HOPE FOR BETTER
WORLD
GEN. MACARTHUR'S SPEECH
WASHINGTON, September 2. General Mac Arthur, aboard the Missouri, said: "We are gathered here as representatives of the major warring Powers to conclude a solemn agreement | whereby peace may be restored. j "Issues involving divergent ideolo- j gies have been determined on the battlefields of the world; hence it is j not for our discussion or debate, nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do the majority of the earth's peoples, in a spirit of distrust, malice, or hatred, but rather it is for us. victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone befits the sacred purpose we are about to serve, committing all our peoples unreservedly to faithful compliance with the undertakings they are here formally to assume. "It is my earnest hope, and indeed that of all mankind, that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge from the blood and carnage of the past—a world founded on faith and understanding, dedicated to j dignify man and to the fulfilment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice. "The terms and conditions on which the Japanese Imperial Forces surrender, here to be given and accepted, are contained in the instrument of surrender. As Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, I announce it my firm purpose, in the traditions of the countries I represent, to proceed j to discharge my responsibilities with justice and tolerance while taking all necessary dispositions to ensure that the terms of surrender are fully, promptly, and faithfully complied with. "I now invite the representatives of the Emperor of Japan, the Japanese Goyernment, and the Japanese Imperial Headquarters to sign the instrument of surrender at the places indicated." . After the signatures of the various Powers had been affixed, General Mac Arthur said: "Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world, and that God preserve it always. These proceedings are closed."
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 55, 3 September 1945, Page 5
Word Count
325HOPE FOR BETTER Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 55, 3 September 1945, Page 5
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