Potsdam Declaration

Not to be confused with Potsdam Agreement.

The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender was a statement issued on July 26, 1945, by United States President Harry S. Truman, United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek that outlined the terms of surrender for the Empire of Japan as agreed upon at the Potsdam Conference. This ultimatum stated that if Japan did not surrender, it would face "prompt and utter destruction".

Japan's initial rejection of the ultimatum, by promulgating the condition that they be allowed to keep their emperor, and the impending Russian entry into the war, led directly to Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9. Whether the ultimatum was intended to be acceptable without recourse to use nuclear weapons has been subject to considerable debate.

The declaration was one of Churchill's final official acts as Prime Minister before leaving office the following day in favour of Clement Attlee.