Draft of Letter from Former President Harry S. Truman to Tsukasa Nitoguri, Chairman of Hiroshima City Council

DRAFT Will send it The Honorable air mail Because TREED Tsukasa Nitoguri AND Chairman Hiroshima City Council enough stamps are Dear Mr. Chairman: on it! Your very<kind and courteous letter, enclosing the resolution of the Hiroshima City Council, I can stood , was highly appreciated. easily under- stand the feeling of the people of your city, and I am not in any way of- fended by the resolution which their city council passed. However, it becomes necessary for me to remind the City Council, and perhaps you also, of some historical events. ,while In 1941 a conference was in progress in Washington between rep- resentatives of the Emperor of Japan and the Secretary of State of the United States, representing the President and the Government of the United States, While this international conference was in session, a naval expedi- tion of the Japanese Government approached the Hawaiian Islands, a terri- torial part of the United States, and without previous warning of any warlike intentions bombed the Pearl Harbor Naval Base of the United States. It was done without warning, without a declaration of war and while a peace con- ference was in session in Washington between the two great Pacific nations. Thousands of young American sailors, and civilians were murdered by which this unwarranted and unheralded attack. That event brought on the war between the people of Japan and the People of the United States. It was an unnecessary and a terrible event.