or phrase is chosen for repetition. The only check to remove error is to ensure that the resulting English makes the sense intended by Scotus. Whether this sense has always been captured in the translation that follows must be judged by the reader. In addition there are passages where not only the argumentation but the grammar too is obscure, and I cannot vouch for the success of my attempts to penetrate the obscurity. So, for these and the like reasons, comments and notice of errors from readers are most welcome. Peter L.P. Simpson April, 2018 2 THE ORDINATIO OF BLESSED JOHN DUNS SCOTUS Book Three First Distinction First Part (Page 12) On the Possibility of the Incarnation Question 1: Whether it was Possible for Human Nature to be United to the Word in Unity of Supposit Num.
  • The History Problem: the Politics of War

    The History Problem: the Politics of War

    History / Sociology SAITO … CONTINUED FROM FRONT FLAP … HIRO SAITO “Hiro Saito offers a timely and well-researched analysis of East Asia’s never-ending cycle of blame and denial, distortion and obfuscation concerning the region’s shared history of violence and destruction during the first half of the twentieth SEVENTY YEARS is practiced as a collective endeavor by both century. In The History Problem Saito smartly introduces the have passed since the end perpetrators and victims, Saito argues, a res- central ‘us-versus-them’ issues and confronts readers with the of the Asia-Pacific War, yet Japan remains olution of the history problem—and eventual multiple layers that bind the East Asian countries involved embroiled in controversy with its neighbors reconciliation—will finally become possible. to show how these problems are mutually constituted across over the war’s commemoration. Among the THE HISTORY PROBLEM THE HISTORY The History Problem examines a vast borders and generations. He argues that the inextricable many points of contention between Japan, knots that constrain these problems could be less like a hang- corpus of historical material in both English China, and South Korea are interpretations man’s noose and more of a supportive web if there were the and Japanese, offering provocative findings political will to determine the virtues of peaceful coexistence. of the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, apologies and that challenge orthodox explanations. Written Anything less, he explains, follows an increasingly perilous compensation for foreign victims of Japanese in clear and accessible prose, this uniquely path forward on which nationalist impulses are encouraged aggression, prime ministerial visits to the interdisciplinary book will appeal to sociol- to derail cosmopolitan efforts at engagement.
  • The HOMENETMEN LEADER's GUIDE

    The HOMENETMEN LEADER's GUIDE

    The HOMENETMEN LEADER’S GUIDE Հ.Մ.Ը.Մ.ական ՂԵԿԱՎԱՐԻ ՈՒՂԵՑՈՅՑ English Version Second Edition 2.1 February 2019 Prepared by: Dr. Shahe Yeni-Komshian Commissioned by: Homenetmen Western USA Regional Executive Board Sponsored by: Homenetmen Central Executive Board The content of the Homenetmen Leader’s Guide includes original writings by SY, as well as edited past documents and/or reproduction of already prepared documents. The Guide is available on-line as an e-document, at: www. Homenetmen.net The Homenetmen Leader’s Guide was Developed on the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of HOMENETMEN As a Tribute to its Remarkable Contribution to Armenian Society, In the Hopes of Educating Future Generations of Leaders to Carry on the Torch. SY 2 PREFACE Homenetmen has bylaws, rules and regulations, but no formal leadership development program. Governing bodies also do not have a comprehensive orientation guide for new board members. Hence this guidebook. This Guide is primarily written for the leadership of Western USA Region. However, the entire Homenetmen family with all of its Regions and Chapters could use this guidebook, with minor adjustments of region specific information. WHY Do We Need to HAVE a GUIDE for LEADERS? Every nonprofit organization needs a board development process. Homenetmen has to give tools to those leaders who are expected to lead our youth, to better explain to them their role and responsibilities, educate them about their position and functions and help improve their performance. Quality leaders are better mentors. This Guide may be utilized for two purposes: 1. As a reference handbook, adopted by any Homenetmen leader, or 2.
  • Justifying Religious Freedom: the Western Tradition

    Justifying Religious Freedom: the Western Tradition

    Justifying Religious Freedom: The Western Tradition E. Gregory Wallace* Table of Contents I. THESIS: REDISCOVERING THE RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATIONS FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.......................................................... 488 II. THE ORIGINS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN EARLY CHRISTIAN THOUGHT ................................................................................... 495 A. Early Christian Views on Religious Toleration and Freedom.............................................................................. 495 1. Early Christian Teaching on Church and State............. 496 2. Persecution in the Early Roman Empire....................... 499 3. Tertullian’s Call for Religious Freedom ....................... 502 B. Christianity and Religious Freedom in the Constantinian Empire ................................................................................ 504 C. The Rise of Intolerance in Christendom ............................. 510 1. The Beginnings of Christian Intolerance ...................... 510 2. The Causes of Christian Intolerance ............................. 512 D. Opposition to State Persecution in Early Christendom...... 516 E. Augustine’s Theory of Persecution..................................... 518 F. Church-State Boundaries in Early Christendom................ 526 G. Emerging Principles of Religious Freedom........................ 528 III. THE PRESERVATION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION EUROPE...................................................... 530 A. Persecution and Opposition in the Medieval
  • History and the State in Postwar Japan

