894.002/3–3147
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador of the Soviet Union (Novikov)
Excellency: I have the honor to refer to this Department’s note of April 11, 1947 to the Chargé d’Affaires of the Soviet Embassy acknowledging his note of March 31, 194774 which invited the attention of the United States Government to a certain alleged statement derogatory to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reported in the United States press75 as having been made by Premier Yoshida of Japan.
After a thorough investigation of this matter, I am able to inform Your Excellency as follows:
- (1)
- No evidence exists that Premier Yoshida made the remark attributed to him, namely, that “We (Japan) have a very dangerous enemy to the north”, nor that he made any comment of similar implications. Only one American correspondent present at the interview reported such a remark and it appears that his inaccurate reporting was due to language difficulties.
- (2)
- The remark cited in the Embassy’s note was never published in Japan. As your Excellency is aware, the strictest orders of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers prohibit any press or radio criticism in Japan of any of the Allied Nations, either officially or informally. Every effort has been and is continuing to be made to see that these regulations are scrupulously and meticulously followed.
- (3)
- In this connection, I should like to invite the attention of the Soviet Government to the numerous instances of attacks upon the United States and upon the administration of the occupation of Japan broadcast to Japan from the USSR and published in Japanese language newspapers circulated extensively in Southern Sakhalin and in Japan.
- (4)
- Out of a vast number of examples of radio broadcasts and of articles derogatory to the United States, the following excerpts have been selected at random.
Radio Broadcasts
Moscow in English to Japan, March 27, 1947, 6:00 a.m. EST:
“The intrigues of Japanese reaction threaten to turn the elections of April 25 into an antidemocratic farce like those staged in Japan on April 10, 1946. This farce, which has been prepared by the Japanese reaction with the sanction and approval of the American occupation authorities, is fraught with dire consequences if the democratic Japanese public does not cast the reaction aside which, contrary to the surrender, is pulling the country backwards toward the sinister days of police terror and fascism.”
Moscow in Japanese to Japan, December 23, 1946, 4:00 a.m. EST:
“… Can it be that the Japanese militarists will be able, with impunity, to carry out their undermining work and prepare for fresh aggression in the Far East, not only utilizing the shortsightedness, but even enjoying the protection, of certain representatives of the American military authorities? That is what all true lovers of peace are asking themselves. They sharply condemn the present practice of the American occupation authorities in Japan who are giving the Japanese military elements a chance to continue their undermining work.”
Japanese Language Newspapers:
Shinseimei, Yuzhno Sakalinsk (Toyohara), Southern Sakhalin, November 16, 1946:
“For what reasons did Stalin not recognize the occupation policy as satisfactory? It was because the American officials in Japan did not establish policies for building up the foundation of Allied victory, but focused their endeavors in supporting America’s imperialism, which is a great danger to world peace …
“The reason why America is acting like this is because of a desire to rule the Pacific by exploiting Japan. The anti-democratic circles in America are planning to use Japan as a weapon for imperialism. Not only the Allied Powers, but also the Japanese people must prevent this.”
Shinseimei, Yuzhno Sakalinsk (Toyohara), Southern Sakhalin, January 11, 1947:
“The demonstrations, meetings, and strikes which are increasing within the country every day show that the administration of the Yoshida Cabinet, which is supported by the American Occupation authorities, is not only piling crime upon crime and following a course opposite to that of Japan’s transformation into a democratic nation, but is even promoting the maintenance of the order which prevailed in the militaristic period.”
The United States Government requests that the fact of these hostile attacks be brought to the attention of the Soviet Government and anticipates that appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that they do not recur.
Accept [etc.]