Response To The Potdam Declaration

On May 1945, a long-awaited V-E Day finally came and brought an end to the war in Europe. But, the war in the Pacific was still continuing against Japan since they are being reluctant to surrender despite the continuous indiscriminate bombardments The United States began to consider about using the atomic bombs as the only way to end the war immediately. On the other hand, many argued that Japan’s staggering losses were enough to force Japan’s surrender. In the end, President Harry S. Truman didn’t hesitate to use this nuclear weapon and bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki with only three days interval between the two bombing. As a result, Japan has surrendered, but if I were to make a decision, I haven’t used atomic bombs because it was unnecessary since Japan has virtually lost already.

On July 26, U.S. President Harry S. Truman and Allies issued a final ultimatum to Japan, known as the Potsdam Declaration. The Potsdam Declaration is a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces. The Proclamation Defining Terms of Japanese Surrender consisted of thirteen conditions that the Japanese had to abide by. Japan was warned numerous times from the United States about the potential threat of an invasion or the use of a new weapon. “Japan would be warned that the new weapon would be used against Japan unless surrender was forthcoming.” Premier Kantaro Suzuki had rejected Truman’s final warning by stating that it was unworthy of public notice. January of 1945, a reporter for Newsweek wrote, “This intense hatred was first aroused by the sneak attack on Pearl Harbour. I remember men who, when they came to the Pacific, had no particular hatred of or desire to kill Japanese. When treachery affects you, or somebody you know, you grow to hate violently.” President Truman was disturbed over the unwarranted attack of Pearl Harbour and the murder of their prisoners of war. Japan had, not only attacked Pearl Harbour, involvement of the Bataan Death March, and the bloody battles in the Pacific. Leaflets were also dropped over Japan to let the people acknowledge that if Japan would not surrender, the U.S. is willing

With the closing of the Second World War at hand, Harry S. Truman represented the United States in Potsdam Germany to decide the fate of a post war world. The key individuals in the conference consisted of the allied leaders, Soviet Premier Stalin, Prime Minister Churchill, and Truman. Dubbed the “big Three” in the second conference of the post war, they were charged with the daunting task of dealing with Japan and their continued effort in the ending war. The Potsdam Declaration was devised. It simply stated that Japan must immediately agree to an unconditional surrender or face total destruction. Japan would ignore this declaration (Scoenberger, 1969).

President Truman during the WWII era had “issued the Potsdam Declaration” which meant that the Japanese have surrendered in July 26, 1945 because they believe the United States will launch their staggering force of Brutality into their lands as it will be extremely painful to endure. The Potsdam Conference was held at Berlin Germany where the country surrendered to end the “European conflict of World War II”. However it does seem the Japanese Empire had raised the White flag of surrender does not conclude Truman’s decision to let the damage dealt at Pearl Harbour to fade.

Harry S. Truman, Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met in Potsdam, Germany to discuss the end of World War II. The conference, lasting from July 17 to August 2, 1945 was a continuation of the previous conference that was held in Yalta with Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt on post-war reparations from Germany. While Roosevelt had agreed in aiding in this, Truman feared that a repetition of The Versailles Treaty would occur. At Yalta, The Soviets wanted extensive help from Germany from the after math of the war. Truman on the other hand, encouraged that Germany only be responsible in repairing the zones they occupied. This was in hopes of preventing another economic and national downfall in Germany, which in essence was thought to be the rise of the Nazi’s. It was agreed in Potsdam that all of the German’s military forces were to be dismantled and production of military equipment be forbidden. The conference at Potsdam also clarified matters on the German, Soviet and Polish borders and the removal of millions of Germans from those territories. Finally, the Potsdam conference was known for President Truman’s conversation with Stalin that informed him that the first atomic bomb had blown up on July 16, 1945. The “Potsdam Declaration” was introduced and with this knowledge, threatened Japan with severe destruction if they didn’t immediately surrender. It was evident that they were given fair warning. Number one on the Potsdam Declaration read, “We-the President of the United States, the President of the National Government of the Republic of China, and the Prime Minister of Great Britain, representing the hundreds of millions of our countrymen, have conferred and agree that Japan shall be given an opportunity to end this war.” The last and final term, number thirteen on the

Before the United States dropped the bomb, they allowed Japan a chance to surrender. On July 26, 1945, the allies issued the Potsdam Declaration. This treaty was meant to make Japan surrender without a war. This was a warning that Japan will undergo harsh and utter destruction if they refused the declaration. Two days later Japan stated that they were going to ignore the Potsdam Declaration (“Was the Atomic Bombing”).

