Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, China and Japan, Volume XIV, Part 2

894.245/10–2654

No. 819
Memorandum by the Acting Director of the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (McClurkin) to the Ambassador to Japan (Allison)

secret

[Washington,] October 26, 1954.

Subject:

• OCB Meeting on October 27

You have been invited to attend the OCB meeting at 1:45 p.m. on October 27 at which time the Progress Report on Japan¹ will be considered. You will recall that I sent the Embassy an earlier draft² over a month ago. At the OCB meeting, and possibly at the 5:00 briefing this afternoon with Mr. Hoover, two matters may come up:

1. Bikini compensation. This is not specifically discussed in the Progress Report but it is a subject of interest to the OCB. Mr. Okazaki raised the matter with Mr. Robertson last Saturday and said he thought $2 million would be a very satisfactory settlement. Mr. Robertson said he thought this might be too high but that something between $1 million and $2 million might be satisfactory. We have canvassed this problem within the Department in preparation for the Okazaki and Yoshida visits; it is our feeling at the working level that with Kuboyama’s death $1 million will no longer do the trick and we feel we must reconsider our position. L wishes to avoid a joint legal investigation on the ground that this will be most difficult and might set dangerous precedents and they therefore have recommended we go as high as $2 million to settle on a non-legal basis. I concur in this view and feel we also must consider the adverse reaction in Japan if a joint legal study should drag on for a long time. We are hopeful that we can get up to an additional million dollars from FOA sources if this is necessary but it will require a strong appeal to the OCB and the agencies concerned. We told Okazaki incidentally we might have to go to Congress. If you concur I recommend that you tell the OCB you agree that settlement at $2 million is the best way out of this messy problem.

2. Psychological strategy plan. Mr. Robertson has sent you a letter dated October 22² asking your views on how we might expand our efforts in Tokyo to carry out this plan. A copy of this letter is attached. CIA took a particular interest in this problem and instigated the attached letter as well as paragraph 13 of the OCB Progress Report. There may be some discussion of this point at the meeting tomorrow.³

1. Infra.
2. Not found in Department of State files.
2. Not found in Department of State files.

3. The section concerning Japan in the “Preliminary Notes” of this meeting reads:

   “The Progress Report on Japan was approved after considerable discussion with Ambassador Allison and Mr. Robertson on some of the problems raised by the report. A special item of discussion was the matter of settlement for the claims resulting from the H-Bomb fall-out damage. On the basis of the presentation of Amb. Allison and Assistant Secretary Robertson, the Board agreed that the Ambassador should be authorized to settle for $1.5 million and directed that FOA explore with the other agencies concerned the ways in which the additional $500,000 could be financed and, if necessary, secure a Presidential determination.” (Notes drafted by Walter A. Radius, Operations Coordinator, OCB files, lot 62 D 430, “Preliminary Notes I”. This lot is the OCB file for the years 1953–1960, as maintained by the Executive Secretariat of the Department of State.)