Telegrammwechsel König Georg-de Gaulle
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L’Aube (August 18, 1945)
MacArthur s’impatiente
In intime l’ordre aux Japonais de hâter le départ des plénipotentiaires
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La France ratifie la Charte des Nations Unies
C’est le second pays qui apporte sa signature à l’œuvre de construction de la paix
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U.S. State Department (August 18, 1945)
740.00119 PW/8-1845: Telegram
The Minister in Sweden to the Secretary of State
Stockholm, August 18, 1945 — 2 p.m.
[Received August 18 — 11:26 a.m.]
2810
Legation’s 2764, August 13. Member my staff was told by Prince Carl Bernadotte today that General Onodera advised him of instructions received from Military Command Tokyo presumably being issued to Military Staff other neutrals. Instructions request Onodera to make every effort through Swedish channels to bring pressure on Allies to maintain Royal family intact in Japan and not to take any action which would affect their position. General Onodera asked for opportunity to meet with Prince Carl’s father, brother of King, and has renewed his request again late this morning. Prince Carl states his father will not meet with Onodera.
Legation has made no comment to Prince Carl, Junior, concerning this information.
JOHNSON
740.00119 PW/8-1845: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France
Washington, August 18, 1945 — 1 p.m.
3882
In connection with the arrangements for the acceptance by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers of the Japanese surrender you should inform the Government to which you are accredited that they are invited to appoint a representative of their armed forces to be present with the Supreme Commander at the time of the surrender.
Communication should be made not only to this Government of the representative appointed but an effort should be made also to communicate directly if possible with General MacArthur.
General MacArthur is being directed to make the necessary arrangements for the representative of the Government to which you are accredited.
Please inform us as soon as possible of the name of such representative.
BYRNES
740.00119 PW/8-1845
The Secretary of State to the Netherlands Ambassador
Washington, August 18, 1945
Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of today’s date in which you request, under instructions from your Government the inclusion of certain specific terms in the Japanese surrender act.
In reply, I am pleased to inform you that your note has been brought to the attention of the appropriate military authorities. I might add that General MacArthur, the Supreme Allied Commander, will have full authority to assure that the matters referred to are properly and effectively arranged.
Accept [etc.]
JAMES F. BYRNES
740.00119 PW/8-1845: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union to the Secretary of State
Moscow, August 18, 1945
[Received August 18 — 2 p.m.]
2948
Press August 18 published TASS statement which follows:
New York Herald Tribune published statement of London correspondent Columbia Broadcasting System Murrow to effect that Molotov and Harriman exchanged very sharp words regarding appointment of MacArthur as Supreme Commander of Allied Occupation Troops. Soviet official circles considered that Supreme Commander in Chief must be representative of Red Army. In conformity with instructions received from Washington, Harriman refused not only to compromise but even to consider the Soviet demand. Two hours after conclusion of prolonged and hot arguments, USSR withdrew its demand and agreed to accept American Supreme Commander in Japan.
According to precise information at disposal of TASS, above cited Herald Tribune story does not correspond to facts. In reality following took place:
US Govt through its Ambassador on August 11 presented for consideration of Soviet Govt a draft reply to statement of Jap Govt regarding capitulation. In Soviet Govt’s answer transmitted by V. M. Molotov agreement of USSR with this draft was expressed. At same time it was proposed in this reply that Allied powers should agree among themselves regarding candidature or candidatures of those persons who would be commissioned on behalf of Allied Supreme Command to prescribe to Japan terms of surrender. After exchange of opinions between Molotov and Harriman, condition was made that consultation must take place between the Soviet and US Govts regarding appointment of above representative of Allied Supreme Command. On part of Soviet Govt there were no objections to candidature of MacArthur. Appointment of MacArthur took place after consultation with Soviet Govt.
Thus Herald Tribune story to effect that Soviet official circles considered Supreme Commander must be representative of Red army and that allegedly such a demand was presented by Soviet Govt to US Govt is fabricated.
[HARRIMAN]
ON THE RECORD —
Who could replace the Japanese Emperor?
By Dorothy Thompson
I have always been hesitant to write comment on the Far East, or about any country whose history, language, philosophy, and customs are unknown to me from extensive study. I’ve read, of course, about Shintoism, and its conflict with Buddhism in Japan, and the relations of the dynasty to religion. The Japanese world is quite apparently a closed system, rather like the atom, with a nucleus keeping together all the particles, and that nucleus is the Mikado. Now, apparently, our assumption is that if we disintegrate that atom by shooting out the nucleus, we shall let loose the forces of democracy. But I am afraid that is a much more dubious experiment than the one we tried in New Mexico!
