[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 148 (Thursday, September 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1215-E1216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SURRENDER OF THE EMPIRE OF JAPAN: SEPTEMBER 2, 1945

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 6, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the day was September 2, 1945. World 
War II was in

[[Page E1216]]

full swing, but the fighting was about to come to a close.
  On August 15, the Empire of Japan announced that it would surrender 
to the Allies in accordance with the Allied terms laid out at the 
Potsdam Conference. In Japan, Emperor Hirohito spoke on the radio 
announcing his country's surrender. It was the first time the Japanese 
people had ever heard his voice.
  Across the United States, soldiers and civilians rejoiced together in 
the streets. The Japanese announcement represented the end of nearly 
four long years of war. On foreign battlefields, thousands of brave, 
young Americans had lost their lives, and many more returned home with 
the wounds of war. On the home front, laborers worked long hours in the 
factories, kids collected scrap metal, and families endured rationing. 
From Kilroy to Rosie the Riveter, all Americans were ready to embrace 
victory.
  The day of the formal surrender finally arrived, and in the morning 
of September 2, representatives from the Allied powers made their way 
to the USS Missouri. Anchored in Tokyo Bay, the Missouri proudly 
displayed the flag flown aboard Commodore Matthew Perry's flagship when 
he sailed into Tokyo Bay in 1853 to sign a treaty with Japan.
  Admiral Chester Nimitz then welcomed aboard General Douglas 
MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Pacific, and 
the two took their places behind the surrender table.
  Finally, just before 9 a.m., the delegation from the Japanese 
surrender cabinet made their way on board.
  After brief remarks from General MacArthur, Japanese Foreign Minister 
Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu signed the Instrument of 
Surrender on behalf of the government and armed forces respectively. 
General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz each then signed the document and 
were followed by representatives from eight other nations. Once all of 
signatures were made, General MacArthur declared, ``Let us pray that 
peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it 
always. These proceedings are now closed!''
  Mr. Speaker, the costly victory won by the United States and her 
allies in World War II gave the world a new era of peace and 
prosperity. It allowed millions around the world who had previously 
been under the yoke of fascism to enjoy the blessings of liberty and 
freedom. American soldiers dethroned tyrannical regimes in Europe and 
Asia, and we must never forget the sacrifices they made defending our 
country. After all, the worst casualty of war is to be forgotten.
  And that is just the way it is.

                          ____________________