Joseph Grew
Encyclopedia
Joseph Clark Grew was a United States diplomat
and career foreign service officer
. He was the chargé d'affaires
at the U.S. embassy in Vienna
when Austria-Hungary
severed diplomatic relations with the United States on April 9, 1917. Later he was the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark
1920–1921 and U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland 1921–1924. In 1924, Grew became the Under Secretary of State and oversaw the establishment of the Foreign Service
. Grew was the US Ambassador to Turkey
1927–1932 and the Ambassador to Japan
beginning in 1932. He was the US Ambassador in Tokyo at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor
and when the United States and Japan declared war on each other in December 1941. He was interned for a short time by the Japanese government but was released and returned to the United States on June 25, 1942.
, Massachusetts
, Grew was groomed for public service. At the age of 12 he was sent to Groton
, a boys' preparatory school whose purpose was to "cultivate manly Christian
character." He was two grades ahead of Franklin D. Roosevelt
. During his youth, Grew enjoyed the outdoors, sailing, camping and hunting during his summers away from school. After graduating from Groton, one of only four in his class to graduate, he attended Harvard University
, joining Alpha Delta Phi
and graduating in 1902. Following graduation, Grew made a tour of the Far East
, and nearly died after being stricken with malaria
. While recovering in India
, he became friends with the American consul
there, abandoned his plans of following his father's career as a banker, and decided to go into diplomatic service
Grew's first job, in 1904, was as a clerk at the American consulate in Cairo
, Egypt
. President Theodore Roosevelt
had read Grew's book about the 1902 trip, Sport and Travel in the Far East, and was impressed with a chapter about Grew's experience in fighting a tiger, and wrestling with a bear; Grew was promoted to Vice-Consul in Egypt. Grew married Alice Perry, the granddaughter of famed American naval hero Oliver Hazard Perry
. She became Joe Grew's life partner and helper as promotions took him to Mexico
, Russia
, and Germany
. As aide to the American ambassador in Berlin
from 1912 to 1917, Grew stayed in Germany until the United States entered World War I
and broke diplomatic relations. Grew would find himself in a similar situation when the U.S. entered World War II
.
Grew's book Sport and Travel in the Far East
was a favorite of Theodore Roosevelt
. The Introduction to the 1910 Houghton Mifflin printing of the book features the following introduction written by Roosevelt:
"My dear Grew,- I was greatly interested in your book "Sport and Travel in the Far East" and I think it is a fine thing to have a member of our diplomatic service able both to do what you have done, and to write about it as well and as interestingly as you have written...Your description, both of the actual hunting and the people and surroundings, is really excellent;..."
Alice Perry Grew was the daughter of premier American impressionist painter Lilla Cabot Perry
, daughter of Dr. Samuel Cabot (of the New England Cabots
) and her husband, noted American scholar Thomas Sergeant Perry.
After the Armistice in 1918, Grew worked at the U.S. State Department. In 1922, he and Richard Child acted as the American observers at the Conference of Lausanne
. In 1927, Grew was appointed Ambassador to Turkey
. He served for five years until offered the opportunity to return to the Far East. Grew's daughter, Lilla Cabot Grew married Jay Pierrepont Moffat
, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, in Hancock, New Hampshire
in 1927.
to succeed William Cameron Forbes
as the United States Ambassador to Japan in 1932, where he took up his posting on June 6. The Ambassador and Mrs. Grew had been happy in Turkey, and were hesitant about the move, but decided that Grew would have a unique opportunity to make the difference between peace and war between the U.S. and Japan
. The Grews soon became popular in Japanese society, joining clubs and societies there and adapting to the culture, even as relations between the two countries deteriorated. On January 27, 1941, Grew secretly cabled the United States with the information, gathered from a Peruvian diplomat, that Japan was considering a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, information declassified twelve years later. Grew continued to serve as U.S. Ambassador until December 7, 1941, when the United States and Japan severed diplomatic relations after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan's naval ministry registered a protest with Ambassador Grew in Tokyo: "On the night of July 31, 1941, Japanese fleet units at anchor in Sukumo Bay picked up the sound of propellers approaching Bungo Channel from the eastward. Duty destroyers of the Japanese navy investigated and sighted two darkened cruisers that disappeared in a southerly direction behind a smoke screen when they were challenged." The protest concluded: "Japanese naval officers believe the vessels were United States cruisers."
