Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of Korea You Chan Yang, Pyo Wook Han, John Allison, and Arthur Emmons

5243 SECRET 496 5/5 DEPARTMENT OF STATE DECLASSIFIED Memorandum of Conversation 148 Authority. per NLT 2007-006 # I By. so NARA, Date 11/16/09 DATE: April 29, 1952 SUBJECT: Korean-Japanese Negotiations for a Treaty of Friendship corf PARTICIPANTS: The Secretary Dr. You Chan Yang, Korean Ambassador Mr. Pyo Wook Han, Counselor, Korean Embassy Mr. J. M. Allison, Assistant Secretary for Far Eastern Affairs Mr. A. B. Emmons, 3rd., Officer in Charge, Korean Affairs COPIES TO: s/s FE NA RE Pusan Tokyo u. s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 16-61120-1 Ambassador Yang called on me at 3:45 this afternoon to discuss the progress of the negotiations between the Korean and Japanese Governments, looking toward the conclusion of a treaty of friendship. Ambassador Yang explained that he had just returned from representing the Korean Government at these negotiations in Tokyo, and wished to bring the Department up to date concerning his views on these negotiations. He handed me an Aide-Memoire, dated April 29, 1952, setting forth the views of the Republic of Korea concerning certain phases of the nego- tiations (copy attached). The Ambassador briefly reviewed the course of the negotiations to date, indicating that general agreement had been reached as to the status of Korean residents in Japan. With regard to the settlement of the status of Japanese vessels of Korean registry present in Korean waters as of August 9, 1945, of which the Korean Government is asking restitution, the Ambassador stated that although the Japanese had offered restitution of only some 6,000 tons, his Govern- ment estimated that some 74,000 tons had actually been present in Pusan alone. The Ambassador pointed out, however, that the main stumbling block concerned the matter of claims, explaining that the Japanese overnment had put forward claims to property rights and privileges in Korea which, if accepted, would virtu- ally mean the destruction of Korean sovereignty because of the size and scope of such claims. He recalled that he had addressed a letter on this subject to the Department, dated March 25, 1952. Dr. Yang indicated that the Japanese, further- more, were demanding not only restitution of such property but also that it be returned in good condition, despite the damage caused by the current hostilities. The Ambassador expressed his belief that were it not for the introduction of these DECLASSIEIED SECRET claims or (E) Japanese E. APP IMRORMATION By NLT- He MARS Date