Letter From Norman About Conversation With General MacArthur

Canadian Liaison Mission
Tokyo

May 24, 1950.
No. 319
SECRET

The Honourable,
The Secretary of State
for External Affairs,
OTTAWA, Canada.

Sir,

I have the honour to report a conversation I had with General MacArthur yesterday. My chief reason for seeing him was that there had been, in the recent weeks, a number of rather conflicting and confusing press reports about United States policy towards Japan, such as the retention of military bases

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5. A quick review of other problems in this part of the world listed the following opinions from the General:-

6. As far as he knew, the chances were about even, he thought, of the Communists’ ability to take Formosa if they decided to attack it this year. Their only chance of success was the growing demoralization of the Nationalists. However, he thought that the Communists would be very reluctant to undertake this hazardous enterprise without collecting considerably more material since, if they retired after an unsuccessful attack with “a bloody nose”, then they would lose serious prestige in China.

7. In Korea, he expected Sygnman [sic] Rhee and his followers to win the forthcoming elections. After all, the General said, what chance is there for an opposition when 14,000 of them are in prison, without trial and without any expectation of trial? Any opposition to Syngman Rhee is promptly labelled “Communist” although, the General stated, it was obviously false in the overwhelming number of cases.

8. The elections for the House of Councillors, to be held in early June in Japan, General MacArthur believed might lend a slight edge to the present government party of the Liberals. They would not succeed in getting a majority but, perhaps, would command the largest number of seats of any party. Joined with the conservative faction, the Ryokofukai, they might even be able to hold a slight superiority in the Upper House. He expected that the Communists would do very poorly in the election, chiefly because of their growing unpopularity as a result of Cominform criticism and the repatriation issue. He did not think that the government would outlaw the Communists even though their tactics were becoming more obstreperous.

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I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient servant,
[signed E.H. Norman]
E.H. Norman,
Head of Canadian Liaison Mission
in Japan.