Show washington T I 1 NEWS LETTER I 1 iby 1 by GRAINGER I 1 vy facts of demobilization when germany surrendered the arm army y had men overseas it was then imperative to move hundreds of thousands of these men with the greatest possible speed to the pacific to end the japanese war although A japan was already desperate under our air and sea attacks and the atomic bond was in the last stages of experiment it would have been criminal to risk japans not fighting to suicidal finish and therefore to delay movement of our men toward the pacific but japan surrendered and it became urgent to demobilize the armed forces as quickly and fairly as possible the wat department estimated that with an intake of new men fram selective service inductions in the 12 months ahead it could immediately bein begin to demobilize of those who had already served their country the quickest way to demobilize all these men and women would be to load units nearest the ports into the chips as fast as they arrive this however would be unfair in europe and in the pacific there are hundreds of thousands of men who have been fighting for their country for long periods if whole units were returned to the states for discharge it would result in allowing men who had been in the army only a short time and who have had little or no combat to get out while those who have fought the longest and hardest had to wait behind |