Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Instrument of Surrender. Courtesy of the Truman Library Institute.
Mokusatsu: The Deadliest Mistake
"On July 28, the Premier of Japan, Suzuki, rejected the Potsdam ultimatum: In the face of this rejection we could only proceed to demonstrate that the ultimatum had meant exactly what it said .... For such a purpose the atomic bomb was an eminently suitable weapon."
~ Henry L. Stimson, U.S. Secretary of War, "The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb"
President Harry Truman. Courtesy of the Truman Library Institute.
"The British, Chinese, and United States Governments have given the Japanese people adequate warning of what is in store for them. We have laid down the general terms on which they can surrender. Our warning went unheeded; our terms were rejected. Since then the Japanese have seen what our atomic bomb can do. They can foresee what it will do in the future.
The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing of civilians."
~ President Harry S. Truman, Aug. 9. 1945 radio report to the American people
Both U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson and President Harry Truman cite the Japanese "rejection" as reasoning for the usage of the atomic bomb.
Russia Declares War
After anticipating for the right moment, Russia's cold reply to the Japanese finally came when they declared war on August 7, 1945, the day after the bombing of Hiroshima, breaking their neutrality pact and flooding to the East Manchurian borders.
The Nome Nugget, August 8th, 1945 issue. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Chronicling America.
Japan Surrenders
Following the Russian's perfidy, on August 10th Japan attempted to surrender provided that the sovereign privileges of the Emperor remained. The Big Four refused.
Japan announced unconditional surrender on August 14th – officially signed on September 2, 1945 – marking the end of the most violent conflict in world history with 15 million military personnel deaths and 38 million civilian deaths.
"Those two characters, mokusatsu, brought greater disaster
to Japan than did the atomic bombs."
~ former wartime cabinet minister Nobuya Uchida