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 I
AM AN AVID STUDENT OF JAPANESE ORDNANCE AND HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING AND
COLLECTING DATA FOR OVER 30 YEARS. SOME MAY REMEMBER THE COMPANY IVY
ARMAMENT, WHICH I FOUNDED IN 1958 AND USED AS A BASE FOR MY COLLECTING
JAPANESE MEMORABILIA. MY SPECIALTY WAS THEIR AUTOMATIC WEAPONS.
I AM IN PROCESS OF COMPILING A DEFINITIVE WORKS ON THE HISTORY OF ALL
THEIR AUTOMATIC WEAPONS AND TO PRESENT IT IN BOOK FORM. I INTEND TO MAKE
IT THE "MOST COMPLETE" WORKS TO BE ASSEMBLED IN A SINGLE REFERENCE. IT
WILL COVER ALL THEIR RAPID FIRE GUNS OF ALL TYPES: SUBMACHINE GUNS, LIGHT
AND HEAVY MACHINE GUNS FOR ALL USES BY ALL SERVICES IN ALL CALIBERS.
AN OVERALL INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK CONTENT WILL SET THE SCENE OF JAPAN'S
INTRODUCTION TO FIREARMS AND RAPID FIRE GUNS. IT WILL INCLUDE PRIMARY USE
OF "FOREIGN" WEAPONS PRIOR TO LICENSING AND MANUFACTURING BY THE JAPANESE
OF THEIR OWN ORDNANCE. WE START WITH EARLY USE OF RAPID FIRE GUNS IN THE
RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR OF 1904-1905 AND CONTINUE THRU WORLD WAR II. THE READER
WILL TOUR HISTORY IN ITS MAKING OF POLITICS IN THE ARMS WAR FOR JAPANESE
FAVORITISM IN USE AND ADOPTION OF FOREIGN ORDNANCE. WE CONTINUE THROUGH
THE STRUGGLE OF LICENSING, DUPLICATION AND IMITATING THE FOREIGN SMALL
ARMS AND MANUFACTURING TO THE JAPANESE ADVANTAGE. IT WILL SIFT THRU THE
POLITICAL, MILITARY AND CIVILIAN ORGANIZATIONS INTERNAL STRUGGLES TO
ACCOMPLISH A BACKBONE OF A WORLD POWER. ALL FINALLY ACCOMPLISHING A GOAL
OF THE MILITARY FOR DOMINATION WITH THE HELP OF THE AUTOMATIC WEAPON, A
VITAL PART OF ITS ARSENAL.
THE WORKS WILL INCLUDE LISTINGS OF MILITARY AND CIVILIAN MANUFACTURING
ORGANIZATIONS ALONG WITH EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS, CHANGES/VARIATIONS AND
PRODUCTION QUANTITIES.
I AM ASKING FOR YOUR HELP IN MAKING THIS ENDEAVOR AN ACCUMULATION OF DATA
AND MATERIAL FROM PEOPLES ALL OVER THE GLOBE. I SOLICIT HELP IN PROVIDING
ME WITH DATA, SUCH AS MANUALS TEXTBOOKS, LITERATURE AND PHOTOS ON THEIR
AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. TO VETERANS FROM ALL SIDES OF WARS INVOLVED WITH THIS
ORDNANCE I ASK TO PROVIDE ME WITH WHATEVER THEY CAN ESPECIALLY WORLD WAR
II COMBAT EXPERIENCES AND EQUALLY TO ORDNANCE PERSONNEL,
OBSERVERS AND CIVILIANS INVOLVED IN MANUFACTURING AND TESTING OF THEIR
ARMS.
I REQUEST YOUR INPUT HOWEVER LARGE OR SMALL TO PROVIDE THIS PERSONAL
INFORMATION HELPING INSURE CREDITABILITY OF A WORKS WHICH WILL BE
RESPECTED FOR ITS ACCURACY AND AUTHENTICITY.
IN COMPILING DETAILS FOR THE BOOK I AM ASKING FOR AUTOMATIC WEAPON
INSCRIPTION DETAIL FROM THE MARKINGS CLUSTER WHICH INCLUDES MODEL NUMBERS,
MANUFACTURER LOGO AND DATE MARKINGS AS THEY APPEAR ON THE RECEIVERS OR
FRAMES OF THE WEAPONS. I HAVE FORMS, THAT CAN BE SENT UPON REQUEST OR
PRINTED FROM YOUR COMPUTER PRINTER, WHICH WILL ASSIST IN IDENTIFICATION
INFORMATION.
PENCIL RUBBINGS CAN BE MADE OF THE INSCRIPTIONS IF THE MARKINGS ARE DEEP
ENOUGH. FOR RARE SPECIMENS PHOTOGRAPHS MAY BE DESIRED. I WILL PAY FOR
COSTS FOR PHOTO WORK WHEN PREAUTHORIZED. AFTER THE IDEOGRAPHS HAVE BEEN
TRANSCRIBED I WILL FURNISH A COPY TO THE PROVIDER FOR THEIR RECORDS. IF A
WEAPON HAS UNUSUAL CHARACTERISTICS DIFFERENT FROM AND THE STANDARD
PRODUCTION MODELS A DESCRIPTION WOULD BE APPRECIATED FOR CONSIDERATION TO
INCLUDE IN THE BOOK AS A PHOTOGRAPH.
ANY ACCESSORIES DIRECTLY RELATED TO THEIR AUTOMATIC WEAPONS ARE OF ALSO
PARTICULAR INTEREST. PLEASE DESCRIBE IN DETAIL FOR EVALUATION.
ALL HELP WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED IN THE BOOK AND CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN TO THE
DONOR IN ALL PHOTOGRAPH CAPTIONS.
I LOOK FORWARD TO ANY AND ALL COMMUNICATION WHICH WILL RECEIVE MY PERSONAL
ATTENTION AND TIMELY REPLY.
-William M. P. Easterly
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