740.0011 PW (Peace)/7–2347: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Smith ) to the Secretary of State 5
urgent
2486. Following is Embassy translation Soviet aide-mémoire dated July 22 regarding Jap peace treaty:
“On July 11, 1947, the Ambassador of the United States of America, Mr. Smith, informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, V. M. Molotov, that the Government of the USA proposed to convene on August 19, 1947, for the purpose of drawing up peace treaty with Japan, conference of 11 powers who are members of Far Eastern Commission. At the same time Government of the US unilaterally initiated conversations on this question with the governments of other powers who have representatives on the Far Eastern Commission.
In this fashion Government of the US began preparation of a conference for drawing up of peace treaty with Japan, having done this upon a unilateral decision and without consultation with Governments of the Soviet Union, China and Great Britain. Whereas it is known that the Four Powers—the USA, Soviet Union, China and Great Britain—secured victory over aggressor Japan with their armed forces and still during course of war with Japan reached specific agreements among themselves both on questions of conduct of war as well as on questions of post-war settlement. It is sufficient to refer to such documents as the Cairo Declaration, the decisions of the Yalta Conference, and the Potsdam Declaration.
And furthermore after the war with Japan, US, Great Britain and Soviet Union, joined by China, determined in agreement of December 1945 at Moscow that those four countries would participate in Allied Council for Japan and that Far Eastern Commission in Washington would take its decisions subject to requirement of agreement of representatives of four named Powers, whereby there was recognized special interest of these Governments in questions of post-war situation in Japan.
In view of these circumstances Soviet Government cannot agree that question of convening of a conference for drawing up a peace treaty with Japan should be decided by the Government of the US unilaterally without preliminary consultation with the Governments of the Soviet Union, China and Great Britain. All the more since the Council of Foreign Ministers, organized on the initiative of the USA, was organized particularly for preparatory work of drawing up peace treaties and therefore it cannot be ignored in preparation of peace treaty with Japan.
In accordance with aforementioned considerations Soviet Government considers it necessary that question of convening of a conference for drawing up a peace treaty with Japan be provisionally examined [Page 474] by Council of Foreign Ministers composed of representatives of abovementioned Four Powers.
As concerns date for convening Council of Foreign Ministers regarding question of drawing up a treaty with Japan, Soviet Government declares itself in favor of having Ambassadors of USSR, China and Great Britain who are in Washington examine together with a representative of USA what early date would be acceptable for all interested governments, keeping in view desirability of accelerating convening of Council.”
- Repeated to Tokyo by the Department as No. 288, July 28, 3 p.m.↩