o v- _ iI- ' fi n U _ REPRODUCED AT THE NATlOHAL ARCtlIVt 1 t I fi'jt o AulDO ' ff Y --- 1 D ARTMEHTOFsrATE IIrldJ UfWlADI Memoro _ 01 Coao Hoa DATE June eu cn u s Policy toward the Ryukyu 4 1964 Islands n PAf'tT1CJrAHTS Lt General qb Uateon USfto H1eh COIIPIiasionor DesiGnate of tho Islands Col John J Duffy USA Director Civil A1'fairs Of rico of tho Deputy Chief of Stat f or Military Operationa Department oox' a_MlEWM of tho Am y Mr Leonard L Bacon Acting Director lor Eaat Asian A tra1re Mr Rebert A harey ActinG Deputy Diroctor l or alt Aflian Atraira Hr Richard Ii Petree Actine Otticer-in-Charse Japanelle Attainl COPIES TO EA - Jec FE - 2 FE P - 1 8 Emballlly 'ltlKIO - 2cc - 2 r Il 1 'O A tt er velcocd ng Ceneral l ataon to tho Departllent Hr Ba con led ott by remark 1J1t that President KeMIIdy'e poll statement of Huch 19 1962 tOmll a sound bash tor U S polley toward tho R yukyu Ielandll Mr Bacon IlLid that we in the Departlr ent of State reel that etfectuaUon of the policy ouUULed by President edy h lI not lDOVed as taat as we h cl o hoped He noted alao the great iqIortance ot ettoct ive ctlllftll ieaUona bet1f9en tho Kith Ccmraillsionor and Embassy Tokyo Genoral Katson I1I1id he fall acquaintod with Hinillter Emni Irllon and in tact had already exchanged letters with hiJn 1 C - Mr Bacon llaid that in our think ina the two _jor problem area in the Ryukyu llIlanda are nJukyuan desirell tor greater autOl'lotl'l Y rom U S controls and tho hand llng ot Japan in relation to the JtyuIcyua Concerning the tirat he telt that thore IllaY have been II tendency in our adminiatration to overprotect the II tran their own llliet kes He said we believe the Ryuk yuans IIhould be Biven greater treedOllll to pem themsalvea even i t their laclt ot experience or irroeponllibUity produced tallures We toal the psycholoCieal blleia tor discontent under our proeent partemallitic IItyle ot adminilltration is the same all hall II'IOtivated any other peoples in the wr ' t r P lIP Downeraded at 12-year intervale not automatically declassitied L COIlFIOENTIAL 0 I REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHl vt i CotfFIDENTIAL -2Our sccond major policy problcm creatine a role for Japan in the R yukyus has up to now been approached with a very narrow perspective Hr Bacon said we stronGly believe that the Japanese do not want us out of kinawa that they in tact understand the security advanta6es to Japan of our military presence in the However the Japanese GovemI1IOnt IIIIlst l I ke statement and take positions publicly which ive the a ppoarance ot support for Japanese nationalistic desires for the return of the This political posture is essential to the ruling conservative elements of Japan which we believe are likely to relJIItin in power at leut throll hout the rest of this decade in erder to blunt tM pressures of the lett-wing political oppooition and tho nationalistic sentiments ot the eanera populace We believe that the philosophy of President Kennedy's 1962 statement 111 sound as a baeiG for copina with Japan in relation to the Ryukyuan problem Tho statement recognizes Japan's residual soverei nty over the Ryukyus our clear expectation that the Ryukyua ultiJaately will return to Japan the need to conduct our admin1lltration of the Ryukyus so as to pave the way tor smooth reversion ot the Ryukyus and the need for 6radual expan 1on of Japan's role and innusnce in the llyukyus without hurting our essential military interest In the Departlllont vo have been di 8appointed by the gonoral lack of progress in the direction of this policy Mr Bacon drew a parallel between the Ckinawan attitudes toward the Amor1can administration and the attitudes of the Saarlanders toward France He noted that local government leaders in the Saar found it politically necessary to maintain public postures opposing France on certain issues but in t e llity the samo leaders did not wish to upset the agreements providjng tor Saar auton under France On its aide the French Govennent recognized the need for the local authorities to take freely an independent t1tand on issues not vital to continued French authority in the 50's Mr Fearey conmented that 501l 00ne has said Iihen the Ryukyuana itch tho Japanese scratch General Iatson asked whether it is only the leader-ship j roup in the Ryuk 1lS or the wholo populace that itches Hr Fea rey said that there are exprestlions of discontent by SOlllO labor leadors leftist politiciantl and others but that overall our presence is well accepted There is no crisis in the Ryukyus Our objectivo is to ensure that none arises that a political situation is prc50rved which o l lOlfS us to stay there for CONFIDF tII'IIII REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIV o COIfFIIEJn'lAL - ' lone tiM to COM Thil we belie ealls tor bple entat1on or the letter and spirit or President Kennedy's statelllent to rake conaervathe Japanese our partners in the Ry lkyus rather than suspected intruden We consider thh an entirely e albIa objectbe V' CONFIDENTIAL ' This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu