Unconditional: The Japanese Surrender in World War II, by Marc Gallicchio

Abstract

In American public memory, unconditional surrender by Japan in the Second World War was an uncompromising goal for the entire nation. In this intriguing work, Marc Gallicchio contradicts this view and contends that ‘something has been lost in our understanding’ of the ‘strange history of unconditional surrender’ (p. 2). After Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (FDR) declaration at Casablanca, the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers became a significant war policy for America. It required the destruction of the philosophies, not the population, of the Axis powers and meant ‘a reasonable assurance of future world peace’––it was an arduous task. Churchill and presidential advisors alike urged FDR to mitigate his demands, allowing him personally to negotiate with the Vichy French government in North Africa (p. 10). Unconditional surrender sparked a fervent partisan debate in American society. Following Japan’s capitulation, conservatives and liberals changed their positions and contested the method of defeating Japan,...