General MacArthurâs GHQ. The rally was called to protest alleged repression of peopleâs rights by the Japanese government. Coming out of the Dai Ichi at noon, I was amazed at the mass of people milling about on the plaza. Enjoying the beautiful day, I crossed the street and walked among the throng. It was a typical Japanese gathering, packed with thousands of young people, mostly students, interspersed with working men and women and the idle curious who were always attracted by such an event. The people were friendly, and as far as I could see, the crowd was orderly. Here and there, small groups were assembled listening to individual speakers who seemed to be answering questions mostly. A few policemen stood quietly observing the crowd.
Suddenly, near some low trees, there was a violent movement in the mass of people. The group seemed to pack in upon itself, then burst like agitated ants. Stones began to fly. I saw the Japanese police rush in. I thought I saw an American captain and two enlisted men join the police as they moved into the mob, but I may have been wrong. It is possible that the Japanese police were trying to rescue the Americans from the mob.
I recall at that time asking my Japanese friend, âWhat the hell are all the Americans doing there?â He didnât bother to answer but was yelling and pulling at me. âThis is bad, Colonel. Letâs get out of here.â I didnât have to be urged. This was the first time I had seen a Japanese crowd directly attack Americans. I later learned that the mob threw one of the soldiers into the palace moat and the other two were mauled.
This rough affair created great excitement at the Dai Ichi Building. I was later told that the âPeopleâs Rallyâ was communist-organized, and the sudden riot against the Japanese and the Americans was communist-inspired.
SCAP obviously could not tolerate this affront. Seven days after the gathering on the Imperial Palace Plaza, General MacArthur directed the Japanese government to purge the 221 executive members of the Communist Party Central Committee. The newspapers headlined the event, featuring General MacArthur as the man who knocked the âbrainsâ out of the Communist Party.
Meanwhile the third major offensive of our âtotal diplomacy,â which was directed at destroying Russian prestige and influence in Japan, was progressing rapidly toward a successful conclusion.
When the war in the Pacific ended, the powers that fought Japan established in TÅkyÅ an international body known as the Allied Council for Japan. Although the authority of the council was vague, its general purpose was to serve as an advisory council for the Allied supreme commander. It was intended that the council would consult with and help General MacArthur to administer the country, and the council met from time to time, but since SCAP was an American general commanding what essentially was an American occupation headquarters, the council had little influence or impact on the administration of Japan.
The Soviet Union was represented on the council by Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko, who had about fifty Russians on his staff. The offensive to drive the Russians out of TÅkyÅ was undertaken at the highest level. General Derevyanko found himself under increasing attack from both American and Australian representatives. In every conceivable way, the Russian representatives were shown that they were not welcome in the country. Rumors began to circulate that since Japan was under American occupation anyway, there was no reason to have the Soviet Union tell us how to govern the country, and the Allied Council was to be discontinued. Council meetings became infrequent and finally ceased altogether. The Soviet Unionâs representatives, always isolated, now lost their reason for being in Japan. On May 28, 1950, without any previous warning, about a month before the North Korean invasion was