Though at war, the U.S. and Japan negotiated a plan for the repatriation
of their diplomatic corps. In July 1942, Grew and 1,450 other Americans and foreign nationals sailed from Tokyo to Lourenço Marques in Portuguese East Africa (now Maputo, Mozambique) aboard the Japanese liner Asama Maru
and its backup, the Comte di Verdi. Japan's ambassador to the United States, Kichisaburo Nomura
, along with 1,096 other Japanese dignitaries, sailed from New York to Lourenço Marques on the Gripsholm
, a liner registered to neutral Sweden. On July 22, the exchange took place, and the Gripsholm sailed to Rio de Janeiro and then to New Jersey. .
upon his return to the United States. In 1943 Grew received a L.H.D. from Bates College
. He served as Acting Secretary of State for most of the period from January to August 1945 as Secretaries of State Edward Stettinius and James Byrnes
were away at conferences. Among high level officials in the Truman Administration, Grew was the most knowledgeable of Japanese issues, having spent so much time in Japan. Grew was also the author of a profoundly influential book about Japan, entitled Ten Years in Japan.
Grew was a member of the "Committee of Three," along with Secretary of War Henry Stimson and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal
, a group that sought to obtain an alternative to the use of the atomic bomb in order to force Japan's surrender without using the weapon. Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy
drafted a proposed surrender demand for the Committee of Three, which was incorporated into Article 12 of the Potsdam Declaration
. The original language of the Proclamation would have increased the chances for Japanese surrender as it allowed the Japanese government to maintain its emperor as a "constitutional monarchy
." President Harry S. Truman
, who was influenced by his Secretary of State James Byrnes
during the trip by ship to Europe for the Potsdam Conference
, changed the language of the surrender demand. Grew knew how important the emperor was to the Japanese people and believed that the condition could have led to Japanese surrender without using the atomic bombs. Grew stated, "If surrender could have been brought about in May 1945 or even in June or July before the entrance of Soviet Russia into the war and the use of the atomic bomb, the world would have been the gainer."
Unlike the German prisoners, who were looking forward to release at war's end, the Soviet prisoners urgently requested asylum in the United States, or at least repatriation to a country not under Soviet occupation, as they knew they would be shot by Joseph Stalin
as traitors for being captured (under Soviet law, one only had to surrender to earn the death penalty).
The question of the Soviet POWs' conduct was difficult to determine, though not their fate if repatriated. Most of the Soviet POWs stated that they had been given a choice by the Germans: volunteer for labor duty with the German army, or be turned over to the Gestapo for execution or service in an arbeitslager (a camp used to work prisoners until they died of starvation or illness). In any case, in Stalin's eyes they were dead men, as they had 1) been captured alive, 2) had been 'contaminated' by contact with those in bourgeois Western nations, and 3) had been found in service with the German army.
Notified of their impending transfer to Soviet authorities, a riot at their POW camp erupted; while no one was killed by the guards, some were wounded while other Soviet prisoners hanged themselves; President Truman granted the men a temporary reprieve. Nevertheless, Grew, as Acting Secretary of State, signed an order on July 11, 1945 forcing the repatriation of the Soviet POWs to the Soviet Union. Soviet cooperation, it was believed, would prove necessary to remake the face of postwar Europe. On August 31, 1945, the 153 survivors were officially returned to the Soviet Union; their ultimate fate is unknown.
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and career foreign service officer
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
. He was the chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
at the U.S. embassy in Vienna
Embassy of the United States in Vienna
The United States Embassy in Vienna is the main United States diplomatic mission to Austria. The embassy building is located at Boltzmanngasse 16, Alsergrund, Vienna....
when Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
severed diplomatic relations with the United States on April 9, 1917. Later he was the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark
United States Ambassador to Denmark
The first representative from the United States to Denmark was appointed in 1827 as a Chargé d'Affaires. There followed a series of chargés and ministers until 1890 when the first full ambassador was appointed...
