September 1945 in Japan
Soon after the official surrender of Japan, General MacArthur moved his headquarters into the Dai Ichi building in Tokyo. At noon, 8 September 1945, on the terrace of the U.S. Embassy, he met an honor guard from the 1st Calvary Division; they held the Stars and Stripes that had flown over the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. on 7 December 1941 – Pearl Harbor Day. As the red, white and blue began to rise… MacArthur said, “General Eichelberger, have our country’s flag unfurled and in Tokyo’s sun let it wave its full glory as a symbol of hope for the oppressed and as a harbinger of victory for the right.”
Immediately after the ceremony, Major Paul Kraus and his MPs and a throng of reporters, (including George Jones of the New York Times) surrounded the home of Hideki Tojo. The general shot himself in the chest before anyone could enter his office. The bullet missed his heart. At the 48th Evacuation Hospital, he told Gen. Eichelberger, “I am sorry to have given General Eichelberger so much trouble.” The general asked, “Do you mean tonight or the last few years?” The answer was, “Tonight. I want General Eichelberger to have my new saber.”
The night before Prince Konoye was to be sent to Sugamo Prison, he drank poison and died. (I personally feel that the prince might have been acquitted of war criminal charges at the trials. He had tried for years to bring peace, his mistake being, his having chosen the Soviets as mediators and Stalin blocked him at every step.)
In reply of Allied and liberated Japanese press opinions of the Emperor, MacArthur was determined not to humiliate him: “To do so,” the general said, “would be to outrage the feelings of the Japanese people and make a martyr of the Emperor in their eyes.” As a student of Asian cultures, he proved to be correct. It would take two weeks, but the Emperor requested an interview with the general himself.
His Majesty arrived in his ancient limousine with Grand Chamberlain Fujita and was met with a salute from General Bonner F. Fellers. When Fellers’ hand dropped, the Emperor grabbed it. An interpreter quickly explained that the Emperor was happy to see him. Fellers replied, “I am honored to meet you. Come in and meet General MacArthur.” Nervously, Hirohito allowed himself to be escorted up the staircase to the general’s office.
Trying to ease the tension, MacArthur told him he had been presented to his father, Emperor Taisho, after the Russian-Japanese War and offered Hirohito an American cigarette. The Emperor’s hand shook as it was lit and the general then dismissed everyone except the interpreter. The conversation before an open fire was observed, unknowingly, by Mrs. MacArthur and their son, Arthur who hid behind the long red drapes.
The emperor had been forewarned not to assume any responsibility for the war, but he did just that.”I come to you, General MacArthur, to offer myself to the judgment of the powers you represent as the one to bear sole responsibility for every political and military decision made and action taken by my people in the conduct of this war.”
MacArthur freely admitted being moved “to the marrow of my bones. He was an Emperor by inherent birth, but in that instant I knew I faced the First Gentleman of Japan in his own right.”
The Japanese acknowledged, without reservations, the temporal power of the current shogun, but revered what was eternal. (The Imperial Palace)
Resources: U.S. Signal Corps; “The Rising Sun” by John Toland; Gene Slover’s US Navy Papers; historyinanhour.com
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Elton Barber – Buckley, WA; US Navy, WWII, ETO, USS Chester
Robert “Sam” Carlson – MS; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Eugene Duffy – Beach Grove, IN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Co. A/127 Engineers/11th Airborne Division
Willard Dykes – Meridian, ID; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Albert Green – Sandy, OR; US Army, Korea, Co. G/187th RCT
James Heflin – Memphis, TN; USMC, WWII, PTO
Alice Jefferson – Stoneham, MA; US Coast Guard SPAR, WWII, Commander (Ret. 25 y.)
David Kesler – Berthoud, CO; US Navy, WWII, Baker 2nd Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA, (Pearl Harbor)
Robert Spence – Montreal, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII
Benjamin Starr – Montgomery, AL; US Army Air Corps, WWII
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Posted on June 10, 2019, in Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 1940's, Army, History, Japan, Military, Military History, Pacific War, USA, veterans, war, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 119 Comments.
