竹島問題の歴史

13.8.08

1952 November: Confidential Security Information of USA

After the Installation of Syngman Rhee Line - American Documents: Part.One

To follow is a confidential document written by Kenneth T. Young, Director of the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs, which was sent to Allan Lightner in American Embassy in Pusan.
It was written on November 5th 1952 but another date, 11/14/52 was handwritten at the upper right position. The latter may be the date when Allan Lightner read the document.

(First page)

Official - Informal

Confidential Security Information

11/14/52


Dear Al:



I have read both Tokyo's despatch No.659 of of October 3, 1952, entitled, "Koreans on Liancourt Rocks" as well as Pusan's Memorandum of October 15, 1952, entitled,
"Use of Disputed Territory (Tokto Island) as Live Bombing Area" enclosed in your
letter of October 16, 1952 to Ambassador Murphy.


It appears that the Department has taken the position that these rocks belong to Japan and has so informed the Korean Ambassador in Washington. During the course of drafting the Japanese Peace Treaty the Republic of Korea's views were solicited, in consequence of which, the Korean Ambassador requested the Secretary of State in a letetr of July 19, 1951 to amend Article 2(a) of the draft treaty so as to include the islands of Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks) and Parangdo as well as Quelpart, Port Hamilton and Dagelet among those islands over which Japan would renounce right, title and claim by virtue of recognizing Korea's independence. In his reply to the Korean Ambassador the Secretary stated in a letter dated August 10, 1951 that the United states could not concur in the proposed amendment as it applied to the Liancourt Rocks since according to his information the Liancourt Rocks had never been treated as a part of Korea, they had been under the jurisdiction of the Oki Islands Branch Office of Japan's Shimane Prefecture since 1905 and it did not appear that they had ever before been claimed by Korea. As a result Article 2(a) of the Treaty of Peace with Japan makes no mention of the Liancourt Rocks:

"Japan, recognizing the independence of Korea, renounces all right, title, and claim to Korea, including the islands of Quelpart, Port Hamilton and Dagelet."


E. Allan Lightner, Esquire

Charge D'affaires, a.i.

American Embassy, Pusan, Korea.

FE: NA: RMHerdon-eb

November 5, 1952

cc Amembassy, Tokyo

The above illustrates why the name of Liancourt Rocks didn't appear on the Paece Treaty - it meant that Liancourt Rocks belongs to Japan. And Kenneth Young and Allan Lightner reconfirmed the fact that the Depatment of State recognised Liancourt Rocks as Japanese territory. Pro-Korean scholars used to insist that the treaty didn't include the name of Liancourt Rocks because USA didn't decide the sovereignty of the rocks, but this letter proverd that their insistency was untrue.

(Second Page)


Official-Informal

Confidential Security Information


The action of the United States-Japan Joint Committee in designating these rocks as a facility of the Japanese Government is therefore justified. The Korean claim, based on
SCAPIN677f January 29, 1946
, which suspended Japanese administration of various island areas, including Takeshima (Liancourt Rocks), did not preclude Japan from exercising sovereignty over this area permanently. A later SCAPIN, No.1778 of September 16, 1947 designated the islets as a bombing range for the Far East Air Force and further provided that use of the range would be made only after notification through Japanese civil authorities to the inhabitants of the Oki Islands and certain ports on Western Honsu.

Sincerely yours,


Kenneth T. Young, Jr.,

Director

Office of Northeast Asian Affairs


It seems that they are talking about using Liancourt Rocks as bombing range and that since the rocks belonged to Japan they only need to inform the infomation of bombing to Japanese authorities, not Korean authorities.

4 comments:

  1. Pacifist, you are posting reams of data that is easily shot down by a few facts.

    1. There is no mention of Liancourt Rocks in the San Francisco Peace Treaty.

    2. Korea is not signatory to the San Francisco Peace Treaty thus is has zero legal effect on Korea.

    3. The American documents you cite were confidential and never became official U.S. policy on the matter. In fact not even Japan knew about these papers until they became declassified decades later.

    4. America's views were but one country's opinion on the matter. Around 48 nations signed the Japan Peace Treaty. America did not the authority to unilaterally make decisions on the disposition of former Japanese outlying islands without consent of the other allied nations who signed the Japan Peace Treaty.

    5. Even your own documents show the U.S. dropped support for Japan in the early 1950s.

    Stop beating a dead horse and stop trying to baffle us with B.S.

    Japan-Peace-Treaty-Truth-1

    Japan-Peace-Treaty-Truth-2

    ReplyDelete
  2. Steve,

    Are you really a teacher?
    Can't you read English properly?

    Read the posting once again. The answer is in the posting.

    These documents show USA's thought. The final document was written by the Secretary of State. The highest rank politician could have the same opinion as Rusk's Letter.

    Read the Rusk's Letter again. It was written to Korea.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Steve,

    Are you really a teacher?
    Can't you read English properly?

    Read the posting once again. The answer is in the posting.

    These documents show USA's thought. The final document was written by the Secretary of State. The highest rank politician could have the same opinion as Rusk's Letter.

    Read the Rusk's Letter again. It was written to Korea.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What dokdo-takeshima.com said is absolutely right.

    Japan’s MOFA claims "Based on this correspondence(Rusk Note), it is evident that Takeshima was affi rmed as part of the territory of Japan." And many Japanese believe so. However, it is a very foolish attempt and an illusory belief.

    Rusk Note has nothing to do with the final decision regarding Dokdo by the Allied Powers. It was a confidential document sent only to Korea. America had no right to decide exclusively Dokdo belongs to Japan.

    Rusk Note was a confidential document.


    On Dec. 9, 1953, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles sent a telegram to the American Embassy in Tokyo stating :

    " ..... .Despite US view peace treaty a determination under terms Postsdam Declaration and that treaty leaves Takeshima to Japan, and despite our participation in Postdam and treaty and action under administrative agreement, it does not rpt not necessarily follow US automatically responsible for settling or intervening in Japan's international disputes, territorial or otherwise, arised from peace treaty. US view re Takeshima simply that of one of many signatories to treaty.“

    Mr. Dulles’ statement made it clear US support for Japanese claim on Dokdo was simply that of one of 48 signatories to the treaty. Thus, Japan’s interpretation that SF Peace Treaty gave Dokdo to Japan is just arbitrary. Rusk Note based on the Japanese false claim had no relation with SF Peace Treaty final draft regarding Liancourt Rocks(Dokdo).

    ReplyDelete

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