Memorandum from Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson to President Harry S. Truman

TOP SEGRE WAR DEPARTMENT wASHINGTON 20 July 1945 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT Subject: Proposed Proclamation to Japan and Heads of State (JCS 1275/5 and 1275/6) Paragraph (2) of the proposed warning to Japan reads as follows: "(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 /have now been joined by the vast military might of the Soviet Union and, 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 her unconditional capitulation." I am troubled by the words "until her unconditional capitulation" in the last sentence of the paragraph. I suggest that these words be changed to read "until she ceases to resist". Such a change has two advantages: (1) It avoids repeating in other words the term "unconditional surrender" where it is not necessary to do so, and where failure to do so makes it easier for the Japanese publicly to recognize and act upon the futility of further war; (2) It avoids a perplexing contradiction in terms. A capitulation is defined in the only dictionary I have at hand as "a conditional surrender; a treaty". To call in substance, for an unconditional conditional surrender would be highly confusing and, as translated, possibly badly, into Japanese, the expression might well defeat our ends. The words I suggest avoid this difficulty. I concur in the revised form of paragraph (12) suggested by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in their memorandum to you of 18 July 1945. reamar Henry L Stunson Secretary of War. DECLASSIFIED << COVER E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) OF EE) OSD letter, May 3, 1972 D: Date 6-2976 TOP SEGRET