Office of the Historian

72. Telegram From the Embassy in Japan to the Department of State1

Tokyo, April 3, 1956—5 p.m.

2333. Embassy informed through Naval Attaché2 that former Bonin resident Arthur Ackerman (Asao Akaman) and family of six have been authorized by US Navy to return to islands for permanent residence. Ackermans, first returnees since initial post-war repatriates, will travel from Yokosuka by naval vessel, leaving around April 10.

Story of Ackerman return has already received considerable attention Japanese press. Stories note Ackermans “of American descent”; league of former residents (Japanese) also reportedly at loss to understand why Ackermans rather than others being permitted to return, since family returned to live in Japan much earlier than others and left no land or other property in Bonins. Foreign Office has informally raised subject, indicated that “racial” factors make Ackerman repatriation hard to explain.

Navy is apparently approving Ackerman repatriation because of (a) American descent; (b) return requested by present residents (Embassy officer who visited Chichi-Jima in January recalls that islanders spoke highly of Ackerman, indicated they wanted him and family back. I can see absolutely no justification for this kind of discriminatory [Page 171] treatment, apparently based on Eurasian background of Ackermans and wishes of present island inhabitants. Such action obviously arouses resentment here, and makes our delicate position on Bonin repatriation issue even more difficult to defend. Moreover timing could not be worse in view vigorous effort Diet member Fukuda and others magnify issue which was one of two singled out by ex-Ambassador Iguchi3 for specific mention in widely publicized speech before America-Japan Society March 30 (war criminals was other).

If feasible, suggest Department may wish to take immediate steps to defer repatriation Ackermans pending consultation with Navy and thorough investigation of case.4

Allison
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 294.94C22/4–356. Confidential; Priority.↩
  2. Captain William C. Norvell.↩
  3. Masayuki Tani presented his credentials as Japanese Ambassador to the United States on March 2, succeeding Sadao Iguchi.↩

  4. Telegram 2196 to Tokyo, April 4, in reply, reads as follows: “All commands and Naval Attaché notified through other channels cancellation any existing authority repatriate former Bonin Islanders.” The following sentence was on the clearance line: “Information from Admiral Riley, Office of CNO. (Department of State, Central Files, 294.94C22/4–356)

    In telegram 2372, April 6, Allison reported that the instruction to cancel the Ackermans’ repatriation had come from the Office of the CNO, that the prior approval of the repatriation had been based largely on the recommendation of the naval commander in the Bonins, and that in view of recently received information, the Embassy believed that the Ackermans’ claim to repatriation was even more tenuous than previously indicated. “I wish to point out that Embassy was not consulted in advance on this decision [to repatriate the Ackermans] made despite obvious political sensitivity of Bonin issue in Japan and I will not take responsibility for entirely avoidable embarrassment which has evidently resulted.” (Ibid., 294.94C22/4–656)

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