Office of the Historian

694.001/7–551: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the United States Political Adviser to SCAP (Sebald)

secret
priority
Washington, July 5, 1951—4 p. m.

Topad 14. For Sebald from Dulles. Reurtel 50 [42], July 5.1 Pls inform Yoshida or Iguchi on strictly confidential basis San Francisco probably will be selected for Jap Peace Treaty signing conference because 1) some fifty countries are at war and shd make peace and we cannot ask them to send delegations to Tokyo but must consider their convenience in location readily accessible to their ambassadors and plenipotentiaries; 2) our Internatl Conference Div advises mechanical steps of organizing conference with translators, interpreters, and like facilities will take two mos if held in the US and much longer if elsewhere; 3) my prior discussion with Yoshida had not indicated any desire for Tokyo.2 [Dulles.]

Acheson
  1. In this telegram Mr. Sebald had reported that “all strata” of the Japanese people increasingly favored Tokyo as the site for the signature of the peace treaty and had concluded: “Wld you have any objections if prior to announcement I were to inform Yoshida or Iguchi on confidential basis giving best reasons possible for selection San Francisco?” (694.001/7–551) In July President Truman had selected San Francisco as the site of a conference to sign the Japanese Peace Treaty, to convene about September 3.↩

  2. See the memorandum by Mr. Fearey of a conversation held in Tokyo, April 18, p. 985.

    In telegram 56, from Tokyo, July 7, Mr. Sebald stated in part:

    “In conveying info reftel to Yoshida I recd impression he somewhat relieved signing wld not take place Tokyo stating that in his opinion lack of facilities here and difficulties appropriately receiving large numbers delegations wld present almost insurmountable task for Japanese Govt. Believe, however Yoshida’s reaction exceptional and not generally shared by Japanese officials and public.” (694.001/7–751)

    ↩