Chapter 29 Section five
At that time, six regions in mainland Japan had agencies related to the "counterintelligence team" directly under the intelligence department of the U.S. General Command. These six regions were Hokkaido, Sendai, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Takamatsu.Among them, Colonel Gershin's "counterintelligence team" agency is in charge of the Tokyo area - starting from the Kanto, even the Fukuoka area is also included.The Cannon Agency, famous for Major Cannon, is one of the secret service agencies under the independent "counterintelligence team" in several areas of Tokyo.The Cannon Organization also has a subsidiary organization, which has a code name and is commonly known as the "Persimmon Organization".
Various documents state that this Cannon mechanism seems to be related to the "downhill incident", but I don't think there is any relationship between the two.The secret agencies of the various "counterintelligence teams" are absolutely not allowed to reveal their identities when they carry out activities.Later, when the Cannon agency was producing it, its name was accidentally exposed, so it can be said that it failed among the secret agencies of the "counterintelligence team".Mention of "Counterintelligence Squad" is immediately associated with the Cannon establishment--this superficial perception in the press has yet to be corrected.
Needless to say, the Ministry of Intelligence is an organization parallel to the Operational Staff Department. It has the greatest authority and is an organization that clearly belongs to the combat system.
However, the Civil Affairs Bureau is a military and political agency established under the occupation and belongs to the so-called military and political system.Like any country, there are constant and fierce battles between the military command agency and the military and government agencies.
Since the U.S. occupation forces ruled Japan, the biggest headache was how to deal with the communist forces.It would not be an exaggeration to call the history of the U.S. Army General Command occupying Japan a history of suppressing the Communist Party.After MacArthur landed in Japan, what he first set out to do was to completely destroy the potential forces such as the old warlord system, right-wing system, and right-wing chaebols that were still preserved in Japan. The purpose was to wipe them all out and impose American-style rule.In order to eliminate this kind of nationalism from Japan, the Civil Affairs Bureau launched activities under the beautiful name of "democratization" and started to destroy the pre-war order system.
As we all know, Kejisi, the acting director of the Civil Affairs Bureau, used great power to destroy the old order, and also planned to use the power of the Communist Party.Thus the Japanese Communist Party, an illegal party until the end of the war, whose cadres had to go underground, suddenly reared its head and flourished, and in 1949 thirty-five Communists were elected members of the Diet.This was the heyday of the Communist Party's power, and the cry of "the time for revolution is about to come" was also heard.
But the Intelligence Department lashed out at the Civil Affairs Bureau's policy, led by the minister, Major General Willoughby.
The Intelligence Department, which had been at a disadvantage since the beginning of Showa 24 (the year when the "Xiashan Incident") occurred, launched a counterattack against the Civil Affairs Bureau and tried to drive Kirgis and Deck out of the way.I wanted to describe this incident in more detail, but due to space limitations, I just want to point out that the fierce struggle for dominance between the Intelligence Department of the US General Command and the Civil Affairs Bureau formed part of the background of the "downhill incident".
Whether it is the Ministry of Intelligence or the Civil Affairs Bureau, it is likely that their respective secret agencies or intelligence agencies have been scattered in all levels of Japanese political circles.Saito National Police Chief wrote in his memoirs that in order to expose the scandal of Kirgis, he had sent someone to nail Kirgis' tip; it was only when Kirgis protested to him that he reluctantly found some excuses to evade it.But then Kirgis exposed his lies one by one, which made him at a loss.It can also be seen from this that within the Metropolitan Police Department there is a factional dispute between the Ministry of Intelligence faction and the Civil Affairs Bureau faction; on the one hand, the two factions are loyal to their own faction, and on the other hand, they try their best to play tricks and try to bring the other party down. , which is characteristic of the Japanese bureaucracy, is not surprising.
In short, the authorities had to choose the first president of the National Railways under such a situation.When the authorities first considered candidates, they had negotiated with the then Minister of Railways Yoshiichi Murakami and wanted him to take the position.But, as traced in the White Paper, Murakami refused.According to the idea of the US General Command, the first president must undertake a special task: to start a frontal struggle with Japan's largest labor union, the National Railway Workers Union, in order to dismiss a large number of employees.Therefore, in their minds, the first president is probably a blank slate without any political background.The government put forward several candidates, but they were either notorious or sidetracked, and both the Ministry of Intelligence and the Civil Affairs Bureau disagreed.As a result, Nori Nori Shimoyama, Deputy Minister of Transport with no political background and a background in the technical department, was elected president.
