ISU Library Shelley Collection: Box 8, Reel 11

he's speaking the Pacific Fleet has declined to make any comment on the Russian news and that may well be the policy of most high-ranking military officers on the record at least already however Admiral Nimitz has dispatched urgent word to all forces of our Pacific Fleet notifying them that Russia is now our ally in the war against Japan most of us out here appeal the staggering effects of this second really bloated Jap morale cannot fail to the other than food just enough time perhaps to give the job the chance to study over the damage caused by the use of only one of our amazing new atomic bombs I thought the photographs myself or the almost unbelievable destruction caused in the Japanese city of Hiroshima by that single explosion it's absolutely incredible have you gotten up level now hello wh oh this is Jack Shelley speaking from Pacific Fleet headquarters on Guam the big news is that Russia declared war on Japan which Guam in the dim light of early dawn at about five o'clock in the morning and people all over this island look to hear the news their reaction was in tactically every case the same a reaction of delight and a feeling that it can't be much longer now Admiral Nimitz commander of the Pacific Fleet has declined to make any comment on the Russian news and that may well be the policy of most high-ranking military officers on the record at least already however Admiral Nimitz has dispatched urgent wage law forces of your Pacific Fleet notifying them that Russia is now our ally in the war against Japan most of us out here feel the staggering effects of this second terrific blow to Jap morale cannot fail to be evident soon just enough time is wraps to give the Japs a chance to study over the damage caused by the use of only one of our amazing new atomic bombs I saw the photographs myself of the almost unbelievable destruction caused in the Japanese city of Hiroshima by that single explosion it's absolutely incredible and now with the Russian declaration of war the second beautifully timed blow of the one-two punch has been landed one of the first and I saw after the news reached Blum well human third class John William Rusk of Mount Ayr who works in the press censorship section at beet headquarters Rusk who handles much of the war correspondents copy was pretty happy Brackett might why not before long he said and I'm ready to go home any time that was also the feeling of mailman second-class Harold snow from Villisca Iowa we've been overseas since last November no over has a wife and seven year old son in Villisca said this is really boomed his hopes that somehow you might get home by Christmas birth the commander Robert my heart the assistant chaplain of the Pacific City at present fly hard was chaplain of a Navy pre-flight school of Iowa City for sixteen months leaving the states to come out here in the spring of 1944 like everyone else the chaplain heard the news about the Russian declaration of war against Japan when he woke up this morning it came with the very pleasant surprise to me he said it seems that all the world is lined up against Japan now I think it means only one thing they can't last too much longer it looks like a good thing for everybody chaplain fly arts went on to say I haven't had a chance to get reactions of many of the men yet this morning but the girls that I have talked to the first impression is a personal one got very natural boy they say it looks like I'll get home sooner when you brought it down that's what I seems to mean to most of the people out here chaplains why hearts report on reactions that is exactly without which we work our sponsor found among all the persons we have talked to this morning here on Guam the military effect of this great news is obvious the great land area of North China where the Japs may have intended to fight on even if their homeland itself is haunted is now exposed to the smashing force of the Russian army the Japs know all too well the power of that army one other thing they have painful memories of what it did the Japanese groups in that undeclared war on the Manchurian border a number of years ago one depends pride has been hopeless the entry of Russia against her + British and American might and the new atomic bang make it even worse than hopeless for out here we find it hard to see how even the most fanatic job or Lord didn't able to see that and out in this specific area and all the Iowa men I have talked to this morning touched by this wonderful possibility maybe it's about over now maybe these Americans who have been away from nine will get home at last that's what counts with the fighting men I'm sure that's what counts most of all with you back in the States we've been waiting so eagerly for their return but remember it is fair for the jobs to say when they will quit we should know the riddle of their reaction soon this is Jack Shelley on Guam I return you to Des Moines Guam for Jack Shelley this is Jack Shelly speaking from Pacific Fleet headquarters on Gladys president that is the first direct broadcast from Guam for the exclusive use of an individual radio stations in the state the dysfunction must be to tell you that we correspondents here from which the game twenty-ninth go out to Japan the atomic bomb we to avert President Truman's announcement more