SLOWED DOWN

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 56, 4 September 1945, Page 7

SLOWED DOWN

ARRIVAL OF U.S. FORCES IN

JAPAN

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) NEW YORK, September 3. "Though General Mac Arthur's pledge to keep troops out of Tokio expired with the signing of the formal surrender, our modest beach-head in Honshu has not expanded," says the "New York Herald Tribune's" correspondent at Yokohama. "Continued ■bad weather has slowed down the arrival of forces by air. Only 35 transport planes reached Atsugi airfield yesterday. At present we are spread too thinly to occupy additional ground. "Furthermore, General Mac Arthur shares the Japanese Government's apprehension that thei entry of troops into Tokio might provoke an incident ■which would inflame the now stunned populace. For that reason, we are not likely to cross the Tama River until we are strong enough to suppress "trouble quickly. "General Mac Arthur has issued his first general order governing Japanese" actions under the sui-render terms. The main task now is to get in troops at as many strategic points as possible in order to demilitarise the Japanese forces and industries. The general orders which will follow are expected to take up questions dealing, with demilitarisation, but more and more emphasis will be placed on civil government. At present the civil functions are still almost entirely under the Imperial Government's discretionary authority, but soon General MacArthur will issue orders placing these under his general supervision. "Previously our dealings with the Japanese were conducted in a somewhat yacuumatic state, in which our authority was tacitly recognised by the Japanese but was still subject to bargaining and exchanges of requests. The Japanese defeat is now down in black and. white. There can be no question about who is giving and who is taking orders." With Japan's formal surrender an accomplished fact, the Allied occupation proceeded yesterday at quickened tempo, said a "New York Times" correspondent in Yokohama. Tanks and heavy equipment rolled through the streets of Yokohama, obviously impressing the onlooking Japanese civilians, and American troops streamed down the gangways to the docks. Transportation remains their greatest bottle-neck. The Japanese agreed to provide 500 trucks, 250 passenger cars, and 250 buses, but many of these have turned out to be unserviceable, and the roads are lined with abandoned vehicles.