The surrender of Japan and the end of World War II. Japan's surrender in World War II The Japanese government decided to surrender
The act of Japan's unconditional surrender was signed on September 2, 1945, but the country's leadership took a very long time towards this decision. In the Potsdam Declaration, the terms of surrender were put forward, but the emperor officially refused the proposed ultimatum. True, Japan still had to accept all the terms of surrender, putting a heavy point in the course of hostilities.
Preliminary stage
The act of Japan's unconditional surrender was not signed immediately. First, on July 26, 1945, China, England and the United States of America submitted for general consideration the demands for Japan's surrender in the Potsdam Declaration. The main idea of the declaration was as follows: if the country refuses to accept the proposed conditions, then it will face "swift and complete destruction." Two days later, the emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun responded to the declaration with a categorical refusal.
Despite the fact that Japan suffered heavy losses, its fleet completely ceased to function (which is a terrible tragedy for an island state, which is completely dependent on the supply of raw materials), and the likelihood of an invasion of American and Soviet troops into the country was extremely high, Voennaya Gazeta Japanese imperial command made strange conclusions: “We are not capable of leading a war without the hope of success. The only way left for all Japanese is to sacrifice their lives and do everything possible to undermine the enemy's morale. "
Mass self-sacrifice
In fact, the government called on its subjects to commit an act of mass self-sacrifice. True, the population did not react in any way to such a prospect. In some places, pockets of violent resistance could still be encountered, but in general, the samurai spirit has long outlived its usefulness. And as historians note, all that the Japanese learned in 1945 was to surrender en masse.
At that time, Japan was expecting two attacks: an offensive by the allies (China, England, the United States of America) on Kyushu and an invasion of Soviet troops in Manchuria. The act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed only because the conditions prevailing in the country were critical.
The emperor to the last advocated the continuation of the war. After all, for the Japanese to surrender was an unheard of shame. Before that, the country had not lost a single war and for almost half a millennium had not known foreign invasions on its own territory. But she turned out to be completely ruined, and therefore the Act of Japan's unconditional surrender was signed.
Attack
08/06/1945, fulfilling the threat stated in the Potsdam Declaration, America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, the same fate befell the city of Nagasaki, which was the country's largest naval base.
The country had not yet had time to recover from such a large-scale tragedy, when on 08/08/1945 the authorities of the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and on August 9 they were already beginning to conduct hostilities. Thus, the Manchurian offensive operation of the Soviet army began. In fact, Japan's military-economic base on the Asian continent was completely liquidated.
Destruction of communications
At the first stage of the battles, Soviet aviation aimed at military targets, communication centers, communications of the border areas of the Pacific Fleet. The communications that connected Korea and Manchuria with Japan were cut, seriously damaging the enemy's naval base.
On August 18, the Soviet army was already approaching the production and administrative centers of Manchuria, they tried to prevent the enemy from destroying material assets. On August 19, in the Land of the Rising Sun, they realized that they could not see victory as their own ears, they began to surrender en masse. Japan was forced to surrender. On August 2, 1945, the world war ended completely and finally, when the Act of Japan's unconditional surrender was signed.
Surrender document
September 1945, aboard the American cruiser Missouri - this is where the Act of Japan's unconditional surrender was signed. On behalf of their states, the document was signed by:
- Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu.
- Chief of Staff Yoshijiro Umezu.
- General of the Army of America
- Lieutenant General of the Soviet Union Kuzma Derevianko.
- Admiral of the British flotilla Bruce Fraser.
In addition to them, representatives of China, France, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand were present at the signing of the act.
We can say that the Act of Japan's unconditional surrender was signed in the city of Kure. This was the last region after the bombing of which the Japanese government decided to surrender. After some time, a battleship appeared in Tokyo Bay.
The essence of the document
According to the resolutions approved in the document, Japan fully accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The country's sovereignty was limited to the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, Hokkaido and other smaller islands in the Japanese archipelago. The islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir were transferred to the Soviet Union.
Japan was supposed to stop all hostilities, release prisoners of war and other foreign soldiers imprisoned during the war, preserve civilian and military property without damage. Also, Japanese officials had to obey the orders of the Supreme Command of the allied states.
