14. Changes at the State Department

The IPR efforts on the Chinese front went into high gear as soon as Secretary Byrnes reached home on August 7. They had to work fast. Byrnes, stepping hurriedly into this complex mess, deeply occupied with other areas of the war problems, like most outsiders knew little of the subversive streams running in the State Department. He had not yet spent a day in the Department and knew nothing of the cabal in the Far Eastern Division. Grew was Acting Secretary and Dooman head of the Far Eastern Division, with John Carter Vincent heading the China Section under Dooman—Vincent, the man who tried to get Lattimore into the Department and who was a member of the IPR and was for the liquidation of the Emperor and a savage peace. The position of Grew and Dooman became impossible.

What force operated at this point is not known, but there can be little doubt that the conspirators got to the mind of President Truman—for from that day to this he has been the most ferocious defender of all these events. In any case, shortly after Truman returned home Dean Acheson resigned as Assistant Secretary, saying he wished to return to his law practice. Two days later Grew resigned as Under Secretary and Dooman as head of the Far Eastern Division. Immediately Acheson returned, now as Under Secretary, replacing Grew. John Carter Vincent (only recently suspended as a security risk) was made head of the Far Eastern Division to replace Dooman. John Stewart Service was named head of the Information Service—Service, who had been arrested in the infamous Amerasia case shortly before and who had been detected by the FBI visiting the room of the Communist Jaffe and turning over to him information which Service warned Jaffe was secret. Ultimately Service was dismissed, but against Acheson's judgment, by the Loyalty Review Board, but of course after all the mischief had been accomplished.

With the departure of Grew and Dooman, the Department was now rid of the two men who could be relied on to support a rational anti-Communist policy. It had men in the Far Eastern Division who could be relied on to adopt the IPR line on Asia.

Once Acheson was installed in power, Lattimore's position was secure. In 1946, the Department sent Edwin W. Pauley as Reparations Commissioner to Japan to make a survey of Japanese potentials and needs. Lattimore went along with Pauley as his adviser. Pauley made a report on his return and Lattimore admitted that he (Lattimore) drafted the report. It was his old line, recommending pastoralization of Japan based on fishing, agriculture and small industries, as had been urged by Vincent. Lattimore has admitted he was on the State Department payroll in that mission (pp. 3488-3489).