At the end of World War II, a variety of political and civic virtues helped make it possible for the United States to move decisively in just a few years to turn a defeated Japan into a self-sufficient country compatible with American interests. How much did Japanese civilians know about the outcome of the war and how did the Japanese receive the American occupation forces? And what did they think of the man in charge of the occupation—General Douglas MacArthur? Look at the occupation of Japan from the viewpoint of someone who experienced it firsthand.