740.00119 PW/7–2545
No. 1249
Prime Minister Churchill to
President Truman
most
secret
Whitehall [Babelsberg], July 25,
1945.
My Dear Mr. President, I thank you for
your letter of July 25,1…
I return the copy of the Proclamation to Japan by the Heads of
Governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the
Republic of China, which I received from you yesterday. I am
willing to sign it on behalf of His Majesty’s Government in its
present form, and I hope you will issue it as you propose
whenever you choose and as soon as possible.
On a minor point, I suggest that the word “industries” might be
added where shown in paragraph 11, otherwise the word “those”
would seem at first sight to apply to Separations.2
Yours very sincerely,
[Page 1280]
[Attachment]
- (1)
- We,—The President of the United States, the Prime
Minister of Great Britain, and the President of the
Republic of China,4 representing
the hundreds of millions of our countrymen, have
conferred and agree that Japan shall be given an
opportunity to end this war.
- (2)
- The prodigious land, sea and air forces of the United
States, the British Empire and of China, many times
reinforced by their armies and air fleets from the west
are poised to strike the final blows upon Japan. This
military power is sustained and inspired by the
determination of all the Allied nations to prosecute the
war against Japan
until she ceases to resist.
- (3)
- The result of the futile and senseless German
resistance to the might of the aroused free peoples of
the world stands forth in awful clarity as an example to
the people of Japan. The might that now converges on
Japan is immeasurably greater than that which, when
applied to the resisting Nazis, necessarily laid waste
to the lands, the industry and the method of life of the
whole German people. The full application of our
military power, backed by our resolve, will5 mean the inevitable and complete
destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as
inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese
homeland.
- (4)
- The time has come for Japan to decide whether she will
continue to be controlled by those self-willed
militaristic advisers whose unintelligent calculations
have brought the Empire of Japan to the threshold of
annihilation, or whether she will follow the path of
reason.
- (5)
- Following are our terms. We will not deviate from
them. There are no alternatives. We shall brook no
delay.
- (6)
- There must be eliminated for all time the authority
and influence of those who have deceived and misled the
people of Japan into embarking on world conquest, for we
insist that a new order of peace, security and justice
will be impossible until irresponsible militarism is
driven from the world.
- (7)
- Until such a new order is established and until there is convincing
proof that Japan’s war-making power is destroyed, points
in Japanese territory to be designated by the Allies
shall be occupied to secure the achievement of the basic
objectives we are here setting forth.
- (8)
- The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried
out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the
islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such
minor islands as we determine.
- (9)
- The Japanese military forces, after being completely
disarmed, shall be permitted to return to their homes
with the opportunity to lead peaceful and productive
lives.
- (10)
- We do not intend that the Japanese shall be enslaved
as a race or destroyed as a nation, but stern justice
shall be meted out to all war criminals, including those who have
visited cruelties upon our prisoners. The Japanese
Government shall remove all obstacles to the revival and
strengthening of democratic tendencies among the
Japanese people. Freedom of speech, of religion, and of
thought, as well as respect for the fundamental human
rights shall be established.
- (11)
- Japan shall be permitted to maintain such industries
as will sustain her economy and permit the exaction of
just reparations in kind, but not those6 which
would enable her to re-arm for war. To this end, access to, as
distinguished from control of, raw materials shall be
permitted. Eventual Japanese participation in world
trade relations shall be permitted.
- (12)
- The occupying forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn
from Japan as soon as these objectives have been
accomplished and there has been established in
accordance with the freely expressed will of the
Japanese people a peacefully inclined and responsible
government.
- (13)
- We call upon the Government of Japan to proclaim now
the unconditional surrender of all the Japanese armed
forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of
their good faith in such action. The alternative for
Japan is prompt and utter destruction.
