500.A4a/162
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation with Ambassador Shidehara, of the Japanese Delegation, January 14, 1922
The Japanese Ambassador referred to the suggestion that the main islands should be excluded from the Four Power Treaty. He said that he would write a letter to the Secretary making the suggestion on behalf of the Japanese Government. The Ambassador said that he supposed the Secretary would then call the representatives of the Governments together to consider the matter. The Secretary said that he would call the heads of the delegations. The Ambassador then produced a form of supplemental agreement.37 The language was that the treaty should “not be held to include” the islands composing Japan proper. The Secretary objected to this phrase as it would indicate an interpretation. He pointed out to the Ambassador the importance of not treating the existing treaty as ambiguous; that this would expose it to criticism. In truth, the treaty was not ambiguous and there was no reason why it should be dealt with in such a way as to mean one thing on one day and another thing on another day; that the best course was simply to provide that the treaty should not apply to the islands in question.
The Ambassador said that the trouble was his Government had passed upon this phrase and he did not want to change it. After some discussion the Secretary asked whether it would not answer the Ambassador’s purpose to use instead of “shall not be held to include” the words “shall not include”. The Ambassador took this under advisement.
The Secretary then brought up the question as to what were the islands composing Japan proper. He said that he did not wish any uncertainty in the matter; that he had supposed that such an expression would be clearly understood but since Baron Kato had suggested that there was an opinion in Japan that the islands of Japan proper embraced the Bonin Islands the Secretary thought it would be well to have the expression made absolutely definite.
[Page 43]The matter was discussed and the Ambassador finally suggested that the clause be made to read “the four main islands composing Japan proper”. The Ambassador asked whether Mr. Van Karnebeek had spoken to him with respect to the agreement relating to the Netherlands. The Secretary said that he had but that the agreement proposed had not been one which could be approved. The Secretary then told the Ambassador of his final conversation with Mr. Van Karnebeek the evening before he left Washington and of Mr. Van Karnebeek’s suggestion as to the form of declaration to be delivered at The Hague by the Ministers of the various governments in an identic note.
The Secretary said that he would give a copy of the proposed note to the Ambassador.
- Not found in Department files.↩