Roosevelt, Grew, and competing American approaches

Roosevelt's hard-line assumptions differed from Ambassador Joseph Grew's effort to explain what Japan could realistically concede. Roosevelt's domestic political skill did not automatically translate into an understanding of other states' domestic pressures, and he believed sustained pressure could force Tokyo to comply. Grew argued for a more pragmatic reading of Japanese constraints. His record also included obstructing African American State Department appointments, anti-communism, and a role in returning Soviet prisoners after their use as forced labour. The difference between the two men matters because a negotiated settlement required interpreters who could translate political limits as well as diplomatic words, even when those interpreters had grave prejudices and compromises of their own.