Documents with Commentaries Part 1 Military Defeat and Efforts to Reform the Constitution
With the defeat of Germany on May 8, 1945, the President of the United States of America Harry S. Truman delivered a message to Japan. The leaflet that was dropped on Japan featured a Japanese translation and a photo of Truman. President Truman, while making a clear division between the people of Japan and its military, vowed to continue fighting until the Japanese military surrendered unconditionally. However, he added that the unconditional surrender of the Japanese military did not mean the "extermination of the Japanese people nor their enslavement." Rather, it meant the destruction of the militarists who had led Japan "to the brink of ruin," the return of the men at the front "to their beloved homes," and the "end of hardships and suffering."
| Actual Title of Source | Nihon Kokumin Shoshi: Amerika Gasshukoku Daitoryo Hari Esu Tsuruman yori Issho wo Teisu [A Message from the President of the U. S. to the People of Japan] |
|---|---|
| Date | |
| Document Number | Kensei-Siryoshitsu Miscellaneous Collection: 1313 |
| Repository (reproduction) | |
| Repository | National Diet Library |
| Note |
