Flash: JAPAN SIGNS SURRENDER TERMS (9-2-45)

INSTRUMENT OF SURRENDER

Wee, acting by command of and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan, the Japanese Government and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, hereby accept the provisions set forth in the declaration issued by the heads of the Governments of the United States, China, and Great Britain on 26 July 1945 at Potsdam, and subsequently adhered to by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which four powers are hereafter referred to as the Allied Powers.

We hereby proclaim the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and of all Japanese armed forces and all armed forces under the Japanese control wherever situated.

We hereby command all Japanese forces wherever situated and the Japanese people to cease hostilities forthwith, to preserve and save from damage all ships, aircraft, and military and civil property and to comply with all requirements which may be imposed by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers or by agencies of the Japanese Government at his direction.

We hereby command the Japanese Imperial Headquarters to issue at once orders to the Commanders of all Japanese forces and all forces under Japanese control wherever situated to surrender unconditionally themselves and all forces under their control.

We hereby command all civil, military and naval officials to obey and enforce all proclamations, and orders and directives deemed by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers to be proper to effectuate this surrender and issued by him or under his authority and we direct all such officials to remain at their posts and to continue to perform their non-combatant duties unless specifically relieved by him or under his authority.

We hereby undertake for the Emperor, the Japanese Government and their successors to carry out the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration in good faith, and to issue whatever orders and take whatever actions may be required by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers or by any other designated representative of the Allied Powers for the purpose of giving effect to that Declaration.

We hereby command the Japanese Imperial Government and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters at once to liberate all allied prisoners of war and civilian internees now under Japanese control and to provide for their protection, care, maintenance and immediate transportation to places as directed.

The authority of the Emperor and the Japanese Government to rule the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers who will take such steps as he deems proper to effectuate these terms of surrender.

Signed at TOKYO BAY, JAPAN at 0903 on the SECOND day of SEPTEMBER, 1945.

MAMORU SHIGMITSU
By Command and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government.

YOSHIJIRO UMEZU
By Command and in behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters.

Accepted at TOKYO BAY, JAPAN at 0908 on the SECOND day of SEPTEMBER, 1945, for the United States, Republic of China, United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and in the interests of the other United Nations at war with Japan.

DOUGLAS MACARTHUR
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.

C.W. NIMITZ
United States Representative

HSU YUNG-CH’ANG
Republic of China Representative

BRUCE FRASER
United Kingdom Representative

KUZMA DEREVYANKO
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Representative

THOMAS BLAMEY
Commonwealth of Australia Representative

L. MOORE COSGRAVE
Dominion of Canada Representative

JACQUES LE CLERC
Provisional Government of the French Republic Representative

C.E.L. HELFRICH
Kingdom of the Netherlands Representative

LEONARD M. ISITT
Dominion of New Zealand Representative

Address by Gen. MacArthur After Japanese Surrender
September 2, 1945, 9:30 a.m. JST

Delivered aboard USS Missouri, Tokyo Bay

Broadcast audio:

My fellow countrymen:

Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won. The skies no longer rain death – the seas bear only commerce men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight. The entire world is quietly at peace. The holy mission has been completed. And in reporting this to you, the people, I speak for the thousands of silent lips, forever stilled among the jungles and the beaches and in the deep waters of the Pacific which marked the way. I speak for the unnamed brave millions homeward bound to take up the challenge of that future which they did so much to salvage from the brink of disaster.

As I look back on the long, tortuous trail from those grim days of Bataan and Corregidor, when an entire world lived in fear, when democracy was on the defensive everywhere, when modern civilization trembled in the balance, I thank a merciful God that he has given us the faith, the courage and the power from which to mold victory. We have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no turning back. We must go forward to preserve in peace what we won in war.

A new era is upon us. Even the lesson of victory itself brings with it profound concern, both for our future security and the survival of civilization. The destructiveness of the war potential, through progressive advances in scientific discovery, has in fact now reached a point which revises the traditional concepts of war.

Men since the beginning of time have sought peace. Various methods through the ages have attempted to devise an international process to prevent or settle disputes between nations. From the very start workable methods were found insofar as individual citizens were concerned, but the mechanics of an instrumentality of larger international scope have never been successful. Military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. We have had our last chance. If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature and all material and cultural developments of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.

We stand in Tokyo today reminiscent of our countryman, Commodore Perry, ninety-two years ago. His purpose was to bring to Japan an era of enlightenment and progress, by lifting the veil of isolation to the friendship, trade, and commerce of the world. But alas the knowledge thereby gained of western science was forged into an instrument of oppression and human enslavement. Freedom of expression, freedom of action, even freedom of thought were denied through appeal to superstition, and through the application of force. We are committed by the Potsdam Declaration of principles to see that the Japanese people are liberated from this condition of slavery. It is my purpose to implement this commitment just as rapidly as the armed forces are demobilized and other essential steps taken to neutralize the war potential.

The energy of the Japanese race, if properly directed, will enable expansion vertically rather than horizontally. If the talents of the race are turned into constructive channels, the county can lift itself from its present deplorable state into a position of dignity.

To the Pacific basin has come the vista of a new emancipated world. Today, freedom is on the offensive, democracy is on the march. Today, in Asia as well as in Europe, unshackled peoples are tasting the full sweetness of liberty, the relief from fear.

In the Philippines, America has evolved a model for this new free world of Asia. In the Philippines, America has demonstrated that peoples of the East and peoples of the West may walk side by side in mutual respect and with mutual benefit. The history of our sovereignty there has now the full confidence of the East.

And so, my fellow countrymen, today I report to you that your sons and daughters have served you well and faithfully with the calm, deliberated determined fighting spirit of the American soldier, based upon a tradition of historical truth as against the fanaticism of an enemy supported only by mythological fiction. Their spiritual strength and power has brought us through to victory. They are homeward bound – take care of them.

Message by Adm. Nimitz to U.S. Pacific Fleet
September 2, 1945

On board all naval vessels at sea and in port, and at our many island bases in the Pacific, there is rejoicing and thanksgiving. The long and bitter struggle, which Japan started so treacherously on the seventh of December, 1941, is at an end.

I take great pride in the American forces which have helped to win this victory. America can be proud of them. The officers and men of the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine who fought in the Pacific have written heroic new chapters in this nation’s military history. I have infinite respect for their courage, resourcefulness and devotion to duty. We also acknowledge the great contribution to this victory made by our valiant Allies. United we fought and united we prevail.

The port of Tokyo, which was first opened by Commodore Perry in 1853 is now crowded with United States men o’ war. The process of bringing Japan into the family of civilized nations, which was interrupted when Japan launched her program of conquest, will soon begin again.

Today all freedom-loving peoples of the world rejoice in the victory and feel pride in the accomplishments of our combined forces. We also pay tribute to those who defended our freedom at the cost of their lives.

On Guam is a military cemetery in a green valley not far from my headquarters. The ordered rows of white crosses stand as reminders of the heavy cost we have paid for victory. On these crosses are the names of American soldiers, sailors and marines – Culpepper, Tomaino, Sweeney, Bromberg, Depew, Melloy, Ponziani – names that are a cross-section of democracy. They fought together as brothers in arms; they died together and now they sleep side by side. To them we have a solemn obligation – the obligation to insure that their sacrifice will help to make this a better and safer world in which to live.

To achieve this it will be necessary for the United Nations to enforce rigidly the peace terms that will be imposed upon Japan. It will also be necessary to maintain our national strength at a level which will discourage future acts of aggression aimed at the destruction of our way of life.

Now we turn to the great tasks of reconstruction and restoration. I am confident that we will be able to apply the same skill, resourcefulness and keen thinking to these problems as were applied to the problems of winning the victory.

Address by Harry S. Truman Announcing Surrender of Japan
September 1, 1945, 10 p.m. EWT

Broadcast from the White House, Washington, D.C.

truman.45

AFRS Command Performance V-J Day special:

My fellow Americans, and the Supreme Allied Commander, General MacArthur, in Tokyo Bay:

The thoughts and hopes of all America – indeed of all the civilized world – are centered tonight on the battleship Missouri. There on that small piece of American soil anchored in Tokyo Harbor the Japanese have just officially laid down their arms. They have signed terms of unconditional surrender.

