Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, The Far East, Volume VI

894.628/4–3047

The British Embassy to the Department of State

Aide-Mémoire

Ref: 9/ /47

In their aide-mémoire of the 4th October, 1946,⁶⁸ the Department of State informed the British Embassy that the Japanese whaling expedition which the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers was then planning to despatch to the Antarctic was of an emergency character and in no way prejudiced decisions as to the future of Japanese whaling. The United States Government expressed their complete accord with the view that long-range consideration of the right of Japan to conduct whaling operations was a matter for Allied discussion and decision. The Embassy was informed that no authorisation for any future Japanese whaling expeditions in the Antarctic or elsewhere would be given without prior consultation with the interested governments.

2. Bearing in mind these considerations and in view of the fact that expeditions planned by all countries for the season 1946–1947 were unlikely to catch 16,000 blue whale units, His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom waived the objections which they had raised to the Japanese expedition.

3. The position during the 1947–1948 season will, however, be different. It is now known that, exclusive of any Japanese vessels, 16 factory ships will be operating in the Antarctic in the 1947–1948 season and these vessels will be capable of treating 16,000 blue whale units in the course of the season. Any proposal, therefore, to allow Japanese vessels to operate would mean that the catch of the vessels of other countries would be diminished. Furthermore, the total yield of whale products which might be obtained from 16,000 blue whale units would be reduced if any Japanese vessels were allowed to participate since the average yield of each blue whale unit treated by Japanese methods is much inferior to the average yield obtained by the vessels of Allied nations. Thus even if all the oil produced by a Japanese expedition were allocated by the International Emergency Food Council, to which the United States Government would presumably agree as they did last year, there would be less whale oil and other products available to the world than would be the case if no Japanese expedition were despatched.

4. His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom have so far had no report on the Japanese expedition to the Antarctic in the 1946–1947 season. The Japanese may have complied with the requirements of the International Whaling Agreements during that expedition. But good behaviour under such conditions can be held to offer no guarantee that the Japanese will continue to comply with the International Agreements. A main object of Japanese whaling expeditions is to obtain whale meat and the Japanese are therefore prone to kill young whales, as they did on a large scale in the past. The stocks of whales in the Antarctic were seriously diminished by the unrestricted whaling and wasteful methods adopted by the Japanese to such a pitch that international action was necessary to prevent the extinction of the species. The Governments who became parties to the International Whaling Agreements voluntarily limited the catches of their own nationals in order to conserve whale stocks while the Japanese deliberately continued their unrestricted and wasteful methods. It is most unlikely, in the opinion of His Majesty’s Government, that the nations which took part in the International Whaling Conference held at Washington in November, 1946, would now be prepared to agree to Japan’s accession to the International Whaling Agreements or, because of the past behaviour of the Japanese in regard to whaling, to allow them to operate even within the ceiling imposed by international agreement, to the continued and further detriment of the operations of the nationals of governments who have adhered throughout to the limitations imposed by the whaling agreements. A continuance of Japanese whaling would again endanger the world’s supply of whales with no corresponding advantage, immediate or otherwise, to the world’s supply of food.

5. His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom are therefore of the opinion that no further Japanese whaling expeditions to the Antarctic should be permitted.

6. Consequently they consider that the allocation of Japanese whaling factories as reparations should be made without further delay. An additional reason for proposing this course is that the Japanese whaling fleet constituted a reserve of speedy vessels specially constructed so as to make their adaptation for naval uses a simple matter, and the fact that so many of these vessels were lost during the war is proof that they were so used. His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom consider it most undesirable that this war potential should be re-created.

7. His Majesty’s Government understand that the estimated production of whale oil by the Japanese as a result of the 1946–1947 season was provisionally earmarked by the International Emergency Food Council equally between Japan and Germany. They would be grateful if they might receive at an early date a full report on the operations and outcome of the expedition including an indication as to when delivery of the whale oil allocated to Germany will be made.

8. After due consultation with the United States Government, His Majesty’s Government will instruct their representative on the Far Eastern Commission to propose there the adoption of policies which would implement the views set out in paragraphs 5 and 6 above.⁶⁹

Washington, 30 April, 1947.

68. Not printed.
69. The New Zealand Legation on May 6 and the Australian Embassy on May 7 likewise made representations to the Department and stressed their belief that Japanese whaling vessels should be allocated as reparations.