740.00119 PW/8–2345
The Assistant Secretary of State (Dunn) to the Secretary of State
Mr. Secretary: With regard to the proposed statement on the surrender of the Japanese forces to Chiang Kai-shek, I can now report the following results:
- 1.
- The Navy Department concur entirely in the text and form proposed.
- 2.
- The War Department, after consultation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, state their preference for a declaration issued over the names of the four Powers, U. S. A., U. S. S. R., China, and Great Britain. If this form of joint declaration is not followed, the War Department would like to have this United States declaration circulated to the other three Powers in an effort to obtain their agreement to its text.
The War Department feels that some indication of specific agreement on the part of the four Governments to the issuance of this statement is advisable in order to prevent any possible crossing of wires by having the Soviet Government, for instance, either itself or through its press, indicate a lack of enthusiasm or insistence on Chiang Kai-shek’s sole acceptance of the surrender of the Japanese forces in China.
In view of the feeling expressed by the War Department and the fact that the War Department is so intimately concerned with the surrender procedure, I am inclined to feel that we should circulate the text of your statement for concurrence by the three Governments. I would prefer this process to an attempt to have each one of the other Governments agree to the text of a joint statement, which process would, I am sure, take much longer. I therefore attach hereto telegrams to our Embassies in London and Moscow50 to take the matter up with the respective Governments. I assume that you took this matter up this morning with the Chinese Ambassador51 and that you will hear from him in due course.52