MY RECOLLECTION AS AN AGENT OF THE CANON ORGANABY HAN TO-PONG

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000300470028-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 2, 2001
• Sequence Number: 28
• Publication Date: July 19, 1960
• Content Type: REPORT

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(ONE' ~class/Release 1 9 JUL 19so
ns rucfI s On File*
MT RECOLLECTION AS AN AGENT OF THE CANON 01 ANABy HAN To-pons
Tokyo, Shukan Shincho (Weekly New Tide), 11 Jul 60
4thor's Backround
jHHAN Tong (7281/6670/1496) worked for the harbin branch of Bank of
Korea for about 10 years until September 1926. He than went to Shanghai, and
became a government worker when the Greater Korea Provisional Government was
set up with KIM Ku (6855/0046) as its chairman. At that time HAN, KIN and
FAX Yol (2613/3525) devoted their time to the liberation and independence of
the Korean nationals. To raise money for this undertaking, HAN established
a trading firm called Hui-hsin Yang-haing which mostly handled tailun coal.
It was about that time that HAN began his intelligence activities. HAN's
real name is WI Hye-yim (7279/1920/2651)(Hayrim Wee) by which he was known in
Japan and by the Canon Kikan (Canon Organ). btHAN cooperated with the Japans se
Army and the Chinese Government 's intelligence operations in Shanghai for
the purpose of realizing liberation and independence for his fatherland. He
went home to Seoul when the liberation and independence were realised in
August 1945. He then had to fight for the "unification of the fatherland.'
For this purpose, he returned to Shanghai and continued activities with KIM.
In October 1945, CIC commander, Lieutenant Colonel Henry who was under the
'~dkCfx (fK
command of Lieutenant General Woodmire jj honeti, 7, US Army Headquarters in
Shanghai, sought out KIM and asked him to "pick a most trustworthy person
to cooperate with CIC." KIM then introduced HAN to Lieutenant-Colonel Henry
and thereafter became a newspaper translator under him. HAN is proficient
(ON Fl DEHTIAI
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in Korean, English, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese languages. HAN's conviction
was that without the unity of the 600,000 ipmpatriots in Japan the unification
of the fatherland cannot be effected. Consequently, he wanted to go to Japan.
The chance came when he was transferred to Lieutenant Colonel nenry's friend,
Lieutenant Colonel Canon's organ.7
peal fature of the Canon Organ
The Canon Organ was not under the command of the GHQ, the CIA, or the
ith Army (-2. It was formed under the CIC controlled directly by the SCAP, G-2.
Because of the nature of its objective, its existence was kept secret. It
could, however, be said that the Canon Organ was directly connected with
Allen Dulles from the intabligence--supplying viewpoint.
Hitherto it has been frequently reported that the canon Organ's head
office was located at the Hongo House in Tokyo. This is not true. The Hongo
House was used for quartering the Canon Organ personnel and for entertaining
;Vaests. Lieutenant Colonel Canon's residence was located directly in front
:;f Yamate Byoin (Bluff Hospital) in Yokohama. The Canon Organ was staffed with
11-milt 30 persons. The Hongo House p4ry was always stocked with foodstuff
be Aivon away to Japanese guests and their families.
_-e or.o9mizational structure of the Canon Organ was as follows:
F,raa.c7e
Canon Organ
,. (30 persons)
counter-Soviet Section
(Three infiltration agents)
c>ants r-Communist China Section
(Seven infiltration agents)
?.ounter-North Korean Section
(11'hree infiltration agents)
=eunter-Japan, Rightists, Leftists Section
'rna
u vou% 10
`Iod Free Section (About 10 pert=one!
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CON IE)ENTIAL
Note: Needless to say, each of the organization shown in the obart
above had behind-the-scene information peddlers which is reported to number
more than 100.
Framework of Intelligence Operations in Japan
The canon Organ placed most emphasis on operations against Communist
China. It carried on important operations against Communist China from about
a year prior to the outbreak of the Korean war. The Counter-Soviet Section
was not too active but it concentrated its operations against Sakhalin. The
said section, however, succeeded in infiltrating three agents into Sakhalin,
The North Korean Section and the Communist China Section succeeded in infiltrat-
ing three and seven agents into their responsible areas respectively. Okinawa
was used as a midway base to land, agents into Fukien, K*angtung, and Chekiaaj
provinces and Shanghai. All of the agents were ex-militarymen.
I am sorry I cannot reveal the names and activities of the Canon Organ
personnel who conducted operations with the exception of S KIGUCHI Mitsuru
(7070'06S6/33t1) .
J'or each area, an agent who conducted an operation had to return to the
original place of departure within a month. l%ach received 100,000 to 140,000
yen for each operation. If more money *as needed, Lieutenant Colonel Canon
did not hesitate to do so to the intelligence agents with good records.
