Office of the Historian

37. Letter From J.F. Abbott of the Military Intelligence Division, Department of War General Staff to the Director of the Division of Films, Committee on Public Information (Beeman)1

Washington, October 3, 1918
Dear Sir:

I take pleasure in transmitting herewith the Japanese version of the titles for “America’s Answer”,2 which has been delayed owing to my “leave” intervening. I have taken the liberty of altering the text in the following particulars:

  • 1. The second person has been altered in every case to the impersonal statement.
  • 2. #3 has been rendered much as in the original. I have doubts however as to whether the allusion to tyrants and tyranny will pass the Japanese censor. If the whole title were out it would not make a great deal of difference.
  • 3. #5 “Your Leader” I assume is President Wilson and the translation reads “President Wilson, Commander in Chief of the American Forces on Land and Sea.”
  • 4. #17—omitted—to anticipate the Japanese censor who will not permit any allusion to “liberty” on a film. (This is of my personal knowledge.)
  • 5. #42 Reference to “democracy” omitted for same reason.
  • 6. #47 Reference to Kaiser’s sons omitted as unintelligible to Japanese audience and likely to be misunderstood.
  • 7. #67 Approximately translated “Some collection of hats!” The Jap wouldn’t understand hat-checking.
  • 8. #79, Reduced to prosaic statement.
  • 9. #92 Translated “Digging for Independence”—not very good but the word ‘democracy’ is absolutely banned.
  • 10. #100 Not remembering whether the “couriers” are birds or men—translated merely “a narrow escape.”
  • 11. #135 Allusion to “Over there” omitted.

I suggest that you have the titles set up in the size of type desired, by one of the Japanese papers in New York, (Japanese-Amer. Commercial Weekly), and the proof sent to me. It will expedite matters if you attach my section designation (M.I.2.) to my address.

Very sincerely,

J.F. Abbott3

Captain U.S.A.
  1. Source: National Archives, RG 63, Entry 105, Director’s Office of the Foreign Section, General Correspondence, Box 13, Military Intelligence, Sept 18–Feb 19. No classification marking. In an October 4 letter, Byoir thanked Abbott for his suggestions. (Ibid.)↩
  2. For America’s Answer, see the Online Supplement, Appendix A.5.↩
  3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