Tokyo, 19 July 1971
1370. Secret Immediate
Prime Minister’s Message
Your 1730.1
2. We have received from Foreign Ministry text of Mr. Sato’s reply to Mr. McMahon’s message. Foreign Ministry wish original to be delivered to Mr. McMahon by Ambassador Saito, but we understand that they may be having some communications difficulties. Therefore, should this be received before Ambassador Saito calls, grateful if you could let him have no repeat no (underlined) indication that you have already received text. (Foreign Ministry in fact asked us not to send text for time being).
3. When handing us text, Foreign Ministry asked us to inform you that Japanese Government wished there to be no repeat no (underlined) public reference to the exchange of messages. This point was made a number of times.
4. Text of Prime Minister Sato’s reply, dated 19th July, is as follows:–
Begins:–
Dear Prime Minister,
I have read your message with great interest and deep appreciation. In fact I fully share your concern about the United States policy vis-à-vis China. Mr. Nixon’s announcement was quite news to me, although I had been informed thereof a few hours in advance.
Therefore, I instructed my Ambassador in Washington2 immediately to meet the Secretary of State and obtain clarification on the new China policy of the United States, bearing in mind in particular its repercussions on the problem of Chinese representation in the United Nations. He is due to see Mr. Rogers in Washington Monday morning.
Under these circumstances, I should like to suggest that your Government would take steps towards the United States in parallel with us, so that we could exchange views on the information and impressions we would have obtained from the U.S. side.
I do agree with you on the necessity of close cooperation of our two countries in this matter and I believe that after we will have compared notes, we might have to decide what steps we should take.
Yours sincerely,
Eisaku Sato.
Prime Minister of Japan.
Ends.
[NAA: A1838, 3107/38/18, xvi]
1 Document 214.
2 Ushiba Nobuhiko, Japanese Ambassador to the United States.