Office of the Historian

894.30/3–1047

The Acting Secretary of State to the Soviet Chargé (Tsarapkin)77

The Acting Secretary of State presents his compliments to the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and acknowledges the receipt of the Embassy’s note of March 10, 1947, accepting this Government’s proposal that the division of certain Japanese combat vessels take place without delay and that a representative of the Soviet Government be designated to participate in carrying out the arrangements for the division of these ships as proposed in the Department’s notes of February 24, 1947.

Reference is made to the Embassy’s statement that the Soviet Government does not possess information concerning those warships of the Japanese fleet of a tonnage higher than that of destroyers. In accordance with the agreement of the Governments of the United States, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Great Britain and China regarding the destruction of certain Japanese naval vessels, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers issued a directive to the Imperial Japanese Government on April 30, 1946, (Scapin 910), providing that all former Japanese surface combatant vessels within the Japanese Empire, readily towable, larger than destroyers, and not employed by the occupation forces or in the repatriation services, were to be destroyed by scrapping or other approved manner. A supplementary directive on this subject was issued to the Japanese Government on June 6, 1946, (Scapin 1002).

The Soviet Chargé d’Affaires is informed that, in accordance with these directives, former naval vessels of the Japanese Navy falling within this category have been or are in the process of being scrapped. As stated in a letter addressed on May 5, 1946, to Lieutenant General K. Derevyanko by Major General Paul J. Mueller, Chief of Staff, General Headquarters, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, further detailed information on this subject may, if desired, be obtained by the Soviet Representative in Tokyo from SCAP Headquarters.

Washington, April 25, 1947.
  1. Draft text was informally approved by representatives of the War and Navy Departments.↩