740.00119 Control (Korea)/11–1745: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Acting Political Adviser in Japan (Atcheson)
169. Your 143 Nov 17. While action on accomplishing the legal separation of Korea from Japan is at present in abeyance, for your information, Legal Adviser52 is of the opinion that a declaration on the part of the Emperor renouncing rights and titles of Japan in Korea is not necessary.
Final draft K–1653 embodying Legal Adviser’s opinion provides for joint four-power declaration only, on the assumption that such a declaration is sufficient to accomplish separation based on Japanese acceptance of Potsdam terms of surrender. While your comment on this matter is encouraged, you will understand that final consideration of this matter depends on settlement of other questions mentioned in Deptel 141 Nov 22 [21].
- Green H. Hackworth.↩
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Dated November 15; it recommended a proposed joint declaration as follows:
“In accordance with their pledges the Governments of the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics hereby declare their recognition of the independence of Korea, subject only to the condition that the exercise of the powers of independent government will be in abeyance until not later than March 1, 1951. During the intervening period Korea will be administered as a whole under international trusteeship for the purpose of preparing the Korean people for the full exercise of such powers. The four governments accordingly have undertaken to negotiate a trusteeship agreement for Korea within the provisions of Chapter XII of the Charter of the United Nations.
“It is further recommended that the Treaty of Peace with Japan should contain an Article in which Japan reaffirms the renunciation of its rights, titles, and interests with respect to Korea.”
In a covering memorandum of November 16 to the Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs, George H. Blakeslee of that Office stated the proposed joint declaration had been recommended by a large and representative Area Committee on the Far East except that “the members of the Area Committee were not in complete agreement as to the wisdom of inserting … the date ‘March 1, 1951’… In any case, the Committee would recommend that if any one of the three other Powers to be consulted objects to a specific date the American negotiator might well drop the date and substitute a general phrase, such as ‘as soon as possible’.” (895.01/11–1645)
In a memorandum of November 19 by the Deputy Director of the Office of European Affairs (Hickerson), discussing demobilization matters in occupied areas, there appeared the following statement concerning Korea: “It is hoped that by July 1, 1946 an international trusteeship will be in operation in Korea.” This memorandum was sent by the Secretary of State to the Secretary of War (Patterson) in a letter dated November 29. (811.20/11–145)
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