Lot 54D423: John Foster Dulles Peace Treaty File
Memorandum by Mr. Robert A. Fearey of the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs
Notes on Mission Staff Meeting at Ambassador Jarman’s Residence1
Ambassador Dulles said that he did not consider it as important from the Japanese point of view that there be a Pacific Pact as he had before he went to Japan. Japan could probably get around its Constitution without the benefit of such a pact. It would still be helpful, however. Mr. Satterthwaite said that Mr. Holland had stated in Washington that the British should be a party to a Pacific pact. He [Page 156] had also said that New Zealand would not give us trouble on a Japanese treaty but that Australia probably would.
Mr. Byrd2 of the Embassy staff said that security was what Australia wants. Australia visualizes Japan as going Communist and becoming a spearhead of aggression. Ambassador Dulles said that that was precisely the danger but the type of treaty Australia seemed to want would make a combination of the USSR, China, and Japan almost certain to eventuate. With great difficulty we checked Japan when China and Russia were our allies. Now our only chance is to have Japan on our side. Mr. Byrd said that the Australians see Japan pretending to be on our side and then doing a flip-flop. Ambassador Jarman thought that Spender and Menzies were willing to go along but that the difficulty was the man in the street. Ambassador Dulles said that if the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand do not wish us to try and salvage the situation for them in regard to Japan they would find themselves faced by the combination of Russia, China and Japan.