FINDINGS

                                                   NINE

                                        FINDINGS

1. The conclusions arrived at in the preceding chapters may now be set down as the findings of the Commission.

1. Bose was informed on August 12, 1945, that the war was about to conclude and the Japanese had decided to surrender to the Allied Forces. He was at that time at Saranban. The message was brought to him there by Negishi (Witness No. 50).

2. Bose at once left for Singapore where he discussed his future plans with his colleagues and the Ministers of his Cabinet, almost day and night. The decision was taken on the 14^th when Sakai arrived and conferred with Bose. It was decided that Bose himself should leave Singapore and try to escape to Russia where he hoped to find asylum.

3. On the morning of 16.8.1945, Bose left Singapore accompanied by Col. Habibur Rahman, S.A. Iyar (Witness No. 29) , a Japanese Liasion Officer Negishi (Witness No. 50), Col. Pritam Singh (Witness No. 155) and others. The party arrived at Bangkok at 3.30 P.M. and spent the night there.

4. At about 8 A.M. on 17.8.1945, Bose and party left by two planes for Saigon. Bose’s party included Col. Habibur Rahman, Deb Nath Das (Witness No. 3), S.A. Iyer (Witness No. 29) Hachia (Witness No. 51), Ishoda (Witness No. 153), Col. Pritam Singh (Witness No. 155), Abid Hassasn (Witness No. 157) and other the party arrived at Saigon at 11.00 A.M.

5. The planes in which Bose and his party had traveled to Saigon had to go back, and fresh arrangements had to be made for the next stage of the journey. Bose was informed that one seat could be given to him in a Japanese bomber which had come from Manila and was going to Dairen in Manchuria. The plane, Bose was informed, had, on board, a number of Japanese army officers who had been posted to Manchuria and who could not be left behind.

6. Bose was very upset on hearing this, because he wanted to carry all the members of his party with him. Ishoda and hachia were sent to Dalat where Field Marshal Tarauchi was camping. These two emissaries could not see Tarauchi personally, but his Adjutant told them that it might be possible to make available two or three seats in all for Bose.

7. Ishoda and Hachia returned to Saigon and conferred with the pilot of the plane and the Japanese military authorities there. The conclusion was that two seats were placed at the disposal of Bose.

8. After some discussion, Bose decided to avail himself of the two seats, and asked Habibur Rahman to accompany him.]

9. The Japanese bomber left Saigon at approximately 5 P.M. carrying Bose, Habibur Rahman, Lt. Col. Sakai (Witness No. 47), S. Nonongaki (Witness No. 53), Tarokono, Navigator (Witness No. 63), Takahashi (Witness No. 65), the pilot in charge Takizawa, Genl. Shidei, second pilot Ayogi, asll three of whom were killed and some others, whose names need not be mentioned. They were the crew and other officers posted to Manchuria, or to Tokyo.

10. The plane arrived at Touraine at 7.45 P.M. and the party spent the night there.

11. On the morning of 18.8.1945 the bomber left Touraine carrying the previous complement of crew and passengers and arrived at Taipei in Formosa at 2 P.M.

12. The party had a snack lunch at Taipei while the pilot attended to a snag, which he declared, had been corrected, after a short while.

13. The plane took off 2.35 P.M. but within a few seconds one of the engines flew out and the plane crashed near the fringe of the Taihoku airfield. The body of the plane broke into two parts and caught fire.

14. The pilot Takizawa and Genl. Shidei were killed inside the plane. The rest of the crew and passengers came out, but all of them had sustained burn injuries, two of them viz. Ayoagi and Bose had received very severe burns.

15. The injured persons were carried to the army hospital a few kilometers from the airfield and given medical treatment.

16. Bose had sustained burn injuries of the third degree and despite the efforts of the doctors to revive him, he succumbed to his injuries the same night.

17. Of the other injured persons Ayoagi, the second pilot also died.

18. Two days later, Bose’s body was cremated and his ashes were carried to Tokyo in the beginning of September 1945 where they were deposited in the Renkoji Temple.