Documents with Commentaries Part 1 Military Defeat and Efforts to Reform the Constitution
This is the original draft of the post-war objectives regarding Japan that were developed by the U.S. Department of State during the war. It was put together by the Far Eastern Unit of the Subcommittee on Territorial Problems, the Special Research Division in the Department of State during August of 1942. George Blakeslee, a professor at Clark University specializing in Japan, was appointed to head up the unit. Based on the study in the Far Eastern Unit, Blakeslee drafted the basic policy for the U.S. in "General Principles Applicable to the Post-War Settlement with Japan" as early as July of the following year.
Blakeslee used that document as the basis for "The Post-War Objectives of the United States in regard to Japan" in March of 1944. This document was drafted in response to questions posed by the Departments of War and the Navy regarding occupation governance in the Far East. This proposal was strongly criticized by the Committee on Post War Programs (PWC), one of the highest committees in the Department of State, for being too lenient towards the Japanese. An amended version was produced in May of that year, but the policies still tended to be too conciliatory to Japan. This proposal divided the policy toward Japan into three parts. Stage one was a stringent occupation overseeing the withdrawal of armed forces and divestment of all of Japan's foreign holdings. Stage two would be a close supervision over the elimination of every aspect of militarism and over the process of democratization, and stage three would bring Japan back into the international community. This document, perhaps best called the "original" policies for the occupation of Japan, went on to be used to create the "United States Initial Post-Defeat Policy Relating to Japan" in 1945.
| Actual Title of Source | Japan: General Principles Applicable to the Post-War Settlement with Japan (T-357) |
|---|---|
| Date | July 28, 1943 |
| Document Number | Post World War II Foreign Policy Planning, State Department Records of Harley A. Notter, 1939-1945 "600-T-357 Japan: General Principles Applicable to the Post-War Settlement with Japan" <Sheet No. YE5-21 600-T-357> |
| Repository (reproduction) | National Diet Library |
| Repository | U.S. National Archives & Records Administration (RG59) |
| Note | Microfiche |
| Actual Title of Source | Japan: The Postwar Objectives of the United States in regard to Japan (PWC108, CAC116) |
|---|---|
| Date | March 14, 1944 |
| Document Number | State Department Documents of the Post-War Programs Committee, 1944 "PWC108 Japan: The Postwar Objectives of the United States in regard to Japan"<PWC-1, Roll No.2> |
| Repository (reproduction) | National Diet Library |
| Repository | U.S. National Archives & Records Administration (RG59) |
| Note | Microfilm |
| Actual Title of Source | Japan: The Post-War Objectives of the United States in regard to Japan (PWC108b, CAC116b) |
|---|---|
| Date | May 4, 1944 |
| Document Number | State Department Documents of the Post-War Programs Committee, 1944 "PWC108 Japan: The Postwar Objectives of the United States in regard to Japan"<PWC-1 Roll No. 2> |
| Repository (reproduction) | National Diet Library |
| Repository | U.S. National Archives & Records Administration (RG59) |
| Note | Microfilm |
