(c) crown copyright
Catalogue Reference:CAB/128/1
Image Reference:0003
T H I S DOCUMENT IS T H E PROPERTY OF H I S BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S G O V E R N M E N T
Printed
for the Cabinet.
August
1945.
Copy No.
SECRET.
C M . (45)
20th Conclusions.
C A B I N E T 20 (45).
CONCLUSIONS
of a Meeting of the Cabinet held at 1 0 Downing
on Friday, 10th August, 1 9 4 5 , at 3 - 0 p.m.
Street, S.W. 1 ,
Present
The R i g h t H o n . C. R. ATTLEE, M . P . , P r i m e Minister (in the Chair).
The R i g h t H o n . H E R B E R T M O R R I S O N , The R i g h t Hon. E R N E S T B E V I N , M . P . ,
M.P., Lord President of the Council.
Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs (Item 1 ) .
The R i g h t H o n . A R T H U R GREENWOOD, The R i g h t Hon. H U G H DALTON, M . P . ,
M.P., Lord P r i v y Seal.
Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The R i g h t H o n . Sir STAFFORD C R I P P S , The R i g h t Hon. A. V . ALEXANDER,
K.C., M . P . , President of the Board
M . P . , F i r s t Lord of the Admiralty.
of T r a d e .
The R i g h t H o n . L O R D J O W I T T , Lord The R i g h t H o n . J . CHUTER E D E , M . P . ,
Chancellor.
Secretary of State for the Home
Department.
The R i g h t H o n . VISCOUNT A D D I S O N , The R i g h t Hon. F . W. P E T H I C K Secretar)^ of State for Dominion
LAWRENCE, M . P . , Secretary of S t a t e
for I n d i a a n d Secretary of State for
Affairs.
Burma.
The R i g h t H o n . G . H . H A L L , M . P . ,
The R i g h t Hon. J . J . LAWSON, M . P . ,
Secretary of State for the Colonies.
The R i g h t H o n . VISCOUNT STANSGATE,
Secretary of State for A i r .
The R i g h t Hon. G. A. ISAACS, M . P . ,
Secretary of State for W a r .
Minister of Labour and National
Service.
The R i g h t H o n . E . SHINWELL, M . P . , The R i g h t Hon. E L L E N W I L K I N S O N ,
M . P . , Minister of Education.
Minister of Fuel a n d Power.
The R i g h t Hon. ANEURIN BEVAN, M.P.,
Minister of Health.
The following were also p r e s e n t :
The R i g h t H o n . W . W H I T E L E Y , M . P . ,
The
Parliamentary
Secretary to the
Treasury.
A d m i r a l of t h e Fleet Sir A N D R E W
CUNNINGHAM, F i r s t Sea Lord a n d
Chief of Naval Staff (Items 1 - 4 ) .
P e r m a n e n t Under-Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs (Items 3 - 6 ) .
Marshal of the Royal A i r Force Sir
CHARLES F. A. PORTAL, Chief of the
A i r Staff (Items 1 - 4 ) .
Hon.
Sir
ALEXANDER
CADOGAN,
Field-Marshal Sir ALAN BROOKE, Chief
of the Imperial
(Items 1 - 4 ) .
Secretariat
General
Staff
:
Sir E D W A R D B R I D G E S .
General Sir H A S T I N G S L . ISMAY.
Mr. NORMAN BROOK.
Sir G I L B E R T LAITHWAITE.
M r . W . S. M U R R I E .
[30622-6]
B
-
CABINET
20
(45).
CONTENTS.
Minute
No.
1
Subject.
Japan
Offer of S u r r e n d e r .
2
Japan
M i l i t a r y Dispositions on S u r r e n d e r .
3
Japan
T e r m s of S u r r e n d e r .
4
"War P r o d u c t i o n a n d Man-power
A d j u s t m e n t after S u r r e n d e r of J a p a n .
