February 1, 1957

No.59
TO: Minister Yong Shik Kim
FROM: The President
I want to answer your two cables received January 29, Numbered TS-900155 and TS-900156.
First of all, I want to ask you again to get all promises of the Japanese side in writing.
In one of your messages you asks it this Government would consider superfluous the clause "consideration will be given to the necessity for assistance for these persons, etc." By no means. We recognize fully the fact that the Koreans to be released from Omura will need material help and we insist that the Japanese Government not only consider their welfare but make a definite commitment to help them after their release.
Our demand that Japan recognize legal residence right and compensation for forced labor of our people and their right to take their property with them when they return should be clear to the Japanese. In your message you say we will have to make the Japanese recognize these rights and not abuse the right of deportation. We agree that this is a subject for discussion at the formal conference but we would like to have your views on the reaction of the Japanese to our demands before the conference is convened. If you are convinced that the Japanese abolutely will not agree to changing the wording "refrain from detaining" to "will not detain" as we still insist and if you think we should concede this point, please so recommend and we will let you know whether we agree or disagree with your recommendation.
I am glad that you were able to get the Japanese Government to promise verbally to withdraw the property claim along the lines of the State Department memorandum. Now can we get this promise in the form of a written agreement signed by the Japanese Government disclaiming all right, title and interest or Japan and of Japanese Nationals in property etc. in Korea,
I have reviewed the proposed agenda for the formal conference and have noted your assurance that the agenda includes all the problems listed in the outstanding problems memorandum of January 15. The problems in the memorandum of January 15 must be written point by paint in the agenda of the conference and the Japanese must agree in advance to a full discussion of each problem. We know from experience that when these questions were brought up in previous conferences the Japanese evaded them, therefore we must have their written assurance that this will not happen again.
Do I understand correctly that satisfactory agreement will be reached before the conference is convened on the withdrawal of the property claim, the withdrawal of the Kubota statement, and the release of the detainees. These items must be settled by written agreement.
Regarding the four illegal entrants named in problem three of the January fifteen memorandum, we insist that they be included with the other illegal entrants in OMURA Camp. Why does the Japanese Government insist on harboring these Koreans unless they have an ulterior purpose in wanting to keep these illegal entrants in Japan. Do they want to make the return of these four men who entered Japan illegally a stumbling block in the settlement of the detainee issue.