Cairo Declaration
The Cairo Declaration was a 1943 statement by the United States, Britain, and China declaring Allied aims toward Japan and territories it had taken.
Cairo Conference: A 1943 meeting in Cairo where Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Chiang Kai-shek discussed Allied policy toward Japan. The conference produced the declaration and brought its three signatories’ leaders together.
Cairo Communiqué: The public statement issued after the 1943 Cairo Conference, outlining Allied aims toward Japan. This is the formal text commonly called the Cairo Declaration.
Korean Peninsula: The East Asian peninsula divided into North Korea and South Korea after the Second World War. The declaration promised Korea eventual freedom, but did not specify its postwar political arrangement.
Tehran Conference: A 1943 summit in Iran where Roosevelt, Churchill, and Joseph Stalin coordinated strategy against the Axis powers. It followed Cairo and involved Stalin, who was absent from the declaration’s negotiations.
Franklin D. Roosevelt: The 32nd president of the United States, who led the country from 1933 to 1945. Roosevelt represented the United States at Cairo and endorsed its stated aims.
Potsdam Proclamation: The 1945 ultimatum by the United States, Britain, and China demanding Japan’s surrender. It reiterated the Cairo aims as part of the terms presented to Japan.
South China Sea dispute: Overlapping maritime and territorial claims among states bordering the South China Sea. China has cited Cairo’s language on Japanese-held islands in arguments about sovereignty.
Yalta Conference: A 1945 meeting where Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin discussed postwar Europe and Soviet entry into the war against Japan. Its secret agreements on Soviet gains in East Asia went beyond Cairo’s public commitments.
Winston Churchill: The British prime minister who led the country through most of the Second World War. Churchill represented Britain at Cairo and joined the declaration’s formulation.
Japanese Instrument of Surrender: The 1945 document by which Japan formally accepted the terms of surrender ending the Second World War. Japan’s surrender accepted the Potsdam terms, linking Cairo’s aims to the war’s end.