Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XXII, Northeast Asia

339. Memorandum of Conversation⁰

Washington, June 22, 1961, 10 a.m.

SUBJECT

• Communique and Concluding Remarks

PARTICIPANTS

• Japan
  • Foreign Minister Zentaro Kosaka
  • Koichiro Asakai, Japanese Ambassador to the United States
  • Shigenobu Shima, Deputy Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • Nobuhiko Ushiba, Director, Econ Affairs Bureau, Min of Foreign Affairs
  • Akira Nishiyama, Minister, Embassy of Japan
  • Toshiro Shimanouchi, Counselor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Interpreter
  • Tadao Kato, Counselor, Embassy of Japan
• United States
  • The Secretary of State
  • Edwin O. Reischauer, United States Ambassador to Japan
  • FE—Walter P. McConaughy, Assistant Secretary
  • NA—Richard L. Sneider, Officer-in-Charge of Japanese Affairs
  • P—Robert J. McCloskey, Press Officer
  • James J. Wickel, Interpreter, Department of State

The Secretary and the Foreign Minister agreed on the draft communique prepared for their consideration. They also agreed to issue the communique at 1:45 PM.¹

The Foreign Minister expressed his gratification for the constructive, frank, and productive exchanges of views with the Secretary. He said the talks in Washington had been very favorably received in Tokyo and that they further consolidated the understanding and friendship between Japan and the United States. He pointed out that both he and the Prime Minister had sought to reflect in their conversations the views of various segments of opinion in Japan. He hoped the Secretary would understand that Japanese public opinion was not united and there were some elements in Japan who sought to distort the truth. However, the Government was making every effort to enlighten the public and unify Japanese opinion.

The Secretary responded that he considered the discussions with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister extraordinarily important and helpful and that a fresh, new step forward has been made in United States-Japanese relations. He expressed great personal satisfaction with the talks in view of his personal involvement with Japanese matters since 1941 and the great change in relations between the countries over the last 20 years. He remarked that while on occasion we may be disturbed by the attitudes of some segments of Japanese opinion, we recognize that United States people also do not speak as a single voice. He concluded that the visit had served to consolidate relations between the two countries at the official level and to encourage better relations between private citizens in both countries. He hoped that from the visit would flow increased consultation between the two governments and he urged the Japanese Government to take the initiative in expressing its views on important international matters even if the United States Government is not in a position to express its position definitively.²

0. Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 65 D 330. Confidential. Drafted by Sneider and approved in S on July 17. The time of the meeting, which was held at the Department of State, is taken from Rusk’s Appointment Book. (Johnson Library)
1. For text, see Department of State Bulletin, July 10, 1961, pp. 57-58. Text of the exchange of notes establishing the Joint United States-Japan Committee on Trade and Economic Affairs, signed that day by Rusk and Kosaka, is ibid., p. 58.
2. At 11 a.m. Rusk held a final brief conversation with Prime Minister Ikeda, also at the Department of State. (Memorandum by Sneider; Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 65 D 330) The Prime Minister left Washington on June 23 after a farewell morning visit to President Kennedy at the White House.