Japanese Forces

Lord Sempill's handler.

Imperial Japenese Navy.

Toyoda Teijiro as Admiral. As Captain Toyoda, he had been the Master of Sempill's intelligence contact as Naval Attaché to the Japanese Embassy in London. He subsequently advanced to the rank of Admiral, and to Ministerial rank in the Japanese Government. It is interesting that, like Yamamoto, who had been Naval Attaché of Japan in Washington, Toyoda was not enthusiastic about expansionist measures such as the Japanese occupation of French Indochina (which he correctly predicted would lead to a general financial and trade embargo against Japan). Nor did he favour Japanese entanglements with Germany and Italy. Nonetheless, he acted, like Yamamoto (in the latter's phrase) as "the sword of my Emperor". As regards Sempill, following his "warning off" the decision was taken by the British Government at the highest level not to prosecute him for his flagrant breaches of the Official Secrets Act. It was, presumably, felt that His Lordship would in future behave more like a Chap and avoid entanglements with foreign powers that might not favour his country's interests. In practice, all it seems to have done is to make Sempill a bit more indirect in his methods of communication with the Japanese. Notably, he spent four years in the 1930s as a paid technical adviser with the Mitsubishi corporation. At this time, Mitsubishi - like several other Japanese defence contractors - appear to have been acting virtually as agents of the Japanese Government. Matters continued in much this vein until the outbreak of WW2 - at which point Sempill was recruited to the Admiralty and specifically, to the Department of Air Material. This meant that, not only did he have access to secret information about British maritime air technology but also, as a Peer of the Realm, he had access to the highest level of the British political establishment. Information continued to be passed to the Japanese, faithfully monitored by MI5. Most spies so steeped in treason would probably have been lodged at the bottom of the Thames at this stage - but not Sempill. Among other things, he was suspected of passing a version of the detailed report prepared by the British on the Placentia Bay meeting between Roosvelt and Churchill - an ultra-top secret matter. The Japanese did obtain such a report - and Sempill was one of the very few British officials who might have obtained access to it. Churchill was advised of the evidence against Sempill - a personal acquaintance - and initially seemed inclined to have him prosecuted or at least detained. Again, the decision was taken not to prosecute, and a "severe warning" was issued to Sempill. Churchill subsequently climbed down, and ordered the Admiralty, in effect, to treat the matter as a personnel matter - in other words, to get rid of him without publicity or prosecution. Sempill was in consequence offered the alternatives of assignment to an obscure Naval post in northern Scotland or resignation. On 13 December 1941 - four days after the Far Eastern War opened with the Japanese invasion of Malaya and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour some hours later, police raided Sempill's office as he was actually on the telephone to the Japanese Embassy. At the same time, half way around the world, British and Indian Army soldiers were conducting valiant but unavailing resistance against Japanese invaders in Malaya, and Pearl Harbour smouldered. At long last, Sempill was persuaded to retire. He went on to enjoy the life of a respected postwar British aristocrat until his death in 1965. His treason was only revealed when the extensive records of it were declassified and became available to historians in the UK Public Records Office in 2002. Sempill was a member of the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun. Who can say that he did not earn it ? Best regards, JR.