| Show COMPLETE VICTORY Japs laps Agree to All Terms Of Potsdam Declaration MacArthur Gets High Post By AL JEDLICKA Forty years after its armies annies marched into Korea to establish a foothold on the Asiatic mainland Japans Japan's course of imperial conquest come to a dramatic end on the evening of August 14 with the unqualified acceptance of the Potsdam declaration subscribed subscribed sub sub- subscribed scribed to by the U. U S. S Britain China and Russia Announced to an anxious nation by President Harry S. S Truman the Jap surrender came three years eight months and one week after the attack on Pearl Harbor With the Allied powers consenting to his retention on the throne to assure the surrender r of Japanese armies scattered throughout Asia and the submission of the homeland to the stiff terms imposed Emperor Hirohito ordered the nation to l lay y down its arms as the Tokyo radio reported thousands of downcast subjects subjects sub sub- c bowed in in grief before the gates of the imperial palace Having led American ground forces back over the vast tracts of the Pacific to the doorstep of Japan following the crippling blow at Pearl Harbor General MacArthur was designated to accept the Nipponese surrender along with representatives of the other Allied nations Coming four days after Tokyo's Tokyo's Tokyo's To To- kyo's first offer to give up the fight provided the emperors emperor's sovereignty were respected and three months after V-E V day Japans Japan's surrender was greeted with wild enthusiasm throughout through through- out the U. U S. S which joyously celebrated the end of the most destructive and costly war in history wi without thou t wai waiting ting for President Harry S. S Truman's official V-J V day proclamation on In accepting the Allied terms Japan agreed to the total reduction of its once proud empire with hope for the future based upon the or- or or or- of a free democracy within the home islands of Honshu Kyushu Hokkaido and Under the Potsdam ultimatum Japan must eliminate the influence of those elements which have encouraged encouraged encouraged en en- conquest give up Manchuria Manchuria Manchuria Man Man- churia Korea and other overseas acquisitions disarm all armed forces permit the revival of democracy democracy democracy de de- de- de and freedom of speech religion and thought and submit to Allied occupation of designated points in the homeland until postwar postwar postwar post post- war security has been established At the same time Japan was promised an opportunity for orderly development once a peaceful government government gov gov- had been created with retention retention re re- retention re- re of such industries as would f maintain its internal economy and eventual access to raw materials and world trade The war ended just as the atomic bomb threatened the obliteration of J Japans Japan's pans pan's sprawling industrial settlements settlements settlements settle settle- ments with Hiroshima and Nagasaki Nagasaki Naga Naga- Nagasaki saki already badly mangled by the terrific blasts Packing an explosive force times greater than TNT the atomic 1 t It I I 4 f XI XIA A Gen Gea Douglas MacArthur Accepts Surrender bombs bomb's destructive capacity so far exceeded that tha t of ordinary missiles that it brought a quick reaction from a government that had planned continuation of the conflict from underground bastions despite increasing increasing in- in in creasing B 29 attacks Besides threatening to lay Japan waste the atomic bomb also was credited with blowing Russia into the conflict thus bringing the total Allied weight to bear against the Nipponese In all these two events served to climax the growing tempo tem tern po 0 of the Allied drive in the Pacific wl which ch saw U. U S. S forces virtually sitting sit sit- 0 ting on Japans Japan's doorstep at the cessation cessation ces ces- of hostilities With the navy ry and air force cara car car- li a L I the fight to the enemy and I with army and marine troops slashing slashing slashing slash slash- ing forward in island to island fighting the war in the Pacific rates as one of the bloodiest in history From the very beginning the U. U S. S encountered a bitter and fanatical foe foet ardent and well vel disciplined willing to fight to the last cartridge even when completely enveloped All through the war the toll of Jap killed far surpassed the number captured indicating the nature of their defense Because of the close teamwork required re required required re- re in the over-all over operations it would be difficult to single out one outstanding hero though General MacArthurs MacArthur's fiery stand against the enemy in the early stages of the conflict conflict conflict con con- and his later redemption of lost territories made him the symbol symbol sym sym- symbol bol of the American spirit Beside the name of MacArthur must be added those of Admiral Nimitz who directed U. U S. S naval operations in in the vast Pacific theater theater thea thea- theater ter and General Le May whose B seriously reduced Japans Japan's in- in I Jt Emperor Hirohito Surrenders to Allies potential in repeated heavy raids Recovering quickly from the black t. t days immediately L after Pearl Har- Har WIlen me we J. J overran much of the Pacific the U. U S. S checked the enemy tide in the spring of 1942 when the American fleet stopped the Japs' Japs southeastward drive in the battle of the Coral sea and then thwarted their eastward surge at Midway From then on the U. U S. S building up tremendous military and material material material mate mate- rial strength under a unified front frontI at home was on with I the Japanese seeking time to consolidate consolidate con con- consolidate their newly won von position as asI I the overruling Asiatic power by bitter bitter bit bit- ter delaying action in their outposts With the navy severing vital Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- Japanese nese supply lines to these outposts i and with the ground forces isolating enemy units into disorganized resistance resist- resist II I 1 ance pockets on invaded islands the I American advance in the Pacific far exceeded expectations with the end of the European war finding U. U S. S sea land and air forces perched right on Nippon's doorstep I Though the main mam body of Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese troops had not been touched by the steady U. U S. S advances ances westward the American navys navy's mastery of the sea lanes as far as the Chinese coast interrupted the shipment of vital material ma ma- material to the home islands for industrial industrial in in- processing and the B terrific bombardment of manufacturing ing centers greatly curtailed output With deliveries of materials cut and output dwindling the effectiveness of an estimated remaining enemy troops stood to be severely limited On top of it all Russia's invasion of Manchuria and threat to Jap- Jap held China promised to tap the only remaining important enemy industrial indus indus- industrial trial source outside the homeland |