Informative and revealing. Handling a defeated adversary is a sensitive matter. The loser is bound to harbour feelings of humiliation and rage which could express themselves at a later point. But, considering the passage of seventy years since, it is probably fair to say that the handling was mature and sensitive.
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MacArthur basically grew up in the Orient and understood their culture. It was one of the reasons FDR picked him and one of the things Truman forgot.
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Great informative reading gp, your standard as usual. I think there would probably many interesting aspects of Prince Konoye’s life regarding his liaison with the Soviet Leaders.
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The Prince was always working for peace, but Japan’s military had too firm a hold on the country by then.
Thanks for your comment, Ian.
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Thank you for this bit of history and insight into the lives of people, GP!
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My pleasure, Lavinia. I thank you for taking so much time out of your day.
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Interesting post. Dan Carlin’s podcasts on Imperial Japan are fascinating and helpful to understand the culture and mindset that led to WW2 and the role of the Emperor.
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Back in WWII, there were only a few outside of Japan who understood it completely.
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Interesting GP. I wasn’t aware that Tojo had shot himself nor that Prince Konoye had committed suicide. I guess Tojo didn’t want to make a mess with a shot to his head (fair enough) but I’m not sure he knew too much about human anatomy to miss his heart.
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I’ve always wondered about that. Did he make certain the bullet would miss vital organs and think the US would consider it enough punishment? But no matter, we executed him anyway.
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Reblogged this on depolreablesunite.
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Happy U.S.A.!!!
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Airborne! ♥️
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The sad reality of accountability, not seen before and rarely since.
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And that shows you what is going on in this world today. No integrity.
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Ouch, yes, my key word is integrity, painful when it is in deficit.
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Indeed!!
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You mentioned that Hirohito was “forewarned not to assume any responsibility for the war.” Who was it who gave him that warning? I presume it would have been some of the Japanese high command, but that might not be right. We certainly were lucky to have Gen. MacArthur there to help smooth the process and move it along.
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It was a hard to understand government in Japan back then (at least for me) , but he would still have had advisers, former premiers, etc. around him despite the surrender.
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That kind of puts MacArthur in a different light, I’ve always imagined him to be an arrogant, tough, hard nosed sofab, He displayed great character here.very pleasing, thanks GP
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He definitely had a strong-willed personality and ego, but even during the war it was not unusual for him to listen to the ground soldiers’ opinions for a situation. In some ways your original opinion was quite right, but then there was a totally opposite side to him. He was raised basically in the orient, so he understood the cultures; his father was a general so he understood military tactics – quite a well-rounded individual.
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and greatly misunderstood by me and no doubt countless others; thanks for enlightening me GP; again! 🙂
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No problem, Beari. That’s why my father always stressed looking at ALL sides to a debate – nothing is ever just black and white.
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Wonderful information, GP! Thank you for this, and have a beautiful day! Michael
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And you as well. I woke up this morning worrying as to whether I gave you enough links to find the information you’re looking for. I hope it works out. I’ll continue to look.
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Thank you very much GP! I think it will work. Have to do over the weekend. Best wishes, Michael
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Reblogged this on Dave Loves History.
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Thank you very much, Dave.
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horrible relentless little people who were monsters during the war.. good post mate.
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It was a different world and their culture put them on another planet, as far as we knew.
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Wonderful snippet of history. Thanks.
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Thank you.
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That was a fascinating insight….I grew up on father’s rumblings about how Japan got special treatment as a bulwark against Russia.
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haha, we gave far too much to Russia as it was, we didn’t want them to grab parts of China and Japan as well!!
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Perfect photos and a nice historical reflection.
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Thank you.
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💕☕
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I would guess that the way the whole affair was handled would not have been what they expected from a country that they had surprise attacked and killed many thousands of people – not to mention much of their brutal conduct at times. I doubt that other countries would have treated them this way. Not saying it wasn’t the wisest way to do things, but I had a friend who was a Marine who fought in the Pacific and I can tell you that his hatred was unbridled.
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Some people couldn’t let the hatred go, and that is understandable after what they all went through.
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A very interesting insight into cultural differences between Japan and USA.
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No matter what anyone’s opinion of MacArthur was, we were lucky to him, a man who lived in and understood the oriental culture, to help win the war and run the Occupation. Thanks for stopping in, Emma. Your time is much appreciated!
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I’m no fan of Hirohito but I happened to watch live recently the retirement of the old emperor. It was all done more or less in silence, and was amazingly dignified, especially the way he walked away to leave, but just before he disappeared, he turned round and smiled at everyone with enormous dignity. It’s well worth seeing if it’s out there on youtube.
Fellers is famous over here as the man who put Rommel in the No I spot on the German generals’ list, as he revealed to them every move the British were going to make in North Africa. Not a popular man in Britain!
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Yes, Feller’s codes had been breached by the Germans and of course, then changed.
I felt sorry for Hirohito in a way, a man who had his title thrust on him when he only wanted to be a marine biologist and live a normal life.
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Reblogged this on John Cowgill's Literature Site.
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Thanks, John!
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You are welcome.
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Excellent piece of history, GP. I learned a lot from your post. Keep up the great work! S
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Thanks, Steve.
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Terrific post, GP. It is clear why Mac Arthur is so revered in Japan.
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He understood the culture from basically growing up in the orient.
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Amazing statement by the emperor. I can’t imagine any world leader today taking on that sense of responsibility.
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hahaha, couldn’t you just picture them scrambling?!! Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a pit for example.
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Yep….
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What a moving post. I am not surprised–by both the Japanese humility and closure. Excellent article.
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Thanks for reading it, Jacqui! Like I keep asking you – where do you get the time?!!
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Great informative post, GP. I love the cartoon. 😅
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Glad you liked it!!
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I also like the little parachute guy who comes floating down on your page. So cute!
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Airborne all the way!
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YAY!!!
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Another wonderful post!
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Thank you very much.
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Vainglorious as he was, MacArthur seems to have successfully put his oversized ego aside and handled the Japanese surrender and his subsequent governance of Japan just right. The man who had the photo of his return to the Philippines staged put enough of his ego on the shelf to handle the surrender of Japan in a way that helped turn this former enemy country into a friend.
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Actually that return photo was not staged. The general was teed-off at the beachmaster directing the landing craft, who told the boat full of VIP’s to “walk-in”, he didn’t have time to deal with them. Photographers later on tried to recreate that entrance, but it didn’t work out. 🙂
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Another first class story. Interesting, that’s the first time I’d read of that meeting.
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It was 3 weeks in the making. I believe the Emperor thought Mac would storm into the palace and start giving orders, but he didn’t, so the Emperor went to him.
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Well done, GP.
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Thank you very much!
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What an interesting post about the honour code and culture of the Japanese people! The sensitive actions of General McArthur towards the emperor are to be admired. Thanks for sharing the information on the events following the Japanese surrender, GP!
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I believe all went far better than Europe where they had the Russians stealing equipment, demanding more territory and pushing civilians on the west side so they would have to care for them. Thank you for stopping in, Peter.
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Did you hear of the USS Mt. Hood explosion of November 10, 1944? My mother’s first husband died in it. She was pregnant with my oldest brother. She never talked about it. Curious if you have any story about it. My brother never met his father, of course, but is still alive.
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You might wish to ask NARA for the brave sailor’s records. If they’re available, it might take a while, but they are interesting. Youtube has viseos of the explosion, but they might be too much for him to watch. How does this work for you in the meantime?
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/ae11-k.htm
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Thanks G.P. As always you bring out details I had never heard before.
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I’m glad to hear that. I want to try to do that and keep a repeat of history more interesting.
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Very humanistic post. Loved the details. Still maintain that we were very lucky to have MacArthur at that place and at that time. (Guess he may have gotten too big for his britches by Korea, but in 1945, he was the right person at the right time.)
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haha, he always had that huge ego, but he knew what he was doing. Thanks, Pat!!
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Humility and grace appear to be out of respect, not fear.
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In this case, correct.
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That’s how to be an Emperor. Brilliant post GP.
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He had always just wanted to be a marine biologist, but being the Emperor was thrust upon him and he behaved as such. I think that’s commendable.
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I do too GP, back in those days there was a thing called integrity, sadly missing nowadays.
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Exactly!!
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As so often, GP, stuff I didn’t know here. I am very impressed by both the events and your research. Many thanks.
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Thank you so much, Hilary. We don’t hear much from you lately, how is your garden going this year?
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Again we see how well General MacArthur handled the post war process.
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I truly do not believe anyone could have done better.
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In defeat, all these Japanese men acted so “honorably”. But what did they do in all those years when Japanese troops raped China and all the other Asian countries, causing millions of people to die?
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The China end of the post-war was not handled as well as it could have been. I have yet to come upon a valid reason why. But – I’m always looking for new information!!
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A great post. I wonder if Mrs. MacArthur or Arthur heard words exchanged between the General and the Emperor and revealed them somewhere. I heard the Emperor said he was prepared to take the responsibility for the war and to be hanged, and he asked the General to see to it that the Japanese people will be provided with food. But this is just a rumor.
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According to my research that is exactly what happened. I have it in the paragraph just below the Emperor on the white horse.
Thank you for dropping by.
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Thank you.
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No problem – anytime.
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Thank you. So, the Emperor really asked food for the people. I’ve not known that.
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I’ll be doing a post on feeding an occupied nation soon. I hope that might answer some of your questions.
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Thank you. I’m waiting. “A handful people” were hanged after the Tokyo Tribunal, but their likes still exist today. You never know how they might dominate for dictatorship again. We must be informed of the real fact of that time.
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That’s why we must learn our histories, learn and remember, so it won’t happen again.
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That’s right. Let’s not let the bad history repeat itself!.
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wow, the humanity could not help but shine through even in the darkest hours for some
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Isn’t it good to see for a change?!
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Yes!
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Fascinating!
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Thanks for coming, Doug.
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My pleasure! I always learn something when I do, so I always stop by whether I comment or not! You continue to produce one of my top favorite blogs, GP.
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That comment means more than you think!!
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History is important, eh? And you bring out lots of obscure bits that get us closer to the GI Joe point of view than standard history books do. Personally, I think that is the value of what you do. I know my simple, little cat blog takes a certain amount of time, so can estimate that you have to spend hours reading and researching to maintain the high level of interest, quality, and accuracy you manage each time! I salute your efforts, GP~!
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Doug, that is an amazing compliment. Beyond a sincere Thank You, I’m at a lost for words!!
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I think your other folklowers surely feel as strongly!
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Thank you, Doug.
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Good grace prevailed
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In my book, that’s great to see.
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Indeed
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It is somehow comforting to read of the understanding and mutual respect between those two men. But I am reminded of how different it would have been if the Japanese had been the victors.
Best wishes, Pete.
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It would have been interesting to know exactly what would have happened if we lost to Japan. The rest of the world was in no shape to help us out.
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You’ve begged for an “armchair” assessment – here it is:
The only logical way this would have happened is as follows:
1) Our cryptologists hadn’t broken their Purple code, and lost to them at Midway.
2) Their militarism notwithstanding, Japan would have consolidated their gains and not commenced an invasion of Australia, however, this is certainly debatable.
3) Given the above circumstance, this would have produced a “phony war” as had happened in the E.T.O.; which would give us time to rebuild our navel forces.
4) In my opinion, after a new Navy buildup, our response would have been an invasion of Midway island, giving us an advanced base to conduct further operations against Imperial Japan. I decline to speculate further. “Nuff Said.
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Thank you.
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I was just thinking the same thing. Look at the event after the Fall of Bataan. The Japanese soldiers behaved like savages. In the end, the good prevailed over evil as always.
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Thank goodness for that, eh, Rose?!
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Thank you for sharing this.
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