Office of the Historian

694.001/9–2250

Memorandum of Conversation, by Colonel Stanton Babcock of the Department of Defense

secret
[New York, ?] September 22, 1950.

Subject: Japanese Peace Treaty

Participants: Mr. Dening—Chief, Far East Division, Foreign Office
Mr. Tomlinson—Far East Division, Foreign Office
Mr. Graves—British Embassy, Washington
Mr. Dulles
Mr. Allison
Colonel Babcock
1.
Mr. Dulles handed the British a short memorandum1 outlining the tentative views of the United States with respect to a Japanese [Page 1307] Treaty. He then talked at some length on our desire for a truly liberal treaty that would restore Japan fully to the family of nations, contain no political, economic, or military restrictive clauses and give the Japanese every encouragement to adhere to the free world and remain opposed to the Communist bloc.
2.
Mr. Dening gave no direct indication of the British attitude but pointed out that certain of the Dominions would object to the U.S. attitude regarding no demilitarization provisions. He said that he would take our paper back to London, discuss it there and communicate the British views to their Embassy in Washington.
3.
Some concern was expressed by the British, after learning that ratification of the treaty by the U.S. might be postponed a year or eighteen months, lest SCAP accelerate his current “decontrol program” and leave the Allies with nothing left to do but ratify a “fait accompli”. In particular they seemed worried lest Japanese diplomatic missions be allowed to go abroad.
4.
Mr. Tomlinson asked whether the U.S. memorandum was “exhaustive” and, on being told that it was, indicated Britain’s concern over Japan’s re-emergence as a commercial Power by saying that provisions should be included in the treaty which would “reduce Japan’s impact on the commercial relations existing in the Far East.”
5.
There appeared to be no opposition to the U.S. position in regard to security in the Pacific and Far East other than a natural tendency to sympathize with the concern of Australia and New Zealand.
6.
At the conclusion of the meeting the U.S. group was handed a copy of some notes2 regarding the Japanese Treaty which were made during the Commonwealth Conference in May 1950.
C. S. B[abcock]
  1. Presumably the 7-point memorandum of September 11, p. 1296.↩

  2. These notes have not been found in Department of State files. A copy of the “Report” of the Commonwealth Working Party on a Japanese Peace Treaty, London, May 17, 1950, Was transmitted by the British Embassy in Washington to the Department on September 20, 1950. (Lot 54D423)

    The section concerning preliminary talks with PEC powers in a briefing memorandum prepared for the use of President Truman at the Wake Island Conference held October 14 read in part: “… Mr. Dulles and Mr. Allison have held preliminary talks … with representatives of the United Kingdom, Australia, Philippines, and India, and Mr. Allison has had working level conversations with Pakistan and Canada.

    “All of the talks have been of a very preliminary and tentative nature and none of the countries has thus far indicated much concern or sense of urgency over the early conclusion of a peace treaty.

    “In general, the reactions of the United Kingdom appear to be the most favorable and closely aligned to the United States views. ...

    “No reactions of any kind have yet been received from India.

    “No firm trends of opinion with regard to the procedural problems have yet emerged.”

    Another portion of this memorandum is quoted in the editorial note under date of September 22, infra.

    ↩