5
Parliament
K i n g ' s Speech on t h e Opening of P a r l i a m e n t .
6
A r r a n g e m e n t s for Celebrating t h e E n d of t h e W
Japan.
Offer of
Surrender.
1. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs said that,
according to an announcement broadcast from J a p a n by the Domei
Agency, the Japanese Government h a d t h a t day addressed the
following communication to the Governments of Switzerland and
Sweden for transmission to the Governments of the United
Kingdom, the United States and the U.S.S.R. :—
" I n obedience to the gracious command of H i s Majesty
the Emperor who, ever anxious to enhance the cause of world
peace, desires earnestly to bring about an early termination of
hostilities with a view to saving mankind from the calamities
to be imposed upon them by further continuation of the war,
the Japanese Government asked several weeks ago the Soviet
Government, with which neutral relations then prevailed, to
render its good offices in restoring peace vis-a-vis the enemy
Powers. " These efforts in the interest of peace unfortunately
having failed, the J a p a n e s e Government in conformity w i t h
the august wish of H i s Majesty to restore the general peace,
and desiring to p u t an end to the untold sufferings entailed
by war as quickly as possible, have decided upon the following.
" The Japanese Government are ready to accept the
terms enumerated in the joint declaration which was issued a t
P o t s d a m on t h e 26th July, 1945, by the Heads of the Govern­
ments of the U n i t e d States, Great B r i t a i n and China, and
later subscribed to by the Soviet Government, with the under­
standing t h a t the said declaration does not comprise any
demand which prejudices the prerogatives of H i s Majesty as
a sovereign ruler. The Japanese Government hope sincerely
t h a t this understanding is warranted, and desire keenly t h a t
an explicit indication to t h a t effect will be speedily forth­
coming. ' ' No official communication to this effect h a d yet been received
from the Governments of Switzerland or Sweden; and no official
information had yet reached the Poreign Office a p a r t from the
statement issued by the Domei Agency. There was, however, every
indication t h a t this was, in fact, an official communication from
the Japanese Government
The Foreign Secretary said t h a t difficulty might arise over the
stipulation which the Japanese Government were seeking to
make regarding the position of the Emperor. The wording of the
communication on this point was somewhat ambiguous and would
probably need clarification.
I t was possible, however, that, in
view of this stipulation, the United States Government might
regard the communication as falling short of unconditional
surrender. H e was taking steps to ascertain the views of the United
States Government on this point. Meanwhile, he would be glad
to hear the views of his colleagues. For himself, he doubted
whether it would be expedient for the Allied Governments to insist
on terms of surrender which would result in the Emperor's losing
authority over the Japanese people. I n the first place, we ought
not to increase unnecessarily our difficulties in occupying J a p a n
after her surrender; and there would be obvious advantages in
being able to deal with the Emperor as a central authority through
whom the directions of the Occupying Powers could be transmitted
t o the Japanese people. Secondly, the religious influence of the
Emperor w a s such that, if the terms of surrender involved his
abdication, there was a serious risk t h a t the J apanese Forces wouid
choose destruction rather than surrender—in which event
hostilities throughout the F a r E a s t would be prolonged for many
months. Provided, therefore, t h a t the Emperor undertook to
comply with the directions of the Allied Powers, the Foreign
Secretary was disposed to think t h a t it would be expedient to impose
terms of surrender which left unimpaired his sovereignty over the
Japanese people.
[30622-6]
B
2
\%
The Prime Minister recalled t h a t the proclamation issued by
the Allied Governments from Potsdam on the 26th July, while it
did not refer in terms to the position of the Emperor, called for
the elimination " for all time of the a u t h o r i t y a n d influence of
those who had deceived a n d misled the people of J a p a n into
embarking upon a campaign of world conquest."
Those words
m i g h t be construed as requiring the abdication of the Emperor.
H e was doubtful, however, whether the U n i t e d States Government
would insist on the abdication of the E m p e r o r if t h a t involved a
prolongation of hostilities and further sacrifice of American
troops.
