On American soil : how justice became a casualty of World War II / Jack Hamann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hamann, Jack, 1954-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, American.

World War, 1939-1945.

Prisoners of war--Violence against--Washington (State)--Seattle.

Prisoners of war.

Prisoners of war--Washington (State)--Seattle.

Prisoners of war--Italy.

Prison riots.

Italy.

Prisoners of war--United States.

United States.

Prison riots--Washington (State)--Seattle.

Fort Lawton (Seattle, Wash.)--History.

Fort Lawton (Seattle, Wash.).

Washington (State)--Seattle.

Washington (State).

Physical Description:

xvi, 343 pages : illustrations, 1 map ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill, N.C. : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2005.

Summary:

On a hot August night in 1944, a soldier's body was discovered hanging by a rope at Seattle's Fort Lawton. The body was identified as Private Guglielmo Olivotto, one of the thousands of Italian prisoners of war captured and brought to America.

The murder shocked the nation and the international community. Under pressure to respond quickly, the War Department convened a criminal trial at the fort, charging three African American soldiers with the first-degree murder of Private Olivotto. Forty other soldiers were charged with rioting, accused of storming the Italian barracks on the night of the murder. All forty-three soldiers were black. There was no evidence implicating any of these men. Leon Jaworski, later the lead prosecutor at the Watergate trial, was appointed to prosecute the case and seek the death penalty for three men who were most assuredly innocent.

Through his access to previously classified documents and the information gained from extensive interviews, award-winning journalist Jack Hamann uncovers the truth behind World War II's largest army court-martial-a riveting story that raises important questions about how justice is carried out when a country is at war.

Contents:

Map of Fort Lawton x

U.S. Army Ranks during World War II xvii

Prologue: August 15, 1944 1

1 Camp Florence May 1944 5

2 Fort Lawton June 1944 29

3 Mollycoddling July 1944 51

4 The Life of Reilly Early August 1944 73

5 Riot August 14, 1944 83

6 Bad Press Late August 1944 104

7 Cookie September 1944 116

8 Jaworski October 1944 153

9 Beeks Early November 1944 182

10 Prosecution Late November 1944 204

11 Defense Early December 1944 239

12 Verdict Late December 1944 269.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [307]-340).

ISBN:

1565123948

OCLC:

56941981