The Wilmington morning star., 1945-09-02

sentatives of the major warning
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 know
ledge of the price which civiliza-
ton paid to achieve this day. And
that theme rang through the mes
sages of Americas commanders.
"Our first thoughts of course -
thoughts of gratefulness and deep
obligation - 60 out of those of our
loved ones who have been killed
or manned 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 boosted they
would dictate their own peace
terms. Truman spoke these de-
termined words:
"We shall not forget Pearl Har-
Dor. The japanese militarists will
not forget the U. S. S. Missouri.
And, after he had proclaimed
the.peace "a victory of liberty over
TYRANNY" the scene shifted back
to this bay near Japan's ruined
capital where Macarthur told his
countrymen:
To-day the guns are silent. A
great tragedy has ended. A great
victory has been won."
Speaks For Dead
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"
LAS I looked back on the long,
tortuous trail from those grims
days of Bataan and Corregidor, y
he continued. <'When an entire
world lived in fear, when demo
cracy was on the defensive every
where, when modern civilization
trembled in the balance, / thank a
merciful God that he has given
us the faith, the courage and the
power from which to mould vic
tory"
Possibly thinking of the Atomic
Bomb that fastened Japan's deci-
sion to surrender, Macarthur de
clared 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 prais-
ing 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"
Out to Japanese field comman,
GERS went Empor Hirohito's or
ders, issued after the articles were
signed, commanding all my peo-
pie forthwith to cease hoStilities to
lay down their arms and faithfully
10 carry out all provisions OF the
instrument of surrender"
BY the signatures of his plenipo'
tentiaries, the Emperor accepted
the terms of the Potsdam Declare.
ton which called for the elimina
ton ''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 dis
armed.
The setting in which the momen-
tous 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 pre-
paration for the history-making
event.
The Navy combat squadrons lay
at anchor in impressive array =
the long lines of grey battlewagons
mat scourged the Pacific and fl
nally invaded the Hitherto in
violate waters of Japan herself.
Overhead Allied planes flew in
vigilant patrol. General Spaatz,
commander of the stategic air for
ces, declared that his planes were
ready to loose 5000 tons of bombs
at any sign of treachery, but none