711.94/1–449

Memorandum by the Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs (Butterworth) to the Acting Secretary of State 1

top secret

New Instructions for General McCoy

discussion

There is attached a letter from you to General McCoy2 containing new instructions for his guidance as U.S. Representative on the Far Eastern Commission.

The reasons why new instructions are thought necessary are set forth in the letter. It is my understanding that the instructions under which General McCoy is now serving were given him orally by President Truman and Secretary Byrnes when the Far Eastern Commission Was first set up in early 1946,3 and were in general to the effect that he should endeavor as Chairman and U.S. Member to make the Far Eastern Commission work in a spirit of international harmony and accord. It has seemed to me increasingly, however, that these instructions are less well adapted to the current international situation and [Page 604] to this Government’s policy of resistance to Soviet expansion throughout the world than they were to the more hopeful situation prevailing when they were issued. The Soviet Representative on the Far Eastern Commission has adopted a steadily more aggressive attitude in Commission meetings, has abused the generally accepted privacy of the meetings, and has submitted a number of policy proposals which have had little or no connection with the FEC’s proper policy-making functions and have appeared to be solely designed to embarrass this Government. The first new instruction to General McCoy, accordingly, is that he should wherever necessary subordinate the objective of harmony in FEC meetings to effective opposition to Soviet aggressive propaganda tactics, meeting Soviet attacks on U.S. policies and actions immediately and with force.

A basic element of the recently approved National Security Council policy paper for Japan4 is that SCAP’s mission should as rapidly as possible be reduced to one of general supervisory observation of the activities of the Japanese Government, permitting the Japanese to assume a steadily increasing measure of responsibility for the conduct of their own affairs. A necessary corollary of this decision is that FEC policy-making activity affecting Japanese internal affairs should be restricted proportionately with the restriction of SCAP functions and the transfer of responsibility to the Japanese. Paragraph 9 of the NSC paper5 enclosed with the letter to General McCoy provides in this connection that the United States position in the Far Eastern Commission should be based upon the fact that the commission’s broad policy-making functions have been substantially carried out. General McCoy’s second instruction, therefore, is that he endeavor to impress upon the Commission on appropriate occasions the desirability of its confining further policy directives to those required, generally, in settlement of Allied property questions in Japan and for the removal, to the largest practicable extent, of existing obstacles to Japan’s reentry into normal cultural and commercial relations with the rest of the world.

It is stated in the letter that you have discussed these matters with Mr. Saltzman,6 who you are confident will be able to answer any questions General McCoy may have, but that you will be glad to discuss them with General McCoy personally if he should feel it desirable.

recommendation

It is recommended that you sign the attached letter.

[Page 605]

concurrences

The proposed letter to General McCoy is concurred in by Mr. Saltzman, Mr. Tate7 and Mr. Thorp.8

  1. A copy misdated January 4, 1948 is in 740.00119 FEAC/1–448.
  2. The letter (not printed) was not sent to Maj. Gen. Frank R. McCoy, U.S. representative on the Far Eastern Commission and its chairman; he was instead approached orally.
  3. For the origin of the Far Eastern Commission, see Department of State, Far Eastern Series No. 60: The Far Eastern Commission; a study in international cooperation: 1945 to 1952 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1953).
  4. NSC 13/2, October 7, 1948, Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. vi, p. 858.
  5. See revised draft of paragraph 9 sent to the National Security Council, October 28, 1948, ibid., p. 880.
  6. Brig. Gen. Charles E. Saltzman, Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas.
  7. Jack B. Tate, Deputy Legal Adviser.
  8. Willard L. Thorp, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs.