Comments on: Tokyo Rose: They Called Her a Traitor

By: Toni McConnel

Toni McConnel — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:28:06 +0000

I knew Iva when I was a prisoner in Alderson in the mid-fifties. McCurdy was not the only prison staffer who was sympathetic to her cause. Iva had the room next to mine, and at night, after lights out and everyone was locked in their rooms, I would hear footsteps coming down the hall, heard Iva's door being unlocked and then closed, and then for various amounts of time I would hear voices through the wall although I couldn't make out what they were saying.

The visitor had to be one of the guards, who the prisoners called "screws", perhaps the one on duty at night, but it could have been someone else as well.

Unfortunately, Iva disliked me (I was pretty much a mental case at the time) and I never talked much with her. But what is interesting is that the day I left on parole, I was standing the hall saying goodbye to other prisoners and Iva walked right by me and started down the stairs without so much as looking at me. Unwilling to be snubbed, I called out to her, "Goodbye, Iva", and still without looking at me, she said "There are no goodbyes in this world."

Years later I published a book about my life on the street and in prison (Sing Soft, Sing Loud) and I found her address and sent her a copy. She never acknowledged it.

You can read more about political prisoners at Alderson during that period on my blog at http://www.tonimcconnel.com; there is a little more about Iva than I've written here, altho not much. I also knew Axis Sally and Blanca Canales Torresola. We were all in the same residence hall. Click on Scattershot Memoir or My criminal career category.

By: RUBI

RUBI — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:17:31 +0000

WTF IS WRONG WID OUR SOCIETY

By: Kathryn Black

Kathryn Black — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:25:12 +0000

Mr McCurdy,

I am currently researching a dissertation on Iva Toguri d'Aquino and found your post particularly intriguing. I don't know if you'll even see this, but I am wondering if you may be available to answer some questions for me. Please contact me if you can at blackkg@bc.edu. Thank you very much!

-Kathryn Black
PhD Candidate
Boston College

By: Herman King

Herman King — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:15:08 +0000

We must guard our civil liberties especially during war time for
that is when over-zealous patriotism clouds our judgment.

By: John C. McCurdy

John C. McCurdy — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:11:32 +0000

I released Iva D'acquino from the Federal Reformatory for Women
in Alderson, WV. I had gotten to know her well in the previous 3-
4 years. Employed in the prison hospital I had contact with her
nearly each day. She was a lovely person. After reading her trial
transcript and other records I became convinced she was a
victim & innocent of the charge for which she had been
convicted. apparently share by Gerald Ford who pardoned her.

It is sad none could give her her life back!