    History and the State in Postwar Japan

    Volume 16 | Issue 9 | Number 1 | Article ID 5140 | May 01, 2018 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus History and the State in Postwar Japan Hatano Sumio, translated by Christopher W. A. Szpilman and with an introduction by Sven Saaler and Christopher W. A. Szpilman Introduction The Handbook is divided into four sections, “Nation, Empire and Borders,” “Ideologies and The Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese the Political System,” “Economy and Society,” 1 History, a concise introduction to Japanese and “Historical Legacies and Memory.” The history between the middle of the nineteenth first three address the history of the political century and the end of the twentieth, was system, international relations, society, published in late 2017. In preparing the work, economy, environment, race and gender. The the editors were fortunate to obtain the final section consists of three chapters that cooperation of 30 historians from Japan, address the important and, given the current Europe, Australia and the U.S., who provided situation in East Asia, highly relevant issues of succinct yet comprehensive overviews of their historical memory, war responsibility, historical field of expertise. revisionism and Japan’s not always successful efforts to come to terms with its own past. This article is by Hatano Sumio, professor emeritus at the University of Tsukuba. Professor Hatano is Director-General of the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR); he chaired the Editorial Committee of the Nihon gaikō bunsho (Diplomatic Documents of Japan) series published by the Japanese The Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese History Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and between 2008 and 2011 he was a member of the Japan-China Joint History Research Committee.
  • Final Report of the Nazi War Crimes & Japanese

    Final Report of the Nazi War Crimes & Japanese

    Nazi War Crimes & Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group Final Report to the United States Congress April 2007 Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group Final Report to the United States Congress Published April 2007 1-880875-30-6 “In a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners.” — Albert Camus iv IWG Membership Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, Chair Thomas H. Baer, Public Member Richard Ben-Veniste, Public Member Elizabeth Holtzman, Public Member Historian of the Department of State The Secretary of Defense The Attorney General Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Security Council Director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Nationa5lrchives ~~ \T,I "I, I I I"" April 2007 I am pleased to present to Congress. Ihe AdnllniSlr:lllon, and the Amcncan [JeOplc Ihe Final Report of the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Rcrords Interagency Working Group (IWG). The lWG has no\\ successfully completed the work mandated by the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act (P.L. 105-246) and the Japanese Imperial Government DisdoSUTC Act (PL 106·567). Over 8.5 million pages of records relaH:d 10 Japanese and Nazi "'ar crimes have been identifIed among Federal Go\emmelll records and opened to the pubhc. including certam types of records nevcr before released. such as CIA operational Iiles. The groundbrcaking release of Lhcse ft:cords In no way threatens lhe Malio,,'s sccurily.
  • The Rape of Nanjing: Is an Unbiased Representation Possible?

    The Rape of Nanjing: Is an Unbiased Representation Possible?

    The Rape of Nanjing: Is an Unbiased Representation Possible? by Heather M. Downing Thesis submitted to the Honors Program, Saint Peter's College May 17, 2011 Heather M. Downing Downing 1 Abstract In the years leading up to and including World War II, the Japanese invaded China, committing war crimes and atrocities that some say rivaled those committed by the German National Socialist (Nazi) Party in Europe. However, due to a number of factors following the end of World War II, many conflicting points of view about Nanjing have arisen, including views from Japanese ultranationalists, Chinese victims and their descendants, and from other outside parties, including Americans and Europeans. In the present day, the evidence and the different testimonies of what may have happened in Nanjing have become so convoluted that it would be impossible to come up with a purely factual, unbiased historical account of the events in Nanjing during the Japanese invasion on December 13, 1937 and the weeks leading up to and following that invasion. By looking at some of the most popular sources and references pertaining to the Nanjing Massacre, one can assess just how disputed the topic has become and how truly impossible it is for historians to arrive at a single, agreed upon history of the event. Downing 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements 3 Foreword 4 Chapter 1 Historical Factors Which Contributed to the Formation of Conflicting Accounts 6 Chapter 2 An Analysis of Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II 12 Chapter 3 An Analysis of Rhawn Joseph’s Documentary on the Rape of Nanjing 20 Chapter 4 An Analysis of Masahiro Yamamoto’s Nanking: Anatomy of an Atrocity 26 Conclusion 32 Works Consulted 35 Downing 3 Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to thank my advisor, Father Mark DeStephano, S.J., for all of his guidance, support, and seemingly endless patience during the writing of this thesis.