Henry L. Stimson
Henry L. Stimson
Henry Lewis Stimsonwas an American statesman, lawyer and Republican Party politician and spokesman on foreign policy. He served as Secretary of Warunder Republican William Howard Taft, and as Governor-General of the Philippines. As Secretary of Stateunder Republican President Herbert Hoover, he articulated the Stimson Doctrine which announced American opposition to Japanese expansion in Asia. He again served as Secretary of Warunder Democrats Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, and was a leading hawk calling for war against Germany. During...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionStatesman
Date of Birth21 September 1867
CountryUnited States of America
On Tuesday, August 14th, when the news arrived of the final surrender of the Japanese we had a little thanksgiving meeting in the Casino after dinner.
After I had gone through this matter with the President I told him of my condition of health and that my doctors felt that I must take a complete rest and that I thought that that meant leaving the Department finally in a short time.
Over any such tangled wave of problems the S-1 secret would be dominant and yet we will not know until after that time probably, until after that meeting, whether this is a weapon in our hands or not.
I think it is very important that I should have a talk with you as soon as possible on a highly secret matter. I mentioned it to you shortly after you took office but have not urged it since on account of the pressure you have been under.
The Japanese campaign involves therefore two great uncertainties; first, whether Russia will come in though we think that will be all right; and second, when and how S-1 will resolve itself.
I do not see how the Japanese can hold out against this united front.
I told him there was one city that they must not bomb without my permission and that was Kyoto.
I told him that my own opinion was that the time now and the method now to deal with Russia was to keep our mouths shut and let our actions speak for words.
We think it will be shortly afterwards, but it seems a terrible thing to gamble with such big stakes in diplomacy without having your master card in your hand.
There has been growing quite a strain of irritating feeling between our government and the Russians and it seems to me that it is a time for me to use all the restraint I can on these other people who have been apparently getting a little more irritated.
The only deadly sin I know is cynicism.
When all the arguments have been forgotten, this central fact will remain. The two nations fought a single war, and their quarrels were the quarrels of brothers.
We debated long over the situation for it is a very difficult question and all of us recognize its difficulty.
Russia will occupy most of the good food lands of central Europe while we have the industrial portions. We must find some way of persuading Russia to play ball.