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Page £ ___ OracleA Tale of Two Alums —Thursday, April 29,1982by Cecil BrettIt must seem a remarkable twist of fate that brought together in Tokyo two Monmouth College alumni, an American and a Japanese, at the end of World War ILFollowing the Japanese surrender in September, 1945, the triumphant allied armies under General MacArthur’s com' mand were preparing to enter a defeated Japan to begin what was to be seven years of military occupation. History tells us that the two bitter enemies, United States and Japan, would in time become close friends and allies. Bui Japan did riot change from enemy to ally overnight. The early days of the occupation were clouded by mutual hostility and suspicion. The Americans viewed the Japanese leaders as treacherous, cunning, deceitful, and not to be trusted. But something did take place which would help to change this. It just happened, as if by some fortuitous destiny, that an American and a Japanese were on the scene, each superbly placed in a key position to influence the future course of events. These two men, Monmoulh Alumni, working together, so It Is said, were instrumental in setting Japan on the road to economic recovery and in establishing from the beginning a spirit of trust and cooperation, a spirit which was to characterize the long association between General MacArlhur's headquarters and the Japanese authorities.The American was Colonel Donovan M. Vance, ’28, of Monmouth, Illinois, the top civil affairs officer in General MacArthur’s headquarters. The Japanese was Takashi Komatsu, ’10, a leading industrialist in Japan and a man well-connected in Japanese government circles.1 am indebted for much of the present material to a recent conversation with Mr. Ralph Eckiey, '23, for his reminiscences and anecdotes of these two men, whom he knew, and for making available to me some now yellowed pages of the Review Atlas. From these and other obscure and musty records of some thirty-seven years ago, there emerges a story that is not merely political and historical but human and dramatic.In September, 1945, Colonel Vance, who-had previously served with distinction as head of civil affairs under General Robert L. Elchelberger in the Philippines, was brought to Tokyo to be chief of the new military governmenl section of General Elchelberger's Eighth Army Headquarters. The task of his section was to find ways to deal with economic, social, scientific and related problems which would confront the general in his role of military governor of half of Japan. As Coionel Vance was one of the flrsl Americans to arrive ir Japan, his immediate job was to establish communication and, it was hoped, a working relationship with the civil anc government headers of the nation.The Japan of that time, having jus: come through a devastating and fruitless war, can only be described as ar. economic shambles arid a spiritually defunct nation. Half of the population had abandoned the city following the American fire-bomb raids of the spring which had taken more lives than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and hac left hundreds of thousands of people homeless. There was an inordinate shortage of food, supplies, and Transportation.In the middle of this appalling contusion the American advance party, which had come to prepare for the arrival of the main occupation forces, struggled with enormous difficulties. Porffacilities had to be located to handle incoming shipping of supplies and personnel; buildings and facilities of all kinds had to be Identified to requisition for offices and living quarters. Not least of the initial problems was the shortage of Japanese with English speaking skills.Communications of a sort had been established. Both the national government and the Tokyo metropolitan authority had set liaison offices in meticulous adherence to the American postsurrender directives. But they were staffed, for the most part, by unimaginative and sometimes uncooperative bureaucrats. An atomosphere of distrust and suspicion surrounded the daily meetings between the Americans and the Japanese.When Colonel Vance arrived in Japan he began making Inquiries about a certain Japanese, Takashi Komatsu, a fellow alumnus well-known to Monmouth pecple whom he believed might be in a postion to help him with his task. Komatsu was eventually located. In a letter to his wife, dated September 26, 1945, Vance describes their first meeting. He writes, “Today the Jap government sent Takashi Komatsu over as directed and it was just like 'old home week.’ He showed up complete with his Monmouth College ■ yearbooks and his secretary.” (Vance was to recall later that Komatsu had arrived at MacArthur’s headquarters in a chauffeur-driven limousine.) The letter continues, “After asking about numerous Monmouth people we got down to business I found that it was just like I hoped it would be, that he is well thought of by the government cf Japan.”Years later the colonel related other details of this first meeting with Komatsu. When the introductions were made it was necessary for Vance, the younger ofthe two, to explain his connection with Monmouth. He had a cousin, Ray Vance, TO, who was an old friend and classmate of Takashi. Do you also re-member,*’ Vance recalls asking, “the little fellow; who used to come and have breakfast with you in the McMullough’s . kitchen a long time ago? 1 was that boy.” Vance was referring lo a lime when Komatsu as a studen: had lived and worked for his board ir. the McCullough home.at 224 South A Street, where he had come to live at the age of 16 on the recommendation of Miss Kate Shaw, a sister of Mrs. McCullough and a former Presbyterian missionary in Japan. Donovan Vance had . grown up just , a few; doors away where he lived with his grandmother and aunts in the Mulligan home at 219 West First Avenue. Komatsu did remember well, and from .hat moment rapport was established between the two men.Mr. Komatsu*, looking about the abandoned departmenl store which was the Americans’ temporary headquarters, is said to have told Vance that he could supply 125 English-speaking secretaries. He also offered to make available to Vance’s section his own more commodious offices in the Nippon Steel building, offers which we are told, were speedily accepted.Between the two -—the American civil affairs administrator and the Japanese industrialist — a working relationship soon developed. Rules of military deportment. of “correct behavior, of victorious power to defeated foe, of nonfraternization and the like, had no place here. They worked together like a team. In a sense the two wzre professionals, each with a clearly perceived mission and with goals which, happily they shared — to feed the hungry, to get the industries back into production and
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Monmouth College Newspaper Oracle
Monmouth, Illinois, US
Thu, Apr 29, 1982
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