Mutual – Don Bell Reporting from Tokyo – March 1, 1946 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
News from Tokyo this March 1st in 1946. Standing in direct contrast to news reports only a year earlier, reporter Don Bell portrayed the current situation in Tokyo as one of sheer boredom and low morale on the part of the Occupation forces.
With a rapidly dwindling troop presence, certain jobs and support staff went vacant – and even receiving mail, that one element so key in preserving morale of the troops, was down to a small percentage of its former self. Now receiving a letter from home took as long as 28 days to reach its destination. The result was a wave of homesickness and a feeling of abandonment, now that the war was over it was on to other issues of importance back home.
But the worse blow came when the Army let it be known it was intending on suspending it’s Occupation edition of Stars and Stripes, instead replacing it with an English language version of Nippon Times which many felt further isolated and de-moralized the occupation force.
Apparently the issue had more to do with political wrangling within the Army Command than keeping Stars and Strips in print.
As with the report just previous to this one, news from home was potentially unsettling and even more depressing. With the economy gone haywire and cost of living skyrocketing, it left many in the occupation forces worried that when discharge finally arrived, they would come home to a scene far worse than before they left.
Needless to say, it wasn’t a comforting picture but it was life on life’s terms.
And that’s some of what was going on, this first day of March in 1945 as present by reports from Mutual News.
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