JAPAN'S SURRENDER

[Music] your commentator is charles f mccarthy final flaming hours for japan the powerful american third fleet steams into nipanese water ever mounting air attacks smashed tokyo war plants installations at the akasaka naval base and other vital targets vice admiral william f halsey whose very name means disaster to the japs leads his carriers within range of enemy suicide planes confident that navy marksmanship will smash their attacks [Music] within sight of the [ __ ] coast halsey's battle wagons pour broadsides into shore targets [Music] watchdom germany president truman arrives for a conference of historic importance truman and churchill demand that japan surrender or be totally destroyed unknown to but a few people gigantic american plants and thousands of mystified workers create a new and fearful weapon the atomic bomb [Music] from six miles away this is the terrifying effect of one small bomb just two are dropped upon japan and two great cities are wiped out [Music] hiroshima obliterated by one small bomb load of atomic energy russia declares war on the japanese empire and soviet armies parade through moscow on route to the front suddenly from japan comes a momentous message i have received this afternoon a message from the japanese government in reply to the message forward to that government by the secretary of state on august 11th i deem this reply a full acceptance of the potsdam declaration which specifies the unconditional surrender of japan in the reply there is no qualification rushed to nearby telephones with the electrifying story a hurricane of unrestrained joy sweeps through every part of a war sick world from the rice paddies of china to the streets of every city throughout the america manila the japs are instructed by general douglas macarthur allied supreme commander to send a delegation to him for his first orders to emperor hirohito led by general kawabi they are escorted to american headquarters the meeting takes place in the battered manila city hall where general kawabi presents his credentials to lieutenant general richard k sutherland macarthur's chief of staff the cautious program for the occupation of japan begins with admiral halsey's vast third fleet of 400 ships moving into waters close to tokyo and ready for any treachery the admiral keeps men and ships alert on okinawa the first air force technicians prepare to fly to japan and take over an airfield for troop landing on atsugi airfield 18 miles south of tokyo troops of the 11th airborne division begin to fly in from okinawa and iwo jima the first american prisoners to be liberated are seen at atsugi japanese members of the liaison committee at the flying field report to general eichelberger that all instructions have been followed there is a sudden rush to meet an incoming plane it is appropriately named baton and brings general douglas macarthur to the end of a long hard journey [Music] all the way from baton to japan a road of pain and sacrifice but in the general's words this looks like the payoff meanwhile the allied armada moves into the entrance to tokyo bay and admiral halsey boards the battleship south dakota flagship of admiral nimitz to greet the commander-in-chief of the pacific fleet japanese pilots come aboard to guide the ships through minefields [Music] now the marines of the fourth regiment sixth division swarm ashore in assault boats to seize the big yukusuka naval base in tokyo bay the landing is strictly a combat operation heavily armed and ready for anything that can happen they reckon order the beaches and defenses and in general prepare for the army occupation to follow the entire landing plan is predicated on complete distrust of the japs and organized progressively to make any possible resistance hopeless [Music] the [ __ ] vice admiral tatsuka at the base salutes the american officers in command and then sees the stars and stripes raised by marines of the division that was overwhelmed on bataan sunday september 2nd 1945 the uss missouri general macarthur supreme commander arrives for the surrender ceremonies he is followed by the japanese delegation headed by foreign minister mamuru shigemitsu with general umaizu chief of the imperial general staff and nine other representatives of a vanquished people general macarthur steps to the microphone to take charge of the historic proceedings and sternly faces his conquered enemy the terms and conditions upon which surrender of the japanese imperial forces is here to be given and accepted are contained in the instrument of surrender now before you as supreme commander for the allied powers [Music] i announce it my firm purpose in the tradition of the countries i represent to proceed in the discharge of my responsibilities with justice and tolerance while taking all necessary dispositions to ensure that the terms of surrender are fully promptly and faithfully complied with i now invite the representatives of the emperor of japan and the japanese government and the japanese imperial general headquarters to sign the instrument of surrender at the places indicated japanese foreign minister shigemitsu is the first to sign on behalf of the emperor of japan [Applause] general umaizu chief of the imperial general staff signs for japan's armed forces the supreme commander for the allied powers will now sign on behalf of all the nations at war with japan will general wainwright and general principal step forward and accompany me while i sign general macarthur signs the historic document on behalf of all the allied nations he presents the first pen to general jonathan wainwright hero of baton the second goes to britain's lieutenant general a.e percival who surrendered to the japs at singapore admiral nimitz is the next to affect his signature in behalf of the united states the representative of the republic of china will now sign general soo jung chong signs for the republic of china representative of the united kingdom will now sign britain's admiral sir bruce fraser signs for the united kingdom followed by the russian australian canadian french dutch and new zealand representatives let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that god will preserve it always these proceedings are closed