CLASS I Fl CATION DATE WASHINGTON May 1J- svo VISION OF IAN AFFAIRS · Mii 't Ii 1954 DfPMll£N1 Of STAii Respectfully referred to the officials of the Deparunent of State for appropriate handling SHERMAN ADAMS The Assistant to the President lt u 1 · DC R · l 5 1 ✓- •__ _ ·- - t' ✓ tACTION is assigned to THE WHITE HOUSE ' r __ l V----' t r r _____ l ' FORM OS-Lt 12-27- JO CLASSIFICATION DEPARTMENT OF STATE TRANSMITTAL SLIP TO DATE hh 4 Tm o Amembassy TRANSMITTED FOR INFORMATION OF THE FOREIGN OFFICE INFORMATION OF THE DEPARTMENT'S REfRESENTATIVES TRANSMISSION EIGN OFFICE ro THE FOR- APPROPRIATE REPLY TO THE INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION OF A REPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT REFER TO 1 INFORMATION OF THE REPRESE EATIVE OF THE FOLLOWING U S AGENCY Agency ADDITIONAL REMARKS For approp drte act ion i o t he discret icn of the t'nfr P sFy WHEN A REPLY TO THE DEPARTMENT IS INDICATED PLEASE REFER TO THE FILE NUMBER AKD THE DRAFTING OFFICE Fl LE NO SIGNATURE CLASSIFICATION DIVISION R f Finn 15NC LASSD ' IED J - - - - ' j fAcfioN is assigned to T o0 - - u tl954 y l' ' · ' 'i 1 fcfftt iTJ ff PRESID ENT OF JAPAN YW b e -'--t 95 t- · F rt 4 i ' Hd AN OPEN LETTER TO MHS DWIGHT D EISENHOWER FROM MRS TAMAKI UEMURA - _ _ 4 ' Dear Madam a J l • c-1t · y _ '6' - ck R '1 It is a source of heartfelt plea sure for me to ad b iess this letter to the first lady of the United States a nation friendly to Japan XR all dt 1 I -l l r' I The United States carried out H-bomb tests in the Pacific Ocean on March 1 March 26 and April 6 The Fifth Fukuryu Maru a fishing ship was dusted with atomic ashes while operating outside of the U S designate Danger Zone As a result the ship's 23 crew members suffer from radiatio sickness Dr Hisao Morita chief of the Internal Section Medical Depart ment Toho University who is also a councillor of the Japan Academy of Blood Studies a long with other Japanese physicians diagnosed the sickness as acute or subacute panmyelophthisis Five of the 23 patients are reported are reported serious cases for which Japanese doctors can do practically nothing but just watch · ' --- l _ Japan still has a number of patients suffering from radiation given off by the A-bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 Dr Morita says he has treated 38 panmyelophthisis patients during the pa st 9 years and that 29 of them died • ·I 01 0 I understand American doctors are well aware of the fa ct that the radiation sicl ness caused by H-bombs in far more serious than that ca used by A-bombs People like me who are not familiar with medical science are extremely worried Of course I know the United States Government will not hesitate to pay damages But it seems to us the need could have been prevented We also feel that the nervous tension of the fishermen because of th incident will not be cured of even with the payment of damages l t 231628 1 c f 4 p l _1 c I Ji Ji l t _ '·'°' _ t O 01 i t l Up to April 14 four or five Japanese fishing vessels in addition to the Fukuryu Maru returned carrying radioactive tuna and about 160 000 pounds of such tuna was buried or thrown overboard The damage was tremendous for Japanese fishermen Moreover the fishermen now see bleak prospects of an indefinite closure of part of their fishing ground in the Pacific td ' But we a re at a loss to understand a portion of Mr Allison's statement that seemed to discount Japanese doctors' reports on the patients We feel the sickness is a long-lasting dreadful one I wonder whether our feeling can be te rmed as hypersensitivity stemming from our dread of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki horrors _' 0 We were grateful for Ambassador John M Allison's courteous expression of regret and offer of American doctors• cooperation in treatment of the patients _ iI · J I _ - 2 - Damage sustained by fishmongers is also great Japanese housewives also suffer from nervous afflictions Unlike in the United States fish is a must item on Japanese tables Many Japanese housewives who are s cratching out home economy from small incomes w i 11 be forced to buy what might be impure fish instead of meat which they cannot afford and so be forced to serve fish which might ha rm family health It is doubtful whether our housewives can stand the nervous tension ibich would result from doing so Maybe the Pacific Ocean is no longer a 11 pacificn but a 11 danger ocean 11 We are so w rried This may sound humorous to you but nat to us Generally Japanese are nervous people though they look ROPT rtresa iC v 1 S speaking once they make up their minds The Syngman Rhee line cleaves the Japan Sea in twain squeezing out Japanese fishermen from almost one-half of the area Red Chinese vessels shoot at Japanese fishermen even men they are more than 100 miles away from the China coast in the China Sea Russia captures Japanese fishing boats at w i ll around Hokkaido when they consider them within their 12-mile territorial waters Now that the Pacific Ocean has become hazardous for Japanese fishermen to · go out because of H-bomb tests the Japanese fishermen seem to have been closed out of all the seas of Asia Such restrictions on the high seas appear to be just man-created I think the high seas should be open to all nations If one nation deems it necessary to carry out atomic tests on the high seas I should think the nation must do it after obtaining consent from all other nations having ships that may cruise in the test area I wonder if it is all right for a nation to arbitrarily mark a danger zone and notify other nations of the marking I am a lay woman in the field of international law so I do not understand