In order to be able to monitor the progress of the fulfillment of the terms of the Act of Surrender, the USSR, the USA and Great Britain decided to create the Far Eastern Commission and the Allied Council.
The meaning of the war
So ended one of the history of mankind. Japanese generals were convicted of military offenses. On May 3, 1946, a military tribunal began work in Tokyo, which tried those guilty of preparing for the Second World War. Those who wanted to seize foreign lands at the cost of death and enslavement were brought before the people's court.
The battles of World War II claimed an estimated 65 million lives. The greatest losses were suffered by the Soviet Union, which took the brunt of the blow. The Act of Japan's Unconditional Surrender, signed in 1945, can be called a document that sums up the results of a protracted, bloody and senseless battle.
The result of these battles was the expansion of the borders of the USSR. Fascist ideology was condemned, war criminals were punished, and the United Nations Organization was created. A pact was signed on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and a ban on their creation.
The influence of Western Europe has noticeably decreased, the United States managed to maintain and strengthen its position in the international economic market, and the victory of the USSR over fascism gave the country the opportunity to maintain its independence and follow the chosen path of life. But all this was achieved at too high a price.
ACT OF CAPITULATION OF JAPAN, See Art. The surrender of Japan ... Great Patriotic War 1941-1945: an encyclopedia
JAPAN CAPITULATION ACT 1945- 2.9, a joint document of the allied powers on Japan's unconditional surrender, presented. its representatives. Signed on board Amer. battleship "Missouri" by representatives of Japan, USA, USSR, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, China, France, ... ... Encyclopedia of Strategic Missile Forces
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Japan's Unconditional Surrender Act- signed on September 2, 1945, depriving Japan, which was defeated in the Second World War, of all the lands it had ever seized: South Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Manchuria, Korea, Taiwan, etc. Glossary of terms (glossary) on the history of the state and law of foreign countries
The style of this article is not encyclopedic or violates the norms of the Russian language. The article should be corrected according to the stylistic rules of Wikipedia ... Wikipedia
September 2, 1945, the event that ended the hostilities in World War II. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost its combat readiness, and there was a threat of an Allied invasion of Japan. While ... ... Wikipedia
- 連 合 国 軍 占領 下 の 日本 Military occupation ← ... Wikipedia
It was signed on September 2, 1945. Having made a preliminary decision and having received the emperor's sanctions for negotiations on an armistice, the Japanese government, overcoming internal difficulties, tried to contact the governments of the USSR, the USA and England in order to ... ... All of Japan
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Japan's surrender in World War II- Planning entry into World War II, the ruling circles of Japan hoped that Great Britain and France, engaged in the war in Europe, would not be able to allocate sufficient forces to defend their colonies and strongholds in Asia, and the USSR's main efforts ... ... Encyclopedia of Newsmakers
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- When Sakura Blooms ..., Alexey Voronkov. On September 2, 1945, the act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed aboard the American missile cruiser Missouri. The Second World War ended, the armies returned to their places ...
- When cherry blossoms bloom, Voronkov A.A. On September 2, 1945, an act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed on board the American missile cruiser Missouri. The Second World War ended, the armies returned to their places ...
The fog slowly dissipates over Tokyo Bay on this historic day. Gradually, the silhouettes of the numerous ships of the allies loom, formidably lined up in front of the capital of Japan. The destroyer rushes us to the battleship, on which the signing ceremony of Japan's surrender is to take place.
This destroyer is a small but dashing ship. With a torpedo attack, he sank the cruiser "James", two enemy submarines, shot down 9 Japanese aircraft in his lifetime. Now he is taking representatives of the press of all freedom-loving nations to his flagship. Before us is one of the largest warships in the world - the Missouri. To the right and to the left of him are his comrades-in-arms - the American battleships Iowa, South Dakota, behind them - the best English battleships Georg, Duke of York. Further on the roads are Australian, Dutch, Canadian, New Zealand cruisers, destroyers. Ships of all classes are innumerable. The battleship "Missouri", on which the signing of the act will take place, is not without reason given such an honor. At the head of the squadron, on March 24, he approached the shores of Japan and fired at the area north of Tokyo with his gigantic guns. Behind this battleship there are many other combat cases. He deserves the hatred of his enemies. On April 11, she was attacked by a Japanese suicide pilot and, having crashed, inflicted only minor damage on the ship.