On August 6, 1945, “Little Boy” the first atomic bomb, was dropped on the city of Hiroshima and three days later, “Fat Man” a second bomb, was dropped on Nagasaki, resulting in the untimely death of over 20,000 people. This was done as an offensive and retaliation by the United States of America, whom had feeling of revenge and an unwavering desire to end an ongoing war as quickly and decisively as possible, against the Japanese for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. However, this took place right after a demand for an unconditional surrender of the Japanese by the Allied leaders by means of a Potsdam Declaration, in late July 1945, was flatly rejected by Japanese leaders. Thus resulting in the use of these atomic bombs being authorized by President Truman.

The Proclamation of 1763 was a very important treaty. It was issued October 7, 1763, by King George iii. The proclamations main purpose was it appointed the rivers going into into the Atlantic from the Appalachians as the temporary boundary for colonial settlement. The main purpose of what the proclamation did was it was a boundary so all settlements are forbidden and they can’t go past the line drawn along the Appalachian mountains. The people had expected that the Proclamation would prevent clashes by forbidding colonists to move onto Indian lands until cessions had been negotiated. That made the two groups of colonists furious and extremely mad. The types of people who were furious were people who had already been living west of the Appalachians

Japanese forces to surrender or prepare for a new lethal weapon at the Potsdam Convention

     The year was sixteen hundred and eighty-nine and a man by the name of John Locke wrote Second Treatise on Government (Zinn 73). In it, Locke wrote that in a natural state everyone, all people, are born free and equal, and possess certain rights. He said that these “natural rights” were life, liberty, and property. He also said that the evildoers who conspired to deprive others of their life, liberty, or property ruined the good life of the state of nature (Locke). The only way to protect these rights is by joining together to form governments. The power of government, then, stems from the consent of the governed, which entrust the government with responsibility for protecting

Japan during the 1940’s was a nation that prided itself on the concept of never surrendering. It was something that they took fierce and obsessive pride in. Their culture dictated that they are never to give up, even if they fought until every single man,woman, and child living in Japan was slaughtered, they would never surrender. This doctrine was one of the key deciding factors that influenced Truman in making the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Several weeks before the Atomic bomb was dropped, The Untied States of Military issued a warning to the Japanese government. “It warned the Japanese to surrender immediately or face ‘prompt and utter destruction.” (Yes! Harry Truman’s Simple Decision) Unfortunately, a mere two weeks before the first atomic bomb dropped, the Japanese prime minister publically dismissed the warning and refused to surrender. Even after the bombing of Hiroshima, the Japanese government refused to stand down. Even though they had suffered over 225,000 civilian casualties in the attack, the Japanese military refused to surrender. It took until the second bombing of Nagasaki to finally force the Japanese to surrender on American

With the newly obtained French territories from the Treaty of Paris came the Proclamation of 1763 that stationed 10,000 soldiers near the Appalachian mountains and restricted the colonists from living there. This Proclamation angered some of the settlers because they weren’t allowed to settle onto new land or land that they had already bought. This proclamation affected the Virginian colonists the most.3

The declaration was harsh but fair and informed Japan of the terms that they must oblige by in order to avoid the Atomic bombs being dropped on Japanese territory. The declaration outlined that the Japanese government leading the war would be removed, the country’s borders reduced to its pre-war geography, and that there would be an Allied occupation of Japan. Moreover, after the dismemberment of the military, its occupants would be allowed to return home and live freely. Furthermore, assurance was provided that the Allied forces had no intention to enslave or harm the Japanese people but would instead hold war crimes trials. The declaration concluded by reinstating that the “…Government of Japan proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all the Japanese armed forces…the alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction." This demonstrates that the Japanese were given reasonable surrender terms and fair warning of a military attack if they failed to comply with the terms and conditions outlined in the declaration. Additionally, another method used to warn the Japanese civilians of an impending attack was

Just before midnight on August 9, Japanese Emperor Hirohito convened the supreme war council. After a long, emotional debate, he backed a proposal by Prime Minister Suzuki in which Japan would accept the Potsdam Declaration “with the understanding that said Declaration does not compromise any demand that prejudices the prerogatives of His Majesty as the sovereign ruler.” The council obeyed Hirohito’s acceptance of peace, and on August 10 the message was relayed to the United States. Early on August 12, the United States answered that “the authority of the emperor and the Japanese government to rule the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers.” After two days of debate about what this statement implied, Emperor Hirohito declared that peace was preferable to destruction and ordered the Japanese government to prepare a text accepting

The Second World War was coming to an end with the surrender of Germany in May 1945. At the Potsdam Conference, the leaders of the Allied states came together to determine the postwar order of Europe and took decisions on the strategies of the ongoing war in the Pacific. Despite the repeated Allies demand for the surrender of its forces, Japan maintained fighting against the Allies. This situation left no more choice to the United States other than using atomic bomb to break the Japanese resistance and provide its surrender. The destruction caused by the bombing led Japan to surrender and obey the Allies terms. The next Allied move was to discuss and make decisions about the future of the Japanese colonies in the East Asia. Korea was