The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-08-15
Interpreting
The War
BY JAMES d. WHITE
Associated Press Staff Writer


Defeat is not changing the Jap
anese mind.
japanese leaders dawdling in
Tokyo over their reply to the AL
lied surrender terms have continu-
ed to squander the lives of their
people by exposing them to more
Allied bombings, the threat of furth-
er atomic. destruction, and still
further, still-secret weapons which
the waiting Allies have had ready
to unleash.
The double talk has not stopped.
Domei, the Of icial agency, twice
has lied about surrender messages.
1t lied about the timing of one
over the weekend, and Monday
night it lied again about tae final
answer which Tokyo was supposed
to deliver to Bern and thereby end
the war.
1t broadcast to the outside world
a *tear-jerking account of people
weeping IN front OF the Palace and
apologizing to the Emperor for their
failure to win his war.
But wait minute. That wasn't
what Domei said. 1t did not say
the people had failed to win war,
that they had lost. It said the
people; wept and bowed low to the
ground in their shame because
heir: efforts were not enough"
Between times -Domei broad
cast other items. One was about
Japanese Sumo wrestlers digging
pine roots to make aviation gaso-
line. Another was about two new
wonder drugs to heal the burns Of
air raid victims.
Nowhere was there any admis-
sion that Japan has been beaten,
no real effort to prepare the people
for the facts except to- warn them
of a coming important announce
ment.
Tokyo newspapers did editoria-
lie that worse has come to the
worst" but Domei transmitted
speech by Gen. Re ;kichi Tada, pre-
sident o: the Japanese Board of
Technology, to be held tor future
release: The speech says there's
no use in dreaming up perfecting
counter-weapon to the atomic
bomb now, but that the thing to do
now is to '1iquidate the military
for the sake OF the Japanese peop-
lie today"
That sounds fine, but Tada goes
on to say that all japanese should
abide by the Imperial decision "as
revelation of Cod and calls for
new culture through science"
and a new religion.
Between the lines it's plain that
Tada displays no lack o. fs'-. in
the present religious figurehead of
Japan, the Emperor, and his call
science his the air Of an exhortation
to Japanese to work and live for
res,'rgence in the future.
Finally, Domei transmits "kill',
order to its bureaus for the whole
speech. This means they are not
to use it. Why put it out, then,
unless to impress listening Allied
monitors?
What is the meaning o. all this
backing and filling, this chatter of
pine roots and wonder drugs and
pep talks in the midst Of solemn
exhortations to stand firmly as a
united people behind the Emperor?
There is certainly the intention
it not the fact of method in all
this madness.
The military may be out of hand
in Tokyo and elsewhere. But L. that
is so the government has been
careful to conceal it. a
As the delay has, dragged on
not all has been smooth among
the Allies. Australia is miffed ovel
What it calls the "perfunctory'
way it has been informed of sur
ronder negotiations. In China, the
chief of government has decided
1t to attend surrender ceremon e!
because OF his concern over thu
-, of Chinese Communist Up
rising to, fill the. political vacuum
which occupied China will becom.
when Japanese troops surrender
This situation may get worse.
But meanWh lie, the delay has no
visible affected the position of Jap
anese rulerss in relation to the Jap
anese people, nor or. in the future