The Tokyo Surrender: A Diplomatic Marathon in Washington, August 10-14, 1945

one important exception. The surrender could not "prejudice the prerogatives of His Majesty as a sovereign ruler."' Later that day, Tokyo transmitted its qualified acceptance of the Potsdam terms of surrender to the Allies. Diplomats in Moscow, London, and Washington interpreted the Japanese offer to their own advantage during hastily convened meetings around the world and around the clock between Friday, August 10, and Tuesday, August 14. The five-day diplomatic marathon in Washington ended the war againstJapan, but it opened new levels of mistrust and hostility with the Soviet Union.2 President Harry Truman and