794C.0221/8–2752
No. 594
The Assistant to the Secretary of
Defense for International Security Affairs (Nash) to the Assistant
Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Allison)
Dear Mr. Allison: I refer to your letter dated 15 July 1952,1 and to your conversation with Mr. Charles Sullivan of this office relative to the possible repatriation of approximately 7,000 Japanese to the Bonin Islands.
The questions raised in your letter have been reviewed by the Department of the Navy and by this office. In this connection, I wish to point out that the policy which guides the Department of Defense in the matter of repatriation of the Japanese to the Bonin Islands was established by the State-War–Navy Coordinating Committee in action SWNCC 214/2, dated 23 November 1945, which read as follows:
“The Joint Chiefs of Staff should be requested to advise the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, that, pending the receipt of further instructions, he is to prohibit the return of former civilian inhabitants to the Bonin and Volcano Islands.”
In a further action on 26 March 1946 the SWNCC approved the following:
[Page 1317]
It is the viewpoint of this office that the repatriation of the former Bonin Island residents of British and American descent did not revise the policy of the Coordinating Committee with respect to repatriation of Japanese to the Bonin Islands.
There are several considerations concerning repatriation of Japanese to the Islands which have been submitted to this office by the Department of the Navy, and are forwarded herewith for your information:
- (a)
- A 1940 Japanese Government census indicated that over 90% of the population of the Bonin and Volcano Islands were concentrated on the three main islands of Chi Chi Jima, Ha Ha Jima, and Iwo Jima. These three islands comprise 52 square miles of a total land area of 65 square miles for all 28 islands. Additionally, these three islands now contain naval facilities which are important to our Far East defenses and the influx of so many persons to these islands would have an effect which has yet to be determined.
- (b)
- In 1940 the population was 6207 rather than 7000 indicated as now desiring to return. Of these some 40% were engaged in farming and fishing. Most of the remainder were engaged in construction of fortifications and other military facilities.
- (c)
- A review of the land titles of the Bonin Islands indicates that approximately 78% of all Bonin lands were owned by the Japanese Government. Therefore, there is but little land to which these people could lay a legal claim. Now that Japan is again a sovereign nation, and the United States has indicated that Japan has some residual sovereignty in the islands, disposition by the Navy of that land to which Japan might assert claim is at least open to question. The islands of Chi Chi Jima and Ha Ha Jima which contained most of the population were primarily military bases and the majority of the civilian population were there solely because of this fact.
- (d)
- In 1944, the Japanese Government evacuated all civilians from the Bonin and Volcano Islands, and now, as a result of the war, all traces of former villages have disappeared and there are no homes to which these people could return. To bring back some seven thousand persons would create a tremendous resettlement problem and would entail considerable expense not only for reconstruction and rehabilitation but also for normal day-to-day living until they could establish themselves.
- (e)
- The return of so many Japanese citizens to an area not under control of Japan would create administrative difficulties, including questions of criminal jurisdiction, and by their very numbers would tend to prejudge a later decision on the eventual disposition of the islands—a decision which is not desirable to make at this time. In this connection the Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded on 22 [21] January 1952 that the current U.S. policy with respect to the Nansei [Page 1318] Shoto, Nanpo Shoto, (which includes the Bonin and Volcano Islands), Marcus Island, and Parece Vela is sound, and no change in U.S. policy in regard to these islands should be contemplated until a condition of stability has been firmly established throughout the Far East.
In view of the foregoing it is the viewpoint of this office that it is not in the best interest of the U.S. Government to revise the present policy with respect to repatriation of Japanese to the Bonin Islands.
It is understood that you are planning a trip to the Far East2 about 1 October, at which time discussions on this subject are to be held with Admiral Radford, General Clark, and Ambassador Murphy.3 It is suggested that further action in this matter be withheld pending the outcome of the above discussions.
Sincerely yours,
- Not found in Department of State files. In telegram 644 to Tokyo, Sept. 6, the Department stated: “Upon receipt urtel 33 [Document 575] Allison sent let to Nash indicating Dept for pol reasons believes 7000 former residents shld be allowed return Bonins. Dept also suggested inasmuch Bonins now under Navy jurisdiction reps Defense and State shld meet to prepare appropriate reply Jap Govt.” In the remainder of this telegram, the Department summarized the letter printed here and asked the Embassy if it had any comment. (794C.0221/8–3052)↩
- Assistant Secretary Allison toured U.S. Missions in East Asia from Sept. 26 through mid-November, and was in Japan during the second week of November. An informal undated report on the trip, which includes some discussion of Japan, is in file 110.15 AL/12–552. For telegram 1496 from Tokyo, Nov. 8, summarizing remarks made by Prime Minister Yoshida to Allison on Nov. 7, see Document 612.↩
- See telegram 1204 from Tokyo, Document 604.↩