[Enclosure]
Memorandum by the Secretary of the Interior
(Ickes) to President
Roosevelt
Washington, April 5,
1945.
I am considerably disturbed as a result of reports which have come to
me as to the attitude of the Army and Navy with respect to the
international trusteeship problem. Under Secretary Fortas, who participated in the
State-War-Navy-Interior committee discussions of this problem, has
advised me from time to time of the attitude taken by the
representatives of the various agencies. I understand that the
representatives of the Armed Forces have indicated a strong feeling
that the United States should insist upon complete sovereignty of
the Japanese mandated islands. I am now informed that the War and
Navy Departments are urging that the matter of international
trusteeship should not be discussed at the San Francisco Conference,
or at least should not be discussed until there is a firm agreement
as to United States jurisdiction over the Japanese mandated
islands.
I agree that the United States should be the administering power for
the Japanese mandated islands. The arrangement worked out by the
interdepartmental committee seems to me to assure to this Government
all of the rights which it could possibly desire for security
purposes. The only question in my mind is whether the arrangement
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has not gone too far
in providing a scheme by which these areas may be exempted from
international accountability. But I feel most strongly that if the
United States should insist upon complete sovereignty, an
international grab-bag would result which would end in serious
prejudice to the interests of this country and to the scheme for a
peaceful world organization. For example, the British might well
respond by claiming absolute title to certain areas in the Middle
East which would not only affect our security interests but would
seriously interfere with important commercial interests of this
Nation such as our great stake in Middle Eastern oil.
I also feel that it would be a mistake to fail to reach an agreement
on the subjects of mandated territories and dependent areas at the
San Francisco Conference. The elimination of this topic from the
agenda of the Conference would arouse suspicions and would be a
continuing source of hostility and distrust. In my opinion, no
International Organization can succeed or can even be successfully
launched unless these vital problems are boldly confronted and dealt
with on a basis of practical idealism.
Accordingly, I urgently recommend that the mandated territories and
any territories which may be separated from the enemy should be
placed under the trusteeship system, with only such safeguards as
may be demonstrably necessary for security purposes, and that a
prompt decision be made as to this Government’s policy, to be
followed by a vigorous effort to obtain acceptance of that policy at
the San Francisco Conference.
