Otto D. Tolischus
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Otto David Tolischus (November 20, 1890 – February 24, 1967) was a Prussian-Lithuanian-born journalist for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' and winner of the 1940
Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence {{Pulitzer The Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence was awarded from 1929 to 1947. Winners *1929: Paul Scott Mowrer of the ''Chicago Daily News'', for his coverage of international affairs including the Franco-British Naval Pact and Germany's campai ...
for his writing and reporting from
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before and during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Tolischus started his journalistic career in the ''
Cleveland Press The ''Cleveland Press'' was a daily American newspaper published in Cleveland, Ohio from November 2, 1878, through June 17, 1982. From 1928 to 1966, the paper's editor was Louis B. Seltzer. Known for many years as one of the country's most in ...
'' and went on to work as a foreign correspondent in Berlin and London for
Universal Service Universal service is an economic, legal and business term used mostly in regulated industries, referring to the practice of providing a baseline level of services to every resident of a country. An example of this concept is found in the US Telec ...
and
International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.
.


Early life

Tolischus was born in
Russ Russ is a masculine given name, often a short form of Russell, and also a surname. People Given name or nickname * Russ Abbot (born 1947), British musician, comedian and actor * Russ Adams (born 1980), American retired baseball player * Russ ...
,
East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
,
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
(after 1919
Memel Territory Memel, a name derived from the Couronian-Latvian ''memelis, mimelis, mēms'' for "mute, silent", may refer to: *Memel, East Prussia, Germany, now Klaipėda, Lithuania **Memelburg, ( Klaipėda Castle), the ''Ordensburg'' in Memel, a castle built in ...
, now - part of
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
). Tolischus’ parents, David and Maria (née Kubillus) were local farmers and belonged to an ethnic minority of
Prussian Lithuanians The Prussian Lithuanians, or Lietuvininkai (singular: ''Lietuvininkas'', plural: ''Lietuvininkai''), are Lithuanians, originally Lithuanian language speakers, who formerly inhabited a territory in northeastern East Prussia called Prussian Lithuan ...
, also known as Memelanders. His father was a village elder in Russ. Tolischus came from a big family of five brothers and one sister. Tolischus studied at the local state school in Russ and worked as a secretary in the lawyer’s office. In 1907 Tolischus emigrated to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Tolischus renounced his German citizenship and became a U. S. citizen when his father David Tolischus was naturalised in 1907. Three of his brothers, John (Johann), William and Edward C., moved to the USA around the same time. After the arrival Tolischus worked in a printing house in Syracuse (N.Y.) and later in a factory plant in Trenton (N.J.).


Education

In 1912 Tolischus enrolled into a newly established School of Journalism in Columbia University for a 4 year course of journalism. He was one of the 79 students who joined the first class of the school. In 1917 Tolischus was awarded the first travelling scholarship from the Columbia School of Journalism along with other students, Geddes Smith and David S. Levy. The award was postponed because of the First World War and never collected by the recipients.


Work at the ''Cleveland Press'' (1916-1923)


Internship

In summer 1916, Tolischus participated in a journalism students' "try-out" organised by the ''
Cleveland Press The ''Cleveland Press'' was a daily American newspaper published in Cleveland, Ohio from November 2, 1878, through June 17, 1982. From 1928 to 1966, the paper's editor was Louis B. Seltzer. Known for many years as one of the country's most in ...
'' staff.
Victor Morgan Victor Hugo Morgan (December 25, 1879 – October 2, 1946) was an American journalist and editor for ''the Akron Press'', ''Cincinnati Post'' and ''Cleveland Press''; owner and editor of '' The Clearwater Sun''; editor-in-chief for the Scripps-Ho ...
, the editor of the ''Cleveland Press'', spearheaded this initiative as a test to assess whether the new journalism discipline in American universities was producing the necessary expertise and skills for the business world. In late spring 1916, the ''Cleveland Press'' conceived the idea and approached several leading journalism schools to participate in the program and select a few of their best students to be sent for a summer internship in Cleveland. Tolischus was chosen by Columbia University and was the only student from the institution among twelve peers. The scheme was a success, and in September 1916, Victor Morgan announced that the ''Cleveland Press'' would likely recruit editorial workers from the ranks of journalism school graduates. Tolischus was eventually selected as one of four candidates to remain at work with the Cleveland Press. The other three were John M. Gleissner (
University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
), James W. Shoemaker (
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
) and Richard Little (
Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
). Initially Tolischus joined the ''Cleveland Press'' as a cub correspondent. Tolischus started this work on the same day as John M. Gleissner (later - managing editor of ''
The Washington Daily News ''The Washington Daily News'' was an afternoon tabloid-size newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. History ''The Washington Daily News'' was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The newspaper was born on November 8, 1921, an ...
'').


