Office of the Historian

Files of United States Political Adviser for Japan, Tokyo: 802.1 Foreign Office

The Acting Political Adviser in Japan (Atcheson) to the Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs (Vincent)
Tokyo, November 3, 1945.

Dear John Carter: When I left Washington Joe Ballantine96 asked that we do here everything that appeared possible to learn through Foreign Office records, etc., all that we could in regard to pre-Pearl Harbor plans of the Japanese Government and recently newly arrived members of the staff have brought us oral messages urging action along this line.

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The question of obtaining possession of Foreign Office files has been discussed at Headquarters. The General states that he is reluctant to issue a directive to the Japanese Government in the matter because it may occasion protest by the Japanese, because it may occasion protest by interested Allies, and because he has no directive in the matter from JCS. As any such archives brought into our possession would, of course, be accessible to our major Allies, the question seems to resolve itself into the other two considerations, the last mentioned being the determining one because, as you know, SCAP does not like to take action on direct State Department request. I accordingly suggest that, if this matter is considered of sufficient importance and it seems to me that it is important, you may wish to get a directive started on the way. As regards such directive, I would suggest further that it contemplate ordering the Japanese Government to assemble and submit to the Supreme Commander at the earliest possible date the complete diplomatic archives of the Government for the period beginning September 18, 1931, and ending August 15, 1945. It is, of course, possible that there may come to light among those archives some papers which some of our Allies would prefer to have kept in the dark, but they need not be published and that does not seem to me sufficient reason for not endeavoring to obtain information which may be of value to our Government.

With kindest regards,

Yours,

[
George Atcheson, Jr.
]
  1. Joseph W. Ballantine, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State.↩