1920–1921 and U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland 1921–1924. In 1924, Grew became the Under Secretary of State and oversaw the establishment of the Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
. Grew was the US Ambassador to Turkey
United States Ambassador to Turkey
The United States of America has maintained many high level contacts with Turkey since the nineteenth century.-Chargé d'Affaires:*George W. Erving *David Porter -Minister Resident:*David Porter *Dabney Smith Carr...
1927–1932 and the Ambassador to Japan
United States Ambassador to Japan
The United States Ambassador to Japan is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States to Japan. Since the opening of Japan by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, in 1854, the U.S. maintained diplomatic relations with Japan, except for the ten-year period following the attack on...
beginning in 1932. He was the US Ambassador in Tokyo at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
and when the United States and Japan declared war on each other in December 1941. He was interned for a short time by the Japanese government but was released and returned to the United States on June 25, 1942.
Life
Born in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Grew was groomed for public service. At the age of 12 he was sent to Groton
Groton School
Groton School is a private, Episcopal, college preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, U.S. It enrolls approximately 375 boys and girls, from the eighth through twelfth grades...
, a boys' preparatory school whose purpose was to "cultivate manly Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
character." He was two grades ahead of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. During his youth, Grew enjoyed the outdoors, sailing, camping and hunting during his summers away from school. After graduating from Groton, one of only four in his class to graduate, he attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, joining Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Delta Phi is a Greek-letter social college fraternity and the fourth-oldest continuous Greek-letter fraternity in the United States and Canada. Alpha Delta Phi was founded on October 29, 1832 by Samuel Eells at Hamilton College and includes former U.S. Presidents, Chief Justices of the U.S....
and graduating in 1902. Following graduation, Grew made a tour of the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, and nearly died after being stricken with malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. While recovering in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, he became friends with the American consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
there, abandoned his plans of following his father's career as a banker, and decided to go into diplomatic service
Grew's first job, in 1904, was as a clerk at the American consulate in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
had read Grew's book about the 1902 trip, Sport and Travel in the Far East, and was impressed with a chapter about Grew's experience in fighting a tiger, and wrestling with a bear; Grew was promoted to Vice-Consul in Egypt. Grew married Alice Perry, the granddaughter of famed American naval hero Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry
United States Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island , the son of USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace...
. She became Joe Grew's life partner and helper as promotions took him to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. As aide to the American ambassador in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
from 1912 to 1917, Grew stayed in Germany until the United States entered World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and broke diplomatic relations. Grew would find himself in a similar situation when the U.S. entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Grew's book Sport and Travel in the Far East
Sport and Travel in the Far East
Sport and Travel in the Far East is a book published in 1910 by American ambassador and writer Joseph Grew. It highlights the hunting and the people of Asia, including hunting Tiger in China. It was a favorite of Theodore Roosevelt, who was also an avid sportsman. Roosevelt wrote the introduction...
was a favorite of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. The Introduction to the 1910 Houghton Mifflin printing of the book features the following introduction written by Roosevelt:
"My dear Grew,- I was greatly interested in your book "Sport and Travel in the Far East" and I think it is a fine thing to have a member of our diplomatic service able both to do what you have done, and to write about it as well and as interestingly as you have written...Your description, both of the actual hunting and the people and surroundings, is really excellent;..."
Alice Perry Grew was the daughter of premier American impressionist painter Lilla Cabot Perry
Lilla Cabot Perry
Lilla Cabot Perry was an American artist who worked in the Impressionist style, rendering portraits and landscapes in the free form manner of her mentor, Claude Monet. Perry was an early advocate of the French Impressionist style and contributed to its reception in the United States...
, daughter of Dr. Samuel Cabot (of the New England Cabots
Cabot family
The Cabot family was part of the Boston Brahmin, also known as the "first families of Boston."-Family origin:The Boston Brahmin Cabot family descended from John Cabot , who immigrated from his birthplace to Salem, Massachusetts in 1700...
) and her husband, noted American scholar Thomas Sergeant Perry.
After the Armistice in 1918, Grew worked at the U.S. State Department. In 1922, he and Richard Child acted as the American observers at the Conference of Lausanne
Conference of Lausanne
The Conference of Lausanne was a conference held in Lausanne, Switzerland during 1922 and 1923. Its purpose was the negotiation of a treaty to replace the Treaty of Sèvres, which, under the new government of Kemal Pasha, was no longer recognised by Turkey....
