146 Department of External Affairs to Legation in Washington

Cablegram 475 CANBERRA, 27 March 1946

Your F.E.C. Nos. 29 and 34. [1] Japanese Constitution.

We fully support Eggleston's attitude. Our policy is that we
confine ourselves to insistence on a democratic system which can
evolve its new constitution for itself. F.E.C. remains the final
authority and can disapprove of any Constitution adopted by the
Diet which is not in conformity with a democratic system. In the
meantime we consider that F.E.C. should send S.C.A.P. a directive
setting out the principles which should govern the achievement of
a democratic Constitution in Japan.

1 Dispatched 14 and 16 March respectively. The first reported
general agreement that the F.E.C. was the final authority on the
Japanese constitution, and Eggleston's motion that MacArthur be
directed to inform the Japanese people that 'his approval of
present draft constitution did not mean that no other suggestions
would be considered and that Allies expected full and frank
discussion in Japan'. The second reported consideration in sub-
commitee of whether the F.E.C. should comment before or after
drafts had been submitted to the Diet, and the F.E.C. view that
the framing and adoption of a new constitution should not be
rushed.

[AA:A3196, 1946, 0.5996]

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146 Department of External Affairs to Legation in Washington