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42 chapter two Japanese Orientalism and the Mexican Revolution, 1910–1920 No, Mexico is like a girl, who flirts with two boys, playing off one against the other in order to more easily land the one of her choice. Mexico really wishes to borrow money from the United States. In order to influence America to make her this loan, she circulates the story that Japan has offered to make it. —American Consul Guaymas, Mexico, to Secretary of State, June 20, 1917 We arrived [June 29] at Torreón de Cana about 5 PM. Owing to my acquaintance with Villistas during their stay at San Geronimo I had no difficulty recognizing some of them, which facilitated my being taken into the presence of Villa. . . . As I entered the room I saw Villa seated in a chair, looking quite different from the man I had known. His beard is long and jet black, and lacked attention. . . . He recognized me at once and asked me what I was doing so far away from San Geronimo. . . . [June 30-July 1] Both Sato and I have been provided with a rifle and pistol; Villa has asked me to ride in his carriage frequently. . . . General Villa now (July 5) plans the capture of Parral and begins to carry his scheme into effect this day. . . . Villa is in command of the main detachment . I am accepted as a member of his staff. . . . What ever happens to Villa’s plan Dyo is determined to carry his plan into effect after Parral.1 Described above is the alleged infiltration of Pancho Villa’s camp by three Japanese Mexicans hired by the US Military Intelligence Service to hunt down and assassinate the revolutionary leader. The three Japanese Mexicans are Tsutomu Dyo from Rancho San Geronimo, who entered Mexico in 1906; Juan A. Sato from Madera, who entered Mexico in 1906; and T. Fujita from Madera. The actual attempted poisoning of Villa is described in a report sent from the US attorney general, Thomas Watt Japanese Orientalism and the Mexican Revolution, 1910–1920 • 43 Gregory, to the US secretary of war, H. P. McCain. The attorney general began his letter with the following: “Herewith I enclose a copy of a very startling report made by one of our secret service men and sent from El Paso. The story seems too wild for anything, but as it mentions Captain Reed of the expeditionary force in Mexico, I thought you might care to run it down somewhat.”2 According to the report, Dyo and Fujita had been sent by Captain Reed of the American expedition in Mexico to General Villa’s camp with a poison prescription, with instructions to administer it to General Villa and kill him. Dyo and Fujita state that the prescription was given to Captain Reed by an American Army surgeon with the Pershing expedition for this purpose.3 Above and beyond the sheer audacity of the assassination attempt, the involvement of at least three Japanese Mexicans illustrates the complexity of the Japanese experience in Mexico. The turmoil of the Mexican Revolution forced thousands of Japanese in Mexico to choose alliances based on the necessity to survive, where by the end of the bloody phase of the revolution nearly 15 percent of Mexico’s population either had been killed or became refugees in the United States. This chapter studies the various roles of the Japanese population in Mexico that included settlers, farmers, merchants, victims, and soldiers. It also traces the small movement of Japanese to Mexico during the violent period of the Mexican Revolution (1910–20). During the Mexican Revolution, the movement of Japanese into Mexico slowed considerably due to civil strife, but the Mexican and US public continued to imagine hundreds of thousands of Japanese arriving on Mexico’s shores. The alarm toward Japanese immigration had not abated but, in fact, increased as the Japanese empire continued its ascension, which the United States, fearful of its dominance, challenged at home and abroad. Furthermore, the involvement of the Japanese as combatants in the Mexican Revolution is not well known. The revelation that Japanese Mexicans were hired mercenaries indicates the Japanese experience in Mexico varied from the mundane to actively participating in some of the most controversial events of the era. The convolutedness of the Japanese experience in Mexico went beyond their involvement within the various ranks of the Mexican Revolutionary factions. Japanese Mexicans were also recruited for the US military’s Punitive Expedition of 1916–17 in the hunt for...

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