Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, The Far East and Australasia, Volume VII, Part 2

740.00119 FEAC/3–2949

The Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs (Butterworth) to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Voorhees)

confidential

Washington, March 29, 1949.

Dear Mr. Voorhees: As you may know, there have been several exchanges of letters between our two Departments on the subject of replacement of cultural objects lost or destroyed as a result of Japanese aggression. I have reference particularly to a letter of July 28, 1948, from Secretary Royall to Secretary Marshall; Secretary Marshall’s reply of September 18; a letter of the same date from Assistant Secretary Saltzman to General Eberle; Secretary Royall’s reply of October 26 to Secretary Marshall; a letter of December 3 from Mr. Saltzman to Under Secretary Draper; and Mr. Draper’s reply of December 8.¹

This letter is to advise you that the Department of State has decided to instruct the United States Representative on the Far Eastern Commission to oppose SC–272/12, Replacement of Lost Cultural Objects, or any other policy proposal on this subject which is or may be placed before the Commission, and to inform the Commission that it is the view of this Government that this matter is not one which can properly be dealt with during the occupation but should be considered on its merits if introduced at the time of the peace conference. A copy of this instruction, which it is assumed, in light of the views expressed by Secretary Royall in his letters of July 28 and October 2, 1948, will be acceptable to the Department of the Army, and which will go forward in a few days, is enclosed.

Faithfully yours,

W. Walton Butterworth

[Enclosure]

Memorandum by the Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs (Butterworth) to the United States Representative on the Far Eastern Commission (McCoy)

confidential

Subject: SC–272 12, “Replacement of Lost Cultural Objects”.

You are authorized to inform the Commission that it is the view of the United States Government that the matter of replacement of cultural objects lost or destroyed as a result of Japanese aggression is one which, in contradistinction to the restitution of cultural objects, cannot properly be dealt with during the occupation. It is the position of the United States that proposals for a program of replacement of cultural objects should, as has been the case in Europe, be considered on their merits if introduced at the time of the peace conference. You are accordingly instructed to oppose SC–272/12, “Replacement of Lost Cultural Objects”, or any other policy proposal on this subject which is or may be placed before the Commission.

You may at your discretion advise the Commission that the United States Government appreciates the profound sense of injury of those of its Allies which suffered looting of their cultural heritage at Japan’s hands, and that the above position arises not out of lack of sympathy for those nations in their loss but only from the conviction that proposals for partial redress of the loss through replacement from Japan’s cultural store cannot properly be acted upon in advance of the peace conference.

W. Walton Butterworth

1. None printed.