powerful than 20,000 tons of TNT has been wrapped on the Japanese army base at Hiroshima we have heard that the Japanese radio was already hitting broadly at the terrific damage that must have been caused by the first combat youth of the most terrible destructive force ever harnessed by man we have heard about secretary Simpsons report the huge cloud of smoke and dust churned up our the imagination broadcast about atomic bomb must be based on these reports which have come to rest from the states Washington felt safer at least this almost incredible new weapon might be cleared from there that's radio newsmen here must base their reports from Guam about a thousand miles from Tokyo and the atomic bomb information that has benefit out to us from the mainland of America at least 6,000 miles farther away there are people in the world interested but no allowed here in our Pacific fighting forces in the reverse at one atomic bomb balloon back solar power in 2029 carrying a normal load of conventional explosives for delivered there are no people who is very large they're more closely fired up with the possibility as secretary Stimson says that this new weapon may prove to be a tremendous aid and something more against Japan perhaps we will be able to later if the policy changes until then we hope you'll understand where the scores of Panasonic are so strangely and so unhappily pilot this is actually the city headquarters and Guam I return you to WH o in Des Moines this is the NBC newsroom in New York flash Washington President Truman has just announced that Japan has accepted the surrender terms of the Allies we are repeating from the NBC newsroom in New York a flass which has just come to us from Washington President Truman has just announced that Japan has accepted the surrender terms of the Allies that is all we have at this moment from Washington but the details will be along in any moment and we will be passing them on to you just as soon as they arrive this is the big moment that we have all been waiting for this is the end of the war Japan has surrendered Japan has accepted our terms and that means that his Imperial Royal Highness the little man with spectacles in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo now will be our puppet he will take orders from an allied supreme commander who that allied supreme commander is who we will be we do not yet know there are rumors reports speculation that that man will be either chief of staff marshal or possibly General MacArthur our commander in the Pacific there's also a possibility it might be Admiral Nimitz those are the three names that have been mentioned but one thing we do know we do know that the war is over for Japan has accepted the surrender terms of the Allies of course it'll take a little time for the formalities to be gone over with now just one moment please Oh ladies and gentlemen this is the NBC newsroom in New York again that the flash which I just read to you the flash from Washington that President Truman had announced that Japan has accepted the surrender terms of the Allies is now being held up for a moment the bells on our printer machines out here are ringing now that flash came to us from the United Press in Washington we are now asked to stand by for a minute we don't know what this all means this is just more of the confusion that is existed for the last 48 hours ladies and gentlemen this is the NBC newsroom in New York again I am going out now I'm going to leave you for a moment and go out to these printers and find out if I can what this is all about the printers have gone silent there was a flash from the United Press in Washington that Truman had announced that Japan had accepted our surrender terms which would mean the end of the war and then the bells rang and we were told to hold up that flash now I will leave you for a moment I assure you we'll be back just a very second we can give you any exact specific information we're passing this news on to you just as fast as it comes to us and now just a moment please ladies and gentlemen the NBC newsroom in New York again we have now contacted our NBC reporters in Washington they have told us that President Truman has not yet officially announced the news which has been read to you just a minute ago from Washington a United Press flash that Japan had accepted the surrender terms of the Allies our NBC reporters say that that is not yet official this is more of the confusion that we've had as I said for the last 48 hours we'll have to stand by for just a few moments now and get this all straightened out maybe it's true maybe it isn't but apparently it has not yet been officially announced we have that from our own NBC reporters who are in the White House and who are standing by they're ready to give the news to us just a minute that it is official this may be just another case of somebody jumping the gun or it may be all right ladies and gentlemen this is Jack Costello speaking I'm at the printer mic here in the NBC newsroom and we're waiting for John Robert st. John to come out of the other studio to speak to you we're right over here at the teletype machines here in the newsroom here is Robert st. John ladies and gentlemen this is Robert st. John again you can probably hear these printer machines right beside me and we have telephone lines open from our NBC newsroom