Evening star., 1946-03-17


Far East as guest OF the Secre-
taries OF War and NaUy. The fifth
article aDiH appear tomorro,o.)
There is not the uncertainty, in Tokyo,
over the objectives of our occupation of
Japan that one finds in Washington.
One reason for this is that the men
on the job of directing an occupation
unique in military history are aware of
a great opportunity because they can
see it spread before them. They are
confident of their ability to take full
advantage of it, provided the people at
home back them up and give them the
means of seeing through what we have
begun.
The fact that the opportunity is one
which lends itself to idealistic express
sion, uninf1uenced by thoughts Of purely
elf-advantage or intent to exploit
conquered people, supplies something
akin to spiritual inspiration for those
who are doing the work.
The source of much of this sentiment
is Gen. Macarthur, rather than the
language of the Potsdam agreement. 1t
would be difficult to exaggerate the un-
usual prestige which attaches to this
single personality in Japan. To the
japanese, living from hand to mouth
amidst the ruins of their country,
Gen. Macarthur. personifies liberation
and hope rather than the instrument
of a conqueror's retribution. The jap
aneSe crowd the streets when he passes,
stand for hours to get glimpse of him
as he enters or leaves his downtown
Office. From Emperor Hirohito on down
ton of MacArthur's name brings
smiles and warm expressions of respect.
From members of his staff and from
the soldiers he commands he seems to
have inspired an exceptional degree of
loyalty and confidence.
He impresses those who hear him
with the clarity of his own view of what
we should be able to accomplish by
Japanese occupation. To him, occupa-
ton presents one of the great oppor-
tunities of history to leave with a
defeated people new idea of how to
live in peace with the rest of the world
by offering to the individual concept
of freedom which in the past has been
incomprehensible to the average jap
anese. Aside from the mechanics of
demilitarization, restoration of order,
assessment of reparations, etc., the
cardinal mission of our occupation is to
demonstrate this new idea of individual
liberty as the basis for future self
government. If the idea takes hold, say
in five years, we shall have accomplished
our mission. If it does not, we shall
have failed.
According to this point of view, If the
idea Is given force and direction by
the japanese people themselves in
democratic forms of government, we
shall have left in Japan the strongest
bulwark against relapse, by the Japanese
people, into the same sort OF tyranny
which was necessary instrument of
their militaristic policy. We also shall
have left the strongest bulwark against
intrusion, from other sources, Of ideas
concerning democracy which are alien
to our own and which in themselves
may become threats to peace. That,
broadly speaking and without reference
to such details as the precise length of
occupation, permanent military or naval
bases in or adjacent to Japan, is the
objective of our occupation policy as it
is interpreted in Japan.
How are we proceeding to reach it
and what progress has been made?
When our forces landed in Japan
there were approximately $500, 900 Jap
anese soldiers and 1,250,00O sailors still
armed and organized in the islands
They have been disarmed and de-
mobilized without single noteworthy
incident of resistance Enough dis
armed Japanese soldiers have been
maintained in military organization
about 27,000-to administer demobiliza-
ton, reparation and the location and
destruction of underground stores of am
munition. Small arms, heavy weapons,
airplanes and other such equipment
have been destroyed, The ammunition
is still being removed from caves
throughout Japan and transported to
sea, where 1t is dumped in not less
than so fathoms and there is so much
OF 1t that this work will not end before