REPORT KPO/129

March 14, 1960

TO : Office of the President
FROM : Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
SUBJECT : Summary record of reporting on the detainees issue and our position to be taken at the Sea Law Conference
Vice-Foreign Minister Kyu Hah Choi was granted audience by His Excellency the President at Kyung Mu Dai on Friday, March 11 from 10:15 to 10:45, a.m. and on Saturday morning on March 12,1960. Vice-Minister briefed to His Excellency on policies to be followed in connection with the Aide Memoire which U. S. Ambassador Walter P. McConaughy handed to us on March 9,1960. Vice-Minister Choi's briefing covered the following points:
I. Our position regarding the so-called detainees issue is that if Japan repatriates our people in Omura, there is no reason why we will not repatriate those Japanese fishermen who served out their sentences. The U. S. Government strongly advised us to effectuate mutual repatriation of detainees. When granted audience by His Excellency the President with Vice-Minister Choi attending on March 8, 1960 for about 65 minute from 2:45 to 3:50, p. m.,
Ambassador Yiu was instructed personally that he should work it out to effect an early mutual repatriation of the detainees, and he returned to Tokyo with such instructions on March 9. In the afternoon(from 3:30, p.m. )March 9, 1960, when Ambassador McConaughy was received audience by His Excellency the President, His Excellency stated that we would move first if the Japanese moved almost at the same time, telling the U. S. ambassador that Ambassador Yiu had been already instructed to work it out. Our Tokyo Mission and the Japanese Foreign Ministry will start the Working Committee meeting on March 14,1960 for an early implementation of the repatriation of detainees. Thus, our policy on the detainees issue was formulated before the so-called U. S. advice made on March 9, 1960.
II. According to the Ministry's recommendation (KIR-51) to the Office of the President, major points of our position to be taken by our delegation at the forthcoming Sea Law Conference are as follows: In case the U.S -U.K. proposal be put to vote sep arately by two parts(6 mile territirial sea and 6 mile vote for the former but abstain in the latter; in case it is put to vote as a whole, we will vote for it with necessary explanation so that such voting may not be construed as affecting our position on the Peace Line ; (in case the circumstance does not premit us to make the above explanation, we will abstain in the U.S. -U.K. proposal as a whole.) Thus, we would cooperate with the U.S. side in the Sea Law Conference.
In the morning of March 7, 1960 when Vice-Minister Choi and Minister Pyo Wook Han briefed on our position to be taken at Geneva on the basic of the above-mentioned recommendation. His Excellency the President approved in principle the above line of policies regarding the Sea Law Conference. When Vice-Minister Choi was received in audience by His Excellency the President on March 11 and 12, the above position was again briefed and His Excellency approved it. U.S. Ambassador McConaughy 's "strong" request for our cooperation was made two days after our government decision on the basic line of course we should follow at the forth comimg Geneva conference. Thus, the Ministry will instruct our delegation to conduct the meeting in accordance with the principles set forth in the Position Paper under KIR-51.

Most respectfully,