The destroyer Budkonan, on which General MacArthur arrived, was moored to the starboard side of the battleship. Following them, the delegation of the allied countries and guests climb aboard the battleship. The delegation takes their places at the back of the table. From right to left - representatives of China, Great Britain, USSR, Australia, Canada, France, Holland, New Zealand. Guests, over 230 correspondents, are accommodated in the bow of the battleship, filling the captain's bridge, all the gun platforms of the tower. Preparations for the ceremony are coming to an end. A small table is covered with a green cloth, two inkpots and blotting paper are placed. Then two chairs appear, one opposite the other. A microphone is installed. Everything is done slowly.
The Japanese delegation, consisting of eleven people, who were brought by boat after the preparation of the entire ceremony, is going up the ladder. With the general silence of those present, representatives of the arrogant Japanese diplomacy and rabid military clique approach the table. Ahead, all in black, the head of the Japanese delegation, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu. Behind him is the plump, squat Chief of the Army General Staff of Japan, General Umezu. With them are Japanese diplomatic and military officials in motley uniforms and suits. This whole group is miserable! For five minutes, the Japanese delegation stands under the stern gaze of all representatives of the freedom-loving nations present on the ship. The Japanese have to stand just opposite the Chinese delegation.
Representative of the USSR, Lieutenant General K.N. Derevianko signs the Japan Surrender Act. US Navy battleship Missouri, Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945 Photo: N. Petrov. RGAKFD. Arch.N 0-253498
General MacArthur appears on the deck of the ship. In general silence, MacArthur addresses the delegation and guests. Having finished his speech, MacArthur with a coarse gesture invites the Japanese delegates to come to the table. Shigemitsu walks up slowly. After awkwardly fulfilling his heavy duty, Shigemitsu walks away from the table without looking at anyone. General Umezu diligently puts his signature. The Japanese retire to their places. MacArthur approaches the folders laid out on the table and invites two American generals - Waynwright and Percival - the heroes of Corregidor with him. Only recently have they been wrested from Japanese captivity - a few days ago, Wainwright was liberated by the Red Army in Manchuria. After MacArthur, the Chinese delegates sign the act. For the Chinese, the English Admiral Fraser approaches the table.
The crackling and clicking of numerous cameras and movie cameras increase when MacArthur invites the Soviet delegation to the table. She's in the spotlight here. Those present see in her the representatives of the powerful Soviet state, which, having defeated Nazi Germany, then hastened the surrender of Japan. Lieutenant General Derevianko, who signs the act on the authorization of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Armed Forces, is accompanied by Aviation Major General Voronov and Rear Admiral Stetsenko. General Derevianko is followed by Australian General Blamy, Canadian representative General Grave, French delegate General Leclerc, representatives of Holland and New Zealand.
The act has been signed. Convinced that a lasting peace has now been established throughout the world, MacArthur finishes the procedure with a smile and asks the signatory delegations to follow them to the salon of Admiral Nimitz on the Missouri. The Japanese delegates stand alone for a while. Shigemitsu is then handed a black folder with a copy of the signed deed. The Japanese go down the ladder, where the boat is waiting for them. Over the battleship Missouri, the Flying Fortresses float in a majestic parade; Following this, in the implementation of the act of surrender, hundreds of landing ships with troops rush to Tokyo and Yokohama to occupy the Japanese islands.
MISSOURI (BB-63) is an American Iowa-class battleship. Launched on January 29, 1944 (NewYork NavalShipyard). Its keel was laid on January 6, 1941. About 10 thousand people took part in the construction of the powerful ship. Length 271 m. Width 33 m. Draft 10 m. Displacement 57 thousand tons. Travel speed 33 knots. The cruising range is 15 thousand miles. The crew is 2800 people. The battleship's armor reached 15 cm thick. Each of its three gun turrets contained three sixteen-inch guns. There was no analogue to this weapon on the ships of the US Navy. Missouri shells pierced ten-meter concrete fortifications. The battleship had the most powerful air defense system in the world.
The article was written by political scientist and Japanese scholar Vasily Molodyakov
On September 2, 1945, aboard the American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay, representatives of the victorious Allied Powers and the defeated Land of the Rising Sun signed the Japan Unconditional Surrender Act. The Second World War is over - in the Pacific Ocean and everywhere.