. In 1927, Grew was appointed Ambassador to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. He served for five years until offered the opportunity to return to the Far East. Grew's daughter, Lilla Cabot Grew married Jay Pierrepont Moffat
Jay Pierrepont Moffat
Jay Pierrepont Moffat was an American diplomat, historian and statesman who, between 1917 and 1943, served the State Department in a variety of posts, including that of Ambassador to Canada during the first year of U.S...
, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, in Hancock, New Hampshire
Hancock, New Hampshire
Hancock is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,654 at the 2010 census. Hancock is home to the Welch Family Farm Forest....
in 1927.
Ambassador to Japan
Grew was appointed, by President Herbert HooverHerbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
to succeed William Cameron Forbes
William Cameron Forbes
William Cameron Forbes was an American investment banker and diplomat. He served as Governor-General of the Philippines from 1908 to 1913 and Ambassador of the United States to Japan from 1930 - 1932....
as the United States Ambassador to Japan in 1932, where he took up his posting on June 6. The Ambassador and Mrs. Grew had been happy in Turkey, and were hesitant about the move, but decided that Grew would have a unique opportunity to make the difference between peace and war between the U.S. and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The Grews soon became popular in Japanese society, joining clubs and societies there and adapting to the culture, even as relations between the two countries deteriorated. On January 27, 1941, Grew secretly cabled the United States with the information, gathered from a Peruvian diplomat, that Japan was considering a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, information declassified twelve years later. Grew continued to serve as U.S. Ambassador until December 7, 1941, when the United States and Japan severed diplomatic relations after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan's naval ministry registered a protest with Ambassador Grew in Tokyo: "On the night of July 31, 1941, Japanese fleet units at anchor in Sukumo Bay picked up the sound of propellers approaching Bungo Channel from the eastward. Duty destroyers of the Japanese navy investigated and sighted two darkened cruisers that disappeared in a southerly direction behind a smoke screen when they were challenged." The protest concluded: "Japanese naval officers believe the vessels were United States cruisers."
Though at war, the U.S. and Japan negotiated a plan for the repatriation
Repatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
of their diplomatic corps. In July 1942, Grew and 1,450 other Americans and foreign nationals sailed from Tokyo to Lourenço Marques in Portuguese East Africa (now Maputo, Mozambique) aboard the Japanese liner Asama Maru
Asama Maru
The was a Japanese ocean liner owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha. The ship was built in 1927-1929 by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. at Nagasaki, Japan....
and its backup, the Comte di Verdi. Japan's ambassador to the United States, Kichisaburo Nomura
Kichisaburo Nomura
-External links:...
, along with 1,096 other Japanese dignitaries, sailed from New York to Lourenço Marques on the Gripsholm
MS Gripsholm (1925)
MS Gripsholm was an ocean liner, built in 1925 by Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England for the Swedish American Line for use in trans-atlantic traffic from Gothenburg to New York City...
, a liner registered to neutral Sweden. On July 22, the exchange took place, and the Gripsholm sailed to Rio de Janeiro and then to New Jersey. .
World War II
Grew was appointed as Under Secretary of StateUnder Secretary of State
The Under Secretary of State, from 1919 to 1972, was the second-ranking official at the United States Department of State , serving as the Secretary's principal deputy, chief assistant, and Acting Secretary in the event of the Secretary's absence...
upon his return to the United States. In 1943 Grew received a L.H.D. from Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
. He served as Acting Secretary of State for most of the period from January to August 1945 as Secretaries of State Edward Stettinius and James Byrnes
James F. Byrnes
James Francis Byrnes was an American statesman from the state of South Carolina. During his career, Byrnes served as a member of the House of Representatives , as a Senator , as Justice of the Supreme Court , as Secretary of State , and as the 104th Governor of South Carolina...
were away at conferences. Among high level officials in the Truman Administration, Grew was the most knowledgeable of Japanese issues, having spent so much time in Japan. Grew was also the author of a profoundly influential book about Japan, entitled Ten Years in Japan.
