740.00119 FEAC/10–2945
The Chinese Embassy to the Department of State 86
Aide-Mémoire
During the recent meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers in London, in connection with the proposal of creating the necessary Allied machinery for the control of Japan, the Chinese Delegation made it clear that the Chinese Government’s acceptance of the proposal of the United States Government to set up an Allied Advisory Commission was without prejudice to the adoption of a new course of action if experience in the future should point to such a need. Since then the Chinese Government has, in the light of the conditions obtaining in Japan, carefully re-examined the views hitherto expressed by the Governments concerned on the subject of an Allied control body and has sought to harmonize these views so as to lay down a formula that would in the opinion of the Chinese Government be found to be as acceptable as possible to all the parties.
As a result of the judicious measures taken by the Supreme Allied Commander, both the occupation and disarmament of Japan have been completed. The Chinese Government believes that the time has now arrived for the Powers which have played a decisive role in the defeat of Japan to offer their co-operation in the definition and formulation of future policies relating to the control of Japan. The scope of the Council’s deliberations will be confined to certain specified problems.
In view of the position that should be occupied by the United States in the control machinery, the Chinese Government deems it appropriate to make the representative of the United States Chairman of the Allied Control Council. At the same time, without prejudice to the military responsibility of the Supreme Allied Commander, under [Page 803] whose command all the Allied forces stationed in Japan will remain, the execution of policies formulated by the Council will be entrusted to him.
The Chinese Government is in agreement with the proposal of setting up an Allied Advisory Committee apart from the Allied Control Council,—a Committee to be composed of all the Powers which have taken an active part in the defeat of Japan, in addition to the four leading Powers. It is believed that the formation and existence of such an advisory body will provide a convenient channel for coordinating the views of all the Powers interested in the control of Japan.
On the basis of the above observations, the Chinese Government wishes to bring up its following proposals:
- (1)
- There shall be established an Allied Control Council for Japan, which shall be composed of one representative of each of the leading Allied Powers—the United States, China, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union—under the chairmanship of the representative of the United States. The Council shall have the power to formulate policies in regard to (i) the institution of the Japanese Emperor, (ii) the Government of Japan, (iii) economic and trade control, (iv) social and cultural control, (v) war criminals and (vi) reparations.
- (2)
- All Allied forces stationed in Japan and its dependencies shall remain under the unified command of the Supreme Allied Commander, who shall also be entrusted with the execution of policies formulated by the Allied Control Council. He shall have the power to deal at his discretion with matters not within the competence of the Allied Control Council.
- (3)
- Apart from the Allied Control Council, there shall be established an Allied Advisory Committee to be composed of one representative of each of the following countries—the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, France, Australia, Canada, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines. The Committee shall have the power to make recommendations on questions relating to the control of Japan and shall have its headquarters in Tokyo.
- Handed by the Chinese Ambassador (Wei) to the Secretary of State on October 29.↩