– NBC Radio News – August 27, 1945 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
As preparations were finishing up, the 3rd Fleet was moving into Segami Bay and the first of several contingents of U.S. troops were preparing to land on Japanese shores, starting the beginning of the first full and complete occupation of Japan ever to take place.
This August 27th, 70 years ago – was all about the occupation of Japan, and the issues getting to confront what was quickly to become a Postwar world.
Meanwhile, hearings were underway in Washington regarding the investigation into the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7th of 1941 – the attack which was the tipping point in our becoming involved in World War 2. A lot of finger pointing and blaming to go around. A number of accusations of high-ranking officials being aware of Japanese preparations for an attack, but doing nothing to prevent it. A lot of denials and a lot of arguments over our preparedness.
The ones who stood accused of derelictions of duty had already been removed from their commands shortly after the start of the war. It was a question now of just how far up the chain of command the responsibility lay. It was guaranteed to be a dramatic investigation.
Accusations of another sort were taking place on the other side of the globe. This one had to do with putting the leaders of the Nazi regime on trial for War Crimes. So far, a virtual who’s who of the Nazi Party had been rounded up. Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess, Alfred Jodl, to name only a few. The trials were set to take place in the German town of Nuremberg – scene of the earliest rallies for the Nazis.
But the bulk of the news for this day was about waiting for ships to dock, troops to wade ashore and planes to land and for the Occupation of Japan to begin.
All on this August 27th in 1945.
