353

Chifley to Evatt

Cablegram 1608 CANBERRA, 31 October 1945

TOP SECRET IMMEDIATE

Thank you for your E5 [1] on British Commonwealth force of occupation. I feel it is proper for you to be aware of the following information which has been furnished to the Australian Chiefs of Staff by the Australian Service Mission to Japan as to General MacArthur’s views on the British Commonwealth force:-

Begins:

General MacArthur expressed determined views opposing any idea of a British area with the staff of the three services integrated under the command of one officer. He authorised me to inform the Australian Chiefs of Staff of this view, pointing out, however, that he had not yet received his directive from Washington. His plan, on which he is very determined, is to have the occupational forces arranged as were those of the South West Pacific, namely the Army of all nationalities under the command of a general equivalent to General Blamey, the Air Force under the command of the equivalent to General Kenney and the Navy under an Admiral corresponding to Admiral Kinkaid. He pointed out that only by this method could he effectively control the forces of the occupation .

. . particularly in view of the possibility of other nations taking part. He agrees that it would probably be most convenient to have the whole units of Commonwealth land forces occupying a particular area with small detachment from each component in the Tokyo garrison.

The mission are of the opinion that General MacArthur’s plan is the more practical arrangement for exercising command, particularly as the situation may at any time require the operational employment of the forces of occupation.

He suggested the inclusion in his staff of a mission in order to ensure co-ordination between the three services of the British Commonwealth Force and Supreme Command. Mission would come into being with the arrival in Japan of the British Commonwealth Force.

Ends.

1 Dispatched 28 October. On file AA : A816, 52/301/222.

[AA : A3195, 1945, FOLDER, TO AND FROM DR. EVATT IN LONDON. FOREIGN MINISTERS’ CONFERENCE, 0.27792]