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    "label": "Memorandum from Dean Rusk to Secretary of State Dean Acheson, with Attachments",
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    "id": "229036431",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum from Dean Rusk to Secretary of State Dean Acheson, with Attachments",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/229036431",
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        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
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    "seq": 7,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "-4-\ndesired to emphasize its \"right\" to have a voice in the negotiation\nof such a treaty. He added that if this \"right\" were not recognized,\nthen his Oovernment wished to conclude a separate treaty with Japan.\nMr. Empons asked him whether, in this connection, he meant a treaty\nof commerce and friendship or a treaty of peace. The Ambassador re-\nplied that he meant a tresty of peace, since it vas the position of\nthe ROK that the Korean Provisional Government existing at the time\nof Japan's occupation had certain legitimate residual claims for repara-\ntions against Japan es a result of the Japanese occupation of Korea\nwhich the present government would wish to press. Mr. Rusk remarked\nthat it would be hard to sell the United States Government on such\nan idea since we had for some time been supporting a minimum standard\nof living for the Japanese at great cost to ourselves and that any\nreparations which might be paid to the Koreens by the Japanese would\nin fact come from the United States taxpayers.\nThe Ambassador again referred to the question of Korean\nmorale and stated that the Koreans were very much preoccupied over\nreports of Japanese rearmament; he felt that any American arms which\nwere being devoted to such a program should more properly be given\nto the Koreans since they were the ones who were actively combatting\nCommunist at the present time. Mr. Rusk pointed out that the United\nStates was not in fact \"rearming\" Japan but merely supplying suffi-\ncient weapons to strengthen a Japanese police force for internal\nsecurity and to provide at least a minimum of protection to Japan,\nin view of the fact that virtually all American occupation troops\nwere now fighting the war in Korea. He emphasized the necessity of\ngiving Japan at least minimum protection at this stage, among other\nthings, in order to protect the rear of our operations in Korea.\nDr. Chang then asked whether the Department had any further\nthoughts which he could take back to his Government on the question\nof a Korean Government-in-exile if events should make this necessary,\nand suggested the possibility of using the Hawaii Islands, where he\nstated that there were already some 7,000 Koreans who could assist\nin the assimilation of a new group of Koreans into the population.\nMr. Rusk replied that we were going to fight it out in Korea every\ninch of the way and even from the southern Korean islands if necessary.\nHe added that while he did not believe that the Department had dev-\neloped any new ideas on the question of a government-in-exil beyond\nthose which had been previously discussed with the Ambassador, he\nfelt that there was going to be plenty of time to examine the problem.\nAs the Aubassador was leaving, Mr. Rusk expressed the hope\nthat he would have the opportunity to see him again before his de-\nparture for Korea.\nFE:NA: ABEmmons: jvh\nSEORET"
}