Leopold III of Belgium arrived in Switzerland from Austria. That same day, a proclamation was issued to the Belgian people defending his actions during the war, saying that if he met with Hitler it was "only to better the lot of Belgian prisoners of war and obtain bread for your families."[1][2]
As a result of George S. Patton's controversial remarks about denazification, General Eisenhower's headquarters announced that Patton had been relieved as U.S. Third Army commander in Bavaria and made head of a unit compiling a military history of the war in Germany.[3][4]
United States Marshal for the Western District of Missouri Fred A. Canfil sent a gift to his friend, President Harry S. Truman: a painted glass sign mounted on a walnut base with the phrase "The Buck Stops Here!" Truman placed the sign on his desk and occasionally referred to it in public statements over the course of his presidency.[5]
The United Nations Executive Committee voted to recommend that the U.N. permanent headquarters be located in the United States, with San Francisco as the most preferred site.[3]
Curse of the Billy Goat: In Chicago, Billy Goat Tavern owner Billy Sianis was asked to leave Game 4 of the World Series at Wrigley Field because the odor of his pet goat Murphy was bothering other fans. According to baseball lore, Sianis placed a curse on the Cubs so they would never win the World Series again.
Pierre Laval was found guilty of plotting against the state and sharing intelligence with the enemy. He was sentenced to death and his property was ordered seized.[2]
In Argentina, deposed Vice President Juan Perón was released from prison in Martín García Island in response to a massive labour demonstration. October 17 was later commemorated in Argentina as Loyalty Day.
Hirohito granted an amnesty to nearly one million Japanese as a step towards national unity.[13]
Iva Toguri D'Aquino, the most famous of the "Tokyo Rose" pro-Japanese English-speaking broadcasters of World War II, was arrested by Allied authorities.[14]
Britain's new Chancellor of the ExchequerHugh Dalton presented an interim budget that reduced taxes by almost £400 million but deferred other tax relief measures until the next financial year. "We must be resolute against inflation," Dalton said. "We must increase production of peacetime goods as rapidly as possible and be prepared to hold back purchasing power until there are enough goods to buy. The danger now is lest too much money should run after too few goods."[17][18]
Czech President Eduard Benes signed a decree nationalizing commercial banks, insurance companies and 27 other industries.[20]
Born:Eugenie Scott, physical anthropologist, in the United States
Died:Vidkun Quisling, 58, Norwegian military officer, collaborationist politician and head of the pro-Nazi puppet regime in Norway during World War II (executed by firing squad at Akershus Fortress in Oslo)
Communists and opposition members battled in the streets of Sofia, Bulgaria.[2]
In an interview published in the Atlantic Monthly, Albert Einstein said that the secret of the atomic bomb should be given to a world government with power over all military matters as a means of preventing nuclear war.[22]
The Battle of Surabaya began as part of the Indonesian National Revolution.
In Navy Day ceremonies in New York City, President Truman commissioned the new aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt and stated that American military strength would be used to maintain peace and establish "peaceful, democratic governments" in the former Axis countries.[23]
