Office of the Historian

125. Telegram From the Embassy in Japan to the Department of State0

Tokyo, December 22, 1959, 6 p.m.

1979. CINCPAC exclusive for Admiral Felt and POLAD. COMUS/Japan exclusive for General Burns. Naha exclusive for General Booth and Blankinship. Embtel 1956 and Deptel 1487.1 Since Fujiyama has been continuously pressing me for a response to Japanese draft given me on November 19 (Embtel 1607)2 saying Kishi feels some expression of Japanese interest in welfare of Ryukyuans is essential in connection with treaty revision, I put proposals contained in Deptel 1487 to him. In so doing I said we preferred no such minute or reference to islands but if Kishi still felt it essential we would be willing to go along on basis of proposal I was putting to him. Fujiyama expressed appreciation and said he would refer our proposal to Kishi at once.

[Page 252]

Kishi sent me word this morning that it was essential to GOJ to have some public reference to future well-being of Ryukyuan inhabitants since the Ryukyus were not in treaty area. He appreciated very much our efforts to meet this problem and wanted us to know that the changes we had proposed in draft statement (Deptel 1487) were agreeable. However in view difficulty agreed minute appeared present for us, they were now considering whether or not to propose that substance of statement be included in joint official communiqué for issuance after Kishi’s meeting with President. They would inform us of their preferences in next day or so but wished us to know that on their part substance of statement is now agreed. Question they wished to hold open was whether form of statement should be as agreed minute or as part official communiqué.

MacArthur
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 794.5/12–2259. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Repeated to CINCPAC, COMUS/Japan, and Naha.↩
  2. Document 123 and footnote 3thereto.↩
  3. Document 106.↩