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  4. Document 294

740.00116 PW/1–746: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom ( Winant ) to the Secretary of State

secret
us urgent
London , January 7, 1946—6 p.m.[Received 10:50 p.m.]

177. From Hodgson.75 Australian rep76 has again proposed that War Crimes Commission charge and list Hirohito, Emperor of Japan, as well as 61 other Japanese leaders, as major Japanese war criminal[s] and has filed long memorandum77 supporting charging and listing of Emperor (all are charged in Australian proposal with crimes against peace or crimes against humanity). I am informed that copy of Australian list is in US National War Crimes Office in Washington.

Please refer to Embassy cables 8279 and 8280 of August 15, 1945,78 Commissioner’s despatch No. 226 of September 11, 1945,79 Dept’s cable 7163 of August 23, 194580 and Dept’s despatch No. 17 of September 27, 1945.81

Mentioned list and memorandum will probably be considered by Committee I of Commission on morning of January 9 or January 10. UK rep82 will support motion to adjourn matter in order that it may be studied. Views of other two members of Committee (besides Australian) are unknown.

Information is requested whether Australian Govt has agreed to terms of memorandum mentioned in Dept’s despatch No. 22 of Nov 1983 and agreed to action proposed in identic note mentioned in Dept’s despatch No. 19 of Oct 23.84

Instructions are requested whether Emperor of Japan and other 61 Japanese named on Australian list should be charged and listed as war criminals as proposed in mentioned Australian list. [Hodgson.]

Winant
  1. Col. Joseph V. Hodgson, U.S. Commissioner, United Nations War Crimes Commission, London.↩
  2. Lord Wright, Chairman of the Commission; the Australian Deputy was Alan James Mansfield, Justice of the Queensland Supreme Court.↩
  3. Not printed.↩
  4. Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. vi, pp. 907 and 909, respectively.↩
  5. Ibid., p. 924.↩
  6. Ibid., p. 910.↩
  7. Ibid., p. 937.↩
  8. Sir Robert L. Craigie, former British Ambassador to Japan.↩
  9. Despatch not printed; for memorandum, see Appendix C (enclosure 3) to SWNCC 57/3, September 12 (as amended October 2), 1945, Foreign Relations 1945, vol. vi, p. 926.↩
  10. Despatch not printed; for identic note, see note to the Chinese Ambassador, October 18, 1945, ibid., p. 947.↩