1. The Momentous Translation Error
It began with the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender, also known as the Potsdam Declaration, which was issued by the Allies on July 26th, 1945. America, which had successfully tested the atomic bomb ten days earlier, along with her allies, issued a blunt ultimatum, warning Japan that if it did not surrender, it would face “prompt and utter destruction“.
The terms were hotly debated within the Japanese government. Subsequently, Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki stated that Japanese policy towards the Potsdam Declaration would be one of “mokusatsu“. That Japanese word meant that he had received the message, and was giving it serious consideration. Unfortunately, Japanese is a subtle language, in which the same word could convey various meanings. Another meaning for mokusatsu is to “contemptuously ignore”, and that was the meaning the translators gave President Harry Truman. 10 days later, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
American Battlefield Trust – Battle of Yorktown, Facts & Summary
Antietam on the Web – Special Order 191: Perhaps the Greatest ‘What If’ of American Military History
Catton, Bruce – Mr. Lincoln’s Army (1951)
Daily Beast – What Fueled the Child Sex Abuse Scandal That Never Was?
Defense Media Network – The Mark 14 Torpedo Scandal
History Collection – 10 Major Historical Mistakes That Changed the World Forever
Encyclopedia Britannica – Battle of Trenton
History News Network – Failures of the Presidents: JFK’s Bay of Pigs Disaster
Motley Fool – How Coke Helped Create Pepsi, and Other Historic Market Moments
History Collection – Little Mistakes from History With Huge Consequences
New England Historical Society – Percy Spencer Melts a Chocolate Bar, Invents the Microwave Oven
NSA, (b)(3)-PL 86-36 – Mokusatsu: One Word, Two Lessons
Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Backgrounder on the Three Mile Island Accident
Ranker – Mistakes That Created Modern America
Smithsonian Magazine, October 2009 – Columbus’ Confusion About the New World
