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Pacific Atrocities Education
Unit 731 Cover-up: The Operation Paperclip of the East
During the occupation of Japan after WWII, the US had an important decision to make. Should they hold those responsible for atrocities during the war accountable or should they take the information to advance national interest?
The researchers who worked at Unit 731, the biological and chemical warfare research and development unit, were given immunity in exchange for their research data. Unit 731 included factories filled with humans, tested with various diseases, as well as field tests on civilians of the Soviet Union and China. Imperial Japan had aspirations to develop operative tools of biological warfare, one that was prohibited after World War I. Using alive human captives, the Japanese scientists of the medical profession gathered data on the progression of the diseases until the "human guinea pigs" collapsed. Most of these scientists lived peacefully after WWII, with a few of them having to go through the Khabarovsk Trial, which was deemed by the West as communist propaganda.
Most of the horrors on Unit 731 had been hearsays and rumors until recently with the passing of the Freedom of Information Act. This book is based on documents found in the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Russian archival documents, and translations of the Khabarovsk Trial to paint a complete picture of the cover-up of the atrocious act of Unit 731.
Readers could expect to questions themselves with this evidence: Should war crimes be covered up in the name of national interest?
The researchers who worked at Unit 731, the biological and chemical warfare research and development unit, were given immunity in exchange for their research data. Unit 731 included factories filled with humans, tested with various diseases, as well as field tests on civilians of the Soviet Union and China. Imperial Japan had aspirations to develop operative tools of biological warfare, one that was prohibited after World War I. Using alive human captives, the Japanese scientists of the medical profession gathered data on the progression of the diseases until the "human guinea pigs" collapsed. Most of these scientists lived peacefully after WWII, with a few of them having to go through the Khabarovsk Trial, which was deemed by the West as communist propaganda.
Most of the horrors on Unit 731 had been hearsays and rumors until recently with the passing of the Freedom of Information Act. This book is based on documents found in the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Russian archival documents, and translations of the Khabarovsk Trial to paint a complete picture of the cover-up of the atrocious act of Unit 731.
Readers could expect to questions themselves with this evidence: Should war crimes be covered up in the name of national interest?
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
187 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 25, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 9, 2023
This book is easy to read as it feels like I am reading an undergraduate research paper. Or rather, a few of them. While the research is good and everything is cited well, the book is riddled with spelling errors, formatting issues (sentences cut off mid way through), poor word choices (irregardless), and incorrect dates (Pearl Harbor took place on Dec 7th, not Dec 1st). There are plenty of pictures of primary source documents to back up the research, so that is a huge plus. Overall, with proper editing, I would say this could be 4 stars.
May 26, 2023
Startling war crimes
Did I learn about concentration camps? Yes
Did I have documentaries I could watch? Yes
But Unit 731? No...This book explores why little is known. This is the third book I found.
The crimes committed are horrific, but to duplicate these findings was unethical and with looming Cold War tensions, US took the research.
A really informative book.
Did I learn about concentration camps? Yes
Did I have documentaries I could watch? Yes
But Unit 731? No...This book explores why little is known. This is the third book I found.
The crimes committed are horrific, but to duplicate these findings was unethical and with looming Cold War tensions, US took the research.
A really informative book.
March 4, 2024
This book needs a thorough edit to really shine like it should. The information is solid but it reads like a first draft and uses a little too much speculation at times whilst being repetitive when analysing the accusations.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews