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Gen. Douglas MacArthur's Speech After Japanese Surrender

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Even his detractors -- and the defeated Japanese -- recognized the grace with which MacArthur presided over the surrender ceremony aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. A few minutes after the Japanese and other delegations were in place, MacArthur, entering with Nimitz and Halsey, strode to the microphone and uttered the following words:

We are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers, to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored. The issues, involving divergent ideals and ideologies, have been determined on the battlefields of the world and hence are not for our discussion or debate. Nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do a majority of the people of the earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice or hatred. But rather it is for us, both victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone befits the sacred purposes we are about to serve, committing all our people unreservedly to faithful compliance with the understanding they are here formally to assume.

It is my earnest hope, and indeed the hope of all mankind, that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past -- a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance and justice.

After the surrender documents were signed and the Japanese delegation had departed, MacArthur went to another microphone and broadcast the following radio message to the world. Once again, note the ease with which the soldier made the transition to statesman:

Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won....

As I look back upon the long, tortuous trail from those grim days of Bataan and Corregidor, when an entire world lived in fear, when democracy was on the defensive everywhere, when modern civilization trembled in the balance, I thank a merciful God that he has given us the faith, the courage and the power from which to mold victory. We have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no turning back. We must go forward to preserve in peace what we won in war.

A new era is upon us. Even the lesson of victory itself brings with it profound concern, both for our future security and the survival of civilization. The destructiveness of the war potential, through progressive advances in scientific discovery, has in fact now reached a point which revises the traditional concepts of war.

Men since the beginning of time have sought peace.... Military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. We have had our last chance. If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature and all material and cultural development of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.
 
The full address not a cut up version can be found here...


http://www.freedomdocuments.com/macarthur.html




"We are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers -- to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored. The issues involving divergent ideals and ideologies, have been determined on the battlefields of the world and hence are not for our discussion or debate. Nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do a majority of the people of the earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice or hatred. But rather it is for us, both victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone befits the sacred purposes we are about to serve, committing all our people unreservedly to faithful compliance with the obligation they are here formally to assume.

It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past -- a world founded upon faith and understanding -- a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish -- for freedom, tolerance and justice.

The terms and conditions upon which the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Forces is here to be given and accepted are contained in the Instrument of Surrender now before you."

"As Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, I announce it my firm purpose, in the tradition of the countries I represent, to proceed in the discharge of my responsibilities with justice and tolerance, while taking all necessary dispositions to insure that the terms of surrender are fully, promptly and faithfully complied with."
 
cherokee said:
The full address not a cut up version can be found here...


http://www.freedomdocuments.com/macarthur.html




"We are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers -- to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored. The issues involving divergent ideals and ideologies, have been determined on the battlefields of the world and hence are not for our discussion or debate. Nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do a majority of the people of the earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice or hatred. But rather it is for us, both victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone befits the sacred purposes we are about to serve, committing all our people unreservedly to faithful compliance with the obligation they are here formally to assume.

It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past -- a world founded upon faith and understanding -- a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish -- for freedom, tolerance and justice.

The terms and conditions upon which the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Forces is here to be given and accepted are contained in the Instrument of Surrender now before you."

"As Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, I announce it my firm purpose, in the tradition of the countries I represent, to proceed in the discharge of my responsibilities with justice and tolerance, while taking all necessary dispositions to insure that the terms of surrender are fully, promptly and faithfully complied with."

MacArthur is one of my favorite generals in history. His Inchon Landings was masterful during the Korean War. To me, he was a genius before his time, not only because of the brilliant Inchon Landings, but also because of his foresight in the future. He had also advised Kennedy to stay out of Vietnam. I heard that Kennedy was preparing to withdraw US troops/advisors from Vietnam before he was assassinated. He was impressed with MacArthur.
 
Another worth reading about is Winston Churchill. His six volume "The Second World War" is lengthy but fascinating reading. Like MacArthur, he was a man uniquely suited for his time, and when his time was over, he was shunted off to the side. My personal favorite of the six volumes is the second, "Their Finest Hour", which recounts the months of May to December 1940, which encompasses the Battle of Britain and major engagements in the middle East, along with a wealth of information about the unique relationship between Roosevelt and the US with Churchill.
 
oldreliable67 said:
Another worth reading about is Winston Churchill. His six volume "The Second World War" is lengthy but fascinating reading. Like MacArthur, he was a man uniquely suited for his time, and when his time was over, he was shunted off to the side. My personal favorite of the six volumes is the second, "Their Finest Hour", which recounts the months of May to December 1940, which encompasses the Battle of Britain and major engagements in the middle East, along with a wealth of information about the unique relationship between Roosevelt and the US with Churchill.

I don't know much about Winston Churchill, however, I do know some things concerning his dealings between Stalin, Roosevelt and himself. I think that Mr. Churchill was very smart, pragmatic and understood exactly what kind of person he was dealing with when it came to Stalin where Roosvelt was a bit foolish. Stalin had more respect for Churchill than Roosvelt and scoffed at democracy when the people of the UK replaced him. Stalin thought it interesting that the person who would actually best defend his people's interests against his tyranny was replaced with somebody less suited for the job.
 
Stalin thought it interesting that the person who would actually best defend his people's interests against his tyranny was replaced with somebody less suited for the job.
the british people replaced churchill with a man (third from the left in my sig)more suited to the job of a britain at peace. Thank god we had churchill in the war and thank god we got rid of him after the war
 
Willoughby said:
the british people replaced churchill with a man (third from the left in my sig)more suited to the job of a britain at peace. Thank god we had churchill in the war and thank god we got rid of him after the war

I liked Churchill better than Roosevelt. I don't know much about Churchill's predecessor, but I do know he was a good leader when dealing with Stalin and that he was a better leader than Roosevelt.
 
ManOfTrueTruth said:
I liked Churchill better than Roosevelt. I don't know much about Churchill's predecessor, but I do know he was a good leader when dealing with Stalin and that he was a better leader than Roosevelt.

Churchill had a bit of an advantage over Roosevelt in that Churchill had a very united people behind him; he experienced very little in the way of partisan politics during the war. His 'war cabinet' became a very closeknit and determined group with a remarkable - for politicians - singularity of purpose.

Roosevelt, on the other hand, faced a very strong isolationist sentiment in the US, right up until December 7, 1941. In fact, it was still somewhat active even after that 'day which will live in infamy'. Even when embroiled in a global conflagration, Roosevelt had to contend with partisan politics.
 
oldreliable67 said:
Churchill had a bit of an advantage over Roosevelt in that Churchill had a very united people behind him; he experienced very little in the way of partisan politics during the war. His 'war cabinet' became a very closeknit and determined group with a remarkable - for politicians - singularity of purpose.

Roosevelt, on the other hand, faced a very strong isolationist sentiment in the US, right up until December 7, 1941. In fact, it was still somewhat active even after that 'day which will live in infamy'. Even when embroiled in a global conflagration, Roosevelt had to contend with partisan politics.

If NYC and Washington DC were getting bombed to smithereens on a daily basis and Americans had to live in bomb shelters, I am sure Roosvelt would have less partisan poltics to deal with. However, despite the partisan politics, Roosvelt should have still more skillfully dealt with Stalin.
 
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