Evening star., 1945-11-14
Gen WoinwHehfs Own Story:
Jops Tell Prisoners Thut War Is Over and Joy
AtNews Brings Laughter From Americans

them the war was going well for
the Americans in the Pacific.
In captivity 1t is easy to grasp at
any comforting rumor. However,
had had too much contact with a
quirk that is peculiar to the JAP
mentality. The Jap takes an espe-
cial delight in lying. He uses lies as
means Of building up captive tc
greater letdown when the truth
becomes evident. So I tried not tc
let myself become excited over these
rumors of success-and the hope OF
early liberation-axd set to work tc
try to figure the length of the war as
accurately as my military training
permitted.
I first concluded that the wal
could never end until we landed
strong force on Japan proper.
It seemed imperative, therefore
that we must gain possession of an
island near enough to Japan to per-
NIT a landing on the mainland sup
ported by land-based aviation as vel
as by the fleet. I decided that IL
would take the better part of a year
to build up suitable invasion force
after.the island had been captured
Expected Longer War.
With the hypothetical island in
our hands sometime in 1945, I be-
lieved that it would take until nearly
the end of 1916 to build up the base
assemble the necessary troops and
aviation and attend to the training
for the invasion.
I, of course, had no knowledge OF
the atomb bomb or the plans OF
Russia to intervene. Nor did know
during these ruminations about the
seizure of a jumping off base that
our forces even then were consoli-
dating Okinawa.
I finished these deliberations about
August Is, 1945, and while it was
inspiring even to dream of such
forces in the field, at sea and in the
air, it was still depressing to think OF
the years of imprisonment which lay
before me.
You can well imagine my incredu-
lity. therefore, when on the evening
of August IS Corpl. Willard tapped
on my door and stuck his head in.
Il congratulate you, general" he
said.
Really? Upon what?" I asked
wholly unarmed for what he was
about to say. ..
The war is over" he said.
Just like that.
I could not get up from my chair
but I could talk.
Il don't believe it," told him.
1T must be-" he insisted. 1.-The
interpreter just told me. Russian
troops have entered Manchuria
The interpreter says that that did
it it's over"
Feels Report Is Fantastic.
After abit I got up and walked
across the hall to Maj. Gen. George
F. Moore's room, and for long time
we talked about the fantastic re-
port. But it had come too soon. It
was something that was too incred-
IDLY wonderful to be true, we de-
cided. Yet I did not sleep wink
that night.
The next morning at roll call 1t.
Marui assembled the officers, civil
ians and enlisted men in a large
room in the barracks, formed up in
line and read aloud for several min
utes in japanese from prepared
script.
Then he nodded to the Interpreter.
Z The interpreter cleared his throat,
looked at us seriously and began:
by order of the Emperor the war
has now been amicably termi-
mated. e"
We roared suddenly with laugh
ter . roared until the rest of his
words were blotted out. There was
no stopping the laughter. 1t come
up in me, and in the others, with
an irresistible force; something
born of our relief, the look on the
Jap's face, the blind preposterous-
ness of his beginning, the release
from years of tension, the utter,
utter joy over having survived to
see this blessed day.
TOMORROW: Even liberation
has its headaches.)
fCopyright, 1915, King Features
Syndicate, Inc. Reproduction in
whole or in part strictly prohibited. J