1
I n further discussion the following points were made :—
(a) I t would be necessary to ascertain more precisely w h a t
w a s m e a n t by the phrase ' ' the prerogatives of H i s Majesty as a
sovereign r u l e r . " I t would be argued t h a t the Allied occupation
of the J a p a n e s e ports would prejudice the E m p e r o r ' s prerogatives :
and, if this was meant, such a stipulation could not be accepted.
On the other hand, the phrase m i g h t be intended to mean merely
t h a t the terms of surrender should not require the Emperor 's
abdication; and in t h a t event the stipulation would not be incon­
sistent w i t h the s p i r i t of the P o t s d a m declaration.
(b) Public opinion in this country was sensitive to t h e
sufferings of prisoners of w a r and civilians now in J a p a n e s e h a n d s ;
a n d the people of this country would be reluctant to see hostilities
prolonged on w h a t m i g h t be regarded as a technicality, once the
substance of " unconditional surrender " had been obtained.
(c) I t would not be justifiable to insist on our r i g h t to t r e a t
the Emperor of J a p a n as a w a r criminal, if the result of such
insistence was substantially to prolong hostilities in the F a r East.
(d) I t was, of course, essential t h a t we should not take any
action on this communication save in concert w i t h the Governments
of the U n i t e d States, the U.S.S.R. and China.
The Prime Minister,
summing u p the discussion, said t h a t
i t was the view of the Cabinet t h a t it would be inexpedient to
insist on terms of surrender involving the abdication of t h e
Emperor of J a p a n if it seemed likely t h a t this would have the
result of delaying substantially the end of hostilities in the F a r
East.
T h e first step was, however, to exchange views on this
point w i t h the Governments of the U n i t e d States, the U.S.S.R. a n d
China, and to seek a common agreement on this m a t t e r between
t h e Four Powers. The Foreign Secretary should a r r a n g e for t h i s
to be done at once through the diplomatic channel. Meanwhile,
as the statement issued by the Domei Agency h a d already been
published by t h e Press a n d the B.B.C. in this country, it was
advisable t h a t an official statement should be issued a t once u r g i n g
people to carry on as usual u n t i l i t w a s officially stated t h a t J a p a n ' s
surrender h a d been accepted.
T h e C a b i n e f s conclusions were as follows :—
(1) I n a n t i c i p a t i o n of the receipt of an official communication
from the Government of Switzerland or Sweden, t h e
Foreign Secretary should make arrangements to ascer­
t a i n through t h e diplomatic channel the a t t i t u d e of the
Governments of the U n i t e d States, the U.S.S.R. and
China towards the statement p u t out by the Domei
Agency. H i s Majesty's Ambassadors in Washington,
Moscow and C h u n g k i n g should be informed t h a t the
provisional views of H i s Majesty's Government were a s
stated at " X " above.
(2) T h e Minister of Information should a r r a n g e for the
immediate issue to the press of a statement in the
following terms : " H i s Majesty's Government have not
yet received a n y official communication from the
J a p a n e s e Government, but they a r e in communication
w i t h the Governments of the U n i t e d States, the Soviet
Union and China about the radio broadcast from Tokyo
as to surrender terms. A further statement will be made
by H i s Majesty's Government as soon as the situation
is clarified. I n the meantime, everyone should continue
a t work as usual."
Japan.
Military
Dispositions
on Surrender.
2. The Chief of the Imperial General Staff said t h a t the
Chiefs of Staff already had in preparation a plan for the disposition
of our military forces in the event of a sudden surrender by J a p a n ,
These plans would not be ready for two or three days, but he
explained in very general terms the arrangements which would have
to be made to accept the surrender of the Japanese forces in the
various areas a n d to provide for the occupation of liberated a n d
conquered territories.