Atomic bomb dilemma
Grew wrote in 1942 that while he expected Nazi Germany to collapse as Imperial Germany did in 1918, he did not expect the Japanese to do so:Grew was a member of the "Committee of Three," along with Secretary of War Henry Stimson and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal
James Forrestal
James Vincent Forrestal was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense....
, a group that sought to obtain an alternative to the use of the atomic bomb in order to force Japan's surrender without using the weapon. Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy
John J. McCloy
John Jay McCloy was a lawyer and banker who served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II, president of the World Bank and U.S. High Commissioner for Germany...
drafted a proposed surrender demand for the Committee of Three, which was incorporated into Article 12 of the Potsdam Declaration
Potsdam Declaration
The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender is a statement calling for the Surrender of Japan in World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S...
. The original language of the Proclamation would have increased the chances for Japanese surrender as it allowed the Japanese government to maintain its emperor as a "constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
." President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, who was influenced by his Secretary of State James Byrnes
James F. Byrnes
James Francis Byrnes was an American statesman from the state of South Carolina. During his career, Byrnes served as a member of the House of Representatives , as a Senator , as Justice of the Supreme Court , as Secretary of State , and as the 104th Governor of South Carolina...
during the trip by ship to Europe for the Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
, changed the language of the surrender demand. Grew knew how important the emperor was to the Japanese people and believed that the condition could have led to Japanese surrender without using the atomic bombs. Grew stated, "If surrender could have been brought about in May 1945 or even in June or July before the entrance of Soviet Russia into the war and the use of the atomic bomb, the world would have been the gainer."
Forcible return of Soviet POWs
By May 1945, the U.S. held a number of Soviet POWs who had been captured while serving voluntarily or involuntarily in some capacity in the German Army, mostly as rear area personnel (ammunition bearers, cooks, drivers, sanitation orderlies, or guards).Unlike the German prisoners, who were looking forward to release at war's end, the Soviet prisoners urgently requested asylum in the United States, or at least repatriation to a country not under Soviet occupation, as they knew they would be shot by Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
as traitors for being captured (under Soviet law, one only had to surrender to earn the death penalty).
The question of the Soviet POWs' conduct was difficult to determine, though not their fate if repatriated. Most of the Soviet POWs stated that they had been given a choice by the Germans: volunteer for labor duty with the German army, or be turned over to the Gestapo for execution or service in an arbeitslager (a camp used to work prisoners until they died of starvation or illness). In any case, in Stalin's eyes they were dead men, as they had 1) been captured alive, 2) had been 'contaminated' by contact with those in bourgeois Western nations, and 3) had been found in service with the German army.
Notified of their impending transfer to Soviet authorities, a riot at their POW camp erupted; while no one was killed by the guards, some were wounded while other Soviet prisoners hanged themselves; President Truman granted the men a temporary reprieve. Nevertheless, Grew, as Acting Secretary of State, signed an order on July 11, 1945 forcing the repatriation of the Soviet POWs to the Soviet Union. Soviet cooperation, it was believed, would prove necessary to remake the face of postwar Europe. On August 31, 1945, the 153 survivors were officially returned to the Soviet Union; their ultimate fate is unknown.
Postwar
Grew left the State Department in 1945. He died two days before his 85th birthday, on May 25, 1965.Works
- Sport and Travel in the Far EastSport and Travel in the Far EastSport and Travel in the Far East is a book published in 1910 by American ambassador and writer Joseph Grew. It highlights the hunting and the people of Asia, including hunting Tiger in China. It was a favorite of Theodore Roosevelt, who was also an avid sportsman. Roosevelt wrote the introduction...
, 1910 - Report From Tokyo, 1942
- Ten Years in Japan, 1944
- Turbulent Era, Volume I, 1952
- Turbulent Era, Volume II, 1952
Further reading
- DeConde, Alexander, et al. Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. ISBN 0-684-80658-4.
- Grew, Joseph C. Turbulent Era: A Diplomatic Record of Forty Years, 1904–1945, Books for Libraries Press, 1952.
- Van Der Vat, Dan. Pearl Harbor: An Illustrated History, Basic Books, 2001. ISBN 0-465-08983-6.