Four years ago, the thoughts and fears of the whole civilized world were centered on another piece of American soil – Pearl Harbor. The mighty threat to civilization which began there is now laid at rest. It was a long road to Tokyo – and a bloody one.

We shall not forget Pearl Harbor.

The Japanese militarists will not forget the USS Missouri.

The evil done by the Japanese warlords can never be repaired or forgotten. But their power to destroy and kill has been taken from them. Their armies and what is left of their Navy are now impotent.

To all of us there comes first a sense of gratitude to Almighty God who sustained us and our Allies in the dark days of grave danger, who made us to grow from weakness into the strongest fighting force in history, and who has now seen us overcome the forces of tyranny that sought to destroy His civilization.

God grant that in our pride of the hour, we may not forget the hard tasks that are still before us; that we may approach these with the same courage, zeal, and patience with which we faced the trials and problems of the past four years.

Our first thoughts, of course – thoughts of gratefulness and deep obligation – go out to those of our loved ones who have been killed or maimed in this terrible war. On land and sea and in the air, American men and women have given their lives so that this day of ultimate victory might come and assure the survival of a civilized world. No victory can make good their loss.

We think of those whom death in this war has hurt, taking from them fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and sisters whom they loved. No victory can bring back the faces they longed to see.

Only the knowledge that the victory, which these sacrifices have made possible, will be wisely used, can give them any comfort. It is our responsibility – ours, the living – to see to it that this victory shall be a monument worthy of the dead who died to win it.

We think of all the millions of men and women in our armed forces and merchant marine all over the world who, after years of sacrifice and hardship and peril, have been spared by Providence from harm.

We think of all the men and women and children who during these years have carried on at home, in lonesomeness and anxiety and fear.

Our thoughts go out to the millions of American workers and businessmen, to our farmers and miners – to all those who have built up this country’s fighting strength, and who have shipped to our Allies the means to resist and overcome the enemy.

Our thoughts go out to our civil servants and to the thousands of Americans who, at personal sacrifice, have come to serve in our government during these trying years; to the members of the Selective Service boards and ration boards; to the civilian defense and Red Cross workers; to the men and women in the USO and in the entertainment world – to all those who have helped in this cooperative struggle to preserve liberty and decency in the world.

We think of our departed gallant leader, Franklin D. Roosevelt, defender of democracy, architect of world peace and cooperation.

And our thoughts go out to our gallant Allies in this war: to those who resisted the invaders; to those who were not strong enough to hold out, but who, nevertheless, kept the fires of resistance alive within the souls of their people; to those who stood up against great odds and held the line, until the United Nations together were able to supply the arms and the men with which to overcome the forces of evil.

This is a victory of more than arms alone. This is a victory of liberty over tyranny.

From our war plants rolled the tanks and planes which blasted their way to the heart of our enemies; from our shipyards sprang the ships which bridged all the oceans of the world for our weapons and supplies; from our farms came the food and fiber for our armies and navies and for our Allies in all the corners of the earth; from our mines and factories came the raw materials and the finished products which gave us the equipment to overcome our enemies.

But back of it all were the will and spirit and determination of a free people – who know what freedom is, and who know that it is worth whatever price they had to pay to preserve it.

It was the spirit of liberty which gave us our armed strength and which made our men invincible in battle. We now know that that spirit of liberty, the freedom of the individual, and the personal dignity of man, are the strongest and toughest and most enduring forces in all the world.

And so on V-J Day we take renewed faith and pride in our own way of life. We have had our day of rejoicing over this victory. We have had our day of prayer and devotion. Now let us set aside V-J Day as one of renewed consecration to the principles which have made us the strongest nation on earth and which, in this war, we have striven so mightily to preserve.

Those principles provide the faith, the hope, and the opportunity which help men to improve themselves and their lot. Liberty does not make all men perfect nor all society secure. But it has provided more solid progress and happiness and decency for more people than any other philosophy of government in history. And this day has shown again that it provides the greatest strength and the greatest power which man has ever reached.

We know that under it we can meet the hard problems of peace which have come upon us. A free people with free Allies, who can develop an atomic bomb, can use the same skill and energy and determination to overcome all the difficulties ahead.

Victory always has its burdens and its responsibilities as well as its rejoicing.

But we face the future and all its dangers with great confidence and great hope. America can build for itself a future of employment and security. Together with the United Nations, it can build a world of peace rounded on justice, fair dealing, and tolerance.

As President of the United States, I proclaim Sunday, September the second, 1945, to be V-J Day – the day of formal surrender by Japan. It is not yet the day for the formal proclamation of the end of the war nor of the cessation of hostilities. But it is a day which we Americans shall always remember as a day of retribution – as we remember that other day, the day of infamy.

From this day we move forward. We move toward a new era of security at home. With the other United Nations we move toward a new and better world of cooperation, of peace and international good will and cooperation.

God’s help has brought us to this day of victory. With His help we will attain that peace and prosperity for ourselves and all the world in the years ahead.

1 Like

The Syonan Shimbun (September 2, 1945)

World at peace again: Formal surrender of Japan concluded

Agreement signed on U.S. battleship today

On board the 45,000-ton USS Missouri, amid an armada of Allied naval strength riding at anchor in Tokyo Bay, the formal surrender of Japan to the Allies took place this morning at 11 o’clock Tokyo Time.

The proceedings were broadcast from the United States battleship, and relayed by practically all the radio stations of the world, announcing to all nations that as from today the world is again at peace.

With great pomp and splendour, and yet with a solemnity befitting the occasion, Mamoru Shigemitsu, Japanese Foreign Minister, as representative of the Emperor of Japan, and the Chief of Staff of the Japanese Imperial Headquarters, representing the Japanese armed forces, affixed their signatures to the surrender document. On behalf of the Allies, Gen. Douglas MacArthur signed the agreement.

Lieut. General Arthur E. Percival and Lieut. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright, commanders of Singapore and Corregidor respectively at the time of the Japanese offensive in 1942, were called upon by Gen. MacArthur to sign as witnesses.

Then followed the signing of the document by representatives of the Allied nations, in the following order: United States of America, Republic of China, United Kingdom, USSR, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands and New Zealand.

With this, the proceedings for the formal surrender of Japan were brought to a close.

Harry Truman, President of the United States, then addressed the world from Washington, D.C. In a nine-minute broadcast, Truman said that, thanks to the supreme efforts of the Allies, peace had at last been restored to the world. He hoped that this peace would long continue.

The past years of war against Germany and Japan had been dark years in the history of the world, years which, however, saw the Allies growing from weakness to strength and the world had just listened to the ceremony of the formal surrender of Japan crowning the efforts of the United Nations.

Truman expressed profound gratitude for and deep sympathy with the families of those servicemen and civilians who died in the battlefields of Europe and Asia. He acknowledged that even this final victory could not make up for their loss. To them the world, especially those spared by Providence from the horrors of war, owe an irreparable debt.

Kärntner Nachrichten (September 2, 1945)

Japans Kapitulation wird heute früh unterzeichnet

Montag alliierte Besetzung Singapurs

LONDON, 1. September – General MacArthur gab bekannt, dass die Unterzeichnung der japanischen Kapitulation am Sonntagmorgen an Bord des US-Schlachtschiffes Missouri stattfinden wird.

Präsident Truman wird von Weißen Hause aus während der Unterzeichnungszeremonie eine Rundfunk-Ansprache halten.

Tanks und Kraftfahrzeuge aller Art fahren in endlosen Zügen an Land, um Munition und Verpflegung für die Truppen heran zu bringen. Im Hafen von Tokio befinden sich nun weit mehr als 100 Schiffe und ständig kommen neue an.

Die Vertreter Frankreichs, der Sowjetunion, der Niederlande du Australiens trafen in Yokohama ein, um bei der Kapitulationshandlung anwesend zu sein.

