On This date, in 1946, Harry S Truman

[No Mandate Here.]

declared the end of hostilities in WWII.



The Japanese surrendered on August 15, 1945, about 17 months earlier. I find it interesting that a Dem President waited nearly a year and a half after the surrender of the enemy, and received commendations from the Republicans for his actions.

Our current pResident declared the hostilities over a YEAR before they really began to escalate.

Priorities? Anyone care to comment on the quality of leadership then and now?

[Wabbajack]

1. Why did he wait so long?

[illflem]

2. Many people don't realize it but much like Iraq

pockets of insurgency remained in Europe a couple years after the Nazi surrender.

[laura888]

5. links? references?

gotta ask cuz some people LOVE to compare WWII with Iraq.

I fail to see the similarities.

[illflem]

8. 10th grade history class 40 years ago

the comparison with Iraq is that the Mission Accomplished date could be compared with Germany's date of surrender.

[WoodrowFan]

6. yeah but

they were in the USSR against the Soviets. There were no such "pockets" against the Western Allies after May, 1945. That was a story started by various RWers to make Iraq look less bad.

[No Mandate Here.]

3. Don't know. Perhaps there is a historian in the house?

I always read the 'this date in history' spot on NYTimes.com.
Here is the text...

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1231.html#article

I'll snip a bit if you haven't done the free registration...

from way down in the article...

<snip>

An Example to Other Nations

Upon concluding the reading of the statement, Mr. Truman sought to bring the conference to an end by wishing those present a happy New Year and saying he would meet them at another press conference on Thursday afternoon. But he finally yielded to persuasion and replied to a few questions with answers along the lines of his formal statement.

Asked whether this was a step in his promise to cooperate with the new Republican- controlled Congress, he replied that this was co-operating with Congress.

The President's action was generally regarded here as chiefly important from the psychological standpoint. It was viewed as a move to demonstrate that he wants to be a constitutional President and not to hold on to excessive powers granted to the Chief Executive through emergency proclamations and a state of war.

In addition, it is looked upon as an example to other nations to return to a peacetime structure. In effect, it was remarked in political circles, the President has said to Messrs., Attlee, Stalin and others that it is time for all the countries to get back to normal.

Politically, the action was regarded as anticipating any move the Republicans in Congress might have made to put Mr. Truman into a position of clinging to powers that they want to take away. The President for his part now says that he will tell Congress in a few days about the powers he needs to retain.

<more>

[WoodrowFan]

4. I think

I believe that it didn't have anything to do with any "pockets of resistance" but rather with wartime controls on the economy. Relaxing wartime economic controls too quickly after WWI helped create a recession so after WW 2 Washington was much more careful. By declaring an end to the "hostilities" many of the wartime controls such as price controls, wage controls, rationing, etc, could be released.

I'll have to go do some research to be certain, however.

[WoodrowFan]

7. economic controls

The war had officially ended in September 1945, this does appear to have been a pro-forma declaration needed to end various economic controls held by the President. Most of the price and wage controls were released earlier in 1946. When the Korean War started in 1950 Congress had to pass new bills in 1950 and 1951 to restablish the right of the President to assert economic controls again.

[Selatius]

9. There were German Werewolf units running around

They were supposed to comprise an insurgency force against Allied forces, but they largely disappeared as a fighting force. There were several million troops in post-war Germany, and the Marshall Plan was underway, and many Germans were simply happy the death and destruction had ended.