In July of 1945, the Allies issued an ultimatum to Japan for unconditional surrender and a just peace. When Japan ignored this, the United States decided to use the atomic bomb. On Aug. 14, 1945, the Allies received a message from Japan accepting surrender.
If Japan had not accepted this unconditional surrender, the Allies would have gone on to invade Japan under the code name “Operation Olympic.”
On Sept. 2, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur, Admiral Nimitz and Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu met on board the U.S.S. “Missouri” in Tokyo Bay to sign a surrender agreement. President Harry Truman proclaimed this as V-J (Victory over Japan) Day. This was three years, eight months and 22 days after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
Chloie Clements, a longtime neighborhood resident, writes about our history. She and her husband, Dick, work with Henry S. Miller Co. Send comments and story ideas to her at 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214, or FAX 214-823-8866.
