On February 15, 1946, Jiro Shirasu, Councillor of the Central Liaison Office, following the instructions of Minister of State Joji Matsumoto, sent a letter to Chief of Government Section Whitney in which he expressed in a roundabout way their hopes that the "Matsumoto Draft" would be reconsidered. Shirasu explained that the "Matsumoto Draft" and the GHQ draft had the same goal, but were going after those goals along different paths. That the "Matsumoto Draft" was preceding in Japanese fashion along a winding path or "Jeep Way" as opposed to the GHQ draft which went directly to the goal.
Whitney, sent a response to this letter on the following day, February 16. As the Shirasu letter was intended to sound out the intentions of GHQ, Whitney strongly expressed the necessity of adopting the GHQ draft, an action that was also supported by international opinion, and said that to assume an attitude of preserving the "Matsumoto Draft" would meet with severe opposition.
| Actual Title of Source | Letter from Jiro Shirasu to General Whitney, dated 15 February 1946. (The "Jeep Way Letter") |
|---|---|
| Date | 15 February 1946 |
| Document Number | Alfred Hussey Papers; Constitution File No. 1, Doc. No. 15 |
| Repository (reproduction) | |
| Repository | National Diet Library |
| Note |
| Actual Title of Source | Letter from General Whitney to Mr. Shirasu, dated 16 February 1946, answering "Jeep Way Letter" |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 February 1946 |
| Document Number | Alfred Hussey Papers; Constitution File No. 1, Doc. No. 16 |
| Repository (reproduction) | |
| Repository | National Diet Library |
| Note |
