Lot 385

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Description:

A GENERAL'S PASS TO VIEW THE JAPANESE SURRENDER ON THE U.S.S. MISSOURI
Excessively rare pass issued to Gen. ROBERTSON C. RICHARDSON, JR. to attend the Japanese surrender, a typed card 5" x 3", reads in full: "SURRENDER CEREMONY LT. GENERAL R. C. RICHARDSON, JR. is authorized to board the MISSOURI for the SURRENDER CEREMONY to be held on 2 SEPTEMBER 1945 at 0900 hours...". The card is initialed "H B W" by Col. H. BENNETT WHIPPLE. Whipple was a 31-year-old U.S. Army colonel who was assigned by Gen. Douglas MacArthur to plan the Japanese surrender ceremony formally ending World War II aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945. Later, formal printed "souvenir" cards were given to those who attended, but it is now clear that this pass was the first, original accepted pass. Accompanied by thirteen original 8" x 10" b/w period photographs kept by Richardson with this pass, five showing the proceedings with Richardson in the first row of viewers, others showing MacArthur, Stilwell, Percival, Wainwright, etc., "Instructions For Personnel Attending Surrender Ceremony", 1p. legal folio, Sep. 2, 1945, above Whipple's printed signature; the printed agenda of the ceremony, 1p. legal folio, Sep 2, 1945, again over Whipple's signature, and finally, Richardson's retained copy of his letter to MacArthur, Sep. 4, 1945 congratulating him upon being appointed Supreme Commander. ROBERT C. RICHARDSON, JR. (1882-1954) American Army general, Commanding General of the Hawaiian Department, Military Governor of Hawaii, and commanded all Army personnel in the Pacific Ocean Areas and Mid-Pacific. A fine, important grouping.

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July 7, 2015 10:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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