Military service

In 1918 Tolischus was called to serve in the US military service. He joined the Training Corps of
Camp Gordon Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command, and the Cyber Center of Excellence. It ...
, near Atlanta, Georgia. There Tolischus was promoted to a sergeant in September 1918. However, the
Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
came before Tolischus’ transfer into active service in France.


Newspaper career

In 1918 Tolischus returned to the ''Cleveland Press''. At some point after the return from military service he was promoted to managing editor of the newspaper. Tolischus resigned from his position at the ''Cleveland Press'' in January 1923 in order to embark on a journey across Europe. At the time of his resignation, Tolischus was city editor of ''Cleveland Press''.


Work at wireless news service (1923-1932)


News services

In 1923 Tolischus returned to
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and joined wireless news service as a staff correspondent of
Universal News Service Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...
(Universal Service) in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, part of the W. R. Hearst's news and media empire. In June 1927 Tolischus moved to the
International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.
(INS) as a chief correspondent in Berlin (eventually, both Hearst's outlets, Universal Service and INS, will merge into INS in 1937). Around this time Tolischus' assistant in Berlin was H. R. Knickerbocker. By 1928 Tolischus was promoted to the Central European Director of INS.


Reporting news from Europe

On his first overseas assignment, Tolischus covered Hitler's failed 1923 putsch in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
. He reported from various locations in Munich and interviewed general Ludendorff and his confidants, doctor Rudolf Butmann and captain Wilhelm Weiss. During his time with the Universal Service and INS, Tolischus travelled extensively across different parts of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. He was in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
in November 1926 to cover the wedding of Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium and Princess Astrid of
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. At a short notice, Tolischus travelled from Berlin to cover socialist revolt in Vienna in July 1927 and the death of King
Ferdinand I of Romania Ferdinand (Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad; 24 August 1865 – 20 July 1927), nicknamed ''Întregitorul'' ("the Unifier"), was King of Romania from 1914 until his death in 1927. Ferdinand was the second son of Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern and ...
in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
. In the first half of 1930 Tolischus visited Russia and described conditions in
USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
and Moscow news situation (in a letter to Barry Faris, June 17, 1930).


Head of International News Service in London

In 1931 Tolischus was transferred to London and promoted to the Bureau Chief of INS there; it meant that Tolischus was put in charge of all INS European news coverage. In London he was accompanied and installed by George H. Hargreaves, the vice president and general business manager of INS. In 1932 Tolischus left INS and returned to the USA. In London's INS bureau Tolischus was succeeded by Harry K. Reynolds (1933-34) and
William Hillman William Hillman (13 November 1848 – 4 February 1921) was a British bicycle and automobile manufacturer. In partnership with Louis Coatalen he founded the Hillman-Coatalen Company in 1907, later the Hillman Motor Company after Coatalen's defe ...
(1934-38).


Foreign correspondent in Berlin (1933-1940)

After some time back in the US, Tolischus joined the Berlin bureau of the ''New York Times'' in spring 1933, where he chronicled the rise of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. At that time the ''New York Times'' team in Berlin was headed by Swiss-born bureau chief Guido Enderis, along with chief European correspondent Frederick T. Birchall (Birchall was recently installed by
Arthur Hays Sulzberger Arthur Hays Sulzberger (September 12, 1891December 11, 1968) was the publisher of ''The New York Times'' from 1935 to 1961. During that time, daily circulation rose from 465,000 to 713,000 and Sunday circulation from 745,000 to 1.4 million; the st ...
to strengthen the newspaper's coverage of Nazi Germany). During the pre-war years, Birchall, Enderis and Tolischus provided the majority of the Times' coverage from Germany. Robert Crozier Long also wrote on financial matters until his death in 1938, after which a young reporter named C. Brooks Peters was hired as a new addition to the Berlin team. After Long’s death, Tolischus was expected to start providing financial coverage for which he requested additional compensation from Sulzberger. In his first months as a foreign correspondent for ''The New York Times'', Tolischus reported from
Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
, a region with simmering German-Polish tensions in the wake of the Nazi rise to power. Between April and May 1933, he visited key Silesian cities like Breslau (Wrocław), Oppeln (Opole), and Hindenburg (Zabrze), filing dispatches that documented the rising nationalist sentiment and Nazi political initiatives in the area. In July-August 1933 Tolischus travelled to
East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
to report on the Nazi economic initiatives in the region and filed reports from Koenigsberg and Danzig (Gdansk). Tolischus further ventured to his native Memeland (Klaipeda Region) in August, reporting on the complex political situation there.


