Evening star., 1945-10-05
|CrowdEstimated
AT Million Pays
Nation 'sTribute
Thousand Planes Roar
Salute Above Parade
After Congress Talk

lEAl OF NlMITZ address to joint
session of House and Senate.
Page A-3
NIMITz ADDRESSES Congress and
receives ovation at Capitol.
Page Az
NIMITz ARRIVES here after
spending night at Patuxent Air
station. Page AS
OF NIMITZ at Naval Air
Station shown in pictures.
Page B-1
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz
was greeted today by a festive,
thronged Capital with all the
homage due a national hero.
The tanned, smiling commander
in chief of the feet that drove Ja-
pan from the seas landed at Ana
costa Naval Airport at 11:47 am,
and was escorted to the Capitol,
where he addressed a joint session
OF Congress during the noon hour,
then headed a parade up the route
OF heroes, Pennsylvania avenue.
The spontaneous acclaim of tre-
mendouS crowds, estimated by Police
Supt. Edward j. Kelly at a million
persons, followed the leader of the
great naval victory in the Pacific
as he rode from the Capitol to the
Monument Grounds ahead of the
rhythmic feet and martial mu-
sic OF sailors, Marines. and Coast
Guardsmen, while 1000 naval planes
roared salute across the bright
sky of mild autumn day.
Before tense assembly in the
House chamber, Admiral Ninitz
told why Japan had sued for peace
even before the atom bomb crashed
and Russia attacked through Siberia.
1t was because her navy was de-
stroyed. And he warned the repre-
sentatiyes of the American people
against ever again allowing this
country to slump into unprepared-
ness, a ready prey to any outlaw
force.
The admiral's plane flew into
Anacostia from the Patuxent. Md,
Air Station, where he spent the
night after flying from San Fran
cisco late yesterday.
Capitol Steps Thronged.
From the moment a guard of
honor formed about his plane, Ad-
miral and Mrs. Nimitz and their
party were guests of the Capital
and the Nation No detail had been
overlooked to pay the naval hero
tributes which have been reserved
Tor the country's great fighting men
from the earliest days of the Re-
public.
At 12:l5, Admiral Nimitz with his
wife and daughters rode across the
Capitol Plaza through an aisle
formed by WAVES on one side and
sailors on the other. He saw the
Capitol steps thronged with people.
Those were the official card holders.
Behind the ropes across from the
Capitol were hundreds of others
who cheered as the admiral smiled
and waved.
The admiral's open car followed
by half a dozen others turned in
on the south side of the Capitol
and the party got out at the south
door to face barrage of photog-
raphers. The admirals three
daughters climbed the steps into
the Capitol first trying to get out
OF the way of the photographers
SO they could have clear view
of the admiral.
Mrs. Nimitz. just as she entered
the Capitol Building, removed the
maroon yelling which she had kept
across her face to prevent her hair
from blowing on the trip in from
the airport.
The admiral seemed TO be enjoy-
ing his return As he entered the
Capitol, he was smiling.
Parade Route Packed.
The route of the Nimitz parade,
along Pennsylvania avenue to Fiji
teenth street and south to Consti-
tuition avenue-from the foot of the
Capitol to the Monument Grounds
was packed solidly with yelling spec
tators as the marching men and
vehicles moved with their dozen
bands and drums and bugles. The
bleachers erected at a number of
points along the route held 5000
only a fraction of the crowd that
stood 10 to 80 deep along the side
walks.
At the Monument Grounds an
other 5000 took reserved seats, and
perhaps 100000 others stood on the
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