740.00119 PW/12–945
The Acting Secretary of State to Representative Bertrand W. Gearhart, of California
My Dear Mr. Gearhart: I have your letter of December 9, 1945 in which, with reference to previous correspondence, you inquire if search of the Department’s records has revealed anything that could be said to have thrown light on the origin of the report of a Japanese peace offer prior to August 10, 1945. You ask whether or not any peace offer or any statement looking toward peace was transmitted to the President by the Japanese prior to August 10, 1945 and whether President Truman carried something with him to Potsdam which might be regarded as a Japanese peace offer.
Since my letter of October 1, 194525 was addressed to you, a thorough search of the Department’s records has been instituted and inquiries have been made in all directions. As the result of these investigations I feel fully satisfied that there is no evidence of any peace offer or of any statement looking toward peace transmitted to this Government prior to August 10, 1945 from official Japanese sources or [Page 497] from any person authorized to act as an agent for the Japanese Government. I narrow the definition only for the reason that we obviously cannot account for all the expressions of the desire for peace communicated to this Government or to individuals in this Government by unofficial Japanese persons. The statement in my previous letter to you that the Department received no official Japanese peace offer prior to August 10, 1945 still stands without qualification.
In view of the foregoing, I hardly need to add that President Truman did not carry with him to Potsdam anything which might be regarded as a Japanese peace offer.
Sincerely yours,
- Not printed.↩