Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, 

 U.S. Navy (1794- 1858) 



In 1852 Perry was appointed commander of a naval expedition 

 sent to Japan to induce the government to establish diplomatic 

 relations with the United States. His decision "to demand as a 

 right, and not to solicit as a favor, those acts of courtesy which 

 are due from one civilized country to another . . ." resulted in 

 the first treaty between the U.S. and Japan recognizing however 

 that Japan's acceptance of the treaty documents could be 

 attributed to Perry's proclamation to "go on shore with a 

 suitable force and deliver them personally, be the consequences 

 what they might." Although the expedition was primarily a 

 diplomatic mission, hydrographic surveys were made which 

 included Tokyo Bay, and the first definitive study was made of 

 the Kuroshio, the "Gulf Stream" of the Pacific. 



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