Since the compensations were not sufficient for such a risky business, the
agents conducted smuggling trade semi-overtly under the protection of the
Canon Organ. This had been uncovered as the "private navy" and the "xuysterious
smuggling trade ships" cases.
ccN~oDENTinL
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CONFIDENTIAL
Many ships transported agents and also conducted ammugling trade. To prevent
double spies, the Aanon Organ checked the background of the crew members.
After unloading agents and completing transaction of goods, the ships had
to wait off-shore for wireless contacts to get the agents back on the ships.
Many crewmen did not quit such a risky job because goods broght over from
Japan could be agld four or five times the original prices.
Canon always insisted that the agents "make cool observations, ask no
questions, and carry no documents." Carrying documents arouse suspicion was
his view. The information which tht agents saw and heard in cities and villages
were recorded in detail after their return. No matter how long it took, the
agents had to write the reports in front of Canon.
There were also many information peddlers who frequented the Canon
Organ. If each was promised 10,000 yen for the information, he was paid
2,000 yen at a time until the information he submitted had been verified as true.
KAJI Case Was a Failure
What about the KAJI Wataru Case? Definitely Lieutenant Colonel Canon
asked for Kaji's cooperation in gathering information on Communist China.
It has been wrongfully stated that Kaji was illegally confined and assaut*M.
On the contrary, Canon took very good care of Kaji and gave him etrsptbayein
to take care of his tuberclosis. According to my recollection, it was Kaji
who requested to go to Okinawa. The so-called Kaji Case was irresponsibly
reported by YAM" Zenjiro (11472/3944/0810/0059/674$) who was a houseboy at
the Hongo House. The Ka,ji Case, however, was a failure for the Canon Organ.
told Canon that he overestimated Kaji and that Laji went to Okinawa because
he wanted to, and that we should adjudges that Kaji was bribed by the Japanese
ccuii n.ists,
AL
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c ry UEHTIAL
n Shinaho lidiitorial Board Note: "Regarding this point, llaji
said that he received 100bois of streptomycin from Zdgar Snw and A. Smedley
11 when they visited Japan, that when the Canon Organ illegally detained him, he
was given injection because they did not wa"nto die. that ddid not request
for the Okinawa trip, and that he never heard of an agent called RAN To- ona.
What Kind of A Person Is Lieutenant Colonel Canon?
According to the then Suprintendent of the Metropolitan Police Board,
TANAKA Eiichi (3944/0022/2837/0001), he said,"When my wife and I were invited
to Canon's home for dinner, we saw Canon grab a cat, twist its nook, and threw
it against the ceiling to kill it. Canon was a person who took pot shots at
any kind of animal." We don't know which one , Mr. or Mrs. Tanaka said this,
but it was so reported by the journalists. It was also reported that Canon
is very quick on the daaw that he was known as "Kid Canon."
Canon, however, was not a cruel man. He was a typical good-natured.
American and sympathetic. He was very good toerhis wife. Whenever he went to a
cabaret or nightclub, he always phoned home to let his wife know when he is
aching home. The then National Rural Police Direotor,SAITO Noboru, (7871/
5671/2573) and. Cabinet hesearah Chamber Director, MURAL Jun (2625/0064/4783)
know about this.
Canon once twisted his leg and walked with a limp. At about the same
time, Lieutenant Colonel Shagnon [phonetic-] was also limping, so many people
thought the two were one and the same man.
Lieutenant General Clark warned the Canon Organ because he was worried
about the cropping up of mysterious incidents. Canon told his off with,"ley
father is Allen Dulles."
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Being such a bullis4person, once he said "OS" he would risk his neck
to take charge of the matter. Once he said "NO" no one even the GHQ could
move his.
When Canon left Japan in 1952, he did n stay at his home in Texas. He
pe~
stayed for a while anc~, rdered by Allen Dulles to the war areas in Middle and
Near East with Cairo as his headquarters. Now he is active in Turkey with
Ankara as the headquarters. No matter where he is, he sends me Christman
card each year.
It was tke f Canon's subordinates which made him asses
Q%heape .as' a cruel man : Most of the 30 person er him were in captain's grade.
But among them, the most difficult to deal with were Niseis. There are still
many victims who cannot to this day forget arrant Officer Victor Matsui
(2646/0064), Seargent Paul Hashimoto (2890/2609), and Seargent George Tsuohid.a
(0960/3944).
