{"title":"“I Let Him Have It”: Sex, Anti-Americanism, and Criminal Justice in Wartime Brisbane, 1942–44","authors":"Paul Bleakley","doi":"10.1111/ajph.12925","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>With combat in Second World War shifting to the Pacific region after the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, the Allied General Headquarters was established in Brisbane, Australia, in July 1942. American military personnel in wartime Brisbane were subject to a two-tier criminal justice system, with the US military claiming extraterritorial jurisdiction over all crimes committed by American troops in Australia. In practical terms, this meant that American soldiers rarely faced local justice, which contributed to existing tensions between the American contingent and the Australian public. Although Americans accused of crimes were typically transferred to US custody, this jurisdictional arrangement did not extend to cases where Americans were victims of crimes allegedly committed by Australians. This article draws on extensive historical research to examine one such case, wherein American soldier Robert L. Norwood was killed by Australian Alma Muriel Morgan. By focussing on this case from the investigatory phase, and through the court process, it is possible to garner insight into the American experience with the Queensland legal system during the Second World War and to consider whether anti-American tensions (particularly around sex) unduly impacted on securing justice where Americans were victims of crime.</p>","PeriodicalId":45431,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Politics and History","volume":"70 3","pages":"477-494"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Australian Journal of Politics and History","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajph.12925","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"HISTORY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
With combat in Second World War shifting to the Pacific region after the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, the Allied General Headquarters was established in Brisbane, Australia, in July 1942. American military personnel in wartime Brisbane were subject to a two-tier criminal justice system, with the US military claiming extraterritorial jurisdiction over all crimes committed by American troops in Australia. In practical terms, this meant that American soldiers rarely faced local justice, which contributed to existing tensions between the American contingent and the Australian public. Although Americans accused of crimes were typically transferred to US custody, this jurisdictional arrangement did not extend to cases where Americans were victims of crimes allegedly committed by Australians. This article draws on extensive historical research to examine one such case, wherein American soldier Robert L. Norwood was killed by Australian Alma Muriel Morgan. By focussing on this case from the investigatory phase, and through the court process, it is possible to garner insight into the American experience with the Queensland legal system during the Second World War and to consider whether anti-American tensions (particularly around sex) unduly impacted on securing justice where Americans were victims of crime.
期刊介绍:
The Australian Journal of Politics and History presents papers addressing significant problems of general interest to those working in the fields of history, political studies and international affairs. Articles explore the politics and history of Australia and modern Europe, intellectual history, political history, and the history of political thought. The journal also publishes articles in the fields of international politics, Australian foreign policy, and Australia relations with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.