It demonstrated a destructive power never before seen in a man-made device. It was no coincidence that on 16th July, the day before the opening of the Potsdam Conference, the world’s first nuclear bomb was detonated in the desert of New Mexico. It was this knowledge that informed the contents of the Potsdam Declaration, in particular the statement that failure to accept unconditional surrender would result in “prompt and utter destruction” for Japan. However, the Allies were also aware that whilst the Japanese Emperor Hirohito desired an end to hostilities, and would probably accept the unconditional capitulation demanded, the `hawks’ of the Japanese military and civilian leadership were totally opposed to such a humiliating condition and were ready to fight to the finish – whatever that might look like. Why had the Allied powers considered it necessary to inflict such unprecedented destruction on Japanese civilians in order to bring the war to an end? At the Potsdam Conference (17th July – 2nd August 1945) the Allies formulated their terms for ending the war with Japan, which centred on that country’s acceptance of unconditional surrender, as had been the case with Nazi Germany in May. The following day was declared `Victory over Japan’ or VJ Day, although it was not until 2nd September that the final Japanese surrender was signed, thereby bringing the Second World War to a formal close. On 14th August it finally accepted the demand for unconditional surrender. On 10th August the Japanese government indicated its readiness to accept defeat, subject to certain conditions. The two atomic explosions had the effects desired by the Allies.