Tokyo Rose
During the war, a dozen women of American descent made daily broadcasts on Radio Tokyo designed to demoralize U.S. servicemen deployed in the Pacific. These women combined “soft” propaganda with popular music, and became known collectively by the GIs as “Tokyo Rose.”186
As the war progressed, the troops enjoyed the music and generally laughed off the obvious attempts to undermine their morale.
During the Guadalcanal campaign, however, it was not so easy for the Marines to laugh off Tokyo Rose’s insidious effort to make them feel isolated and abandoned. The Marines could see for themselves that they were undersupplied and, at times, seemingly forgotten in their prolonged struggle. A Navy chaplain explained:
The Mata Hari of the airwaves had no competition for our attention or our interest. Though we naturally discounted most of what she told us, some of it couldn’t help sinking in. There was a gnawing fear among us that the home front was incapable of giving us the help we desperately needed. “You are forgotten like the men of Bataan and Corregidor were forgotten,” Tokyo Rose would purr at us. I was worried about the spirit of valorous men who were beginning to feel that they, too, were expendable.187
Discerning the truth in what we hear is often difficult. Unfortunately, Satan’s voice can be very soothing and plausible, with just enough “truth” to deceive us. As we filter what we hear, our own self-serving inner voice can also override our objectivity. We have to remember that God normally speaks to us in a quiet voice that we must diligently seek to hear and to understand through our prayers, Scripture, and Christian friends.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
—John 10:27