Schlechtes Wetter behinderte die Hilfsmaßnahmen für die befreiten alliierten Gefangenen am heutigen Tage und es konnten daher nur zwanzig Lager auf den japanischen Inseln sowie auf Korea und in Peking mit Lebensmitteln versorgt werden.

Admiral Halsey, der Kommandant der 3. US-Flotte, die in der Bucht von: Tokio verankert liegt, erklärte gestern in einer Radiobotschaft: „Ein anderer Weltkrieg wäre unvermeidlich, würden die Alliierten die Kapitulationsbestimmungen nicht entschlossen festlegen.“ Er führte weiter aus, dass die Vereinten Nationen genügend starke Kräfte im Pazifik aufrechterhalten müssen, um bei den Japanern ‚jeden Gedanken an eine militärische Erhebung hintanzuhalten.

Die ersten Einheiten der unter dem Befehl von Generalleutnant Eichelberger stehenden Truppen der amerikanischen 8. Armee sind in Yokohama an Land gegangen.

Wie der Sender Tokio meldet, wird Singapur von alliierten Truppen am Montag besetzt werden.

Die chinesische Regierung hat Frankreich eingeladen, ihren Vertreter zu der formellen Unterzeichnung der Übergabe der japanischen Streitkräfte in China, die nächste Woche in Nanking stattfinden wird, zu entsenden.

Drei chinesische Divisionen haben die indochinesische Grenze überschritten, um die japanischen Streitkräfte im nördlichen Indochina zu entwaffnen.

Admiral Harcourt, der die Kapitulation auf Hongkong entgegennahm, besprach mit dem japanischen Kommandanten die Maßnahmen zur Durchführung der Übergabe. Er verlas auch eine Botschaft König Georgs VI. an die Bewohner der Kronkolonie.

Dr. Van Mook, Gouverneur in Niederländisch-Ostindien und ein Mitglied des Kronrates von Niederländisch-Ostindien trafen heute in Colombo ein, um sich nach Kandy zu Besprechungen mit Admiral Lord Mountbatten zu begeben. Die Wiederbesetzung Niederländisch-Ostindiens wird nach der Besetzung Singapurs durch britische Truppe erfolgen. Die Wiederbesetzung der holländischen Gebiete kann nur in Zusammenarbeit mit amerikanischen, britischen und australischen Truppen vorgenommen werden. Der Zeitpunkt, an dem die Alliierten in Java eintreffen werden steht noch nicht fest.

L’Aube (September 2, 1945)

Les Japonais ont signé la capitulation

cette nuit à 3 h 30 à bord du Missouri

L’OCCUPATION

Les forces américaines continuent à étendre leur zone d’occupation dans l’ile de Hondo et resserrent leur étreinte au sud de Tokio. Des officiers américains ont inspecté les fortifications de la baie de Tokio.

La reddition japonaise a été signée cette nuit à 3 h 30 (heure de Paris), à bord du cuirassé américain Missouri, par le premier ministre nippon, cousin du mikado.

MacArthur était entouré du général Leclerc, plénipotentiaire français, et des représentants de l’Angleterre, de la Russie, de la Hollande, de la Nouvelle-Zélande, de l’Australie et de la Chine. Le général américain invita les délégués japonais à signer l’instrument de la reddition, puis signa à son tour. Après quoi, il appela un par un es représentants alliés, en prononçant chaque fois la phrase : « Le représentant de… va maintenant signer ».

Voici l’ordre dans lequel ces signatures furent apposées : Japon, général MacArthur (États-Unis) Chine, Royaume-Uni, URSS, Australie, Canada, France, Pays-Bas, Nouvelle-Zélande.

Avant la signature MacArthur avait prononcé le discours suivant :

Je déclare ici ma ferme intention, conformément aux traditions des pays que je représente, de m’acquitter des charges qui m’incombent, avec justice, avec tolérance, tout en prenant toutes les dispositions nécessaires pour assurer l’exécution complète, rapide et loyale des conditions de la reddition.

Nous sommes réunis, en tant que représentants de grandes puissances en guerre, pour conclure l’accord solennel grâce auquel la paix pourra être rétablie. Ce n’est plus ici le lieu de débattre de questions auxquelles sont mêlées des idéologies divergentes. Elles ont été tranchées sur les champs de bataille du monde.

Il ne nous appartient pas davantage de nous rencontrer, alors que nous représentons la majorité des peuples de la terre, dans un esprit de défiance, de rancune ou de haine, mais il nous sied bien plutôt – aux vainqueurs comme aux vaincus – de nous élever à cette dignité qui, seule, pourra servir les desseins sacrés auxquels nous allons nous vouer.

J’ai le fervent espoir – l’humanité tout entière a l’espoir – qu’à dater de la présente solennité un monde meilleur va naître du carnage d’hier : un monde fondé sur la bonne foi et la compréhension, un monde consacré à la dignité de l’homme et à l’accomplissement de son vœu le plus cher : liberté, tolérance, justice.

Prions pour que la paix soit maintenant rendue au monde et que Dieu la lui conserve toujours.


L’acte de reddition

L’acte de capitulation comporte notamment, la clause essentielle suivante :

Par les présentes, nous proclamons la capitulation sans condition de l’état-major japonais, de toutes les forces armées du Japon et de toutes les forces armées sous la dépendance du Japon ou qu’elles se trouvent.


Un discours radiodiffusé du président Truman

Le président Truman a prononcé un discours radiodiffusé à l’occasion de la signature de la reddition du Japon.

Ce soir, espoir de toute l’Amérique, de tout l’univers civilisé, toutes nos pensées se reportent sur le Missouri, a-t-il notamment déclaré, sur cette parcelle du territoire américain ancrée dans la baie de Tokio. Les Japonais ont officiellement déposé leurs armes. Ils ont signé les termes de la capitulation sans condition.


Ce n’est pas encore le « VJ Day »

À la fin de son discours, le président des États-Unis a annoncé que dimanche sera célébré comme un jour de victoire, mais il a ajouté :

Ce n’est pas encore le jour de la proclamation officielle de la fin de la guerre ou de la cessation des hostilités, mais c’est le jour dont nous, Américains, devrons toujours nous rappeler comme du jour du châtiment comme nous nous rappellerons que cet autre jour fut celui de l’infamie.

Youngstown Vindicator (September 2, 1945)

JAPS SIGN SURRENDER TERMS
Ceremony ends in 22 minutes

General to be just and tolerant, urges people at home care for returning fighting men
By Spencer Davis, Associated Press staff writer

japan.surrender

ABOARD USS MISSOURI, TOKYO BAY (AP, Sept. 2) – Japan formally yielded to the overwhelming might of the Allies this morning (Saturday night ET) in a solemn 22-minute surrender ceremony aboard the mighty battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay, restoring peace once more to a war-ravaged world.

Twelve signatures, requiring only a few minutes to inscribe on the articles of surrender, ended the bloody Pacific conflict, which had entered its eighth year in China and had raged almost three years and nine months for the United States and Great Britain.

All issues have been “determined on the battleships of the world and hence are not for our discussion or debate,” Gen. Douglas MacArthur said preliminary to inviting all representatives to sign the surrender instrument.

Two Jap leaders sign document

He added:

Nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do the majority of the peoples of the earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice or hatred.

But rather it is for us, both victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone benefits the sacred purposes we are about to serve…

On behalf of Emperor Hirohito, Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the government and Gen. Yoshijiro Umezu for the Imperial General Staff.

MacArthur uses five pens

Gen. MacArthur then signed in behalf of the United Nations using five pens and declaring:

It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past.

After the signing, Gen. MacArthur said:

And so, my fellow countrymen, today I report to you that your sons and daughters have served you well and faithfully with the calm, deliberate, determined fighting spirit of the American soldier and sailor based upon a tradition of historical trait, as against the fanaticism of an enemy supported only by mythological fiction. Their spiritual strength and power has brought us through to victory. They are homeward bound – take care of them.

One document was in Japanese – suitably bound in black. The other, in English, was for the United Nations – bound in green and gold.

