December 20, 1956
No.51
To : Minister Yong Shik Kim
From: The President
After reading Ishibashi's statement I have come to the conclusion that the new premier of Japan wishes to win over the good will of his people by getting the Jap prisoners home for the new year and we must take this opportunity to obtain results. It is our best policy to stick to the original demands which we had made to them. You must know by heartwhat we had been repeatedly telling them as the first step for them to take in order to prepare for the opening of the conference: 1) withdrawal of the Kubota statement and 2) exchange of prisoners.
Concerning the prisoners, the Jap government must release all our people who entered Japan before and after 1945, with the definite understanding that no Korean citizen should be arrested again without legal charge and we on our part will release all their people who have served their terms.
Those fishermen who have not finished their terms will be released as soon as their government has signed the Peace Line agreement. If the Japs hesitate to sign it for fear of losing their face, we will help them by inserting a clause which will provide for a term of 10 or 15 years, after which time we may either terminate the Line or renew it. (This is an offhand suggestion for your consideration.) If you think this suggestion unwise you may drop it altogether.
Re our prisoners who entered Japan before 1945: We must insist on their immediate release without any conditions because their imprisonment was an open violation of the principle of human rights and of International Law. In addition Japan had also wronged them by making them serve as forced laborers. If Japan pays $500 as compensation to everyone of our people we will accept them when Japan releases and sends them back to Korea.
But there is one thing they must agree to. That is that Japan will never send even a single Korean to north Korea or anywhere else without consulting the Korean Government and receiving its concurrence.
We must warn the Japs again that if payment is not made now the amount will be increased later on. You should remind them that we are not adding a new clause to our original demands by asking them to promise not to send any of our people in Japan to the north. We found it necessary to include it now because the Japanese government has been trying to send them to the north and also to infiltrate into the south through the north by utilizing the Red Chinese and Swedish Red Cross Communist elements. Ever since Japan turned away from the U.S. and joined with Soviet Union and Red China against the free nations, we are threatened from these forces and have to take steps to defend ourselves.
I am sure if you talk to General Lemnitzer he will do everything within his power to help us. Also quietly have a talk with Mr. Foster Hailey, Tokyo representative of
The New York Times, that we are quite worried about Japan's lining up with the Communists and that we are opposed to the State Department's allowing Japan to go against the U.S. I told Secretary Dulles when he was last here that if U.S. builds up Japan economically and militarily she will join with Russia and Red China against America.
Please treat this as confidential. I told Mr. Robertson that if Mr. Dulles does not settle the Korean property question for us, I would reveal everything through the press regardless of our friendship and he said he would write to the Secretary about what I had mentioned to him (Robertson).
I hope you have immediately made a release with regard to Ishibashi's statement about buying laver and how ROK was trying hard for over a year to sell it. Also that the Japs cannot deport any Korean who is a legal resident and only detained by them, etc. His statement was made solely for the purpose of showing Robertson what they are willing to do etc.