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MR. REISCHAUER: I might dwell particularly on the
influence of the China situation on the Japanese situati n.
I think the Communist success in China does make 1t more
imperative to make a peace treaty with Japan quickly, 11
a suitable peace treaty can be made. Of course, a peace
theaty made without the participation of certain great
countries like the USSR would be a blow at international
cooperation. We'd have to recognize it as such - that is
a serious loss. A peace treaty in which we had to sacrifice
certain essential points would be disastrous. That is, if
we made a peace treaty in which Japan could not maintain a
viable economy, we'd be worse off than we were before.
There has been much reference to the American record
in the Philippines as being our greatest asset. I think,
in a sense, the American record in Japan is, or at least
will be, superseding the record in the Philippines. The
record in the Philippines is a colonial record for the
colonial period. We had very clean skirts in the colonial
period. Asia is moving out of the eclonial period into
something else. Wittingly or unwittingly, we have tried to
democratize Japan; there is no doubt about the effort and
there is no doubt in the minds of many people that that is
what we tried. If Japan cannot live economically, of course,
that great experiment will collapse and it will backfire in
a tremendous way. I think it would be accepted as proof - -
positive that the American way, the American concept for
Asia, is meaningless enough Asiatics probably believe that
already. We put ourselves way out on a limb in Japan some-
timeswithout recognizing it, but we are out there just the
same; we almost have to succeed. Unfortunately, I think
we would all agree, our position in Japan is definitely
deteriorating. I think it has been deteriorating for some
time. You do not, in the long run, create a strong demo-
eracy through military dictatorship and we must admit to
ourselves that our methods inevitably have been those of
dictatorship; we have told them what to do. There is, in
the long run, a conflict between the ultimate objectives
and immediate methods; that conflict has grown year by
year. At a certain point it became so great, I put it in
the past tense, It became so great that we began to lose
ground rather than to gain ground in Japan. Particularly
with the Chinese victory, a Communist victory in China, I
think we will begin to lose ground, we will accelerate in
our
S.
TROKAD
U ARCHIVES "INATIONAL SERVICE^ RECORDS AND
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"ocrText": "- 171\nMR. REISCHAUER: I might dwell particularly on the\ninfluence of the China situation on the Japanese situati n.\nI think the Communist success in China does make 1t more\nimperative to make a peace treaty with Japan quickly, 11\na suitable peace treaty can be made. Of course, a peace\ntheaty made without the participation of certain great\ncountries like the USSR would be a blow at international\ncooperation. We'd have to recognize it as such - that is\na serious loss. A peace treaty in which we had to sacrifice\ncertain essential points would be disastrous. That is, if\nwe made a peace treaty in which Japan could not maintain a\nviable economy, we'd be worse off than we were before.\nThere has been much reference to the American record\nin the Philippines as being our greatest asset. I think,\nin a sense, the American record in Japan is, or at least\nwill be, superseding the record in the Philippines. The\nrecord in the Philippines is a colonial record for the\ncolonial period. We had very clean skirts in the colonial\nperiod. Asia is moving out of the eclonial period into\nsomething else. Wittingly or unwittingly, we have tried to\ndemocratize Japan; there is no doubt about the effort and\nthere is no doubt in the minds of many people that that is\nwhat we tried. If Japan cannot live economically, of course,\nthat great experiment will collapse and it will backfire in\na tremendous way. I think it would be accepted as proof - -\npositive that the American way, the American concept for\nAsia, is meaningless enough Asiatics probably believe that\nalready. We put ourselves way out on a limb in Japan some-\ntimeswithout recognizing it, but we are out there just the\nsame; we almost have to succeed. Unfortunately, I think\nwe would all agree, our position in Japan is definitely\ndeteriorating. I think it has been deteriorating for some\ntime. You do not, in the long run, create a strong demo-\neracy through military dictatorship and we must admit to\nourselves that our methods inevitably have been those of\ndictatorship; we have told them what to do. There is, in\nthe long run, a conflict between the ultimate objectives\nand immediate methods; that conflict has grown year by\nyear. At a certain point it became so great, I put it in\nthe past tense, It became so great that we began to lose\nground rather than to gain ground in Japan. Particularly\nwith the Chinese victory, a Communist victory in China, I\nthink we will begin to lose ground, we will accelerate in\nour\nS.\nTROKAD\nU ARCHIVES \"INATIONAL SERVICE^ RECORDS AND"
}