The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-09-20
Aboard Are Wei 6unners, Airmen Who Brought
 Japan 10 Knees
OCCUPATION FORCES
 STILL BEING ARGUED
War Crime Suspects Being Arrested- -0ne Woman
 Taken in Custody

TOKYO, Sept. 20 Seventeen ships of Admiral Halsey's Fighting Third Fleet steamed for home to- day carrying several thousand Navy men due for discharge while Gen, MacArthur's headquarters dis closed that Army occupation forces will increase to 100000 before the predicted slash to 100000 takes place.
 There are approximately l50,000 American soldiers in Japan.
 The seventeen ships of Admiral Halsey's victorious armada weighed anchor in Tokyo Bay to begin the long voyage home. Aboard are several thousand Navy personnel men who manned the guns and carrier planes which helped bring the enemy to his knees. Preceding the fleet is the Battleship Missouri. on whose decks the Mikado's mes sengers acknowledged Japan's de- feat.
 The fleet is headed first for Okinawa, to be joined by the battleships Texas, Arkansas and Nevada for the homeward journey. Rear Admiral John Shafroth is in command, aboard the Alabama. Others in the triumphant proces- sion are such history making men, cf-war as the Iowa, Alabama, Wis., consin, South Dakota, Colorado and West Virginia; the Aircraft Car rier Ticonderoga. and the Cruisers Amsterdam, Vicksburg and Tucson.
 At Pearl Harbor Admiral Halsey and perhaps Fleet Chief Admiral Chester w. Nimitz are expected to board the warships. From there. the fleet will continue to the coastal cities of the United States to be accorded well-deserved honor on Navy Day, Oct. 27. The Mis- souri has steamed out ahead of Shafroth's force to take part in New York's Navy Day celebration.
 State Department expressions of surprise and concern at MacAr- thurs prediction of three days ago on the size of the occupation forces drew another terse mo comment" from MacArthur himself today. His staff officers pointed out. however, that his announcement of future reductions had clearly specified a probable force of 100000 six months hence. It did not say that this would be the maximum landed in the meantime. they emphasized.
 Troops will continue to pour into Japan through September October, November and December until about 100000 have arrived by the end of the year, they reported.
 Japanese delnobilization, mean while, is proceeding so smoothly that approximately three-fourths of the homeland army has been dis armed and discharged in half the allotted time, MacArthur's head quarters announced.
 The 100000 maximum, Army spokesmen said, does not include Marine units in Navy occupation zones, nor fleet personnel.
 In Washington, Acting Secretary Of State Dean Acheson remarked sharply that the United States Government. not the occupation forces under MacArthur, is deter mining American policy toward Japan He expressed surprise that anyone could determine now the of forces necessary for the 
 MacArthur's staff officers pointed out that thus far the occupation has been without incident and that of what Macarthur called the unknown quantity of the initial operation" permitted new planning for the future.
 The Generals chief of economic and scientific planning said today that Japan's food and shelter crisis would reach it's peak in three or four months Staff officers empha- sized that MacArthur's predicted reduction to 100000 occupation troops would follow this period