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SECRET
April 4, 1951
FAR EAST
JAPANESE PEACE TREATY
In our view, the aims of a Japanese peace treaty
are to end the state of war between the Allied Powers and Japan and
to help Japan live with others as a good neighbor. It should be a
peace of reconciliation, not retaliation. The Japanese peace settle- -
ment we seek, as Ambassador Dulles has stated publicly, would con-
firm the restriction of Japan's territory to its home islands but would
provide that Japan be a sovereign and sustaining member of the free
world. Japan would contribute in due course to collective security,
the concept of which is set forth in the Charter of the UN, in accord -
ance with Japan's means, but without developing armaments which
could be an offensive threat. Japan would be restored to a position
of equality, free of burdensome and discriminatory conditions but
would be expected to get along without such subsidies as the US has
been providing during the occupation. The peace we envision would
be a peace of trust, not because the past justifies trust, but because
the act of extending trust usually evokes an effort to merit trust. It
would be a peace of opportunity in that it would afford the Japanese
people the same opportunity to develop peacefully their domestic eco-
nomy and their international relations as is now enjoyed by most of
the other free nations of the world.
Discussions with the Allied Powers - Since the re- -
turn of the Japanese Peace Mission headed by Ambassador Dulles
from Japan, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand, the Mission
has met with various Allied diplomatic representatives in Washington,
the Far East subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
and other interested parties. Since there appeared to be no disagree-
ment with the proposition that a Japanese peace treaty should be nego-
tiated at an early date and since there appeared to be a large measure
of agreement among the powers consulted on what the terms of peace
should be, the Mission prepared a draft of a treaty. This draft is a
composite text, not owing its origin to any one source but reflecting
the views obtained from the nations consulted. The draft has now been
distributed to 15 other nations, namely, the UK, France, the Nether- -
lands, Australia, New Zealand, Nationalist China, Canada, India,
Ceylon, Burma, Pakistan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and the
Soviet Union. We seek an early expression of the views of these
countries in order that work on the actual text of the treaty can be
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"ocrText": "SECRET\nApril 4, 1951\nFAR EAST\nJAPANESE PEACE TREATY\nIn our view, the aims of a Japanese peace treaty\nare to end the state of war between the Allied Powers and Japan and\nto help Japan live with others as a good neighbor. It should be a\npeace of reconciliation, not retaliation. The Japanese peace settle- -\nment we seek, as Ambassador Dulles has stated publicly, would con-\nfirm the restriction of Japan's territory to its home islands but would\nprovide that Japan be a sovereign and sustaining member of the free\nworld. Japan would contribute in due course to collective security,\nthe concept of which is set forth in the Charter of the UN, in accord -\nance with Japan's means, but without developing armaments which\ncould be an offensive threat. Japan would be restored to a position\nof equality, free of burdensome and discriminatory conditions but\nwould be expected to get along without such subsidies as the US has\nbeen providing during the occupation. The peace we envision would\nbe a peace of trust, not because the past justifies trust, but because\nthe act of extending trust usually evokes an effort to merit trust. It\nwould be a peace of opportunity in that it would afford the Japanese\npeople the same opportunity to develop peacefully their domestic eco-\nnomy and their international relations as is now enjoyed by most of\nthe other free nations of the world.\nDiscussions with the Allied Powers - Since the re- -\nturn of the Japanese Peace Mission headed by Ambassador Dulles\nfrom Japan, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand, the Mission\nhas met with various Allied diplomatic representatives in Washington,\nthe Far East subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee\nand other interested parties. Since there appeared to be no disagree-\nment with the proposition that a Japanese peace treaty should be nego-\ntiated at an early date and since there appeared to be a large measure\nof agreement among the powers consulted on what the terms of peace\nshould be, the Mission prepared a draft of a treaty. This draft is a\ncomposite text, not owing its origin to any one source but reflecting\nthe views obtained from the nations consulted. The draft has now been\ndistributed to 15 other nations, namely, the UK, France, the Nether- -\nlands, Australia, New Zealand, Nationalist China, Canada, India,\nCeylon, Burma, Pakistan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and the\nSoviet Union. We seek an early expression of the views of these\ncountries in order that work on the actual text of the treaty can be"
}