COPY

Tokyo, January 9, 1958

No.39
Excellency:
1. As I reported by Cables Nos. TS-901285 and 901292 of December 29 and 31, 1957, respectively and also by letter report Nos Hanildai Jung-1896, 1897 and 1898 of January 3, 1958, to the Foreign Minister, the preliminary talks with Japan have been concluded with a signing ceremony which took place from 11:20 to 11:40 p.m., December 31, 1957. Further, in compliance with the Foreign Minister's cable instructions dated January 3, I have already forwarded all the signed documents via special pouch last Saturday (January 4).
I would like to repeat my most profound appreciation and gratitude for Your Excellency's kind guidance and instructions given me throughout the entire negotiations with the Japanese side.
2. Supplementing my previous reports, I am herewith submitting for Your Excellency's perusal a report outlining the conclusion of the preliminary talks.
REPORT ON CONCLUSION OF PRELIMINARY TALKS WITH JAPAN
I. Following my return here from Seoul on December 28,
I approached the Japanese side immediately and as a result, a meeting between Foreign Minister Fujiyama and myself at 4 p.m., next day (December 29) was arranged. As reported in my cable No.TS-901285 of December 29, Minister Yiu and I called on Mr. Fujiyama, accompanied by Counselor Choi and First Secretary Chin, while the Japanese side was represented, besides Fujiyama, by Vice Minister Ohno, Asian Bureau Director Itagaki and Counselor Miyake.
The Japanese side officially notified our side that it would accept all our amendment proposals to the June 14 draft documents on points other than the property claims issue, on condition that our side would accept the June 14 draft documents on the property claims issue without modification. As this was fully in accord with the instructions from the Government which were handed over to no by Foreign Minister Cho in Seoul on December 28, an oral agreement on the preliminary talks had thus been reached with the Japanese side. (Summary records of this meeting is enclosed herewith)
It was also agreed at this meeting that at the ensuing administrative-level meeting details concerning signing of the documents would be discussed, including the date for the resumption of the overall talks and the date of the US memorandum, etc., and also that the signing were to take place tentatively at 12:00 noon, December 31.
At these administrative-level meetings held twice (from 5 to 8 p.m., December 29 and from 3:30 to 9 P.m., December 30) the Japanese side first proposed March 15, 1958 as the date for the resumption of the overall talks. Our side, however, with the approval of the Government, proposed that March 1 be made the date and gave our official notification in this regard at 11:00 a.m., December 31, which was then agreed to by the Japanese side.
With regard to the question on the date of the US memorandum, it was similarly agreed that both sides approach the US Embassies in Tokyo and Seoul, respectively, and have the memorandum dated December 31, 1957.
II. Meanwhile, I had been in touch with the Japanese side regarding the personal letter from Premier Kishi. As a result of my immediate contact with Mr. Yatsugi after my return from Seoul, the Japanese side agreed to delete, from the original draft of the said letter, the reference to Japan's anti-communistic stand, etc. (in Paragraph 2) and a phrase: "shown through the preliminary talks" (in Paragraph 5), while insisting on the remainder of the wording to be left as it was.
Mr. Yatsugi gave me a definite commitment that a signed copy of Kishi's letter would be delivered to me at the Latest by 10:30 a.m., the day of signing. Under Foreign Minister's instructions I was required to obtain the said copy prior to the signing of the documents and the Japanese side gave me such assurances, as mentioned above.
As I reported already, the Japanese side handed over the signed copy of Kishi's letter at the appointed time (10:30 a.m., December 31), on the basis of which the signing of the documents was held later the same day.
III. I received about 5:30 p.m., the day of signing, Foreign Minister's cable No.ST-9012104, authorizing me to sign all the documents. After receipt of this cable instructions, this office exerted every possible effort to obtain Japan's assurances that the US memorandum would not be released for publication, as instructed in the said cable.
The Japanese side first showed great reluctance to give our side such assurances, maintaining that it was necessary to make the US memorandum public when the Japanese Government was required to explain to the Diet on the circumstances leading to the withdrawal of the Japanese property claims against Korea (which was to be officially notified to us in the Note Verbale together with the withdrawal of the Kubota statement).
Finally, a little before 9 p.m., the same day, Foreign Minister Fujiyama requested to see me, and Minister Yiu and I called on his and held a top-level talk on the non-release of the US memorandum from 9 to 9:30 pm. Mr. Fujiyama was assisted at this meeting by both of his Vice Ministers Ohno (Administrative) and Matsumoto (Parliamentary). As a result of this talk, it was finally agreed that an understanding reading: "this (the US memorandum) will not be released for publication for the time being and if and when either Government deems it necessary to release the said Statement in future consultation will be made", be initialed by both sides at the time of signing of the other documents.
Only after this, the signing was finally set for 10:30 p.m., JST, or 10:00, p.m., KST; with the Joint Communique and other publishable documents to be released at 11:00 p.m., JST, or 10:30 p.m., KST. Although our delegation arrived at the Foreign Minister's official residence (where the signing was to take place) at the designated time of 10:30 p.m., actual signing did not take place until 11:20 p.m.,JST, due to further delay caused by the Japanese side in last-minute adjustment of views among its top officials regarding the non-release of the US memorandum.
As covered in my previous reports, at the signing ceremony, besides Minister Yiu and myself, our delegation was represented by Counselor Choi, First Secretary Chin and a few others of my staff, while the Japanese side by Mr. Fujiyama, Vice Ministers Ohno and Matsumoto, Treaties Bureau Director Takahashi, Information and Cultural Bureau Director Kondo and Asian Bureau Counselor Miyake.
3. As I mentioned in the preceding paragraph, all the signed documents have already been sent to the Government (via especial pouch CAT, January 4), in accordance with the cable instructions from the Foreign Minister dated January 3, together with a full report on the conclusion of the preliminary talks (to the Foreign Minister with a copy for Office of the President).
With sentiments of loyalty and esteem, I remain,

Most respectfully,

Enclosure;
Summary records of my meeting with Fujiyama/Dec. 29, 1957