Second interview for the History Channel on WWII & the M-Fund

 
2023

My latest interview for History Channel airing this month pursues my work on a story I started researching and writing about 20 years ago: the fate of billions of dollars (at least) worth of treasure plundered from Asia by the Japanese military in World War II, much of it buried in an underground network of tunnels and caves in the Philippines. 

It's now watchable online here.

The loot was discovered forcibly by the Americans (i.e., GHQ), kept off the books, and deposited in bank accounts across the world--known primarily as the "M-Fund" (M-Shikin in Japanese). How was that money used? You can probably count the ways, but don't overlook the Marcos regime.
 
Last time the producers cast me as a cafe-haunting journo. This time I'm playing an author/prof in a gulag.
 
 
Here's the first story I ever wrote on the conspiracy, published in The Japan Times and based on my work with the late authors Sterling and Peggy Seagraves and their book GOLD WARRIORS:
 
Intro: "Japan's vast hoard of war booty known as Yamashita's Gold was long thought to still be buried in caves in the Philippines. But in their book 'Gold Warriors,' Sterling and Peggy Seagraves sensationally claim that the treasure trove was secretly recovered -- and continues to oil the wheels of politics in Japan and beyond. As Roland Kelts discovered through interviews with the authors, it is a tale as disturbing as they insist it is well-founded."
 
 
2020
 
• My interview with late authors Sterling and Peggy Seagraves. 

• Some of my research materials.

• Overview of background from the Free Library.

• JP Wiki page on M-Shikin.

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