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

794.022/12–3054

No. 846
Memorandum by the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Murphy) to Robert Cutler, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs¹

top secret

[Washington,] December 30, 1954.

Subject:

• United Nations Discussion of Status of Habomai Islands

In a memorandum dated December 2,² you transmitted to the Department the President’s suggestion that the Department consider how we might publicize in the United Nations the facts with respect to the unjustified occupation of the Habomai Islands by the Soviets.

The status of the Habomais has already figured in three steps taken by Ambassador Lodge in connection with Soviet attacks on United States military aircraft in that area. On September 10, 1954, the Security Council considered, without taking formal action, a United States complaint of such an attack. On September 25 and November 7, Ambassador Lodge requested the Secretary General to circulate to all United Nations members the texts of diplomatic notes³ sent to the USSR with regard to other attacks in the vicinity of the Habomais. In particular, the note of the Government of the United States, dated September 25, 1954, repudiated the Soviet Government’s construction of the Yalta Agreement regarding the Kurile Islands and rejected the Soviet claim to any lawful territorial right to the Habomai Islands.

Although the General Assembly has adjourned,⁴ the Department plans to keep in mind the possibility, at an opportune time, of challenging more directly the Soviet position in the Habomais. However, if we go beyond incidental references to the matter we shall naturally have to have full cooperation from the Japanese. While the Japanese have appreciated our support of their territorial claims against the USSR they seem hesitant to provoke a direct clash on the matter.

Robert Murphy

1. Drafted in NA.
2. See footnote 3, Document 833.
3. For text of the note dated Sept. 25, see the Department of State Bulletin, Oct. 18, 1954, p. 579; text of the note dated Nov. 7 is ibid., Nov. 29, 1954, p. 811.
4. The Ninth Regular Session of the UN General Assembly met Sept. 21–Dec. 17, 1954.