79. Letter From the Secretary of State to the Secretary of Defense (Wilson)1
Dear Mr. Secretary: As you know, the report of the Price Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee2 on the Ryukyuan land problem has had an unfavorable reaction both in Okinawa and in Japan. In Okinawa, as we understand the situation, the main basis for objections appears to be the profound disinclination of the farmer to be separated from his land, involving the loss of the yield of the land if under tillage and the possible loss of title to the land itself. In Japan, on the other hand, the basis for the adverse reaction seems to lie as well in a belief that formal acquisition by the United States of large areas in Okinawa would be inconsistent with residual Japanese sovereignty.
The Department of State is impressed with the fairness and thoroughness of the Price Subcommittee report and in general supports its recommendations. However, it appears desirable to carry out the program in such a manner as to allay the Ryukyuan and Japanese sentiments to the fullest extent compatible with essential United States interests. The Presidential Directive for U.S. Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands, approved August 2, 1954,3 authorizes in Section J2 only the acquisition of “leasehold or easement interests” where landowners are unwilling to sell outright. This policy has not been publicly stated.
The Department of State considers that it would be helpful if this policy were publicly stated, and since willingness of a landholder to convey the fee title would be most exceptional, that it would be advantageous to make no distinction between condemnation and negotiation, and to state simply that it is the policy of the United States to acquire long-term right of use rather than the fee title. We think also that it would be helpful in allaying opposition for the United States to clarify the capacity in which it is prepared to acquire the long-term interests, and to determine as a matter of policy and within the terms of the Presidential Directive that such interests will be acquired and held in the name of the Government of the Ryukyu Islands for the use [Page 181] of the United States, with the rights and interests of the United States clearly spelled out and made a matter of record so that no dispute could arise later on this point. It is appreciated that this would probably require an ordinance of the U.S. Civil Administration. The purpose of this course would not be to represent the acquisition as a voluntary action of the local authorities, however; it would be to present the acquisition for the use of the United States in a manner most compatible with arrangements in areas where the United States is not the sovereign.
There are many other aspects of the land program which it may be desirable to clarify, although the Department of State realizes that some of them will take time to elaborate. For instance, it would seem to the Department of State, both as a matter of policy and of public relations, that it would be desirable to develop the suggestion of the Price Subcommittee that arrangements be made whereby the lump sum payments to landowners could, with their consent and at their request, be deposited in a fund which could be used under the management of the Government of the Ryukyu Islands for development purposes in the area and generate revenues which would give a reasonable return to the investors.
It would seem highly desirable that a public statement be made as soon as possible by the United States Government, clarifying its intentions with respect to the land program to the fullest extent that that is possible. It is suggested that such a statement be made by the Department of Defense and that it cover the three points which are discussed above. Officers of the Department of State are prepared to discuss these questions in detail and to be of any possible assistance.4
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 794C.0221/6–2256. Confidential. Drafted in NA and cleared in L.↩
- U.S. Congress, House, Report of a Special Committee of the Armed Services Committee, Following an Inspection Tour October 14 to November 23, 1955 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1956), published on June 13. Representative Melvin Price chaired the special subcommittee.↩
- See the July 28, 1954, letter from Dulles to Wilson, Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. XIV, Part 2, p. 1684. For a draft text of the Directive similar in substance to the Directive as issued, see the attachment to Wilson’s letter to Dulles, July 15, 1954, ibid., p. 1672.↩
- In a reply to Dulles, July 6, Gordon Gray stated in part: “As a result of a recent meeting between members of your staff and representatives of the Department of Defense the subject of releasing a public statement with respect to the land program was thoroughly discussed. The unanimous opinion of the group was that timing of the release was most important, and that while developing the statement our respective representatives would consult further as to the appropriate time to release the proposed statement. (Department of State, Central Files, 794C.0221/7–656) No record of the meeting mentioned by Gray has been found.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this stamped signature.↩