Evening star., 1945-08-31
Marines Take Over Naval Base
Guarding Mouth Of Tokyo Bay;
Occupation Increasing Hour| y
Preparations Sped
For Surrender of
Jops Tomorrow
~ the Associated Press.

TOKYO, Aug. 81. American
Marines today took over the
Tateyamahojo naval base and
air station guarding the mouth
of Tokyo Bay as the occupation
forces hourly increased their
holdings preparatory to Japanese
surrender ceremonies Sunday,
japanese time tomorrow night,
Washington time.
In contrast to the clear beautiful
weather which marked yesterdays
airborne landing at Atsugi and the
occupation of Yokosuka naval base,
up and across the bay from Tate
yamahojo, the Marines took pos
session of the vital naval install
lation in a driving rain storm
The marines, under the command
of Maj. Wallace Crawford of Will
mette, ILL.,, will reconnoiter the
beaches and defenses and in gen.
eral prepare for the army occupa-
ton to follow.
Already, while plans for the final
surrender ceremonies still were
under way, naval occupation forces
at Yokosuka had started develop
ment of the great base for the use
of Allied shipping.
Time Still Not Announced
The time for the Sunday cere-
monies still was not announced and
1t was uncertain whether Admiral
Halsey's flagship Missouri, aboard
which the formal capitulation will
be made, will remain at it's present
anchorage several miles off Yoko-
suka or will move in closer to give
the population of the Tokyo Yoko-
hama area a closeup look at the
mighty 45,000-ton battleship.
The flood-tide of American mill
tary power rolled in by air in a
stream that will continue at least
until mid-September, when half a
million troops will be billeted in this
conquered country.
To bolster the first forces of more
than $1,000, the United States 9th
Army under 1t. Gen. Robert l..
Eichelberger was due to start land
ing tomorrow at Yokohama and
Tateyamahojo, guardian of Tokyo
Bay. A new unidentified division
was scheduled to land Sunday at
Tokyo's Atsugi airfield.
Smoothly the Americans at
Yokosuka naval base, at the Atsugi
field, and at Yokohama linked up
and spread throughout an area of
more than 200 miles, with more ter
ritory to be taken in quickly.
Not a Single Hitch.
From Tokyo all over the far
reaching East Asian front down to
Truk and Indo- China, the Japanese
surrender grew without a single re-
ported hitch.
Gen. Macarthur, Allied supreme
commander for Japan, established
his temporary headquarters in the
New Grand Hotel in Yokohama,
Tokyo's port city. Much of the city
was in ashes from the American
f1re-bombings of last months, but
the New Grand stood out untouched
amid the ruins.
The New Grand Hotel is a mod
ern steel and concrete structure,
the upper floors of which COM
mand magnificent views of the
harbor.
The hotel, constructed after the
1923 earthquake had destroyed the
old Grand Hotel, faces the water
front park. 1t has 100 outside rooms
for guests, on the third and fourth
floors The second has a spacious
ballroom auditorium and main din
ing hall.
The Japanese bustled about, os-
tensibly striving to smooth the way
for the victors. One such japanese
touch was preparation of telephone
directories, stenciled in English
longhand and listing more than
1000 numbers for the various Amer
lean installations.
The American Embassy in Tokyo,
It's roof half burned off by an Amer
(See OCCUPATION, Page A-3.)