Following the tragic rape of a 12-year old Okinawa school girl by three U.S. servicemen in 1995, Secretary of Defense William Perry, perhaps the most respected member of President Bill Clinton's Cabinet, invited former Ambassadors Mike Mansfield and Richard L. Armitage to have lunch with him and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Perry, an eminently decent man, was distraught by the tragedy and sought advice of two senior Americans trusted by many Japanese.

Both of them urged Perry to act decisively to show his deep concern over the incident while not doing anything to jeopardize the U.S.-Japan security relationship vital to both countries. Their suggestion was consideration of returning to Japan the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station, located in the middle of an Okinawan city, if a suitable replacement for the base, which is essential to U.S. Seventh Fleet operational readiness, could be found.

Perry appreciated the suggestion of these two experts and asked Armitage, a Republican with an influential network among the U.S. foreign policy and military communities, for help in overcoming opposition Perry knew would be forthcoming, especially from the uniformed U.S. military, to any such proposal. Armitage, a dedicated patriot and an empathetic father, responded in a positive and bipartisan fashion.