Shigemitsu signed first for Japan. He doffed his top hat, tinkered with the pen and then firmly affixed his signature to the surrender document, a paper about 12 by 18 inches.

Shigemitsu carefully signed the American copy first, then affixed his name to a duplicate copy to be retained by Japan.

Shigemitsu’s fumbling and delay of several moments before signing was the only departure from the efficient, smoothly-working procedure.

Shigemitsu searches for pen

When he took his seat at the table, Shigemitsu searched through his pockets, apparently seeking a pen. Lt. Gen. Richard K. Sutherland, MacArthur’s chief of staff, stepped up to help Shigemitsu gain composure.

The Japanese foreign minister then carefully studied a watch. When MacArthur suddenly appeared irritated by the delay, Shigemitsu drew another watch and considered it. Then he dipped his pen in the ink, leaned over the paper and began the signature.

Following him, Gen. Umezu sat down resolutely, and scrawled his name on the documents as if in a tremendous hurry.

A Japanese colonel present was seen to wipe tears from his eyes as the general signed. All the Japanese looked tense and weary but maintained impassivity throughout.

Shigemitsu looked on anxiously as Umezu signed.

MacArthur’s five pens included his own fountain pen, produced from a pocket with a brief smile, and a “G.I.” pen.

MacArthur’s hand shook slightly as he reached “Dou–” in his first signature. His face twitched but his voice was strong although he appeared to be under great emotional strain.

The supreme commander exchanged salutes gravely with each of the United Nations representatives as they stepped forward to sign.

First to sign was Admiral Chester W. Nimitz for the United States, then the representatives of China, the United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands and New Zealand.

Other Allied signers listed

The other signers were: Gen, Hsu Yung-Chang for China, Adm. Sir Bruce Fraser for Great Britain, Lt. Gen. Kuzma Derevyanko for Russia, Gen. Sir Thomas Blamey for Australia, Col. L. Moore Cosgrave for Canada, Gen. Jacques LeClerc for France, Lt. Gen, L. H. Van Oyen for the Netherlands; Air Vice Marshal L. M. Isitt for New Zealand.

The flags of the United States, Britain, Russia and China fluttered from the veranda deck of the famed super-dreadnaught, polished and scrubbed as never before.

The Japanese delegation came aboard at (7:55 p.m. Saturday ET) as scheduled. They reached the Missouri in personnel speedboats flying the American flag.

Shigemitsu led the delegation. He climbed stiffly up the ladder and limped forward on his right leg, which is artificial.

When MacArthur boarded the ship, followed by Nimitz and other high-ranking officials, a tense expression and slightly shaking hands were his only signs of emotions.

MacArthur smiles at Wainwright

MacArthur smiled briefly at the lanky Wainwright as he passed and then his look became grim as he stared at the Japanese representatives for one long moment. Then the supreme commander began his address opening the surrender ceremony.

More than 100 high-ranking military and naval officers watched.

All Allied representatives were sober-faced, but obviously glad it’s over. Soldiers, sailors and Marines, some of whom had fought their way across the Pacific, hardly could hide a trace of exuberance on their serious faces.

Surrender hour was cool and cloudy, but the sun broke through the overcast 20 minutes later as MacArthur intoned “these proceedings are closed.”

When the ceremony was completed, Shigemitsu’s aid received the Japanese copy. Then the Japanese protested that someone had signed on the wrong line, but that squabble was settled quickly. Blamey, representing Australia, signed the Japanese document first – by error – then shrugged as if it really made no difference, now.

The ceremony was conducted on the Missouri’s gallery deck. A long table was set up for the signing. Every available inch of space was crowded with army, navy and marine spectators and about 200 correspondents.

There were 11 Japanese representatives. All were dressed formally or were in uniform, except one who wore a rumpled white linen suit.

The Japanese representatives were present at the command of Emperor Hirohito contained in a proclamation “issued by order of the Supreme Allied Commander in connection with Japan’s formal surrender.”

Hirohito bows to MacArthur

The emperor further commanded his officials “to issue general orders to the military and naval forces in accordance with the direction of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers.”

Thus Emperor Hirohito formally acknowledged that Gen. MacArthur’s word in Japan will come foremost of all Nipponese officialdom during the Allied occupation of the country, which never before had been occupied by an alien force.

The emperor said:

I command all my people forthwith to cease hostilities, to lay down their arms and faithfully to carry out all the provisions of the instrument of surrender and the general orders issued by the imperial general headquarters hereunder.

Wainwright gets his chance

MacArthur told the Japanese:

As Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, 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 insure that the terms of surrender are fully, promptly and faithfully complied with.”

After the last signature had been affixed, MacArthur turned and presented surrender pens to Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright, hero of Corregidor, and Lt. Gen. A. E. Percival, British defender of Singapore when it was overrun by the Japanese.

All through this dramatic half hour, only those aboard the battleship knew of what was transpiring because the Missouri has no broadcasting facilities.

Recordings made of ceremony

But recordings were rushed to the near-by communications ship USS Ancon, and the solemn words of MacArthur beginning the ceremony – “we are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers” – were flashed around the world.

The hour for which all liberty-loving lands the world over had awaited for long and terrible years was at hand – V-J Day was here.

Yet at the hour of triumph, the world was sobered by the knowledge of the price which civilization paid to achieve this day, and that theme rang through the messages of America’s commanders.

“Our first thoughts of course – thoughts of gratefulness and deep obligation – go out to those of our loved ones who have been killed or maimed in this terrible war,” President Truman told the world from a broadcasting room in the White House in Washington. And there, where the Japanese warlords had once boasted they would dictate their own peace terms. Truman spoke these determined words: “We shall not forget Pearl Harbor. The Japanese militarists will not forget the USS Missouri.” And, after he had proclaimed the peace “a victory of liberty over tyranny.”

‘Great tragedy has ended’

In this bay near Japan’s ruined capital, MacArthur told his countrymen: “Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won.”

The Supreme Allied Commander said he spoke “for the thousands of silent lips, forever stilled among the jungles and the beaches and in the deep waters of the Pacific which marked the way.”

He continued:

As I look back on the long, tortuous trail from those grim days of Bataan and Corregidor, when an entire world lived in fear, when democracy was on the defensive everywhere, when modern civilization trembled in the balance, I thank a merciful God that He has given us the faith, the courage and the power from which to mold victory.

Nimitz praises fighting men

Possibly thinking of the atomic bomb that hastened Japan’s decision to surrender. MacArthur declared that the war had become so utterly destructive that unless an equitable system of peace was devised “Armageddon will be at our door.”

Nimitz, speaking next and praising all branches of the services and the Allies, declared that the United Nations must “enforce rigidly the peace terms that will be imposed upon Japan.”

The President included in his eulogy “our departed gallant leader, Franklin D. Roosevelt, a defender of democracy, architect of world peace and cooperation.”

Nimitz said he took “great pride in the American forces which have helped to win this victory,” and declared that “America can be proud of them.”

Nimitz said:

The officers and men of the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine who fought in the Pacific have written heroic new chapters in this nation’s military history.

I have infinite respect for their courage, resourcefulness and devotion to duty. We also acknowledge the great contribution to this victory made by our valiant allies. United we fought and united we prevail.

Out to Japanese field commanders went Emperor Hirohito’s orders, issued after the articles were signed, commanding “all my people forthwith to cease hostilities to lay down their arms and faithfully to carry out all provisions of the instrument of surrender.”

By the signatures of his plenipotentiaries, Emperor Hirohito accepted the terms of the Potsdam declaration which called for the elimination “for all time” of those who led Japan to war and stern justice for war criminals.

Now Japan’s sovereignty was limited to the will of the Allies, all her conquests were stripped away, and she was left completely disarmed.

Bay scene of great activity

The setting in which the momentous document was signed testified to the thoroughness with which Japan was beaten to her knees.

Tokyo Bay itself today was a scene of feverish activity, with boats plying back and forth in preparation for the history-making event.

The Navy combat squadrons lay at anchor in impressive array – the long lines of grey battlewagons that scourged the Pacific and finally invaded the hitherto inviolate waters of Japan herself.

