Glenn Beck Broadcasts Using Tokyo Rose’s Mic

Last week, Radio/TV personality Glenn Beck purchased the microphone of Iva Toguri – aka Tokyo Rose – used during her World War II radio broadcasts. And this week on radio, Glenn decided to broadcast with the mic, which had not been used in nearly 70 years.

Beck explains that in the aftermath of the war, Toguri was labeled a traitor and went to prison. It was not until Glenn began working on new book that he realized who she really was and the profound impact her career had on the soldiers stationed in the South Pacific during World War II.

Because the American-born Toguri spoke fluent English, she was forced to give broadcast that were transmitted by Radio Tokyo to Allied soldiers stationed in the South Pacific during World War II.

“I think there were five different Tokyo Roses. She was Orphan Annie. And she refused. She said, ‘I’ll play music, but I will not do the demoralizing messages.’

In fact, according to Beck, what didn’t come out until much, much later was that Robert White, one of the aerial gunners, used to listen to Tokyo Rose. “And he would listen to her and she would always start the Zero Hour, that was hers, and she would start and she would say, ‘Hi, boys, this is our old friend, Orphan Annie. I’ve got some swell records just from in the States. You better listen to them while you can because late tonight our flyers are coming over to bomb the 43rd group when you’re all asleep. So listen while you’re still alive,’” Glenn explained. “And the guys in Tokyo couldn’t really understand. And they thought that she was demoralizing. What she was doing was she was telling, ‘Tonight we’re going to go bomb the 43rd group.’ She saved lives!”