how the United States can arbitrarily create a danger zone on the high seas of the Pacific Ocean We believe the Fukuryu Maru was outside the danger zone But we doubt the justifiability of creating the danger zone The United States has long been respected as a nation of democracy and humanitarianism As a woman who studied for four years in an American college hav ing many good friends in the United States I have been inclined to trust anything Americans say or do But the H-bomb tests simply upset me I used to recall the United States as a land ibere people were generous and were willing to listen to criticism with open minds But the United States now appears to me a land of witch--hunts in the name of anti-Cormn unist activities Many Americans now seem to me too hasty to call people they don't like spies 11 ' I never dreamed that the United States would become a land where even Dr J Robert Oppenheimer is branded as 11 poor security risk ti I feel the ni a tea i oday is a Eli fferent country from the one which once had President Abraham Lincoln and which once respected freedom of thought and speech f 4 - ' l t' 1 1 • '- - _ ' The reason iby I am so rude as to criticize internal policies of the United States is that humanitarian Jap anese sincerely support Dr Oppenheimer Dr Albert Einstein and Mr David Lilienthal and oppose production of superdestructive weapons President Eisenhower reportedly thinks the production of H-bombs is aimed at prevention of wars and has encouraged and ordered the production in a sincere belief that his act -would save the -world from Soviet totalitarian aggression But I believe that policy will undermine America's spiritual tradition I am afraid of the prospects of the United States swinging to totalitarianism before American citizens realize what is happening I honestly believe the Greator expects mankind to use atomic energy only for peaceful industries and for elevation of our living standards Therefore I a 'WOman who believes in and fears God consider studies of atomic energy for destruction an insane act I dare say any people working for atomic destruction are serving the disguised Satan I quite agree that the Soviet Union is now endangering the world with its unscrupulous deceptive and terroristic revolution attempts and I understand the United States was forced to consider production of H-bombs to counter Soviet schemes I firmly believe the United States intends to defend not only herself but all free nations of the v0rld Nevertheless the Soviet Union is believed also to possess Lithium bombs I fear either side may be tempted to use H-bombs to gain an advantage over the other side Mere misunderstandings can sometimes lead to a calamity Once such clamity occurs the whole v0rld - not to mention Japan sandwiched between Russia and America -- may perish A race of H-bomb production appears to me foolish and dreadful i r-- I I · I know the United States has proposed to put atomic energy under international custody and that the Soviet Union has not agreed The Soviet plJ J 1 ' Union wants to shroud everything in mystery and would not like to gi ve a I chance for other nations to peak into its inner setup through international 1 '3 u custody of atomic energy The Soviet Union is to blame for that policy But we must continue our efforts to persuade her to agree to the American proposal 0 d But to continue production of H-bombs on the reason that the Soviet Union does not agree to the American proposal seems to me an act of men who do not believe in and do not fear God Christians should first believe in God and stop production of atomic weapons and scrap all atomic weapons available Christians should ilmnediately advocate switching entire atomic energy research to the benefit of peaceful industries and the people's daily life If the Soviet Union does not listen to the wishes of the peoples of the world and insists on a policy 'Which might destroy mankind God Almighty Himself will punish the Soviet Union We Nations Curtain to take are arud ously watching developnents of the debates in the United Disarmament Committee We are positive all peoples outside the Iron wish or organization of an international and supra-national system atomic energy under its custody • I I r -4 - I think the free world will have a better means of defense than atomic weapons if it is united in deciding to drop the folly of spending lavish money on destruction and in switching the money for the purpose of economical cultural physical and spiritual elevation of the many races of the world We sincerely hope that the Disarmament Committee a ims at production of atomic weapons and that it gradually puts into measures as international custody of atomic energy scrapping weapons available and turning all atomic research to peaceful banning use and effect such of all atomic purposes Japan's vulnerability to Soviet aggression actually lies in her present economic impoverishment instead of lack of arms The Soviet Union is known to prefer the tactics of corroding other nations from within to the tactics of invading other nations by armed forces from without I believe Japan should build up her economic strength before building up armed forces in order to resist Connnunist aggression needless to say that she needs strong police If mankind fails to realize God•s will and engages in destructive activities God will punish us for the cardinal sin of refusing to believe in and fear Him I sincerely wish you and President Eisenhower who are Christians will generously forgive this rude letter to you from a Japanese Christian woman Most respectfully -r R _ Mrs- Tamaki Uemura TU ss 1- J 1- - t ' '- --- 1 -1 IL ' v- t '