During World War II, the Alaska Communications System (ACS) headquartered in Seattle controlled virtually all radio communication services, including civilian, within Alaska and between Alaska, Canada and the United States ("down below" or "outside", as Alaskans used to say). ACS had subsidiary stations throughout the Alaskan Territory. A message, such as MacArthur's surrender order, was received and automatically recorded as printed text and parallel punched holes on paper tape (see illustration below) and could then be relayed on to other stations by feeding the tape into a reader with automatically retransmitted the message.
Master Sargeant Lawrence A. Burrow is pictured in 1945 on Adak Island in front of "The Last Resort", a Quonset hut with attached storm porch. He was a radio operator with the ACS, a unit of the United States Army Signal Corps. While MSgt Larry Burrow was on duty at the United States Army Signal Corps station on Adak Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, he received General MacArthur's surrender order, as sent to the Japanese. He received it "live" and relayed it on to the lower 48 states.
"THE AIRPLANE WILL APPROACH IE SHIMA ON A COURSE OF 180 DEGREES AND CIRCLE LANDING FIELD AT 1000 FEET OR BELOW THE CLOUD LAYER UNTIL JOINED BY AN ESCORT OF UNITED STATES ARMY P-38'S WHICH WILL LEAD IT TO A LANDING."
Whereas the original message tape reads as follows:
"THE AIRPLANE WILL APPROACH IE SHIMA ON ABLE COURSE OF ONE EIGHT NOUGHT DEGREES AND CIRCLE LANDING FIELD AT ONE NOUGHT NOUGHT NOUGHT FEET OR BELOW THE CLOUD LAYER UNTIL JOINED BY AN ESCORT OF UNITED STATES ARMY PETER DASH THIRTY EIGHT APOSTROPHE SUGAR WHICH WILL LEAD IT TO A LANDING PD"
This shows only a brief portion of MacArthur's message.
The full transcribed text follows:
SUPERVISOR KRG VIA UKS
BROADCAST FOLLOWING MESSAGE BY ALL AVAILABLE MEANS
PASS ON TO TRIBUTARIES TO DO SAME
D O UKS
TO THE JAPANESE EMPEROR
THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT
THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
FROM SUPREME COMMANDER FOR THE ALLIED POWERS
PURSUANT TO THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS OF SURRENDER OF THE ALLIED POWERS BY THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN, THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT AND THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL HEADQUARTERS, THE SUPREME COMMANDER FOR THE ALLIED POWERS HEREBY DIRECTS THE IMMEDIATE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES BY JAPANESE FORCES. THE SUPREME COMMANDER FOR THE ALLIED POWERS IS TO BE NOTIFIED AT ONCE OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE AND HOUR OF SUCH CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES, WHEREUPON ALLIED FORCES WILL BE DIRECTED TO CEASE HOSTILITIES.
THE SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE ALLIED POWERS FURTHER DIRECTS THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT TO SEND TO HIS HEADQUARTERS AT MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, A COMPETENT REPRESENTATIVE EMPOWERED TO RECEIVE IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN, THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT AND THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL GENERAL HEADQUARTERS CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS FOR CARRYING INTO EFFECT THE TERMS OF SURRENDER. THE ABOVE REPRESENTATIVE WILL PRESENT TO THE SUPREME COMMANDER FOR THE ALLIED POWERS UPON HIS ARRIVAL A DOCUMENT AUTHENTICATED BY THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN, EMPOWERING HIM TO RECEIVE THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SUPREME COMMANDER FOR THE ALLIED POWERS.
THE REPRESENTATIVE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY COMPETENT ADVISORS REPRESENTING THE JAPANESE ARMY, THE JAPANESE NAVY AND THE JAPANESE AIR FORCES. THE LATTER ADVISOR WILL BE THOROUGHLY FAMILIAR WITH AIRDROME FACILITIES IN THE TOKYO AREA.
PROCEDURE FOR TRANSPORT OF THE ABOVE PARTY UNDER SAFE CONDUCT IS PRESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: PARTY WILL TRAVEL IN A JAPANESE AIRPLANE TO AN AIRDROME ON THE ISLAND OF IE SHIMA, FROM WHICH POINT THEY WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, IN A UNITED STATES AIRPLANE. THEY WILL BE RETURNED TO JAPAN IN THE SAME MANNER. PARTY WILL EMPLOY AN UNARMED AIRPLANE, TYPE ZERO MODEL 22, L2, D3. SUCH AIRPLANE WILL BE PAINTED ALL WHITE AND WILL BEAR UPON THE SIDES OF THE FUSELAGE AND TOP AND BOTTOM OF EACH WING GREEN CROSSES EASILY RECOGNIZABLE AT FIVE HUNDRED YARDS. THE AIRPLANE WILL BE CAPABLE OF INFLIGHT VOICE COMMUNICATIONS, IN ENGLISH, ON A FREQUENCY OF 6970 KILOCYCLES. AIRPLANE WILL PROCEED TO AN AIRDROME ON THE ISLAND OF IE SHIMA, IDENTIFIED BY TWO WHITE CROSSES PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED IN THE CENTER OF THE RUNWAY. THE EXACT DATE AND HOUR THIS AIRPLANE WILL DEPART FROM SATA MISAKI, ON THE SOUTHERN TIP OF KYUSHU, THE ROUTE AND ALTITUDE OF FLIGHT AND ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL IN IE SHIMA, WILL BE BROADCAST SIX HOURS IN ADVANCE, IN ENGLISH, FROM TOKYO ON A FREQUENCY OF 16125 KILOCYCLES. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY RADIO FROM THIS HEADQUARTERS OF THE RECEIPT OF SUCH BROADCAST IS REQUIRED PRIOR TO TAKE-OFF OF THE AIRPLANE. WEATHER PERMITTING, THE AIRPLANE WILL DEPART FROM SATA MISAKI BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 0800 AND 1100 TOKYO TIME ON THE 17TH DAY OF AUGUST 1945. IN COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING THIS FLIGHT, THE CODE DESIGNATION "BATAAN" WILL BE EMPLOYED. THE AIRPLANE WILL APPROACH IE SHIMA ON A COURSE OF 180 DEGREES AND CIRCLE
LANDING FIELD AT 1000 FEET OR BELOW THE CLOUD LAYER UNTIL JOINED BY AN ESCORT OF UNITED STATES ARMY P-38'S WHICH WILL LEAD IT TO A LANDING. SUCH ESCORT MAY JOIN THE AIRPLANE PRIOR TO ARRIVAL AT IE SHIMA.
MACARTHUR
After the Japanese occupied Attu and Kiska Islands in the Aleutian Island in the Alaska Territory in 1942, Adak became the ACS Headquarters and the largest Army/Navy base in the Aleutians. Attacks were launched from Adak on the islands occupied by the Japanese.
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This picture of unidentified soldiers draped with Teletype tape was taken in 1945 at ACS Headquarters on Adak Island. The soldier on the left is a tech sergeant and the other two appear to be enlisted men. The picture was taken in the tape relay section of the Communications Center, where MStg Lawrence A. Burrow was "Chief Operator" (top enlisted man). MacArthur's surrender message was processed in the Adak radio station's tape relay section shown here. |
Bibliography:
Burrow, Charlie. Re: "Ie Shima." E-mail to Bill Reynolds. December 11, 1997.
Burrow, Charlie. Re: "Pictures." E-mail to Janice Cook. December 6, 1999.
Burrow, Charlie. Re: "Webpage." E-mail to Janice Cook. December 15, 1999.
For Further Information Contact:
Charlie Burrow
cburrow@ix.netcom.com 
Last updated: January 3, 2000