103. Letter From the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Robertson) to the Secretary of State1
Dear Mr. Secretary: Your letter of August 7, 1956,2 and the series of messages from Ambassador Allison mentioned in your letter, have been studied with particular care and with a very sincere desire to develop a harmonious solution for the complex Ryukyuan land problem.
As regards the first of the numbered points in your letter, I am very happy to note that, in the meantime, our two Departments working together very closely have found a satisfactory formula which has already been transmitted by cable to the Commander in Chief, Far East, for his guidance.3 This formula provides, on the one hand, for the acquisition of long-term interests by lump sum payments, but declares it advisable on the other hand to acquire such interests first to land under permanent facilities and to areas required for manifestly essential training or housekeeping purposes, while other land needed would be acquired at a later date. As has been specifically stated in the aforementioned message to CINCFE, this policy was expressly designed to permit gaining experience by executing the program first in connection with those areas whose acquisition should cause minimum difficulties.
I likewise believe that we are together in our views regarding additional land requirements. I agree wholeheartedly with the Price Report recommendation that acquisition of additional land by our forces in the Ryukyu Islands should be kept to an absolute minimum. In line with this recommendation, General Lemnitzer as early as July 17, 1956, directed an immediate over-all review of all military land requirements in the Islands. A recent Defense message to General Lemnitzer,4 a copy of which was transmitted to the Department of [Page 233] State, strongly re-emphasizes the fact, moreover, that any actions or recommendations by him minimizing land requirements are in consonance with Defense thinking.
Concerning the last of the three points set forth in your letter, I fully share your belief in the need to study most thoroughly the Ryukyuan aspects that might be involved in the projected change of our command structure in the Far East-Pacific area. I wish to assure you that this complex problem is being given careful attention and at this time it would be impossible to reach even a tentative conclusion on this subject before detailed studies of this problem in its various ramifications have been completed. You will be interested to know that in the forthcoming months there will be many conferences to discuss matters relative to the disestablishment of the existing command in the Far East and the assumption by CINCPAC of responsibility for the new command. The Department of State will be informed of the conclusions reached at these conferences.
Your suggestion that consideration be given to establishing direct communications on matters of civil administration between the administrative authorities in the Ryukyus and the Department of Defense in Washington is being studied. However, it is doubtful that a solution will be reached until the command channels have been determined at the aforementioned conferences.
I regret that I cannot agree with the suggestion that policy guidance on civil matters in the Ryukyus should be a joint responsibility, since this would be inconsistent with the President’s Directive which assigns the responsibility to the Department of Defense. In addition, I feel that such an arrangement would encumber the actual administration of the Ryukyus to an inordinate extent. I appreciate the concern expressed by the Department of State because of the untimely release of the Price Committee Report which stimulated reversionist activities in Japan; however, I do not feel that this incident in any way casts a reflection on the administration of the Ryukyus during the past ten years, which I consider has been quite good when viewed in the light of the very real obstacles which confronted the local authorities during that period.
I am greatly encouraged by the progress made recently by our two Departments in finding solutions for some of these most difficult questions pertaining to the Ryukyuan land issue. I am confident, therefore, that the same rate of progress will also be maintained in the future.5
[Page 234]Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 794C.0221/9–2156. Confidential.↩
- Document 86.↩
- See footnote 4, Document 88.↩
- Not further identified.↩
- In a memorandum to Acting Secretary Murphy, October 6, Walter Robertson pointed out that deferral of a reply to this letter was advisable because “an interim reply might be misleading either in giving the impression that State is more satisfied than it actually is with the existing situation or in giving the impression that it is seriously dissatisfied and is merely awaiting a chance to renew the argument.” Murphy approved this suggestion. (Department of State, Central Files, 749C.0221/9–2156)↩