Treason on the Airwaves: Three Allied Broadcasters on Axis Radio during World War II [Hardcover]

Judith Keene (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 031335328X | ISBN-13: 978-0313353284 | Publication Date: December 30, 2008

This work traces the extraordinary journeys of three World War II radio broadcasters in Germany and Japan whose wartime choices became treason in Britain, Australia, and the United States. John Amery, a member of a well-connected British family, joined Hitler's propagandists in Berlin. He was executed for treason by Britain after the war. Charles Cousens was a soldier in Japanese captivity when he was put to work on Radio Tokyo with a team of Allied POWs. Cousens was later tried as a traitor in Australia. Iva Toguri, better known as Tokyo Rose, was an American student visiting Japan when war broke out. She broadcast her English show on Radio Tokyo out of necessity rather than conviction. The United States jailed Toguri for treason. Through these powerful stories, this work not only sheds new light on the history of wartime radio broadcasting in Germany and Japan, but also examines the laws of treason in Britain, Australia, and the United States and the ways in which trials such as these helped shape modern-day treason trials. All three accounts provoke thoughtful questions as to the nature of justice—and the justice of retribution. This work traces the extraordinary journeys of three World War II radio broadcasters in Germany and Japan whose wartime choices became treason in Britain, Australia, and the United States.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Exceptionally interesting."—Martin Rubin, Washington Post

(Martin Rubin Washington Post ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Book Description

This is a fascinating work based on three individuals who became notorious in World War II as broadcasters over Axis radio and were later tried for treason in their home countries.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (December 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031335328X
• ISBN-13: 978-0313353284
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,754,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book review; Treason on the Airwaves, March 10, 2010

By 

Scott R. Gothard "Bibliophile Extraordinaire" (Santa Ana, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Treason on the Airwaves: Three Allied Broadcasters on Axis Radio during World War II (Hardcover)

This is a fascinating book about a little discussed aspect of World War II. It talks about not just the military aspect of the issue, but the politics as well. This is a "must read" for those interested in radio propoganda.

5.0 out of 5 stars "Three historical cases of traitors and trials.", October 7, 2011

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ROROTOKO (rorotoko dot com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treason on the Airwaves: Three Allied Broadcasters on Axis Radio during World War II (Kindle Edition)

This book is on the Rorotoko list. Professor Keene's interview on "Treason on the Airwaves" ran as the Rorotoko Cover Feature on May 2, 2011 (and can be read in the Rorotoko archive).

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars world war two traitors, October 24, 2010

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serious reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treason on the Airwaves: Three Allied Broadcasters on Axis Radio during World War II (Paperback)

This is a fascinating read about three people who broadcast propaganda on Axis radio in World War Two. It is a lively story that lays out their biographies as well as the very different outcomes that citizens in Allied countries accused of treason faced after the war. John Amery, a Nazi sympathiser, was executed in London; Charles Cousens, a POW in captivity in Tokyo, faced a treason trial in Australia after the war; and Iva Toguri--better known as "Tokyo Rose"-- a Japanese-American caught in Tokyo at the time of Pearl Harbour, was tried and, according to the author, wrongly found guilty as a traitor and jailed in the United States.