Subject: Chinese Communist Views Regarding Post-War
Treatment of Japan.
To: Commanding General, Fwd. Ech. USAF–CBI, APO 879
Approved for transmission:
David D. Barrett, Colonel, G. S. C.
[Enclosure]
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Second Secretary of
Embassy in China (Service)
Subject: The Treatment of Japan.
Japan must be completely defeated so as to discredit the militarists who
caused the war. This means decisive military defeat.
Colonies and all conquered territory must be taken away from her. Formosa
and all of Manchuria must come back to China.
Japan will have to give up her Navy and Air Force. Her Army will have to
be small and made democratic in character.
We must not impose heavy indemnities. Peace terms, except those which
force Japan to disgorge her conquests and disarm, should not be heavy.
More harm than good will be done by trying to “crush” Japan.
It is best for the time being to do nothing about the institution of the
Emperor. This is a Japanese problem which cannot be solved by
foreigners.
Instead, everything possible should be done to encourage and strengthen
the democratic forces of the people in Japan. These must rest on the
workers and peasants. Hence they must be given opportunities to organize
themselves for the promotion of their own interests. If democracy within
Japan is given a chance to develop, the Emperor question will eventually
be solved by the Japanese themselves.
Communism is as impractical in the near future in Japan as it is in
China. We therefore do not try to promote Communism. Instead we realize
that Japan must progress, for a long time to come, on the basis of
democratic capitalism. We therefore abjure any slogans of “down with the
capitalists”.
However, we must prevent the centering of power in the hands of the few
large capitalistic families. It must be remembered that they were
willing allies of the militarists and hence supporters of the present
war. We must therefore be on our guard against the pseudo-liberal front
behind which these monopoly capitalists will try to seek shelter.
[Page 587]
The promotion of democracy in Japan will depend on fair treatment. It
will also depend on example and education. This is why we Communists
consider our program of good treatment and education of Japanese
prisoners so important. Although admittedly on a small scale, we believe
that every convert we make in this way will be an active worker for
democracy in Japan. The fact that we give the best possible treatment to
prisoners, and do not even attempt to detain them unless they themselves
wish to stay, has an effect not only on the prisoners themselves but on
the rest of the Japanese troops fighting us. No Japanese soldier
campaigning in our areas can help seeing the effects and benefits of our
practical democracy. If the prisoners elect to stay with us, they are
given full freedom and all the privileges of regular members of our
Army. They are not regarded or treated as prisoners. We spare no pains
to educate them and instill them with our democratic ideas. They are not
subjected to pressure to become Communists. Here in Yenan, and in other
areas as well, they study under Japanese teachers. They have freedom to
vote and enjoy all the rights of citizenship. They elect their own
representatives to the Municipal and Border Region Political Councils.
They administer the affairs of their own school. One great advantage of
this program is that the greater number of these Japanese voluntarily
work to spread these ideas among their comrades still fighting on the
other side.
After the war Japan must be given opportunity for peaceful commercial
development. She cannot live entirely within her own islands. Markets
and raw materials must not be denied her.
Japanese should be welcomed to assist in the needed industrialization of
China. Japanese now living in China should be allowed to remain here if
they so desire—it being understood that extrality is a thing of the
past. There should be no discrimination against Japanese business in
China, which should be given the same opportunity afforded other
foreigners—full freedom so long as they do not work against China’s
interests.
The only Japanese territory over which there may be argument is Korea. We
believe that Korea should have full freedom. The Koreans are never going
to learn to stand on their own feet unless they have a chance to do so.
Kuomintang suggestions that the Koreans may need help is pure
“poppy-cock” and is typical of present Kuomintang imperialism which is
shown so clearly in China’s Destiny.
(Po Ku dodged the question of the Japanese mandated islands which are now
being captured and used as bases by the United States.)
