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Re: An unusual request for assistance



Eisenhower was NOT at the ceremony in Tokyo Bay.  Otherwise, he would have
shown up and been prominently featured in the newsreels of the treaty
signing (he doesn't).  In any event, "His Imperial Majesty" Doug MacArthur
would not have played second fiddle to anybody.  Indeed, Eisenhower
had his hands full attending to his duties as SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters
Allied Expeditionary Forces) commander and I think any standard biography
will firmly establish that he was either in Europe or the U.S. in
September 1945.

There remains the possibility that Eisenhower may have signed this item
AFTER the ceremony but, in my mind, at best this may be a souvenir item
with reproduced signatures.

Regards,

Mark D. Jaeger
Purdue University Libraries
Special Collections

On Thu, 13 Apr 2000, James Stimpert wrote:

> I'd like to ask a question that may be only marginally related to the
> list.  Please respond directly to me if you have knowledge of this
> matter.
>
> A donor has inquired if we are interested in an item called a "short
> shorter."  This is a one dollar bill signed across its face by ten
> senior U.S. generals and admirals, purportedly at the Japanese
> surrender ceremony on U.S.S. Missouri, September 2, 1945.  Allegedly,
> this was coordinated by Admiral William Halsey.
>
> Two of the signatures on the bill are those of Dwight D. Eisenhower
> and Omar Bradley.  To the best of my knowledge, both Ike and Bradley
> spent their entire war service in Europe.  "Hap" Arnold and Jimmy
> Doolittle also signed this item.  While Doolittle was famous for his
> bombing raid on Japan in 1942, he and Arnold also spent virtually all
> of their war service in Europe.  They *could* have been transferred to
> the Pacific after the German surrender in May 1945, but Gen. Curtis
> LeMay ran the air war against Japan, and was Arnold's counterpart in
> that function.  Also signing the bill is Ernest J. King, the Navy's
> senior admiral, who spent his war career in Washington.
>
> I went to the National Archives' online exhibit and found a
> reproduction of the Japanese surrender document, but it was signed by
> only one individual on behalf of his country.  Chester Nimitz signed
> on behalf of the United States (Douglas MacArthur presided over the
> ceremony).  Had Ernest King been present, he would have outranked
> Nimitz and probably would have claimed the honor of signing on behalf
> of the U.S.
>
> My question is this:  Is there anywhere a list of the senior officers
> in attendance at the surrender ceremony?  If so, were Eisenhower,
> Bradley, Arnold, Doolittle, or King present?
>
> I'm not trying to verify the authenticity of the signatures, but
> rather the purported circumstances of this document's creation.  It
> could very well be that the story surrounding the origins has been
> "embellished" in the past 55 years.  I'd be grateful to anyone who can
> provide a definitive statement on whether any of the five listed above
> were present in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.  Thanks very much.
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
> James Stimpert                       E-mail:    James.Stimpert@jhu.edu
> Archives (Arts and Sciences)
> MSE Library
> Johns Hopkins University             Voice:     (410) 516-8323
> 3400 North Charles Street
> Baltimore, MD  21218                 Fax:       (410) 516-7202
>
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> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

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Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
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Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>