THE PEACE IN PREPARATION
. . . THE PEACE IN PREPARATION . . . THE contrast between the apparent smooth-working and efficient occupation policy in the Pacific and the tangled, dismaying state of affairs in Europe, which was...
...Oi;tf+"nding development of the week was a revolutionary o'"^°" decreeing a new Magna Carta of civil liberties -for the Japanese people...
...It was reported that such a demand was submitted by Molotov in writing at the last day of the conference to Byrnes...
...MacArthur ordered, bluntly fwl clearly, the-abolition of all restrictions to the dew.nrratic freedom of the Japanese, the freeing of political prisoners, the abolition of the "thought police" who «r...
...Everywhere the verdict was the same: A serious rift had oc-cured and despite all efforts of the dele-Kates to the conference to paint the results with optimistic hues there was no denying the obvious fact that no specific achievement could be pointed to as a result of the conference...
...It devolves upon us (America) to give-leadership in restoring principle as a guide to conduct," he declared...
...Cvats...
...Ths Japanese press responded to the new freedom by launching a campaign against' all suspected war criminals, feudalists, and bure...
...A new government formed under 73-year old Premier Kiiuro Shidehara...
...Byrnes Reports On London It was on this issue that the conference became deadlocked and finally collapsed...
...But from the Asiatic mainland came disquieting reports...
...MacArthur also moved to insure against the nossibil-ity of armed resistance by ordering that all data on Japanese arms production for the last five years be turned over to the occupation authorities...
...If we do not do that the world will pot be worth living in...
...They also charged that Japanese troops were ordered by the national government to join in the attack...
...At mid-week the Kremlin was reported to have ordered its military attache to KftcAr-thur home...
...Molotov refused to allow France and China to participate in the discussions of the peace terms for Rumania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, stating that to do so would be to disregard the Potsdam De"'«ration...
...Conditions in Europe, following the collapse of the London peace conference, were unanimously described as critical by independent observers from all countries...
...THE PEACE IN PREPARATION . . . THE contrast between the apparent smooth-working and efficient occupation policy in the Pacific and the tangled, dismaying state of affairs in Europe, which was so noticeable last week, was more pronounced than ever this week...
...Meanwhile, Washington took the first steps against state religion in Japan by announcing that Shintoism would no longer be the official religion supported by the government with a place in the Japanese schools...
...On his arrival in the United States Byrnes wasted no ti ie in taking America's case to the people via radio...
...or2-"' into retirement 14 years ago when he opposed the militarists, was reoorted to be made up of liberals and to have excluded all warmakers...
...Byrnes charged that the conference was wrecked by the Soviet abuse of the veto power which allows one conferee to nullify any measure approved by the other four...
...Another point of disagreement, but one which was not discussed at any length, was the demand made by Molotov that an Allied commission of control be named to preside over occupation of Japan...
...New Day In Japan In Japan, meanwhile, sweeping reforms cr>ntin>'ed, as Gen...
...He said that the conference had tested American principles and this nation will stand by them...
...Douglas MacArthur...
...The result of this order for a revolution in t1 " "r>liti-cal life of Japan was the resignation of the tit-*-.surrender Government which refused to carry i+ out...
...Meanwhile, Russian spokesmen were not entirely silent...
...Asserting the willingness of the United States to compromise, Byrnes said, "But the United States does not believe in agreement at any price...
...Urging the American people to back Byrnes, he declared that a good beginning in peacemaking had been made, for the conference had'brought forth issues which have heretofore been obscured by the unity necessary for the execution of the wjar...
...He accused the Russian delegation of making it impossible to go%forward with the conference unless the oth^r four powers were willing "to yield their views and convictions to those of the Soviet Union...
...That the situation was critical could be seen from the extraordinary efforts the principal disputants, U. S. Secretary of State James Byrnes and Molotov, put forth to rally public opinion to their respective positions...
...Later, however, Pravda, the official Communist organ, published an article in which, the first signs of willingness to compromise were detected...
...Chinese Communists charged that troops of the Chiang Kai-shek government were attacking Chinese Communist troops in an attempt to drive them out of areas liberated from the Japanese...
...In some of the strongest language yet directed at the Soviets from an official of the U. S. government, Byrnes charged that the Russians were seeking "to coerce the judgment and conscience of fellow nations...
...Prince Higashikuni, who headed the government, presented the resignation of his cabinet to Hirohito an'' it was said to have been received by the Emperor \vi+h the remark, "That is good...
...John Foster Dulles, who accompanied Byrnes to the conference as an advisor, also expressed the hope for future success in a radio address...
...MacArthur as supreme commander of the occupation forces...
...The Secretary of State nevertheless denied that the collapse of the conference had doomed the chance for another meeting at which agreement could be reached and expressed the hope that Molotov, after conferring with Stalin, would modify the Russian position...
...oreed the repressive measures und»r the former government...
...America's position, Byrnes asserted, has been and will remain that "those states, both large and small, which had fought and suffered in the war, must make the peace...
...Molotov held extensive press conferences before leaving London in which he sarcastically and repeatedly charged that the other powers were betraying the Potsdam Declaration...
...The cause of the squabble, it became increasingly clear after several days of speculation, lay in the adamant refusal of the Russian Foreign Commissar V. M. Molotov to agree to methods of procedure subscribed to previously by all the delegates...
...The article suggested that if the conference were to be opened up to French officials it should also be opened to Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, all governments more or less friendly to the Soviets...
...Izvestia, the Soviet Government paper, bluntly blamed the failure of the conference on Britain and the United States, reiterating Mjolotov's charge that the two western powers were attempting to by-pass the Potsdam Agreement...
...after only one month of occupation, moved toward the second phase—')w beginning of political democracy in Japan...
...It can still be practiced as the religion individual Japanese, however...
...There was little official discussion of this subject, but it had deep political reverberations in this country, especially when it was reported that Moscow demanded the removal of Gen...
Vol. 9 • October 1945 • No. 41
