Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, East Asia and the Pacific, Volume XII, Part 1

794.5 MSP/8–454: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan (Allison) to the Department of State

secret priority

Tokyo, August 4, 1954—10 a.m.

270. Press this morning carries Washington UP dispatch stating that at August 4 news conference Secretary said, “The United States is considering possibility of a mutual security pact covering Japan, Korea, and Nationalist China, but that this idea was still in preliminary stage of investigation and no decision has been made”.¹

As Embassy has pointed out previously, there is practically no possibility that Japan at present would consider joining any collective security organization. Any possibility that present Japanese government might consider such possibility is greatly prejudiced by press reports such as that quoted above which imply that decision about such pact is one purely for United States to take, and that Japan as well as other countries will then acquiesce.

Okazaki told me over weekend that Foreign Office had received information from Japanese Embassy Washington to effect that Southeast Asia Treaty Organization Conference would probably be held in Philippines in early September and that Secretary on return therefrom hoped to visit Formosa and Japan. He inquired whether I could confirm this, and all I could say was that I had no information. Embassy’s 195 July 24² raises this same question.

In view of continuing press stories, particularly such as that quoted above, I again urgently request as much information as possible for transmission to Japanese.³

Allison

1. At the Secretary’s news conference on Aug. 3, the following exchange had occurred:

   “Q. Mr. Secretary, to return to the Far East again, can you tell us anything about any reconsideration on our part on relations with Nationalist China on defense arrangements?

   “A. Basically the situation remains the same as it has been in that while the United States is committed in fact to assistance through the activities of its Navy and Air Force to protect Formosa and the Pescadores against Communist attack, we do not have a formal treaty of mutual security with Formosa. Thought has been given to the possibility of such a treaty or possibly even of tying together in a single association Korea, Japan and Free China. But those are all in the area of, you might say, preliminary investigation and examination. No decisions in that respect have been taken in any quarter as far as I am aware.” (Department of State, “News Conferences of the Secretary”, vol. XXIV, 1953–1955, under date)

   Text of this exchange was transmitted in telegram 75 to Taipei, sent early the afternoon of Aug. 3, repeated to Tokyo as 215 and to Seoul as 93. (790.5/8–354)

2. Not printed. (790.00/7–2454)
3. In telegram 272, sent from Tokyo at noon, Aug. 4 and received in Washington early the morning of that day (1:49 a.m., Washington time), Allison stated: “Re my 270. Department telegram 215 just received and gives considerably different picture than intimated in UP story carried prominently Tokyo press. I have sent verbatim copy of question and answer contained Department telegram 215 to Foreign Minister for his Information.” (794.5 MSP/8–454)