A fire swept through Chongqing, China that killed 1,700 people and gutted upwards of 10,000 homes by the time it burned out eighteen hours later. The fire, which originated in the city's slum district, was mysterious in origin although the Nationalists quickly rounded up suspected Communists and would eventually execute one for arson.[1]
General Douglas MacArthur issued a 3,000-word statement declaring that four years of "fully and faithfully" complying with Allied occupation had merited Japan the right to a peace treaty.[2]
Peekskill riots: One thousand anti-Communist demonstrators picketed an open-air concert by Paul Robeson in Peekskill, New York. Violence broke out after the concert resulting in 48 people being injured.[7]
Unemployed World War II veteran Howard Unruh shot and killed 13 people during a twelve-minute walk through his neighborhood in Camden, New Jersey. He would be found criminally insane and spend 60 years in an asylum until his death in 2009.
A Douglas DC-3 exploded and crashed at Sault-au-Cochon, Quebec when a bomb went off in the forward baggage compartment, killing all 23 aboard. The bomb was planted by Albert Guay in a plot to kill his wife; he and two accomplices would be hanged for their crimes.[14]
Eight high-ranking Hungarian officials including László Rajk were indicted in Budapest on charges of plotting with US and Yugoslavian agents to overthrow the Communist government.[16]
Greek War Minister Panagiotis Kanellopoulos threatened to strike Albania and other Communist neighbors if they continued to serve as bases for Greek guerilla forces.[17]
As the Soviet Union celebrated "Tank Day", an editorial by Semyon Bogdanov in Pravda claimed that the Russians had invented the first tank in May 1915, a year and a half before the British first fielded them.[18]
Died:Henri Rabaud, 75, French conductor and composer
A mentally ill Jewish youth slipped into the Knesset and began shouting defiance at the government, pointing a submachine gun at Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. The intruder was seized by police before he could do any harm.[19]
The Romanian newspaper Scînteia accused Marshal Tito of planning to invade Romania and help overthrow Hungary's Communist government.[22]
New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey ordered a special grand jury investigation into the Peekskill riots, claiming that Communists provoked the September 4 disturbance.[23]
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a voter re-registration law aimed at suppressing the black vote. The court ruled that since the law made no mention of races or discrimination, it was legal until it could be proved that someone was discriminated against under the law.[25]
The British government devaluated the pound sterling by 30%, from $4.03 US to $2.80. Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Stafford Cripps delivered a 29-minute radio speech announcing the move, explaining that it was necessary to bring in more foreign dollars in exchange for British exports.[27]
Died:Kim Jong-suk, 31, Korean guerilla fighter, Communist activist and first wife of North Korean leader Kim Il Sung (cause unknown); Sam Wood, 66, American film director
President Truman issued a terse statement announcing that the US government had "evidence that within recent weeks an atomic explosion occurred in the U.S.S.R."[33]
Moscow radio broadcast a statement by TASS acknowledging for the first time that the USSR had an atomic weapon. The statement added that "despite the existence in this country of an atomic weapon, this country adopts and intends to adopt in the future its former position in favor of prohibition of the atomic weapon."[36]
During the early hours of the morning at the El Morocco nightclub in Manhattan, actor Humphrey Bogart allegedly shoved a woman to the floor for trying to snatch a 3-foot high stuffed toy panda bear that he had bought for his son. Bogart later told the press that he had merely wrestled the panda back from the woman and that while she may have fallen down, "she looked as if she'd been drinking too many Coca-Colas."[37][38] An assault charge against Bogart was later dismissed.[39]
After two years of negotiations, the USSR agreed to return 30 small naval vessels obtained from the United States during World War II under Lend-Lease.[43]
Prohibition in Oklahoma was upheld in a special state election. This was the fifth failed attempt to repeal prohibition in the state, with similar referendums in 1908, 1910, 1936 and 1940 all going down in defeat as well.[44]
Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox reached base safely for the 84th consecutive game, establishing a major league baseball record that still stands.[45]
Britain and Czechoslovakia signed a 5-year trade pact which included compensation for British properties nationalized or expropriated by the Czechoslovakian Communist government.[46]
The Soviet Union renounced its April 1945 treaty of friendship and mutual assistance with Yugoslavia, accusing the Tito government of carrying on "hostile and disruptive work" at the instigation of "foreign imperialist circles."[48]
^"Georgia Court Backs Anti-Negro Vote Law". The New York Times: 15. September 17, 1949.
^Gallup, George (September 17, 1949). "Bob Hope Rated Favorite Comedian; Berle Second on His TV Popularity". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky: 14.
^Daniell, Raymond (September 19, 1949). "Britain Cuts Pound 30% To $2.80 To Spur Exports To Dollar Area; 8 Sterling Nations Follow Suit". The New York Times: 1.
^Horne, Louther S. (September 19, 1949). "Chicago ITU Ends 22-Month Strike". The New York Times: 14.
^"Canadian Dollar Cut 10%; Franc Minimum 350 To $1; 19 Currencies Now Lower". The New York Times: 1. September 20, 1949.
^Hamilton, Thomas J. (September 21, 1949). "Romulo Is Elected U.N. Assembly Head At Opening Meeting". The New York Times: 1, 6.
^Sullivan, Walter (September 22, 1949). "Communist Regime Set Up For China". The New York Times: 1.
^"Truman Appoints Marshall President of the Red Cross". The New York Times: 1. September 23, 1949.
^"Atom Blast In Russia Disclosed; Truman Again Asks U.N. Control; Vishinsky Proposes A Peace Pact". The New York Times: 1. September 24, 1949.
^"Hungarians Doom Rajk In Spy Trial; Tito Charges Plot". The New York Times: 1. September 25, 1949.
^"Quebec Husband Held In Air Blast". The New York Times: 60. September 25, 1949.
^"Soviet Union Has 'Atomic Weapon,' Moscow Says as to U. S. Statement". The New York Times: 1. September 25, 1949.