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Did you know this? More importantly....Really? No offense intended

My daughter and I were watching an episode of Hetalia over Netflix and during WWII America had planned to cover Mt. Fuji with red paint. We thought the idea was just a joke put in by the animators until the narrator said it was true..goggle it. So we did a google search and it's true. We had planned to send bomber planes with several gallons of paint over Mt. Fuji and drop them. The idea was scrapped because it was too much hassle.

History buffs, since I cannot tell a fake website from a real one, really? Did we really try to paint Mt. Fuji? LOLZ I am still trying to picture it.

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2autisticsmom

Asked by 2autisticsmom at 5:11 PM on Jul. 1, 2012 in Just for Fun

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Answers (8)
  • I've heard this a lot and I can tell you it's never been confirmed. But it's a long standing story so I wouldn't be shocked if there was a small grain of truth in there somewhere.

    The idea was that doing something to Mt. Fuji to significantly alter its appearance would have a profound impact on morale in Japan and would, theoretically, give the Allies a slight advantage, at least psychologically.
    BrawnwynII

    Answer by BrawnwynII at 5:17 PM on Jul. 1, 2012

  • What would be the purpose of it? B/C they're communists & "Red" or b/c it was a big target for our bombers? Hard telling. I've never heard it, but that doesn't mean it isn't so. Did you try the History Channel's website? Or Botanical (the maker of encyclopedias)?
    mrsmom110

    Answer by mrsmom110 at 5:17 PM on Jul. 1, 2012

  • for what reason did they want to do this
    booklover545

    Answer by booklover545 at 5:17 PM on Jul. 1, 2012

  • I've heard it throughout my life.
    meooma

    Answer by meooma at 5:45 PM on Jul. 1, 2012

  • I'd never heard it, but I'm glad someone explained the point of it, because I could not for the life of me figure out why we would do that.
    wendythewriter

    Answer by wendythewriter at 5:55 PM on Jul. 1, 2012

  • ive heard the story before, since Mt Fuji is sacred to both Shintoists and Japanese Buddhists. i have no idea if its true, but it makes sense. psychological warfare was a big thing in WWII. do they give a time frame? i could check the Foreign Relations of the United States collection...it would be in there unless the red paint thing was classified and never officially released.
    okmanders

    Answer by okmanders at 6:00 PM on Jul. 1, 2012

  •  

    "1945, the occasion where meeting of the psychological war for Japan was done in the US military headquarters, a certain scientist as for the Japanese has especially loved Mt. Fuji, if blue Mt. Fuji is dyed red, that it is possible to lower the fighting spirit of the Japanese, you propose.
    All recognized that directed to execution as the maneuvers which are superior, and story advanced.
    But, when the one of the scientists tries calculating the quantity of the paint, above imagining the fact whose Mt. Fuji is large was ascertained, the discontinuance was decided instantaneously at that place by the judgment of the higher stratum of society section.


    Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Did_America_try_to_paint_Mt_Fuji_red#ixzz1zPzCvkWf
    Natesmom507

    Answer by Natesmom507 at 7:56 PM on Jul. 1, 2012

  • Well in the anime we were watching, America wanted to do it to piss off the Japanese by vandalizing their sacred mountain, like Brawnwnll said. To possibly give them a slight advantage. I'd have to goggle it again and re-read the article that came up. I only managed to glance over the article before my daughter searched something else.
    2autisticsmom

    Comment by 2autisticsmom (original poster) at 5:25 PM on Jul. 1, 2012

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