Special arrangements would have to be made for British troops
to be sent in to Hong Kong. This was not in the British zone for
military operations; but we had already contemplated t h a t a detach­
ment oi British troops should accompany the United States Forces
when the course of their operations brought them near H o n g Kong.
Emergency arrangements would now have to be made; and the
most convenient course Avould probably be to send a naval force to
Hong Kong with a detachment of Marines. This force would
probably be drawn from the British Pacific Fleet. The Prime
Minister thought t h a t it might be advisable for him to send a
personaL telegram to President T r u m a n on this point in view of
the important political considerations involved.
The Chief of the Imperial General Staff said that, as regards
the main islands of J a p a n , the United States plan provided for
the inclusion of a British contingent in the occupying forces. This
would have to be found, in the first instance, from the South-East
Asia Command, Arrangements would be made to include in this
contingent troops from A u s t r a l i a and New Zealand, and also troops
from Canada a n d I n d i a .
The Cabinet—Took note of this statement.
Japan.
T e r m s of
Surrender.
(Previous
Eeference:
C M . ( 4 5 ) 19th
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 5.)
3. The Prime Minister recalled t h a t at the meeting of the
Cabinet on the 9th August he h a d suggested that a Committee of
officials should be appointed to study various problems which would
arise in connection with the treatment of J a p a n after her defeat.
This work would now have to be pressed forward as a matter of
the greatest urgency; and, in view of the important questions of
policy which would be involved, he thought i t would be convenient
if a Ministerial Committee were now appointed in addition to the
Committee of officials which he had previously proposed.
The Cabinet—
(1) Agreed t h a t a Committee composed as follows :—
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
(Chairman),
Secretary of State for the Colonies
(Deputy
Chairman),
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, Secretary of State for I n d i a and for Burma, F i r s t Lord of the Admiralty, Secretary of State for W a r , Secretary of State for Air, ..
should be appointed to review the situation arising out of the surrender of J a p a n in its political and adminis­
trative aspects. j[ 3
(2) Agreed t h a t for the discussion of some of the subjects
submitted to this Committee the members of the
Committee m i g h t be represented by their P a r l i a m e n t a r y
Secretaries.
(3) Invited the Secretary of S t a t e for the Colonies to preside
over a Committee of officials representing the Depart­
ments concerned, which would prepare detailed proposals
for consideration by the Ministerial
Committee
mentioned at (1) above.
War
4. The Prime Minister
said t h a t an immediate review of
m u n i t i o n s production should be undertaken, in the light of the
and
situation which would be created by the surrender of J a p a n . Every
Man-Power.
effort must be made to t a p e r off the production of munitions as
Adjustment
r a p i d l y as possible. A r r a n g e m e n t s should also be made to ensure
after Surrender t h a t r a w materials now earmarked for munitions production should
of J a p a n .
be m a d e available as r a p i d l y as possible for civil production.
A review should be u n d e r t a k e n of the plans for demobilisation
and call-up to the A r m e d Forces; a n d the present allocations of
man-power for the second half of 1945 should be urgently reviewed.
Production
The C a b i n e t ­
(1) Invited the P r e s i d e n t of the Board of T r a d e to a r r a n g e
for the J o i n t W a r P r o d u c t i o n Staff to undertake an
immediate review of munitions production.
(2) Asked the Man-power Committee to make an immediate
review of the man-power position.
Parliament.
K i n g ' s Speech
on t h e Opening
of P a r l i a m e n t .
(Previous
Reference:
C M . (45) 19th
Conclusions,
M i n u t e 1.)
5. The Prime Minister
said that, if the news of J a p a n ' s
surrender h a d been confirmed before the opening of P a r l i a m e n t on
the 15th August, it would be necessary to make certain changes in
the d r a f t of the K i n g ' s Speech which had been considered by the
Cabinet a t their meeting on the 9th August.
F o r the first p a r a g r a p h of the present draft, a new passage
should be inserted expressing thankfulness for victory a n d
deliverance and referring to all those t h r o u g h whose efforts and
sacrifices the w a r h a d been won.
