The Boston Salt Party

Go and see how democracy works, General Douglas MacArthur had told the 14-man Japanese legislative delegation. Last week they turned up in Boston, and got an instructive lesson. They were well briefed on Boston's historic role in U.S. history, and they met Mayor John B. Hynes. Then they tagged happily after the mayor's secretary down the city-hall corridors to the half-opened doors of the council chamber.

As they waited for their entrance cue, the doors clicked shut. Inside, wiry, hardbitten Councilor James S. Coffey of East Boston had seized the floor. Councilor Coffey once cut short a discussion on the morals of bribe-taking by remarking: "I'll take a buck and who the hell doesn't know it? I would like to see the guy who does not take a buck." Now he had a few thoughts about the visiting Japanese. "Mr. President," he cried. "I want to make a motion to keep them out of here. Will we forget the March of Bataan, gasoline pouring on our boys and the boys burned to death? We will like hell! Keep them out of here. Don't let us educate them to start another war. They might be studying the A-bomb to start another war in ten or 15 years."

Moved by brother Coffey's oratory, eleven councilors voted to keep the Japanese out. Eight councilors were willing to take their chances on any A-bomb secrets the visitors might pick up by listening to a discussion of Boston's finance problems.

Next day most of Boston hurried to make amends. The chamber of commerce invited the Japanese to lunch. Man-in-the-street polls showed that the citizenry was ashamed of its council. Massachusetts' Governor Paul A. Dever welcomed the Japanese to the gold-domed State House, where the legislature had just passed a resolution of censure for the Boston council.

But when the Japanese filed into the House speaker's gallery, one legislator remained seated, hands folded across his chest, while his colleagues rose to applaud. He was Daniel Rudsten, 30, wartime captain of Marines. Later he explained: "I lost a brother in the Pacific due to aggression by the Japanese. I feel the visiting delegates deserve our protection and tactful treatment. I do not feel that I must applaud or show overt signs of friendliness which I do not possess."

In Tokyo, having learned Lesson No. 1 in democracy--that democracy is always unpredictable and not always polite--the newspaper Asahi sagely commented: "The Japanese have been taking things too much for granted in thinking the American attitude all sugar. The Boston incident proves there's salt, also."

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