Peace has come, but questions remain. Why did the Japanese, who fought with selfless and sometimes insane courage, disciplined themselves to lay down their arms? Why did Tokyo first reject the Potsdam Declaration of the Allies and decide to continue the senseless resistance, and then agree to its terms? And, perhaps, the main thing: what played a decisive role in the decision to surrender - the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or the entry of the USSR into the war with Japan?
The question is not only historical, but also political. If the former, then the Americans saved one hundred million Japanese at the cost of several hundred thousand lives, and the Soviet Union behaved like a "thief in a fire," to put it mildly, taking advantage of the predicament of a neighbor. If the latter, then our country had every right, at least, to its share of the spoils of war and to participate in the management of defeated Japan. American and Japanese propaganda under its control adhered to the first point of view, Soviet propaganda - the second.
American historian of Russian descent George Lensen wittily remarked: “Naturally, the history of the war in the Pacific Ocean for the American reader will include a photograph of General MacArthur when he signs the Japan Surrender Act on the deck of the Missouri, while a similar story for the Soviet the reader will be shown the same scene, but with Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko signing the Act, while MacArthur and everyone else will stand in the background. "
To answer this question, we will have to go back a little over a month from the events described - to the Potsdam conference of the “Big Three”. On July 26, the Potsdam Declaration of the USA, Great Britain and China (Chiang Kai-shek signed "by telegraph") demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan. “Below are our terms. We will not deviate from them. There is no choice. We will not tolerate any delay ... Otherwise, Japan will face a quick and complete defeat. " Charged in advance by the Americans, the declaration in one of the versions provided for Stalin's signature. President Harry Truman announced that he was going to Potsdam in order to ensure the participation of the USSR in the war with Japan, but as the atomic project approached a successful conclusion, he felt more and more doubts about the need to share the winner's laurels with “Uncle Joe”.
The Potsdam Declaration, in the form in which it was adopted and published, left almost no hope that Japan would accept it: it did not say a word about the fate of the emperor and the political system, which was the main concern of those in power in Tokyo. Consequently, it untied the hands of the United States to use nuclear weapons. At the same time, she presented the Soviet Union with the fact that such an important decision was made without his participation and without the possibility of influencing him.
Secretary of State James Byrnes's explanation that Truman did not want to embarrass the USSR as a country not at war with Japan angered Stalin. Back on May 28, 1945, while discussing Far Eastern affairs in Moscow with the White House special envoy Harry Hopkins, he said that he prefers a compromise peace with Japan on the condition of complete destruction of its military potential and the occupation of the country, but softer than in Germany, explaining, that demanding unconditional surrender would force the Japanese to fight to the last. Stalin announced that the Soviet Union would be ready to enter the war no earlier than August 8 (the army command insisted on a later date to complete the preparations), and raised the issue of participation in the occupation of Japan. Hopkins proposed an ultimatum to Tokyo on behalf of the United States and the USSR. The Secretary General agreed and advised to include this issue on the agenda of the conference. He even brought with him to Potsdam a draft statement of the four powers, but his text, which sounded softer than the American one, remained unclaimed.
On July 28, at the beginning of a regular meeting, Stalin told Truman and British Prime Minister Clement Attlee that "we, the Russian delegation, have received a new proposal from Japan." "Although we are not properly informed when a document is being drawn up about Japan," he pointedly remarked, "however, we believe that we should inform each other about new proposals." Then, as stated in the minutes, an English translation of Japan's Mediation Note was read. What is this document?
