NEW GRAND HOTEL, YOKOHAMA 1961
When General Douglas MacArthur, Allied Supreme Commander of the Far East stepped down on the tarmac of the Atsugi Airfield, he took a look around and decided it would be the right airfield for the United States to use for the incoming occupation forces.
He did not have to consult with the Congress or the President; nor did he ask the Supreme Court for any particular review. He had stated that the "...proceeding were finished" when he had received the surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. Now proceedings of another kind were beginning.
He told his driver to take him to the New Grand Hotel in Yokohama. He had called ahead, but reservations were already made. Somehow, the staff sensed he would be arriving sooner or later. Thus, the New Grand was the initial headquarters of one of the world's military geniuses of the last century.
There was a large mahogony bar overlooking the waterfront. I do not know if he had a drink at the bar, but rest assured, there were military men who were sipping some Jack Daniels and Cutty Sark. The media would not arrive for awhile, not until the General requested they arrive with cameras.
There are many stories about the New Grand; I enjoyed listening to them from men who had been with MacArthur on the day he arrived. I regret that I didn't listen more carefully now. Nevertheless, it was a kind of connection with an era that has long faded. What MacArthur did was one giant miracle; he did what numerous committees of politicians could never have done. He had been trained to be a leader. He did his job well. It was politics that ended his career.
NEW GRAND HOTEL, YOKOHAMA 1961
When General Douglas MacArthur, Allied Supreme Commander of the Far East stepped down on the tarmac of the Atsugi Airfield, he took a look around and decided it would be the right airfield for the United States to use for the incoming occupation forces.
He did not have to consult with the Congress or the President; nor did he ask the Supreme Court for any particular review. He had stated that the "...proceeding were finished" when he had received the surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. Now proceedings of another kind were beginning.
He told his driver to take him to the New Grand Hotel in Yokohama. He had called ahead, but reservations were already made. Somehow, the staff sensed he would be arriving sooner or later. Thus, the New Grand was the initial headquarters of one of the world's military geniuses of the last century.
There was a large mahogony bar overlooking the waterfront. I do not know if he had a drink at the bar, but rest assured, there were military men who were sipping some Jack Daniels and Cutty Sark. The media would not arrive for awhile, not until the General requested they arrive with cameras.
There are many stories about the New Grand; I enjoyed listening to them from men who had been with MacArthur on the day he arrived. I regret that I didn't listen more carefully now. Nevertheless, it was a kind of connection with an era that has long faded. What MacArthur did was one giant miracle; he did what numerous committees of politicians could never have done. He had been trained to be a leader. He did his job well. It was politics that ended his career.