Iwo Jima…

The American flag on Iwo Jima and The Ogasawara Reversion Agreement (1968)

The American memorial on top of Mt Suribachi was a major point of contention between Japan and the United State in the drafting of the treaty to return Iwo Jima to Japan. The United States initially pressed for a permanent US cloth flag with accompanying flag pole be erected on Mt Suribachi and maintained in perpetuity. The Japanese strongly objected. Negotiations went back and forth until the United States “reluctantly agreed” to look into replacing the flag with a brass one. The Marine Corp agreed that a bronze flag would be much preferable to cloth from
the point of view of maintenance and told the US ambassador to Japan they would order a bronze replacement. That was enough to satisfy the Japanese
government.

However, there was a problem with the first bronze flag. On 25
March 1968, a group of Marine engineers arrived on Iwo Jima to erect the replacement. The result was an actual “monstrous” replica of a flag and flagpole atop the existing monument, replacing the cloth flag and flag pole. “When the Japanese first saw the news photos of the ‘replica,’ they were shocked. Technically their demands had been satisfied, but the nation’s sensibilities were still strained. If anything, this new flag, cast in the full flying position, was more distasteful than the original cloth flag. But what could they do? The Americans had removed the flag as requested.”

It was at this point that fate struck, or better put, the kamikaze winds that have mythically saved Japan from earlier threats. Four days after the new flag was built and installed, strong winds atop Mount Suribachi “had
ripped the offensive flag from its moorings and sent it crashing into the sea.” Eventually, the Marines had to return and install the present memorial.