Aide-memoire WASHINGTON, [9 June 1947] [1]

The Department of State has carefully considered the objections
raised in the Australian Embassy's aide-memoire of May 7, 1947, to
a second Antarctic whaling expedition under the control of the
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan, but has
nevertheless found it advisable to authorize the expedition under
the provisions of FEC-035. The reasons leading to this decision
are as follows:

(1) The protein food products and whale oil provided by the
expedition will be a vitally necessary component of Japanese food
and oil supplies during the calendar year 1948. The 1946-47
expedition produced a quantity of meat equal to 34 percent of the
total Japanese meat consumption from indigenous farm sources in
1946. With Japan's principal normal source of proteins, Manchurian
soybeans, cut off, this meat, having a protein equivalent of 122
million pounds of rice or 75 million pounds of wheat, cannot be
dispensed with in the Japanese diet. If the requisite protein
foods and oil for calendar 1948 are not obtained from whaling
operations, it will fall upon the United States, which continues
in the interest and to the advantage of all the Allies to supply
the entire Japanese food deficit, to make up the deficiency,
something which, in view of the manifold demands on its fats and
oils resources, it can ill afford to do.

(2) Exclusion of the Japanese from Antarctic whaling would be
contrary to this Government's fixed policy that Japan's position
as a defeated nation should not be taken advantage of to gain
economic and trade advantages for the victors.

(3) The United States Government cannot accept the thesis that the
total yield of whale products available for world consumption from
the 16,000 blue whale unit Conventional catch would be reduced in
consequence of Japan's participation. The Supreme Commander
reports that the Australian observer accompanying the last
expedition informed him through the Australian Mission in Japan
that the expedition was conducted in accordance with the
International Whaling Convention except in one particular, which
was 'the discarding of certain poor oil-bearing bones during
processing, since the facilities of the factory ships did not
permit this to be done and at the same time ensure a maximum
recovery of whale meat'. The Supreme Commander has assured the
Department of State that the factory ship in question will be
modified before the 1947-48 expedition to permit necessary
processing in complete conformity with the Convention, and that
all regulations of the Convention will be observed.

(4) The United States Government cannot agree that the Japanese
should be penalized in future because of their past bad record in
pelagic whaling. Acceptance of the principle that future
disabilities should be placed on the Japanese because of their
manifold past violations of the rules of international comity in
the commercial and other fields could only retard the re-
orientation of Japan as a peace-loving and law-abiding member of
the family of nations. As noted above the Supreme Commander has
undertaken to ensure that the Japanese comply with all
international regulations during the forthcoming expedition. The
assignment of Allied inspectors will be welcomed as before.

(5) No significant present or future security threat to any nation
can be perceived in a second SCAP-directed expedition. As with the
previous expedition, representatives of the Supreme Commander will
be present to see that no security regulations are violated, the
expedition's Japanese personnel will be screened, and no vessels
will be permitted to enter the waters of allied nations, unless
with their consent. It is difficult to conceive two Japanese
whaling ships, even though they might be adaptable to naval use,
could be considered to constitute a security threat in Japan's
present disarmed and impotent state.

The Government of the United States considers that in view of the
continuing importance of Japanese whaling vessels and equipment to
the achievement of the objectives of the occupation, and the
negligible security risk which their continued possession by Japan
entails, the allocation of such vessels and equipment for
reparations would be premature at this time, and that their
disposition should be considered as a part of the general
reparations problem.

The Department of State desires to re-emphasize the position
expressed in its aide-memoire of October 4, 1946, that the long-
range future of the Japanese whaling industry is a matter for
Allied discussion and decision. At the same time it must state in
all frankness that it will oppose prohibition or special
restriction of Japanese whaling operations on any other than valid
security grounds or refusal by Japan to participate in and
faithfully observe all relevant whaling conventions.

The Government of the United States sincerely hopes that the
Australian Government will appreciate the compelling nature of the
considerations which have caused it to authorize a second whaling
expedition over the Australian Government's protests, particularly
the fact that this Government cannot justifiably call upon the
American taxpayer, already bearing in the interest of Australia
and the other Allies the entire burden of Japanese relief
supplies, to furnish large additional quantities of protein foods
which the Japanese can practicably and at minor sacrifice to other
whaling nations provide for themselves.