Cablegram 158 LONDON, 16 April 1946, 8.40 .
IMMEDIATE TOP SECRET
Your telegram 12th April No. 171. [1] Allied Council for Japan, paragraph 2, your subsection (a). At the outset and until position is clearer we should prefer Mr. Ball to request instructions in all cases.
2. Your subsection (b). We are disturbed by the suggestion that the role of the British Representative should be to mediate between the Soviet and United States point of view in Japan. Our collaboration with the Americans in other parts of the world (e.g., at this juncture in the Middle East and at forthcoming meeting of foreign ministers) is of such outstanding importance that we are not prepared to be committed in advance to a general policy of mediation in Japan. This might well fail to achieve its purpose in Japan and, at the same time, cause friction with the United States Government. We request that you will point this out to Mr. Ball for his guidance and emphasise the importance which we attach to it.
3. Your subsection (c). We agree.
4. The foregoing is being repeated to the Government of India. [2]
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1 Document 188.
2 On 20 April the External Affairs Dept conveyed the U.K.’s views to Ball for ‘information and guidance’ subject to the receipt of views from the govts of India and New Zealand. It commented that the U.K. Govt seemed to have interpreted (b) ‘as involving a settled policy of mediation between the United States and U.S.S.R.’, while ‘We ourselves interpreted it rather as an intention to mist in avoiding friction’.
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[AA:A1067, P46/10/33/19, i]