書誌事項：Major General Charles A. Willoughby and John Chamberlain MacAｒthur 1941-1951,McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.,p.293より。この書物は占領後に書かれたマッカーサー軍の戦史および占領史である。MacArthur Reportの内容をさらに簡単にしたものといえる。
The government wavered until the very last minute. It was at the Imperial Presence Conference of August 14 that the Emperor himself pronounced his decision in favor of immediate acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. Thus did our nation emerge from the warfare of eight long years to hail the dawn of peace. At both conferences of August 9 and 14 His Majesty, summarizing in a lucid fashion the general situation relating to the war developments on land and sea the extent of air raid damage, the defense of the home islands, the munitions production, and food supply, expounded why Japan should stop fighting and surrender. He was most deeply concerned not only over the sufferings of his subjects, which were being intensified each day, but also over the enormous waste in lives and property our futile resistance was causing our adversaries. These sentiments are partly revealed in the Imperial Rescript issued on the termination of war. I know wall how heavily these matters upon the mind of the Emperor throughout all years.
From the moment the Japanese threw in the towel and sued for peace, the air waves crackled with urgent radio messages between Manila and Tokyo. MacArthur directed the Japanese government to dispatch to Manila "a competent representative empowered to receive in the name of the Emperor, the Japanese government and the Japanese General Headquarters, certain requirements for carrying into effect the terms of surrender." Headed by Lt. Gen. Torashiro Kawabe, Vice-chief of the Imperial General Staff, a sixteen-man Japanese delegation left Japan on the morning of August 19. MacArthur's Tokyo papers contain glimpses of the ensuing conference:
Less than three hours after their arrival, the Japanese delegation was led by General Willoughby to MacArthur's Headquarters. The General made it a point not to be present. The conference was conducted by his Chief of Staff [Sutherland] instead. The meetings continued through the night. The translator unit, a work-horse of G-2, furnished linguists who scanned translated and photostated the various maps, reports and charts which the Japanese had brought with them. These people worked through the night to put MacArthur's directives into accurate Japanese before morning. General Kawabe was handed the pertinent documents, and the party left at 1300 on August 20.
