the US struck a secret agreement with Ishii. In a memo to General Douglas MacArthur (1880 – 1964), commander of Allied forces in Japan, Washington recognized that although war crimes had been committed, the experiments led by Ishii and his colleagues were “almost incalculable and incredibly valuable to the United States.”
In exchange for the records of Unit 731’s experiments, the US granted Ishii and his assistants immunity. Ishii died, and his collaborators went on to have careers in prestigious universities and private laboratories.
I don’t see how grant immunity, sign documents, transfer them to US - take all documentation and knowledge, higher court later declares the immunity invalid, execute them for war crimes was off the table. It would likely be legal. It would surely be less immoral than letting them free.
What, did the US generals not want to have a bad rep with future war criminals??
‘Gosh no we can’t do that - we made a pinky swear to some of the worst people who ever lived’.
I mean, that would work once or twice, but after that I don’t think remaining war criminals would agree to the deal, knowing their predecessors were executed.
Right? They figured that out a decade or so later.