Overhead Allied planes flew in vigilant patrol. Gen. Carl Spaatz, commander of the Strategic Air Forces, declared his planes were ready to loose 8,000 tons of bombs at any sign of treachery,

Strategic points seized

On both sides of the bay and up to the Tama River at the southern edge of Tokyo, American troops and British and American Marines and bluejackets were in firm control. All strategic points had been seized.

The ruined capital of Tokyo itself was reported out-of-bounds for troops, but soon its bomb-blackened streets will echo to the tramp of Allied forces.

MacArthur will shift his headquarters from this once-great port of Tokyo to the capital itself, setting up in the U.S. embassy. The embassy was only slightly damaged by the great fire raids.

The men whose forces met and defeated the would-be overlords of the Orient were gathered here with their staffs and aides to sign the articles of surrender or to witness them.

With Gen. Wainwright at McArthur’s invitation were Wainwright’s officers at Corregidor. From here, Wainwright plans to go to Washington in a few days.

TRUMAN NAMES THIS V-J DAY
President hails ‘new era of hope’

Proclaims liberty’s victory over tyranny; tells world, ‘We shall never forget’

WASHINGTON (AP, Sept. 1) – President Truman tonight proclaimed Sunday (today), September 2, as V-J Day – for Japan a day of “retribution,” for America and for the world a day of the “victory of liberty over tyranny.”

Mr. Truman spoke over a globe-girdling radio hookup that linked the White House with Tokyo, where aboard the great battleship USS Missouri, just off the enemy capital, Japan abjectly signed the terms of her surrender.

Fourfold significance

And to the occasion the President attributed a fourfold significance:

  • For this country – A day for “renewed consecration to the principles which have made us the strongest nation on earth and which, in this war, we have striven so mightily to preserve.”

  • For Japan – An end of “power to destroy and kill.”

  • For the world – A bright new era of hope for “peace and international good will and cooperation.”

  • For history – “The day of formal surrender by Japan.”

He said:

We shall not forget Pearl Harbor.

The Japanese militarists will not forget the USS Missouri.

The evil done by the Japanese warlords can never be repaired or forgotten. But their power to destroy and kill has been taken from them. Their armies and what is left of their navy are now impotent.

For this event of mingled solemnity and joy, Mr. Truman invited members of the Cabinet to sit with him in the broadcast room on the first floor of the White House – the White House where Japan once haughtily boasted she would dictate surrender terms. They listened to the ceremonies aboard the Missouri and, in the midst of them, the President spoke.

Then the all-network broadcast switched back to Tokyo Bay for addresses by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander, and Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, Pacific Fleet commander, American signers of the surrender documents.

Little gloating or elation

There was little of gloating or elation in the President’s address. Rather there was sober emphasis on what victory has cost and what it will mean.

Our first thoughts now, the President said, are thoughts of gratefulness and deep obligation to those killed or maimed in history’s most terrible war, and of their loved ones.

He went on:

Only the knowledge that the victory, which these sacrifices have made possible, will be wisely used, can give them any comfort. It is our responsibility – ours, the living – to see to it that this victory shall be a monument worthy of the dead who died to win it.

Here is what V-J means

Answering thousands of inquiries as to just what V-J Day means, the President repeated previous assertions that it has no legal meaning. Here is what he said on this point:

As President of the United States, I proclaim Sunday [today], September 2, 1945, to be V-J Day – the day of formal surrender by Japan.

It is not yet the day for the formal proclamation of the end of the war or of the cessation of hostilities. But it is a day which we Americans shall always remember as a day of retribution – as we remember that other day, the day of infamy.

Mr. Truman thus adopted the words of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in referring to December 7, 1941.

‘We move forward’

The President had been listening to the radio description of the surrender ceremony when tuned in on the hookup with the USS Missouri. The program continued when he finished his 1,200-word speech.

He said:

From this day we move forward. We move toward a new era of security at home. With the other United Nations we move toward a new and better world of peace and international good will and cooperation.

God’s help has brought us to this day of victory. With His help we will attain that peace and prosperity for ourselves and all the world in the years ahead.

Pays tribute to FDR

The President, after paying tribute to those who died in the war, and millions of other United States and Allied participants, including battlefront and home-front fighters and workers, voiced a eulogy for his predecessor:

“We think of our departed gallant leader, Franklin D, Roosevelt, a defender of democracy, architect of world peace and cooperation.”

The President said the formal Japanese surrender means a victory of more than arms alone.

“This is a victory of liberty over tyranny,” he declared.

Thanks Almighty God

He said to all Americans there comes first “a sense of gratitude to Almighty God who sustained us and our Allies in the dark days of grave danger, Who made us to grow from weakness into the strongest fighting force in history, and Who now has seen us overcome the forces of tyranny that sought to destroy His civilization.

“God grant that in our pride of the hour we may not forget the hard tasks that are still before us; that we may approach these with the same courage, zeal and patience with which we faced the trials and problems of the past four years.”

Hold special V-J services at churches

Although Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish congregations here held planned programs in the days following the announced surrender of Japan in August, they also will have special prayers today, officially designated as V-J Day.

Rev. Harvey E. Holt, secretary of Youngstown Federated Churches, said “we are asking all to attend church services and offer thanksgiving.”

“Appropriate prayers will be given in all our churches, and the congregations asked to dedicate themselves to the tasks that are ahead.”

Rev. Mr. Holt said he was happy at the end of the war and expressed hope for a world in which justice prevails.

Bishop James A. McFadden of the Youngstown Catholic Diocese said special prayers will be said at masses in Catholic churches throughout the diocese.

He said he was “delighted at the official end of hostilities and let us hope that justice and fairness will prevail to bring about a real and lasting peace for future generations.”

Some Jewish congregations had special prayers at late services Saturday and others plan prayers of peace for today.

Wainwright is ‘grateful’

GEN. MACARTHUR’S HQ, Yokohama (AP, Sept. 1) – Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright, gaunt but trim in a new bemedaled battle-jacket, today expressed his “deep, heartfelt gratitude” to the American people for their understanding of the circumstances of his surrender at Corregidor.

“This belief that America did understand my situation was my chief comfort and consolation during my three years of captivity,” he told a press conference in the lobby of Yokohama’s finest hotel.

“Circumstances over which I had no control forced my surrender to Homma [Japanese Gen. Masaharu Homma],” he said.

Wainwright, who arrived at Yokohama Friday from a Manchurian prison camp, via Chungking and Manila, said he was particularly delighted at taking part in Japan’s formal surrender at the invitation of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

“Because the last time, I was on the catching end of the line, and now I am on the pitching end,” he said.

Also on MacArthur’s invitation, Wainwright brought with him his Corregidor officers to witness the capitulation ceremonies. These are Brig. Gen. John R. Pugh of Washington, D.C., and Lt. Col, Thomas Dooley of McKinney, Texas, aides, and M/Sgt. Hubert Carroll of Paris, Texas, the general’s orderly.

They were present with Wainwright during the Philippine surrender at the village of Cabcaben on Bataan Peninsula, and were interned first at Formosa and then at Mukden, Manchuria, 150 miles from the prisoner-of-war camp where the general was held.

The three-star general expressed deep gratitude for President Roosevelt’s “belief in me.”

He said that when he arrives at Washington in a few days, he would call immediately on Mrs. Roosevelt “to tell her what it has been my long-cherished desire to tell the late President.”

Five Japanese generals, two admirals surrender

MANILA, Philippines (AP) – The highest-ranking Japanese yet taken in the Philippines, five generals and two admirals, were in the hands of American forces tonight.

Six of the Japanese military leaders were brought in a few hours after Japanese Vice Adm. Furuse, who commanded the defenses of Manila, surrendered at Infanta on the east coast of Luzon.

The other prisoners, who refused to disclose what their commands were, identified themselves as Lt. Gens. Tadasu Kataoka and Shinpei; Maj. Takeo Manjome, Isama Hirai and Masuo Yoshiki; and Rear Adm. Kaku Harada. They were taken to new Bilibid prison south of Manila.

