The Wake island and "Send us more Japs!"

Urwin dispells myths like the widely circulated report that when asked what they needed, the Marines replied, "Send us more Japs!" The truth is that "send us" was at the beginning of a message and "more Japs" was at the end of the same message --- a skillful propoganda officer simply cut out the center of the message to create the heroic sounding "send us more Japs" message. For the duration of World War II, that message of defiance brought Americans hope (after the war, the commander of the Wake Island defenders, when he heard of the "message," said "that's the last thing we needed").

http://www.epinions.com/content_168364445316

 

Looks like this would be a good book Kai. The only part of the review that I disagree with is the tone that makes it sound like this is the first time that it is being reported that the "Send us more japs" story was never said. Samuel Eliot Morison even stated in his comprehensive "History of the United States Navy in World War II" published in September, 1948 that the phrase was never sent in that form from Wake Island. More definitively, Richard Wheeler wrote in his 1983 book "A Special Valor: The US Marines in the Pacific War" wrote that Cmdr Winfield Cunningham (overall commander of Wake Island) in using a practice of the time padded a message to Pearl Harbor with unrelated, filler material at the front and rear of the message that said, "Send us stop Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party Stop Cunningham More Japs". This was done in an effort to confuse any attempts the Japanese would make at breaking the US code then being used.

 

Thanx a lot Bill!!

Especially I was wondering what the original whole length message was!

So thanx again!

 

well, though it might be a shot to our gung-ho devil may care attitude as americans

but atleast McAuffles response of "NUTS!" is 100% accurate