to the White House over those telephone lines Ralph Petersen one of our very reliable NBC reporters in Washington has just told us by telephone that President Truman has not yet given out this news the news I refer to you may have heard is the news given to us by the United Press / one of our printers that President Truman had announced that Japan had accepted our Terms now just a minute here is a bulletin from the United Press that put out this original story the bulletin says editors our Washington bureau advises that they did not send the flash just transmitted on our leased wires we are investigating to ascertain the origin all I can say at this moment is that all is confusion as they say in the Army all appears to be snafu at the moment we have been waiting for 60 hours for this flash just as soon as it came over the United Press Machine we passed it on to you because we knew how eager you were to know it the minute it happened there are millions of families of men off in the Pacific who are eager for this news just as eager as all the free world is for it but at the moment all is confusion there has been no information up until the time this flash came that it would be coming so fast the last story we had from Washington was that the announcement would be made simultaneously in the fourth major Allied capitals of the world in London Washington Chongqing and Moscow now obviously there hasn't been time for such a story to be transmitted to the three other capitals and to be announced in just a moment now please now here let me read it to you just as it came over our machines 9:34 p.m. of Sunday night August 12th flash Washington Japan accepts surrender terms of the Allies 9:36 p.m. flash editors hold up that flash 9:40 p.m. the these are all from the United Press 9:40 p.m. bulletin editors our Washington bureau advises they did not send the flash just transmitted on our leased wires we are investigating to ascertain the origin and that is the story of this weird little drama that is being played against the horrible background of war a drama that is bringing joy and then heartbreaking sadness to people all over America tonight it's tragic that such a things should happen at a moment like this in the midst of such a serious human drama but that is what's happened do you remember what happened on VE Day the confusion there was then we can all hope that the flash we have just received from the United Press in which the United Press has now retracted will turn out to be like that VE Day flash that it will turn out eventually to be correct but whether it does or not we can't tell and we have as yet no explanation of how all this happened and so we will continue our long long vigil over the telephones over the machines that bring us radio reports and news reports our vigil wait our wait for that flash that is so important to all of us just one moment now please and now I think until we have something more specific we will turn you return you to your regular program but let me advise you to keep tuned to your NBC station for all the later news this is Robert st. John in the NBC newsroom in New York ladies and gentlemen we've had another false start on our surrender of the Japanese tonight about 10 minutes ago a flash came over the wires the Press Association wires United Press wires that said that the war in the fact was over and that the Japan had accepted the surrender terms of the Allies now it turns out that that flash apparently is not true our own NBC reporters in Washington say that President Truman has not made any such announcement the United Press informs us over their machines that their Washington bureau says that they did not send the flash and that an investigation is going on and so our long vigil which is now stretched out for 60 hours is still going on the war is still being fought and Japan as far as we know has not yet surrendered keep tuned to NBC for all programs for the latest news developments keep tuned to NBC stations for your later news we're going to interview several more men from this base including at least a couple we have taken part in the recent 800 bomber strike against Japan the biggest b-29 attack yet against Nipponese territory and just returned on that flight that are going to talk to us about it the first man to be interviewed and its theories is of Grundy Center Iowa the kind of wrestler you were on a plane not sure that's pretty appropriate for a man from Grundy Feder I tried my ship is named the city of Grundy Center I think people Viking Johnny Thunder gets quite a kick out of knowing that you're flying a plane named after their City and that the city of Brenda Center was over Japan dropping its bombs in this biggest of all strike by b-29s yet against enemy territory one of you tell us a little bit about this mission what one was it for you it was number 29 for me number 32 for my crew I believe it is also number 32 for they ship that's correct you had 29 I believe you said that's right how was this particular mission this mission I'd say was typical of the incendiary ways we've had the last couple of months it was pretty routine without much flak for a few fighters and put it all the way could you observe the results of your bombing over your target I'm pretty clear over the target very thin cloud cover and we could see the fires burning very