811.24511B/5–1445
Preliminary Statement of General Principles Pertaining to the United States Military and Naval Base System in the Philippines To Be Used as a Basis for Detailed Discussions and Staff Studies
May 14, 1945
- 1.
- The principle is agreed that the fullest and closest military cooperation will be observed between the U.S. and the Philippine Government and the military plans of the U.S. and the Philippine Government for the Philippines area will be closely integrated in order to ensure the full and mutual protection of the U.S. and the Philippines.
- 2.
- The military forces of the U.S. will be accorded free access to, and movement between, ports, U.S. bases, and U.S. installations in the Philippines, by land, sea, and air.
- 3.
- Military and Naval aircraft of the U.S. will be allowed to operate without restriction into and from U.S. bases and over surrounding territory. U.S. forces will be allowed to enter and depart from the Philippines, including territorial waters, at will.
- 4.
- The U.S. will have the right to import free of duty, materiel, equipment, and supplies requisite to the improvement, maintenance, operation, and defense of U.S. bases.
- 5.
- The U.S. will have the right to maintain such personnel as may be requisite for the operations and defense of bases and facilities.
- 6.
- Pending development of the detailed plan, the U.S. will retain all sites which were held by the U.S. Army as military reservations on 7 December 1941 and by the U.S. Navy except at Cavite and will be accorded rights to sites in the localities shown on the attached Appendix.
- 7.
- The U.S. will have the right to retain, or to exchange for sites listed in paragraph 6 above, those sites wherein are located bases, installations, [Page 1209] or facilities which have been or may be developed in the course of the present war, to acquire additional sites and to acquire such sites in the future as may be required by changes in the means and methods of warfare, including the development of new weapons. The U.S. will have the right to acquire sites and install, maintain and operate thereon, the required communication and navigation facilities and radar installations.
- 8.
- The U.S. will retain U.S. military cemeteries and sites of historical significance to the U.S. in the Philippines.
- 9.
- Consideration will be given to Filipino participation in certain U.S. bases and vice versa as indicated by the military situation.
- 10.
- No nation other than the U.S. or the Philippines is to be permitted to establish or make use of any bases in the Philippines without the prior agreement of both the U.S. and Philippine Governments.
Agreed to May 14 1945
- Harry Truman
- S[ergio] Osmeña