Considering the difficult situation of the first president, Shimoyama should have put forward certain conditions to the U.S. occupation army authorities or the Yoshida cabinet.In fact, Xiashan also revealed the idea of raising conditions.But as traced in the "White Paper", he finally didn't mention it.When Saito was appointed as the chief of the national police, he immediately put forward the conditions; in comparison, it is really negligent to go down the mountain if he is ignorant of political affairs or honest.This sowed the remote cause of his death.
There's a little more to write here about Sagnon, who is in charge of transportation and who actually decides on the president.
Sagnon was indeed an uneducated man.Although he was only an employee of a railway company in the mainland when he was in the United States, when he came to the U.S. Army Headquarters, he held great power and became domineering.Of course, Sagnon was only the head of the Bureau of Civil Transportation. It was strange that he had such great power. In fact, it was because he was backed by the Minister of Intelligence, Major General Willoughby.
Circumstances suggest that Sagnon initially sided with Whitney in the Civil Affairs Bureau.However, for some reason, he went to the intelligence department again halfway.As long as the fact that Sagnon is on the side of the Ministry of Intelligence is taken into account, the truth of the "downhill incident" seems to be half understood.
Sagnon had two tasks.One is to draw up a transportation plan in case of war against the Soviet Union according to the instructions of the Ministry of Intelligence, and the other task is to expel progressive elements in the state-run railway union.It can also be said that this task is to oppose the socialist countries internationally and the Japanese Communist Party domestically.Regarding the latter, it is not inappropriate to say that the U.S. General Command sowed the seeds in the early stages of the occupation and reaped the fruits in the end.Since the U.S. military ruled Japan, the policy of supporting the Communist Party in order to eliminate militarism has achieved unexpected results, and the number of Communist Party members and supporters of the Communist Party has increased dramatically in all aspects of Japanese society.In various industries, progressive trade unions have also sprung up.Especially since then, the development of the situation makes people feel that the "revolution" mentioned by the Communist Party may not be a dream.Even the state-run railway union, which has always been considered relatively stable, has also launched a sharp struggle.
This unexpected "result" stunned the U.S. General Command.What they have created with their own hands is turning into an accidental enchantment.Gotta figure something out early.At this time, in terms of opposing socialist countries (the Soviet Union and China), MacArthur's policy had to be changed, leaving only the Ministry of Intelligence as a line.In any case, we must try to contain the radical trade union movement that has grown stronger in Japan.In the event of any change, all Japanese agencies must be prepared.For this purpose, it is necessary to quickly change the direction of the democratic atmosphere in Japan that they have fostered with their own hands.To do this, it was necessary to cause (or create) shocking events in order to make the Japanese people fear the "red elements".The intelligence department of the U.S. General Command, which was supported by MacArthur, probably thought so.
Taking the "downhill incident" on July 5 as an opportunity, after the "Mitaka Incident", "Yokohama People's Tram Incident", "Ping Incident", and "Matsukawa Incident" occurred one after another, a struggle between the Ministry of Intelligence and the Civil Affairs Bureau In the middle, the Ministry of Intelligence won the victory, Kirgis, who had strength in the Civil Affairs Bureau, was sent back to China, and the U.S. General Command turned to the right with all its functions.As long as these facts are associated, the intention of Minister of Intelligence Willoughby can be understood.
Achieving this intent requires strategy.Under the Ministry of Intelligence, there is such a powerful intelligence agency as the "counterintelligence team".Willoughby must have started the machine all over the country.Presumably Sagnon also used the relationship of the "counterintelligence team" in the decisive battle with the state railroad union.
"Counterintelligence Squad" agencies across Japan followed the line of the Minister of Intelligence.They probably reported the information to Willoughby in detail.The scope of this intelligence includes not only the movements of senior officials, dignitaries, or individual bureaucrats of the Japanese government, but even senior U.S. officials in the U.S. General Command.Even Sagnon was under the control of the intelligence network of the "Counterintelligence Team".
Therefore, as soon as Xiashan became the alternate president of the National Railways, the intelligence agencies must have told Sagnon all about his experience, friends he met, political parties he was associated with, and backgrounds he had.Only in this way did he agree to ask Xia Shan to become the president.
