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Potsdam Declaration
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document defining the terms for Japanese surrender during World War II
~19 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Harry S. Truman and Winston Churchill at "Little White House", Potsdam, Germany in July 1945 The Potsdam Declaration, or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender, was a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S. Truman, United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and President of China Chiang Kai-shek issued the document, which outlined the terms of surrender for the Empire of Japan, as agreed upon at the Potsdam Conference. The ultimatum stated that, if Japan did not surrender, it would face "prompt and utter destruction."
Drafting
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Potsdam Declaration” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.