For Immediate Release
Contact: Andrew Turner
866.626.4661 – Ext. 1018
WWII History Uncovered Through Local Auction
Details discovered of little known US WWII plot to
invade Japanese occupied Pacific Islands with savage dogs; story featured on
PBS series History Detectives
Kansas City, Kansas (July 1, 2009) – Thousands of military
artifacts, and other historic collectible consignment, flow through the doors
of Manion’s International Auction House every year:
uniforms, helmets, weapons, field gear, medals, insignia – anything related to
military service, including official documents . . .
“Nine times out of ten, military documents aren’t that
interesting,” said Manion’s employee Andrew Turner.
“This particular grouping was an assortment of official and personal documents
from a WWII Sergeant who had served in a canine training capacity – which made
it a bit more appealing.”
The grouping consisted of hundreds of documents and photos –
most of which dealt with dog training on a place called, curiously enough, “
“I thought it was odd they were investigating a civilian,”
Turner said. “It immediately piqued my interest, and I began to do a bit of
research. I found a book that briefly mentioned this Prestre,
and discovered
He made a call to a
“I really wanted to learn more about it, but just didn’t
have the time or resources to devote,” said Turner. “So I contacted the PBS
program “History Detectives”; I thought it would make a fascinating story, and
they agreed.”
The staff of the popular program researched the mysterious
letter, and History Detective Tukufu Zuberi reported back to Turner on the findings.
“Instead of using Marines to invade the Japanese occupied
islands in the Pacific, Prestre intended on utilizing
thousands and thousands of savage dogs,” said Turner. “Of course, there were
many problems with this proposal. The program was discontinued, and Mr. Prestre was disgracefully dismissed.”
Turner was pleased he was able to contribute to the program,
but was not surprised the documents were consigned with Manion’s
International Auction.
“I’ve always been interested in WWII history,” he said. “I’m
fortunate to work for a company where I am literally surrounded by artifacts
from the time period. There’s no place like this place – and we’re right here
in
The program features a visit to modern day
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