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Charles H.Weston Affidavit Accuses Osborne of collaboration |
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Source: NARA Record Group
331 Box 940; Mansell NARA 7 Transcribed by: Gordon Scaggs Memorandum Chicago, Illinois 8 March 1946 Subject: Charles H. Weston BM1/C, USN, #299-92-77 On 6 March 1946, a representative from this office, interviewed subject at Headquarters Sixth Service Command, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois. This informant stated that during his imprisonment at Camp Narumi, Nagoya Area, Honshu Island, Japan, from approximately August 1944 to 25 August 1945, he observed certain "stool-pigeon" activities on the part of a fellow American prisoner of war. This man was an American private named Osborne [PFC Benjamin L. Osborne, 200th CAC] who came from northern Wisconsin (first name and exact address unknown). He was about five feet nine inches in height, well built, and about 25 years of age. He had light hair and seemed to be a Scandinavian. He had been captured with the informant on Corregidor. The informant said he had seen Osborne eating several meals at different times with the camp commander, and firmly believes, (though he has no direct proof) that Osborne sold information against his comrades to the Camp Commander for the sake of getting these meals, cigarettes, other small gifts, and an easy job. In an address to the prisoners of war in the camp, the Camp Commander once said that if any accident happened to Osborne, his fellow prisoners of war would be held responsible. Informant believes that Osborne was the direct cause of many Americans getting beaten, losing privileges, and so on. Osborne was responsible, informant believes, for mush unrest and worry among the prisoners. He was not trusted even by the Japanese guards, the informant believes, because they feared that they themselves would get "squealed on" for any irregularities. Osborne was liberated from camp Narumi along with the informant. The last that informant saw of him was after the liberation when they were both on the ship Rescue in Tokio (Tokyo) Bay. This ship was tehn receiving prisoners of war for examination. Charles A. Lewis, Captain, Inf., 6th SC. |