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Originally Posted by Dreadnought
IMO the reason none of the major US carriers of the third fleet were in Tokyo Bay was a safety net just in case the Japanese did not honor the formal surrender the carriers would not be in any danger and a majority of their planes were flying in formation overhead of the Bay.
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When we reactivated the Missouri in the 1980s here in Long Beach, we found a lot of memorable items still on board such as a copy of the ship's deck log of 2 September 1945. I include a copy of that as the last appendix in a book I have written on the history of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard.
Also found, or provided anonimously, was some reports of the Missouri's transit to Tokyo for the surrender ceremonies. Though Japan officially announced it would agree to an unconditional surrender, some pilots of the Japanese Air Force weren't so willing to give up until the signatures were on the paper.
Therefore several planes attacked the fleet of the "conquering country" and over thirty airplanes were shot down. When they first began their strafing runs, Admiral Halsey was asked what should be done about them since Japan has agreed to surrender. His answer was, "Shoot them down. But in a friendly sort of way."
I donated the copies I had of those reports and photos to the Missouri museum curator in Hawaii. So if you want copies made of that statement, you have to write to him.