FAREWELL TO TOKYO

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26398, 17 April 1951, Page 7

FAREWELL TO TOKYO

MacArthur Leaves For America (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 7 p.pi.) TOKYO, April 16. “Goodbye, Genera] MacArthur. We still love you” was among the slogans painted on houses along the road to the Hancdi airport from where General MacArthur to-day began his retain to America. The general was accompanied by Mrs MacArthur and their 13-year-old son, Arthur. The new United Nations Commander, General Matthew Ridgway, was the last to say goodbye to General MacArthur.

He waited near the gangway of the “Bataan,” General MacArthur’s personal aircraft, to greet the general as he boarded the plane. To the strains of “Auld Lang Syne” and with echoes of a 19-gun salute fading away, the giant Constellation—its former identification of “Scap” (Supreme Command Allied Personnel) newly painted out—taxied down the runway and then headed straight out to sea.

The farewell was accompanied by pomp unseen in Japan since the surrender and. rarely witnessed even in pre-war days. Japanese police estimated that millions lined the route as the general's car moved through the newly swept streets. The crowds were kept back by 6000 American and Brit-

ish Commonwealth troops and 10,000 Japanese police. Traffic in either direction along the route was stopped and no vehicle was allowed to follow the procession route until after the general had left the country. At the airport General MacArthui was met by the Japanese Prime Minister (Mr Yoshida), his entire Cabinet, Diet members, foreign diplomatic mission and high American and Allied officers. A composite American and British Commonwealth guard of honour at the airport carried the American and United Nations colours as well as the general’s own. Eighteen jet fighters and three Superfortresses flew overhead. The Superfortresses will act as the general’s escort on the flight. Before his departure General MacArthur made a slow inspection of the massed troops after waving a hand of acknowledgement to the cheering and clanping spectators. M?ny hundreds of American and other United Nations servicemen on leave from Korea turned out to see General MacArthur leave. There were wet eves among members of the Japanese Cabinet as General MacArthur began to walk down the Pne of assembled civil and military dignitaries and his Japanese household staff wept freely. The Soviet representative was not present.