On September 3, Shigemitsu acted out his renewed vow to shield the throne by conveying the thesis of imperial innocence and militarist conspiracy directly to General MacArthur in a private meeting. The foreign minister’s immediate purpose on this occasion was to persuade the supreme commander to abandon plans to administer the country through direct military government. Throughout history, he told the general, “our emperors always have been thoroughly pacifistic,” and Emperor Hirohito was no exception. He had opposed the recent war, been ever diligent in seeking peace, and played a decisive
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