My Year With Ambassador Joseph C

ROBERT A. FEAREY

1918 - 2004

Born July 4, 1918, New York City   

Harvard College, 1937-1941

Private Secretary to Ambassador Joseph C. Grew in Tokyo and, after repatriation, in Washington, 1941-1942

Japanese and other Far East postwar planning in Department of State, Washington, 1942-1945

Special Assistant to Ambassador George Atcheson, US Political Adviser to General MacArthur, in Tokyo, 1945-1946

Japanese Desk Officer in Department of State, 1946-1950

Special Assistant to Director of Office of Northeast Asian Affairs, detailed to Japanese Peace Treaty planning, 1950

Assistant to Ambassador Dulles in negotiation of Japanese Peace Treaty in Washington, Tokyo, London, etc., and Technical Adviser at Japanese Peace Conference in San Francisco, 1950-1951

Staff of US Representative on NATO Council of Deputies, London, 1952 

Member of US Delegation to NATO, Paris, 1952-1956

Officer in Charge of North Atlantic Treaty Economic and Military Assistance Affairs, Department of State, 1956-1957

NATO Adviser, Department of State, 1957-1958

National War College, Washington, 1958-1959

Chief, Political-Military Affairs Branch, American Embassy, Tokyo, concerned with negotiation of US-Japan Security Treaty, 1959-1961

Officer in Charge of Japanese Affairs, Department of State, 1961-1962

Deputy Director, and then Director, for East Asian Affairs, responsible for Japan, Republic of Korea, Republic of China, Department of State, 1963-1966

Political Adviser to the Commander in Chief, Pacific, with personal rank of Minister, 1966-1969

Civil Administrator of the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa), with personal rank of Minister, 1969-1972

Chairman, Dept. of International Relations and Area Studies, National War College faculty, 1972-1975

Special Assistant to the Secretary of State and Coordinator for Combating Terrorism, 1975-1977

Consultant to Agency for International Development, 1977-1978

Special Assistant to Coordinator of Population Affairs, Department of State, 1978-1979

Special Assistant to the President of Population Action International, Washington, D.C., 1979-1997

 

Author of:

The Occupation of Japan, MacMillan, 230 pages, 1950, forewords by Ambassador Grew and, in Japanese language edition, by Ambassador Dulles The US Versus the USSR-Ideologies In Conflict, Public Affairs Press, 48 pages, 1959, foreword by Paul H. Nitze World Population-Silent Explosion, Department of State monograph, 32 pages, 1978, co-authored with Ambassador Marshall Green

Awarded Dept. of Army’s Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service in 1972, and Japanese Government’s Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1982.

1 Washington’s position was that the talks never reached the negotiation stage, because of the two sides’ inability to agree on prior “fundamental and essential questions” but for simplicity’s sake I will overlook the distinction and use the word “negotiations” herein.

2 See appendix. In college, Robert’s studies concentrated on history, government, and economics. His plans were to go to law school following the careers of his father and oldest brother. Foreign affairs were always a strong interest; during the war he took additional classes at George Washington University. – editor.

3 The Kamakura Maru was a 17,500 ton ship that carried 817 passengers on the San Francisco – Yokohama run. During the war it was converted into a troop ship. On April 28, 1943 she was sunk by the U.S. submarine, Gudgeon. (source: Aleksi Lindström, http://shiplover.webspace4free.biz/) – editor.

4 Chiang Kai-shek reportedly declared in 1937 that China was determined to give up no more of its territory, a tacit admission that the return of Manchuria to China could not at that time be expected.

5 For a fuller exposition of Grew’s views in his own words, see the copy of his message of August 19 to the Secretary and Under Secretary in the appendix.

6 See appendix. –editor.

7 See pages 16, 17 for some of the photos and text from the LIFE story, – editor.

8 See the LIFE photo on page 16. – editor.

9 On April 18, 1942, Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle led 16 twin-engine B-25 bombers on a raid of Tokyo and Nagoya that was deemed technically impossible. They flew from the aircraft carrier Hornet, 625 miles from the Japanese coast. The planes could not carry enough fuel to return or land on friendly airfields in China. Most were ditched in the ocean. Some crew members were captured by Japanese troops in China, but almost all of them survived and eventually got back to the U.S. The raids did little damage, but the Japanese military had to divert scarce resources to defense and American morale received a tremendous boost.

10 The officer was, in fact, Robert’s predecessor and life-long friend, Marshall Green. – editor.

11 “Jane” is Simone Warner, daughter of the French Consul General. She now lives in Menlo Park, two blocks from my home. - editor

12 See appendix for Max Hill’s story about the departure. - editor

13 “Noisy complaining.” – editor.

14 St. Mark’s School is another prep school, and Groton’s greatest rival.

15 Brazilian currency. – editor.

16 In his diary Grew likened his messages to Washington to throwing pebbles into a pool on a dark night.

17 The Memoirs of Prince Fumimaro Konoye. published in 1946, tend to support this suspicion, particularly Konoye’s accounts therein of General Togo’s statements at critical meetings.

18 Reverend John (Jack) Crocker took over as headmaster of Groton School in the fall of 1940. He replaced Endicott Peabody, the school’s rector. – editor.

19 Marshall Green did indeed have a career in the Foreign Service, culminating in ambassadorships in Australia and Indonesia. Marshall and Robert Fearey remained very close friends throughout their lives. – editor.

20 Mr. Peabody’s daughter and a member of Groton’s faculty. – editor.

21 Foreign Relations, Japan 1931-1941, vol II, p. 565

22 Robert protested this figure as being much too high.