The final overall surrender of Japanese military and naval survivors in the Philippines was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday (8 p.m. Sunday EWT) at Baguio, summer capital of the islands.

Agrees to surrender

The “Tiger of Malaya,” Lt. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, agreed to come out of his mountain hideout Sunday to make a trip to Baguio.

Meanwhile, the number of Japanese officers and men surrendering in the Philippines and in other Pacific islands continued to grow hourly. Forty-one thousand Japanese surrendered on Halmahera and Morotai Islands instead of the 8,000 previously announced. A message received at headquarters from the Australian 6th Division in New Guinea reported arrangements were being made there for the surrender of the Japanese 18th Imperial Army.

Japanese Army commander Gen. Adachi, whose troops are scattered over 500 miles of New Guinea’s mountains and jungles, reported 5,000 of his 14,000 troops have malaria or beriberi and 1,000 are litter cases. It was estimated it might take two or three months to bring the Japanese survivors out.

Jap election to be January 20

By the Associated Press

The Japanese cabinet decided today a general election will be held in Nippon January 20 to 31, and the Tokyo newspaper Yomiuri Hochi urged “spontaneous and vigorous action” toward forming a democratic government.

Tokyo radio broadcasts, reported the cabinet’s election decision. It said the government would summon the national diet to an extraordinary session early in December to revise Japan’s election laws, and a nationwide census probably would begin November 1.

The Yomiuri reported that the Nipponese people were “breathing a sigh of relief” because their fears of possible disturbances with the entry of Allied occupation forces “have thus far not materialized.”

To land at Singapore

Allied occupation forces will begin landing at Singapore soon after the formal signing of capitulation terms on the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay today, Tokyo radio said.

Yomiuri’s editorial called upon the Nipponese to prepare themselves for democratic government, pointing out that the duration of Allied occupation of Japan will depend upon the speed of political rebirth.

“The basis of modern society is democracy,” the paper said. “Without a change in the people’s spirit and adequate training, democracy cannot be established.”

In a broadcast beamed to Asia, Tokyo radio said the Japan Cultural Patriotic Association. one of the wartime organizations, intended to tighten relations between Nippon and conquered territories, had decided to disband.

USO has job to do despite Jap surrender

CHICAGO, Illinois (Sept. 1) – A vast job remains to be done by USO and its thousands of volunteer workers, even though hostilities have ceased, I. B. Rhodes, USO regional executive, announced today, following a report made by President Dr. Lindsley F. Kimball to the national USO executive committee.

The task of serving men and women in uniform, in accordance with the requests of the U.S. Armed Forces and the wishes of the American people who have supported it through their contributions to the National War Fund, has not yet been completed, the report said.

“It seems evident that the USO program will continue with some volume until September 30, 1946, and on a reduced scale well-into 1947,” Rhodes said, adding that USO will make adaptations to meet changing conditions and that a comprehensive program to meet diminishing needs has been developed.

Continued service to troops in transit, in Alaska, Hawaii, in the Pacific area, in areas adjacent to military hospitals and to permanent bases along the Atlantic seaboard is foreseen. Training camps and separation centers will require minimum service and mobile services to isolated Army and Navy outposts will be greatly reduced. With the end of the war, USO is relieved of its responsibility for services in war production areas.

Address by President Truman to Members of the Armed Forces
September 2, 1945, 9:19 p.m. EWT

Broadcast from the White House, Washington, D.C.

truman.45

Men and women of the Armed Forces:

I am speaking to you, the Armed Forces of the United States, as I did after V-Day in Europe, at a high moment of history. The war, to which we have devoted all the resources and all the energy of our country for more than three and a half years, has now produced total victory over all our enemies.

This is a time for great rejoicing and a time for solemn contemplation. With the destructive force of war removed from the world, we can turn now to the grave task of preserving the peace which you gallant men and women have won. It is a task which requires our most urgent attention. It is one in which we must collaborate with our Allies and the other nations of the world. They are as determined as we are that war must be abolished from the earth if the earth, as we know it, is to remain. Civilization cannot survive another total war.

I think you know what is in the hearts of your countrymen on this night. They are thousands of miles away from most of you. Yet they are close to you in deep gratitude and in a solemn sense of obligation. They remember – and I know they will never forget – those who have gone from among you, those who are maimed, those who, thank God, are still safe after years of fighting and suffering and danger.

And I know that in this hour of victory their thoughts – like yours – are with your departed Commander in Chief, Franklin D. Roosevelt. This is the hour for which he so gallantly fought and so bravely died.

I think I know the American soldier and sailor. He does not want gratitude or sympathy. He had a job to do. He did not like it. But he did it. And how he did it!

Now, he wants to come back home and start again the life he loves – a life of peace and quiet, the life of the civilian.

But he wants to know that he can come back to a good life. He wants to know that his children will not have to go back to the life of the foxhole and the bomber, the battleship and the submarine.

I speak in behalf of all your countrymen when I pledge you that we shall do everything in our power to make those wishes come true.

For some of you, I am sorry to say, military service must continue for a time. We must keep an occupation force in the Pacific to clean out the militarism of Japan, just as we are cleaning out the militarism of Germany. The United Nations are determined that never again shall either of those countries be able to attack its peaceful neighbors.

But the great majority of you will be returned to civilian life as soon as the ships and planes can get you here. The task of moving so many men and women thousands of miles to their homes is a gigantic one. It will take months to accomplish. You have my pledge that we will do everything possible to speed it up. We want you back here with us to make your contribution to our country’s welfare and to a new world of peace.

The high tide of victory will carry us forward to great achievements in the era which lies ahead. But we can perform them only in a world which is free from the threat of war. We depend upon you, who have known war in all its horror, to keep this nation aware that only through cooperation among all nations can any nation remain wholly secure.

On this night of total victory, we salute you of the Armed Forces of the United States – wherever you may be. What a job you have done!

We are all waiting for the day when you will be home with us again.

Good luck and God bless you!

Address by Soviet Marshal Stalin on Japanese Surrender
September 2, 1945

Товарищи!

Соотечественники и соотечественницы!

Сегодня, 2 сентября государственные и военные представители Японии подписали акт безоговорочной капитуляции. Разбитая наголову на морях и на суше и окруженная со всех сторон вооруженными силами Объединенных Наций, Япония признала себя побежденной и сложила оружие.

Два очага мирового фашизма и мировой агрессии образовались накануне нынешней мировой войны: Германия – на западе и Япония – на востоке. Это они развязали вторую мировую войну. Это они поставили человечество и его цивилизацию на край гибели. Очаг мировой агрессии на западе был ликвидирован четыре месяца назад, в результате чего Германия оказалась вынужденной капитулировать. Через четыре месяца после этого был ликвидирован очаг мировой агрессии на востоке, в результате чего Япония, главная союзница Германии, также оказалась вынужденной подписать акт капитуляции.

Это означает, что наступил конец второй мировой войны.

Теперь мы можем сказать, что условия, необходимые для мира во всем мире, уже завоеваны.

Следует отметить, что японские захватчики нанесли ущерб не только нашим союзникам – Китаю, Соединенным Штатам Америки, Великобритании. Они нанесли серьезнейший ущерб также и нашей стране. Поэтому у нас есть еще свой особый счет к Японии.

Свою агрессию против нашей страны Япония начала еще в 1904 году, во время русско-японской войны. Как известно, в феврале 1904 года, когда переговоры между Японией и Россией еще продолжались, Япония, воспользовавшись слабостью царского правительства, неожиданно и вероломно, без объявления войны напала на нашу страну и атаковала русскую эскадру в районе Порт-Артура, чтобы вывести из строя несколько русских военных кораблей и создать тем самым выгодное положение для своего флота. И она действительно вывела из строя три первоклассных военных корабля России. Характерно, что через 37 лет после этого Япония в точности повторила этот вероломный прием в отношении Соединенных Штатов Америки, когда она в 1941 году напала на военно-морскую базу Соединенных Штатов Америки в Пирл-Харборе и вывела из строя ряд линейных кораблей этого государства. Как известно, в войне с Японией Россия потерпела тогда поражение. Япония же воспользовалась поражением царской России для того, чтобы отхватить от России Южный Сахалин, утвердиться на Курильских островах и, таким образом, закрыть на замок для нашей страны на востоке все выходы в океан – следовательно, также все выходы к портам Советской Камчатки и Советской Чукотки. Было ясно, что Япония ставит себе задачу отторгнуть от России весь ее Дальний Восток.

