Editing Pacific Overtures (section)

==Title==

The title of the work is drawn directly from text in a letter from [[Matthew C. Perry|Admiral Perry]] addressed to the Emperor dated July 7, 1853:

<blockquote>"Many of the large ships-of-war destined to visit Japan have not yet arrived in these seas, though they are hourly expected; and the undersigned, as an evidence of his friendly intentions, has brought but four of the smaller ones, designing, should it become necessary, to return to Edo in the ensuing spring with a much larger force. <Br /><br />But it is expected that the government of your imperial majesty will render such return unnecessary, by acceding at once to the very reasonable and ''pacific overtures'' contained in the President's letter, and which will be further explained by the undersigned on the first fitting occasion."<ref name="PerryLetter">{{cite web|url=http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/japan/japanworkbook/modernhist/perry.html?title=Commodore|title=Contemporary Japan: A Teaching Workbook|publisher=Columbia University, East Asian Curriculum Project}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref></blockquote>

In addition to playing on the musical term "overture" and the geographical reference to the Pacific Ocean there is also the irony, revealed as the story unfolds, that these "pacific overtures" to initiate commercial exploitation of the Pacific nation were backed by a none too subtle threat of force.<ref name="PerryLetter"/>