Which three Allied powers issued the Potsdam Declaration calling for Japan’s surrender?

The United States, United Kingdom, and China issued the Potsdam Declaration calling for Japan’s surrender on July 26, 1945. The proclamation announced the Allied terms for ending the war against Japan.

U.S. President Harry Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek were the leaders associated with the declaration. It demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan’s armed forces and warned of severe consequences if Japan refused.

The Soviet Union was absent from the original declaration because it had not yet entered the war against Japan. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin later agreed that the Soviet Union would adhere to the declaration after declaring war on Japan in August.

This distinction is often overlooked because the Soviet Union became one of the Allied powers fighting Japan before the surrender ceremony. However, it was not one of the three powers that originally issued the July 26 proclamation.