Но этим не исчерпываются захватнические действия Японии против нашей страны. В 1918 году, после установления советского строя в нашей стране, Япония, воспользовавшись враждебным тогда отношением к Советской Стране Англии, Франции, Соединенных Штатов Америки и опираясь на них, вновь напала на нашу страну, оккупировала Дальний Восток и четыре года терзала наш народ, грабила Советский Дальний Восток.

Но и это не все. В 1938 году Япония вновь напала на нашу страну в районе озера Хасан, около Владивостока, с целью окружить Владивосток, а в следующий год Япония повторила свое нападение уже в другом месте – в районе Монгольской Народной Республики, около Халхин-Гола, с целью прорваться на советскую территорию, перерезать нашу Сибирскую железнодорожную магистраль и отрезать Дальний Восток от России.

Правда, атаки Японии в районе Хасана и Халхин-Гола были ликвидированы советскими войсками с большим позором для японцев. Равным образом была успешно ликвидирована японская военная интервенция 1918-1922 годов, и японские оккупанты были выброшены из районов нашего Дальнего Востока. Но поражение русских войск в 1904 году в период русско-японской войны оставило в сознании народа тяжелые воспоминания. Оно легло на нашу страну черным пятном. Наш народ верил и ждал, что наступит день, когда Япония будет разбита и пятно будет ликвидировано. Сорок лет ждали мы, люди старого поколения, этого дня. И вот этот день наступил. Сегодня Япония признала себя побежденной и подписала акт безоговорочной капитуляции.

Это означает, что Южный Сахалин и Курильские острова отойдут к Советскому Союзу и отныне они будут служить не средством отрыва Советского Союза от океана и базой японского нападения на наш Дальний Восток, а средством прямой связи Советского Союза с океаном и базой обороны нашей страны от японской агрессии.

Наш советский народ не жалел сил и труда во имя победы. Мы пережили тяжелые годы. Но теперь каждый из нас может сказать: мы победили. Отныне мы можем считать нашу Отчизну избавленной от угрозы немецкого нашествия на западе и японского нашествия на востоке. Наступил долгожданный мир для народов всего мира.

Поздравляю вас, мои дорогие соотечественники и соотечественницы, с великой победой, с успешным окончанием войны, с наступлением мира во всем мире!

Слава вооруженным силам Советского Союза, Соединенных Штатов Америки, Китая и Великобритании, одержавшим победу над Японией!

Слава нашим дальневосточным войскам и Тихоокеанскому военно-морскому флоту, отстоявшим честь и достоинство нашей Родины!

Слава нашему великому народу, народу-победителю!

Вечная слава героям, павшим в боях за честь и победу нашей Родины!

Пусть здравствует и процветает наша Родина!

INSTRUMENT OF SURRENDER
of the Japanese and Japanese-Controlled Armed Forces in the Philippine Islands
to the
Commanding General
United States Army Forces, Western Pacific

Camp John Hay Baguio,
Mountain Province,
Luzon, Philippine, Islands
3 September, 1945

Pursuant to and in accordance with the proclamation of the Emperor of Japan accepting the terms set forth in the declaration issued by the heads of the Governments of the United States, Great Britain, and China on 26 July 1945; at Potsdam and subsequently adhered to by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and to the formal instrument of surrender of the Japanese Imperial Government and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters signed at Tokyo Bay at 0908 on 2 September 1945:

  1. Acting by command of and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan, the Japanese Imperial Government and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, We hereby surrender unconditionally to the Commanding General, United States Army Forces, Western Pacific, all Japanese and Japanese-controlled armed forces, air, sea, ground and auxiliary, in the Philippine Islands.

  2. We hereby command all Japanese forces wherever situated in the Philippine Islands to cease hostilities forthwith, to preserve and save from damage all ships, aircraft, and military and civil property, and to comply with all requirements which may be imposed by the Commanding General, United States Army Forces, Western Pacific, or his authorized representatives.

  3. We hereby direct the commanders of all Japanese forces in the Philippine Islands to issue at once to all forces under their command to surrender unconditionally themselves and all forces under their control, as prisoners of war, to the nearest United States Army Force Commander.

  4. We hereby direct the commanders of all Japanese forces in the Philippine Islands to surrender intact and in good order to the nearest United States Army Force Commander, at times and at places directed by him, all equipment and supplies of whatever nature under their control.

  5. We hereby direct the commanders of all Japanese forces in the Philippine Islands at once to liberate all Allied prisoners of war and civilian internees under their control, and to provide for their protection, care, maintenance and immediate transportation to places as directed by the nearest United States Army Force Commander.

  6. We hereby undertake to transmit the directives given in Paragraphs 1 through 5, above, to all Japanese forces in the Philippine Islands immediately by all means within our power, and further to furnish to the Commanding General, United States Army Forces, Western Pacific, all necessary Japanese emissaries fully empowered to bring about the surrender of Japanese forces in the Philippine Islands with whom we are not in contact.

  7. We hereby undertake to furnish immediately to the Commanding General, United States Army Forces, Western Pacific, a statement of the designation, numbers, locations, and commanders of all Japanese armed forces, ground, sea, or air, in the Philippine Islands.

  8. We hereby undertake faithfully to obey all further proclamation, orders and directives deemed by the Commanding General, United States Armed Forces, Western Pacific, to be proper to effectuate this surrender.

Signed at Camp John Hay, Baguio, Mountain Province, Luzon, Philippine Islands, at 1210 hours 3 September 1945:

TOMOYUKI YAMASHITA
General, Imperial Japanese Army
Highest Commander, Imperial
Japanese Army in the Philippines.

DENHICI OKOCHI
Vice Admiral, Imperial Japanese Navy
Highest Commander, Imperial
Japanese Navy in the Philippines.

By command and in behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters

Accepted at Camp John Hay, Baguio, Mountain Province, Luzon
Philippine Islands, at 1210 hours 3 September 1945:

For the Commander-in-Chief, United States Army Forces, Pacific:

EDMOND H. LEAVEY
Major General, USA
Deputy Commander, United States Army Forces
Western Pacific

Salzburger Nachrichten (September 3, 1945)

Kapitulationsurkunde unterzeichnet

‚Dieser Krieg war die letzte Chance zur Rettung des Friedens gewesen‘

AN BORD DER „MISSOURI“ IN DER BUCHT VON TOKIO, 2. September (OWI) – Japan hat sich formell und bedingungslos den Alliierten Mächten ergeben. Die Unterzeichnung erfolgte am Morgen des 2. September an Bord des Riesenschlachtschiffes Missouri. Zwei japanische Vertreter unterschrieben im Namen Kaiser Hirohitos und des japanischen Volkes, und haben sich dadurch unter den Befehl des Alliierten Oberbefehlshabers, General MacArthurs, gestellt. Der alliierte Oberbefehlshaber unterzeichnete für alle Nationen, die sich mit Japan im Kriegszustand befanden, Admiral Chester Nimitz für die Vereinigten Staaten und weitere acht Delegierte für die Alliierten Nationen China, Großbritannien, die Sowjetunion, Australien, Kanada, Frankreich, die Niederlande und Neu-Seeland. Nach der Unterzeichnung der beiden Ausfertigungen des Dokumentes trugen auch der Held von Corregidor, Generalleutnant Wainwright, und der Verteidiger von Singapore, Generalleutnant Percival, ihre Namen auf der Urkunde ein. Im Augenblick der Kapitulation erließ Kaiser Hirohito einen Befehl an sein Volk, die Feindseligkeiten einzustellen, die Waffen niederzulegen und den Anweisungen General MacArthurs gemäß allen Bestimmungen der Kapitulationsurkunde nachzukommen und die Befehle des kaiserlich Japanischen Hauptquartiers genauestens durchzuführen. Die Flaggen der Vereinigten Staaten, Großbritanniens, der Sowjetunion und Chinas flatterten an Heck, das durch die Anwesenheit vieler hoher alliierter Offiziere ein buntes Bild bot.

