740.00119 FEAC/10–2245
Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Chinese Ambassador (Wei)
Exchange of greetings.
Dr. Wei: You have some decision from Russia?
Secretary Byrnes: No. We have been in communication with Stalin through Harriman last week as to the Council and the fact that we had a stalemate with a recital of the difficulties and he has talked that over with Marshal Stalin, but there has been no decision. I have read the newspapers and the newspapers say that as long as they are communicating between the two governments that it is encouraging to us. There is this, that I stated last week, unlike the proposal that – as to Japan – unlike the proposal that was made at the conference which provided that if there was any difference that each person on the commission or council should report it to their governments, which meant that nothing would be done, you would have the situation as in Germany. In the meantime MacArthur couldn’t move. It was not a very workable thing and he now takes the position that he would not urge that kind of a council but some other form that would have in mind that General MacArthur would continue to have more discretion in administering the occupation so that there is a possibility of making some proposal that might be agreeable along that line. We are working on that and we have communicated with the army, with MacArthur, and I will tell you if there is a possibility of agreement.
[Page 801]There is another thing. I would want to tell you that on the advisory commission that we had agreed to terms of reference which we are going to give to General McCoy to propose to this advisory commission when it meets tomorrow. Who is your representative on it?
Dr. Wei: I am our representative.
Secretary Byrnes: I am glad of that. I am going to get today from my office upstairs what we worked on Saturday. I want you to see it. We propose to give much greater expression that [than?] in the original terms of reference. We are doing it in the hope of satisfying our friends who want broader participation. The commission itself would not have the right to increase their powers. That would have to be by the governments. But if we can agree, I think most of us could speak for our governments. We could submit it then to see if they can agree upon those terms. I would like while you are here, I will ask Mr. Acheson to send upstairs for it and to go over it with you to see what you think of it. It allows greater room for consultation and the voting and I am sure it will be most satisfactory.
Dr. Wei: I have come here because we have received from our government a proposal about making about machinery for the control of Japan. We would not want to submit a proposal without first consulting with you as to your opinion.
Secretary Byrnes: Have you got it in writing?
Dr. Wei: Yes. I would like to leave this with you for your consideration.
Secretary Byrnes: I will get right down to it. (Reads memo handed him by Dr. Wei)85
You can’t do that and I will tell you why. That is the trouble with the whole thing. That is why we can’t have a control council. We have been greatly bothered by the word. Under the Potsdam Declaration that we issued to the world we said that, we said certain things that did not bring about the surrender. You remember when the Emperor wrote and asked for this, with regard to the institution of the Emperor. That is what we have got to be careful about. We had to answer and I submitted it to you first and then to the Soviet Union and Great Britain, and we said he would have to take orders from, and direction from, the Supreme Military Commander. We did not say from a commission or from a council. We said to him from that day on he would have to take orders from the Supreme Military Commander and on the strength of that he surrendered. Therefore, we must protect ourselves on that score, all of us, I mean all four of us, we can not say, we can not give to him the power to say, “I did not say I would take orders from the first sergeant, or from the council, or from the Congress, or anybody else.” He said from the Supreme Military [Page 802] Commander. We can accomplish this without getting into a question about that. I want to give you the two things we have in mind about it. The first is this commission on non-military matters in which the 11 countries would be in, New Zealand, France and all. Then my idea is as to military matters, the different thing with the four of us in, in an advisory way to MacArthur, China, England, Russia and ourselves.
Would you let me do this while you are here? Let me get Mr. Acheson to get the paper and discuss it with you.
(Mr. Acheson and Dr. Wei go into Mr. Acheson’s office)
- Infra. ↩