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In-depth interview with Tom Stafford part one.

part 1 (1).pdf

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In-depth interview with Tom Stafford part two.

part two (1).pdf

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Book review: Some deep scholarship excavated from the mines of his tortured memories click title to read

The author does a superb job alternating between diary excerpts and concise clarifications of what was really happening. It closes with a section describing how Lindeijer’s son, who despised the Japanese, went through a period of reconciliation and ultimately, forgiveness. This is truly a magnificent, deeply researched book.

Podcasts

'A Gate in the Wall: A Pacific War POW's Secret Diary and a Family's Path Toward Reconciliation' by Melinda Barnhardt click title to listen

He was not supposed to record his thoughts and experiences in a diary, but somehow, he did. This precious document reveals the wishes and dreams of a man who became a Japanese prisoner during WWII. He was Dutch and quite an unusual fellow. This is his story and also that of his family.

Press Releases

DUTCH PRESS RELEASE (in translation)

Grandson of Dutch prisoner of war meets granddaughter of camp commander in Japan

New book about Dutch prisoner of war leads to reconciliation across generations

Hilversum, August 12, 2025

Eighty years after the end of World War II in Asia, a war story emerges that revolves not around resentment, but around forgiveness. A Gate in the Wall by American author Melinda Barnhardt (McFarland Publishers) tells the true story of Evert Willem (Wim) Lindeijer, who was a prisoner of war under harsh conditions in a Japanese mining camp.

Wim Lindeijer secretly wrote unsent letters to his family. These diary letters, remarkable for their absence of hatred, provided the key to a remarkable journey of reconciliation around the turn of the century. His son, Wim Lindeijer Jr., and his second wife, Adrie Lindeijer-van der Baan, traveled to Japan together. Their encounters led to the first Japanese publication of the diary in 2000: Kisses for Nel and the Children (Misuzu Shobo Publishers, Tokyo 2000).

In this new edition, Barnhardt brings not only Lindeijer's diary to life, but also the Ohashi mining camp in Northern Honshu. Drawing on multiple diaries, interviews, archival material, and testimonies, she paints a rich and nuanced picture of life in the camp. In the epilogue, Wim Lindeijer Jr. attempts to better understand his wartime experiences through letters, a dream, and a Japanese playscript. The book reveals how unexpected human connections developed during the war, shatters persistent stereotypes, and reveals how complex reality often was.

With A Gate in the Wall, this story now reaches an international audience. Barnhardt and Lindeijer's grandson, Eloy, recently traveled to Japan, where they spoke at a memorial service in Kamaishi—the town near the former Ohashi mining camp. There, they stood alongside another special guest: the granddaughter of one of the camp commanders. The meeting between the descendants of a POW and his former guard symbolized the bridging of a deep historical divide.

The book received newspaper and podcast coverage in Japan and the United States. At a time when the traumas of war continue to divide communities worldwide, A Gate in the Wall shows that even the deepest wounds can heal—and that reconciliation between former enemies is possible.

Melinda Barnhardt and Eloy Lindeijer stand at the machine repair shop of the former Ohashi mining camp. This is where Lindeijer's grandfather spent his last year working on a lathe.

In early August, Eloy Lindeijer was received at the Dutch Embassy in Tokyo to present a copy of the book and share his impressions of the commemoration in Kamaishi. Information about this and other commemorative events in Japan is available from the press and cultural attaché at the Dutch Embassy in Tokyo.

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