Reichstag fire trial coverage

In 1933, Tolischus’ most extensive early reporting emerged from the
Reichstag fire The Reichstag fire (german: Reichstagsbrand, ) was an arson attack on the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin, on Monday 27 February 1933, precisely four weeks after Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of ...
trial held at the Reich Supreme Court in
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
. From September to December 1933, Tolischus followed the proceedings and was present at the trial sessions in Leipzig and Berlin. During those months Tolischus filed at least nine front-page bylined reports, including a detailed account of the verdict on December 23, 1933. These dispatches offered American readers a close-up view of this pivotal event in Nazi Germany's consolidation of power.


Reporting consolidation of Nazi rule

In Germany Tolischus witnessed the expansion of the Nazi regime and reported on its economic, political and cultural aspects. Before the war, he made detailed studies of Poland and Czechoslovakia, traveling extensively in both countries. He predicted the Nazi-Soviet Pact three months before it was signed and covered the German perspective on the outbreak of World War II. Within two days of the secret signing of the
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , long_name = Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H27337, Moskau, Stalin und Ribbentrop im Kreml.jpg , image_width = 200 , caption = Stalin and Ribbentrop shaking ...
he had managed to get news of it for a page-one story called "Nazi Talks Secret" whose subtitle included "Soviet and Reich Agree on East." On 26 August 1939, he filed a story that noted Nazi troops on the move near Gleiwitz (now
Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional cap ...
), which led to the
Gleiwitz incident The Gleiwitz incident (german: Überfall auf den Sender Gleiwitz; ) was a false flag attack on the radio station ''Sender Gleiwitz'' in Gleiwitz (then Germany and now Gliwice, Poland) staged by Nazi Germany on the night of 31 August 1939. Along ...
, a
false flag A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misr ...
operation, on 31 August 1939. (On 28 August 1939, the ''Times'' was still reporting on fears of a Gleiwitz raid.) In 1940, he was expelled from Germany.


Foreign correspondent in Tokyo (1941-1942)

On the 25th of January 1941 Edwin L. James, managing editor of the ''New York Times'', announced that Tolischus will sail for Japan to join the Tokyo bureau as a correspondent for the ''New York Times'' and ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
''. After his expulsion from Berlin by the Nazi government, Tolischus admitted to being delighted to take this opportunity. While he was well-aware that war clouds appeared to be gathering over the Pacific, he was eager to take a look at the other end of the Berlin-Tokyo axis. In particular, Tolischus noted, he was keen to learn 'how much truth there was in the story that the Nazis had taken over some of their mystic ideas from the Japanese'. Tolischus left San Francisco on the SS ''
President Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Mas ...
'' and sailed into Tokyo on February 7th. Tolischus arrived to replace Hugh Byas, a long-serving the ''New York Times'' correspondent in Tokyo. On arrival Tolischus was met by a group of local Japanese newspaper reporters. Later Tolischus learned that he was not entirely unknown in Japan. According to Tolischus, the '' Japan Times Advertiser'' and other Japanese newspapers used many of his articles sent to the ''New York Times'' from Germany. During his first week in Tokyo, Tolischus visited the American Embassy and paid his respects to ambassador Joseph C. Grew. He also paid visits at the offices of Japan's two biggest newspapers: ''
Asahi Asahi (朝日, 旭, or あさひ) means "morning sun" in Japanese and may refer to: Cities * Asahi, Chiba (旭市; ''Asahi-shi'') Wards * Asahi-ku, Osaka (旭区; ''Asahi-ku'') * Asahi-ku, Yokohama (旭; ''Asahi-ku'') Towns * Asahi, Aichi (旭 ...
'' and '' Nichi Nichi'' (Tolischus presented a letter of introduction from Roy Howard to Shingoro Takaishi, the chief of ''Nichi Nichi''). Tolischus was surprised to discover that from the beginning of his stay Japan looked like a country already under a state of war. Tolischus drew comparisons with Germany at war and indicated the same symptoms: Tokyo had a city wide dim-out, there were shortages and queues for food shops and low number of taxis. It was clear that the Japanese people were already feeling the effects of the conflict in China.


Arrest and imprisonment after the attack on Pearl Harbor

A few hours after the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
on the 8th of December, Tolischus was arrested and imprisoned for five months, where he was regularly beaten and tortured. During this period of imprisonment, the Japanese manager of the ''Times'' Tokyo Bureau, Junnosuke Ofusa, took food and clothes to Tolischus. The ongoing contact continued until Tolischus was sent to the United States as part of a prisoner exchange in 1942.


