THE COLD WAR SHIFT: GEORGE KENNAN'S STRATEGIC PIVOT Colleague Professor Gary J. Bass. By 1948, the trial's context shifted dramatically with the onset of the Cold War and the Chinese Civil War. George Kennan, the architect of containment, visited Tokyo to convince MacArthur that democratization was less important than establishing Japan as a strong anti-communist bulwark against the Soviets. Kennan argued that the US must secure Japan as a strategic prize rather than focus on China, which was falling to Mao. This "reverse course" prioritized stability and industrial strength over the initial progressive reforms, viewing Japan as the essential anchor for Americanforeign policy in the Pacific. NUMBER 5
1929 TOKYO

TRUMAN INHERITS A WORLD WAR AND THE BURDEN OF JUDGMENT Colleague Professor Gary J. Bass. Following the sudden death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1945, Harry Truman assumed the presidency with little preparation regarding foreign policy or the situation in Asia. While Truman possessed combat experience from World War I, his understanding of China and Japan relied heavily on stereotypes and idealism rather than briefing. Confronted immediately with the bloody Battle of Okinawa and the devastation of the firebombing of Tokyo, Truman upheld the Allies' demand for unconditional surrender. This policy necessitated stripping Japan of its empire and trying its leadership, despite growing private concerns among some US officials that American strategic bombing might equate to war crimes. NUMBER 1
1930 TOKYO

BROKEN PROMISES AND LINGUISTIC DISCRIMINATION Colleague Brenda Shaffer. Shaffer details how the Islamic Republic initially promised ethnic minorities linguistic and cultural rights to secure power in 1979, only to violently suppress them once established. She explains that this oppression continues today through the policing of non-Persian names on birth certificates and the banning of minority language education. Shaffer argues this linguistic discrimination fuels current unrest, exemplified by Mahsa Amini, whose Kurdish identity was suppressed by state mandates. NUMBER 2
1870 TEHRAN