well one of you tell our listeners what particular target you struck while you're playing the City of London center we struck the city of Mito north of Tokyo and that run took you about how long from takeoff time last round until you got back this morning so short of 15 hours total is that a pretty tiring proposition you product about plane did you most of the way well not really romantic pilot the big most of the work we just set it up and let it fry for 16 monotonous hours or 15 rather 15 hours do a lot of the chores for you does it I tried it takes a lot of work on my hand we should tell the folks who your parents are back there in Grundy settle the tenets let their John letter and my mother mrs. Jonathan's anything and would you like to say just a word about how you feel now that you're back from this trip all I can say is there aren't very many mortal Braun I'll be feeling for long though they'll be a mighty glad to hear that back there I know our thanks to our Iowa Center in this big 800 plane wait now I'm standing on our left we're going to hear from first lieutenant Robert Jay white a navigator from Burlington don't write how many missions this place for you over Japan making made number 25 for me and you have pretty much the same thing to report this most these other boys through that the mission was not too unusual that's right I was just like all the rest I'm just go up there and burn the top and you did start a number of good fires that you could see we were turning an en and the city was playing pretty good we got there well it was announced I believe that some 6,000 tons of bombs were dropped on various Japanese targets in this one raid and certainly they must defend a lot of very heavy fire started you said that you had how many missions 25 that means you've got 10 more to go as a navigator do you find it quite a problem on a long part of this members get to take a nap isn't that right that's very right well then you put in a good day's work I know about we're not going to take up too much of your time but we should of your friend right there in your hometown mr. mrs. urban eight wives of Burlington Iowa I know that they've been Oersted to hear you say something about how you feel now that you're back from this your 25th mission I believe and I know that they'd like to hear you say what you're feeling pretty good my birthday at home well I certainly hope you're able to do that we want to thank you first lieutenant Robert Jay white of Burlington Iowa next we hear from first lieutenant norman ebrake of Glenwood Iowa where is a precision instrument specialist on a b-29 the turns break how many mission is that this make for you 28 and how is your 28th mission as compared to some of the others while I was there was well the famous any of these burn jobs we go on they've been on a lot of rubber ones though they've been on quite a few that were worse than this one right yes Oh Bo Nagoya Osaka Kobe Kawasaki I always get a fire Thank You b-29 boys real off those names of Japanese cities I've been trying to do it for years now thank you fellas I got it done a lot better than I ever will have you know the name pretty well I'm good to do you learn the hard way that's right Oh your parents names back there in Glenwood my name is a mr. and mrs. Ernest break how long has it been since you saw that I don't last Christmas last time I see I know they'd like to hear you say a word about how you're feeling this morning now that your breath from this big 29 raid on Japan I'm feeling fine and I know you're going to go pop sleep just as soon as I let you get away from here so we're going to let you go on your way we want to play thanks to first lieutenant Normandy break up Glenwood Iowa and the wind up this series of interviews for grinders here from a plate surgeon who never over the tops to the interrogation interviews for the last several minutes he is major David F sharp of Iowa with an eye on boys 18 months 18 months an hour long and given out and no part the pathetic six-month did you practice barren Brit for some time before entering the army 11 years 11 years wonder if you tell us because I'm quite sure that a good many of our listeners back there may not be familiar with it just what are the general duties of a flight surgeon with a flying outfit like this general medical duties of a medical officer but that are keeping these boys flying and completing their mission do you have very much trouble or keeping them flying or is it the other way around it's the other way around you have to what's the boys that they do not fly when they should not in other words well pretty eager to go up and sometimes well suppose you have a little present for quitting them that they welcome to go right is right do you have family back there an IRS doctor yes lake kiowa present your wife is there and do you have any children I have two children wonder if you'd like to play because I know it's been a long time since your voice if you'd like tell them how things are going they're going fine and I know your folks props they're going to be glad to hear you say that and it's a great pleasure to us to apparent the French to interview the flight surgeon of this fun group out here on grass front of a great b-29 business from which our flares are going out to bomb Japan thanks to major David F sharp of good Iowa