Is anyone familiar with the Twilight Zone episode "The Encounter"?

Question

This was an episode which was filmed in 1964 and featured a "psychological encounter" between an American WWII veteran and a young Japanese man. It was supposedly so controversial that it was banned from syndication. Does anyone know what the controversy was and why it was banned?

I guess I should add that I've read conflicting stuff on the web about the episode itself. It seems there are a lot of conflicting ideas about why it was banned. I'm hoping someone may have some actual knowledge about the reasons it was so controversial that the TZ producers didn't allow it to be syndicated.

Answer 1

That's a great Q and a great A.

What kind of slack-jawed retard would vote a thumbs down for either?

Answer 2

Starring Neville Brand (Al Capone on "The Untouchables") and George Takei (Lt. Sulu on "Star Trek"). Hosted by Rod Serling. Written by Martin M. Goldsmith. Directed by Robert Butler.

A visit by a Japanese-American gardener (George Takei) to the attic of an American World War II veteran named Fenton (Neville Brand) leads to an unusual, unexpected showdown apparently brought on by a samurai sword of vengeance.

This one is truly daring in its subject matter and material. The war isn't handled with any kid gloves as it's suggested there were indeed evil transgressions committed by both sides. There's certainly a strong criticism of the military propaganda system, which trains one to hate—to think of the enemy as less than human and then after the war expects the thinking process to return to normal, the hate to just up and disappear. It seems a very flawed process and this episode presents that argument to an extent. Hatred is never an easy issue to deal with but this episode was bold enough to tackle it and its potential consequences head on. It's perhaps this very element that caused enough controversy to kept this episode from ever being aired in syndication.

Neville Brand, the fourth most decorated soldier during World War II, proves terrific as the world-weary, self-destructive war veteran Fenton while George Takei provides a powerful, compelling performance as a young man suddenly thrust into an emotional situation beyond his understanding to control or power to stop. There's definitely an element of the supernatural present in this story—despite the claims of Fenton to the contrary—in the form of the samurai sword. An intriguing vision although there's no denying it may well offend the sensibilities of some. The final twist ending though is what proves the true shocker here, but the theme to me says hatred can and will destroy those who embrace it.