Draft of the Potsdam Declaration from President Harry S. Truman to Ambassador Patrick J. Hurley for Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek

Extracted text

OCR Page 1 of 3
DECLASSIFIED T E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) July 23, 1945 NL MEMO 4-12-73 Dept. of State letter, Aug. By BKZ 628.26 10, 1072 Bedin to Washington for MARS Date From: The President forwarding at 240730 7 To: Ambassador Hurley hims. Please inform Chiang Kai-shek that we propose to issue in the near future the following message to Japan in regard to surrender, and request the Generalissimo to inform us without delay of his concurrence. Quote: Proclamation by the Heads of Governments, United States, United Kingdom, and China. (1) We, - The President of the United States, and the Prime Minister 'Great the of of hundreds chain y millions Rai-shek of our countrymen, have conferred and agree that Japan shall be given an opportunity to end this war. TRUMAN (2) The prodigious land, sea and air forces of the United States, the British Empire and of China, many times reinforced by TARKY U.S. ARCHIVES "NATIONAL RECORDS SERVICE" AND their armies and air fleets from the west are poised to strike the final blows upon Japan. This military power is sustained and in- B. TRUMAN spired by the determination of all the Allied nations to prosecute "NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS the war against Japan until she ceases to resist. SERVICE GOVERNMENT (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, will 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 -1-

Terms