Office of the Historian

188. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Steeves) to Secretary of State Herter0

Washington, June 21, 1960.

SUBJECT

  • Views of Foreign Minister Fujiyama Regarding Japan’s Basic Foreign Policy and the Handling of the New U.S.-Japan Treaty

Ambassador MacArthur informed you on June 8 (Tab C)1 that Mr. Ryogo Hashimoto, a Liberal Democratic Party politician and close associate of Foreign Minister Fujiyama, had sent you a letter which Mr. Fujiyama wished you to know represented his own personal views. You previously met Mr. Hashimoto last November in Washington, when he expressed his concern that the public in Japan believed that the negotiation of the new mutual security treaty was not receiving high level attention in Washington.2 Shortly after his visit, both you and the President issued statements expressing your interest in the new treaty and in close relations between the United States and Japan.

On the basis of this contact, Mr. Hashimoto was evidently selected as the medium for the communication to you of certain of Mr. Fujiyama’s thoughts that he felt would not be appropriate for normal diplomatic communication. His letter was handed to an officer in NA by an officer of the Japanese Embassy.

Mr. Hashimoto’s letter (Tab D) makes it clear that the Japanese Government agrees with our assessment that the basic issue at stake in Japan is the question of Japan’s alignment with the Free World and the continuing development of closer ties between the United States and Japan. The letter also contains, on pages 3, 4 and 5, a persuasive rationale for the Prime Minister’s handling of the treaty in the Lower House of the Diet. You might wish to give particular attention to this part of the letter.

With respect to Ambassador MacArthur’s recommendation that you consider showing the letter to the President and to Senator Fulbright, we believe that the situation prompting this recommendation has been so altered by events that there would now be no particular need to bring this letter to their attention.

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In view of its special nature, we believe you may wish to reply personally to Mr. Hashimoto’s letter. A proposed reply is attached (Tab A).

Since Foreign Minister Fujiyama has made clear that he is in effect the author of the letter, we believe that an additional personal message to him through Ambassador MacArthur would be appropriate. We have accordingly drafted the attached telegram (Tab B).

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.947/6–2160. Secret. Also marked “Eyes Only Attachment,” but no tabs were found attached to the source text. A separate sheet attached to the source text reads: “Letter to the Secretary from Mr. Hashimoto and reply filed in Mr. Parsons’ office.” Neither letter was found.↩
  2. Telegram 4090 from Tokyo, June 8. (Ibid., 611.94/6–860) See Supplement.↩
  3. Memorandum of conversation between Herter and Hashimoto dated November 23, 1959. (Department of State, Central Files, 794.5/11–2359)↩