Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, The Far East, Volume VI

740.0011 PW (Peace)/8–1147

Memorandum by the Director of the Policy Planning Staff ( Kennan ) to the Under Secretary of State ( Lovett )²¹

[ Washington ,] August 12, 1947.

We have examined informally in the Planning Staff the draft treaty for Japan. This draft causes us some concern. I enclose a memo by Davies²² which explains some of the reasons why this is so.

So far as I know, we have not yet formulated with any degree of concreteness our objectives with respect to Japan and the Pacific area. This draft does not seem to be related to any realistic pattern of such objectives that we can conceive of here.

It would be highly dangerous, it seems to me, for us to enter in on discussions of peace terms until we know precisely what it is that we are trying to achieve.

It is my view that we should try to delay the opening of these discussions until this matter can be systematically thrashed out, United States objectives agreed upon at a high level, and our peace treaty draft related strictly to those objectives.

G. F. Kennan

21. Mr. Lovett wrote a notation as follows: “GK: I have sent the ‘treaty’ back as being wholly inadequate in present form. Your views are being passed along. L”.
22. August 11, supra.