Early in the war, OWI passed the word around: call Hitler & Mussolini any fighting word that comes to mind—but go easy on Emperor Hirohito.
The slight, myopic man known as O-Tenshi-Sami, Son of Heaven, is a religious symbol, explained OWI. As such, he is a potent puppet in the hands of the warlords—but some day he might be an equally useful puppet to the Allies.
Last week the State Department's grey, granite-jawed Joseph C. Grew, longtime U.S. Ambassador to Tokyo, spoke up "unofficially" in favor of letting the Japanese people keep their...