SFHS Monthly Program, January 2021
The City by the Bay and the Trial of Tokyo Rose, tells the tragic story of how American-born citizen Iva Toguri became stranded in Japan for six years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. While forced to remain in Japan, she was required to do radio broadcasts for a Japanese radio station known for outlandish anti-American propaganda. Iva never participated in the propaganda, but she was given the moniker "Tokyo Rose" and charged with treason.

Mike Weedall explains why San Francisco was chosen as the city where Iva's trial took place after the war was over and Ida was returned to the United States as a prisoner aboard the USS General Hodges. The story of Ida Toguri is haunting yet familiar, a sobering reminder of how civil liberties are threatened by prejudice and fear.