Die Urkunde selbst umfasst fünf Punkte. Punkt 1. umreißt die formelle Annahme der bedingungslosen Kapitulation auf der Basis der Potsdamer Erklärung. Punkt 2. beinhaltet die Bereitwilligkeit, allen unter japanischer Kontrolle stehenden Streitkräften die bedingungslose Übergabe zu befehlen, Punkt 3. betont die Schonung allen militärischen und zivilen Gerätes, das den Anordnungen des Alliierten Oberbefehlshabers unterstellt wurde. Der 4. Punkt formuliert den vom kaiserlich japanischen Hauptquartier zu erlassenen Kapitulationsbefehl an alle Truppen. Der 5. Punkt bestimmt, dass alle zivilen und militärischen japanischen Verwaltungsorgane auf ihren Posten verharren haben und ihre nichtkämpferischen Pflichten weiterhin erfüllen müssen. Er befiehlt weiters die sofortige Entlassung aller Alliierten Kriegsgefangenen und Zivil-Internierten und setzt die Maßnahmen zum Schutz ihrer Erhaltung und ihrem Abtransport fest. Den Abschluss der Urkunde bildet die formelle Unterstellung des kaiserlichen Thrones und der japanischen Regierung unter den alliierten Oberbefehl.

Kaiser Hirohito ordnete unter anderem seinen an allen Kriegsschauplätzen stehenden Truppen an, sich den jeweiligen Oberstkommandierenden der Abschnitte zu ergeben. Alle Streitkräfte in China, auf Formosa und in Französisch-Indo-China, die nördlich des 18. Grades nördlicher Breite stehen, haben sich Generalissimus Tschiangkaischek zu ergeben. Die Truppen in der Mandschurei, in Korea (nördl. des 38. Grades n.B.) und in Karafuto haben sich dem sowjetischen Oberbefehlshaber zu ergeben, Die Truppen auf den Andamanen, Nikobaren, in Burma, Thailand, Französisch-Indo-China (südlich des 16. Grades n.B.) auf Malaia, Borneo und Niederländisch Indien, auf Neuguinea und auf den Salomonen erhielten Befehl, vor dem Alliierten Oberbefehlshaber für Südostasien, oder dem kommandierenden General der australischen Truppen zu kapitulieren. Die japanischen Truppen auf den kleineren pazifischen Inseln ergeben sich dem Chef der amerikanischen Pazifikflotte. Die japanische Polizei auf den Heimatinseln ist bis auf weitere von der Entwaffnung ausgenommen. Ihre Stärke und Bewaffnung ist genau festgelegt. Sie hat für Aufrechterhaltung von Ruhe und Ordnung die Verantwortung zu tragen. Abschließend wurde dem japanischen Hauptquartier befohlen, innerhalb einer gewissen Zeit genaue Aufstellungen aller militärischen Objekte, die Typen aller Waffengattungen einschließlich der Handelsschiffe, eine genaue Aufstellung sämtlicher Industrieanlagen, sowie ein Verzeichnis der Plätze, auf denen alliierte Kriegsgefangene untergebracht waren, auszufolgen.

Nach Abschluss der Kapitulationszeremonie sprach Präsident Truman aus dem Weißen Haus zu seinen, amerikanischen Mitbürgern. Dann ergriff General MacArthur das Wort. Er beschrieb mit ergreifenden Worten den Abschluss des gewaltigen Ringens. Die Geschütze schweigen, nicht länger regnet der Himmel Tod, die Meere tragen wieder Güter des friedlichen Handels, während die Menschen aufrecht im Tageslicht ihren Berufen nachgehen. Ein heiliger Auftrag wurde erfüllt. Als Sprecher für Tausende von Lippen, die für immer schweigen, und für ungenannt Millionen, die wieder nach Hause streben, dankte der alliierte Oberbefehlshaber Gott, dass er nach all den Mühen und Rückschlägen die moderne Zivilisation gerettet und den alliierten Soldaten Glaube, Mut und Kraft zum Siege verliehen habe. Es gibt keinen Weg zurück, der Friede muss das bewahren, was im Krieg gewonnen wurde. Das Streben der Menschheit nach Frieden ist so alt wie die Welt selbst. Methoden zur Regelung der Beziehungen der Menschen untereinander waren immer zur Hand. Nur die Mechanik der Beziehungen zwischen den einzelnen Nationen war niemals erfolgreich. Militärbündnisse Aufrechterhaltung des Gleichgewichtes der Kräfte, der Völkerbund, alle haben sie versagt. Das Ergebnis war immer der Krieg. Jetzt ist er so furchtbar geworden, dass wir einen neuen nicht mehr zulassen dürfen. Dieser Krieg war die letzte Chance zur Rettung des Friedens gewesen.

In einer anderen Ansprache würdigte Admiral Nimitz die Aufopferung der alliierten Truppen und sprach seinen Stolz über den Sieg aus. Er sei der Überzeugung, dass die großen Aufgaben des Wiederaufbaues mit der gleichen Geschicklichkeit, Ausdauer und Gedankenschärfe, die den Sieg entschieden haben, gelöst werden.

Reuters meldet, dass der japanische Reichstag in Tokio zusammengetreten ist. Die Sitzung wurde nach einer kurzen Einleitungsfeier vertagt. Es wurde angekündigt, dass der Ministerpräsident dem Reichstag nach der Unterzeichnung der Kapitulation Bericht erstatten wird.

Sonntag Tag des Sieges

WASHINGTON, 2. September (OWI) – Präsident Truman erklärte in einer Rundfunkansprache den 2. September zum offiziellen V-J-Tag, da an diesem Tag die Japaner die Kapitulation unterzeichneten. Präsident Truman sagte, dass wir einer „neuen und besseren Welt des Friedens und des internationalen guten Willens“ entgegengehen und dass dieser Sieg nicht nur durch die Waffen errungen worden sei, dass es ein Sieg der Freiheit über die Tyrannei sei, „Wir wissen, dass der Geist der Freiheit und der persönlichen Würde des Menschen die stärkste und ausdauerndste Kraft der Welt darstellt. Unser Glaube und unser Stolz auf unsere Lebensweise fand neuen Grund. Wir wissen jetzt, dass wir durch sie auch mit den schweren Problemen des Friedens, die uns bevorstehen, fertig werden können. Die Freiheit macht weder alle Menschen vollkommen noch gibt sie Sicherheit für den Bestand einer Gesellschaftsordnung. Aber sie hat mehr Menschen Fortschritts Glück und ein menschenwürdiges Leben gebracht als irgendwie andere staatsphilosophische Richtung der Geschichte.“

Stalin zur Kapitulation

MOSKAU, 2. September (Reuters) – Radio Moskau übertrug eine Rede des Generalissimus Stalin über die japanische Kapitulation. Stalin sagte:

Japan begann seine Angriffspolitik im Jahre 1904. Jeder von uns kann jetzt sagen, dass wir gesiegt haben. Der lang erwartete Friede ist für die Völker der Erde gekommen. Am 2. September haben die Vertreter, des Staates und der Wehrmacht Japans die bedingungslose Kapitulation unterzeichnet. Vollkommen besiegt, zur See und zu Lande, und von allen Seiten von den bewaffneten Streitkräften der Vereinten Nationen eingeschlossen. bekannte sich Japan zu seiner Niederlage und streckte die Waffen. Vor Beginn dieses Weltkrieges entstanden zwei Brutstätten des Weltfaschismus und der Weltbedrohung: Deutschland im Westen und Japan im Osten und diese lösten den zweiten Weltkrieg aus. Sie waren es, welche die Humanität und die Zivilisation an den Rand des Abgrundes brachten.