1945: United States

A brief summary of activities and developments pertaining to the United States in 1945 is given below. Other articles, setting forth more detailed information concerning both international and domestic events of the year, are listed at the end of this article.

The War.

European Theatre.

As 1945 was ushered in, the war was uppermost in the minds of the people of the United States. Great concern was felt because the seemingly authoritative predictions of 'early victory in Europe,' made in the fall of 1944, were apparently erroneous, as evidenced by the unexpected Allied set-back in the Battle of the Belgian Bulge. At the same time, after a successful invasion of the Philippines, our progress had been slowed down to such an extent, that the conclusion of the Pacific war was not anticipated for months, and perhaps years to come.

These war conditions brought to a halt any thought of reconversion of our industries to peacetime activity and imposed further obligations upon the 'Arsenal of Democracy.' The resourcefulness of the nation, already burdened by the effects of the previous war years, was once again challenged and found 'not wanting.'

The Germans were pushed across the Rhine, systematically 'maneuvered' into pockets suitable for mopping up, and then finally by early May subdued and crushed. Hostilities formally ended on May 8, when virtually all the German armies had surrendered to the Americans, British and the Russians.

Pacific Theatre.

In the Pacific, bitter fighting resulted in the liberation of Manila in February. Iwo Jima and Okinawa, two of the Nipponese 'home' islands, were the next targets of our forces. Iwo, invaded in February, was won in March, after some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Okinawa was stubbornly and fanatically defended by the Japanese for nearly three months and was finally taken by the end of June. Despite the shelling of the main Japanese islands by Admiral 'Bull' Halsey's armada and the consistently increasing air bombing of all the principal Japanese cities, further progress was a matter of conjecture, especially in view of the fact that a well trained Japanese army of two million men still had to be beaten.

Japanese Capitulation.

American hopes for victory in the Pacific were enhanced by the planned deployment of seasoned European forces to the Far Eastern Theatre. However, before the weight of the entire American nation was thrown upon them, the Japanese, with unexpected suddeness, decided to accept the 'unconditional surrender' terms of the Allies.

The end came swiftly, in the middle of August, after two significant developments: Russia declared war on Japan and, more particularly, the United States unleashed the fury of the atomic bomb on two Japanese cities, leaving them in utter devastation. Hirohito's representatives signed the formal surrender terms in the presence of the Allied Supreme Commander, General Douglas MacArthur, and representatives of the Allied Nations, on the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2 (Tokyo time).

War's Aftermath.

1945 brought jubilation, but at the same time 'trials and tribulations.' On the domestic front, production cut-backs resulted in the elimination of overtime pay for millions of workers who found it difficult to adjust their base take-home pay to the standards of living to which they had become accustomed. Rising living costs, despite a 'hold the line' price policy, precipitated labor demands for increases in base pay. Strikes in nearly all industries resulted.

Politics and Government.

Cabinet Changes.

Two events — the end of World War II and the sudden death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt — wrought profound changes in the government of the United States in 1945.

Although, upon being sworn into office on the evening of April 12 as the thirty second president of the United States, Harry S. Truman did the formal and the expected in asking the members of the late President's cabinet to continue to serve in that capacity, only three (Secretaries of Commerce, Interior and Navy) at the end of the year remained in the posts which they held at the time of Roosevelt's death.

Continuation of Executive-Legislative Breach.

These were the principal external changes which occurred in government leadership. More importantly, however, they were symbols of differences in governing standpoints and marked a break with the immediate past, without benefit of party change, such as had not been seen in Washington in more than twelve years. The terms in office of Franklin Roosevelt had shown a gradual ascendancy of the executive over the legislative branch of the government. A more normal balance and more cordial relations between the two branches were foreseen and the expectation initially fulfilled because of the Senate training and understanding of the legislative viewpoint of the new United States chief of state. Nevertheless, toward the end of the year and the end of the political honeymoon, the Congress resumed its assertion of power until President Truman appealed to the American people by radio, maintaining that the Senate and the House by non-cooperation and obstructionist tactics were defeating his entire program of recovery.

Break Within Ranks of Democratic Party.

The various new appointees of the new president reflected less and less the ideologies of the New Deal and the schism between liberal and conservative Democrats, which had long been held in check by Roosevelt, became wider and more wholly apparent. Numerous boards, such as the Office of War Information, War Labor Board and the War Production Board, set up purely for wartime needs, were disbanded and new agencies created in the interests of reconversion, were placed under the direction of conservative businessmen and old style politicians.

The Communist Party in the United States.

Meeting in New York City on July 27, the Communist Political Association, in reestablishing the Communist Party, disavowed the original precepts of the party and voted its reorganization under the leadership of a four-man board which would guide the eleven members of its National Board and the fifty-five members of its National Committee in matters of policy and in the direction of Party affairs. Significant was the absence of Earl Browder from among those elected to office in the new Communist Party.

Pearl Harbor Investigation.

The war's end also brought about the revocation of the edict of wartime secrecy. Under the pressure of Congressional demand, President Truman finally released reports made by the War Department and the Presidential Board in their investigation of the Pearl Harbor disaster. When these failed to satisfy, Congress itself voted to conduct its own hearings on the incident which had plunged the nation into World War II.

International Affairs.

End of Lend Lease.

The United States emerged from this global war as the greatest power in the air and on the seas. Through the functioning of Lend Lease, it was also the greatest creditor nation of the world, a force which was most sharply felt when Lend Lease was abruptly ended by Presidential order. Fiscal experts both at home and abroad warned of immediate disaster in the cessation of this monetary aid and the recommended substitute was regular government loans, the first of which was asked for by Great Britain, followed by France and Russia.

U.S. Aid to Stricken Nations.

In our foreign relations, the end of hostilities also brought unprecedented demands for support in both food and clothing, not only from liberated countries and our Allies, but also from erstwhile enemies. In 1945, the United States continued, through UNRRA, headed by former Governor of New York, Herbert H. Lehman, to be the largest single contributor of material goods to the stricken nations of the world.

United Nations Conference.

As a step toward continuing the force of the United States in world affairs in peacetime, and as a possible means of warding off a recurrence of isolationism, this country became the host to the United Nations Organization, which convened at San Francisco on April 25, with the purpose of insuring the world against future war and guaranteeing national security to all. Edward R. Stettinius, then U.S. Secretary of State, was one of the four presiding officers of the Conference.

Finance.

The government debt limit was extended during the year to the unprecedented total of $300,000,000,000. This limit might have been reached, or passed, if the war had continued, but the cessation of hostilities brought cuts in governmental appropriations and expenditures.

Tax reduction was the subject of Congressional action in the Federal Revenue Act of 1945 in which some taxes were eliminated and others reduced.

See also AGRICULTURE; ART; BANKING; BUSINESS REVIEW; EDUCATION; LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT; LAW AND LEGISLATION; SPORTS; UNITED NATIONS; UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND REHABILITATION ADMINISTRATION; WORLD WAR II.