Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, The Far East and Australasia, Volume VI

740.0011 pw (Peace)/5–1048

Memorandum of Conservation, by the Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs (Butterworth)

top secret

[Washington,] May 10, 1948.

Participants:	Mr. H. A. Graves, Counselor of British Embassy
	Mr. George F. Kennan, Director, S/P
	Mr. W. Walton Butterworth, Director, FE

Mr. Graves of the British Embassy called at Mr. Kennan’s and my request¹ and we explained in a frank and tactful way the apprehensions that Lord Inverchapel’s letter of April 27² had aroused. We pointed out that Mr. Kennan had talked on more than one occasion with the British Ambassador in Tokyo, indicating that following his return to the United States and the requisite consultations here it could be anticipated that conversations with the British would follow. We did not wish, in any way, to interpose ourselves between the members of the British Commonwealth; at the same time, we were desirous of undertaking detailed discussions with the United Kingdom before any Empire position was firmed up which might be subject to modification in the light of these discussions.

Mr. Graves took the line that Mr. Dening’s trip was the natural sequel to the Canberra conference since the contemplated peace conference had not come to pass and he expressed the view that Mr. Dening’s talks would not be confined to Japan but to the Far East in general. In this connection, I read him London’s 1999, May 7, 6 p. m.³ Mr. Graves said that his information had not indicated such a preoccupation on the part of Mr. Dening with Japanese matters but that in any case he felt sure London would appreciate our expression of the Department’s views and agreed to telegraph to both the Foreign Office and Mr. Dening.

Mr. Kennan also explained that his engagement schedule called for him to be in Canada the last of this month and that he might be authorized to proceed to Ottawa to undertake similar discussions with the Canadians. Accordingly, we suggested that it would be desirable for Mr. Dening to reach Washington before that time. It was made clear to Mr. Graves that we would welcome exploratory conversations with Mr. Dening here but that we could not be sure that certain difficult and contentious policy issues would have been entirely resolved within this Government by the time he arrived, and that these might well have to be the subject of subsequent conversations.

It was agreed that this conversation would constitute a reply to the British Ambassador’s letter and Mr. Graves undertook so to record the matter with Lord Inverchapel.

As I saw Mr. Graves to the door, he said, “Of course, you must realize that the successful implementation of any new U.S. policy would entail a new and more energetic leadership in the FEC.”

1. Mr. Kennan in a memorandum of May 5 had informed the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary in advance of this request.
2. The British Ambassador’s letter not printed; it advised the Department of the forthcoming visit a month later of Mr. Dening.
3. Not printed; it reported the British wish to restore relations with Japan to more nearly normal conditions.