P a r a g r a p h s 5, 6 and 8 of the draft should be omitted, and some
reference should be added to the tasks which our Forces would have
to discharge in the liberation and rehabilitation of the territories
occupied by J a p a n .
I n p a r a g r a p h s 11 and 13 of the d r a f t the references to " t h e
E u r o p e a n W a r ' ' a n d the ' ' war against Germany ' ' should be
amended.
The C a b i n e t Approved in principle the amendments suggested by the
P r i m e Minister, and invited him to settle on their behalf
the final wording of the d r a f t Speech.
Arrangements
for celebrating
the end of
Q The Cabinet held a preliminary discussion about the
a r r a n g e m e n t s to be made for celebrating the end of the w a r .
T h e following were the main points made in discussion ; —
the War.
(a)
Broadcasts.
T h e arrangements should follow those adopted for V E - D a y ,
viz., t h e r e should first be a brief official announcement by the P r i m e
Minister, and thereafter a broadcast by The K i n g . A broadcast
speech by the P r i m e Minister should follow after an interval of
several days.
(b) Messages to Dominion
Governments.
The K i n g should be invited to send special messages to the
Government of I n d i a and the Governments of those Dominions
whose troops had taken p a r t in the war in the F a r East. The
Secretary of State for the Colonies would consider whether similar
messages should be sent to any of the Colonies.
(c)
Holidays.
There should be two days' holiday w i t h pay. I n general the
arrangements should follow those adopted for VE-Day. If the news
of J a p a n ' s surrender was confirmed in time, it would be convenient
t h a t these holidays should be fixed for Monday and Tuesday, the
13th and 14th August.
The Honie Office should give guidance to local authorities with
regard to public celebrations generally, and to licensing authorities
about the extension of licensing hours in restaurants, public houses,
& c , d u r i n g the two days' holiday on the same lines a s had been
done for VE-Day.
I t would be desirable t h a t arrangements should be made, if
possible, for bands to play and music to be broadcast in streets and
open places d u r i n g the evenings of the two days' holiday.
(d) Day of
Thanksgiving.
There should be a National Day of Thanksgiving, possibly on
Sunday the 19th A u g u s t ; and special services of thanksgiving
should be held on t h a t day at St. P a u l ' s and in Edinburgh, Belfast
and Cardiff.
(e)
Parliament.
The State Opening of P a r l i a m e n t would take place on
Wednesday, the 15th August. Services of thanksgiving for
Members of the two Houses of P a r l i a m e n t might be held on t h a t
day, in St. M a r g a r e t s , Westminster, and in Westminster Abbey,
d u r i n g the interval between the State Opening and the beginning
of the Debate on the Address—possibly at 2-30 p.m.
Arrangements should be made for Addresses of Congratulation
to be presented to H i s Majesty by both Houses of Parliament.
I t was also desirable that the two Houses of P a r l i a m e n t should
have an opportunity of expressing their gratitude to H i s Majesty's
Forces. After discussion, it was agreed t h a t it would be preferable
t h a t the Motion for this purpose should not be taken until after
the conclusion of the Debate on the Address.
The Cabinet—
(1) Took note t h a t the P e r m a n e n t Secretary to the Treasury
had already a r r a n g e d for a meeting of senior repre­
sentatives of the Departments mainly concerned to
co-ordinate departmental action on the conclusion of
hostilities in the F a r E a s t ; and invited him to arrange
for this meeting also to consider the detailed arrange­
ments for celebrating the end of the war.
(2) Invited the Chief W h i p to discuss w i t h the authorities of
both Houses of P a r l i a m e n t the arrangements to be made
for services of thanksgiving in St. M a r g a r e t s and in
Westminster Abbey, and for the presentation of
Addresses of Congratulation to H i s Majesty.
Cabinet
Office,
S.W.1,
10th August, 1945.