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After meeting chief interpreter Williams, Bettelheim felt that Williams was insufficiently competent, and decided that he himself should serve as interpreter/translator for the commodore. He pressed upon Perry that he take action against the Ryukyuan government, which had so mistreated him over the years. The Commodore, for the most part, refused, but used Bettelheim as his interpreter in his various meetings with the Ryukyuan regent. Williams criticized Bettelheim's manner of using hand gestures and facial expressions, and in particular the self-assured way he complimented himself on making certain suggestions, even when he had equally self-assuredly suggested the opposite mere hours earlier. Bettelheim is said to have reveled in being seen in association with Perry, and in the powerlessness of the Ryukyuan authorities to stop Perry from doing as he wished.
After meeting chief interpreter Williams, Bettelheim felt that Williams was insufficiently competent, and decided that he himself should serve as interpreter/translator for the commodore. He pressed upon Perry that he take action against the Ryukyuan government, which had so mistreated him over the years. The Commodore, for the most part, refused, but used Bettelheim as his interpreter in his various meetings with the Ryukyuan regent. Williams criticized Bettelheim's manner of using hand gestures and facial expressions, and in particular the self-assured way he complimented himself on making certain suggestions, even when he had equally self-assuredly suggested the opposite mere hours earlier. Bettelheim is said to have reveled in being seen in association with Perry, and in the powerlessness of the Ryukyuan authorities to stop Perry from doing as he wished.
Bettelheim soon began to make demands, however, that the Americans provide him with various necessities, including candles, soap, shoes, and butter. He hesitated to accept supplies from the ships even as he pressured the Ryukyuan authorities to provide gifts and supplies to the ships; yet, he made these demands, and accepted some of what was given, nevertheless. On 1853/3/23 (May30), he helped Perry and his men break into a schoolhouse in [[Tomari]] and seize it for use as a residence.
Bettelheim soon began to make demands, however, that the Americans provide him with various necessities, including candles, soap, shoes, and butter. He hesitated to accept supplies from the ships even as he pressured the Ryukyuan authorities to provide gifts and supplies to the ships; yet, he made these demands, and accepted some of what was given, nevertheless. On 1853/4/23 (May30), he helped Perry and his men break into a schoolhouse in [[Tomari]] and seize it for use as a residence, despite the strong objections of Ryukyuan officials (led by one named [[Ichirazichi]]) that the Americans could not be permitted to establish a house on shore.
A few days later, on 4/26 (June 2), Perry sent off one of his ships, the ''Caprice'', which took a number of things back to Shanghai for Bettelheim, including letters and $800 to be deposited into Bettelheim's bank accounts. It is unclear where Bettelheim obtained these funds to begin with, or the other goods he provided as gifts to Western ships he met at port. It is said that throughout his stay in Ryûkyû, he ate whatever was given him, and paid whatever he chose, never being told he owed any particular amount.
Bettelheim was finally taken away, to the great relief of the royal government, by Commodore Perry on his second visit to the islands, in 1854. Despite Bettelheim's horrible behavior, utter and complete lack of respect for Okinawan or Japanese culture and political authority, destruction of sacred objects, etc., a monument was constructed in his memory at the Gokoku-ji in 1926.
Bettelheim continued to force himself upon the commodore and his crew, becoming, according to the notes of certain crew members, quite tiresome; Bettelheim expressed annoyance with Perry's pursuit of various actions without consulting him, and began to be quite disliked by at least some members of the crew. He asked to join Perry in traveling to mainland Japan, but was refused, and was asked instead to prepare a description, as best he knew it, of the history of the Ryûkyû Kingdom. On 1853/4/30 (June 6), against the wishes of the Ryukyuan regent, and without having consulted Bettelheim on the matter, Perry led his men, in full dress uniform, with Bettelheim and a full marching band in tow, to Shuri castle. They were met at the outer gates by the regent, who offered to entertain them in his own mansions, but who insisted they would not be able to meet with the king or dowager queen. Perry pushed forward, and forced his way into the palace, only to find the king and dowager queen absent; Bettelheim, however, is said to have taken pleasure from these events, as he finally was able to enter the palace, after being refused for so many years.
Two days later, Perry claimed a portion of the Gokoku-ji grounds to use as pasture for sheep and cattle he brought with him to Okinawa, over Bettelheim's objections. The Americans had, by this point, established themselves enough on the island that they stopped relying upon Bettelheim for provisions; always hungry for importance and for a role to play, this surely rankled the missionary somewhat. Perry journeyed to the Ogasawara Islands in the fifth month (June). During the few weeks of his absence, the royal regent resigned or was deposed, and so upon Perry's return, a banquet was arranged aboard ship for the new regent; Bettelheim was annoyed at the regent's arrival aboard before himself. Williams' accounts indicate that Bettelheim took particular pleasure in the downfall of the former regent, who had been his adversary for so long, and that Bettelheim was generally drunken, and strange in his behavior, refusing, furthermore, to interpret directly and convey directly what was said by the new regent and other Ryukyuans in attendance. Following the banquet, Bettelheim remained on the ship for a brief time, and got into an argument of some sort with the crew about settling accounts, accusing them of cheating him.
Bettelheim preached to the Americans on board the ''Plymouth'' later that month (5/20; June 26), and on 5/26 (July 2), Perry left for his first attempt to enter Japan.
===Departure===
Bettelheim was finally taken away, to the great relief of the royal government, by Commodore Perry on his second visit to the islands, in 1854. Mrs. Bettelheim and their three children departed Okinawa on 1854/1/11 (Feb 8) aboard the USS ''Supply'' bound for Shanghai. After one last petition from the Ryûkyû government (issued 1854/5/15; July 10) to the commodore insisting that Bettelheim be taken away, the missionary finally departed the island a week later (1854/5/22; July 17) aboard the [[USS Powhatan|USS ''Powhatan'']], alongside Perry aboard the [[USS Mississippi|USS ''Mississippi'']]. Bettelheim took with him as much as he could from the Gokoku-ji "house," and was given back by the Ryûkyû authorities, supposedly, all the money he had "spent" during his time on the island<ref>International commerce outside of those avenues expressly permitted by the lords of [[Satsuma han]] was forbidden in Ryûkyû; when Perry's men tried to pay for food and other goods with American coin, it was always gathered up by Ryukyuan authorities, and most often returned.</ref>, along with mountains of missionizing pamphlets the authorities had seized over the years.
Writings by Bettelheim's missionary colleagues at other ports for the most part describe his approach and actions in Okinawa as hindering the cause more than helping it. Despite Bettelheim's horrible behavior, utter and complete lack of respect for Okinawan or Japanese culture and political authority, destruction of sacred objects, etc., a monument was constructed in his memory at the Gokoku-ji in 1926.
==References==
==References==
*Kerr, George. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''. Revised Edition. Tuttle Publishing, 2000. pp279-346ff.
*Kerr, George. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''. Revised Edition. Tuttle Publishing, 2000. pp279-340.
*''Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten'' 沖縄歴史人名事典. Okinawa bunkasha, 2002. p69.
*''Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten'' 沖縄歴史人名事典. Okinawa bunkasha, 2002. p69.
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