Cablegram from Shaw to Department of External Affairs

New York, 6 May 1968

UN 738. Confidential

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Japanese Ambassador Tsuruoka1 asked to see me today. His concern was over the Japanese draft resolution (telegram No. 6942 of 29 April) affirming responsibility of states to act in accordance with charter principles. contains text of aide-memoire left with Department today by United States Embassy concerning discussion in New York between yourself and Mr Fisher.

[matter omitted]

1. Tsuruoka acknowledged the danger that would follow once he put in any draft. He said that the USSR were not pleased because they might have to restate their position in favour of a simple overall ban on nuclear weapons which they did not want to do. (Fisher of the USA later told me that the United States were trying strongly to dissuade the Japanese from going ahead with their idea).
2. In order to meet some objections that the proposed Japanese draft was too vague in its reference to ‘principles’, Tsuruoka had in mind to rephrase operative paragraph 2 in a way which would ‘call upon all nuclear weapon states to refrain from use of nuclear weapons or the threat of such use in any way contrary to their obligations under the charter’. I pointed out that the use of such language would defeat the first purpose which Tsuruoka had described, namely that of embracing Communist China in the scope of a text.
3. Tsuruoka said that he would continue in his efforts to find a suitable text but he was not in a hurry to put it in. Finally, he said he might see whether the cosponsors of the twentytwo power resolution3 to endorse the draft treaty would be prepared to incorporate in their draft resolution some of the points contained in his, in which case Japan might cosponsor the ‘endorsing’ draft. (I have the impression that he is not too enthusiastic about the whole task.)
4. When Japanese are able to clarify their thinking we shall let you know and seek your views on what attitude we should take.

[NAA: A1838, 680/10/2 part 5]

• 1 Senjin Tsuruoka, Japanese Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York.
• 2 Dispatched on 29 April, it conveyed the text of a draft Japanese resolution in which nuclear powers pledged not to use the nuclear weapons in their possession in a way inconsistent with the UN Charter and the sovereign equality of states.
• 3 A reference to UN General Assembly Resolution 2373 (XXII), which was eventually passed on 12 June 1968.