Introducing: Ben Steele, American - Episode 2: The Bloody Empire of the Rising Sun

Here's The Thing with Alec Baldwin

iHeartPodcasts

Tv & Film, Music, Music Interviews, Arts, Performing Arts, Film Interviews

4.4 • 8.4K Ratings

🗓️ 30 June 2022

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ben Steele, American is a documentary podcast limited series inspired by the book "Tears in the Darkness - The story of the Bataan Death March", hosted by Alec Baldwin.

American forces were unprepared for what lay ahead in their looming battle with the Japanese Imperial Army. What were the historical influences that made the Japanese soldier such a terrorizing force? Did Americans even know what had happened to the Chinese in Nanjing? Listen to Ben Steele, American on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-ben-steele-american-98570427/

Produced by Jan Thompson, Zach McNees, and Alec Baldwin.

Jan Thompson is our writer and editor.

Zach McNees is our mixer, and post production supervisor.

Ben Steele American is inspired by the book Tears in the Darkness by Elizabeth and Michael Norman.

The cover art for each episode features original art by Ben Steele himself with graphic design by Ben Dunmore.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast may contain language and content that is not appropriate for all audiences.
0:06.8	Some of the words used by the interviewees may be considered offensive.
0:12.5	The Japanese Army entered Nanjing at dawn on December 13, 1937.
0:28.5	The Chinese Army surrendered. The Japanese Army was divided up into units to search the city,
0:37.3	but the killing and rape continued for nearly six weeks.
0:45.9	Japanese forces began mopping up the remnants of defeated enemy troops in the city.
0:52.3	For this purpose, each unit was assigned its own district during this mopping up operation.
0:59.6	Japanese soldiers slaughtered many civilians, including women and children.
1:04.6	Women victims were often killed immediately after being gang raped.
1:10.2	They take large numbers of Chinese soldiers and they systematically slaughter them.
1:14.4	There's this very powerful account by one common Japanese soldier.
1:19.3	This is after his unit has lined up a large group of Chinese prisoners and also come in with swords to finish them off.
1:29.0	So he writes in his diary, quote,
1:32.2	I figured that I would never get another chance like this.
2:00.7	What led Japanese soldiers to commit these atrocities that are viewed as among the worst in world history?
2:08.4	What are the circumstances that led up to the brutality of the Japanese Army in Nanjing and beyond?
2:16.2	When we look at Japanese history before World War II, even before the 20th century,
2:22.3	when we examine Japan's perception of its role in Asia prior to Nanjing,
2:27.8	we learn about a culture that appears to be willing to go to any lengths to assert their supremacy.
2:34.0	Over the region, they sought to control.
2:44.8	If I go away to see, I shall become a corpse floating in the water.
2:49.8	If I go away to the mountain, I shall become a corpse from which grass grows.
	...

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