[Enclosure—Translation]
The Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet
Union (Molotov) to the Chinese
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Wang)
Mr. Minister: In reply to your note of
November 17 of this year concerning the preparation of a peace
settlement for Japan I have
[Page 581]
the honor on instructions from the Soviet Government to
communicate the following.
It is known that the four powers—China, the United States of America,
the Soviet Union and Great Britain, which bore the principal burden
of the war and assured through their armed forces victory over
Japan, reached among themselves during the course of the war
specific agreements concerning the postwar peace settlement. This
found its expression in the Cairo Declaration, in the decisions of
the Yalta Conference and in the Potsdam Declaration.
According to the decisions of the Potsdam Conference the conduct of
the necessary preparatory work for a peace settlement was placed on
the Council of Foreign Ministers, the participation in which of
China had in view precisely the questions of a peace settlement in
the Far East.
After the end of the war with Japan the United States, Great Britain
and the Soviet Union, and also China which adhered thereto,
determined in the December 1945 agreement in Moscow that precisely
these four countries would participate in the Allied Council for
Japan and that the Far Eastern Commission in Washington would adopt
its decisions with the obligatory concurrence of the representatives
of the four above-mentioned powers, thereby confirming the special
interest of these states in questions of the postwar position of
Japan.
On the basis of these decisions, the Soviet Government in its notes
of July 22 and August 29 of this year already expressed itself
concerning the necessity for consideration in the nearest future of
the question of a peace settlement for Japan in the Council of
Foreign Ministers composed of representatives of China, the USA, the
USSR and Great Britain.
The proposal set forth in your note concerning the procedure for a
peace settlement for Japan also takes as its point of departure the
recognition of the special interest of the four above-mentioned
powers inasmuch as it envisages the adoption of all decisions on
questions of a peace settlement for Japan with the obligatory
concurrence of representatives of China, the USA, the USSR and Great
Britain, although in your note it is proposed to convene for this
purpose a special preliminary conference which, however, did not
envisage any previous decisions of the above-mentioned powers and
which is in contradiction to the Potsdam decision for the
establishment of the Council of Foreign Ministers and can only delay
the restoration of peace in the Far East.
Therefore, in the interests of the earliest establishment of peace in
the Far East and of providing to Japan and its people appropriate
conditions for peaceful development the Soviet Government proposes
[Page 582]
that there be convened
in January 1948 a special session of the Council of Foreign
Ministers comprising the representatives of China, the USA, the USSR
and Great Britain for the consideration of the question of the
preparation of a peace settlement for Japan.
It is proposed that this session of the Council of Foreign Ministers
be convened in China if the Chinese Government deems this
desirable.
I would be grateful to you for an early reply from the Government of
China on this question in order that in the event of the agreement
of the Chinese Government and of the two other interested
governments with the proposal set forth above the necessary
preparatory measures may be taken as rapidly as possible.
I have also sent a similar proposal to the Governments of the United
States of America and Great Britain.
Please accept [etc.]