Xiashan is purely from the technical department, and has no personal influence in the Ministry of Railways.According to his former classmate Mizuno Shigeo, Xiashan was a high-achieving student who competed with Mizuno for the first and second place in middle school.He always likes to stand by the railway and watch the train pass by, and he never tires of watching it.Speaking of the train fans who went down the mountain at that time, it is said that they were famous in school.After going down the mountain and entering the Ministry of Railways, it is natural to volunteer to work in the technical department on site.
But on the other hand, due to his background in the technical department, he did not have any strong personal power in the province after he became the deputy minister of the Ministry of Transport.After he took office as the president of the National Railways, he didn't get along very well with the personnel bureau.This is the remote cause of the tragedy of descending the mountain.At this point, it would be better to say that Vice President Kaga-san's background is far stronger than his.Kaga-san's father-in-law is Shihe Shinji, and Shihe, relying on the prestige of his seniors, has implicit strength in the National Railways.Therefore, as far as their political base in the province is concerned, Mount Kaga is far more stable than Xiashan.
Xia Shan has long planned to take advantage of the opportunity of the railway being converted into a public enterprise, resign as a deputy minister, and run for the Senate as an opposition member, and it seems that he has already started preparations.At this moment, someone negotiated with him to be the first president of China National Railways.
As pointed out in the "White Paper", Xia Shan has been hesitant to accept the position of president, but he finally agreed.Xia Shan knew that the task of the first president of the National Railway Company was to deal with the unprecedented dismissal of the State-owned Railway Company. It can also be said that a president was temporarily appointed for layoffs.Once this work is over, he intends to resign as president and run for the Senate.Some people said that they agreed to become the president of China National Railways in order to get into the Senate.In fact, his qualifications as a deputy minister of the Ministry of Transport are enough to qualify for the election.
In short, Shimoyama agreed to serve as the first president of National Railways.He had also discussed with Yoshiichi Murakami beforehand, and Murakami encouraged him to take up the post, so even though Xia Shan was not very enthusiastic about the position, he agreed to come down.
From the point of view of Sagnon of the Civil Transportation Bureau, he was considered the most suitable because he was not restrained by anyone when going down the mountain.In his view, the first president of the National Railways cannot be related to the Japanese government, let alone the U.S. General Command—especially the Civil Affairs Bureau, because the president of the National Railways must be obedient to Sagnon. people, at least not too talkative or critical of Sagnon's policies.The most suitable person in his mind is a man who obeys orders.All orders are issued by Sagnon, and all personnel affairs are decided by Sagnon.If the president is restrained by the Civil Affairs Bureau, things will be difficult.It was from this point that Sagnon made Shimoyama the president.But did the descent really satisfy Sagnon?
Downhill was not Sagnon's "ideal character."
Shimoyama probably also knew that he was just an interim president, and understood that the U.S. General Command really liked the vice president, Kaga-san.But even though he is only an interim president, he is not willing to act in full accordance with the orders of the US General Command.Take the list of employees fired by the state-owned railway company as an example. He is not willing to blindly accept the set of official duties unilaterally assigned by the US General Command.As far as he is concerned, it is probably intolerable to accept the list made by the personnel bureau that has always been indifferent to him.The Personnel Bureau under the influence of Vice President Kagayama refused to cooperate with President Shimoyama who was from the technical department and had no background.At the same time, Xia Shan's self-esteem did not allow him to accept such a list from the Personnel Bureau. (Most of them are listed in accordance with the intention of the US General Command.) Sagnon did not expect such a spirit of resistance to come down the mountain.
Based on the newly established principle of self-sufficiency in profits and losses, the U.S. Army General Command drew up a layoff plan in the name of "rationalization", but in essence it was to eliminate the Communists inside the National Railways.The investigation conducted by the U.S. General Command was rather hasty.It is true that many people were suddenly regarded as "red elements" without detailed investigation and included in the list of expulsion.Xiashan, who is called a "warm sentimentalist", probably couldn't accept such a list intact.He must have wanted to draw up another list himself, against Sagnon.
But this is not what Xiashan can do with his own judgment.He had to get information on the National Railway Union from someone first.The information he can get is only one-sided information sent by the Civil Transportation Bureau of the US General Command through the Japanese government-that is, the information from the United States.Xiashan must be standing on an independent stand, wanting to have his own intelligence network in order to make judgments on the situation.Kaga-san also said in an article published in the "Nippon" magazine that "President Shimoyama likes to collect intelligence very much."Although this may be due to personal hobbies, but since he has served as the president of the National Railways, in order to implement his ideas, he must obtain his own information.
