What U.S. directive ordered Japanese forces to surrender to designated Allied commanders in 1945?

General Order No. 1 ordered Japanese forces to surrender to designated Allied commanders in 1945.

The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff prepared the order, and President Harry Truman approved it on August 17, 1945. General Douglas MacArthur issued it after Japan’s surrender announcement, and Japan’s Imperial General Headquarters transmitted it to Japanese forces on September 2.

The order required Japanese commanders to stop fighting, reveal their military deployments, preserve equipment, and await instructions about disarmament. It also specified which Allied commanders would receive the surrender of Japanese forces in different territories.

One important consequence involved Korea. Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel were directed to surrender to Soviet forces, while those south of it surrendered to U.S. forces. The directive therefore helped establish the military division that preceded the separate occupation zones in Korea.