On July 13, the Japanese ambassador to Moscow, Naotake Sato, handed the text of the message of the Japanese emperor to Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Solomon Lozovsky, explaining that for its official presentation, former Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe would like to arrive in Moscow as a special envoy and confidant of the monarch. Here is a translation of this document from the Russian Foreign Policy Archive:
“His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, deeply concerned about the calamities and casualties of the peoples of all the belligerent countries, which are increasing day by day as a result of the current war, expresses his will to end the war as soon as possible. Since in the East Asian War, the United States and England insist on unconditional surrender, the Empire will be forced to bring the war to the end, mobilizing all forces and means, for the honor and existence of the Fatherland. However, as a result of this circumstance, inevitably increased bloodshed among the peoples of both belligerents. His Majesty is extremely disturbed in this thought and expresses the wish that peace be restored for the good of mankind in the shortest possible time. "
Lozovsky noticed that the message had no addressee and it was not clear to whom it was sent. The ambassador, according to the minutes of the conversation, replied that it “is not specifically addressed to anyone. It is desirable that the head of state, Mr. Kalinin, and the head of the Soviet government, Stalin, familiarize themselves with it. " The leadership of the "land of the gods" - as always - wanted to first find out whether Konoe would be accepted in the Kremlin, and only then open the cards. In Tokyo, the Supreme Council for War Leadership continued to discuss what could be offered to the Soviet Union for helping out of the war. In Konoe's "suitcase" lay South Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Manchuria as a sphere of influence, the rejection of fishing rights, and even the surrender of the Kwantung Army, which the Japanese, for obvious reasons, do not like to remember.
Stalin did not intend to receive the envoy from Tokyo "in advance". On July 18, Lozovsky replied to the ambassador: “The considerations expressed in the message of the Emperor of Japan have a general form and do not contain any specific proposals. The Soviet Government also finds it unclear what the mission of Prince Konoe is. In view of the above, the Soviet Government does not see an opportunity to give any definite answer regarding the mission of Prince Konoe. " Upon receiving this polite refusal, Sato immediately sent a telegram to Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo, in which he offered to immediately agree to surrender. Togo resolutely replied that Japan would resist to the last, and ordered to obtain Moscow's consent to the arrival of the Konoe mission. Fulfilling the order of the chief, the ambassador on July 25 again tried to persuade Lozovsky. But it was too late.
"There is nothing new in this document," Stalin remarked, informing Truman and Attlee of the emperor's message. - There is only one proposal: Japan offers us cooperation. We think to answer them in the same spirit as it was last time, ”that is, with a polite refusal.
Having learned about the Potsdam Declaration from a BBC radio broadcast, Ambassador Sato concluded that such a document could not have appeared without prior notification and the consent of the Soviet side. He immediately informed the Foreign Ministry that this was the answer to the proposal to send Konoe's mission. Confusion reigned in Tokyo. The army did not allow the declaration to be adopted, but Togo persuaded him not to officially reject it, so as not to aggravate the situation. The newspapers got the word mokusatsu - "kill by silence" or "ignore" - which began to determine the position of the government.
On August 5, Stalin and Molotov returned to Moscow. On August 6, the first American atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Truman could not hide his joy and notified the whole world of what had happened. Japan's Minister of War, General Koretika Anami, turned to physicists with the question of what the "atomic bomb" is. The Soviet leader did not ask such questions. Back in Potsdam, he learned that the United States has nuclear weapons, but did not expect such a quick use. Stalin realized that this was a warning not only to the Japanese, and decided not to hesitate.
On August 8, at 5 pm Moscow time, Molotov received the Japanese ambassador, who had long asked to see him. There was no need to talk about Konoe's mission. The People's Commissar immediately interrupted the guest, saying that he had to make an important statement: from midnight on August 9, i.e. just an hour later, Tokyo time, the USSR and Japan are at war. The reasoning is simple: Tokyo rejected the demands of the Potsdam Declaration; the allies turned to the USSR with a request to enter the war, and the latter, "true to the allied duty," accepted the offer.
The assertion that the allies asked Moscow to join the war follows from the minutes of the Potsdam conference, published by the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, in the published minutes of the conversation between Molotov and Truman on July 29, a note was made, which was restored by historians only in 1995: “Molotov says that he has proposals related to the situation in the Far East. It would be a convenient excuse for the Soviet Union to enter the war against Japan if the allies asked him about it (emphasis mine - V.M.). One could indicate that, in connection with Japan's rejection of the demand for surrender ... "and so on, as later in the Soviet statement.
When did the Soviet leadership decide to go to war with Japan? The political decision about this was first announced by Stalin - in deep secrecy - in October 1943 at the Moscow conference of foreign ministers of the anti-Hitler coalition, and was included in the minutes at the Tehran conference of the Big Three in late November - early December of the same year. The Japanese, of course, did not know about this. They consoled themselves with the absence of Chiang Kai-shek in the Iranian capital, which made it possible to consider the conference a military council against Germany. The absence of Soviet representatives at the Cairo conference, when Roosevelt and Churchill met with Chiang Kai-shek on their way to Tehran, was interpreted in a similar way. It was there that the declaration was adopted demanding the unconditional surrender of Japan, published on December 1, 1943.
