Tuesday, August 21, 1945. Lurching towards a peace, normalcy, abnormality. Lizabeth Scott on Look. Lend Lease Terminated. Big Japanese surrender in China. Japan bars fraternization but sets up brothels for Western troops. Romanian Royal Strike., tragic nuclear accident.

The picture magazine Look was out, and on a Tuesday, oddly.  Actress and singer Lizabeth Scott, famous for film noir roles, graced the cover.

Truman ordered Lead Lease be terminated immediately.

The first major Japanese surrender ceremony in China took place at the Zhijiang Airport in Hunan Province.

"Sitting on a jeep hood are two GIs watching as the Japanese Army emissaries arrive at Chinese Army HQs. at Chihkiang, China to arrange the details of surrendering the armies to Chinese forces. In front can be seen the Chief of Staff of the Japanese Armies in China, Major General Takeo Imai, (with sun helmet). Behind him is his interpreter, Mr. Tatsuo Kimura, and the Deputy Chief of Staff of Jap Armies in China, Lt. Col. Yoshio Hashijima and Major Kunio Maskawa. 21 August, 1945."

The Japanese government appealed to kamikaze pilots to immediately cease operations.

The Japanese government ordered that "there will be no direct contact between the general public and the Allied landing forces."   That order would rapidly break down.

In fact, the Japanese on this day were already working on breaking it down, as they determined, on this day, to form the Recreation and Amusement Association (特殊慰安施設協会) or as it is more accurately translated the '"Special Comfort Facility Association".  It extended the horrific "comfort women" system but with Allied servicemen in mind, in fear that failure to do so would lead to rapes.

55,000 women would be employed by the RAA, of which 2,000 were prostitutes.

American physicist Harry Daghlian accidentally dropped a tungsten carbide brick onto a plutonium bomb core resulting in an exposure to radiation at the lethal level.  He died a couple of weeks later.

His hand on August 30:

The new British government announced its intention to nationalize the Bank of England.

The Romanian Royal Strike commenced during which King Michael I refused to sign the bills enacted by the Petru Groza cabinet or to receive its Ministers in audience in protest of  Petru Groza's refusal to resign his position on the King's request.  Resignation would have been the Romanian norm, but the Soviet backed Groza simply refused to do so.

The first post war kosher slaughter to be performed in Germany occurred with Rabbi Zweigenhaft performing the same.

Last edition:

Monday, August 20, 1945. Wainwright liberated.

Labels: 1940s, 1945, Army, August Revolution, baseball, China, Collaborators, Economics, French Indochina, Norway, Personalities, Poland, Prisoners of War, Red Army, The Cold War, Việt Minh, Vietnam, War Production Board, World War Two