By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

The History Channel last week aired an impressive documentary on the USS Missouri, one of Our Hono-

lulu's major maritime attractions at Pearl Harbor. It just happens that Kailua resident Alfred Bloom has let us in on some never-before-revealed information about the famous old battleship.

Our story concerns, among other things, the ample ego of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who signed the Japanese surrender treaty aboard the Missouri. He was taken there by the destroyer USS Buchanan.

The late Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Henry, a relative of Bloom's, was skipper of the Buchanan. His log, passed on to Bloom, describes the signing of the surrender and anecdotes about MacArthur.

Henry wrote that early in the morning of Aug. 31, 1945, in Tokyo Bay, he received a shock. The Buchanan was to become the limousine for top brass of the Army and Navy. "Admirals (Chester) Nimitz and (Bull) Halsey are boarding us tomorrow for a ride to Yokohama to see General MacArthur. ... I don't think I'll sleep so well tonight. I have never docked the Buchanan before."

The Buchanan's skipper broke out a five-star flag when the admirals came aboard and they sailed for Yokohama. At lunch, Henry had a steak sandwich on the bridge while the admirals dined in the commodore's cabin. Nimitz courteously signaled a "well done" when he left the ship.

Two days later, the Buchanan was assigned to carry MacArthur to the Missouri for the surrender signing. Henry wrote that he thought the general looked a little pale. MacArthur wanted to step aboard the Missouri exactly at 8:45 a.m.; Henry got him over the side two minutes early.

Then the Buchanan backed off and Henry watched the signing through the range finder on one of the destroyer's guns.

He wrote later, "I hear General MacArthur is a little whizzed off at Vice Admiral Ramsey. The general signed part of his name with one pen, part with another and intended to give one to his wife and one to his son. He forgot to pick them up when he left the table and Admiral Ramsey scooped them. I understand a very senior officer was sent to retrieve them."

When MacArthur returned on board, he had with him Gen. Jonathan Wainwright, pale and thin, who had recently returned from a Manchurian prison camp after surrendering at Corregidor 3 1/2 years before.

As Henry unloaded the general, he received a handshake from MacArthur. Then passengers from the destroyer Nicholas alongside streamed across the deck to shore. Henry said he recognized Gens. "Vinegar" Joe Stillwell, Curtis LeMay and Jimmy Doolittle. With them were generals and admirals from Russia, China, the Netherlands, England and New Zealand.

Over dinner that day, the commodore told Henry that MacArthur used anti-wrinkle cold cream and dyed his hair.

Reach Bob Krauss at 525-8073.