When did Moscow make the tactical decision to enter the war in the Far East? It is difficult to say for sure, but at the Yalta Conference in February 1945 it was officially confirmed. Under a secret agreement dated February 11, the Soviet Union received South Sakhalin and the Kuriles for this; Dairen became an international port with preemptive rights of the USSR; Port Arthur was returned to the Soviet Union as a rented naval base; The CER and YMZhD passed under Soviet-Chinese control, ensuring the priority interests of the USSR and the full sovereignty of China in Manchuria; the state of Manchukuo was liquidated and became part of China, which, in turn, renounced any rights and claims to Outer Mongolia (MPR). On July 26 and 27, a joint meeting of the Politburo and Headquarters finally consolidated the decision on the USSR's entry into the war, which the next day was brought to the notice of the executors by three directives signed by Stalin.
Immediately after midnight on August 9, the Soviet army attacked Japanese positions in Manchuria and Korea. A few hours later, a second American bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. In the evening of the same day, the Imperial Conference was held in a palace bomb shelter in Tokyo - a meeting of the monarch, the chairman of the Privy Council, the prime minister, key ministers and chiefs of general staff of the army and navy. There was only one question: to accept or not to accept the Potsdam Declaration. Realizing that the war was lost, the emperor resisted unconditional surrender, counting to the last on the mediation of Moscow. Now there was nothing to hope for, which was directly stated by Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki. The resolution, prepared by the Foreign Ministry, provided for the adoption of the terms of the declaration, "understanding them in the sense that they do not contain a requirement to change the status of the Japanese emperor established by state laws." Under pressure from the Minister of War and the Chiefs of Staff, the Supreme Council for the Leadership of the War agreed to surrender under the following conditions: “1) it does not affect the imperial family; 2) Japanese troops outside the country are demobilized after their free withdrawal from the occupied territories; 3) war criminals will be subject to the jurisdiction of the Japanese government; 4) the occupation will not be carried out in order to guarantee (the fulfillment of the terms of surrender - VM) ”. The foreign minister suggested limiting ourselves to the first point. The military insisted on all four. The emperor approved the Foreign Ministry's project, but Washington rejected it, not wanting to hear about any reservations.
Only on August 14, the cabinet was able to work out the text of the rescript of the surrender. The emperor decided to address the people on the radio with an appeal to "endure the unbearable." On the night of August 14-15, a group of officers of the capital's garrison tried to revolt, seize the original recording of the august appeal made the day before, in order to prevent it from being broadcast, and destroy the "capitulators" from the government. The performance failed due to lack of support, and its ringleaders committed suicide. On August 15, the Japanese heard the voice of the divine monarch for the first time in history. It is this date that is considered in the Land of the Rising Sun as the day of the end of the war.
American historian Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, Japanese by birth, wrote the best, to date, comprehensive study of this issue "Race with the enemy. Stalin, Truman and Japan's surrender, "published in 2005. His verdict, based on the first combined Japanese, Soviet and American sources, reads:" The entry of the USSR into the war shocked the Japanese more than atomic bombs, because it put an end to all hopes come to an agreement even slightly different from unconditional surrender ... (It) played a greater role than atomic bombs in forcing Japan to surrender. "
Of course, in this matter, scientists still have something to do. But if you approach the problem comprehensively and impartially, the verdict is unlikely to be different.
On September 2, 1945, the act of surrender of Japan was signed aboard the American battleship Missouri, ending World War II.
On behalf of the USSR, this most important historical document was signed by Lieutenant General Kuzma Nikolaevich Derevyanko, Soviet representative at the headquarters of the commander-in-chief of the allied forces in the Pacific, General MacArthur.
Many are still interested in why this right was granted not to one of the famous marshals, but to a little-known general, of whom there were about six thousand in the Soviet Army in 1945. Indeed, from the side of the allies on board the Missouri, there were "stars" of the first magnitude, led by the five-star General MacArthur (at that time there were only four such stars in the US Army).