Internment and evacuation on the ''Asama Maru'' and ''Gripsholm''

After six months of imprisonment Tolischus was released by the Japanese authorities on May 20, 1942. Instead of the full release, Tolischus was escorted to the internment camp at Sumire, located between Tokyo and
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
(previously a Catholic girls' school). In his account Tolischus noted that the original group of internees at Sumire were thirteen Americans, also British, Dutch, Belgians and French Canadians. Most of the internees were Catholic priests. Among Americans there were Leo Chamberlain (National City Bank), journalists Robert Bellaire (
United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...
), Joseph E. Dynan (
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
) and Colvin (Tom) Crichton ( Universal News Features). On June 2 the camp received Wall Street Journal's team members:
Max Hill Max Benjamin Rowland Hill, (born 1964) is the Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, succeeding Alison Saunders as from 1 November 2018. Previously, he was the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation in the United Kingdom, ...
, Richard Tenelly and Raymond Cromley. Just like Tolischus, all of them were given the same suspended sentence. In the camp Tolischus was informed that some of the internees are going to be repatriated on the ship
Asama Maru was a Japanese ocean liner owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK). The ship was built in 1927–1929 by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. at Nagasaki, Japan. The vessel was named after an important Shinto shrine. ''Asama Maru'' set a reco ...
in the middle of June. This was confirmed by father Hilderbrand Yaiser, the
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...
, who acted as an attache of Swiss embassy in Tokyo (he confirmed that the internees would depart on June 17; they were allowed any amount of baggage and 1000 yen). On the day of the departure, Tolischus and other internees were taken by a special train to Yokohama to board the ''Asama Maru''. Tolischus and other passengers boarded the ship which left the dock but stayed anchored in the
Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous a ...
for another week before departing on June 25. The ''Asama Maru'' reached
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
on June 29 and anchored opposite
Stanley Fort Stanley Fort is a military installation on the south side of Hong Kong Island. Built originally to serve the British Armed Forces, it now houses the Hong Kong garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force. It has also been use ...
. 377 evacuees, most of them Americans, boarded the ship (including A. E. Southward, the
consul general A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
and Alberto Perez-Saez, the consul general of Peru). On July 2 the ''Asama Maru'' anchored next to
Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...
. On July 6 the ''Asama Maru'' was joined by another evacuation ship - the '' Conte Verde'' (travelling from
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
). The ''Asama Maru'' sailed into Maputo (Lourenco Marques) on July 22. The following day Tolischus with the rest of the evacuees was transferred to the ''Gripsholm'' while the Japanese passengers walked from it to the ''Asama Maru''. During his time in Maputo, Tolishus attempted to send his stories about torture and imprisonment from the local telegraph office. He filed two copies: one to New York and another to London (''The Times''); unfortunately, the stories did not reach New York. The ''Gripsholm'' departed Maputo on July 28 and reached
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
on August 10. In Rio de Janeiro Tolischus telegraphed his stories to New York. In Rio de Janeiro he was met and assisted by Frank Garcia, the New York Times Rio correspondent. The last leg of the sailing took place from August 11 to 25. Tolischus sailed on the Gripsholm into New York at dawn. More details about this evacuation trip was recorded by Max Hill in his book ''Exchange Ship'', published immediately after the event in 1942.Max Hill (1942) ''Exchange Ship'', Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. New York, Toronto.


Career in the New York Times

Tolischus was a member of the ''Times'' editorial board until his retirement in 1964. Tolischus died of cancer in 1967.


Works

Based on his experience as a journalist, Tolischus wrote three books on World War II: * 1940 -- ''They Wanted War''. New York: Reynal and Hitchcock. * 1943 -- ''Tokyo Record''. New York: Reynald and Hitchcock. * 1945 -- ''Through Japanese Eyes''. New York: Reynald and Hitchcock.


References


External sources

* Brown, John Mason. "Book Review: ''They Wanted War'' by Otto D. Tolischus," ''The American Political Science Review'', Vol. 35, No. 3 (Jun., 1941), pp. 573–574. * Clyde, Paul H., "Book Review: ''Through Japanese Eyes'' by Otto D. Tolischus," ''The American Political Science Review'', Vol. 39, No. 4 (Aug., 1945), pp. 808–809. * MacNair, Harley Farnsworth, "Book Review: ''Through Japanese Eyes'' by Otto D. Tolischus," ''The Pacific Historical Review'', Vol. 15, No. 4 (Dec., 1946), pp. 465–466. * Soward, F.H. "Book Review: ''Tokyo Record'' by Otto D. Tolischus," ''The Far Eastern Quarterly'', Vol. 2, No. 4 (Aug., 1943), pp. 388–389.
Otto David Tolischus papers
at the University of Oregon {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolischus, Otto David 1890 births 1967 deaths American journalists American foreign correspondents American war correspondents of World War II Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence winners The New York Times Pulitzer Prize winners People from Šilutė District Municipality People from East Prussia German people of Lithuanian descent Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni