800.014 Antarctic/12–1446
The Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of the Navy (Forrestal)
My Dear Mr. Secretary: At a meeting attended by State and Navy Department representatives on November 25, 1946 there was discussed the U. S. Naval Antarctic Developments Project 1947 and questions of United States policy arising therefrom, particularly as regards possible future assertion of United States territorial claims.
I am in complete agreement with the views expressed at the meeting on November 25, 1946 that this Government should follow a definite policy of exploration and use of those Antarctic areas considered desirable for acquisition by the United States, including those Antarctic areas to which we already have a reasonable basis for claim to inchoate title by virtue of prior discovery and use, in order that we may be in a position to advance territorial claims to those areas at such time or times as it appears we have sufficient basis of sustained interest and use to substantiate those claims under international law.
The United States has not recognized any claims of sovereignty over territory in the Antarctic regions asserted by any foreign state. In its replies to official notifications from foreign governments asserting such claims this Government has on each occasion reserved all rights which the United States or its nationals might have in the particular areas concerned. Therefore, in the view of this Department vessels, aircraft or personnel of the U. S. Naval Antarctic Developments Project 1947 are not precluded by prior territorial rights or claims of other states from entering and engaging in lawful activity in any of those areas or from making symbolic claims thereto or to newly discovered territory on behalf of the United States.
In order that the maximum advantage in this regard may be gained for the United States from the activities of the Naval Antarctic Developments Project, I suggest that you authorize the expedition to take appropriate steps, such as depositing written claims in cairns, dropping from airplanes containers enclosing such written claims, etc., which might assist in supporting a claim of sovereignty by the United States Government and that you give instructions to the officers in charge of the expedition to keep a careful record of the circumstances surrounding each such act. I suggest that no public announcement with respect to these activities should be made without [Page 1498] prior specific authorization in each case from you after clearance with the Department of State. It is suggested that the written claims to be deposited should be expressed substantially in the following form:
U.S. Naval Antarctic Developments Project, 1947
I, (name) (rank), a member of the United States Naval Antarctic Developments Project, 1947, operating by direction of the President of the United States of America and pursuant to instructions of the Secretary of the Navy, being engaged in the discovery, investigation, and survey of land and sea areas of the Antarctic regions and being in command of a party carrying out the aforesaid instructions,
Hereby declare that we have discovered and investigated the following land and sea areas:
(Here describe briefly what the party has done, means of transportation, course taken, and inclusive dates.)
And I hereby claim this territory in the name of the United States of America and in support of this claim I have displayed the flag of the United States thereon and have deposited this record thereof under the following circumstances:
(Here indicate where and how deposited, or dropped from airplane at approximately __________ South Latitude, and _______________ Longitude_ of Greenwich on this ____________ day of _____________, 1947.)
Signed: ______________________________
Witnesses:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
It is, of course, essential that a verbatim copy be retained by the person depositing the record and it is desirable that the copy be transmitted as promptly as possible to Washington for deposit with the Department of State.
Sincerely yours,