There's a lot of disinformation in those sentences.
In fact, the only serious peace feelers Japanese put out went to Moscow, not Sweden, in June 1945 and Moscow never forwarded Japan's conditions to Washington.
Washington knew of them only through MAGIC intercepts.
Japan's conditions included:
As for Sweden, no preliminary Japanese peace proposals were forwarded through Sweden, so that was a non-issue.
In the end, after the two A-bombs, Japanese reduced their conditions to just one, transmitted to Washington through Swiss and Swedish embassies: keep their Emperor, Washington accepted, and so peace was concluded August 15, 1945.
Phoenix8: "That would mean no A-Bombs dropped.
No USSR invasion of Manchuria..."
The Soviets had already agreed at Yalta (February 1945) to invade Japan within three months of German surrender (May 8, 1945), and so were uninterested in Japanese peace proposals in June & July, and did not forward them to Washington.
As per agreements, the Soviets invaded Japan on August 8, 1945.
Japanese surrendered on August 15, 1945.
Phoenix8: "Germany is more uncertain with possible surrender in mid ‘44."
As for Germany, there were no German government peace proposals before the May 1945, leading to surrender on May 8, 1945.
Sure, plenty of German officials approached Allied or neutral diplomats, including Adolf Hess (1941), Ambassador Hassell, in Italy in (1943), diplomat Adam von Trott zu Solz in Switzerland (1944) and Heinrich Himmler to the Swedes (April 1945), but all of these were just individuals freelancing in hopes of playing a role in the post-war period.
None were approved by Hitler or taken seriously by the Allies.
Phoenix8: "As about 6 million people died in 1945 even a relatively marginal earlier peace could have saved millions."
The Second World War -- from September 1939 to August 1945 -- cost the lives of around 75 million people, roughly half military, half civilians.
If 6 million of those died in 1945, that is 8% of the total, and includes around 1 million who died between Germany's surrender on May 8, 1945 and Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945.
So the real issue in the first half of 1945 was whether the Allies intended to eradicate the root cause of those 75 million WWII deaths, or give up the effort in order to save those last millions?
They chose the former, and the world as we know it was the result.
Bingo, and quite right. I didn't have the time to lay out a comprehensive response to Phoenix8 as you did.
I will add that it was obvious to the Truman WH that Russia was on the march for its first warm-water seaport. It was an enormous long-term benefit to both Japan and the U.S. to end the war asap and get our forces ashore to block Russia from reaching that goal.
Disinformation or disagreement?
Firstly the Soviets wanted Manchuria so they of course didn’t forward the peace feelers. It’s had little to do with the Potsdam meeting or Casablanca etc Stalin was a ruthless tyrant truly intent on world domination, even more so than Hitler.
Secondly there were actually MORE peace feelers put out than the ones I listed:
1. Lisbon, Portugal
A certain Inoue, The counselor of the Japanese Legation in a Portugal requested a contact with US representatives and said the Japanese wanted peace but would not accept unconditional surrender. May 7, 1945
On may 19, he requested again as he feared paper and wooden houses fire bombed in Japan would leave the population destitute.
The OSS contacted the US ambassador who told his higher ups. It was decided Inoue must only bring terms regarding unconditional surrender and only as an official representative of Japan.
2. The Vatican, Rome Italy
In Jan 1945 The Japnese Emperor was told officials of the highest order would seek leave terms through The Vatican as intermediary. The Emperor expressed no “disapproval” of the efforts.
Eventually a memorandum was sent by the OSS to the president of the USA that the Japnese Holy See would work with the Pope to mediate possible peace terms.
It’s not obvious what happens to that proposal, other than being rejected due to the unconditional surrender mantra.
3. Bern Switzerland.
In may 1945 the OSS gave information to the US ambassador that the Japanese foreign minister Shunichi Kase wanted to pursue peace directly with the Western Allies on the conditions Japan not become communist and the Emperor remain untouched. Wild Bill Donovan wrote a handwritten note on the form saying “should we pursue this?”.
Again like the overtures in Rome it’s unclear what became of the Japanese effort. Likely rejected again as before due to Roosevelt.
This is not my opinion, this is sourced as “secret and classified” by the OSS and not released until 1993 by the CIA.
https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/static/Memoranda-President-Japanese-Feelers.pdf
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In my opinion you (all) give too much rigidity in your arguments. With too much value on formal agreements and public announcements of Diplomatic efforts. For a thousand years it’s been know the REAL action occur behind the scene with Machiavellian moves and whispers behind closed doors. Things are then reported to the public afterwards and in a light that the victor desires.
Ohh and agreements and pacts can be broken. There is no reason why a conditional peace couldn’t have been arranged. The Soviets ended their non-aggression pact with Japan a full year in advance through a legal loophole on the pact. Germany launched Barbarossa in 1941 and violated their Non- aggression pact.
Pacts are just promises and words on paper. Actions are the only thing that really matter.
The unconditional surrender idea was a boneheaded move by an ailing democratic/socialistic President and was an unnecessary huge mistake .