GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
SUPREME COMMANDER FOR THE ALLIED POWERS

APO 500
12 July 1946

AG 014.12 (12 Jul 46) GS
(SCAPIN - 1063)

MEMORANDUM FOR	IMPERIAL JAPANESE GOVERNMENT.
THROUGH	Central Liaison Office, Tokyo.
SUBJECT	Proposal to Prohibit Police and Fire-Brigade Officers from Joining Political Associations

1. Reference is made to C.L.O. No. 2993 (PP-K), 20 June 1946, stating that the Japanese Government intends, as a disciplinary measure, to prohibit police and fire-brigade officers from joining any political association and engaging in, or giving assistance to, any political activities, and requesting the view of General Headquarters, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers on this matter.
2. The proposed action by the Japanese Government is not believed to be advisable as it would constitute an unwarranted restriction upon freedom of assembly, association and speech, and be violative of the rights of the individual to freedom of political expression. While long-established democratic custom has viewed with disfavor aggressive political action by police and fire-brigade officers, due to the impossibility of complete delineation between the official and private personality of the individual in such matters, such persons nevertheless, acting as individual citizens, should not be denied freedom to exercise the normal political rights inherent in citizenship. Should such rights be abused to the detriment of the public interest, corrective action in individual cases involved is, of course, quite in order.

FOR THE SUPREME COMMANDER:

JOHN B. COOLEY,
Colonel, AGD,
Adjutant General.