SIGN TERMS AT REIMS
NEW YORK - (ANS) - An Associated Press dispatch, date-lined Reims, France, told the United States that Germany had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies on Monday.
The Associated Press announcement, which was not carried by United Press or International News Service, and which was not confirmed in Washington, said, "The Allies officially announced that Germany surrendered unconditionally."
This flash was received in New York at 9:35 a.m., Monday, Eastern War Time.
Radio announcers immediately broken into programs to read the AP announcement which, although using the word "officially," did not name the Allied official or official's making the announcement. However, office workers in downtown New York threw open windows and began throwing ticker tape and torn paper into the treets.
WHITE HOUSE QUIET
In Washington, at 10:15 a.m., EWT, Jonathan Daniels, White House press secretary, told reporters the White House had nothing to announce regarding the situation in Europe. The United Press reported Daniels as saying regarding the Associated Press surrender announcement: "The fact is that there is no official announcement at the White House at this time."
International News Service said Daniels declared he had read the Associated Press report and emphasized there was no official announcement to be made.
At the Roundup's deadline, Tuesday afternoon, President Truman was scheduled to be on the radio in a nationwide broadcast at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 8 (Indian time), with an "important announcement," Army News Service announced over the Honolulu station.
"The plans of the President are the same as announced last week," Daniels said. "That is that in event of cessation of hostilities in Europe, The President will go on the air."
'GERMANY SURRENDERS'
New York's evening papers all put out extras headlining the Associated Press surrender report. In big black type, the New York World-Telegram headline read: "Nazis give up," with the subhead, "Surrender to Allies and Russia announced."
The New York Sun headlined, "Germany surrenders," with a drop head, "Nazis yield to Allied Big Three at Eisenhower's Headquarters."
The New York Journal had a black type banner, "It's V-E Day," with a subhead in red type, "Last German Units Yield." Below this was a black streamer with the type reading, "Remember Pearl Harbor."
New York Post's head said, "FROM EISENHOWER HQ: NAZIS QUIT."
The Associated Press said its surrender account came "directly from Edward Kennedy, chief of the Associated Press staff on the Western Front."
"Kennedy's dispatch," Associated Press said, "was transmitted via Paris from Reims, Gen. Eisenhower's advance headquarters, to the London office of AP and relayed from there to New York via AP's leased cable facilities."
In San Francisco, Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinus, Jr., said he had not been notified
officially of any German surrender.
At noon times, EWT, Monday, House Speaker Sam Rayburn said regarding a possible
proclamation by the President on the end of the war with Germany that "whenever it's made, today, tomorrow or next week," it will be heard by the House of Representatives.
FILING SUSPENDED?
At 12:15, EWT, Monday, International News Service and United Press said they had received notice from Paris that filing privileges of the Associated Press Paris Bureau had been suspended.
Associated Press reported these announcements of the other two wire services shortly afterwards, adding, in a story out of New York, that no reason was given for the reported suspension. Two minor dispatches, AP said,
were received in New York from the AP Paris Bureau after the original story from Reims reporting the German surrender had reached the New York office.
Crowds across the nation quickly took up the surrender announcement even while officials were emphasizing the report had not been confirmed.
Noonday crowds jammed New York's Times Square waving flags and cheering in a milling mess back and forth through the square beneath a shower of ticker tape and torn paper. Police roped off the square.
Along Fifth Avenue, flags and streamers were broken out and flown from windows and flagstaffs.
Wall Street, the financial district, celebrated with crowds in streets and a drop in industrial average for so-called "war babies," such as heavy industrials, aircraft manufacturers and railroad stocks.
WAR WORKERS CELEBRATE
In Detroit, INS said war workers celebrated. The Ford Motor Company, according to the INS report, said 100 employees left the Rouge River plant, and Chrysler estimated about 2,000 employees left the Dodge truck plant to demonstrate over the surrender report.
Associated Press said Washington took the surrender report "in stride." The Capital AP commented, indicated it was prepared to heed President Truman's recent caution that the news of surrender in Europe should be occasion for rededicating American efforts to the struggle in the Pacific.
While the Capital remained outwardly calm, there was a bustle of activity at the White House. Sandwiches were brought to the White House, AP said. The President apparently departed from his custom of walking home to Blair House for lunch and apparently had lunch at his desk, AP said.
During the past week around 2,400,000 Nazis laid down their arms unconditionally. Around 1,000,000 quit in Italy, another 1,000,000 surrendered to Marshal Montgomery's 21st Army Group and 400,000 gave themselves up to Gen. Jacob Devers Sixth Army Group.
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