Office of the Historian

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

Tokyo, February 4, 1960, 11 a.m.

2506. CINCPAC exclusive for POLAD and Adm Felt. COMUS/Japan exclusive for Gen Burns. During course of courtesy call by Adm Felt on PriMin Kishi this morning, latter referred to recent Soviet attacks against GOJ re new US-Japan security treaty.1Kishi said Soviets failed to understand Japanese “national sentiment.” He added that Soviet attacks were resented by overwhelming majority of Japanese and even leftist Asahi criticized this Soviet intervention in Japan’s internal affairs. Kishi believes Soviet miscalculation of Japanese sentiment stems from fact that Soviets make their estimates of Japanese opinion on basis of advice they receive from Japanese leftists who do not reflect Japanese opinion. In any event, Soviet blunders are helpful to GOJ.

In response to query by Ambassador on rumors of possible Diet dissolution, Kishi said he did not “at this particular moment” have intention of dissolving Diet. Although both Socialist and Democratic Socialist Parties were demanding Diet dissolution, he felt that neither of these parties in their hearts really wished it because in event of Diet dissolution and new elections, LDP would register gains strengthening its present position, and both JSP and DSP would thus be losers.

Comment: From way Kishi handled question of Diet dissolution we had impression he has not made up his mind on this matter.

MacArthur
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 794.00/2–460. Confidential; Limit Distribution. Repeated to CINCPAC and COMUS/Japan.↩
  2. In reply to a Soviet aide-mémoire of January 27, the Japanese protested, in a February 5 memorandum, against the Soviet withdrawal of an international pledge concerning the return of the Habomai and Shikotan Islands. Telegram 2434 from Tokyo, January 28, reported on the initial Japanese reaction to the aide-mémoire. (Ibid., 661.94/1–2860) See Supplement. A text of the aide-mémoire is attached to despatch 415, January 29. (Department of State, Central Files, 611.947/1–1960) There was a further exchange of memoranda on the same subject by the two governments on February 24 and March 1. (Despatch 1052 from Tokyo, March 2; ibid., 794.5/3–260)↩