This Is the Way the "Private Navy" One rated
The "Private Navy" did not include only the Dai-Ichi KAiyo-Mara. To infiltrate
agents into Communist China, the Canon Organ selected Okinawa as its bass. Mazy
ships were needed to travel between Japan and, Okinawa. They Included Igasa-!!area,,
Dai-Ni Shirataka-Mara, Dai-Juahichi 4ojin-Mara, and Kisaragi-Mara,. They
transported KIKUTAML (5468/1472), former army major general OKADA (1481/3944),
and NAGAOK9.(7022/1481) as agents to infiltrate into mainland China,
Let me now put a spot light on the Igasa-Nara Case. In August 1949, the
ringleader SHIOTANI Eisaburo (7770/6253/2837/0005/6745), 49 years old, ex-
Japan Communist Party central committeeman,p.nd NITTA I"o (2450/3944/0081), an
official at Toho Tausho Kaishia (Oriental Trading Company) thought it advantageous
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for them to make an advent toward China and convinced the bigwigs at Matsushita
Denki Boeki Kaisha (Matsushita Electrical Appliances Trading Company) that
this is a legal trade based on a special permit of the Occupation forces' and
had them furnish money and export goods and readied the Igasa-Maru Plane
The Iga~sa-Mara left the Port of Osaka on 4 October 1949. Znroute to
Port of Woman, the ship stopped at Port of Hakata and, picked up a Nisei
officer, a Chinese called CH'BN (7115) and a Korean called CHO(2580). The
Nisei officer debarked from the ship off Shimane Prefecture and the other
two sneaked into the Port of Woman on the night of 29 October.
The two collected for three weeks local newspapers and magazines, mili-
tary information on Chinese Communist army stbength, military and social con-
ditions in North Korea, and military information on Communist China. CHO
9/
stayed in Won-'san and CH'EN headed for the Port of l'ushiki in Toyama Prefecture
under the order of the Canon Organ.'. Enroute, the ship confronted typhoon
and arrived at the Port of Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture.
The captain of the ship thought that since it is his home town, they
oaau].d get out of it somehow if they got caught. The Canon Organ dispatched
an MP jeep to the Port of Ytishiki to protect them upon their arrival. This
switch unavoidably made Canon Organ suspicious of the Igasa-Maru's action.
The owner of the ship unloaded the goods, divided up the profits and
acted as if though nothing happened. But the smuggling case was uncovered
due to an annoymous notification to the authorities.
S
Pike years after the Peace Treaty went into effect in$eptember 197, the
10th hearing on the Igasa-Meru Case was conducted. The defendant,NITTA, said,
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CONFIDENTIAL
It is true about the trading, but we received a permit from an undisclosed
quarter to do this. The undisclosed quarter refers to the Occupation troop
intelligence organ, the Canon Organ, located at Hongo, Toro. The permit was
in a form of port exit permit in conjuction with intelligence operation, and
in short, it was given on condition that we bring back intelligence from
Communist China. This was told to me by SHIOTANI."
The procurator's view regarding this was,"The defendants , of course,
were not forced to do spying. On the contrary, they attempted to make a huge
profit by using the Canon Organ. In judging this case, we should not be deceived
by intelligence collection. For example, if the defendants cooperated witht
the US Army's intelligence operational objective, the said act should have been
done within the confine of the law. If it was conducted illegally, it is natural
for them to be punished."
The Canon Urgan might have fished for the Japanese people by using
"smuggling" as the bait, or the gangs probably attempted to make a hugs
profit by using the Canon Organ. The two are related like a chicken to an egg,
I might be trying to clear myself but whenever the smuggling ship was
caught by the police, the crewmen always mentioned my name, HAN To-b'' ng,by
saying "I don't know the detail, but please ask HAN To--ong who is with the
G-2.0
Because of this , I was once taken to the Metropolitan Police Board as
;mot Joji_:
smuggling suspect when Kisaragi-Mara which Trent to Okinawa,stopped at the
tort of MOji because of an engine trouble. I was falsely accused when the
o ee- w-men mentioned my name.
-:o have something to clear up about the Dai-Roku Toyo-Kara..
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Whereabouts of the Veteran AA*nt
This case was publicised to the public as follows:1Late at night on
20 August 1951, the 99-ton Dai-Roku Toyo-Mara left the Port of Nagasaki. The
night,
families of the crewmen and, others did not know about the departure. It seers
the ship went to Okinawa but actually the ship entered the Port of Tasks at
Hirato, Nagasaki -Prefecture on 11 October 1951 and stayed there for 13 days
and then went to the Port of Ube in Yamaguchi Prefecture where the ship was
loaded with 81 wicker-trunk-full of dark blue serge and 26 drums of diesel oil
vi,,yl
andoil and left the port on 20 October. Since then, nothing was heard
about Dai-Roku Toyo-Maru and no one knows whether the crewmen are alive or dead:
It was also reported that MIYAZAKI Yoshihiro (1362/1505/5328/1347), former
employee of Kawanami Shipbuilding Company tried to charter Dal-Baku Toyo-Xazu
from its owner , Pr^sident TOSHIKAWA Motoji (2979/1557/0337/0059) of Toshikawa
Suisan gabushiki Kaisha (Toshikawa Marine Products Company), but Toshikaw4
turned him down. MIYAZAWA then asked for the harter of the ship several times
through the help of HAN To-ng working for GHQ, G-2 and succeeded in signing
contract on 10 July with HAN acting as the middleman(acoerding to Nagasaki
Maritime Safety Headquarters survey) However, I have never interceded for chartering
the Dai-Roku Toyo-Maru or gone to nagasaki.
