Eugene Dooman
Encyclopedia
Eugene Hoffman Dooman served as counselor at the United States
Embassy in Tokyo
during the critical negotiations between the two countries during World War II
. Born in Osaka
to missionary parents of Assyrian
background who themselves were born in northwest Iran
, Dooman knew Japanese
as a native language. His parents had arrived in Japan
after having been trained in their native Urmia
, where the predominant Christians were ethnic Assyrians. Originally belonging to the Syriac-based Church of the East
, a church with a strong medieval missionary history throughout Asia
, the Assyrians had seen centuries of persecution under various Muslim
rulers in Turkish and Persian
lands since the conversion of the Mongol descendants to Islam
in the late 13th century. The rampage of Tamerlane westward destroyed the last major urban communities and drove these Christians into remote mountain areas.
It was the coming of American missionaries to northwest Iran in 1834 that brought education and a higher standard of living as well as a window to the West for families such as the Doomans. Both the men and the women in this family benefited from the educational opportunities that were offered through the American Boys’ College and Fiske Seminary, the latter modeled on Mount Holyoke College
, which is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women
in the United States
.
Eugene Dooman’s parents ended up in Japan because Presbyterian mission activity in the late 19th century was widespread and Japan and China
had become new grounds for work. Like Abraham Yohannan, the first instructor in Persian and other Middle Eastern languages at Columbia University
, the Doomans benefited from the training they received in Urmiyah and went on to become active in the religious field themselves.
in 1921. A guest of Commodore Edward H. Watson, he was on board the US destroyer Delphy which ran aground during the Honda Point Disaster
in 1923.
Eugene Dooman spent much of his diplomatic career in Japan with a two year stint in London
(1931-33) and five years in Washington
(1933-37). He left Japan in 1941. Earlier that year (Feb 14) as US embassy counselor, he delivered Franklin D. Roosevelt
’s ultimatum to the Japanese Foreign Ministry
in Tokyo which warned that if Japan attacked Singapore
, it would mean war with the United States. Later, in 1945, Dooman was involved with Acting Secretary of State Joseph Grew
(who had headed the Tokyo embassy
when he was stationed there 1937-1941) as Special Assistant to Assistant Secretary of State James Dunn
in the decision over calling for Japanese surrender. Dooman was one of the draftees of the Potsdam Proclamation, a warning to Japan in 1945 prior to the dropping
of atomic bombs .
Interviewed in 1962 as part of Columbia University
’s oral history
project, his reminiscences about the Occupation of Japan have provided useful material for historians. The "Eugene Dooman archives" are held at the Hoover Institution
at Stanford University
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Embassy in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
during the critical negotiations between the two countries during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Born in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
to missionary parents of Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
background who themselves were born in northwest Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Dooman knew Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
as a native language. His parents had arrived in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
after having been trained in their native Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
, where the predominant Christians were ethnic Assyrians. Originally belonging to the Syriac-based Church of the East
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
, a church with a strong medieval missionary history throughout Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the Assyrians had seen centuries of persecution under various Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
rulers in Turkish and Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
lands since the conversion of the Mongol descendants to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in the late 13th century. The rampage of Tamerlane westward destroyed the last major urban communities and drove these Christians into remote mountain areas.
It was the coming of American missionaries to northwest Iran in 1834 that brought education and a higher standard of living as well as a window to the West for families such as the Doomans. Both the men and the women in this family benefited from the educational opportunities that were offered through the American Boys’ College and Fiske Seminary, the latter modeled on Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
, which is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women
Timeline of women's colleges in the United States
The following is a timeline of women's colleges in the United States. These are institutions of higher education in the United States whose student populations are comprised exclusively or almost exclusively of women. They are often liberal arts colleges...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Eugene Dooman’s parents ended up in Japan because Presbyterian mission activity in the late 19th century was widespread and Japan and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
had become new grounds for work. Like Abraham Yohannan, the first instructor in Persian and other Middle Eastern languages at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, the Doomans benefited from the training they received in Urmiyah and went on to become active in the religious field themselves.
Career
Dooman joined the State DepartmentUnited States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
in 1921. A guest of Commodore Edward H. Watson, he was on board the US destroyer Delphy which ran aground during the Honda Point Disaster
Honda Point Disaster
The Honda Point Disaster was the largest peacetime loss of U.S. Navy ships. On the evening of September 8, 1923, seven destroyers, while traveling at 20 knots , ran aground at Honda Point, a few miles from the northern side of the Santa Barbara Channel off Point Arguello on the coast in Santa...
in 1923.
Eugene Dooman spent much of his diplomatic career in Japan with a two year stint in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(1931-33) and five years in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(1933-37). He left Japan in 1941. Earlier that year (Feb 14) as US embassy counselor, he delivered Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
’s ultimatum to the Japanese Foreign Ministry
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
in Tokyo which warned that if Japan attacked Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, it would mean war with the United States. Later, in 1945, Dooman was involved with Acting Secretary of State Joseph Grew
Joseph Grew
Joseph Clark Grew was a United States diplomat and career foreign service officer. He was the chargé d'affaires at the U.S. embassy in Vienna when Austria-Hungary severed diplomatic relations with the United States on April 9, 1917. Later he was the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark 1920–1921 and U.S....
(who had headed the Tokyo embassy
Embassy of the United States in Tokyo
The Embassy of the United States in Tokyo represents the United States to Japan. Along with consulates general in Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Naha, the embassy provides assistance to American citizens and issues visas to foreign nationals who wish to visit or immigrate to the United...
when he was stationed there 1937-1941) as Special Assistant to Assistant Secretary of State James Dunn
James Dunn
James Dunn, Jim Dunn or Jimmy Dunn may refer to:James Dunn:*James Dunn , an actor who performed in Bad Girl and A Tree Grows In Brooklyn*James Dunn , Australian Senator...
in the decision over calling for Japanese surrender. Dooman was one of the draftees of the Potsdam Proclamation, a warning to Japan in 1945 prior to the dropping
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
of atomic bombs .
Interviewed in 1962 as part of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
’s oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
project, his reminiscences about the Occupation of Japan have provided useful material for historians. The "Eugene Dooman archives" are held at the Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.