"In Architects of Occupation, Dayna L. Barnes exposes the wartime origins of occupation policy and broader plans for postwar Japan. She considers the role of presidents, bureaucrats, think tanks, the media, and Congress in policymaking. Members of these elite groups came together in an informal policy network that shaped planning. Rather than relying solely on government reports and records to understand policymaking, Barnes also uses letters, memoirs, diaries, and manuscripts written by policymakers to trace the rise and spread of ideas across the policy network. The book contributes a new facet to the substantial literature on the occupation, serves as a case study in foreign policy analysis, and tells a surprising new story about World War II." -- Provided by the publisher. Provided by publisher.

Introduction : behind the policy curtain -- Flip-flopper with the final say : Roosevelt and Japan -- Elbow patches and orientalists : bureaucratic wrangling -- Unofficial officials : think tanks and policy -- Information and ideology : media coverage -- Sucker nation and Santa Claus : concerns of Congress -- Ready or not : Harry Truman and the end of the war -- Conclusion : the best-laid plans of mice and men.