Proclamation by the Heads of Governments of the United States, United Kingdom, and China for Japan's Surrender

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Description

Also known as the Potsdam Declaration, this ultimatum agreed to by the leaders of the United States, Great Britain and China, outlined terms for Japan’s surrender. It promised that unless these terms for unconditional surrender were accepted, the alternative was “prompt and utter destruction.”

Following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan accepted these terms in their Instrument of Surrender signed in September 1945.

Citation

This primary source comes from the Collection HST-NAVAL: Records of the Naval Aide to the President (Truman Administration).

National Archives Identifier: 134406599

Full Citation: Proclamation by the Heads of Governments of the United States, United Kingdom, and China for Japan’s Surrender; 7/1945; Volume XI – Miscellaneous papers: Japan; Berlin Conference Files, 1945 – 1945; Collection HST-NAVAL: Records of the Naval Aide to the President (Truman Administration),; Harry S. Truman Library, Independence, MO. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/proclamation-us-uk-china-for-japan-surrender/, April 6, 2026]

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