We could – it has been demonstrated – make the Japanese into another mental and political animal, and even into another racial type by allowing them all to immigrate to the United States. Possibly, if we took Japan over as a colony, in the course of many generations its life would come to approximate more nearly our own.
But all the most successful colonial imperialism, has been conducted by interfering as little as possible. Throughout the whole of colonial Africa, for instance, the Negroes have their chieftains and the Arabs their sultans. Were we thinking in terms of colonial rule, we would never begin by crushing the local religion. Proconsuls have even had to ease people off cannibalism.
But since we don’t intend to transport the Japanese population to our own beneficent skies, and have definitely stated that we plan no colonial rule, what’s all this talk about the Mikado anyway?
Our purpose in this war was to push the Japanese right back into the islands from which they sallied forth to Pearl Harbor, and remove all the stepping stones from there to here. In doing that, we have reduced Japan to a negligible power. We can now control what is visible in the form of armaments and industries to produce armaments. But to control what is not visible, such as the Japanese mind, we must have instruments. The first thing necessary to possess is the language and a profound knowledge of Japanese history, philosophy and civilization. Maybe we have two hundred people of non-Japanese origin in this country who speak Japanese. And you cannot commune with the soul through a translator. (That’s one trouble with Big Three meetings!)
We still do not know all the results of an atomic bomb. If the Japanese are imbued with an anthropomorphic God-Man-State image of absolute Divinity, no one can tell what the results of disintegrating that image might be. The second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki where – I read in the Encyclopedia Britannica – missionaries after the opening of Japan discovered a small Christian community that had survived two hundred years in a country all but hermetically sealed to the rest of the world. I doubt now whether their descendants will be prejudiced in favor of white image of the Mikado.
One can, alas, easily conceive that the Japanese had first invented the atomic bomb; one can, by a stretch of the imagination, conceive that they had forced us to capitulation. Then they might be able to control our war industries and occupy neighboring islands, but I cannot imagine that they could possibly make you or me into Shintoists, by removing the President, closing the Christian churches, and burning the writings of Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.
There was a time in Japan, again my authority is only the Encyclopedia Britannica, when the power of the throne yielded to encroachments of power by Buddhist ecclesiastics, whose abbots built great monasteries and filled them with armed monks; the sovereign became a shadowy figure. As a result, the control of affairs passed, not into the hands of the people but into the hands of a succession of powerful families and soldiers of fortune, and for nearly 200 years the country was in a perpetual state of civil war. In the provinces the nobility were a law unto themselves, and the common people suffered untold miseries.
To dispossess the Emperor is one thing; to replace him with something else is another. I challenge the Secretary of State to make a rational proposal. The suggestion of a plebiscite is also merely an escape from thought. If there is an absolutely free plebiscite – difficult to imagine under a foreign occupation – all the anti-Mikado people will be voting against. But what will they be voting for? In any case we won’t know.
We have accomplished the American purpose in the war against Japan. We cannot accomplish any future Japanese purpose.
To know one’s own limitations is always the beginning of wisdom.
1 Like
The Pittsburgh Press (August 18, 1945)
JAPS ATTACK YANK PLANES
Tokyo speeds surrender envoys
Enemy fliers battle U.S. photo aircraft on reconnaissance
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Why can’t it be told now? Pearl Harbor probers ask
Demand for Navy’s file, plan for Congress to sit as court-martial may end dim-out
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‘Little Steel’ plan smashed –
WLB keeps rule over wage cuts
Permits pay boosts if prices aren’t raised
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Business tax cut hopes brighten
Treasury may revise all 1946 income levies
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War casualties reach 1,070,138
WASHINGTON (UP) – With final figures yet to be compiled, U.S. combat casualties in World War II as officially recorded here stood at 1,070,138 today.
The total did not include the cruiser USS Indianapolis’ 1,196 casualties nor a few thousand Army and Navy losses still to be reported from the Pacific.
The 1,070,138 figure included 252,146 killed. It represented an increase over a week ago of 2,534 casualties.
The table:
| Army | Navy | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Killed | 199,183 | 52,963 | 252,146 |
| Wounded | 570,997 | 80,171 | 651,168 |
| Missing | 33,653 | 10,553 | 44,206 |
| Prisoners | 118,924 | 3,694 | 122,618 |
| TOTALS | 922,757 | 147,381 | 1,070,138 |
Of Army wounded, 356,331 have returned to duty, and 96,337 of the Army prisoners have been liberated.