894.85/8–1246
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of Japanese Affairs (Emmerson)
| Participants: | Mr. Graves, Counselor of British Embassy |
| Mr. Vincent—FE | |
| Mr. Emmerson—JA |
Mr. Graves left an aide-mémoire95 on the subject of the division of the Japanese fleet. He stated that his Government was seeking [Page 562] assurance that the United States did not propose to apply the same principle of four-way division to both the merchant and naval fleets. With reference to division of the merchant fleet he stated that it was the position of his Government that the Norwegian Government, as well as such countries as Denmark, Greece, Yugoslavia and Egypt, should be entitled to a share of the Japanese merchant fleet. He had been instructed to sound out the Department as to whether we intended to limit the division of the merchant fleet to countries which are members of the Far Eastern Commission.
Mr. Graves was assured that the United State Government regarded the division of the Japanese naval and merchant fleets as two distinct problems. While we were committed to a division of the remaining combatant vessels of destroyer or lesser tonnage, we have taken the position that division of the merchant fleet depends upon decisions to be made by the Far Eastern Commission on the subject of reparations and the future economy of Japan. Mr. Vincent stated that we were therefore agreed with the British position that the disposal of the merchant and fishing fleets should be undertaken by the Far Eastern Commission.
Mr. Graves explained that his Government was of the opinion that since losses in the Far Eastern war had been taken into consideration in connection with the division of the German fleet, that losses in the European war should affect the final decision with regard to the Japanese merchant fleet. The British Government had accepted this principle at the request of the American Government and as a consequence its share of German vessels was less than it would have been otherwise. It was therefore felt that in settling claims for Japanese ships one could not separate losses incurred in Europe and in the Far East.
Mr. Vincent stated that it was his impression that once the claims of the nations suffering the most losses had been satisfied there would be relatively little to divide among such powers as Greece or Egypt. Nevertheless, it seems a rational assumption that nations not belonging to the Far Eastern Commission would not be excluded from presenting claims. He said that we would study this matter and would be able to give him our views on another occasion.
- Not printed.↩