Page 76 - Unit 731 Testimony

The article in the journal simply lists the names of the participants in
the exchange as "S," "M," and "N." The first two letters are explained
explicitly as referring respectively to Sanders and a Colonel Masuda

Tomosada, who had served with Unit 731 in Manchuria from 1945. "N" is
left unexplained, but could only be Naito since he, with his English ability,
had been maneuvering questioning all throughout the postwar
investigations and had attended many of the sessions with Sanders (whether
wanted or not). The term "BK" in the Japanese notes is deduced by the
author of the article to mean development of biological weapons. This is an
excerpt from the notes of the meeting of October 9, 1945:

N: I brought Colonel Masuda with me, the man we spoke of the other

day . . .
S: Did you not engage in BK research?
M: Yes, I did.
S: I would like you to tell me about that biological warfare research.
M: I know about BK and will gladly talk about it, but first I want to
mention that what I am about to say is my own opinion. I believe that

you will not use it for political reasons.
I know that you [Sanders] spoke yesterday with Lieutenant
Colonel "N", and I feel secure in speaking freely about this now.

The transcript of this meeting notes that "the 'statement' made to
Lieutenant Colonel Naito in this investigation is data for a secret report to

the [American] president. It is not to be revealed. Rather, if a problem
concerning BK arises among the various countries, America's knowing our
situation can dispose of the problem to Japan's advantage. This is not
concerned with the question of searching out war criminals." This shows
that the proposal—made with the involvement of the American president—
to grant immunity from war crimes was already on the table less than two

months after the war's end.
While Naito was capable of using and disposing of human beings with
no more compassion than scientists extend to lab rats, superficially he
appeared to have much in common with Sanders. Both men, after all, were
researchers, not military men, and yet both had ended up soldiers and even

attained the same rank of lieutenant colonel. Thus, the main players in the
crucial first encounter between American authorities and Unit 731 seem to