General Macarthur First Day in Tokyo September (1945)

Synopsis

This silent, raw footage from September, 1945 was shot by an unknown U.S. serviceman. It shows General Douglas MacArthur on his first day in Japan, touring the battle damaged city of Tokyo. At:29, you will see Mac in a touring car, switching to a larger vehicle. At:47, General MacArthur is seen making a triumphant speech as the Stars and Stripes again fly over the U.S. Embassy. Troops stand in review. In addition to General MacArthur, Maj. Gen. Wm. C. Chase, and Admiral Wm. F. Halsey and Lt. Gen. R. L. Eichelberger were at the Embassy that day. At 1:41, the General's guard is seen, and there is more footage of Mac in profile. At 2:22, Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel is seen. It would become the billet for much of his staff for the six years of the occupation of Japan. At 2:26, a Japanese family is seen walking down the road, the kids posing for American troops. At 3:15, the scene switches to another location, presumably still Japan, with American air men receiving decorations including the Legion of Merit as a band plays. Wrecked buildings can be seen in the background. Men pose with their medals for the camera. At 8:05, an American soldier seems to speak with a Japanese or Chinese counterpart. Downtown Tokyo is seen at 8:42, with fire damage evident but many buildings still intact. There is very little traffic visible. At 9:30, rubbish heaps are visible on the streets. At 11:23, a C-46 Commando arrives carrying what appears to be the official Japanese surrender…

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

15 minutes

Language

English

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage