A Letter From Occupied Japan Just One Month After V-J Day Describing The Harsh Reality Of Post-Surrender Japan: Every Day Thousands Of Small Kids Approach You Their Little Hands Stretched Out In The Hope That Youll Give Them A Piece Of Candy

(OCCUPIED JAPAN). ALS. 4 pages. 8 x 10 . Osaka, Japan, October 8, 1945. An autograph letter signed Van to Jane describing the misery on the ground in Japan right after the end of the Second World War. Van is writing Amidst a large crowd of Jap. civilians who have been begging me for some food, candy or cigarettes. He later writes that Japan so far has been nothing but misery and disease to me, along with big towns or small villages in complete ruins. So the people are living in the streets, under buildings, bridges, sleep under wrecked cars, busses, trolleys, etc. Every day thousands of small kids approach you their little hands stretched out in the hope that youll give them a piece of candy. Women unable to feed their babies, come up to you, with the little child sucking away on their breast, but not getting any milk at all. They beg for milk on their knees. Other women offer their gold wedding rings for a couple of C ration crackers. Disease is all over. Children with sores as big as a silver dollar all over their skinny bodies by the dozens. How the heck can you possibly refuse to give them a negative answer. This afternoon I actually couldnt walk, because I was surrounded by women who kneeled down in front of me begging for food. I finally had to show them that they had no reason to be afraid of me, so I bent over, and put my hand underneath the chin of a young women, who was quite pretty. I lifted up her head and lookedThe people here have no food at all, except for a few potatoes that they manage to grow in the streets or among the ruined buildings. They all carry huge sums of money, in the hope that some G.I. will sell them a can of C-rations or a K-ration, which they will pay for with as much as 500 yen ($30.00) of course it is strictly {sic} forbidden. But some guys get away with it and are making a fortune at the present. After a few concluding thoughts and sending Loads of Love, Van writes a postscript saying he expects to be home by Easter. Pages are numbered at the top. The collection is missing the third and fourth pages and contains a noticeable horizontal crease across the middle of the pages but is in otherwise very good condition.