In the "White Paper", the then Deputy Minister of Transport Shigejiro Ino said:
"The trend of letting Xiashan to take the position of president became superficial. At that time, I went to Xiashan and told him that if he agreed to serve as president, he must put forward conditions and everything was negotiated. The conditions are to reduce the number of dismissals and cut wages. As for what to do The method and method are completely decided by the president. No matter what the outcome of the matter is, he will never cause trouble to the government. However, Xiashan does not seem to have put forward any conditions to the government. People who know the inside story seem to have a tendency to avoid becoming the president. Presumably because of this, the He was temporarily called to take charge."
In short, relevant parties in Japan view the dismissal issue purely from the perspective of "rationalization" of management, and this is probably the case with Ino and Shimoyama.But for the U.S. General Command, the dismissal is entirely for the sake of the U.S. military, so it is necessary to reduce the organization.Relevant parties in Japan were kept in the dark, thinking that the large number of layoffs by the National Railways was purely an economic issue.Here, there was a disagreement on the true intentions between the relevant parties in Japan and the U.S. General Command, and this is where the misfortune of going down the mountain lies.At that time, no one in the upper echelons of Japan probably noticed what the US military was planning in Japan in the utmost secrecy.The layoffs of the National Railways were not based on purely economic reasons such as self-sufficiency in profits and losses or the "Number of Staff Law", but for the harsh purpose of "U.S. military combat", and the Japanese side was not allowed to bargain politically or cooperate with the country. The ironworkers would compromise.The national railway layoffs are an important link in the powerful battle plan put forward by the Ministry of Intelligence.
What measures has the National Railways Union taken in this regard?
Nor did the National Railways see the mass layoffs as part of General Command's war plan.They just objected to the large-scale expulsion of radicals including Communist Party members by the National Railways, but they only regarded it as an economic struggle.At the "Kinpei Conference", they opposed the layoffs of the National Railways and decided to launch a powerful struggle against layoffs that included "using strength."But they probably also knew that this was impossible to succeed, as can be understood from the order MacArthur issued during the "February 1st Strike".However, the main faction of the National Railways other than the Mintong faction has resolutely issued a struggle declaration including "use of strength".Regarding "use of strength", even Tokuda Kyuichi and others have suspected that "the time is not yet ripe".
However, this policy of struggle of the National Railway Trade Union has attracted the attention of the society.The dismissal list is scheduled to be announced on July 3, and the union has decided to "immediately launch a struggle using its strength."The masses of the people must feel uneasy about this policy of the National Railway Trade Union, and always feel that it has a sinister atmosphere.
Sagnon presumably welcomed the menacing atmosphere instead.He was preparing to create a shocking event, which happened to be set off by the sinister atmosphere of the national railway union.So for him, this is rather a gratifying thing.
It is said that the closer the dismissal date is, the more sleepless Xiashan Ding will be at night.According to his family, every night he drank potions to barely sleep.
At 8:20 a.m. on July 5, President Shimoyama left Kamiikegami's private residence, took a car driven by driver Onishi to the traffic control platform in front of Tokyo Station, and said, "Go to Mitsukoshi, and I need to do some shopping." He saw Mitsukoshi still closed the door, so he said: "The white wooden house is also possible, just keep going." He saw that the main entrance of the white wooden house was also closed, and this time he said, "Go around to Kanda Station." Then he said "Open." Go to Mitsukoshi" or something like that.These have been mentioned earlier.But why did he have such inexplicable actions?
Besides, on the way from the front of the National Railway Headquarters to the Mitsukoshi head office, I asked the car to stop in front of the head office of Chiyoda Bank when I went down the mountain, and I went to the bank for about 20 minutes.What is he going to do?
After investigation, I found out that there was a downhill safe drawer in the bank’s rental vault, which contained three stacks of hundred-yen bills wrapped in newspaper, each stack of 10,000 yen.In addition, there is a large brown envelope containing stocks, and a white envelope containing the deed of his house.There is also a folded paper clip at the bottom. When I opened it, it turned out to be a spring painting.Chunhua is still there - this constitutes one of the arguments that downhill was not suicide but was killed.People who make up their minds to commit suicide usually have to clean up the things around them.According to human nature, things that cannot be seen by outsiders, or things that are too embarrassing for the survivors to see, must be destroyed.But in his rented vault, there is one shady thing - Chunhua.If he made up his mind to commit suicide, he would definitely take out these things and destroy them.What's more, President Xiashan has always been a face-saving person.
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