There is a curious story behind the activities of Prince Konoye which have caused press criticism in the United States and in Japan as well. I was present on October 4 when he called on General MacArthur on his own initiative. The General mentioned that the "administrative machinery" of the Government should be reformed and Konoye's interpreter (who verified this to me later) could not think of the correct Japanese translation and passed the statement off with the only thing that came to his mind -- "the constitution should be revised." Konoye came to me three days later to ask for "advice and suggestions" in regard to constitutional revision, and I told him and his companions, in a general way, what I thought was wrong with the constitution. Subsequently, he got himself designated by the Emperor to work on the matter. This may cause some problems in the future but so long as we are using the Japanese Government to accomplish what we wish -- or are permitting it to make its own efforts toward that end -- it would not seem the part of wisdom to interfere at this juncture with an individual so engaged who is in the confidence of the Emperor and carries weight among the reactionaries because he himself is a feudal lord, especially as he was not arrested in the beginning. He is, of course, trying to save his own skin and the ethical question of using him for a very important purpose and then turning on him later is one which I myself would prefer not to try to solve. 引用:Letter from George Atcheson, Jr. to the President dated November 5, 1945.国立国会図書館