893.01 Manchuria/332: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 18—9:35 a.m.]
190. 1. In his two conversations with the League of Nations Commission last week Uchida stated categorically that Japan intended to recognize Manchukuo and that this subject was not open to discussion. The Commission after having clearly set forth to Uchida its considered and unanimous opinion regarding the situation in Manchuria left Tokyo for Peiping on the 16th.
2. In spite of Uchida’s categorical statement mentioned above, considerable surprise has been manifested in Japanese circles that the Commission did not remain for further discussions and on the day of its departure Shiratori told the foreign press correspondents that contingent upon the Commission’s recommending a period of delay the Japanese Government was considering the possibility of maintaining the status quo by recognizing Manchukuo as a “Government” and delaying recognition as a “state” until it should have given proof of its qualifications for the latter status. In fact, he said, this type of recognition already exists as Japan has been communicating with [Page 170] Manchukuo through the Japanese Consul General in Changchun and it is the same type of recognition as that accorded to Chang Tso-lin and Chang Hsueh-liang with whom Japan negotiated agreements.
3. Today Shiratori told the foreign correspondents that the report of the League Commission would influence the attitude of Japan regarding the question of recognition of Manchukuo and that Yoshida would of course know the substance of the report before publication. He thought the best procedure was to delay recognition until such time as the complete independence of Manchukuo cannot be disputed by the most fastidious of critics. He said “The noise by the people in favor of complete recognition may, however, force the hand of the Government and the Japanese military are particularly sensitive to public opinion more than the outsider generally supposes”. In any case, he said, Japan will not bind herself to any specific period of delay, and will accept no supervision whatever. “For the present we shall do everything except grant recognition in name and more color may be given to the present situation by our entering into agreements with Manchukuo”.
4. As Shiratori’s statement is to open [open to] various interpretations involving the question of China’s continued sovereignty of [over] Manchukuo, I asked Neville to endeavor to obtain an informal clarification from Arita as I did not wish to prejudice the situation by seeing [seeking?] an official fourth [interpretation?] from Uchida at this juncture. Arita said that there was no change in the Japanese Government’s attitude as expressed to the League Commission and that the Foreign Office spokesman frequently gave his own explanation of statements made by the Minister or other officials. He said that he could not at the moment make a definite statement as to the time or the method of extending recognition to Manchukuo, but that when recognition is given it will mean the acceptance of a sovereign state.4
5. In spite of the somewhat contradictory sense of the statement[s] of Arita and Shiratori I cannot believe that the latter spoke entirely without the knowledge of his superiors especially as he substantially repeated his remarks after an interval of 2 days. In view of the fact that his statements were not given to the Japanese press they may well be in the nature of a trial balloon in order to gauge foreign reaction.
6. Arita told Neville that Uchida would probably send for me within a few days in order to go over the whole situation.
Repeated to Peiping.