139. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (Snyder), Washington, May 20, 1957, 12:47 p.m.1
TELEPHONE CALL TO MURRAY SNYDER
The Sec referred to the fellow being turned over to the Japanese court and said there is a good deal of evidence to suggest Defense is trying to place the responsibility on State. S heard that on the radio from Japan. The Sec said the people here say the same thing and the Sec does not think the facts justify it and we don’t want a public controversy about it. There are Congressional inquiries. The Sec said S might check on what is going on. S talked with the Army and said to say nothing until Wilson gets the report back. It is a delicate thing and S hopes we can get agreed facts. S thinks anybody in State who observed should sit down with the Defense counterparts and clear up that end. There are no papers to indicate State advised in any way. We have been getting it verbally, said S. The Sec said something re the decision being made in Defense in the Pentagon. S said no—the decision to relinquish jurisdiction was made by the Joint Comm on the basis of a message sent by the Army to the Judge Advocate General giving him authority but what part anyone else played—in Tokyo or here—Bob Deckhardt2 is trying to nail that down.