167. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the President and the Japanese Ambassador (Asakai), Washington, June 4, 19571
SUBJECT
- Presentation of Credentials to President Eisenhower by the Japanese Ambassador
Following the Ambassador’s presentation of his credentials, President Eisenhower told him that the United States Government had just issued a statement on the Girard case. The Ambassador stated he was pleased that jurisdiction in the case had been given the Japanese and the President said that the decision, he felt, was a fair one. He said that the original press coverage of the situation had not been accurate; it was not a case of a man who committed a killing in performance of guard duty. The actual facts had emerged upon a close investigation.
The President also commented that of over thirteen thousand offenses since October 1953, in which the Japanese had the right to exercise jurisdiction, they had in fact ceded jurisdiction to U.S. courts in all but about four hundred, and that he felt it was proper to turn the Girard case over to the Japanese courts. He stated, however, that we have two primary interests—one is individual justice to the man himself, and second is for the continuance of the satisfactory relations between the two Governments on these matters. He further commented that legally our protection of Girard had not been altered and that our interests would not diminish in assuring that he receive a fair trial.
The Japanese Ambassador then (he told me he would not have discussed anything of substantive nature had not the President opened the discussion) commented on the easing of trade restrictions with Red China. He stated to the President that the decision by Great Britain had put the Japanese Government in an extremely embarrassing position and further stated that the Japanese Government’s primary interest was in continuing their position at the side of the United States Government, though an action such as the British made it difficult. The President said he appreciated that and realized that there would be many times there would not be an identical position taken by all of our allies. He pointed out that we had not agreed with the French and British in the Suez crisis but that we had stuck to the policy that we felt would be just. Then he elaborated to the Ambassador that he felt that no doubt France would follow suit in trading with Red China and after France, possibly Italy and others. He continued that he felt it extremely [Page 339] important for Japan with ninety million people and an agrarian territory the size of California to trade for their very survival. The President added that the Administration had more or less inherited the position of the embargo on the Red Chinese and he was more or less of the opinion that it was wise to trade as much as possible with practically all nations. He stated he felt that one could in many instances interest the people in these countries in our way of life and in his opinion a corollary objective was not to allow their own countries, in this instance Japan, to be honeycombed with Red cells which would “fascinate the peoples of their country with another way of life.” The Ambassador thanked the President for his understanding position and stated that he hoped there would be as little disagreement as possible in our negotiations between the two countries.
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, International Series. Confidential. Drafted by Wiley T. Buchanan, Jr., Chief of Protocol. Another copy of this memorandum is in Department of State, Presidential Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 66 D 149.↩