August 2, 1945; Sheets of Flame Sear Japanese Cities:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, AUGUST 2, 1945:

RENO, NEVADA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 1945

War With Japan

Not Mentioned
In Potsdam Note

Franco Regime

In Spain Given
Rebuke in Report

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2. (AP)

Creation of a Big Five council of foreign ministers to write the peace treaties of Europe was disclosed today in the official report of the Big Three meeting at Potsdam.

SLAP AT FRANCO

The technical document of about 6000 words dealt at length with European political problems and included a slap by President Truman, Prime Minister1 Attlee and Premier Stalin at Franco's government in Spain. But it did not discuss the war against Japan.

All the document said about military matters was in these final two lines:

"During the conference there were meetings between the chiefs of staff of the three governments on military matters of common interest.

The communique indicated a high degree of understanding had been readied by the chiefs of the three greatest powers occupying Germany—Russia, Britain and the United States.

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B-29 Targets Listed

Bull's-eye symbols locate cities that have been listed as future B-29 targets, including eight new ones added to a list previously announced by 20th Air Force. Bomb-burst symbols locate six cities on the original list of advance targets that already have been hit by the superforts. The eight additional Japanese cities listed for destruction was announced by Maj. Gen Curtis E. Lemay, July 31.

 

 

Sheets of Flame

Sear Enemy Cities

Greatest Air Raid in All History

Pays Big Dividends to U. S. Forces

GUAM, Aug. 2. (/P)—Solid sheets of flame visible more than 180 miles blanketed four Japanese cities and a huge oil refinery center today as a great fleet of 820 B-29s smashed Japan with 6632 tons of bombs and mines in the greatest air raid in history.

"The sight was incredible—beyond description," declared Sgt. Lester L. Sharpe of Kansas City, Kan., as jubilant crews returned to their Marianas bases.

Fast little fighter planes carried on the attack as the Superforts winged home. Simultaneously, reports from Admiral Nimitz and Tokyo radio told of submarine and warship bombardments on either side of Tokyo, the shelling of Wake island and a daring rescue on a Japanese-held Marshall islands atoll.

ONE LOST

Only one B-29 was lost as the hundreds of big planes dumped their promised cargoes on the refineries and the four cities forewarned of their fate.

 

Jap Papers

Claim Victory

Raiders Outfoxed

By "Clever Tactic"

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2. (AP)

— Big headlines in Tokyo newspapers today assured readers Japan now stands ready to win the showdown fight "on our homeland"— even while 820 Superfortresses were visiting fiery destruction upon an island oil refinery in Tokyo bay, and four nearby cities.

REFUSE TO FIGHT

The emphasis of the newspaper stories, as detailed in FCC-intercepted broadcasts, was that the Japanese air force has "cleverly" remained intact by refusing to fight American raiders over the homeland, leaving the job entirely to ground gun crews.

"The main strength of our air force has patiently refrained from participating in these counterattacks, cleverly refusing to fall for enemy tactics seeking attrition of our air power," the newspapers reported.

 

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