A the time I was ., it was reported,
"Mr HAN said that they would all say that Dal-Roku Toyo-Maru will be used as
a fishing vessel, but in actuality, the ship will carry out the order of the
Occupation forces. But regarding this, Mr. TOSHIK.AWA said that he doesn't know
anything about it."
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F! EMITIA1''
Of courst,Mr. TOSHIKAWA doesn't know because I did not act as an iater-
mediary or said anything like that;: It is , however, true that aside frai the
eight crewmen on Dal-Roku Tayo-Mara, another called SSKIGWHI Mitsura (7070/0656/
3341) was on it, His pseuddryt was TAMAYASHI Nit sure (4554/2651/3341)- He
spoke Chinese fluently. During the war, he was attached to a strategen unit in
mainland, China. I know of him and met him several times since the Ski era.
After the war, I met SMBIGUCHI at the Yokohama G-2 office after his repa-
triation from China. Since his ability was discovered by Lieutenant Colonel
Canon around 1948, he had done outstanding jobs.
In November 1949, SEKIGUCHI landed at Won-san, North Korea and obtained
information about North Korean troops sending a large number of tanks and guns
southward. This information was made known to Canon immediately , but Canon
interpreted it as "a move to guard the border area." ''ano@ , however, reported
this information to Washington. Then the Korean war broke out six months later,(
Because of this acqurate information, Lieutenant Colonel canon's prestige
rose among the GHQ and CIC officers and SEKIGUCHI's 40 rose also. Since
that time, SIXIGUCHI infiltrated into Won-san three times. During the Ia-oh'oa
landing operation, the operation proved to be a great success because of the
fact SEKIGUCHI supplied information on enemy ookentration in the vicinity of
In-ch'on, information on In-oh'on people's feeling toward the US troops and
information on Communists activities. Because of this successful operation,
General MacArthur gave commendation to Lieutenant Colonel Canon.
Because of the recognition of SEKIG;+CHI's capability, Canon gave him an
order to infiltrate into Communist China. This resulted in SEKIGUCHI's going
ca ' IVE TIAL
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aboard the Dai-Roku Toyo-Marti and his dissapsaranoe. His whereabouts are
still unkown. My guess is that the said ship sank during a typhoon, but I got
the feeling that the veteran intelligence agent, SEKIGUGHI, will suddenly show
up somewhere someday.
Regarding the "Private Navy", during the Japan Socialist Party mebber,
ISHIBASHI Masashi Is ( 8/289O/2398/o643) iut sltatiea of the Japanese goverm-
sent side at the Lower House Special Security Treaty Committee meeting, he
said this about the Dai-Roku Toyo-kdaru and the "Private Nary": "If the Japanese
Government doesn't know about it, it reveals the insincere activities on the
part of the Us . If the government knows about it, it is an expression of hostile
policy toward China."
But the point of issue is the Dai-Iahi Kaiyo-Maru's "Progress Report on
Fighting", "Sea Distress Report". and the photos of the Chinese Communist junk
enflamed due to firing from the Dai-Ichi Kaiyo-Maru which ISHIBASHI brought
along as evidences in his furOehiki bag. Where did he get all of them? Front
my experiences, I think they were all frauds. If they were concocted merely
for the purpose attacking the Security Treaty in the Dist, I can only say that
there is a big subversion in existence in Japan.
fJegarding the above-mentioned evidences, the editorial department of
hukan Shinoho quoted ISHIBASHI saying as follows:" From a common sense view,
how can I present groundless materials to the Diet? If I do that, I would be
punished and will be criticized by the people. It would be a suicidal sot for
any Dietman. It is odd for a person connected with subversive activities to
know any other thing except his own jab. From the intelligence organ basis,
it is a common sense not to know about anything else but your own Job. It is
not mw business whether HAN said he had no corfection with the Dai-Boku Toyo-Mara*
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;eying that the materials I used for evidences regarding the "Private UV O
is very presumptuous. Since I have concrete basis, I will wait for a,rigkt
time to announce it-"I
MI
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