Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, The Far East, Volume VIII

Records of the State–War–Navy Coordinating Committee, Lot 52–M45, SWNCC 176 Series: Telegram

The Joint Chiefs of Staff to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, at Tokyo¹¹

secret

[Washington,] 5 January 1946.

Warx 91640. The following directive, received from the State, War and Navy Departments, is furnished for your guidance:

Directive begins:

1. You are hereby charged with the responsibility for carrying out for the United States the provisions of Section III (Korea) of the Moscow Communiqué.

2. In connection with Paragraph 4 of the Korean Section of the Moscow Communiqué you will arrange for the conference specified therein. The following general points are furnished you for the guidance of the U.S. representatives at the conference:

a. Pending further Joint Chiefs of Staff instructions, you will retain full responsibility for the administration of Korea south of 38 degrees north latitude, subject to boundary changes of the sort suggested in your CA 53789 of 24 October and Warx 81584 of 7 November.¹²

b. Pending further Joint Chiefs of Staff instructions, political matters will not be discussed, the U. S. representatives limiting their discussion to economic and administrative matters.

c. It is believed that you should seek, so far as possible, Soviet concurrence with the economic and administrative matters outlined in your CA 53789 and such other economic or administrative matters as you desire. In this connection you are authorized to reach all necessary agreements to achieve these ends, so long as they are in consonance with the basic objectives expressed in SWNCC 176/8,¹³ the basic directive with regard to Korea.

d. You are further authorized to make such agreements for exchange of liaison personnel and such other movement of U. S. and Soviet military personnel between the two zones as you believe desirable and advantageous.

3. In connection with Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Korean Section of the Moscow Communiqué, you will arrange for an early meeting of the Joint United States–Soviet Commission. You will receive from the State, War and Navy Departments, through the Joint Chiefs of Staff, early political guidance for meetings of the Joint Commission.

4. You will keep the Joint Chiefs of Staff fully informed of the results of all conferences between your representatives and those of the Soviet Commander in Korea.

End of directive.

11. Cony transmitted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on January 7 to the State–War–Navy Coordinating Committee.
12. Neither printed.
13. October 13, 1945, Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. vi, p. 1073.