From the Americans, the victorious Midway and Leite, Admiral Nimitz, accepted the capitulation, from the British - the commander of the empire's fleet in the Pacific, Admiral Fraser, from the French - the famous General Leclerc, from the Chinese - the head of the operational department of the headquarters of Chiang Kai-shek, General Su Yongchang.
It seemed that in this company the presence of the commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East, Marshal Vasilevsky, or one of the commanders of the fronts that had just defeated the Kwantung Army — Malinovsky, Meretskov, or Purkaev — was more appropriate. But instead of them on board the Missouri was Derevianko, who until recently held a relatively modest position as chief of staff of the 4th Guards Army.
On this occasion, some liberal historians even had a hypothesis that, by sending only a lieutenant general to sign the act, Stalin wanted to belittle the significance of the war in the Pacific, in which the Americans played the leading role. Here, the most famous Soviet commander Zhukov accepted the surrender of Germany, and one of the staff, who somehow attracted the attention of the "bloody tyrant on the Kremlin throne", was also suitable for Japan.
In fact, everything was not so, and the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to choose a Soviet representative to participate in the final episode of World War II was based on completely different motives ...
By that time, relations between the Soviet Union and the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition had seriously deteriorated. Having got rid of a common enemy, our yesterday's partners began to prepare for a clash with the USSR. This was clearly confirmed by the Potsdam Conference, during which Stalin had to deal with the inveterate Russophobe Truman.
The commander-in-chief of the allied forces in the Pacific, General MacArthur, also did not hide his anti-Soviet views. Moscow was also well aware of the American military leader's passion for theatrical gestures: what was the cost of one of his recent shows entitled "MacArthur Liberates the Philippines." The Kremlin was confident that something similar would happen on board the Missouri.
"Pacific Napoleon" did not disappoint expectations, turning the surrender of the Japanese into a real show with itself in the lead role. MacArthur ordered the installation of a ceremony table on the upper deck to provide convenience for the press and the public, which were the sailors of the battleship, gave a short speech for history ("We are gathered here ... to conclude a solemn agreement through which peace can be restored ...") and arranged a whole show of the procedure for signing the act.
Having invited Generals Percival and Uyenrayat, who were freed by him from Japanese captivity, as assistants, MacArthur signed by syllables, constantly changing pens. He immediately handed out used writing utensils as souvenirs. The audience roared with delight.
Stalin, knowing about this weakness of MacArthur, sensibly judged that the participation of any of the Soviet marshals in this circus could lead to a conflict that was completely unnecessary under these conditions. Therefore, it was not a military leader, but a diplomat who had to represent the Soviet Union at the benefit performance of the Americans.
But the employees of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs were not suitable for this role, among the allied generals they would look like black sheep. This means that it was necessary to find a military man with diplomatic experience, and of a sufficiently high rank.
In addition, it was impossible to miss a unique chance to look at the process of the beginning of the occupation of Japan by the Americans, so to speak, from the inside. Such an opportunity might not have presented itself again. Therefore, a person was needed who spoke English and Japanese, who could not so much speak, but how to look, listen, remember and analyze. Moreover, such his qualities should not be obvious to the allies.
Kuzma Nikolaevich Derevyanko suited this role perfectly. A brave soldier with an open and honest Russian face, in a fairly high rank, but not belonging to the cream of the USSR military elite. Therefore, the allies could not have a more or less detailed dossier on him and he had to be perceived as who he seemed.
The calculation turned out to be correct. They were friendly to the general, but they did not take them under close guardianship and did not drag them around to parties with the participation of top officials - a figure of the wrong scale. His strange requests, for example, for permission to visit the ashes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which in other conditions could arouse suspicion, were treated quite leniently: if he wants, let him go. What is interesting there can be seen by the former chief of staff of the army, who cannot know anything about the atomic bomb ...
Meanwhile, if the Americans could look into the personal file of the forty-year-old general, they would react differently. After all, the biography of the son of a stonecutter from the Little Russian village of Kosenivka near Uman was not typical for an army general.
