Analyzing the “Photographic Evidence” of the Nanking Massacre

have not been seen by anyone else until the end of the war, Photo is the same as Photo10 (see p. xx), which made its debut in RBS—a book published seven years prior to the warcrimes trials in Nanking. Likewise, Photo had already appeared in the January 10,1938, issue of Life (see p. xx).If Mr. A had provided these photographs to the GMD or Life before he discardedthe album, he should have included that fact in his testimony.As for Photo , it is among the photo collection of Marion Fitch—another groupof photographs that was supposedly in possession of an individual until the end of WorldWar II.In view of all these inconsistencies, one may cast strong doubt on the truthfulnessof the stories regarding the origin of these photographs as recounted by Messrs. A & B.Wrong season indicated by the length of shadowNDG noted that the album which contained the “16 Photos” was adduced to themilitary court in Nanking and was adopted as evidence to convict Tani Hisao, thecommander of the 6th Division at the time of the Nanking campaign. Tani wassubsequently shot to death. It is, however, highly questionable that these photographsconstitute a piece of viable evidence that substantiate the atrocities allegedly committed byTani. One may even question whether or not the military court in Nanking subjected thephotographs to careful analysis before adopting them as evidence.Judging from multiple elements observable in the “16 Photos”, they obviously donot depict the scenes of the winter when the city of Nanking fell. According to apublication entitled Nanking, which was published in 1941 in Japan under the editorship ofIchiki Yoshimichi, the temperature in the city averaged five and three degrees Celsius inDecember and in January, respectively. In summarizing the general climate of the city,the book says, “Compared with locations of the same latitude, the summer in Nanking ishotter and the winter there is colder.”Some may raise the possibility that the winter in 1937 there was milder than usual.To counter this criticism, it may be useful to analyze the shadows that are observable inthese photographs.The length of shadow constantly changes during the day. It is usually longer inthe morning and late afternoon, and is the shortest at the time of the meridian sun (noon).A shadow’s length varies depending on the season as well because the earth’s axis isoblique by 23.5 degrees to its solar orbital path. Chart 1 shows the difference of ashadow’s length in the summer and in the winter. A shadow in Nanking at the time of theJapanese occupation in December was longer than one in the summer.With these data in mind, note the shadow seen in Photo 66. The ratio the lengthof the shadow (L) to the length of the subjects’ height (H) is 0.32—a ratio that is mostlikely to occur in Nanking around late May or early June.The same ratio will be 1.0, at the longest, between December 13 and the end of135