| November 24, 1999 |
| ATTN: The Honorable John W. Warner, |
| Chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee |
| Russell Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510 |
|
| I hear that your national legislature is considering resolutions
which would clear the name of the late Charles Butler McVAy III, captain
of the USS Indianapolis which was sunk on July 30, 1945, by torpedoes fired
from the submarine which was under my command. |
| I do not understand why Captain McVay was court-martialed. I do
not understand why he was convicted on the charge of hazarding his ship by
failing to zigzag because I would have been able to launch a successful torpedo
attack against his ship whether it had been zig zagging or not. |
| I have met many of your brave men who survived the sinking of
the Indianapolis. I would like to join with them in urging that your national
legislature clear their captain's name. |
| Our peoples have forgiven each other for that terrible war and
its consequences. Perhaps it is time your peoples to forgave Captain McVay
for the humiliation of his unjust conviction. |
| Sincerely, |
 |
| Mochitsura Hashimoto |
| Former Captain of I-58 |
| Japanese Navy at WW2 |
| Umenomiya Taisha |
|
