I'm John Batts with Professor Gary Bass.

His new book is Judgment at Tokyo, World War II on trial in the making of modern Asia.

September 2nd, 1945, on the deck of the USS, Missouri,

chosen, of course, because the president of the United States is from Missouri.

The signatures of the nine allies together, led by General McArthur, and the signatures of

Japanese representatives, a man in uniform, a man in a top hat, and that is the end of the

war, as we understand it. However, it's the end of the war, as we understand it.

However, it's the beginning of the challenge of what to do about that language from the Potsdam Declaration, all war criminals.

Most importantly, we now begin what you'd have to say is historical editing. Hirahito is the emperor of Japan.

Douglas MacArthur knows this. During the firebombing of Tokyo, 9 and 10, it is the record that

Curtis LeMay chose not to bomb the palace, not to attempt to kill the emperor.

Why?

The understanding was the Japanese people need an organizing principle if there is to be an end of this war.

Douglas MacArthur has some of that in him as he stays away from meeting the emperor.

But finally, on September 27th, he has an audience with

Hirohito. There's a photograph in Gary's book that gives you a glimpse of what's presenting

everyone right now, which is what is to be done with the emperor who vouchsafed all of the

brutality that the professor is identifying in his book. Gary, to this day, Hirahito is

understood as a controversial figure in Japan, in China, in India, in the United States when we

come to it. What do we need to understand about his relationship with his own conduct during the war?

He's a fascinating figure, and the collision of him with the American occupation is remarkable

that even after the dropping of the atomic bombs, the Japanese inner circle says that

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