While still a cadet of the Kharkov school of red elders, young Kuzma Derevyanko independently learned to speak and write in Japanese. Why he needed to learn one of the most difficult languages in the world, history is silent, but such a remarkable fact attracted the attention of the command. Apparently, it seemed to someone not rational to keep a talented nugget in combat positions, and he was sent to study at a special department of the Frunze Military Academy, where, in addition to Japanese, he mastered English.
After graduating from the academy, Derevyanko waited for service in military intelligence. He was instructed to organize the uninterrupted transit from the Soviet Union to China of caravans with weapons, which were necessary for the war with the Japanese. The mission was top secret - the leak of information threatened Moscow with a serious complication of relations with Tokyo, which were far from cloudless.
For the successful completion of this assignment, Captain Derevyanko was awarded the Order of Lenin, which was an extraordinary event for that time. Apparently, to someone it seemed unfair, and soon the party commission of the Intelligence Directorate of the Red Army took up the freshly baked order bearer. Derevianko was accused of having connections with "enemies of the people" - shortly before that, two of his uncles and brother were arrested and convicted.
Exposers of "bloody Stalinism" argue that in the late 1930s and less there were enough reasons to part not only with your party membership card, but also with your life. The fate of Derevianko completely refutes this liberal theorem. After several months of litigation, he was just reprimanded. But the obstinate intelligence officer got the case reconsidered. The reprimand was removed by the decision of a higher authority - the party committee of the People's Commissariat of the Ministry of Defense.
During the Finnish war, Major Derevyanko was the chief of staff of the Separate Special Ski Brigade, and repeatedly took part in reconnaissance and sabotage raids on the rear of the enemy. At the beginning of 1941, he carried out a secret mission in East Prussia, probably related to obtaining data on the preparations of the Germans for war with the USSR.
Colonel Derevyanko met the Nazi attack as chief of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the North-Western Front. In mid-August 1941, he led a raid to the rear of the Germans, during which about two thousand Red Army soldiers were released from a concentration camp near Staraya Russa.
In May 1942, Derevianko was appointed chief of staff of the 53rd Army and was simultaneously promoted to major general. He took part in the battle at the Kursk Bulge, the battle for the Dnieper, the capture of Budapest and Vienna. For the successful development of operations, he was awarded a full set of "military leadership" orders - Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Suvorov and Kutuzov. After the victory, he took part in the work of the Allied Council for Austria for some time.
This is the kind of person Stalin instructed to represent our country at a ceremony in Tokyo Bay. It is clear that this choice was by no means accidental.
During a month's trip to Japan, Derevianko performed not only and not so much representative functions. So, he several times visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki, literally crawling out with a camera in his hands the burnt ruins. On his return to Moscow, Stalin received the general. Derevianko gave a detailed report on the situation in Japan, the state of its army and naval forces, and the mood of the population. His report and photographs on the results of the atomic bombings were especially carefully considered. The general's activities were fully approved, for the successful completion of the assignment he was awarded the second Order of Lenin.
In the Land of the Rising Sun, the language of which he studied from his youth, Derevianko spent four more years as the Soviet representative in the Union Council for Japan. Despite the opposition of the Americans, the general consistently defended the position of our state, regularly submitting statements and memorandums on issues sensitive to Soviet interests.
It was Derevyanko's persistence that allowed MacArthur to sign a directive instructing the Japanese government to “stop exercising or attempting to exercise state or administrative power” on all islands north of Hokkaido. This implied Tokyo's complete abandonment of the Kuril Islands, both northern and southern. Although this was exactly what was envisaged by the decisions of the Potsdam Conference, the Americans, in the context of the flaring cold war, were not averse to playing this issue.
Derevianko returned from Japan seriously ill due to radiation received from the ashes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He developed cancer. The general died at the end of 1954, shortly after his fiftieth birthday, and was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow. The obituary together with Defense Minister Bulganin was signed by Marshals Zhukov, Konev, Vasilevsky, Malinovsky ...
In May 2007, the authorities of the "square" suddenly remembered that General Derevyanko was from near Uman, and by the decree of President Yushchenko he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. Now the Kiev rulers, known for their paradoxical assessments of historical events, have reason to claim that Ukraine has defeated Japan.
However, if Kuzma Nikolaevich suddenly found out that he was in the same company with Shukhevych and Bandera, he would probably have given up his heroic title. Orders of Lenin, Suvorov, Kutuzov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky were dearer to him.
