Waiting for word - Everyone wanted it over.
War In The Pacific: The Waiting – The Mixed Signals – August 10, 1945
NBC News – Reports, bulletins, discussions – continuous – August 10, 1945 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
August 10, 1945 – a day for waiting. With conflicting reports, speculation, mixed signals and hanging on every news report from every source, America was holding its breath, along with Britain, France and Russia that the war would soon, officially be over.
On this day the Japanese government announced that a message had been sent to the Allies accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration provided that it “does not comprise any demand that prejudices the prerogatives of the Emperor as sovereign ruler.
Words from shortwave news broadcasts via Tokyo were quickly deciphered and interpreted. Reports that the Emperor accepted the terms but that the question now was whether the Emperor would retain his power or not was at issue. That was the sticking point. Over the following hours discussions over the condition were debated and public opinion ran the gamut. Many felt it was so close, let the Emperor retain power. Others objected strongly saying it was the Emperor who was the real power behind the war and that if he wasn’t removed, it would send a signal that the war was really not over and that the same powers who initiated the war were still able to start up again and that was not acceptable.
So while the waiting continued, communiqués between Tokyo, Stockholm, Bern and Moscow flew back and forth and all needed to be deciphered, weighed and interpreted before any further move was made. In the meantime, the war was still going on amid rumors.
News and radio played a big part in keeping everyone informed – most of the networks continued keeping lines open and interrupting any regular program for developments as they occurred. The following is a one hour + sample of what was going on over the air as the waiting continued.
And while you’re here . . .you know we don’t run ads – stopped running them more than a few years ago. The ads were noisy and pretty awful and they were a huge distraction, having to wade through a lot of useless barking in order to get to the good stuff. But we still have to pay the bills, and there’s a ton of them and they don’t like to wait. And so we ask you consider becoming a subscriber and support all the stuff we do every day by kicking in what amounts to being an Americano Grande every month to be part of the solution and not the problem. In todays bizarre economy it ain’t much – but it means a ton to Past Daily. All you have to do (and we make this as simple and pain-free as possible) is head over to Patreon (that red box just below that says “Become A Patron” that you click on) and check us out. You can do 7 days free just to kick the tires and take a test drive. And if you like us, hit the subscribe button and become part of our rather haywire little family. Not bad, considering we just want you to like us.
